With an untraditional holiday season here why not enjoy some untraditional Christmas movies. As you social distance why not mix up your quarantine entertainment with some geeky flicks set during the holidays.
As a lover of comic books, action and sci-fi here are some of my favorite no necessarily holiday holiday movies you might enjoy:
GREMLINS
With a cute pet comes great responsibility – especially when the cuddly critter can spawn scaly monsters. The mysterious merchant tells Dad the rules for owning this sweet pet. Dad told his son the rules. Do they listen? American small town is soon overrun by Gremlins just in time for the holidays. The fuzzy cuteness of Gizmo transforms into terror as his brood multiply wreaking havoc and raising hell.
Some holiday traditions become twisted in this classic from the 80’s directed by Joe Dante. You will never think of Mom cooking treats the same way after Billy’s mom has a kitchen nightmare. As if the little monsters were not enough Billy’s girlfriend shares one of the most heartbreaking Santa Claus stories you will ever hear. Billy, Kate, and Gizmo are on the run through the town to evade the monsters and stop the spread leading to a cinema attack and showdown in a shopping mall. There is a moral here for the holidays and quarantine: Be careful to make sure you can handle the responsibilities when you take in a cute snugly pet.
BATMAN RETURNS
Holidays can already be hard for a single loner even before the pandemic so you can relate to Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton). The bachelor’s devotion to his secret career as a crime fighter keeps him single with little time to celebrate the season. Enter Selina Kyle. You do not have to buy her something shiny for Christmas. She has probably already stolen it as her alter ego: Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer).
As Gotham City counts down to Christmas, The Penguin emerges from the sewers out for revenge, a circus of crime terrorizes the city, a mousy secretary discovers the roaring femme fatale within and a sleazy Scrooge schemes to hide the dark secret of his riches. With bizarre tree lighting ceremonies gone wrong, Catwoman’s department store rampage and a dangerous dance at a Christmas ball, this sequel delivers fun twists on holiday rituals.
Batman must save the city’s children and stop a flock of bombing birds. Can Bruce save the one woman who could be more just a kiss under the mistletoe? Tim Burton’s Bat-sequel delivers action with a twisted take on the holiday rom com.
ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE
How does James Bond celebrate Christmas? 007 tracks his archenemy to an allergy clinic on top of a mountain in Switzerland at Christmastime. This clinic is not out to spread cures or goodwill.
Snow. Angels. Well Angels of Death more like it. Unsuspecting women are part of a bizarre plot to spread poison all over the globe. Bond’s showdown in the Alps makes the holiday a season of seductions, evil schemes, and fantastic ski chases. This film also features the ultimate leading lady (Dame Diana Rigg) who becomes Mrs. James Bond. Shake not stir your martini for a holiday toast to this most unique 007 adventure.
IRON MAN 3
What do you get the genius billionaire who has everything? As Christmas approaches, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) loses his Malibu mega home, labs and suits or armor in a shocking attack. The world thinks Tony is gone but he ends up in rural Tennessee getting help from a clever kid who’s an Iron Man fan with a million questions for Armored Avenger. What a Christmas present – a superhero shows up at your door!
Rival inventors, a terrorist mastermind and army of weaponized soldiers plot Iron Man’s downfall. Like in a holiday classic, Tony must face the ghosts of his past and inner demons. Tony and kid wiz go back to basics to engineer a comeback to solve the mystery and stop the bad guys.
Those are just a few of my favorite holiday movies alternatives with a genre twist. Enjoy the season and celebrate safely.
By Editor