Have Yourself an Action Christmas
There is an ongoing debate about whether Die Hard can be considered a Christmas movie. For me the answer is a resounding yes! Die Hard (1988) and Lethal Weapon (1987), which are both set in Los Angeles during Christmas time make a great 80s action double feature. You can make it a triple LA action feature and include Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) written and directed by Shane Black, who wrote Lethal Weapon. This is a comedic murder mystery starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilner, and Michelle Monaghan that is a love letter to the film noir movies of the 1940s. A side note: Black has a thing about Christmas in LA. He wrote and directed Iron Man 3 (2013) which was also set in Los Angeles at Christmas time.
Fatman (2020) with Mel Gibson as a world weary Santa Claus who must fight off an assassin sent by a sociopathic child on the naughty list is a true action Christmas movie. This one is my new favorite.
My favorite TV Christmas episode is also heavy on the action. NCIS episode 11 9th Season – Newborn King. Stuck in a snow storm on Christmas Eve, Gibbs and Ziva take refuge in a closed gas station with a witness they are protecting, a very pregnant Marine. As she goes into labor, hitmen show up to kill her. Ziva fights off the bad guys while Gibbs delivers the baby.
Fun Fact: The title of this blog is a reference to one of the most famous letters of all time. In 1897 eight year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the newspaper The New York Sun asking if there was a Santa Claus. The editor answered her with an editorial that started with Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus. You can read her letter and the reply here.
I wish you and your loved ones a very merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate in December!
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