Holiday Movies for Geeks

There are plenty of go-to holiday movies out there. Miracle on 34th Street. It's a Wonderful Life. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. All pluck the heartstrings just right for this time of year, and all safely watchable for pretty much anybody. But if you want a break from the ordinary and want to find some new or newly appreciated favorites for the holiday season, here's a few movies that could fill out your time off.  

1. Terry Pratchett's Hogfather



We watched this again recently and were pleasantly surprised. This TV miniseries was adapted extremely well from the source material, and includes all the eccentricity and thoughtfulness of the typical Terry Pratchett novel. Which makes sense, since Pratchett was heavily involved in the production. In this we return to the delightful nonsensical Discworld, and begin a perfectly simple tale of the happenings on Christmas Eve and end up questioning the true nature of gods, mortality, time, and belief. Great plot, cheeky characters, tight pacing, and a world like ours but not quite. And it has some holiday morals to boot.


Almost everyone's heard of Nightmare Before Christmas, but Hogfather tends to slip through the cracks. Definitely worth a watch on Hogswatch.


2. The Nightmare Before Christmas


Not that we have anything against The Nightmare Before Christmas. After all, it is kind of the quintessential Christmas movie for people who have... mixed feelings about the whole holiday spirit thing. Who doesn't love a musical about terrifying people doing weird things? And this one just happens to be centered around Christmas, giving us an opportunity to avoid another It's a Wonderful Life sob-fest while also being creeped out by a sentient pillowcase stuffed with bugs. Truly the stuff of nightmares!



3. Batman Returns

What the heck has Batman to do with the winter holidays? Very little, really, but back in 1992 we got a Batman movie set during the jolliest season. Actually, one of my favorite Batman films (note: Starbat disagrees and says Danny DeVito's character is the stuff of nightmares). Like the 1989 Batman, its got Tim Burton at the helm to make the criminals and crimefighters of Gotham just that one step creepier and quirkier that you'd expect. Michael Keaton reprises his role as the caped crusader and must face down not one but three top-shelf villains. Michelle Pfeiffer darkly shines as probably the best Catwoman put to film, with Danny DeVito as Penguin and Christopher Walken as ambitious industrialist Max Shreck. 


Is the plot bonkers? Yes. Are some of the penguins clearly people in penguin costumes? Yes. Is it still fun to see? Of course!


4. Rise of the Guardians

Okay, so this isn't really a Christmas movie. It actually happens around Easter. But is does have Santa Claus, Jack Frost, and several glorious views of the North Pole workshop, which I think earns it a spot on this list. This movie, which stars the fantastic voice talents of Chris Pine, Jude Law, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, and Alec Baldwin, is based on the books by William Joyce. It's fun, it's sweet, and while it was marketed towards children, it involves zero (I repeat zero) fart jokes.


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