Christmas season is right around the corner. I can almost hear the jingles that are bound to invade every and any public space, repeated mercilessly for all to hear. I can already imagine the tacky red and white decorations and costumes, and it almost hurts my eyes. In no time, Christmas will have colonized our world.
For many, Christmas is a hallmark holiday and a great time for good food, fun, and company. It does get old, however. Nonetheless, it is still a much-needed reprieve from our busy lives and as such, it is imperative that we make full use of it. Here are some albums and movies that are not quite Christmas-y, meaning that they are remotely festive, but aren't explicitly about the holidays.
Die Hard (1988)
I think Die Hard qualifies among one of the best action movies. Although the movie takes its protagonist, estranged cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) on an action-packed ride to reunite with his family over Christmas, it was released in July 1988, making it more of a summer movie. What makes it so great is that Willis plays a one-man army - part Rambo, part Macgyver, he sneaks, brawls and improvises his way through a squad of terrorists single-handedly. The film is very much masculine, but the tension is allayed by Willis' aloof and light-hearted portrayal of John. The villain, interestingly enough, is played by Alan Rickman, and so you can imagine him as Professor Snape with a German accent.
This is absolutely perfect for Christmas, because if you do enjoy the first one, there are 2 more sequels that are just as good. Die Hard 2 and 3 are a must-watch, the latter co-starring Samuel L. Jackson. There are 2 modern remakes as well - "Die Hard 4.0" and "A Good Day to Die Hard". The remakes are not nearly as good, but I do re-watch all of them for the one-liner John McClane is most famous for, "yippee-ki-yay...".
Scotch Mist - Radiohead (2007)
Christmas is the season for giving, and in 2007, Radiohead gifted us with their very own festive film, albeit for New Year's Eve instead of Christmas. The webcast includes surreal video footage, poetry and a selection of songs from their In Rainbows album, which they also "gifted" to all of us, releasing it as a "pay what you want" album. Radiohead's music can be strange, but I feel as though this album embodies the Christmas Spirit, whilst not being about Christmas at all. The tracks are live studio recordings of songs from "In Rainbows", which take a step back from their heavy use of analog effects and drum machines to organic instrumentals and vocals, and also recorded and filmed in a home-style setting, during the holidays. Thank you Thom, Johnny, Colin, Ed and Phil.
Soul and Salvation - Dizzy Gillespie (1969)
You might recognize Dizzy from his chipmunk cheeks which inflate to the size of baseballs. Considered by many to be a pioneer in Bop music, his music usually contains lightning-fast runs up and down impossibly complex scales, nearly impossible for the untrained ear (such as mine) to fathom.
However, this gem of a record, which happens to be the original recording of his "Souled Out" LP, is more Gospel than it is Bop, way more. Both A and B-sides contain catchy Funk tunes, along with soulful and relaxed Gospel and R&B influenced tracks. What results is an album that, to me, is a celebration of life in all of its beauty and peculiarity. There aren't many lyrics, and less so Christmas ones. I can go on and on about how good it is, but all I shall say is that this album will warm even the coldest hearts. It's also funny how Dizzy gave some of these songs names such as "Stomped and Wasted", "Pot Licka" and "Chicken Giblets".
American Psycho (2000)
This movie is for the inner Grinch in you. Christian Bale plays a neurotic, obsessive, compulsive and psychotic Wall-Street shark (Patrick Bateman), a misanthrope with an irrepressible fixation on murder. He is a sharp, slick executive who detests other human beings for no apparent reason and who kills (possibly) without remorse. Just one scene is set at a Christmas Party, which is why this movie makes it on the list -- Patrick cannot help but to grin and scowl at the superficial small-talk of his peers like I would if I was dragged to a party I didn't want to go to. While we would not resort to murder as he does, our inner Grinch can certainly relate to the hassle of socializing and small talk. The psychological nature of the film provides a lens through which we can view ourselves, our quirks and our aversions. And if the gory and gratuitous violence does put you off, it might just get you back into the Christmas spirit.
