Die Hard (of course), Lethal Weapon, Batman Returns, Gremlins, and more are all set around the holidays, but should they count as Christmas movies?
“While action addicts love to extol the Christmas themes of 1988’s Die Hard every time December rolls around, the Bruce Willis-led blockbuster has plenty of company in the no man’s land between ‘Definitely a Christmas movie; and ‘Definitely not a Christmas movie.’ From romantic comedies to rip-roaring thrillers, here are some other Hollywood hits that you can definitely justify adding to an upcoming holiday movie marathon (whether your guests like it or not).”
On the other hand, here are some of the best Christmas movies (that are actually Christmas movies) ever created and how popular they are in each state.
“Americans have some distinct tastes when it comes to holiday movies—and the top choices vary by state. While our resounding national favorite appears to be Home Alone, because who doesn’t love the heartwarming tale of a clever child torturing burglars and making new friends in time for Christmas, some of the other results may surprise you. Like for example, do you consider Edward Scissorhands to be a holiday flick?”
Be King just released a few items for the holidays that would make great stocking stuffers for those who love geek culture!
“Upbeat Geek, created by geek psychologist/neuroscientist Dr. Janina Scarlett with artwork by Dean Rankine (The Simpsons, Rick and Morty). This deck of 53 mental health support cards helps bolster resilience, giving people tools and nerd-friendly ideas to end anxiety, loneliness, depression, fear, imposter syndrome, shame, and self-doubt. The deck is a mental health tool for modern-day geeks.”
Shut up and take our money! Nicolas Cage and Awkwafina have joined the cast of Renfield alongside Nicholas Hoult, a new retelling of the Dracula story (and yes, Cage is Dracula).
“Renfield will be the first time Nicolas Cage plays a vampire. While in 1989, the actor starred in the cult horror-comedy, Vampire’s Kiss, his character wasn’t technically undead even though he had a thirst for blood. Over 30 years later, Cage seems to be resurrecting a more authentic kind of blood-sucking energy for Universal Pictures’ upcoming Dracula movie.”
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor Simu Liu geeks out over Star Wars and shares his favorite Jedi character, and the answer might surprise you.
“Star Wars fans are known for having passionate opinions and Shang-Chi star Simu Liu is no different. On the latest episode of Hot Ones, the new Marvel hero was asked about a photo from his Instagram where he was wearing a red Sith Trooper helmet, which lead to the question of who his favorite Jedi is. The answer is probably controversial, but certainly well reasoned.”
In an emotional interview, Alec Baldwin opens up about the tragic shooting on the set of Rust, stating that he never pulled the trigger on the gun that killed the film’s cinematographer.
“It’s been six weeks since the small-budget Western film Rust shut down production, after an incident in which a firearm discharged on the film’s set, wounding director Joel Souza, and killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. During the intervening period, much of the focus on that incident has fallen on star Alec Baldwin, who not only served as a producer on the film but who was holding the firearm (and pointing it at Hutchins) when it was discharged.”