I want to express my gratitude for your continuous sharing of award-worthy screenplays. Your dedication to the craft and assisting aspiring writers like me is truly valued. May you and your loved ones have a happy holiday season!
This Substack is a personal passion project, a mix of just weird art things I want to talk about and the resources and advice I wish I'd had access to when I was starting out. I'm always glad to hear they make a difference to anyone. Be safe and merry this holiday season, Robin!
You are such a wonderful person! I noticed you've been doing this quite a bit. Your generosity is helping so many in and out of the industry. Thank you, Cole! Happy holidays to you and your family. 🎄💞
It’s always curious about the Die Hard debate. The story happens the night of a Office Xmas party, there’s the Ho-Ho-Ho Now I have a machine gun line, and McClain uses tape from a wrapping paper dispenser for the final trick.
How can it not be deemed a Christmas movie with that many holiday elements?
But it also begs the question, if Reindeer Games was a massive hit, would it too be a Christmas movie?🤔
Yes, yes it would be. I don't know why anyone cares about shit like this. It's some sort of twisted tribalism over something utterly irrelevant. If people find joy in something, let them do it on their own terms. No one comes into your house, points a gun at you, and shouts, "It's a Christmas movie!" until you concede. Just put the movie on, watch it, and go to bed. But as for DIE HARD itself, it's obviously a Christmas film, everyone involved built Christmas into the story, and the soundtrack - more than anything else - tells you that was their intent. It's far more "Christmassy" than a lot of films we watch every holiday season, that's for sure.
You've captured a few films on my list and a few that are on my 'hate' list (or at least, you won't catch me voluntarily watching list). Being an historian, I regularly add a few others - Tora, Tora, Tora - a Die Hard type opening of the season; Battleground - WW2 movie about the Battle of the Bulge as experienced by a unit of the 101st Airborne (a glider infantry regiment!); Joyeux Noel - a sentimental treatment of the 1914 Christmas Truce during World War One with the Scots, the French, and the Germans taking a time out and swapping tunes. We cap off the season with Rent - my wife's contribution. NB - we like Santa Claus because it has so many explanations of just how North Pole Inc. works - and it has "Elves - with attitude". Time to find my copy of Muppet Christmas Carol!
Remember, these lists aren't always favorites of mine. The curation is always limited by what's available online. So, I do my best to provide a well-rounded conversation about the screenwriting genres/subjects I write about. MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL is...perfect.
I watched JOYEUX NOELLE again last year. It’s a mess of wild historical inaccuracies…and yet I don’t care. It’s incredibly affecting. I cried several times.
I want to express my gratitude for your continuous sharing of award-worthy screenplays. Your dedication to the craft and assisting aspiring writers like me is truly valued. May you and your loved ones have a happy holiday season!
This Substack is a personal passion project, a mix of just weird art things I want to talk about and the resources and advice I wish I'd had access to when I was starting out. I'm always glad to hear they make a difference to anyone. Be safe and merry this holiday season, Robin!
Absolutely love when you send us screenplays to download
I'm glad they're of any help to you - enjoy!
You are such a wonderful person! I noticed you've been doing this quite a bit. Your generosity is helping so many in and out of the industry. Thank you, Cole! Happy holidays to you and your family. 🎄💞
You're welcome, Yolanda. Thanks for being here. Happy holidays to you and yours, too!
Love this Cole, thank you so much! (And: totally with you on The Holiday)
It’s always curious about the Die Hard debate. The story happens the night of a Office Xmas party, there’s the Ho-Ho-Ho Now I have a machine gun line, and McClain uses tape from a wrapping paper dispenser for the final trick.
How can it not be deemed a Christmas movie with that many holiday elements?
But it also begs the question, if Reindeer Games was a massive hit, would it too be a Christmas movie?🤔
Yes, yes it would be. I don't know why anyone cares about shit like this. It's some sort of twisted tribalism over something utterly irrelevant. If people find joy in something, let them do it on their own terms. No one comes into your house, points a gun at you, and shouts, "It's a Christmas movie!" until you concede. Just put the movie on, watch it, and go to bed. But as for DIE HARD itself, it's obviously a Christmas film, everyone involved built Christmas into the story, and the soundtrack - more than anything else - tells you that was their intent. It's far more "Christmassy" than a lot of films we watch every holiday season, that's for sure.
You've captured a few films on my list and a few that are on my 'hate' list (or at least, you won't catch me voluntarily watching list). Being an historian, I regularly add a few others - Tora, Tora, Tora - a Die Hard type opening of the season; Battleground - WW2 movie about the Battle of the Bulge as experienced by a unit of the 101st Airborne (a glider infantry regiment!); Joyeux Noel - a sentimental treatment of the 1914 Christmas Truce during World War One with the Scots, the French, and the Germans taking a time out and swapping tunes. We cap off the season with Rent - my wife's contribution. NB - we like Santa Claus because it has so many explanations of just how North Pole Inc. works - and it has "Elves - with attitude". Time to find my copy of Muppet Christmas Carol!
Remember, these lists aren't always favorites of mine. The curation is always limited by what's available online. So, I do my best to provide a well-rounded conversation about the screenwriting genres/subjects I write about. MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL is...perfect.
A great collection of fun, funny and heart warming films.
As I mentioned in another comment, Joyeux Noelle is a beautiful Christmas film that I believe deserves its place in the spotlight.
I watched JOYEUX NOELLE again last year. It’s a mess of wild historical inaccuracies…and yet I don’t care. It’s incredibly affecting. I cried several times.
In a musical frame of mind this evening and remembered this one -
Pipes of Peace
https://youtu.be/B3q4Up5ugTc?si=CG7-C4Ctx5qADp8P
This song has always tripped me out!