10 Movies You Don't Remember Being Set At Christmas

Christmas time...

Fancy watching a Christmas movie but shuddering at the thought of slinging on Home Alone for the hundredth time? Well, Christmas is alive and well in these 10 movies, though they all have far more important things to be getting on with (like killing aliens, or taking down terrorists) than quaffing mulled wine and wearing silly jumpers.

Iron Man 3 (2013)

The Movie: In the wake of the attack on New York (in Avengers Assemble), Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is having nightmares about his own mortality. He doesn't have time to dwell, though, as there's a dangerous new criminal on the loose in the form of scary terrorist The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley).

Sleepless In Seattle (1993)

The Movie: Genre-defining rom-com written and directed by Nora Ephron. When young Jonah (Ross Malinger) calls into a radio station on Christmas Eve, he reveals that his Christmas wish is for a new mum (sob). Listening in is Annie (Meg Ryan), who wonders if she should dump boring boyfriend Walter (Bill Pullman) for the hunky-sounding Sam (Tom Hanks).

Christmas Spirit? Well, Annie certainly seems to enjoy singing Horses, horses, horses, horses a lot. And being miserable at Christmas seems pretty normal to us, though Annie's sudden obsession with a man she heard on the radio is probably taking it a step (or 12) too far. That said, who doesn't go positively green with envy at Sam and Jonah's gorgeous, decoration-festooned house? Now that's a Christmas pad we'd kill for.

Prometheus (2012)

The Movie: In this sort-of prequel to Alien, a group of scientists jet off into space in search of aliens after discovering a space map (or something). Landing on a desolate planet, they discover they may have bitten off more than they can chew when they uncover a buried space ship populated with unfriendly creepy crawlies.

Batman Returns (1992)

The Movie: Gotham is blanketed in snow as Batman (Michael Keaton) goes up against two pesky foes in the form of the Penguin (Danny DeVito) and Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer).

Stalag 17 (1953)

The Movie: World War II drama directed by Billy Wilder. Paranoia fills a Luftwaffe prisoner-of-war camp when two inmates are caught and killed during an escape attempt. Sgt. J.J. Sefton (William Holden) is accused of being an informer, and must rat out the real snitch before the whole camp turns on him.

Brazil (1985)

The Movie: In a dystopian world reliant on machines, miserable government employee Sam (Jonathan Price) stumbles across a woman he keeps glimpsing in his dreams. And his life becomes considerably more complicated when he's blamed for a series of terrorist bombings...

American Psycho (2000)

The Movie: Christian Bale heads up Mary Harron's deliciously dark adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel. Bale plays Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, successful investment banker who daydreams about murder. But are the violent crimes he commits real or imagined?

Lethal Weapon (1987)

The Movie: Written by Shane Black (so, naturally, it's set at Christmas), this buddy cop comedy sees chalk-n-cheese officers Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) and Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) teamed up to investigate an apparent suicide.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

The Movie: Shocked when his wife (Nicole Kidman) discloses that she considered having an affair, Dr. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) does the rational thing and embarks on an orgy-tastic night of primal pleasure. Because you just would, wouldn't you?

Christmas Spirit? Christmas is everywhere in Eyes Wide Shut, which isn't surprising, considering director Stanley Kubrick specifically chose the festive period for his movie (in the book, the story's set around Mardi gras). According to those in the know, Kubrick's decision to set the film around Christmas was to capitalise on the period's theme of rebirth. Also, he liked the coloured Christmas lights...

LA Confidential (1997)

The Movie: Classy crime noir set in 1950s Los Angeles. The labyrinthine plot follows three cops who investigate a murder, but their different methods could end up jeopardising the case.