DeN Double Feature gets into the holiday spirit with some offbeat Christmas films. Spike that eggnog, make fists with your toes, walk on some broken glass and c’mon down for some yuletide cheer. Now I have a machine gun, ho ho ho.

At DeN Double Feature we like to dive deep into the ageless questions of cinema, such as: What does the end of 2001 really mean? Who is better - Chaplin or Keaton? What did Bill Murray whisper to Scarlett Johansson? And the most timeless question of all … is DIE HARD a Christmas film? You’re goddamned right it is. Yippee-ki-yay motherf*cker! Not only is it a Christmas film, it is also one of the most successful and influential American action films of all time. Flawlessly directed by John McTiernan with one of the all-time great action formula screenplays, DIE HARD casts a fresh-off-Moonlighting Bruce Willis as a down-on-his-luck cop who flies to California to spend time with his estranged wife and family. Little does he know that he’s soon to become the fly in the ointment for a posse of “Eurotrash” terrorists who hijack all of Nakatomi Plaza, the new high-rise building where his wife works. Fireworks soon ensue, imminently quotable lines fly a mile a minute and an entirely new sub-genre of action film was born. 

We are also fans of fun B-horror/comedy Christmas films. Classics such as Krampus, Gremlins and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians are in regular rotation in our homes come Christmas time. One of the most recent entries in this fun sub-genre of holiday films is RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE, a 2010 Finnish dark fantasy horror thriller film written and directed by Jalmari Helander about people living near the Korvatunturi mountain who discover the secret behind Santa Claus. Based on a short film made several years earlier, RARE EXPORTS broke through to cult status on the international film circuit, earning wide praise for its blend of horror, comedy and dark goofiness. 

The features may or may not be preceded by a dark and twisted Christmas short or two that may or may not be animated. 

The two films will be presented by UNIS Hanoi film teachers Colin Campbell and Jackson Garland, who will provide some historical context for the films and lead us in an open roundtable/Q&A discussion after each screening. 

Come on down, grab some glögi and let's do film!