Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: So, Jim, I have been tasked as the resident movie guy.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:00:08] Speaker A: To talk about our favorite Christmas films.
[00:00:11] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:00:12] Speaker A: Of the year.
[00:00:13] Speaker B: And they do lend themselves to good movies.
[00:00:15] Speaker A: They do. The thing I love about Christmas movies and this time of year when I. When we get into movies is it's. It's a time to get back to movies that are just a tight 90 minutes.
[00:00:25] Speaker B: Yes, yes.
[00:00:25] Speaker A: That are entertaining and, and well. And formatted and well paced.
Maybe it's because they're older film, but I don't know. This might get into my criticisms of modern filmmaking, but at the same time, yeah, these movies definitely much easier watch to me, even every year, even though it's the same movie over and over again.
[00:00:45] Speaker B: I'm glad you brought that up, Nick, because they're called classics for a reason. And then seem every holiday time, let's watch this movie, let's watch that movie. And I find some of them, I pick up different things maybe I missed from the time before.
[00:00:57] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And that's, that's a good thing about a.
That's a quality in movies that I really do appreciate is when you can rewatch it second, third, fourth, whatever time. And there's still something new that you're picking out about it. That, that you love, something that you didn't notice the first time that you, that you really like, that, that affected you.
[00:01:14] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:01:14] Speaker A: You know, I definitely agree with you there for sure. For sure. So what would be your. What's. What's the one movie you're. You're looking forward to every year?
[00:01:24] Speaker B: Every year it's Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
[00:01:26] Speaker A: Okay. Okay.
[00:01:27] Speaker B: Now, a lot of people don't realize this, but it's got a huge Canadian contingent in it.
[00:01:31] Speaker A: I didn't know that.
[00:01:32] Speaker B: So most of the voice actors, Larry Mann, who was Yukon Cornelius, and Paul Soules, who's Herm of the Elf, and a lot of the voice actors were Canadian.
[00:01:40] Speaker A: No kidding. Yes, no kidding. It's funny.
My wife's not from Canada and she's not from a Christian nation. She's from Turkey.
So this was all new. All these Christmas movies are new to her and I.
We did watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer because it's also a staple for me when I was a kid growing up there always came on TV and we always managed to see it.
And yeah, it was just the old claymation. There's a certain charm to it still. Absolutely. But my wife was more taken back by it, really. We're used to it. We're used to it.
Her take is that Santa just Seems like a giant asshole.
And I have to agree.
[00:02:23] Speaker B: Well, he was pretty grumpy for most of the movie.
[00:02:25] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. Quite prejudice. Very, very off put by this red nose and this reindeer.
Unsettlingly so. And I think in our modern times, perhaps there's something about it that just doesn't sit right with the new viewer.
[00:02:40] Speaker B: But for me, it's Bumble, it's Yukon Cornelius, it's Hermey.
Just the whole everything about it, the story, the island and misfit toys. And so it's become part of our vernacular and there'll be a different groups saying we're the island of misfit toys or, you know, like, stuff like that. And it's, it's one of those ones. I, I, I know everything's going to happen. I see it every year.
[00:03:04] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:03:04] Speaker B: And I still get excited.
[00:03:05] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. No, it's, it's great. It's, it's still a great, great special. It's funny. I, I've seen, I've seen Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer a million times, but I've never seen Santa Clauses coming to town.
Oh.
[00:03:17] Speaker B: With Burgermeister Meister Burger.
[00:03:18] Speaker A: Yes. Never seen the Heat Miser. I, I just know this through people. I've never actually seen it.
[00:03:23] Speaker B: You got one foot in front of the other. Yeah, that's the song. It's really good.
[00:03:27] Speaker A: Yeah.
I've still failed to watch, but. Yeah, again, that's another.
[00:03:32] Speaker B: Okay, what's your number one?
[00:03:34] Speaker A: My number one, Very simple. Home Alone.
[00:03:38] Speaker B: Really?
[00:03:38] Speaker A: Home Alone is something. Okay. I can't watch it too early. We watched Home Alone 2 early in December. That's the policy. Yes. Just to get our homeloads before the original. Yeah, yeah. We don't want to, we don't want to blow our shot with, with Home Alone right away, but we still want to watch Home Alone. So we watch Home Alone 2, which is the same movie, but not quite as good as Home Alone 1.
[00:04:01] Speaker B: In my opinion, it just. As a parent, I still can't believe they were on the plane when they realized they forgot Kevin.
[00:04:08] Speaker A: Yes. This, this is a stretch, but I, I don't know. I don't know what it's like to have 12 children, you know?
Yeah, that's that, that's the, that's how they get away with it, I guess, is there's, there's so many kids that you just like, you lose track of it.
[00:04:23] Speaker B: And again, Toronto's Catherine o' Hara is brilliant in the movie.
[00:04:26] Speaker A: Catherine o'. Hara. Absolutely brilliant.
[00:04:27] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:04:27] Speaker A: Absolutely brilliant. I watched this movie when I was nine years old. I was probably, I was just a year or two younger than I was gonna say.
[00:04:35] Speaker B: Right. Yeah.
[00:04:36] Speaker A: And it, this movie had me just screaming in the theater, just losing my mind. Just seeing, you know, a nine year old kid hurt adults with cartoon violence and doing PG level swears was just the most mind blowing thing when I was nine. Yeah.
[00:04:53] Speaker B: Filthy animal.
[00:04:54] Speaker A: Exactly. Filthy. Oh God. Such great, such great scenes. Again, a very tight movie. It's entertaining from beginning to end.
[00:05:03] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:05:04] Speaker A: It ramps up well. It really does. It really does. And it's aged fairly well. I mean some, some. I know. I think a lot of parents would say this is a bit too violent for a nine year old.
[00:05:15] Speaker B: Well, consider the video games that some of these nine year olds play.
[00:05:18] Speaker A: So that's the thing. That's the thing. I mean it's, it's just, I give it a pass. I let my 9 year old daughter, who is not 9 yet but would watch this movie.
[00:05:28] Speaker B: Now my other one is the Grinch. The Grinch who Stole Christmas, both the original animated. And Jim Carrey with Ron Howard directing did a really cool one and Jeffrey Tambour is in it and Christina Bransky and it's well done. But the original the Grinch with Max the dog and Cindy Lou who. And to this day, when someone's being grouchy in the holidays, we're like, don't be a Grinch.
[00:05:51] Speaker A: Don't be a Grinch. Yeah, I mean, I agree with you for the original cartoon, the Ron Howard. I just feel like everything that needed to be said was said in that original cartoon. And then the expanded Grinch universe. I don't care. Yeah, this is just me. Maybe I'm just cynical, but absolutely. The Grinch, great story. Absolutely.
Let me think. So we have, you know, then there's Die Hard, I think on both of our lists.
[00:06:19] Speaker B: That's a Christmas movie.
It's an office Christmas party. The only reason John McLean flew from New York to LA to the Nakatomi Tower was to be with Holly at the office Christmas party.
[00:06:29] Speaker A: And it ends with let it snow.
[00:06:31] Speaker B: Right, Let it snow.
[00:06:32] Speaker A: Exactly. Absolutely. It's absolutely a Christmas movie. And the thing with Die Hard and people will roll their eyes. It's just a change of pace from the typical Christmas movie. You know, sometimes we just want to see some good.
That movie.
That's another movie where I, I find something new to appreciate, appreciate about it every time. I know it's, it's a genre, it's a genre film. It's, it's people shooting at each other. But, you know, upon watching it the last few years, it's really.
[00:07:01] Speaker B: How great.
[00:07:01] Speaker A: The cinematography is fantastic. The pacing is so good. It just keeps. It keeps you hooked the whole time.
[00:07:07] Speaker B: Alan Rickman, people forget this. I just read about this not that long ago.
[00:07:11] Speaker A: I.
[00:07:11] Speaker B: It was his first movie.
[00:07:12] Speaker A: First movie.
[00:07:13] Speaker B: He was a theater stage actor and he was so brilliant as Hans, you know, the uppity criminal gang leader was brilliant in it.
[00:07:21] Speaker A: Absolutely brilliant. And I, I miss.
I miss movies like this. You know, I still think there are only three Die Hard movies, but yes, I miss movies like this. These tight 90 minutes. I think. I think Die Hards about two hours. I think two hours and just under. But you don't feel it.
[00:07:37] Speaker B: You don't feel it because of the health issues of. Bruce Willis is going through a rig now. I appreciate it even more now next year because I know that he's having a tough time physically and his daughter Demi Moore and his ex wife have been posting about it. But at that time, Bruce Willis.
Yippee K. Blank, blank, blank. Everything was. It was so cool and it was such a great late 80s movie.
And I just. There's so many things about it like you. Like. I, I just pick up and I enjoy it.
[00:08:07] Speaker A: Yeah, no, it's. It's absolutely, absolutely one of my faves. Yeah. Any easy rewatch and there. There are a few movies like that for me, for sure. For sure. So I thought we'd get into, you know, we. We have these older movies that go. Us old geezers here, but there are newer movies that I think are worthwhile.
We push that a bit that we could possibly add to the repertoire. I've had three new ads, so three movies that I watch every year now that are from the last 10 years or so that I think are worthwhile. Maybe people should check out. And it depends on your taste, of course. But the first one is the Night Before. Have you heard of this movie?
[00:08:48] Speaker B: Is that the one with Seth Rogen? Yes, and he's wearing the. The. The Jewish. With the.
[00:08:55] Speaker A: The star David Hanukkah sweater.
[00:08:58] Speaker B: Star David Hanukkah sweater.
[00:08:59] Speaker A: Right. Yeah. Stuff like. Yeah, what I'd say about that one is, you know, it's sort of a screwball comedy. It's sort of a drug, you know, it's almost.
Yeah, yeah. It's like a. It's like the Hangover, but Christmas with. With some. With the supernatural element. It's sort of a spoof. There's sort of a spoof of.
Of A Christmas Carol.
[00:09:16] Speaker B: Yes, there is a bit of that vibe to it.
[00:09:17] Speaker A: You're right. Yeah. Michael Shannon, I think, is the best part of. Of this movie. He plays a drug dealer.
[00:09:23] Speaker B: And of course, he's like. He's just now in Nuremberg. He's one of the most accomplished actors in Hollywood.
[00:09:28] Speaker A: That's great. His intensity makes it so great. He's just this very intense. You know, he's Michael Shannon as a drug dealer. Yeah. Yeah.
It's absolutely hysterical. Love it, love it, love it. So, yeah, night before. Okay.
[00:09:39] Speaker B: Got good.
[00:09:40] Speaker A: Not everyone's speed, but I think it's definitely my speed, I would say, for sure. And next one.
Klaus.
[00:09:48] Speaker B: Klaus.
[00:09:49] Speaker A: Have you heard of this one? No.
It's a shame because it almost won best Animated picture a couple years back. I think around the pandemic times, it lost out to Toy Story 4, which I think is a shame.
So it's a 3D film. Almost looks 2D. It's almost 2 1/2D looking.
And it's a origin story movie about Santa. Okay. Takes place in.
I forget whether it's Norway.
[00:10:18] Speaker B: It's some Scandinavian.
[00:10:19] Speaker A: Scandinavian country.
And just tells this. This really. This really beautiful story about Santa and a mailman who. Who invent the whole.
[00:10:28] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:10:29] Speaker A: Whole Santa myth.
[00:10:30] Speaker B: Who are the voices?
[00:10:31] Speaker A: There's the J.K. simmons as Klaus.
[00:10:34] Speaker B: Oh, perfect.
[00:10:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:10:36] Speaker B: One of the best speaking voices in Hollywood.
[00:10:38] Speaker A: Jason Schwarzman as. As the. The mail carrier. Okay, great.
There's Rashida Jones as the. As the lead female.
[00:10:46] Speaker B: Fantastic.
[00:10:47] Speaker A: Fantastic. Really great. And Norm MacDonald. The late Norm MacDonald.
Yeah. It still makes me sad.
[00:10:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:54] Speaker A: And he's. And he's great in it as well.
[00:10:55] Speaker B: Okay, that's one I'll take a look for. Yeah.
[00:10:57] Speaker A: Yeah. Definitely easy to rewatch. Definitely. Definitely a strong one, in my opinion.
The last one is. And this. This one, I'm not sure. I'm not sure how people would feel. Is Four Christmases.
[00:11:09] Speaker B: Oh, and it's with Vince Vaughn.
[00:11:11] Speaker A: Yes, Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon.
[00:11:12] Speaker B: It's fantastic.
[00:11:13] Speaker A: Really good.
[00:11:14] Speaker B: And Robert devolves in it.
[00:11:15] Speaker A: Yes, Robert. Yeah.
[00:11:17] Speaker B: It's actually a really good movie.
[00:11:18] Speaker A: Amazing. You know, as a guy who comes from a divorced family, this is so point, you know, being so in this. The basic plot of it is, you know, a couple, but.
[00:11:27] Speaker B: And they're trying to bounce around to the different families and how different they are.
[00:11:30] Speaker A: Exactly. They both. They both come from divorced families. So it's four Christmases. It's four for both parents of each of them. And, you know, each of these families are insane in their own way. And it really feels like you really get that sense of, like, the, the battling personalities, you know, when you're dealing with people with, with troubled families.
[00:11:47] Speaker B: And Nick, there's a lot of people watching this right now who are about to experience the very same thing.
[00:11:51] Speaker A: Absolutely, absolutely. That's why it hits so close to home. And it's funny. It's, you know, it's well structured.
[00:11:57] Speaker B: I like it. It's actually, it really surprised me how much I enjoyed it.
[00:12:01] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:12:01] Speaker B: And how much, like, the kick I.
[00:12:03] Speaker A: Got out of it. Yeah, yeah. And again, you can watch it again. That's the thing. It's very rewatchable. So, yeah, those would be my three picks. I don't know if you have any.
[00:12:11] Speaker B: Well, what, it's 2009, so it's not too old.
[00:12:14] Speaker A: Close enough.
[00:12:15] Speaker B: And it's Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman in the updated version of the Christmas Carol.
[00:12:20] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:12:21] Speaker B: And it's. Robert Zemeckis directs it and he uses the same technology from the Polar Express.
[00:12:26] Speaker A: Right.
[00:12:26] Speaker B: And it's fantastic. Jim Carrey, his mannerisms, his voice. And I'm such a huge Gary Oldman fan. I'm really getting into slow horses now. And he's so good at it. And the, it's such a timeless story. Charles Dickens, the Christmas Carol. And it's got a bit of a modern twist to it, but still a true to the original with the modern actors Jim Carrey and Gary Oldman. And I, I think it's very watchable if you, if you don't want the stodgy, old black and white Christmas Carol.
This is a good version of it. And it's sort of like a live animation with Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman. It's very well done.
[00:13:02] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, I'll definitely check it out. I haven't seen it, but I definitely, I definitely got to check it out because I'm looking for A Christmas Carol to watch.
[00:13:09] Speaker B: This is, this is very watchable. Yeah, it's very watchable. I mean, the other one that I guess goes with that is Bill Murray and Scrooge.
[00:13:17] Speaker A: Yes. And I, I, I was just at the tip of my tongue. I definitely want to talk about Scrooged, because I think that's another underrated classic film. Absolutely.
[00:13:26] Speaker B: I mean, it. Basically, the premise is he's a TV director, producer, who wants to do a live show on Christmas Eve, you know, all the crew and everything. And it's so, it a, It's a bit of a farce, but there's a lot of good story to it as well.
[00:13:41] Speaker A: It's so dark. And it's. Yeah, it's a great retelling. It's great modern retelling, you know, in the 1980s New York.
[00:13:48] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:13:49] Speaker A: And I was gonna say, I think an underrated. An underrated.
I'm using underrated too much. But one of my favorite characters in that, in that movie is the ghost of Christmas Past, the cab driver.
David Johansson was.
[00:14:05] Speaker B: He was. He was a singer with the New York Dolls.
[00:14:07] Speaker A: Exactly. Yes. Yes.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: Yeah, he's very good in it. Yeah.
[00:14:10] Speaker A: My favorite, My favorite part of the movie is, Is.
Is the, Is the cab driver, you know, and there's that, there's that one scene where it goes, take me to the NBC building. And he goes, which floor?
Love it. Love it.
[00:14:22] Speaker B: Yeah, Very good.
[00:14:22] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:14:23] Speaker B: Now we would be remiss if we're talking Christmas movies if we didn't talk about love, actually.
[00:14:30] Speaker A: Ah, well, what's your opinion of love, actually?
[00:14:32] Speaker B: Before I en.
[00:14:34] Speaker A: And.
[00:14:34] Speaker B: And there's certain scenes like Bill NY when he, when he starts doing a song and he strips down and all that. And it's funny, but really, Colin Firth, when he goes to the restaurant and he's speaking Portuguese to extend his love, undying love to the girl.
[00:14:52] Speaker A: I just.
[00:14:52] Speaker B: I don't know.
[00:14:53] Speaker A: I love it.
[00:14:53] Speaker B: I just really enjoy.
[00:14:54] Speaker A: I, I just don't know what kind of uses a typewriter outdoors.
[00:15:01] Speaker B: I'm a laptop guy myself, but it just added to the charm of the movie, I guess.
[00:15:05] Speaker A: I guess. But as a writer myself, I look at this and just go, what are you doing?
[00:15:09] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:15:10] Speaker A: What are you doing? Still using a typewriter outdoors. Yeah, I, I feel the same way as you do. I. I do.
I do really enjoy a lot of. Of love, actually. And I, I can re. Watch it. But there's. There, unlike these other movies, there's stuff that makes me kind of go tilt. Yeah. A bit while watching it. And there's been a lot of.
Of, you know, rehashing love, actually. And is this actually a good movie or not?
[00:15:33] Speaker B: I think it's a good movie.
[00:15:35] Speaker A: Sure. Definitely. Obviously people love it.
My criticism of love. Action. My biggest criticism of love actually is the incel Guy plot. I don't know if maybe you don't remember it that well because it's. I feel like it's the, it's the worst part of the movie, in my opinion, and that's the guy who can't seem to get a date, can't seem to get laid. Right. In. In the uk and this, his whole. He has this whole speech about, you know, he Was friend about, oh, I can go to America. My people will love my accent and I'll get all the women and that.
[00:16:10] Speaker B: Right? Okay. Yes. Now.
[00:16:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:16:12] Speaker B: Yes. Okay.
[00:16:13] Speaker A: So. And what happens in that plot? Well, he does do that. He goes to America. He go the first bar he sits his ass down into.
All of a sudden he has three women on his arm. Right. All of a sudden.
[00:16:24] Speaker B: Which happens all the time.
[00:16:25] Speaker A: All the time. This is. Yes, definitely. If you're from the uk, just go there. It's just, it's just free. It's just, you know, and it's. And that, that's, that's, that's the beginning, the end of it. He goes to the U.S. yeah. And January Jones suddenly just.
[00:16:38] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:16:38] Speaker A: Enthralled with this guy and they, they invite him back and he has, he has a threesome or foursome or something like that. And it, and she's like, is that, is that the message you're giving? Is that, you know, and I feel like the plot should have been, he goes to the U.S.
january Jones says, get out of here, dork.
You know.
[00:16:56] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:16:56] Speaker A: And he comes back to the UK in shame. And then, you know, in that moment of vulnerability, he learns that, you know, being himself, you know, he. Then he finds, you know, a girl in the UK just, just by being himself and, or whatever. There, there's some kind of character development here. There's some kind of lesson. But they're no, in this plot, there's no lesson. Just go, you know, just go to a foreign country with your, with your fancy accent and women will throw themselves at you.
That to me was garbage.
[00:17:22] Speaker B: But you have think about this. Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Alan Rickman, Laura Linney, who I think is really good at it. Martin Freeman. And I'm a big fan of Martin Freeman. You talk about star studded. It's incredible.
[00:17:39] Speaker A: Absolutely, absolutely great cast.
[00:17:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:17:41] Speaker A: And it's, you know, Hugh Grant.
[00:17:44] Speaker B: Here's the thing about these. And every year, Netflix and all the streaming services, basically it's page after page or holiday movie. I think sometime with all the stress, everything. Nick. We just want to feel good.
[00:17:56] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:17:57] Speaker B: We want to laugh. Maybe there's something. They do something silly or stupid and you laugh at them. And that's why I think National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, when he hooks the light up, there's someone that lives a couple blocks my house that basically. Oh, it's the. We call them the Griswolds because they have so many lights.
[00:18:15] Speaker A: Right. Yeah.
[00:18:15] Speaker B: Oh, and everyone's got a cousin Eddie.
[00:18:17] Speaker A: Yes, exactly. It's very relatable. Very relatable. Again. Yeah, absolutely. And absolutely funny and. Yeah. Just fantastic movie. Fantastic.
[00:18:27] Speaker B: Now I. Our daughters are in their 20s and they sometimes cringe because my partner and I will. We like these sort of sappy, and they're like, oh.
So we have to balance it out with the kids. Okay, which one do you want to watch? We each take our turn in that. So there's a little harmony in the TV room.
[00:18:41] Speaker A: And. And what do they turn to?
[00:18:43] Speaker B: They mean, they love.
They love the Jim Carrey Grinch.
[00:18:47] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:18:48] Speaker B: They love that they.
I think Rudolph is a big. That's my big one. They dig. They go with that. But I think they just love actually is a good one. Charlie Brown Christmas. You can't go wrong with it.
[00:18:59] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:19:00] Speaker B: I think that's a. A standard, but just, it's so. So movies.
[00:19:04] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:19:05] Speaker B: But the one thing I know, the girls, because they're such big Seth Rogen fans.
[00:19:08] Speaker A: They.
[00:19:08] Speaker B: They do like last night.
[00:19:10] Speaker A: Right.
[00:19:10] Speaker B: Just because that's their kind of wheelhouse for movies and stuff like that.
[00:19:13] Speaker A: Yeah. Again, it's a different speed of Christmas movie. It's darker, it's more. It's. It's dirty, it's raunchier.
[00:19:19] Speaker B: But now that one of the ultimate. It's nsfw is Billy Bob Thornton and Bad Santa.
[00:19:26] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah.
[00:19:27] Speaker B: Now it is. Even he. I remember seeing an interview with him. He can't believe, like that he did it. How popular it became.
[00:19:35] Speaker A: And it's.
[00:19:36] Speaker B: You want to talk about dark movies, right? But there is like some tender moments in it. Like. It's crazy.
[00:19:42] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, that's, that's.
That's a really fun quality when you, when you watch a movie that. That's. You're just. It's. It's just seems like it's a dirty film, but then.
But then it hits you somehow.
[00:19:52] Speaker B: Yes, it does.
[00:19:53] Speaker A: Yeah. That's the brilliance of it. And if it's. If it was just sheer raunch, then I think it wouldn't have the same impact that it does. Absolutely.
[00:20:00] Speaker B: And maybe one day they'll make a movie as good as Die Hard.
[00:20:03] Speaker A: Someday. Someday they reboot it. That's what they're going to do.
[00:20:06] Speaker B: Oh, no.
[00:20:07] Speaker A: I know.
[00:20:07] Speaker B: No, please.
[00:20:08] Speaker A: No, I don't want it either. No, just make a new movie for.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: You have to make it, please. Yes, please, Hollywood, make a new movie.
America Sims. Happy Holidays.
