The Daily Zeitgeist - Holiday Movie Manifesto: Our Most Over and Underrated

Episode Date: December 22, 2020

On this first holiday special, Jack and Miles are joined by super producers Anna Hossnieh and Danl Goodman to discuss the most underrated and overrated holiday movies. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In California during the summer of 1975, within the span of 17 days and less than 90 miles, two women did something no other woman had done before, try to assassinate the President of the United States. One was the protege of Charles Manson. 26-year-old Lynette Fromm, nickname Squeaky. The other, a middle-aged housewife working undercover for the FBI. Identified by police as Sarah Jean Moore. The story of one strange and violent summer this

season on the new podcast Rip Current. Hear episodes of Rip Current early and completely ad-free and receive exclusive bonus content by subscribing to iHeart True Crime Plus only on Apple Podcasts. There's so much beauty in Mexican culture like mariachis, delicious cuisine, and even Lucha Libre. Join us for the new podcast, Lucha Libre Behind the Mask, a 12-episode podcast in both English and Spanish about the history and cultural richness of Lucha Libre. And I'm your host, Santos Escobar, emperor of Lucha Libre and a WWE superstar. Listen to Lucha Libre Behind the Mask on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you stream podcasts. In 1982, Atari players had one game on their minds, Sword Quest, because the company had promised 150 grand in prizes to four finalists. But the prizes disappeared, leading to one of the biggest controversies in 80s pop culture. I'm Jamie Loftus.

Join me this spring for The Legend of Sword Quest. We'll follow the quest for lost treasure across four decades. Listen to The Legend of Sword Quest on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, fam. I'm Simone Boyce. I'm Danielle Robay. And we're the hosts of The Bright Side, the podcast from Hello Sunshine that's guaranteed to light up your day. Check out our recent episode with Latin Grammy winner,

author and TV personality Chiquis, about raising her younger siblings after the death of her mother, singer Jenny Rivera. I would do it over and over again. All of that has molded me to become the woman that I am today. Like I wouldn't change anything. Listen to the bright side from Hello Sunshine on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, it's Jack and Miles. Just checking in to let you know what you're about to hear. Not a standard episode of the show. These are our year-end

year-end review and holiday themed episodes. So if you're new to the show, you know, you can check back in the catalog for what the normal episodes sound like. And you can listen to this for our thoughts on the year.

And we're back beginning of, with all new episodes. And we can't wait to talk to y'all then. Hi! Hello, the internet, and welcome to this very special holiday edition of... Your Daily Zeitgeist! Oh, no! Oh my goodness, Santa! I'm Jack O'Brien, a.k.a. Potatoes O'Brien.

I should have had a holiday-themed one. That's the conclusion that I'm drawing right now. I'm joined, as always, by my co-host, Mr. Miles Gray! Oh, it's Miles, a.k.a. Jolly Saint Spliff. Ho, ho, ho. Oh, that actually hurts my whole back to try and speak that. To try and do that. You're also, like, poking your whole torso forward.

Well, you have to, little Jack. And we're also joined today by super producers, super's producer, DJ Danil! It's your boy, DJ Danil Claus. Anna Hosnier! It's your boy, Anna DJ Claus. Damn it, Anna. We said Anna Claus.

I got confused. I guess we'll do it again. From the top. From the top. What a time. What a time to be alive. The time, in fact, is the holidays. Love it. From the top. Hell of a time. What a time. What a time to be alive. The time, in fact, is the holidays. Indeed. And we wanted to just kind of do our annual check-in with the holiday spirit.

Whatever that means to you. Reflected by streaming content and film. I watched a couple of holiday movies, one by my lonesome and one with the children's yesterday to just get me steeped. Ooh. But I think... Good word choice.

Thank you. Very steeped in a hot mug of cocoa. Hell yeah. So, Miles, you wanted to kind of talk about the overall alchemy of holiday films. What makes them work? Let's get after it. I mean, this kind of happened because I think just organically, I'm always, I can't stop watching holiday films.

They're just so, I don't know, there's something about it that I can't just put down. You are a Hallmark Christmas movie queen. You know, as they say, a Hallmark hoe, movie queen you know as they say a hallmark hoe you know sometimes just because i'm out here for all the days of christmas that they put out there and it's just like a i don't know i feel like it's a cultural phenomenon and everyone kind of brings their own thing to it and i want it rather than just being like these are movies that suck or are good i really wanted to just like kind of, you know, vibe everybody out on the topic because Jack, you sent an article around from Esquire that was counting down like the top

57 Christmas films of all time. Now, I don't know why that number is such, but like, it's interesting how they like how Esquire will choose to talk about it versus how I might want to talk about it. So I think on some level in this list, the number one film is It's a Wonderful Life.

Yeah. Just because I guess it's the de facto thing that will always be on TV. They seem to be going broad with this list. Yeah. But I noticed towards the top of the list, like in the high 50s, some of the newer ones were in there, like A Christmas Prince.

That was a netflix film from a couple years ago which is not a good movie that's what i hear i hear it's very bad yeah but it's in the theater it's in the vein of like what i like as a christmas film which is like very predictable bullshit not like some good movie that has to do with like the christmas spirit and it's funny because when they write about it in their article, you can just tell like the point of view on it, which is, um, a Christmas Prince is one of Netflix's first forays into the Christmas genre. And upon first glance, it's full on Christmas garbage. But if you really sit back and let go of the fact that you can literally, uh, you can call literally every twist and turn, then you come to realize that a Christmas Prince is actually

the perfect Christmas movie. There's no plot to follow or anything it's just full-on christmas spirit blah blah blah blah blah so like the perspective that they have i feel like is one that i feel is what all christmas films should be but that's why i want to ask everybody you know this one they're saying like don't worry if it's bullshit but i'm like isn't that what a christmas movie is but we all we're all bringing different things to this thing there's something super powerful about the iconography around, like seeing holiday decorations in a Christmas movie is, like it's just its own genre kind of, to the point that when they made a slasher movie,

Silent Night, Deadly Night, it was pulled from American theaters for having a Santa Claus figure that was a killer. And that shouldn't be the case. It's not like that's a sacred religious figure, but it's just such a core part of American tradition that they were just like, no, we can't let, let this even reach people's eyeballs, even people who would pay to see it. But yeah, there,

there's just something powerful that allows you to get away with. I feel like you, you can get away with more. It's, it's almost like it's a level of pornography where it's just like, there's Christmas mise-en-scene and right the storytelling can can be and oftentimes uh is preferably uh somewhat predictable and not too like avant-garde right you're just purely there for the vibe daniel anna what well like what what defines a movie for y'all because you know it

seems like esquire on one hand is like what has the spirit I'm like what is the thing I can tune out the most that just is flashy Christmas lights what what is it to y'all uh for me it's pure nostalgia right in what sense like that you that has to be old like the only Christmas movies you fuck with are the old ones or no it usually has to have like Tim Allen or Arnold Schwarzenegger so it. So that's two movies. That's Jingle All The Way and The Santa Claus. And I salute those. I salute those. And those are the two movies I brought in to discuss today.

Okay. Dan, what about you? On this guide to Christmas movies, it's just like a list of a hundred that she's like, sucks. No Arnold Schwarzenegger in Tim Allen. Where is this? You idiot. Where's Arnoldger i'm a simple woman respectable man doll dan what about you i feel similarly uh in the sense that i believe it's about nostalgia

um i find that the more and more christmas movies that comes out it's just redundant and i don't care um at the same time like charlie brown christmas will never be replaced i feel the same way about jingle all the way uh those are those i will watch those movies 100 times over rather than watching whatever the newest christmas whatever is that's right and i admit that's a hater take but that's where i'm at with it there's no haters you know if you love the holidays then you love the holidays that's what you got to focus on yeah right but that is some hater shit i'm not yeah honestly why are you even on the show get the fuck out of here you should have warned us if you're going to bring that just excrement into the show like that uh but no like the other thing

is i think i love the shitty ones specifically because it feels like i'm a kid again and there's no school so i get to watch tv like at one in the afternoon and it's just bullshit tv that like doesn't make sense to me because i'm used to not being at i don't know there's like this sensation of the non-movie movie that is interesting because it's also like the just kind of being it being on in the background i think is also like another holiday texture to me is that there's the screen is strobing with like Christmas trees and lights and gifts and whatever. And then you're just talking to people, you're eating, you're drinking. And it's not necessarily that it's the focal point, but rather like enjoying the time off in the surroundings.

And I just consider that a vital element to like the environment. And let's go to break real quick before we get to that. Hello, everyone. I am Lacey Lamar. And I'm Amber Ruffin, a better Lacey Lamar. Boo. Okay, everybody,

we have exciting news to share. We're back with season two of the Amber and Lacey, Lacey and Amber show on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network. You thought you had fun last season. Well, you were right. And you should tune in today for new fun segments like Sister Court and listening to Lacey's steamy DMs. We've got new and exciting guests like Michael Beach. That's my husband. Daphne Spring, Daniel Thrasher, Peppermint, Morgan Jay, and more.

You got to watch us. No, you mean you have to listen to us. I mean, you can still watch us, but you got to listen. Like, if you're watching us, you have to tell us. Like, if you're out the window, you have to say, hey, I'm watching you outside of the window. Just, you know what? Listen to the Amber and Lacey, Lacey and Amber show on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When you think of Mexican culture, you think of avocado, mariachi,

delicious cuisine, and of course, lucha libre. It doesn't get more Mexican than this. Lucha libre is known globally because it is much more than just a sport and much more than just entertainment. Lucha Libre is a type of storytelling. It's a dance. It's tradition. It's culture. This is Lucha Libre Behind the Mask, a 12-episode podcast in both English and Spanish about the history and cultural richness of Lucha Libre.

And I'm your host, Santos Escobar, the emperor of Lucha Libre and a WWE superstar. Join me as we learn more about the history behind this spectacular sport from its inception in the United States to how it became a global symbol of Mexican culture. We'll learn more about some of the most iconic heroes in the ring. This is Lucha Libre Behind the Mask. Listen to Lucha Libre Behind the Mask as part of My Cultura Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream podcasts. MTV's official challenge podcast is back for another season. That's right. The challenge is about to embark on its monumental 40th season, y'all, and we are coming along for the ride. Woohoo! That would be me, Devin Simone.

And then there's me, Davon Rogers. And we're here to take you behind the scenes of drumroll, please. The Challenge 40 Battle of the Eras. Yes. Each week, cast members will be joining us to spill all of the tea on the relentless challenges,

heartbreaking eliminations, and of course all the juicy drama. And let's not forget about the hookups. Anyway, regardless of what era you're rooting for at home, everyone is welcome here on MTV's official challenge podcast. So join us every week as we break down episodes of the Challenge 40 Battle of the Eras. Listen to MTV's official challenge podcast

on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 1982, Atari players had one thing on their minds, Sword Quest. This wasn't just a new game. Atari promised 150 grand in prizes to four finalists, but the prizes disappeared. And what started as a video game promotion became one of the most controversial moments in 80s pop culture. I just don't believe they exist. I mean, my reaction, shock and awe. That sword was amazing. It was so beautiful.

I'm Jamie Loftus. Join me this spring for The Legend of Sword Quest, a podcast about the fall of Atari and the disappearing Sword Quest prizes. We'll follow the quest for lost treasure across four decades. It's almost like a metaphor for the industry and Atari itself in a way. Listen to The Legend of Sword Quest on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back. I do have to say, I was kind of in that boat as a young man many a year ago. Like after I had kind of gone through the phase of my Christmas movie life as a child

and then, you know, didn't have kids yet i was just like yeah whatever just the old ones that i saw but now that i'm having to watch new christmas movies i do think there are ways that they've like stepped it up a little bit uh like the the grinch in particular is like one of the ones that's on my list and also i just watched with my kids last night the christmas chronicles 2 uh in which kurt russell is santa claus uh and goldie hawn is uh mrs claus but they one thing they've done in both of these is like they create these like the village uh where the who's live or santa town, wherever the fuck Santa Claus. The North Pole, Jack? I think it's called the North Pole, usually.

No, but they have like a specific, I think it's called like Santa Claus village or something. But it's like this giant like Christmas light, Christmas tree, Rube Goldberg, like everyone's sledding everywhere, everything. Like there's giant toy factories like weaving throughout like it's it's they've put a lot of like visual imagination into it. Whereas like my childhood version of Christmas movies or like the North Pole was just, you know, them putting things that were in present shaped boxes on a conveyor belt. Like it wasn't that like visually stunning. Did you see just for people who have seen the Christmas Chronicles, too?

I was really upset at the character arc of Belsnickle, the evil elf. Yeah. Who suddenly just became like a puppy at the end even though he was trying to completely fuck christmas up i mean that could be a whole other episode dude spoiler alert yeah no he doesn't literally become a puppy that would be funny though you're like he became a puppy so there are two very uh questionable decisions well one that i'm gonna focus on that i was curious if it uh jumped out to, Miles. So there's a quick interlude where they're sent back in time so that she can, the little child who is having trouble

yet again with her Christmas spirit, it goes back and hangs out with her father when he's 13. Yeah. Now, the one thing you generally don't want your children's movie to raise in your audience's mind is the question of why the main characters didn't stop 9-11 uh but that's it's so they send her back to 1990 but it's at logan airport where the fucking where the planes took off like 10 years before 9-11 and they're like bat santa claus and this girl are back there and i don't know it's such a strange decision to set it at logan airport like right and also like kind of dark to be like oh you're dead parent too yeah like let's also have that. I mean, a lot of Christmas films have that. But also, you know, shout out to Darby Camp,

who is the little girl in that, who's also Homegirl's daughter in Big Little Lies. She's Chloe in Big Little Lies. Yeah, that's right. Fantastic performance. Very good. Very good performer. Yeah.

All right, so, Daniel, Anna, what are your top movies? I'm going to, like, read. I'm going to back off a little bit on my hater take from earlier when i said charlie brown christmas i think that put i think that put a lot of my emphasis on like christmas movies from my childhood but elf is another one that is just an absolute classic to me i love that movie entirely i think that might be my favorite christmas movie it's great it's a great it's a great one i I think it's fun and it's interesting. And James Caan being his dad is funny to me.

Hilarious. What is it for you? What's happening in the film that it's resonating with you on the vibration of Christmas? So I'm a big movie hater in general. Not that I hate movies. I just like I'm so tired of every trope. Every trope sucks to me. In general.

Not that I hate movies. I just like, I'm so tired of every trope. Every trope sucks to me. So when it comes to Christmas movies, if the movie is about Christmas, I'm not with it. But if the movie surrounds like a Christmas scenario, but the movie is about something else kind of, that brings me more in. And I love Will Ferrell. The story itself is like, you itself is at least an interesting take. You have snowball fights. You got ninjas.

You got everything. Peter Dinklage. That movie's a winner. It's just a good comedy that also is wrapped as a Christmas present. I love tropes. Clearly, because I like them. I'm hooked on that tropium, baby.

You know what I mean? I can't put it down. Anna, what about you? Tropium den. Tropium den. I guess I should give some context as to why I've only ever seen two movies. Which is being blown away at Santa Claus. Anna is a bad elf who Santa cursed to only watch.

Bella Schnickel over here. Genuinely never seen any other film ever um but it's because i did not my parents are muslim or my mom is muslim my dad's secular but we didn't celebrate christmas growing up right like there it was like my parents around the holidays would like give us gifts because they were like well i guess you need something or you'll cry forever. So, I mean, that's the energy they were giving us. Comparatively speaking, I guess we should do something relatively the same. Yeah. My mom was like, trees are messy and smelly.

We're not doing that. Look, I had a great childhood, just years of therapy to fix it. But so basically every movie we watched is someone my father thought was funny so yes i've seen okay i will look i've seen danny devito movies okay i'll admit that so arnold schwarzenegger tim allen these are hit makers in my father's eyes okay so makers and they never miss yes yeah no 100 they don't have you seen twins come on that's what about junior arnold schwarzenegger gets pregnant in that one okay schwarzenegger hit makers yes um and i will say the only other thing my dad watches is gun smoke and

golden girls okay that's it i have zero cultural context for 90 percent of like any pop culture so so i only really watch the santa claus and jingle all the way and that is i only really saw elf recently didn't even know that was a thing until recently i just knew you know there's this man that was awkward when will ferrell was in the office and people were talking about Elf and you're like, what's that? And he thought

you were joking and you were like, no, what is, that's a movie and it was, like, we had to swoop in.

Yeah, remember when he explained the plot and I said, unrealistic, Danny DeVito's not in it, unrealistic. James Caan is your dad?

And I literally said, perfect opportunity to cast Arnold Schwarzenegger. What are we doing? I would have watched it. And the Peter Dinklage role. Come on. I've noticed something, Anna. You're talking about your dad

and how it relates to Christmas. And both of those films, the father is the focal point about trying to do right by their kid or having a bit of a up and down relationship with their child, but really trying to bring it home on Christmas. Is there anything to that for you? Damn.

I mean, are you asking- Not to read you down to the studs, but- Are you asking if my dad maybe picked up anything and learned anything from that? I would say no, he didn't. I still don't have a Turbo Man doll. But Sinbad is his best friend yes also simbad huge in my house as well my dad loves simbad that's why i kind of would between those two i

think i'd give jingle all the way the edge over the santa claus because simbad just there's that's such a good rivalry in that film yeah true miles what is your top christmas movie i feel like we're my here talking before the master well you know christmas movies so i have to say like even though i like the bullshit ones there are ones that i have to watch jingle all the way is one of them because it's a movie like i i as like when i think it was 12 or something when it came out i was like yo ma drop me off at the amc north six real quick i'm gonna catch a flick with flick uh and we saw this movie there and it was like i i really love that movie that bad santa is another one because even though it's not really like anything to do with christmas tropes like it's just so fucked up and weird and funny to me um and does and i've

talked about this in past episodes like it's just so it does the sc and funny to me um and does and i've talked about this in past episodes like it's just so it does the scumbag thing very elegantly yeah in my opinion and now this is another one so and my third one is batman returns uh which is a very weird one but at the same time i think it's because it's so snow centric like on visuals that I am like, when I see it, it's very weird. It's an outlier for me, but I really fucking love that as a Christmas movie. And then there's the shit ones. I can name infinite shit ones if you want to watch. Like the Hallmark movies.

Look, because there's a lot there's a lot more um diversity in like trash movies now like we're getting more like lgbtq stories uh like stories about families of color uh there was new york christmas wedding that's on netflix right now that's about this woman who's about to have a wedding but like a angel visits her and she goes back and like she lives in a parallel universe where she had actually like come out to her best girlfriend and expressed her love for her and they were a couple together and they had a life filled with like happiness and then she's like forced to choose at the end and it's really fucking weird and like a odd thought experiment to have in a christmas film which is like what

and yeah it's very i mean look it's worth checking out because it's like it's interesting but it has like it's doing something definitely different uh yeah so that sounds like the identical plot to the one hallmark movie that i've like actually sat through just in time for christmas where a woman like gets to live the life she would have had in the future if she chose her career over her boyfriend and then goes back and is like, but you should choose your boyfriend because you don't want to be a lonely

old spinstress. Am I right, ladies? What? Anyway, Merry Christmas. Let's get out of here. Roll credits. There's another one too because there's even weird ones with uh black cast there's one called holiday rush with uh romanie malco who plays like a radio dj who's like a ballin but his wife is dead because they has that's a it's a trope okay there's always a dead parent you got

the family but then he loses his radio job and he still wants to have a good christmas so this family's like downsizing for the holidays but he's also like trying to get back on top and getting his like back to his old roots as a radio dj there's just fucking there's it's infinite um that's why i just more than anything i encourage you to just have it on as like background like don't get too that's why i think this esquire list is like shit you're to stare at and like actually take in as content versus a lot of for me is like it's like wallpaper is gift wrap for your TV. Yeah, they have. It's a wonderful life at number one.

I've never seen it's a wonderful life, but I believe I've watched the entirety and the entirety of it through other movies because every other movie like it's always on TV. I've never seen it. Yeah,, like it's always on TV. I've never seen it. I heard it's all white people. Oh, for sure. No, I think it's just in black and white. No, never seen that one. Did you guys watch Happiest Season?

Is Arnold in that? Arnold is in that. Wait, hold on. Is Arnold, Danny DeVito, or Tim Allen in this shit? Who the fuck is Frank Capra? No, fuck that. Is Arnold, Danny DeVito, or Tim Allen in this shit? Who the fuck is Frank Capra? No, fuck that. Though I will say I have held James Stewart's Oscar for that movie.

Because his daughter is a gorilla scientist at UC Davis, and I sat her cats. Wow. Whoa. Yeah. Whoa. Yeah. So she just casually has his Oscars around. Hey guys, before we get to all the reasons that is the wildest thing anyone's ever said,

let's take a quick break and we'll be right back. Hello everyone. I am Lacey Lamar. And I'm Amber Ruffin, a better Lacey Lamar. Boo. Okay, everybody, we have exciting news to share. We're back with season two of the Amber and Lacey, Lacey and Amber show on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network. You thought you had fun last season?

Well, you were right. Players Network. You thought you had fun last season? Well, you were right. And you should tune in today for new fun segments like Sister Court and listening to Lacey's steamy DMs. We've got new and exciting guests like Michael Beach. That's my husband. Daphne Spring,

Daniel Thrasher, Peppermint, Morgan J., and more. You gotta watch us. No, you mean you have to listen to us. I mean, you can still watch us, but you gotta listen. If you're watching us, you have to watch us. No, you mean you have to listen to us. I mean, you can still watch us, but you gotta listen. Like, if you're watching us, you have to tell us. Like, if you're out the window, you have to say, hey, I'm watching you outside of the window.

Just, you know what? Listen to the Amber and Lacey, Lacey and Amber show on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When you think of Mexican culture, podcast. and much more than just entertainment. Lucha Libre is a type of storytelling. It's a dance. It's tradition. It's culture. This is Lucha Libre Behind the Mask,

a 12-episode podcast in both English and Spanish about the history and cultural richness of Lucha Libre. And I'm your host, Santos Escobar, the emperor of Lucha Libre and a WWE superstar. Santos! Santos! Join me as we learn more about the history behind this spectacular sport from its inception in the United States to how it became a global symbol of Mexican culture. We'll learn more about some of the most iconic heroes in the ring. This is Lucha Libre Behind

the Mask. Listen to Lucha Libre Behind the Mask as part of My Cultura Podcast Network on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcastss or wherever you stream podcasts. MTV's official Challenge Podcast is back for another season. That's right. The Challenge is about to embark on its monumental 40th season, y'all, and we are coming along for the ride.

Woohoo! That would be me, Devin Simone. And then there's me, Davon Rogers. And we're here to take you behind the scenes of, drumroll please. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. The Challenge 40, Battle of the Eras. Yes. Each week, cast members will be joining us to spill all of the tea on the relentless challenges,

heartbreaking eliminations, and of course, all the juicy drama. And let's not forget about the hookups. Anyway, regardless of what era you're rooting for at home, everyone is welcome here on MTV's official challenge podcast. So join us every week as we break down episodes of the Challenge 40 Battle of the Eras. Listen to MTV's official challenge podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In 1982, Atari players had one thing on their minds,

Sword Quest. This wasn't just a new game. Atari promised 150 grand in prizes to four finalists, but the prizes disappeared. And what started as a video game promotion became one of the most controversial moments in 80s pop culture.

I just don't believe they exist. My reaction, shock and awe. That sword was amazing. It was so beautiful. I'm Jamie Loftus. Join me this spring for The Legend of Sword Quest, a podcast about the fall of Atari and the disappearing Sword Quest prizes. We'll follow the quest for lost treasure across four decades. It's almost like a metaphor for the industry and Atari itself in a way. Listen to The Legend of Sword Quest on the

iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back. Do you guys have a likemarish christmas movie that stands out to you as like why oh wait no oh bad oh i think i meant like shit that felt like a nightmare but it's christmas i was gonna say why is a nightmare before christmas my friend is that a christmas movie probably santa claus too i was really surprised to see on this Esquire list, Polar Express made their top 57. That is, I mean, I know people have talked about how the eyes are dead, but it is honestly one of the most uncanny,

weird movies I've ever- Yeah, you always point to this as like being haunted by this film. Yeah, it's so strange. So obviously all the eyes are the eyes of like a dead corpse that has been dollars eyes but they also do you you guys have read the original book right polar yes yeah it's a classic shelf right now and well wait oh really no it feels like something people flipped through like if if you didn't read it it was read to you

like i never read it i just remember being like my school library and it was like the polar express and i'm like i'm picking my scabs not paying attention wait the illustrations are like very uh painterly and like pretty and it's just about a kid who catches like a train is on a street in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, uh, and like takes him up to see Santa Claus. And it's very like, it's like having a warm cup of cocoa like that. That's the vibes that it gives you.

And they turned the movie version into like a 3d ride in which like the train is like doing like loops and like going off of cliffs. And it's like a prolonged version of the train crash scene from The Fugitive. It's just like, it also features something that I just have to point out as the strangest voice performance

in a movie that I've ever, I sent you guys the link. Can you just play that so I can... Who is this now? This is the main character? No, this is just a kid who has glasses and his name in the credits is the Know-It-All Kid. And it's just so strange.

Let's see. ...this is. Well, do ya? Actually, it's a Baldwin 284 S3 class virtual type steam... L-E. What the heck does that mean? That's... Okay.

That's what? Is that a men in black character? That's insane. It's a film where people... It's not like everybody's doing a terrible Looney Tunes voice. Like, everybody speaks like a person, and then this dude rolls in it's a it's apparently like

a 50 year old voice actor who they were just like make a kid nerd voice at gunpoint and he had never tried before what year did this come out it was like the 2000s like the cause I'm

yeah I'm looking at the sort of CG here, and I'm like, yo, this kind of looks like PlayStation 4. You know what I mean? It looks like a cut scene. 2004, yeah, okay. Yeah, it looks like a cut scene from a video game. And yeah, I don't, it's Zemeckis, and he was like, we are going to make it look exactly like the oil

paintings in the illustrated book and they just woefully missed the mark oh boy oh man I just I'm trying to think of like what like where the genre goes at this point

because it's weird it sort of poisoned itself. At least the versions of the films I see, which are the ones Dan's talking about that we're just inundated with every year where it's like 70 new versions of the same, like agrarian versus urban America story. Right. And like,

I think it's also weird because it's just, it's sort of lack of flavor sort of became the flavor. Oh yeah. That makes makes sense you know what i mean and then it's such a weird thing that in its lack of form specificity just fucking diversity that it's like i don't know it's like this fucking thing it's not is it a movie it's like watching like the ghosts of our culture in a weird way yeah did you watch happiest season i did yeah i thought that was really good and yeah it was it wasn't like perfect or anything uh but it was kristen stewart's energy though is i don't know if it's right for a hot like

she's so brooding she's so brooding that it truly i guess that's the difference like it's a it's a fine film that is based around christmas but for me like it's a but it was kind of funny at moments where it's sort of kristen stewart still keeping her kristen stewart energy but in a holiday film so it felt like an snl sketch at times yeah it really did it felt like she was in a different movie uh yeah from everyone what was going on around her i still love watching her like in everything uh no because she's so good that's what i was watching like yo this is throwing me off because she's like haunted and these other people like so what's your family what was your family like and like yo this is so weird this like feels like when there's

like a real person in like toontown or something right but they got so many of the details like of like going home and like being with your uh relatives and like you immediately return to like some dynamic from when you were in high school or whatever and uh the the dad for some reason this really got me because it's something my dad does but the dad knowing the name of the hostess at their restaurant and like calling her by her name it's like it's like no this is great courtney thank you but it's totally like mary holland who wrote it uh co-wrote it with the director um she's so good and dan levy is so good in it. Yeah, because he just gets to do his Dan Levy thing.

It wasn't like, hey, Dan Levy, just do this character. They're like, yo, just be you and just go where this takes you. Yeah. But for people who don't know, it's a movie with a lesbian relationship at the core. And one of the women goes home to her family and she hasn't come out to them yet and so uh her girlfriend has to pretend like she's her straight roommate right christian stewart's like character is her one of her qualities is that she's a terrible liar right so imagine christian stewart who like you know like there's a joke in where

daniel levy's like have they never seen a gay person like when they're talking about kristen they never try to be like hello right right and like where suddenly they're like what's what were you who are you like so who are you dating it's like oh man like this guy uh so bad it went so good there's a great dan levy scene at the end where he's trying to bro down with a guy uh who he thinks is hot but there's also a good runner on the on the trope that i wanted to bring back up of orphans uh because kristen's parents died when she was 19 and they treat her like she is a orphan from a Disney film, they're like, oh, you've never had a Christmas before. But it's strange to me that,

that's why I wonder if holiday movies are one of the most American genres because it's so specific to things Americans are obsessed with, such as being an orphan. You have to have an orphan. It's like our Eurovision. I feel like from outside, you're like,

what the fuck is these fucking things suck? Yeah. People like this shit. And we're like, I don't know, man. Whoa. And as somebody who wasn't like,

who wasn't like raised and steeped on this, did, did, did you ever have that moment where you were just like, what the fuck? I feel like I'm living a fever dream. Uh, no, I think it's like, I don't know. Anna might be the same. I don't know.

There's some things became like exotic to me. Yeah. Like certain parts of American culture. Like I'm just so into, because they were just, they were so absent from my house that I was like, Oh, shit. What the fuck? Christmas lights. Because my house wasn't really like that, very festive or anything like that.

Yeah. So that, I think, brought something out of me where now I'm just like, I'm fucked up now. And I need all the tropium I can get. Give me that tropium. Ana, how about you um yeah i mean i i just i don't really normally watch christmas movies or any movies without arnold schwarzenegger danny devito or tim allen but um yeah i watched this one because you know i'm a fan of mary hall and i think she's really funny and i think the majority of the joy from the film outside of forcing a woman back you know you know it was just like the concept of forcing someone back in the closet was tough but um i did uh i did enjoy

the casting of allison brie as like the older uptight sister so who just so funny the way she's like i'm'm Sloan. And then turns away, like does not even ask what her name, what Kristen Stewart's name is. And then like Mary Holland. They're a photogenic biracial family. Yeah. Yes, exactly.

Yeah. The kids, you know, they're so good at everything. And then like Mary Holland as just the sister who's only around to fix the Wi-Fi. Like, it's just like the, I thought Mary Holland like really brought some real joy into the movie. And I mostly, I watched it because there were great like comedic moments like that.

Yeah, those keep you around. What's Mary Holland most known for? Like I know her as part of Wild Horses and but like what would our listeners who aren't... She's a known improviser, comic actress. She was in V as the wife of Jonah for... Yep. Yeah.

Also, Mary Steenburgen. Steenburgen. Oh, I love her. As the mom. She's the great. And Aubrey Plaza is... Oh, oh great i haven't really been watching a lot of her work since part the parks and rec days and so like but i haven't seen a lot of her where she's uh not like putting forward a a vibe of like misanthropy and like i hate everyone and she's so good and likable

like in this role that like i don't know i could see her i could see a career for that kid uh hey keep tabs on that one huh yeah um but all right well uh that is that is christmas movies That is Christmas movies, guys. Die Hard is one of my faves. Again, one where Christmas is just kind of the background. Can I do an honorable mention? Yes, please. Because it's kind of terrible, and also at the same time, it's called Noel.

It came out in 2004, directed by Chaz palminteri uh stars penelope cruz susan sarandon paul walker rip alan arkin um and robin williams and uh and robin williams is uncredited you have to watch to find out oh but Oh, wow. But I recommend it. It's about the film centers on a bunch of strangers who all meet at random times because of a series of random events on Christmas Eve in New York. I don't really know fully the plot. I can't recall off the top of my head, but I remember watching it.

I know it was weird. It didn't have Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tim Allen, or Danny danny devito in it so i was a little confused at first as to what was going on yeah right and you know i called my father and was like i've done something terrible yeah i it's uh it's an interesting holiday movie with it feels very much like a hallmark film but that has all these stars in it and is directed by chas palminteri um i have to before we go actually i do want to get everyone's thoughts on love actually because that does seem like it's the worst shark test of uh of christmas movies that like some people love it some people are i like i'm very indifferent to it and think the writing is bad um but it is like real syrupy goodness in terms of all the christmas toppings um yeah i don't i don't mind it it's

her majesty's favorite one hands down so yeah i gotta it's obligatory but then whenever whenever we watch it we're like yo these people are fucking trash though right real talk like these are fucked up dude this is not good this is all bad like he's mistreating the fuck out of her it's just like you know there's shit like that but what move like you know you can be real about any movie uh and find all the bullshit but i don't yeah i don't i don't feel strongly either i'm pretty ambivalent when it comes to love actually yeah it does feel like the most uh it feels like a christmas song that it feels like a yeah that is a theme like in one of the stories well christmas is all around us and that's the way yeah i've actually never seen it because it has the word actually in it so you feel like

you're being mansplained too no i haven't seen it and i probably never will because i can't bring myself to care about anything. The other cool thing is I remember not watching it for years and then re-watching it and I'm like, yo, all these people are in Game of Thrones. And being like, yo, I thought he was just some bullshit. Yo, that motherfucker in Game of Thrones now. Yo, he did his thing.

That's funny. All right, guys. Thank you all for joining us to talk about holiday movies as we approach the holidays we are going to be back every day

that isn't Christmas day or New Year's day every day popping on these mics this week and next week to tell you we're going to do some year-end stuff. We're going to do some holiday stuff. It's going to be a lot of fun. You know Santa University is coming, too.

Oh, hell yeah. Can't quit you guys for that long. I've got to leave you. Can't quit you. Been a long time. Academy Award. Shouldn't have left you without a dope beat to step to beautiful

what is that from I Can't Quit You it's from that song Brokeback Mountain I wish I could quit ya and then like a thousand bad jokes about Brokeback Mountain referencing Brokeback Mountain it's my mother's favorite movie

that is right I say this every time. She'll ride to the ends of the earth for that movie. Good movie. Great movie. She'll fuck up a whole panel she's on to just commandeer it and then talk about how good Brokeback Mountain is. It's like, we were here to talk about the impact

of Kurosawa's cinematic aesthetic on subsequent genres. And she's like, yeah, yeah, but Ang Lee, I don't know if you've seen the story, is of two men. That's why you have such patience for me in my coal gas study and repeating the same JFK conspiracy theory

every time. That's how I show my love. I'm like, I have to give it space. Yeah, gotta let it ride. That's how I love him.. I'm like, I have to give it space. Yeah, you got to let it ride. That's how I love him. All right, guys. Merry Christmas. Watch some trash Christmas movies.

Whoa, whoa. Merry Christmas? What the fuck? Happy holidays. We're saying Merry Christmas again. Whoa. Yo, if you don't like saying Merry Christmas, you don't have to watch. You can just not watch.

Yeah, get out of here, Joe Biden. Happy holidays, guys. And we're back tomorrow with a whole other holiday end of year episode. We'll talk to you all then. Bye. In California during the summer of 1975, within the span of 17 days and less than 90 miles, two women did something no other woman had done before, try to assassinate the president of the United States. One was the

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