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PODCAST

Christmas Movies Actually

You don"t have to love Christmas to love this podcast. Film critic Collin Souter and renowned sheep expert Kerry Finegan delve into every type of Christmas movie they can find. Classics, non-classics, horror, Hallmark, obscurities, foreign, shorts, TV specials, unnecessary sequels and remakes. Even films that you might not think of as traditional Christmas movies. The great, the awful and the unusual, all year round.

tv & film visual arts

All Episodes

01:25:52

130: Surviving Christmas (2004)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2025/03/05

Kerry and Collin look at the often maligned 2004 comedy "Surviving Christmas," starring Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate and Catherine O'Hara and find it's not quite as terrible as critics (Collin included) made it out to be twenty years ago. Is it the two decades of distance from the Bennifer annoyance of that time period? How much money would it take for you to bring in a character like Affleck's into your home for two weeks? What about those lyrics they sing for "O Christmas

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01:40:23

129: Serendipity (2001)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2025/02/20

Kerry and Collin showed up late for their discussion of the 2001 rom-com starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale, “Serendipity.” Does the movie take its concepts about fate and destiny to absurd heights? How many movies accurately depict the lives of obituary writers? Should the filmmakers have left in the twin towers when the film came out in the fall of 2001? Also, Kerry and Collin reveal their own Top 5 John Cusack movies. Plus, a 1995 classic, some Kurasawa, Tom & Jerry and Richard Pryor talked

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01:37:40

128: In Bruges (feat. Morgan Gire)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2025/01/20

The co-host of Friendship Dilemma, Morgan Gire, returns to the show to talk about Martin McDonagh's great, Oscar-nominated black comedy, "In Bruges," starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes. While the film does take place during the holiday season, it's the bleak morality play and violence that take center stage. What actually happens to Farrell's character at the very end of the film? Do actors in movies really know how to use guns with blanks? What bird is the symbol for the

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01:34:36

127: Nutcrackers (2024)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2025/01/05

Kerry and Collin continue the tradition of starting the new year off with a look at a Nutcracker movie. Although, this Hulu offering is not a Nutcracker-based movie, the ballet does figure into the plot eventually, as Ben Stiller has to housesit his four recently orphaned nephews, who happen to have some talent in that artform. Can he really put on a production in a matter of weeks? Do people really write checks as payment at an ice cream truck? Is this David Gordon Green's best comedy in over a

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01:28:23

126: White Christmas - 70th Anniversary (feat. Pat....

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/12/20

The perennial classic starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen turns 70 years-old this year. Kerry and Collin are celebrating the occasion by having on one of the film's biggest fans, film critic Pat McDonald. Is Michael Curtiz's much-celebrated film more of a post-WWII nostalgia piece than it is a Christmas movie? What other Danny Kaye movies should people check out? Was Bing Crosby actually not wearing any underwear in that train scene? All these questions, plus Pat talks

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01:37:01

125: The Ref - 30th Anniversary (feat. Nick Digilio)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/12/12

Kerry and Collin are joined by first-time guest, longtime friend, film critic Nick Digilio, who claims "The Ref"--starring Dennis Leary, Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis--is his favorite Christmas film of all time. Collin has similar feelings and wanted to wait until the movie had an anniversary, so it could be featured prominently in the December line-up, when the movie would hopefully get more attention than it did back in the day. Why did the studio botch its release? Do people still make fruitcake

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01:33:51

124: The Polar Express - 20th Anniversary (feat. Erik...

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/12/05

Kerry and Collin are joined by Erik Childress to talk about the enduring--and maybe not so enduring--legacy of Robert Zemeckis' "The Polar Express." Based on the beloved picture book by Chris Van Allsburg, this film pushed the boundaries of motion-capture animation at the time. How does that technology hold up today? What does the bell symbolize? Which character should've gotten the bell at the end? Plus, Erik's choice for a Christmas TV special/episode is the holiday episode of the '80s sci-fi

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01:35:09

123: BONUS! Six New Christmas Movies!

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/11/30

Kerry and Collin take a quick dive into six newly released Christmas movies, including The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Christmas Eve In Miller's Point, Dear Santa, Hot Frosty, Meet Me Next Christmas and Nutcrackers. They also take a look at some newly release Christmas movies on blu-ray/4K, as well as a non-Christmas Blu-ray Gift Exchange. Finally, Kerry and Collin share their recent appearance on BBC Radio 2 on the OJ Borg show where they try to stump the host on some trivia questions pertaining

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01:27:04

122: Red One (feat. Leo Brady)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/11/20

Aside from "Wicked," Red One" is probably the most advertised film of this season, but does it deserve to be? Film critic Leo Brady joins Kerry and Collin to talk about this much-hyped action fantasy film and why its star, Dwayne Johnson, needs to commit to different types of projects. They also talk about seeing the film in 4DX and why that format might not be suitable for all films. Why does the audience need to feel as pummeled as the characters on screen? Who is this movie for? Does the great

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01:31:58

121: Thanksgiving Movies Actually - Home For The...

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/11/05

Kerry and Collin are joined by Cinema Femme's founder Rebecca Martin Fagerholm to talk about Jodie Foster's ensemble comedy "Home For The Holidays," starring Holly Hunter, Robert Downey, Jr., Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, Cynthia Stevenson, Dylan McDermott, Geraldine Chaplin and Steve Guttenberg (wow!). Of all the holiday movies in the Family-Gathers-Together-For-The-Holidays sub-genre, this one gets it so, so right above many others. Why does Collin hold it in such high regard? How did Downey's

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01:34:51

120: "Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker"...

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/10/20

Starring Mickey Rooney. Yes, that Mickey Rooney. Five years ago, Kerry, Collin and guest Patrick Ripoll made a pact to talk about the "Silent Night, Deadly Night" films every year in October. The pact has been fulfilled with "Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker," as of now, the final film in the series. It did not disappoint. Rooney stars as the titular Toy Maker named Joe Petto. He has a teenage son who might be an android named Pino. You see where this is going? Why are the toys Petto

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01:45:11

119: Halloween Movies Actually - "ParaNorman" (feat....

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/10/05

First, a quick explanation over what went wrong with the "Go" episode. Then, Kerry and Collin are joined by returning guest, Christine Sellin, to talk about Laika Animation Studios' amazing 2012 movie, "ParaNorman," a movie that accomplishes so much in just under 90 minutes and does so with style, wit, astonishment and braaaiiiinnnnssss!! What is tourism like in Salem, Massachusetts? Can a rioter ever find inner peace? Just how many horror movie references are hidden throughout this movie? All this,

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01:28:56

118: "Go" (feat. Mike Schindler)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/09/20

Kerry and Collin celebrate the 25th anniversary of "Go" by talking to one of its biggest fans, film programmer Mike Schindler. The film has the late-'90s influences all over it: the "Pulp Fiction"-like structure, a hyper-active techno soundtrack and a cast of young actors who made their marks in TV shows like "Party Of Five" and "Dawson's Creek." Which of the film's three main stories is the best one? What is a rave like at Christmas time? Would the film's director, Doug Liman, been a choice to helm

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01:40:12

117: Meet Me In St. Louis (feat. Patrick Ripoll)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/09/05

Kerry and Collin are joined be frequest guest Patrick Ripoll (co-host of 96 Greers) to talk about one of the essential Judy Garland movies, the technicolor marvel "Meet Me In St. Louis," in which the song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" made its debut and would eventually become a standard. Vincente Minnelli's timeless classic would also make for a great Halloween movie. What were the original lyrics to the famous Christmas song before Garland suggested a rewrite? What is the proper way to

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01:34:08

116: Nothing Like The Holidays (feat. Alejandro Riera)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/08/20

First-time guest Alejandro Riera joins Kerry and Collin to talk about the Chicago-based family comedy "Nothing Like The Holidays," which came out in 2008 and features a predominantly Puerto Rican cast. This follows the "Family Stone" and "This Christmas" formula of having all the grown-up kids coming home for the Christmas season, all of whom are facing major crossroads in heir lives. Most of it works, some of it doesn't, but it does make a for a truly unique Chicago-based film. Why aren't there

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01:48:31

115: Six Weeks (feat. Peter Sobczynski)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/08/05

The tearjerker "Six Weeks" starred Mary Tyler Moore, Dudley Moore and a talented ballerina named Katherine Healy. It came out in 1982 during awards season and managed to score two Golden Globe noms and a Razzie nomination. Frequent guest Peter Sobczynski has been waiting for over a year to talk about it with Kerry and Collin and even went so far as to buy them a copy of the book upon which the film is based. Collin does a dramatic reading of a few pages of this piece of literature. How do the film

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01:39:20

114: Kiwi Christmas (2017)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/07/20

Prior to their recent trip to New Zealand, Collin and Kerry looked up "New Zealand Christmas movies" and this was the result. "Kiwi Christmas" follows a typical formula for an ABC Family Christmas movie in which Santa Claus doesn't want to do his usual rounds on Christmas Eve, so he hides in Auckland, New Zealand and hangs out with a family during their Christmas barbeque. Wackiness ensues. Is the border patrol in NZ really as strict as they appear in this film? Can Santa really be Santa with only

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01:11:55

113: Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas In July (1979)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/07/05

Kerry and Collin take a look at the feature-length Rankin/Bass movie (and TV special) "Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas In July" and are bewildered by how plot-heavy and overloaded it is with exposition and countless new characters. What is the proper way to react to Frosty dying (again)? Is Scratchy the Evil Reindeer sufficiently evil? And what does all of this have to do with the legendary radio show "The Cinnamon Bear"? You'll have to listen to find out the answrers. Plus, Kerry dives into three

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01:29:00

112: 4th of July Movies Actually: Independence Day...

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/06/20

A detour into the 4th of July, Kerry and Collin talk about the biggest hit of 1996, Roland Emmerich's alien invasion epic "Independence Day," which gives America permission to make our holiday a worldwide holiday because of something WE did. Suck it up, world! How does this movie play today now that we all know a little more about computers? Is there a trope called The Sacrificial Quaid? (there is now) Can one punch really knock out an alien? All this, plus a look at the latest and greatest in

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01:12:26

111: The Santa Clause 2 (2002)

Christmas Movies Actually ·

2024/05/26

Kerry and Collin talk about "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" every chance they get in this episode because it's a far more interesting subject, but because it's not holiday-based, they stick to the format as best they can by talking about the 2002 sequel, "The Santa Clause 2." Why aren't the rules consistent in these movies? Why does a real-world woman have to give up her identity to become Mrs. Claus? Why are there so many shrill child actors out there? All this, plus Kerry talks about three more movies

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