Kerry and Collin are joined by Catherine Mary Stewart, star of the 1984 cult classic "Night of the Comet," an apocalyptic sci-fi film where the world ends at Christmastime, which is the best time to go shopping. They are also joined by returning guest Marya E. Gates, author of the new book "Cinema Her Way: Visionary Female Directors in Their Own Words." The four of them talk in-depth about "Night of the Comet" while Stewart tells some great production stories from working on the film, while also talking about some of the other Christmas films in which she has appeared. And yes, there is also talk of "The Apple," "Dudes" and "The Last Starfighter." Then, the discussion switches over the to subject of Gates' new book, which examines (among many other things) the continuing struggles in the industry facing some of the best female filmmakers working today. As if that weren't enough, there's also the Blu-ray Gift Exchange. It's a longer episode than usual, but well worth it. 

Buy Marya's book here (Bookshop.org supports independent book stores)

Learn more about Catherine Mary Stewart's work here.

Blu-rays covered:

Sony:

"My Girl" 4K (1991)

Warner:

"Paddington 2" 4K (2017)

Criterion:

"Godzilla Vs. Biollante" (1989) 

Warner Archive:

"Hit Man" (1972)

"Earth II" (1971)

"Magilla Gorlla: The Complete Series"

Wayne Wang's "Smoke" doesn't look like a Christmas movie, sound like a Christmas movie or ever feel like a Christmas movie. It really isn't, but the final fifteen minutes of this terrific ensemble film features a moving and poetic Christmas story that makes it worthy of inclusion on this show (hey, it has more Chrsitmas in it than Disney's "Babes In Toyland"). The film stars Harvey Keitel, William Hurt, Forrest Whitaker, Stockard Channing, Ashley Judd, Giancarlo Esposito, Harold Perrineau and Jared Harris. It also has a distinction of winning an obscure MTV Movie Award for a category that was never repeated ever again. Also, Kerry talks about three movies from "1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die." 

Book movies covered:

"Smoke" (1995)

"Deseret" (1995)

"The Phenix City Story" (1955)

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 Tree"? All thee questions deserve answers. Plus, to make up for the "lost episode" from February, there is a mini Blu-ray segment as well as a Book segment. 

Blu-rays covered:

Warner;

"Amadeus" (1984) - 4K

Criterion:

"King Lear" (1987)

Warner Archive:

"Tom & Jerry - The Complete Cinemascope Cartoon Collection"

"Gabriel Over the White House" (1933)

Book movies covered:

"Weekend" (1967)

"Patton" (1970)

"Braveheart" (1995)

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 about for the Blu-ray Gift Exchange. 

Blu-rays covered:

Warner Bros:

“Se7en” 4K (1995)

Focus:

"Conclave" (2024)

Criterion:

“Yojimbo” / “Sanjuro” - The Samurai Films of Akira Kurosawa - 4K

“Jo-Jo Dancer: Your Life Is Calling” - 4K

Warner Archive:

Tom & Jerry - The CinemaScope Collection

Sony:

“The Lords of Flatbush” (1974)

Severin:

“Vixen” - 4K (1968)

Magnolia:

“Omni Loop” (2024)

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 dreamlike city of Bruges? All this, plus Kerry gives us three more titles from "1,001 Movies You must See Before You Die," one of which is a David Lynch film, which sparks a brief discussion of his work. 

Book movies coevred:

"The Puppetmaster" (1993)

"Wild Strawberries" (1957)

"The Elephant Man" (1980)

Hear Morgan Gire and Erik Childress on "The Friendship Dilemma" 

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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 decade? PLUS, Kerry and Collin recommend a short film that is a dead-on parody of Hallmark movies (see link below to watch the film). Speaking of Hallmark, the Blu-ray Gift Exchange features a Hallmark movie that Collin recommends(!).

Short film: A Winter's Charm In Carson City (Hallmark parody)

Hallmark:

"The Santa Summit" (DVD)

Paramount:

"Galaxy Quest" 4K

Criterion:

"Paris, Texas" 4K

"Eastern Condors" 4K

Warner Archive:

"The Searchers" 4K

"A Night Full of Rain"

"The Walking Dead"

"Mr. Lucky"

Sony:

"Talk of the Town' 4K

"The Outrun" (DVD)

Severin:

"Scala!!!"

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 about one of the most ghastly and bizarre TV Christmas specials from the early '70s, featuring a who's-who of bad hair pieces and cheesy impersonators. You'll have to listen to find out. 

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 jokes today? How did screenwriter Richard LaGravenese get his revenge on a Chicago film critic with this film? Also, Nick's choice for a Christmas episode/TV special is none other than the classic "Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special." It truly is one of the best Christmas specials of all, as evidenced by the joy everyone experienced making it and the joy it continues to bring to audiences several  generations later. (NOTE: Apologies for some of the sound quality on this one. It's mostly in the first 15 minutes). 

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 favorite "V," featuring Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, singing a Christmas carol about as badly as anyone can. Erik fills Kerry and Collin in on the back-story of the episode, which can be seen on Amazon Prime (if you buy the whole series). 

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 to a Christmas movie. Which one? You'll have to listen to find out. 

The OJ Borg Show on BBC Radio 2

Blu-rays covered:

Paramount:

"Irving Berlin's White Christmas" 4K

"I Love Lucy - The Complete Series"

Hallmark:

"My Christmas Guide"

Universal:

"Genie"

"Last Christmas"

Vinegar Syndrome:

"Santa Claus Conquers the Martians"

Sony:

"Little Women" (1994) 4K

Warner Archive:

The Thin Man Series

Looney Tunes - Collector's Choice collection

"The Return of Dr. X" (1939)

"The Beast With Five Fingers" (1946)

Warner Bros:

"North By Northwest" (1959) - 4K

"Blazing Saddles" (1974) - 4K

"The Terminator" (1984) - 4K