Why are people watching this?

This week, Justin. Ashley and Dave watched Troll. Here’s the synopsis: “When an ancient troll is awakened in a Norwegian mountain, a ragtag group of heroes must come together to try and stop it from wreaking deadly havoc.” Dave got excited by the Norwegian fighter jet. Ashley and Justin had an exciting disagreement as to how people would react to the emergence of a a giant troll in real life. Justin thought the movie did a disservice to the audience by leading them down a path that ended in the celebration of troll genocide. 

This week, Justin, Ashley and Dave watched Wednesday. Here’s the synopsis: “While attending Nevermore Academy, Wednesday Addams attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a killing spree and solve the mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago.” Dave was curiously indifferent to this whole Wednesday thing. Justin, on the other hand, loved Wednesday and had much to say about Romania, the appeal of aloofness, and why he thinks his daughter should adopt a Wednesday attitude . Ashley also loved this show and binged the whole thing as soon as it came out. She also compared it to Twilight, which Justin hated.

This week, Justin, Ashley, and Dave watched 1899. Here’s the synopsis: “Immigrants on a steamship travelling from London to New York get caught up in a mysterious riddle after finding a second vessel adrift on the open sea.” Kate joined the team this week to explain her thoughtful, zen-like technique for watching Mystery Box shows without going insane. Dave had his past trauma with Lost rekindled and tried to warn the others to stop watching 1899 now before they lost their minds. Justin yelled a lot. Ashley enjoyed the 19th century class struggles depicted on screen. 

With the passing of Remembrance Day in Canada and the approach of Black Friday, it is truly beginning to look a lot like Christmas out there in the stores. With local folks still feeling the effects of disease, war, and disastrous natural phenomena, what would you suggest as the perfect gift for families this Christmas? ... besides the gifts of free roadside advice, podcasts, children's albums, and live theatre. Those are givens. 😉

This week, Justin and Dave watched Falling For Christmas Here’s the synopsis: "After losing her memory in a skiing accident, a spoiled heiress lands in the cozy care of a down-on-his-luck widower and his daughter at Christmastime. Lindsay Lohan falls head over heels into hijinks — and love — in this warmhearted holiday rom-com with Chord Overstreet." Our Christmas movie expert Kailin joined the gang this week and used her considerable intellect, charm, and powers of persuasion to convince everyone that this movie was high-concept reverse-Cinderella story. Justin was convinced it was a horror film about an abusive misogynist who spent the entire film gaslighting Lindsay Lohan. Dave felt the same, and was further flummoxed by the completely unnecessary magical Santa that was shoehorned into the film. Ashley was not sure who the target audience for this film was, but was at least sure that it was anti-millennial. 

This week, Justin, Dave, and Ashley watched Enola Holmes 2. Here’s the synopsis: "Enola Holmes takes on her first case as a detective, but to unravel the mystery of a missing girl, she'll need some help from friends -- and brother Sherlock.” Everybody loved Enola! But instead of talking about the film, Justin spent a lot of time talking about Victorian toilets. Dave expressed his love for David Thewlis (again). Ashley expressed her desire to inject Benedict Cumberbatch.

Feeling bummed by the seasonal hyper hype. My question is simple and likely terribly complicated: “Why do people feel they HAVE TO give (and receive) gifts at Christmas time???”

This week, Justin, Ashley, and Dave watched Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. Here’s the synopsis: "An ex-vet buys storage locker contents to pay off debts, but buys more than he bargained for when he purchases a lot owned by a strange old man." Everyone enjoyed this one - despite (or perhaps because of) the many unanswered questions that it left behind. But more importantly, you need to listen to this podcast episode so you can listen to Dave auction off a cow. 

This week, Justin and Dave watched The School for Good and Evil. Here’s the synopsis: "Best friends Sophie and Agatha find themselves on opposing sides of an epic battle when they're swept away into an enchanted school where aspiring heroes and villains are trained to protect the balance between good and evil." Both Dave and Justin were left agitated and bewildered by this film. Neither of them could explain the ambiguous (i.e., non-existent) moral framework that should have anchored the film's exploration of the tension between good and evil. Dave ended up quoting Nietzsche toward the end of the podcast, so you know things got bad. Justin laughed out loud when the protagonist was impaled by a giant pen. Dave liked the flaming dragon tattoo, but hated the mystical hole. 

This week, Justin, Dave, and Ashley watched The Curse of Bridge Hollow. Here’s the synopsis: "A man and his daughter must team up to save their town after an ancient and mischievous spirit causes Halloween decorations to come to life and wreak havoc." Dave and Justin both agreed that the anti-science stance taken by this film revealed something deeply troubling about American society. Ashley was sad that this Disney-adjacent film was not Disney enough. Nobody liked the scene with pumpkin diarrhea.