Based on the encouragement of a GQ article from 2016, Kerry and Collin took a look back at “Bridget Jones’s Diary” to see if the writer of said article had been onto something. That led them to go back and rewatch all of the “Bridget Jones” movies including the latest, which just came out on blu-ray. What/who is the Bridget Jones of today? How would we rank the boyfriends/fiancees in the entire series? Did “Bridget Jones’s Diary” kickstart the “ugly sweater” craze that started in the early 2000s...
Jun 05, 2025•1 hr 43 min
Kerry and Collin plowed through this comedy starring Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito as two feuding neighbors at Christmastime. The experience of watching the film caused one of them to ponder, "why are we doing this podcast?" There are so many other questions, though. What makes the old, white iMacs so special? How long would it actually take to make an elaborate Christmas light trail, cook an even more elaborate dinner and then cover your entire house with Christmas lights? What did DeVito ...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 14 min
Kerry and Collin, while trying desperately to recall facts about part 2, finally round out the Tim Allen "Santa Clause" trilogy with should be the best of the bunch, considering the casting of Martin Short. Did it meet the expectation? Maybe. If nothing else, he gives the viewer someone to root for. Is this really "the greatest Santa Claus story ever"? Why couldn't the elves put together a suitable hospital room somewhere in the North Pole where Mrs. Claus can give birth to her child? How does A...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 25 min
A listener requested this title quite some time ago and it finally happened! Film critic Nell Minow joins Kerry and Collin to talk about this relatively obscure, but wonderful movie that might just be the first ever in the sub-genre of holiday films where the family returns home for the holiday festivities and slowly start airing their grievances and secrets. Do clergymen really enjoy doing the Christmas sermons? Is there a moment in "Love Actually" that is a tribute to this movie? How does dire...
Apr 20, 2025•1 hr 19 min
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...
Apr 05, 2025•2 hr 21 min
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 Ja...
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr 7 min
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...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 26 min
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 ta...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 40 min
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 ...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 38 min
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...
Jan 05, 2025•1 hr 35 min
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 ta...
Dec 20, 2024•1 hr 28 min
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 fruitcak...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 37 min
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 ...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 34 min
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 pertain...
Nov 30, 2024•1 hr 35 min
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 grea...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 27 min
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...
Nov 05, 2024•1 hr 32 min
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 ...
Oct 20, 2024•1 hr 35 min
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 t...
Oct 05, 2024•1 hr 45 min
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 ...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr 29 min
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 wa...
Sep 05, 2024•1 hr 40 min
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...
Aug 20, 2024•1 hr 34 min
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 fi...
Aug 05, 2024•1 hr 49 min
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 on...
Jul 20, 2024•1 hr 39 min
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 thre...
Jul 05, 2024•1 hr 12 min
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 p...
Jun 20, 2024•1 hr 29 min
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 movi...
May 26, 2024•1 hr 12 min
In honor of its 30th anniversary, Kerry and Collin look back at a forgotten little gem starring Paul Newman, Melanie Griffith, Jessica Tandy, an uncredited Bruce Willis and an early role for Philip Seymour Hoffman. It's a "hang-out movie" that spans Thanksgiving to New Years. Why did Willis not get credit for playing a major role? Could this be viewed as a "career summation role" for Newman? What was it like filming in the dead of winter in upstate New York? Also, Collin goes through the latest ...
May 05, 2024•1 hr 33 min
Kerry and Collin are joined by author John A. Zukowski, author of the book "Christmas On the Screen: Reviewing the Evolution of American Spirituality," which provides a springboard into the discussion of the classic "The Bishop's Wife," starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven. Why did America need so many movies about celestial beings and angels after WWII? What would the film have been like if Grant and Niven switched roles? What exactly is a "stinger"? (we know it's a drink) All the...
Apr 20, 2024•1 hr 31 min
Kerry and Collin take a listener request and talk about an obscure TV movie called "Little Miss Millions," starring Howard Hesseman and (Jennifer) Love Hewitt. The film is directed by Jim "Chopping Mall" Wynorski, whose entire filmography is covered in this one single episode. How many times does Collin drop "Midnight Run" into the conversation? Do young people not know who Howard Hesseman is? Can anyone at anytime use a mirror to blind someone? Also, Collin reviews the latest and greatest in ph...
Apr 05, 2024•1 hr 24 min
The Easter holiday is when many people pull out the Biblical epics and none of them rock harder than Norman Jewison's adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice's immortal "Jesus Christ Superstar." Brad Strauss returns to chat with Collin and Kerry about the film's controversy, production problems and why this Biblical movie endures while others have been forgotten. Of course, they also go over their favorite and least favorite songs. There's also some long-overdue Oscar talk and Kerry talks abo...
Mar 20, 2024•1 hr 22 min
