Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Welcome to the podcast. Ho, ho, ho. And Merry Christmas. This is the polarized podcast. Happy holidays, everybody. I'm glad you're joining us on this very, very episode. Today, we're talking about a Christmas movie in the spirit of holidays. We are today. Hey, I mean, you probably saw it in the episode description, but we're talking about Home Alone 2, Lost in New York. I would think it was pretty, you know, pretty important movie for a lot of people are age demo and rightfully so.

It's yeah, this whole series is a big deal. And we're going to talk about it. The score here for Home Alone 2, Lost in New York that came out in 1992. We have a 35, a stinky, correct score and a 62 percent audience score. So I think people were, you know, feeling a little bit, you know, they were starting to feel like the cash grabbiness of this, I think. But overall, I think if you talk to most people about it, they're like, I like that one. It's a great sequel. And we're going to get into it.

We're going to talk about it. It's that's what we do here. So it's not going to be just me talking, though. This is this is a two-hander. If you're a person's insider lingo for anybody out there, it's not just me. I have a co-host. We also like to refer to him as the forever guest. His name is Mr. James Lindsay. All right, well, it looks like I made it all made it all the way to Miami for the holidays. It looks like I'm going to have a great family vacation with Kara. Well, we're going to wait.

Did it? Kara, did we forget something? It's all past. Did we? Do we forget something to our honor on our Miami holiday? Brent Brandini. Where's Kevin? Brandini. Where's Kevin? I'm sorry, Brandi. And I'm all the way in Miami, Florida now. Looks like you're going to have to podcast alone. You aren't. Well, that's, you know what? Hey, that was the brakes. All right, James, I'll see you later. All right, talk to you later. I'm going to go hang out and watch. It's a wonderful life in Spanish.

In Spanish, while it's raining outside, and they made a Miami look like not fun. Mission accomplished on the man, the whole family couldn't get out of Miami quick enough. You would have assumed, hey, you know what? They would have had, you know, some. A little bit of fun, but you know what? They don't deserve it because they keep leaving their God team. Yeah, they're all jerks to him. That's what they get. That's what they get. Yeah, that's what they get to. For him not to be around.

I was going to ask you, Brandon, would you prefer to be in Miami or New York for Christmas? Christmas, take me to Miami. Oh, you would like to go. So this movie didn't completely work on you. It didn't completely work on me because I know. It was a miss on me though. Yeah, you betcha. You bet your six. Oh, you betcha, you bet your sweet bottom dollar that some worked on my ass. Yeah, no, I would go to Miami, you know, I love the idea. I was just listening to the other night.

I've just been man housing Christmas music over at the Stables household. And I love me. Jimmy Buffett's Christmas Island. Christmas album to death. It's my it's I think it might be my favorite. It's either in competition. It's either Buffett or Bing. I mean, they're buffeting for for Christmas. Love me. No brown. A little bit of brown, but no BB, no beach boys. Boys, the beach. Hey, you know what?

I'm making tough choices when deciding my favorite, you know, it is because I love them all to death. The ones that you've mentioned. It's not like I don't like them. But if I were to, you know, you put it, you know, hey, come on, you don't like me being come on. I love you, Bing. You know, you're my favorite. Come on, this is this Buffett character that you're talking about sounds like a fun guy. Let me tell you, Jaime Buffett is a fun guy. But yeah, let's bring our guests in as well.

Yeah, let's get. Oh, absolutely. Christmas. Ho, ho, ho. It's a real gift, if you will, for this episode. Yes, I agree. She is currently residing underneath the Christmas tree. So, you know. That it's that time of year. It's that time of year. Very special guests. My wife now of this year of July Christmas, it was Christmas in July. And one Kara Lindsay. Yes. Yes. Yes. Is that really the truth that you haven't been on since the wedding?

Because last week, so last year on was for don't worry, darling, right? Was the yeah. That's the last one of the opera. Oh, oh, I guess we were we were entwined. We were engaged. Oh, it's a Luna. It's a Luna into the picture. We got to get again. Probably heard her during Brandon's intro. She has made her way to the car. And she loves that when you do that. She's secretly. Oh my gosh. She's so. She starts just vocalizing and being me. Me. When you go, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Brandon's kind of the same way. You got to like hold him every once in a while. You do. You do. Or else I'm going to shut the fuck up. No, I won't. Yeah. Shut me up, please. Well, with our special guests, I was wondering if we could bring back a segment that you introduced to the podcast, Brandini, a little what's everyone watching? Oh, I would love that. Oh, and, you know, can we put a little bit of spin on this? I would love to hear maybe kind of.

Something related like maybe you are watching something to Christmas. So I would love to hear your top Christmas movie and kind of have that in the mix, if possible. Well, maybe one of us should bring up Princess. I guess I am right now, but the Princess Switch saga. We we recently took part in with our good friend Blarge, AKA Corey Blarge senior. We we had a birthday celebration because he is kind of a Christmas baby Christmas Eve baby and Jesus Christ. He is. Yeah, he is. He has come again.

And we watch. More ways than one. Yeah. OK, Brandon, calm down, man. Come down there. And he introduced us to the Princess Switch trilogy of movies. Would you guys think of those? I loved it. I'm Kara same. Or how did you feel? That's what it's called, right? Princess Switch with Vanessa Hudgens. Switched again. Switched again. Yeah. What do you think? I did you enjoy it? I enjoyed it. I. I don't know if I'll rewatch them, but I enjoyed them. But by the third, so there's two Vanessa Hudgens.

Oh, interesting. Oh, wow. And they switch by the and by the third movie, there's a third Vanessa Hudgens by the second two. There's an. Yeah, there's another. That's right. Isn't. Yeah, the third one just goes more into that third third one. But. I found it entertaining. I did, too. What would you guys say is your favorite out of the bunch? I haven't seen the third one yet. So I really like number two is my favorite. Yeah, that's probably the right answer.

There's something about three that I was surprised how much I liked because it goes more into the evil evil. Oh, man, I'm so excited to watch it. Like a side of her story a bit. I feel like there's a lot going on and keeping track sometimes in this in that movie of figuring out. Oh, wait, so who switched with who now? But yeah, you're probably probably right with the second one. It definitely is filmed better than the first. Do you have a take on that car?

Yeah, I was going to say with each one, the production value just seems to get a little better. The first one was like really bright, lighting wise. And the second one was kind of dark, lighting wise. And I think the third one was just right. Oh, those are the. Large, large, large, that's exciting to hear because it was aggressive on both ends of the spectrum in the first and the second, where I think we even joked about it is like the first one was so lit that there was no shadows anywhere.

No, everything, everything in the whole room. Everything was clear, very clear. It's like things in the background are just lit to shit. And then the second one got so dark. Yeah, so dark by like candlelight. You can barely see some stuff. And yeah, it was filmed by candlelight. So it's exciting to hear that the third one is like the Goldilocks of the bunch. Oh, lighting finally hits a strikes a balance that makes it seem a little bit more natural all in all.

To say the third one was probably my favorite just because you go on this journey and I feel like the third one, you know, it just felt like there was more depth to it. Like there is a backstory about this character and a little more heart, a little more heart. And yeah, it was it was kind of entertaining. Like there's always something going on. Yeah, I like very much. I'm surprised how much I like people, Vanessa. Me too, man. I really like her as well because it's such like overacting.

That's really like delicious. Works so well. Yeah. Yeah, I think Sam or Sam or Corey said very correlative ill. And yeah, very. Yes. It's funny to think that she makes a meal out of that character. And yum, yum, yum. I'm down to have that meal because it's like she is acting with every fiber of her being, it seems like, on that character. Like there's just little like she just I love her whole body is that person. Yeah, her walks. She is giving it all. I love that. I love that.

Yeah, I mean, I'm so down and like it's funny. OK, so that like to distill that concept is really interesting to see it applied to movies in other in another regard, which is like overall. And we're kind of speaking to this, but like kind of bad, which would say quote unquote bad movies, right? Like there's a lot of things wrong with it. A lot of, you know, it's it's not well made, but it's always like you.

At least I would I'm surmising is like you lean towards the positive if you feel like everybody's trying really hard, even if they're failing miserably. It like to see people try hard is really wonderful. And really like you can kind of buy into it more easily. Like, you know what, even though this is not well made, I I will give the movie a benefit of the doubt because I feel like people are like giving their all and really going into it.

And it's always so funny when people try to make up like purposely make a bad movie and then miss that like core concept where people who are trying to make a bad movie make it very ridiculous and plotting. But they don't like they don't focus on actually a lot of it has to do with the heart and the like tenacity that people have at the base level of the characters. And so, yeah, like it's that that is enjoyable about that series.

And something I latched onto it is I'm into watching Vanessa Hudgens play these three characters at a point. And yeah, really acting her butt off. And I and I commend her for it. She knew what she was signing up for and she committed to that. And I have to say that is admirable. It is. It was it was a lot. It was a lot of Vanessa. It is. It's a lot. So. What would you say your favorite Christmas movie is? Oh, but you can give me maybe two or three that you really like.

And we can kind of just go that route because I know and people ask me this all the time. And I don't know. I kind of always feel bad asking other people. But, you know, when people are like, what is your favorite this? Right. It's a tough question. Yeah. So. Yeah, on the spot, it can be tough. So don't feel so inclined that you have to pick the pen ultimate. But if you want to throw out some like what you really love out there, we can talk about that and I'd be excited to hear.

I don't I can give you some time. I mean, why don't you say, yeah, a couple like how the Grinch stole Christmas with Jim Carrey. Great one. I might be mine. Yeah, it's entered into the beyond of just really like Christmas movies. I'm always excited to revisit. You know, you never watch them outside of Christmas, but when Christmas comes around, you're like, man, yeah, I kind of get to I get. I have a great reason to watch this movie. And yeah, how the Grinch stole this one.

And then also the Santa Claus, the first one. I mean, you're just listing off my yeah, on my classic. Big fan of the Santa. I weirdly, it's not weird because most people, I guess, grow our age or like secretively have a Tim Allen obsession. And I kind of do. There's a lot of Tim Allen performances that I'm really into, you know, I like it because he reminds me now at this point in my life so much. My dad is like comedy and sensibilities.

And I feel like my dad's comedy was also just informed by Tim Allen because he was a stand up like, you know, my dad would have said like Tim Allen as a stand up is probably like a notable thing of like, oh, this guy's, you know, really funny converting into movie stardom. And the Santa Claus is cool. I like it a lot. My dad likes that one, I think too, because of Tim Allen and there's enough of him in it.

I wouldn't be surprised if he's in like every scene almost that dads can sit down and enjoy a nice family, family feature as well. Like, you know, he fucks up dinner and has to take him to like Denny's or whatever at the beginning, like all that good stuff. And I yeah, that that one and Grinch are some of my most watch, I'd say, and also like the claymation movies. I have a real fondness for like Rudolph the Red Norse reindeer and Island of Misfit toys and. Sure. Yeah, whatever.

All those all those movies with like Mickey Rooney, Snowman introducing a lot of them and all that. So all those sets of movies are just really like hit hit me in a in that sweet spot for Christmas and Charlie Brown sort of way too. How do you do you guys love Muppet Christmas Carol? Because I'm a huge fan of that as well. Always good. Always. I watched that a lot growing up. Me too, man. Me too.

It was it was my go to movie when I was sick as like probably between the ages of like five and seven, maybe I want to say, like if I because the whole thing I don't know about you guys, but if I was sick from school, I wasn't allowed to like play video games or do anything like that. I wanted to do. It was like you're sick. You have to be sick.

And so that means like sleeping, drinking water and like you can watch a movie, you know, and I always was down for even and this, you know, mind you, like six season core like corresponds with Christmas. But it's it's a movie that I would I in my life have watched plenty of times outside of Christmas. Yeah, I those that fit that bill are an interesting bunch too, because I just I watched love actually earlier this year.

Love that. Outside of Christmas. I watched the holiday before Christmas, like way before. Stop. Let's talk holiday, which we've had on done on this pod. Oh, yeah. Was I maybe a part of that? Maybe I was a part of that. Oh my God. I was like, oh, I'm sorry. Maybe I was a part of that. Oh my God. Maybe. Maybe. Is this stage of holiday? Voo. We don't even know our own lore. I know, right? We need a stenographer. Now we need what do we need? We need a cataloger.

They actually have the auto generate transcripts on on. I've been auto generate transcripts to every episode. So there's a transcript. We have a stenographer technically. Anyhow, what a time to be alive, isn't it? It is. You know, someone could react out our whole podcast. Oh, please do it and send us the video. We would love that. So interesting. So out of the movies that we talked about, Kara, which one do you would stand out? Yeah, not even your favorite. You know, the ones I mentioned.

I love all the ones you mentioned. Muppets Christmas Carol. I rewatched that somewhat recently. Yeah, we did that one recently. It's so good. It was very nostalgic, but it's not some. It's not something that I'm like. Wanting to rewatch again and I and I'm so I don't know if other people feel this way, but it wasn't until recently that I started rewatching things. James knows this about me, but I have a hard time rewatching things like. Oh, you're one of those. I don't think I know that.

I have a couple of friends that are like that. And it's it's such a weird concept to me. Yeah, so where's yeah, you're like, no, I saw it. Okay, I got it. Like that's like there it is. Every once in a while, I'll be like, oh, I feel like watching something nostalgic, but. I think maybe as I get older, I'm more into like rewatching things. But so when you ask about the Christmas movie thing. Every year, I like to find a new Christmas movie to watch.

So I can name a couple of things I've watched because it's like it still has that same feeling of like Christmas movies. It's just with a new story or like something where I can be surprised, like I just don't want to know how it ends. So I like that excitement of being like, oh, I don't know what's going to happen. And like, I might cry here because I don't know what's going to happen or yeah. So I mean, recently I watched the last Christmas with her name, but she's. Amelia Clark.

Yeah. And it's like a movie, right? Yeah. And then Emma Thompson to wrote it and she's also in it as well. Oh my God. Wow. She wrote it. She wrote it. Yeah. Cool. That's incredible. She's like nominated maybe one for like sense and sensibility or something, which she also I think wrote. Yeah. And she's a very decorated actress, right? Decorated and writer too. Yeah. It's so yeah. Oh yeah. She's just been doing she's been yeah, acting and writing and being in plays and stuff.

Well, she's got a lot of ornaments on her. She's very decorating. Yeah, it's like yeah, like two days Fridays. There's a lot of flair. That's amazing. I love that sensibility though. Yes. Yeah, I mean, but every year for you, it could, you know, it yeah, you're welcoming something new. Yeah. And I still do like watch like Christmas movies over again, but like I won't watch like the Grinch every year. I watched it.

I rewatched it like maybe a couple years ago, so I don't feel the need to rewatch it until like a couple years later. A couple years. Yeah, no fair. No, totally fair. Yeah. Now, how do you know? Definitely is like one of the most rewatchable for me. Yeah. Because every Christmas you look at the list, you're like, oh, yeah, they I've seen these all of these so many times like Christmas vacation and I've seen Christmas vacation the most for sure. The same clause, whatever it may be.

So being able to go through the motions a bit while having a little Christmas eggnog or working on a puzzle or something like those in the background is always, I don't know. Yeah. So it's so nice. Yeah, like that kind of thing. Like wallpaper and it's like another part of like a fire or something too. What were you going to ask?

Well, now I want to ask have you guys had eggnog this year because I just recently went through a carton myself and I was at the grocery store earlier today and it's totally so totally sold out of it. Wow. Is there a specific brand you buy or? No, not necessarily. A brand on if you will. Brand on eggnog. Brand on eggnog. I like that a lot. Go ahead and look out for that next Christmas. Brandons eggnog. This year I got the coconut milk eggnog and I saw that coffee morning.

I love eggnog with coffee. It's pretty tasty. Yeah. Coffee creamer is the best, yeah. It's so good as a coffee creamer. My God. Such a good move. Just reminds you a little bit that it's Christmas. You put each sip. You're just like, oh, there's a lot. Each sip. We try to make like some cocktails with the eggnog as well, which mine didn't go super well, but yours isn't pretty. You just put it with some brandy, I think. Right, I mean, that's classic way to do it.

But that's, I mean, I'm currently drinking a cider. That feels festive as well. It feels festive. Nice. Speaking of festive. Yeah. So you're not really home, but you're alone. Alone. In a big city. In a big city. Alone, in a crowded room. Let's talk about this movie. Yeah, let's get it home alone. Poor Kevin, man. History with this movie. Can I start? I'll just start. Oh, yeah. Because this was a real classic. For me. Like we've been having all this buildup of discussions about Christmas movies.

And this one fits absolutely like within all the pantheon we just discuss. Like this is right there next to the Grinch and the Santa Claus for me because this one. I, I've seen more than the first one because we had this one on VHS growing up and I just watched it. I'm pretty sure outside of Christmas as well, because I would love to see his hijinks and him fucking with Marvin Harry. And in that big, big house warehouse setting. And then he just would go out in the big city as well.

But this one really means a lot to me and has been rewatched many times by me. There's something about the combination of Christopher Columbus and John Williams. I, and we were joking about it. Walk, watching it together. I mean, John Hughes, man. And John Hughes, the Hughes of the John varietal as well, but the Williams, the Williams, the Williams to fuck. I don't think I knew that Williams was the score on this. That makes sense. The score is going off in this.

I kept on just turning the car and being like this, this music is just like ripping right now. And it just, it would elevate every single scene so much. And it was, I think it was already, you know, a fun holiday movie, but there would be, you know, it's a little bit of action going on screen, but the music would just be ripping in between like different parts of the orchestra, like, okay, violence. Okay. A little bit of the percussion. Okay. Some, oh, some creepy little oboe.

Like, I don't know. It would just jump around so much and it was so whimsical. Some of it felt like a Star Wars battle. Like some of it felt like some Jurassic Jurassic Park and some, I don't know. There was other, other parts like Indiana Jones or something. And that's just the magic of, of that man as, Oh, Harry Potter was the one.

The main one I was going to bring up because of the Christopher Columbus comparison and having that combination of things during Christmas time was just a real, real cozy feeling in a sonic sort of auditorial olfactory sort of way that I just globbled onto in a sense memory sort of thing too. As a child, I think just, I could, I could go on and on.

But I'm jumping around a lot, I think, I think sound is a good place to start for me and just the history of being more familiar with this one than the first one. And then as I grew older, I would go back to the first one a lot and kind of make those connections of like, Oh, the M on his hand. I remember that now I get in. But yeah, you guys go ahead before I just ramble too much. No, no, no. Yeah. I mean, I don't know if this, I have a strong.

I have a strong sense that this wasn't as played as much as you as in your household. But I do remember the first one being something we had on VHS. Yeah. So the so coming to this movie, I don't know if I had as strong of affinity that most people that I've talked to about it have with this movie. But it's not like I hadn't seen it or wasn't aware of it because I think overall this this franchise is enormous and is such an important movie franchise.

Realistically, it's so interesting to do this in close proximity to McCauley. Colkin just got his Walk of Fame star in Hollywood. And just to hear like Catherine O'Hara talk about him and just watch this movie again and having recently watched the first one. Man, it really watching this one in particular again, just made me like kind of go, man, as a kid, I'm feeling this inside of me.

Man, I really like the fact that he's able to eat all this ice cream, you know, prick all of these adults and all this money. Like I even to even as an adult now when he gets into the limo. Oh, my God. With a cheese pizza. When they open that. And I was like, oh, my God, that's cool. And so, yeah, I yeah, I would just preface that I wasn't this movie wasn't the biggest for me, but it's not like I didn't have a association with the first one in this franchise.

Yeah, but you, Kara, where are you at with it? Yeah, I thought I had seen the second one a lot more than I. Yeah, I just realized I hadn't seen it as much as I thought I did. So like things were coming back to me, but then I was also experiencing things like as if it was new again. So yeah, I can't remember. I must have watched the first one more than the second one, but I thought it was the other way around. I have a connection with the strong connection with the third one.

And I don't even remember what happens in the third one or if I've ever seen the third one, the main character. Yeah, I went to school with the little boy from Home Alone 3. Max Keable. Yeah, Max Keable. That's fine. So I've been meaning to rewatch that one. I remember enjoying that one a lot too as a as a little stinker kid that would love to be like that one. And I watched Dennis the menace a lot growing up and just I love that one with Winston checks in. Rich, rich, blank check. Oh, yeah.

I mean, yeah, Richie Richie Rich Rich Rich. But yeah, all of these movies where kids get kids get adults credit card or a lot of man, it is thrilling as a child to see that, you know, the possibilities. It just made me think of like. Watching back in the day, the Toys R Us like Cart Run or whatever happened, whatever was called, where was it just a whole show where you had a certain amount of time and you've got everything that you put in your in your cart. And I forgot about that.

I just I always remember like, well, if I was on that show, I'd just go right to the video game section and just get everything because it's like, you know, really expensive and it's really what I want. And, you know, and it's the same goes for blank check to that movie where, yeah, you just get like video games, pizza, candy, soda, go cards, water slides. The Mo driver has like a father figure.

It just reminds me of like, that's what the 90s was like, you know, we had like, it was like, buy, buy, buy all this stuff, get people, like even the Ninja Turtles have like pizza, you know, like it was such like a 90s thing. They were so commercialized. Yeah. And like a lot of product placement, a lot of product place. Ninja Turtles would have a meal at Taco Bell or like, you know, that kind of stuff. Or just like Saturday, Saturday morning cartoons and all the toy commercials.

Like, you got to get the slime or you got to get, you know, G.I. Joe or something. I just, yeah, like that was the 90s to me is like, just buy all these things. It's weird to say it's like kind of like the height of the monoculture before things get into the internet. So it's start to get afraid a bit.

I know that point's probably been over made a lot, but in my mind with, with all of that kind of consumerism hitting ahead and in that sort of way, we're all kind of aware of the same things and moving towards a place where things are much more based on your demo as you would say, Brandon. Yes, as an advertiser. Yes, you would know that's so interesting of a point to bring up though. That was actually how I, that's how I viewed the movie when we were watching it.

I don't know why I had that like lens on, but the whole time I was like, they're like promoting the Plaza hotel. They're promoting like the Visa credit card. Like they're showing it there. He's drinking Coca Cola and like Donald Trump is in it. And like just, it was such just like, I don't know, like they glamorized like having a lot of money and like spending a lot of money on toys and limousines and just, yeah. You know, that was a glorious shot of the code for sure.

Yeah. And it was interesting too that there is also this weird undercurrent that the uncle is a cheapskate and he's taking advantage of the dad to go on this trip.

So there's also that element at play about culture at that point where we're starting to see like a separation between classes where, you know, I think it's pretty apparent as well in Christmas vacation, but also a part of our childhood is that there are dads that are able to buy stuff and dads that aren't and having that be part of the conversation as well. And how do movies view that?

And it's really interesting that this movie views people who don't have the means as cheapskates and moochers and kind of shitty people. Because it is scary. Scary because it really blew my mind that the uncle was so like cavalier about laughing at his nephews like fuck with each other on the stage. Like in the, in the uncle was like kind of fuck him. Fuck Kevin. He sucks. That whole crowd just jumped on board with me.

Yeah. Absolutely. I know I'm coming ahead, but you know, to kind of really, this is near the. Yeah. Yeah. So Cara, the hotel, you could win a trip to stay there by playing ding, dang, dong. Oh yeah. What a dumb name for a different, but it's like, all he learns about it too is through an advertisement. Yeah. For an advertisement for a celebrity ding, dang, dong. I wonder how that game's played. The setup here is familiar. It's similar to the first one.

A lot of the beats of this movie very similar for sure. Have those callbacks, but I don't know. It just, it works on me still at this moment. It's directed well and has the, the one school nature of the score and everything too. You're familiar with the roles a bit of buzz and Kevin. It's the holidays again. They make it an annual trip. Yeah. His dad, I don't know man with that house and taking annual trips like this. Like he must do something interesting.

And they have the whole, the, what's that? John heard the dad. Pretty famous actor. Well, yeah, him and Catherine, the hero together is, is a, is a excellent combo. The family dynamic is played really well. Thanks to, I think, yeah, all the John Hughes and Chris, Chris Columbus of it all. And the Chris Columbus of it all for sure. There is a, he is so in for it. He is so interesting as a filmmaker where he operates in this like weird humor and kid family humor at the same time.

I was constantly like, people are dot, like getting like named. And then it's like, and Christmas. Wow. Like this, the sensibility of this movie or the ethos of it is so fucking bizarre. It almost sounded like you're going to start singing the Tom Petty Christmas song, which I forgot, had forgotten about until watching this again. And I realized that I also really like that song. I like that song. Yeah. It's Christmas all over again. Sorry, you got to hear me sing. No, it's okay.

If we could, I don't know if you guys watch this video, watch this video, but I posted a video that is in the movie that is also, I'm going to make a activity for us so we can watch it together. But this is really at the core when I'm talking about with the absolute bizarre on this of this movie where. Okay. Are you guys. In the activity we're going to do everybody in. Yep. James. Getting there. Sorry. Okay. So this is the movie that plays within the movie.

And this is a. So in the original movie, there was angels with filthy souls. And this is in the movie. And I, my job was on the floor watching this because I couldn't believe the content that it is like what it is, what it's about, you know, what, what is shown in it. You'll set. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time. Is it just the link right here? No, in the activity. I'm in an activity. I don't know why I can't get into this activity right now. If you hover over.

Okay, okay, okay, okay. These dang activities. Okay, I think I'm here. I'm here. Let's do it. Hold it right there. It's me, Johnny. I know it was you. I could smell you getting off the elevator. You was here last night too. Wasn't you? I was here last night. I was here last night. You was here last night too. Wasn't you? I was singing the blue monkey last night. You was here. And you were smooching with my brother. That's a dirty lie, Johnny. Don't give me that.

You've been spooching with everybody. Snuffy, L, Leo, little Mo with the gimpy leg, cheeks, bony Bob, Cliff. I could go on forever, baby. You got me all wrong. Forever, baby. I believe you. But my tummy gone don't... Johnny. You're the only duck in my pond. It's my favorite brand new song. You're the only duck in my pond. I'm over the moon for you. You got it. Do better than that. If my love was an ocean, Lindy'd have to take two airplanes to get across it. Lindy? Did they call him that?

Maybe I mopped my hinges. But I believe you. That's why I'm gonna let you go. I'm gonna give you to the count of three to get your lousy, lion, low-down, fourth-flushin' carcass out my door. One. Two. One. Two. Three. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal. And a happy new year. Three. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal. And a happy new year. Three. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal. Happy new year. Cold blooded. Insane. Insane. Pretty much one of the most insane things I've ever seen in my life.

So they shot that for this movie? Is that how, is that what happened? They had to have, because yeah, like there's, the same guy is in the first one. So here's the issue, right? So he mows down a woman with a Tommy gun. Crazy in a family movie. That's insane. First and foremost, but then also too, like, so I get the playback from the first movie because then Kevin uses the sound bites to like, prank people, right?

He like, workhorns it, you know, and he does that with, he does that with, you know, with what I just showed you in the movie with Tim Curry, who I could, hopefully we talk an hour and a half about. Get your hands off my sister, me, cake. I love you. I love you. It just, yeah, he's another guy who just. Boney Bob. Every fiber of his being Tim Curry just breeze acting. And okay. So in the first movie, it's a play on. Like, you know, kind of that Humphrey Bogard where.

Chinatown asks in the first one, a guy comes into, you know, seemingly him as a detective or no, he's like, it's really crazy still. He just killed him. The mob boss and now is taking over is actually the what's happening there, but it's a, it's a man and another man. This is a woman and a man. And all it is, is him chastising the shit out of the man. She's chastising the shit out of her and then murdering her. She cheated. She cheated on him with, with his brother Tommy. I saw you together.

I just, I can't. Boney Bob and Cliff. She's all the men that she's, she's, she's had had sex with. I'm not saying she deserved it, but he's upset and he lists all the names. That's the one. And this is a long list and there's a lot of funny names. It's a lot of like, yeah, silly shit. And, but yeah, I just, I can't get over the fact that, that exists in the movie.

Cause again, it is a clip from a movie where a man kills a woman for it's obviously trying to show that he's going to watch a very crass R rated movie on his opportunity to be alone and, and and have a TV to himself. But that movie that he chooses seems to be a movie that his father would choose as an 11 year old boy because it just seems so far back. It almost seems like he should be watching a seventies movie. Of course he should.

You know, there's a lot of crazy fucked up, you know, video nasties that, that occurred since before 1992. Right. He would have been, but there's something that's so funny. He's an old soul. He's an old soul. It is, it is saying that. And he is an old soul. Kara, you know what that is an excellent point. You nailed it because he is an old soul. The way that he handles a lot of the issues in this movie is really funny how adult he is about it where, definitely adults and a murder and a murder.

Yeah. And a murder. Well, but they're murders. It's, you know, it's kind of like, you know, it's well deserved, I guess. But yeah, it is funny to think about that as him being an old soul where like he goes into the, into the pool area and he's like, does anybody mind if I work on my cannonball? What a little gentleman. Yeah. And then he loses his trunks, which I knew was going to happen because his trunks were too big. Too big. They were way too big.

It was either that or they were going to act as like a life vest or something and he was just going to pull them up and keep them afloat. Oh my God. He looked like how a cartoon is drawn where there's this little boy and these very large swim trunks and you're just like, you're going to, yeah, you're going to. He's a gentleman by day, a stinker by night. Sounds like, you know, it sounds like Brandini's tagline as well. Yeah. Old soul by day and an ice cream muncher by night. Oh, I'm not asking.

I love how he is. He's like three scoops, please. I'm not driving. Yeah. So he got a little soul. That line got me this time. I was like, I was rolled over when he said that he's like, I'm not driving. He's like, seriously dude, like, yeah. Come on. Oh, so I was going to just show this one other scene where I feel like he really, really, we don't have to watch all of it, but I feel like you really, I really want to talk about this. This is.

Yeah, but then also is the most stilted performance ever. He's like, he's not even in the same room as her. He's just giving it her all. I barely understand what you're saying. Everybody wants to be seen. I get so. I've seen her pretty much. You know, it's crazy as three years before this, that woman was in my left foot. I wasn't always like. She's great. She had some, some real ways of doing it. I mean, it's definitely filling that role from the first movie of the snow, snow shovel guy.

No, he'd like the murderer next door. Right. Yeah. He's just weird looking according to Kevin. So he's just judging and then he finds out he's like, I forget exactly. It's been once I'd seen it, but he's like a strange from his son. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He's just like a single white guy. By himself, so they just assumed that he was a serial murderer. He's got a realistic. He's just like a lonely man. But that's what I'm saying is like, he was freaking out about everyone in the park.

Like just because. Well, rightfully. So I have words about that because. Kind of speaks to a lot of this movie where oftentimes I'm like, these adults are like, I don't know. I don't know why. I'm not saying that I'm like, I don't know what to say. I mean, it's a movie where oftentimes I'm like, these adults are treating this kid very poorly. And I just don't think that this would ever happen in reality. Like, especially the woman who is kind of famous. I can't remember her name, but.

She's the like ticket. Person. Not ticket, but like. Like the customer service person at. And she is just so like bothered in the bird woman. Not the. No, the. Like the when when he's when he has this very old man ish, like, oh, boy, like I have to like walk away from her. Like I'm in a pickle. But he goes once he gets off the plane, he goes and talks to this customer service representative. And she just is like annoyed as shit with him. And I remember it.

It it's this thing where I was so like confused what so many adults kind of treat this kid like, man, what a stinker and a bother. I couldn't be, you know, like couldn't care less. Seems to be like a state of like nine year old adults are aloof and just. Disregard a young person, a child in a lot of ways. And then there's a lot of moments of triumphant, like kids rule in this movie, at least like to where like there's a moment.

I remember being a child at this at this time, maybe not 92, but a little bit past this where a Nickelodeon was just a lot of like kids rule. Parents drool. Oh, yeah, drool. I was just talking about like how like kids just. Parents don't get it. Yeah. Parents just don't fucking get it, man. And they just go by this. They're they're their best. And they in Kevin is has a moment has a few moments of just kicking ass and being the coolest kid ever. So smart.

Yeah. Yeah. So adults in this movie number one. And I would love, I love, I would have loved to be him at the time. I'm trying to think of stuff at the beginning as well. We got, yeah, we talked about the plane and his performance. I think Buzz gives a great performance as well. And his, you know, brief scenes where he, what does he call him in the in the great apology and a trout sniffer trout sniffer? It's it's excellent. Kieran is also great and very good. And he's got the big glasses.

And now he's on succession. I know I've been watching a lot of succession. It's been seeing the OG stinker and OG stinks in his prime. He learns a lot from the OG stinkers out here saying Frank, Uncle Frank. Yes. And also a Papa Logan Roy. And the switcheroo in the airport, I think, has done well. I like that they call out like it's not going to happen the same way again. And then makes up funny feeling again.

Yeah. And they just, they dress exactly the same and they're in a rush and everything just plays out in the domino sort of effect that that sort of feeling of being in a rush and a lot with a large group of people where you're leaving late to the airport and having to keep everything in line. I don't know. I relate with that more and more to. And so I gotta say, I gotta say, though, man, maybe kind of a hot take, but if you are consistently forgetting your own children, you have too many kids.

You have too many kids. I'm sorry. I know this is weird to tell somebody. Don't have kids or whatever. But like if you are at the point that you've had so many kids that you're just for two years, you're just like, I don't know. I don't have kids that you're just forgetting one. I know. Yeah, it's really kind of a, yeah. I mean, if I forgot something the first time, I would triple check the second time. You know what I mean?

And I think Catherine, I heard was about to and the dad is like, don't worry. Don't worry about it. Like everything was kind of on him too because he was with Kevin. Yeah. Like he's like, I gave him my bag. Like he should have at least been a little bit more concerned with that. But he was running ahead, but he's also behind. He's got to make sure everyone in the crew is accounted for. And you fucked up. I was going to say Catherine. Oh, here I trust your motherly instincts. Yeah, absolutely.

But I, you know, now as I get older, I can sympathize a little bit about the dad just being like. Being that part in the relationship where you're worrying too much. We're supposed to have fun. We're on vacation. And it's to his detriment where he's, you know, assuming things are going to be okay. He's pretty aloof as well. I know a lot of aloof adults. A loof adults.

Do lost in New York, but then together like talking to a loof in New York, getting it in New York, getting it interrogated and like knocking on wood or whatever. Like, like, let's not forget we don't lose. Like hope we don't lose him again and all that stuff. Like, that's just, I don't know. Catherine. No hair is hilarious and moments like that. And her hair style, though, man, it just kind of drives me a little nuts.

I was looking at pictures of people, you know, just fashion at this period in fashion, fashion and it's disgusting. It's ugly. It makes me mad. It's like, it's like a person who has a real personality, but then has personality in shitty ways. And her hair is, I don't know. There's something about it. It's iconic. No, it's, it is kind of iconic. But like, um, yeah, everybody, I don't know the way that people were back back in the 19 early nineties, man. Oh, it's just, it's too much fabric.

It's too gray. It's too brown. It's a bunch of things I don't like. It's a character for sure at that time. And I think at least how she's done up seems to be accurate for that time. And it really brings me back, but I would like to hear Kara's opinion on her. Yeah. What do you think of like her wardrobe as well? Because I know that you are familiar in that. I'm like, it's very, it's very mom. Like, yeah. Mom's are kind of cool now, right? Yeah. Mom's stress cooler. Don't they? I don't know.

Yeah. See, it's hard because like, obviously, I don't like to see her Miami wear if it were sunny. Oh yeah. I just, I like it, but I don't like, I personally wouldn't wear it. I just think that. Was it a shot of her in general? I'm just looking at pictures of her just to kind of get a vibe of it. But it, there's something cozy about it because it is so nostalgic. Like I feel like my mom's hair wasn't like that, but like it was short. So it kind of reminds me of like, yeah, like a 90s mom vibe.

It's just, I get blown back a lot like with the Joe, the thing that I'm I'm thinking about is like, so this is her in this movie, but then this is her in the first movie and this is like substantially better. Like even just going, you know, from like, it just going into the 90s, it just got like worse and worse because like her style in the first movie is cool. I dig it. It makes sense. And then you see this and there's just something like, oh, it's so. Yeah, I don't know. It's so.

I don't know how to describe it. Like there were these choices made in the 90s that suck and we to look back on it, you're like, ooh, man, like you went in the wrong direction. Just society at large did, you know. And I think there's been a course correction now, but yeah, like between

the two pictures I showed you, you know, I don't know. The first one seems so timeless and makes sense and it's cool even though it's these browns and prints, but then, then once you start getting into the early mid 90s, it just kind of gets like. I'm also wondering like if what if she was working on anything at that time that made her like have Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. That's what I was wondering. Yeah, I was just about to see. No, Beetlejuice was 1988. So.

Oh, wow. Okay. But Beetlejuice, mind you, is like, it is funny to think about. I'm glad you brought that up because I'm. You know, oh, right. But what influence Beetlejuice had for better or for worse almost, you know, because in Beetlejuice, she did have more of this, the hair we saw in this movie. But that was like an 80s like. Right. It was the 80s vibe. It's I think I'm going to adopt the Catherine O'Hara. I think that's what I'm going to do.

I think that's going to be my haircut now. I think I'm going to go as soon as you're going to. You're going to half of your head is going to get starched and push back. And then you're going to have like a little down bob in the back. Yeah. And then you have an Elvis top. Yeah. That's a good look. Yeah. Instead of just doing what you could literally between these two pictures. I'm serious. Like you could wear the first one or the second one today. And no one would think twice.

I'm going to go with Home Alone 2 Catherine O'Hara look. That's an insane look. Excuse me, Baba. Give me the Catherine O'Hara and Home Alone 2. Last in New York City. Thank you. I'm sure you get this every day. Wow. That's a good picture. Your barber. Wow. Oh my goodness. So when he gets into the hotel, you get to meet the Tim Curry, the Rob Schneider, the future president. Speaking of hair, Rob Schneider. I think his hairstyle. I think he went for that hairstyle. Waves all over height to him.

Because of him being such a short man because. And also too, I like it reminded me of this weird. Thing that happened in the early 90s where men in particular got really into like bossa nova, like. Right. Rockabilly culture. Like that was a thing, you know. I think a lot of swingers where guys were, you know, doing. Elvis. With these pool shirt or like. Not pool necessarily the pool water, but the pool stick and balls. And it's weird that that was like Polo. That was the vibe. Rob Schneider.

Okay. Rob Schneider. Tim Curry. Rob Schneider. Not bad. I enjoyed. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. Not bad. I enjoyed. I enjoyed it. I love them. I love them. I love the hotel. I love all the scenes in the hotel. Great stuff. Especially Tim Curry. He's like a genius, especially when I don't know. All the when he comes up. Confronts him about. Why you were they upset about the stolen credit cards. That was his performance was true commitment. Like that. That is.

It's great. It's really. Everything and. It's everything. Yeah. I agree. It just fits everything that the movie needs and when. The wet slash sticky bandits. Are starting to rear their faces by this point too. I think he's an excellent antagonist that also has a heart too. Cause he like. Get slapped and cries later. There's like some depth and he has to like say I love you and has to deal with like. A threat in the hotel and everything like he really goes through a lot in this movie.

But he's also extremely like. Vane or like just egotistical and like just is looking out for himself and wants to like. Move further along because he's so hell bent like right when Kevin walks into the room by himself. He clocks him immediately and understands exactly what's going on. In his mind. And he's just that good at his job. He's very he knows something's up. But then he takes it far because then he goes into the hotel room. Peaks into the bathroom. Seens a clown man.

That is a shadow to him with the voice of Uncle Frank. Hey you get out of here. I'm going to rap and then has to has to run out and he just. For him to take all that on. What did he say? He said he's the perfect actor. You little pervert to take all. Can we can we talk about what Uncle Frank had said to him. Prior that I thought was really funny because the dad laughed and the mom laughed. Where Kevin is on the bed when you know prior to the recording of it but like right before it.

And he's like oh something's in the in the bathroom and he's like I can't go into the bathroom because Uncle Frank's in the shower. And Uncle Frank told me never to go into the bathroom because if I did then he'll. Oh yeah and I'll feel like less of a man. Something like that. Yeah. Something to that. And you're just like wow. Because he had to go get a towel or something like that. Yeah. Yeah I forget the exact line but it was essentially to that effect.

Yeah Frank is quite the character and really hits the uncle. Part well. I mean not even a leaf but just cantankerous. Yeah absolutely cantankerous uncle character. Yeah. Yeah. It feels a role well like the the neurotic staff manager and all that stuff the greedy you know bell boy and the bird lady. The in the future president and then you get the limo driver who is just like oh you got to go to Duncan's that's where you got to go. For the best toys.

And that pizza that he opens has steam just rise out of it. It's the most perfect pizza you could ever imagine the most perfect pour of coke. You watch as the Grinch. You feel like the transition from the Grinch to temporary space. Light going on.

Okay so there's this whole subreddit about this but the signage for for Duncan's toys drives me crazy too so I subscribed to this subreddit that's like signs done wrong essentially is what it is because the signage for Duncan's toys is fucked off where it's

fucked off where it's Duncan's and then it's toy chest but the way that the sign looks is it's toys on one side and chest is on the other so it looks like toy Duncan's chest and it drives me nuts when I see something like that because it's all like on the same line essentially but the implication is is because the text for Duncan's is larger than toy chest you're supposed to read it as Duncan's toy chest but it really looks like toy Duncan's chest and I cannot stand it. Take a look at it.

We should do something about it. Just let's boycott toy Duncan just throw a rock through the window. And then to speak on Duncan I had shared in the general as well. Wonderful photo of Duncan himself next to our former president. Ronald Reagan because they were in movies together in the like mid 50s. Six degrees of this guy and in president.

So in the general there's just a lovely photo of them on the set of a beach type movie and it's I can't remember the actress's name in the left side but then it's yeah. Ronald Reagan and Mr. Duncan himself. She's in it up. She's in Louise in it up. It is not in the chat but I believe you. General chat. It is nothing. But that's okay. It's at 1140 am. Oh up above. I thought you just posted it now. I was wondering what that photo was. I was like oh look at these. Look at these people.

Mr. Duncan himself is third on there. I see. That's him as a young man. Yeah he's got that kind of a scrunched face not to be mean or anything but it's a little scrunch face and sharp nose. He almost looks like Gary Grintuck. And so a famous actor from that time. I looked into his other movies. He was also in films with Gene Kelly and yeah pretty famous actor and you know Kevin getting taken to the toy store obviously super fun but then the adultness of Kevin comes out where.

He is so into this idea of Duncan giving back to children without means and is down to support that. And Mr. Duncan picks up on that and gives him the turtle dove which Kevin then learns about the real meaning of turtle dove it isn't just something sung in a song but it also has a meaning of. If you were to give a turtle dove then you are friends is what I got to mean is like.

Keep one for yourself and give one to someone very special so that yeah like you know you always have that have that bond essentially right. Yeah. I love that. I love that. I love that story comes about because yeah just oh I give you something I'll make you be something back. Oh well you picked I suggest this because and then he's like oh you get to that's that's really great. It's like oh the reason you get to is because you yourself get to give one as well.

It's a really special thing that you get to give something that that person also gets to pass along as well and yeah I don't know I think I also yeah it just gets me more and more. It's me more and more as as I watch this movie is the whole turtle dove sentiment sentiment and him choosing the pigeon lady is something that.

Yeah just hit me in a nice spot where Kevin understands who needs it most in his life too and maybe there's people like his mom that obviously will mean more to him and his life and everything but he understands. The need of it all and the children's hospital sentiment which is set up in the scene.

He goes to the children's hospital later yeah he sees the child on the window waves and then he's like I'm gonna fuck shit up tonight and then he decides that he's going to go back and set up all those traps and really fuck them over and like go back at them with a vengeance this isn't about defense this is about offense and he brings the fight to them.

Yeah, I. And also to speak to the credit of the movie is that it not only is a character developing situation for Kevin, but it also works for setting up the basic plot, which the. Sticky boys now sticky bandits sticky bandits are going to rob the toy store because no one you know would think to rob a toy store on Christmas. Yeah they're sitting at the ice rink he's stealing all these all this outerwear from people as they skate by which I just love physical comedy.

It's Daniel Stern, and it is all all of the stuff that he's giving always just hits as a grown man as myself and also as a child when I would watch this movie is just seen a very tall gangly dude acting like a silly silly silly guy. Yeah, and also my favorite humor in this movie. Also seeing yeah just Kevin act like a grown man and give psychoanalyzing pigeon lady was was pretty great. I mean, it's like my skateboard story. Yeah, I know what it's like to be the black. I know what it's like.

That sort of reminds me of being the youngest in the family of being ostracized by society I get it. I mean, Daniel Stern in this movie is really wonderful and juxtaposed to Pesci like Daniel Stern is here to play and is having a time. I don't know Pesci but I know what you mean where he's yeah he's a little checked out but just the mere fact that he showed up at least his face is a lot and a lot of the stuff you know with all the traps and everything is stunt work.

I mean, I'm not a person in certain scenes but I don't know for me he gets he gets the job done and I and I never really noticed and until more recent viewings but it's never been enough for me to ruin the ruin the performance but yeah. It's kind of like it's a stretch but it kind of works for his character where he's like, oh, we have to go through this again like I'm a little like annoyed that we have to do this again with this kid.

Yeah, but I just it's like why you know, like you just escaped out of jail so then your first thing is to do this, you know, that is a far fetch thing that is just movie shit that it's just to bring to bring the sticky bandits together with him again is such a stretch. And there's nothing really to reconcile that and I like it but if that's going to be the maker break for you if you like this movie or not I also contend that that's a silly thing to really hinge it on.

But I also understand that it is far fetching fucking crazy that like they walk out of a of a building. They don't even see his face they see the back of him and Marv immediately recognizes like hey, check it out and they grab him before even looking at him in the face. Later on yeah but on that scene he just fucking screams. And this is like a guttural scream and he runs away grabs the pearls first trap done got him.

And then running away and like the carriage after the stolen credit cards thing and having to be alone in the park and being alone in New York City at night. It's like the second half of this movie starts to get into like oh he's got a he's not living in the high life of the hotel he's not going to be able to get home so easily.

And then in New York at night is a little scary. Very scary. I'm going to go. Yeah, and then pigeon lady saves him and we go through all that which I think is pretty wholesome and I you know again is filling fulfilling the beats that has been set up in the first one and her roles is that same. She's rolling the first one essentially but she fills it well and to jump to jump into like the the home alone segment of it I guess there's like a segment of this movie that does the home alone of it all.

It does yeah absolutely. So what house is that it's it's like their is Uncle and they're in and they're in France. They're out of town looks like maybe they're doing some housework because there's a whole yeah they were like I thought it was getting renovated.

Yeah, there was that line about it. Crazy how there is a situation in all of the very fun home alone of it all where they do, you know, go to Langspiel for you know the sticky bandits be like, we're not going to fall into this trap again and we have a lot of those moments. But something that's really new and surprising for this one is. Yeah, we theoretically like go into a fake like magical universe because Daniel Stern gets electrocuted to where he becomes a skeleton. So funny.

So what's that about. What's that about because we just went from like a spin tour humor. Then now we're, you know, skeleton people see that a spin tour. That would be an ace for a sort of that's that's that's my excuse, especially with how he's screaming and everything like this. Even the mouth is of the skeletons. So good. Or I was thinking maybe want to watch Rocket Man again with Harvey Quinn. No, close. Harley Quinn Harvey. Yeah, no Harley. Oh, Harley Harley.

Harley. Yeah, I know what you're talking about. I don't know he's so funny and kind of Daniel Cernich and doesn't and it's just hijinks in space that whole movie. And his stuff in this segment of it is very difficult physical comedy in my mind to pull off and have be funny and not.

And I don't want to discriminate as much on the true violence of it all, which I think we'll find out a lot of critics had issues with how violent some of this stuff was and how how visceral it ended up being and the and how they felt like they had to amp certain things up in this movie and they chose to do it and in that sort of violence. Yeah, violence. And American cinema. Oh my God.

I'm not really good at that, but I was feeling like healing overlapping at the brick thing. I don't I was like dying, dude. It was so funny. That's so funny to hear you say that because when I saw that I was like, wait a minute, he be fucking dead. I know. He would be in the hospital. Are you kidding me? If you caught a brick in the head from somebody that's like, I don't know, eight flight, like eight stories higher or whatever, you'd be dead. You get it's not three. He gets four.

I counted and it was so funny to me that I was like dying because it's the rule of threes and it's just like, oh, amp it up, hit him on the third and then move on. But then there's a fourth where it's just like, come on. Like at that point, it just gets to be funny. And then it just goes through true brutality. There's there's fire that he's stressing me.

Yeah. I mean, that's a part of this movie. I feel like it's not as stretched out, but it is consolidated and dense in its violence in this segment. I another funny part was for me was him putting his head in the toilet and then seeing the outside jump cut of the house like blowing up essentially. Just was such intense beyond like, like you're saying Brandon like magical or fantastical.

So so much so that it was just so so insane that you just couldn't even like weekend at Bernie's to sort of stuff for me. I'm William. Okay, cool. Harland, William. Okay. And that that just sort of I don't know that I like sequels a lot. And that was another silly stupid sequel that amp things up in a funny way. Speaking of silly stupid, I mean, the way that it also ends with them getting covered in varnish, they really are the sticky bandits. Am I right? They are the stickiest of bandits.

They're covered in varnish and then goop. I really was green goop to his advantage. There's a lot of that in that canister. You know what to another of this like magical realism shit is that they get the is it a piano like something falls like I can't remember what it is the sound of a tool shed rolling down. Yeah. And they both have plastic nose.

The fact that they get hit with it and then there's this whole like thing of them being like, I got to like pull my nose out and correct it and change my face because we just got smushed, you know, is this magic. Is this magical realism that is so wacky? I think they needed to do that to balance out like how brutal everything is.

Yep. Like you have to remember it's a kids movie so they have to kind of like make it cartoony is so that way kids aren't terrified because I like I said I was I'm an adult. I was dressed like these guys are like going through it. Oh my God. The John Williams works really well too for it. But I think that's that's like the argument against it that I would make is that you didn't need that brutality in it. It's like, yeah, you know, you don't need to go that far.

Like again, I'm like still at this point reeling from the fact that he watched a movie where a woman got mowed down by a Tommy gun. Like there's just this there's this kind of seedy underbelly of this movie that really caught me off guard left and right where just like. With some of the Tim Curry stuff to of them going into the room. Getting tricked on which is funny because adults getting fucking bamboozled is funny.

But then the implication is is that they go into a room and then realize that the tenant is shooting at him is really crazy because then they come out of it and Tim Curry is like there's a crazy 10, you know, tenant who's shooting us. And it's like, that's, oh man, it's really wild to me that there's like this. Especially, okay, let me try to simply put like why this upsets me is. So a kid getting left by his parents is pretty upsetting to begin with right.

And then also in this movie it's happening for the second time. So in my mind I'm just again like, man, you guys have too many kids if you're fucking leave in one of them. And there's this weird kind of consequence that hangs over this movie in my mind where you left a child and he has to fend for himself. Fun. He's fending for himself. But then there's always these kind of weird interjections of darkness, you know, be it.

You know, him. Yeah, like people dying essentially, you know, with getting electrocuted or getting smushed or also to I would pair this with the heaviness of the pigeon lady and her plight in life, which I honestly really enjoy it. I was like, oh, this is really interesting and fun that this kid has to do with it. He poops it away a little bit, but I know he poops it. Yeah, he poops it away. But nonetheless, it's it's he's a child. I get it. But ultimately I'm like.

It is such a like John Hughes and Christopher Columbus thing where they have this whole like zip between funny light, family humor and really fucked up dark humor. And it's because it's men in their forties making children's movies and their their sensibility is kind of that. It's like we know how to write a kid's movie because we were kids and were great writers, but we're also really like think it's funny when people get maimed and potentially murdered and stuff.

And it's just it's a weird concoction that exists in this film. It's fair that at times I'm just like really, I think more so than the first one because of the fact that this is the like happening again. Like you've kind of fucked this up again, that there's this whole air about it where you're like. I'm really frustrated and mad at the parents and the adults in this movie. And maybe that's kind of how I should feel, but it feels very weird to think about how.

Uncaring, unsympathetic lack of tenderness that I would want a little bit more of when it comes to the plight of a child. That this movie kind of disregards at times and just goes like oh yeah, you know, could you imagine if he killed like legitimately killed one of these guys and that he had to deal with that. Yeah, he is. Bricks and each one he's laughing his ass on that roof with each consecutive brick. He's like I'm nine years old and I killed two guys.

And he was picking up those bricks like they weighed like nothing. Which they probably did. Yeah. Actually, like that's what I was trying to say like the upsetting part for me was like when he like stumbles upon all those people in Central Park and like they're all scary and and it's like I get it like much better and he's scared.

But like, that's what I was trying to say earlier about like, they glamorize like having money and having things and having a credit card having like access to things and like buying things and then the people that don't have that are terrifying. People like taxi drivers are terrifying. Why are they terrifying they're just trying to make a living and they're they will. Such an astute observation. I agree. The part that was upsetting for me is like, I agree.

It's almost like the movie hates those people. Yeah, that's that's exactly what I felt. That was like the view of what I had of the movie was like, it's cool to be Donald Trump and exactly have money and to be white and like, and I know that's such like a weird way to watch a kid's movie but of course that was also the time you know like

totally. So that kind of goes to my thing about like sometimes why it's hard for me to watch older movies is because I am more aware of certain things now. So I can't help but turn that lens off. Like I view things differently now. So as a kid, I didn't notice that stuff but now it's like it was just like airy and cringy to me that like he was terrified of all these people that they didn't seem like horrible people other than that they were dirty and like they didn't work. I don't know.

They were 100%. One of my notes is is was what hookers really like give a lost kid shit. No, I don't think so. So either it really like I was clutching my pearls a little bit being like if I like sex work is real work and even though they've had a tough go at life, like I would like to believe that even if you're working the streets on Christmas Eve or whatever, you wouldn't see a nine year old boy and be like

kind of fuck with them. Kind of just like give them shit about being outside like a kid. What are you doing out here? You know, you should be inside. You know, it's like, I don't know.

I get what they're trying to do like from Kevin's perspective. It's scary because he's an emu city and he's never seen this kind of stuff before. So it's just different. But like, I just feel like, yeah, I was just kind of scary, honestly, like it is because I think a better artistic approach, if I were to rewrite this is like all of the people that he experienced at night that after he's left the hotel and stuff would say things that are helpful to him.

But him as a kid would interpret it as scary. Right. Yeah. But what is on the page is like people saying really weird fucked up shit to him. And it's like, no, like I because I 100% agree with you that as a child, you would be very scared of these people. Yeah, I get that. Exactly. Like that I totally understand.

But to have them actually say things that are really like ag antagonistic, very unsympathetic is weird to me because even like the people that I personally know that are like doing mature things often to make it through there like to make it in life have like a code of conduct where like with kids, you kind of just like, you know, fuck with kids, you know, like at a bare minimum.

That's not I know that it's tough out there on the streets. But I just I would like to imagine that if he was lost at night on Christmas Eve, that even the cab driver or the, you know, the sex workers, anybody would be a little bit more like,

are you okay? Like, and come at it with a little bit more of that. And like the cab driver comment like it's not any better in here like what is that's what does that mean like I just don't even get it like is a cab supposed to be like dirty like I don't I don't understand what the what that what they were trying to I genuinely don't know what they were trying to say about that.

Exactly. Right. Yeah, no, it's, I think you've nailed it is and that's in my mind. A big problem with this movie is is that that its view and like perspective on people who don't have money is really fucked up. Yeah, it's really. Yeah, not chill. Because I understand it does it does like make up for itself a little bit in this.

Like, we're doing you know helping out the you know, kids and stuff, especially to it even says which I really love this line of like, you can mess, you can mess with a lot of things, but not kids on Christmas. Like, I'm not all these people messing with kids like a kid on Christmas. Like, I just I don't know. Like, it's uneven is how I would describe the sensibility of this movie by and large is.

You don't like I. OK, so the line you can't mess with a lot of things. You can mess with a lot of things, but not kids on Christmas is in regards to the sticky bandits trying to steal the money from the toy. It's like from Duncan's right. And great. They are bad guys. Let's paint them as bad guys. Let's, you know, may explicitly say in the dialogue that they're bad guys and that that's why they should theoretically be maimed, you know, but.

It is weird and dark at times and for a kid's movie man. Sometimes I lose that a little. I think I did feel a little unsettled about that scene of just like. I know they're trying to like the whole point of him running into all these people at night is so it like. Yeah, it's running through the park. He's nowhere to go. He's alone. That's the big point that it's making us that he's really like now that he doesn't have money. He's really by himself because the arc that's happening is.

Putting him in a situation of vulnerability in which the pigeon lady is also like. Wait, it's almost the pigeon lady operates in like this ghost of Christmas future for him where, you know, there's this and I'm not saying it doesn't well for sure, but it posits that. He is frustrated with his family and like really kind of doesn't like at first enjoys the fact that he's not with them.

Right. Like that's kind of the jettison of this because in the first part of this movie, I was trying to get over the fact of like. Don't you just like want to hunt down how to get back to your family, but no, he like. It is excited by the fact that he's not with this family anymore. And that's a big part of the first half of this movie is he's like, I don't like my family. Arguably like I get it. They left you like that again.

I just it's such a weird concept to kind of get over at times where you're like, right, your fucking parents left you in this place. You know, they didn't pay attention to you getting on this and X, Y and Z. And so he like. Loves the fact that he's not with them and like relishes in it, spends all of his dad's money, does all of this stuff.

And then this arc that he goes on is that once he loses the safety net of the hotel and is just purely alone, he then meets the pigeon lady who is very alone. And then he provides guidance and like, like, actually, you should do this. I'm a little kid and you're a grown person and I'm going to tell you how you could be better at your life.

And. But theoretically, like she is who he will become if he alienates himself more and more from his family because he doesn't like, you know, buzz making fun of him, his uncle, his mother and dad, you know, father leaving him all of this stuff. And him providing all of this like, oh, but you need all these friends and stuff. And he's a little bizarre, like, because it's not like he has a bunch of friends. He is alone. And then he provides all this sage advice to this grown ass person.

And then I don't know, it just, it, again, it speaks to the flaws and the issues that I have with this movie where it wants to operate in all of these like dark or deep concepts, but then doesn't like. And then it will fully come in. And if anything at times like, goes against it and goes like, it's actually not that bad. Guess what, we're actually in this joke reality world where people can get zapped and turned into skeletons and come back ever. And it is so weird of a movie to me.

But I don't know. There's a lot that I like about it. By and large, I don't know. Like we're getting close to the end of this movie. I mean, how? Yeah, I don't know. How do we feel about it? It's a Christmas movie as a movie in general. Before we get into how other people feel about it. Is there anything else you want to say about this movie? Yeah, I think.

I mean, as far as everything you guys talked about, I think they tried to use the the pigeon lady as that representation of this other side that Kevin was afraid of. And to what effect and how well they did it is, I'm sure, to whatever your opinion is. But in my mind, that's just how they structured it of like, oh, I got to spend a night in a scary new town. Everything is scary to me in the vision, like the eyes of a child.

And then he they kind of just use this pigeon lady to represent the understanding of like the other and like what's what's scary about a new a new place. That whole scene with them like talking and everything was really funny how he was just like just would shut her down on everything every real life problem that she and he would just be like, oh, well, let me talk about this dumb ass kid thing that I'm dealing with and how it relates to that and how this is all you got to do.

And like she she like gives him real life shit that like. She's like, well, I just I just kind of stops loving because I my heart turned cold and I went through a lot of hardships. He's like, well, that seems like kind of a dumb thing to do. Why would you do that? Why don't you do that again? Don't do that.

And it was like some of the sensibilities were childlike as well and how the movie itself was trying like the movie language itself and how I was trying to portray those starting to touch into those loftier issues. And I think that is like a sign of the 90s to of like, oh, we can just kind of talk about whatever and kind of kind of be edgy. And I'm not saying that this is what it's doing.

But just around that time was just a free form way of kind of talking about issues and not having to worry worry about like certain things coming off a certain way maybe. And this movie, it's interesting to see the excess and to see the haves and haves not be portrayed in that sort of way. And for me, I think, yeah, it just works. And that's sort of we I think we talked earlier. I'm not sure if it was off the pot or not, but about nostalgia and everything too.

And I think this movie works for me in that way and in a lot of ways that I can even fully understand subconsciously. But by the end of the movie, it really is just like they get a bomb ass hotel room, which I assume is just comped because they fucked up so many times. Yeah, they did get it comped, I think. Yeah. So they get it. Yeah, they get it. I'm dunking this for it. I know you paid you got all the presents. That was fun.

But I was just assuming the hotel would just be like, we're so sorry here. Have have the have the suite. They still got a state sleeping on that on the bed and on the floor, but Kieran gets that that big bed to himself. He wins. And then he spent $900 on room service. $900 on room service. Come on. Come on. You get the turtledove scene between the two of them. And I think that's really sweet. He's able to hear his dad all the way outside of there.

Yeah, you guys made excellent points in in in car, especially in bringing up that whole running through line of more like venomous side of. Yeah, kind of side of the 90s and just how how people are viewing him and in my kind of more naive sort of mind, I still like to think that there's an element to that where they're really just trying to portray like a childlike sort of sensibility. But the way that he kind of poo poo is away some of the pigeon ladies problems is pretty funny to me.

And that's why I didn't want to get to say before I move on to like reviews. I just didn't want to get too deep into that thought of like the other because I am also aware that this is, you know, a kid's film like we're not going to get too deep here. Everything's going to be surface level and we're going to move through things quickly. So I didn't want to get too deep into that, but it was just something that I was more aware of this time watching or watching it again.

Yeah, I mean, the taxi guy just has a scar on his face. He's like, it ain't much better in here. I got a scary face. Yeah, but, you know, like I just try to give it the benefit of the doubt. Like Kevin is scared. He's alone. He's run out of his safety net, like we said. And yeah, anything can be scary for him. But, you know, I just, yeah, I'm trying to see it in a positive light too and just that this is a kid's movie. So I'm not going to get too into it.

Sure. Yeah, but it's definitely like his representative of things, of the movies being made of that time and the type of thing, the things that go and everything and what is present in like a sequel that's already posed to be of excess. Yeah, like we talked about like Richie Rich was a movie of the 90s. Like it was cool to own things and like have things and like, yeah, like just bye, bye, bye. And that is just what the 90s was and that's, you know, where 90s kids, we get that week.

I was very much like that too, where I had to have the latest thing or like the coolest thing. And I don't believe that at all. What, me? Yeah, I don't believe that. No, I was such a little brat. Like I had to have all the things and then just, you know, as you age, you realize there are other important things in life. I'm sure I mentioned earlier, I had the Walkman or not a Walkman. What is it? The talk boy, whatever the fucking thing is that he has on the airplane. Credit card, you got it.

You got it. Slows it down with a key. This is the dad. I had one of those and I'm sure my my parents got so fucking annoyed at Mr. McAllister and regretted getting me that. And I lost it at one point, but there's a part of me that's convinced that they fucking just grabbed it and threw it off. The pier or something, because I would just probably just like speed up and slow down and record all these things. Maybe that I shouldn't be recording and all this stuff.

I know this is just you think a lot of kids back then like wanted that then? Like whatever. I know I did. I was so fucking stuck on that. Oh yeah. It was a lot of fun. I know anything. I would bring my friends and stuff and we'd mess with it. And now it's just, you know, just download an app. You're good to go. Yeah, like seeing seeing him have a tape recorder and a Walkman are both very cool.

Then again, I can't understand how cool it is to get into a limo with a cheese pizza and a Coca Cola with a TV screen. I mean, good Lord. That's just every kid's dream back then. Yeah. No, you're absolutely right. Like that was just the coolest thing. That was the coolest. You don't know like about other cool things. That's the coolest thing. Right. Yeah. Oh, that was like peak. Like I would go and then he's just like, well, obviously I'd go to the best candy store in the world or sorry.

Toy store toys in the world. And excuse me, James, bring me to the finest toy store. And like the toy store really is the best toy store. You can play with all the toys. They make a point of that and he gets to talk to Duncan. That's just a little magical scene between them to you. Like Duncan himself seems like seems like Dumbledore magic. Something's going on there. But let me get into some reviews here. It also makes me think I'm going to pull this up while we do reviews.

I'll interject later. But what is the top holiday toys of 2023? Oh, that's a good question. I'll say now, but I would almost be curious of 1992 when this movie came out. The hottest toys. I got them right here. Hot as toys of this year. Furby's back. Furby is back. No way. Furby is now interactive. Okay. Essentially has AI. Sounds like the new truckie movie. It's got 600 responses. Yeah. Yeah. It's got five modes. I don't know what that means, but I love how on the listing it's Hey Bestie.

Do they look like this? I know they don't. But they did. I it's just this is the kind of energy I would love them to have when I'm over. And I never get it. Look at this. I would do the same thing. I would hold and just like on my lap. But okay. So what else we got for 2023 in Mr. Pooperton in 92? It's Barbie, baby. Oh, of course. It's Barbie, baby. AI Barbie. I want to Barbie. Barbie's dream house a 75 plus pieces dream house 130 bucks based on the movie. Look at this.

I mean, this seems kind of I'm gonna I'm gonna post it in the chat. Not this. The perspective seems very weird. Doesn't this girl seem like she would be taller? Because I don't know if something's going on here with the perspective, but okay, I'm going to post it in the general coming up right now. I got a barbie's notoriously 75 or something. Hey, poston. Oh, why does her top half look bigger than her bottom half? Something's going on here. Interesting.

She looks like she's should be way taller. Yeah, that little girl looks like the perspective looks like her bottom half is five feet behind her. Gar, are you seeing this? Wait, I'm so confused. Can you explain that again? The top half is bigger than her bottom half. Like. She's got like tiny feet and a big head. That's exactly what I was trying to say. But in a polite way, are you saying she has a big head?

Yeah. Yeah, we are something with the portioning of the I don't know how they photoshopped the house to look around. No. Could it be? I don't know. It could be. Do you not wait. So, Karlie, you don't immediately get this sense because James. No, I do. Got onto what I was saying is like weirdly, it looks like she is too small. Like her legs are smaller than her top half. I completely agree with you. But I'm also wondering if it's also the hair that's doing that. It is that too.

Do you think it's the hair? Because like if her hair was just in a ponytail, like like a low ponytail, would it make a difference? It would make a difference. Her hair looks so volumptuous, like as like kind of like adult like. Look how big that Barbie house is. Okay, let's let's move on from the visual element. Just going through minute detail of visual. Speaking of Barbie, one last thing just last night watched on a Max. You can watch Barbie the movie with director's commentary. Oh, perfect.

And I watched watched it last night with the credit girl wakes commentary. Everybody go do that. She seems like a wonderful person. She seems like such a smart, cool person that made an amazing movie. She's got married to Noah Bombang. They just got married? I think so. No, they've been married for. Just got married. Just got married. Okay, then they got a kid for a minute. Noah Bomback has made some interesting movies. I was just trying to explain this to Danny the other day about Noah Bomback.

He made this movie called Squid and the Whale. That's a cool movie. That talks a lot about like this class system is very, very a big deal in that movie. Because especially there's a whole thing about the kid wanting to be as smart as his dad. And his dad is like very like a whole ish like intellectual. And there's that whole part of the movie of like his kid trying and wanting to be as smart as his dad wants him to be. And it's very interesting.

Do you have any toys from 92 or shall we move on to reviews? Sorry, toys from 92. My bad. Okay. Before we get too into squid and the whale. I think we're two hours in there. Oh, damn it. I thought we were doing good on time. Never mind. Maybe not something like that. Top toys of what? We're doing top toys of 92 or I can move right on to reviews. No, let's do I want to see the top toys in 92. Top toys. I bet at Barbie Dreamhouse in there as well. Maybe for a little too early for a Furby.

Another shameless plug. I just want this Hulu documentary that breaks up episodes of the 90s. I was so close. Oh, I think I know what you're talking about. Yeah, it breaks up these trends in the 90s that are like fucked up. Grab another drink. I'll be right back. What is it called again? I think it's called the 90s. What is it called again? It's called like the the the failings of the 90s are like how the 90s destroyed us or some shit like that. OK, no, I have not seen that. Oh, OK.

So there's this whole episode on beanie babies. Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. And it's crazy to think about beanie babies where they were a thing like the way that it puts it out is really great like things about beanie beanie babies influence on eBay. And then eBay gets you to like people selling sneakers on fucking on those apps where like sneaker cultures, the whole thing. And then you get to like supreme and how they operate. It's crazy.

You're just talking about like so the guy who invented beanie beanie babies was like looked at the market of his product and like regulated it and in like inner interjected scarcity in ways to drive a value of his own product. Yeah, it's so interesting to think about the beanie babies. Did you watch the beanie baby movie? No, with Elizabeth Banks and what's his name? What's his name? No, I don't know. The guy from the hangover in between two firms. Hmm, Zach Alfinakis.

That one was pretty interesting. Oh, shit from succession, isn't it too? Dude, another documentary that I would recommend is the it's on max. It's about this. It's like I am love or like mother. Yes. Oh my God. Yep. I just finished that the other day. So good. I was talking to my mom about it. I was like, mom, because she gets she falls into this shit. Yeah. And I could see myself falling into that ship.

But I just know like when so much commitment is involved or like this loyalty aspect of things, that's where I would fall off. Like I just feel like this is my work. The thing that really got me was the drinking the silver. Oh my gosh, she was blue. She turned me back. Oh my gosh, she was blue. She turned blue, but that was that was such a huge thing amongst like. I'm sorry, but like mainly chicks that are into like crystals and stuff. I didn't know anything about that. I like it.

And it's this whole idea that the government is out to get you and like general medicine doesn't know what they're talking about. And they're just influenced by the pharmaceutical industry. And realistically, there's all these other supplements that you should be taking because they're actually better for you. And then they get down this path that they're drinking fucking silver. And then she's turning into a blue person that can't walk. How are we doing over here? What's going on? Okay, sorry.

Anyways, I walked away for a second. Now we're talking about blue people. What are these smurfs? Is that how the smurfs came to be? I just that document. Okay. Anyways, yeah. Are those the toys of 92 are smurfs? The toys of 92. I got I got you right here. I got you right here. We're talking tickle me Elmo, baby. Oh, tickle me Elmo. Let's go. Okay. Super soakers. Also a big one. I wonder what the 92 model look like. I wonder if there was any exels in there.

Yeah. I remember when I was, I mean, hot wheels are still rocking and rolling big time. Barbie's still up in it. And now we're also introducing X-Men action figures. And comic book culture in the sense of, yeah, like really influencing children who have now grown up into baby men who like Marvel is really around this time of like X-Men the TV show buying X-Men stuff. There was no a Marvin Harry action figures that were really taken off. I would love that. And then there's just and then you get.

Harry and he's got a skeleton. Can you get that for me for Christmas in a couple years? Where is your Christmas present is coming? It's the most wonderful time of the year. Are we ready for some critic reviews, ladies and gentlemen, lady and gentle man? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's 35% from the critics. It's a 62% from the audience. It's pretty divisive. It's a review by Janet Maslin from New York Times.

She says it's much more violent than the first film's comparable set of dirty tricks. And Kevin removed from his embattled home seems much more cavalier, possibly even meaner than his bullying older brother, Buzz. Saying Kevin is meaner than Buzz. Let's see. Let's see. Let's see what else we got here from Dave Kerr, Chicago Tribune.

The pleasures here are entirely cruel with an unhealthy concentration on the suffering of the victims on the thudding impact of various objects against their heads on their howls of agony. Howls of agony. It's the name of our guild. Ah, yes. From Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times. The result with some exceptions plays like an over elaborate parody of the first film, reminding us why we enjoyed it without being able to duplicate its appeal. And from Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago reader.

Filmmakers stick like glue to the formula of the original. A little boy from a well to do family left on his own is threatened by low life working class crooks from whom he repeatedly foils and tortures working class and upscale property values prevail. Just a scathing indictment on the working class. This movie, that's what we're going to. I'll read a little bit of Roger Ebert's review as well. You gave it a two. I have a feeling that home alone to Los Angeles is going to be an enormous box.

He didn't even like the first one. An enormous box office success, but include me out. Include me out. I didn't much like the first film and I don't much like this one with its sadistic little hero who mercilessly, mercilessly hammers a couple of slow learning crooks. Nardid I'm in a body bath. Enjoy the shameless attempt to leaven the mayhem by including a preachy subplot about the pigeon lady of Central Park. Call me hard hearted.

Call me cynical, but please don't call me if they make home alone three. I know I know the violence is all a joke. Some of the gags are lifted directly from older old color cartoons and in spirit. What we're looking at here are Roadrunner adventures with the crooks playing the role of Wiley Coyote as the two hapless mobs fall down ladders and get slammed by bricks and 500 bound 500 pound bags of cement and covered with glue and paint and bird seed.

You can hear the cackling of the old Looney Tunes heroes in the background. And just like in the cartoons, the crooks are never really hurt. They bounce back, dust themselves off, bend their bones back into shape and are ready for the next adventure when little Kevin taunts them. He sounds like Bugs Bunny and when they chase him, they're in the tradition of Elmer Fudd. And then I'll just do the end here. Is this a children's movie? I confess, I do not know. Millions of kids will go to see it.

There used to be movies where it was bad for little kids to hurt grownups. Now Kevin bounces bricks off their skulls from the rooftops and everybody laughs, including me. The question isn't whether the movie will scare the children in the audience. It's whether the adults will be able to peek between their fingers. Yeah. And a lot of what he has to say is just this violence is funny for Looney Tunes and cartoons, but not in live action. I was very uncomfortable.

Like it was hard for me to watch it. Yeah, it was hard. Thankfully, so people are getting maimed. Yeah. Like you're not a weirdo for like, oh, no, I don't want somebody to. Yeah, I do think over the top. That's what gets me. I'm just so over the top. I love it. And like after hearing these reviews, I'm realizing like the first one did have like this innocent kind of nature to it. It doesn't feel that way in this one anymore. More defensive. Yeah. He's like, yeah.

He's like, yeah, I'm fucking fucking with him. Is that to the point of it being in New York? Oh, well, rough around the edges. Yeah. He's a full New York guy. What do you think? Is this the most New York movie we've ever seen? We're not the people to judge, I think. Just some California dudes and dudettes. I'll do some Yosufa dudes. Yosufa dudes. I mean, I got my, I got my, my son, my glass. I got, I'm like a beat. Oh, he's a beat. Oh, he's a beat. He looks like he's John Lennon.

I'm like a, I'm John Lennon. John Lennon right now. Why are those so tiny? You look like you have like a beat. So I look like a beat. He's a beat. I'm a beat. He did it. I can't believe you. I can't believe you've done this. You've turned into a beat. It's the most visual episode. There's so much going on. That is not apparent. This is why you have to watch us on Twitch. A 62% by the audience. Let's hear some words from the people of the five star varietal from Dan D. Five stars.

Such an iconic Christmas movie. A Christmas movie you honestly can't go without watching one of the home alone movies. I remember watching this for the first time during my childhood back in elementary school and finally decided to finally rewatch it on Christmas for the second time. And the amount of nostalgia it gave me was amazing. Like even though I only watched this for the first time during my childhood, I still remembered most of the movie and what happened.

And it's honestly very difficult to find any humorous Christmas movie classics or Christmas movies created in general like this one that don't ever do it. It's movie with humor, but yet emotion giving you a true meaning for Christmas in a sense, which is love and to enjoy it to the fullest with those you love. Thankful and not take things for granted. A movie that is true truly unforgettable.

And personally, in my opinion, the best movie out of all the home alone movies, one with humor, emotion and yet meaning. Of course, the first one is also amazing and the one that started all both are perfect. But I would still rank this first because they honestly nailed it once again with even today is something very difficult to do when a sequel comes out or when they have to create a new story. Such a great movie.

And what what a cast they had, especially in the number of icons as well as legends they had truly unforgettable and always worth a watch. Of course, there are always jokes of it like that Kevin could have always phoned the police at any time. And all his troubles would have been gone. But that's what makes this movie unique and funny. We got to experience his journey throughout all the hilarious meaningful movies.

Glad to have watched this once again, especially with my twin brother, which has always been a tradition of ours to pick out a movie to watch on Christmas. That's sweet. I'm going to start funny. That's the sweetest thing. Sweetest thing I've ever. This movie is one of the best. OK, you're ready for Dexter Ford. Five stars. Homelones Kevin McAllister is a psychopath rivaled only by Patrick Bateman and Jigsaw. Kevin woke up feeling dangerous and tortured two petty criminal criminals.

Yes, but two nonviolent criminals. Remember, they had waited until the family had left to burgle the place in Homelone one and Homelone two Kevin McAllister went even further and lured Lord Harry and Marv to the booby trapped building to carry out these acts of horrific violence. A list of some of the horrific crimes Kevin McAllister committed in the second film alone. Here we go.

Harry with his head on fire doing a handstand into a toilet bowl replaced with kerosene full body third degree burns launching a brick off a forestry building directly on a Marv's forehead. One is enough for irreversible brain damage. Kevin does this three more times. Douse's Marvin paint. The tap Marv uses to try and wash the paint off has been rigged to electrocute him frying him into a skeleton literally used for executions.

Rigging a staple gun through the keyhole firing directly into Marv's face, ass and balls. Relatively little physical damage. This one's just for enjoyment. Dropping an iron from four stories directly onto Marv's skull. It's stunning Marv is still breathing. Both Harry and Marv still throw. Oh, both Harry and Marv fall three stories after Kevin sets their rope, doused in kerosene on fire. He watches them squirm.

Kevin McAllister carries out these brutal acts all while taunting them and enjoying every second. Home Alone One takes place in Chicago, Illinois. Illinois only repealed the death penalty in the second film in 2011. Kevin McAllister, I don't know why I can't say his last name right now. Should have faced the firing squad after the first film, eight years old or not. One of my favorite films. He is seriously the next Patrick Bateman. For sure. He's a little baby Bateman. Do I do one more?

It's I mean, it's there's some excellent, excellent reviews here. I think it's also credit card credit card fraud. Like. He's still like, let's like, let's talk about that right now. We do not stand for a credit card fraud on this. This light is so. He's represented so cavalierly in this movie is a real knock against it. I think I might have found that dude's twin brother. What does he have to say? Does he like it?

Because it's like it's stamped with the 1226 22 at the end, which was also the other guys. And it's Ed, which the other guy was Dan D. Oh, no, I lost it. Here we go. Five stars. What a film decided to rewatch it on Christmas and it legit gave me so many throwbacks hard to find comedic films like these that don't overdo it. An iconic film for the season and an unforgettable one. This one and the first one were legit perfections from the franchise.

Great story, comedy, emotion and what a cast in their prime. Pretty similar. Truly worth watching and always remember Kevin could have phoned the police at any time and all those troubles would have been gone, but it was never about that. So these twins really had a discussion about the police. Or is it just the same guy writing it twice? That's also possible. And then he's like as a twin in his mind. Yeah, I don't know. There's a lot of good reviews.

There's a lot of love coming out for this movie online and I'm sure that's has to be with a lot of Christmas movies. There's a lot of silly Christmas. We talked about Princess Witch. I'm sure I could pull up some reviews of that. That would be a blast to read right now. Oh, can you do one? But if you were to do rotten tomatoes on any of those movies, I'm sure it would be not, you know, the most swing thing to get you to watch it. Then let's let's talk about it from a critical sense then.

Yeah. This movie. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's yeah. I mean, that's that's why we're here. But I but I mean to clarify, yeah, I'm also one of those people that has a has affection for it. That is it's tough. Here's one. The Princess Witch review from Hannah T five stars. This movie was life changing encapsulates love and hardship and finding oneself around the holiday season. I can say for certain that I felt joy, sadness and overall like a new woman.

I wish to marry a prince, but for it to be an organic love story such as this one, do not skip this movie. Must watch. Can't wait for two and three may or may not have number two starting right now. Have to go popcorn is popped. And that was from Marie Kondo. Isn't that crazy? Why? Why was one Marie Kondo? She's far joy. Okay. So but she wants, she said she thought that Vanessa Hudge and character Stacy found love with a prince organically. Organics. Or this is an organic love story.

I don't know about that. They did have to manufacture a switch. They do a lot of setup and planning and decoy. I don't know. Just overthink. I think both of you guys are overthinking both princess switch and this movie. Oh my God. That is escaping and Titan, but it's not based. It has some facts to it. Yeah, it's okay. Oh, I'm not thinking enough. I'm blinded by nostalgia as we've talked about and it just hits all the beats that I already know about.

And then like being told that to rethink it is an exercise in itself and I enjoy it. But also it's like an exercise. The same way. I don't know. Like the movie is like you go through every, every year or so. You're like, oh, I already know everything. But then to reframe it is an own, like an experience in itself as well. I feel like space. It is one for me too. I was like, oh, space. Oh my God. Because everyone told me it was cool.

Like you just believe the advertisements and everything just like, oh, go see space jam. It's got Michael Jordan and Looney Tunes. It's everything you're ever going to want. And I believed it and I still kind of do, but I understand people that would watch it now for the first time be like, this is not good, but they did and they made a second one, which is also not good, but it's okay because I still enjoy putting on everybody everybody get out and slam now.

And it's even tough to enjoy the R Kelly song, but God damn it. I try. Besides that, I would like to give it to Kara to either accept the first opportunity to go first or pass it along. I'll go first. So final thoughts and score from zero to 100. As you know, you are a veteran. Yeah, you're a veteran. So I've just been going back and forth about, you know, letting go and not being critical or overthinking. But no, please, that's what we're here. That's why we're here.

But I also can't hope that it. You know, like Brandon was saying it, it did make me feel disturbed for some reason. Like it just wasn't as enjoyable this time around. And I really was trying to. Be into it and try to. See it. In a nostalgic way or watch it in a nostalgic way, but. That's like earlier, when at the beginning of the podcast, I was saying that like, I thought I had seen this a lot more than I. Actually did. So I must have watched the first one more. Sorry, I lost my.

It didn't feel as nostalgic to me watching it this time around. And so maybe that's why I was able to watch it in a new way and realized it was like more disturbing than actually nostalgic and joyful. Yeah, I don't know. The first one just has so much like I was saying earlier, like it just felt a little more innocent and playful. And maybe it was because he was at home. So like he couldn't get too crazy. Like, I don't know, but. Yeah, it was just. The parts.

It did feel violent to me and I'm sensitive towards. All the violence and stuff. So it was like hard for me to watch the last part where. I was like, I don't know. I was like, I don't know. I was like, I don't know. I was just kind of. Torturing them. I even said that while we were watching, I was like, he's torturing them. Like, I know they're the bad guys and I get it. Like. You know, But it just felt hard to watch. So.

I don't know. I think I've been going back and forth on like, what kind of rating I wanted to give it. I don't want to give it the benefit of the doubt that it is a kids movie. It's, you know, it's, it's not like I shouldn't overthink it that much, but. No, I'm, I'm, I'm being. Totally no. Yeah. You're on the spot. I mean, you guys are actually thinking that I'm just like not thinking and just accepting like, Oh, this is something that I've always known. So I don't want to, I don't mean to.

But that's okay. Like, that's okay. Like you don't need to watch movies. Yeah. All the time. Yeah. Like if anything, I wish I was more into it and I wasn't overthinking about all these things, but. Right. It's a fun movie, right? Yeah. It's, and it's just a kids movie. So like, why am I overthinking? And, but the first thing. There's violence. Yeah. The violence.

Is intense. Yeah. The violence was a lot and just like I said at the beginning, like I could tell that there was just like product placement and then trying to sell you on this kind of lifestyle. And like, I know they were trying to show that to compare it with like the people that don't have that stuff, but. And then at the end. To like. I don't know. I feel like I'm getting too into it. No, please. I don't want to. I just, it was so silly that safe space for all movie takes.

Yeah. It was silly that like at the end of the trip, the kids all still got all these presents from Duncan's. Like I get it. It's a kid's movie. So like kids want presents, but I think it could have been deeper if it's like, wow, like at least the families together. Like after all this, maybe we're the gift is us just all being together. Not the fact that there were like all these presents on the tree, but it's a kid's movie. So why am I. Complaining about that, but.

You're not complaining. That's something we just did that. They're just critiquing a movie for what it is. They're just glorifying like. Bye bye bye. Gifts, gifts, gifts, like purchase, purchase, person, consume, consume, consume. And that is the 90s. Trump is in this movie. And so I think that was just like my lens. The whole movie was like. I don't know, just. And that was ingrained in us too. Like being 90s kids. Like we were told that that was what we wanted to as kids was like.

Just toys and like all this stuff. I don't know. Yeah. No, that's fair. Do you want to go? Sure. Yeah. I, as you've probably gathered from this podcast and be telling my history with this movie have like a hard time separating it from like my inner being as a child and enjoying it a lot growing up. And. Like as far as Macaulay Culkin performances, I do think of this one a lot.

And all of those hijinks were fun and like a Rube Goldberg sort of way for me of seeing him like figure things out, even something that's just like as heinous as like setting up the fucking little seesaw catapult thing where they jump out of the window in the perfect spot for Marv to land in one spot and Harry to launch him into the car in a joker in the dark night or or fucking sugar and in Skyfall sort of situation. That's essentially main main people.

Yeah. The characters are the archetype very similar. Yes. There's Kevin, there's sugar, there's the Joker in the dark night or all in the same same bubble. It's interesting to come on the other side of it as an adult, see all of that violence and just like not laugh with it, but kind of laugh at it and how intense it is and how fucking brutal it is. Because yeah, and as Carter and I were watching it, I was just like looking at like laughing really hard and heard being horrified.

I mean, like I think he might be crazy too, but just like. But I mean. Yeah, we're all crazy. But I do at least I do want to recognize that I understand how fucking crazy it is and I choose to laugh at it. It's not that I'm like, I get like, oh, I'm in on that. I don't recognize that it's not dark and crazy. Yeah, you're just like, isn't it crazy that this is a kid's movie? Right. It's crazy. This is happening right now. Right. No. He's getting electrocuted. He's a skeleton.

Just like the consecutive bricks and in Harry's physical reaction and his his like screams like are so high pitched and funny to me and like just falling through the hole in the floor looking up like, oh, what a hole. What a hole. Yeah. It's like, you know, Dick Van Dyke to a whole another degree, but getting electrocuted to a to a skull, you know, but a lot of that stuff is expected. It's not as much of a shock to me and I'm sure that goes a long way.

This movie as I've compared it to the first one, I would say like it's fun to see him get out of the house and go and do stuff in New York City. I feel like they use a fair amount of New York City in an interesting way. There's a montage. They get him actually on locations and there's even movies made now that it's just like you say it's in New York. It's not there's not enough of New York to to really show that off.

And I feel like they do that in a pretty satisfying way of him like being in the in the city and not just in in one location. They have the the part where they almost are obliged to get into the home alone of it all and everything. But apart from that, it's got a little bit more going for it than the first one in terms of location and all that stuff. But I understand that the first one is a better movie. Like that's something that I've come around on.

And as with that and like Lost World Jurassic Park, like as a kid, I'm just like, oh, it's just like more. There's there's two dinosaurs in Lost World. Like obviously it's fucking better. There's two of them. There's more means better. And it goes to San Diego. And but understanding a little bit of the the nuance, I understand that the first one is an excellent film that is more subtle. And this one just plays up a lot of the things that were successful about the first one.

And I would argue in in a successful way and an overall good movie and a fun holiday movie. And I would still put it like on par in terms of like, oh, should we watch the first or second one? I would if you've never seen them out, say first one, but if you've seen both, like I could kind of interchange them and I would I would yeah, I would go 82. Wow, this is a this is one that I will rewatch in the future.

And I feel like that goes a long way and have and I have a history with it, which I know that is something that is tricky when it comes to art and criticizing our and that's why this podcast exists is for us to criticize stuff, but we do come across these ones that just have a special place and this one does for me and yeah, almost reminds me of like when we watch like spy kids or something to is a hard hard time for me to like pull myself out of

how much spy kids was like a fun, fun inspiring time as to watch as a kid independence as a child. And I don't know there's something about that in this movie too. It's like, oh, yeah, watch him be independent and I am self. Yeah, something that's that's kind of blank check and rich you rich maybe too, but yeah, I mean his performance to like is incredible. Like I he's he's good at what such a capable. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, don't doubt it for a second.

That's going places that Macaulay. Macaulay. I wonder what he'll do next. I'm alone too. This is a movie that I would show a kid who is like 11 years old because I think the like brutality of it is going to be exciting for an older kid. But when I think about what I want to see in a Christmas movie, this. Isn't it? It's. Um. It is too much about capitalism and I don't want that to be the narrative of Christmas.

I wanted I love the parts of this movie that are about Christmas is with being with your family. But again, I can recognize that a kid who's like 11 to 13 is going to fucking love the fact that this guy is paying for stuff being on his own doing all of this fun stuff. And there's a place for that in film and in holiday movies. And so I recognize so much of this movie needing to exist. And I do have a reverence for this movie.

Just as an adult, it's a little tough because there are better Christmas movies, but that just comes with time. And I think just like with a lot of populist stuff is it's made for something like it's made to be enjoyed by a lot of people in times like Christmas. And I, yeah, I don't know. I want to knock this movie as an adult, but I want to give it credit as if I were the target demographic as James had brought up earlier. You know, like the mind of an 11 year old boy. It's perfect.

If I were to put myself in the target demo, this movie rips. This is so fun. You know, he's getting one over on a bunch of adults. He has money. He goes on an adventure. It's yeah. I guess again, what I'm trying to reconcile is like if I so I just a lot of the times recently in the holidays, I just picture like if I were to show this to my kid or to somebody who is the target demo that should get exposed to Christmas movies and like develop this nostalgia and develop these traditions.

Like, is this the movie I'm going to whip out to be like, you got to check this out, you know, this is what Christmas means to me. Or like this is what, you know, this is a good Christmas movie. And I'm having a hard time thinking this is the one to do it. And so. I think where I'm going to stand is. I like this movie a lot. There's a lot of things that I have an issue with as an adult about it.

And then there are things that I can recognize for what its target demo would enjoy and it doing that. Well, I'm going to give this a 78% from Brandon. Nice, Brandini. That's pretty good out there. I'm going to go 78. Wow. That's good. Oh yeah. Yeah, I think we're all like, yeah, pretty, pretty close together.

I. Am I, I'm just happy that we got to fit in a holiday movie this, this holiday season and we got to, I don't know, I feel like I've done a few this season where I, it's not usually a thing to do the like, try new movies. Like Carl was saying at the beginning is trying new Christmas movie. I feel like this year I have and whether it be a princess switch or like maybe throw on some other like, I don't know, I did violent night the other day and you did. If you, it's cool, right?

If you find what is your percentage on that real quick? Oh, that was good. I'd say like a 74 or something. Cool. Hell yeah. Maybe even higher. I don't know. But it was, it exceeded my expectations and there's a moment in that movie that does a real parody of Home Alone and concerning all the stuff that we've talked about tonight about Home Alone 2 being extremely violent, but almost like tone deaf to that violence. I feel like as part of your guys is like kind of issue with the two.

What violent night does is it like ramps up the violence. There's like, there's a kid that's like setting up little booby traps for these two, these two bad people and they fall into them, but they like it really messed up. Like it's really a violent night. And the whole time there's like fun music playing and everything too, but like the joke of it is that it's like, can you believe how like, it's a good movie.

Yeah, not to spoil too much, but it was fun to see that even in a movie that came out this year or last that like that Home Alone joke of like, wow, this kid is inflicting serious pain on these people is not lost on it being like a parody and it being a funny moment, even as crazy violent as it was. And it worked for me because I like this movie too. What's your rating on violent night? I would give it a solid 73 as well. Oh yeah. Yeah, we're close to that one too. I mean, performance wise too.

Great. And it gives all the like go ahead to be as violent. It's called violent night, you know, like it kind of gives you the blank check to be like, here is the Home Alone sequence, but it's going to be very realistic and violent and you're on board with it because it sets up well the situation and the characters. And I think the movie is actually very good. Like it's definitely like in the, yeah, like I said, 72. I mean, I want to move that up to 75. Like I think it's a little bit.

Yeah. Like that's where I sit with it is that it is a good movie. If you're looking for a movie that is similar to like anybody being like, oh, Die Hard is a Christmas movie and that person. Violent night is a great like this movie is like in the end. Die Hard except Santa Claus is John McClain or whatever his name is, which is cool because they set it up well where he's like kind of a Norse God. Oh yeah.

And that's, we did Fat Man. Like I'm glad we're at least such an listenable wrap up here soon, but we talked about Fat Man on this podcast and I did not like that movie. Sure. And this was a movie where like Santa was a real dude. He's like, he's like, he's like a dude. He's just a dude. Very similar to cause like Santa in the beginning of the movie is like drinking a lot and whatnot. So it's, yeah, it's a better version of Fat Man for sure. Yeah, that's what I would say.

Not to do a pick, like take one down just to bring one up, but it just reminded me of that one and a better take on that. Thank you both. Thank you all for taking part in this shared experience that we're having right now on this holiday season, which is a podcast and I hope you've enjoyed yourself. I hope you are liking the polarized pod. Kara, I want to thank you in particular for taking time out of your day to talk about a McCulloch-Holken feature.

Is there anything else you would like to share before we say our good tidings? Good night. I think that's pretty much it. Well, thank you again. You look excellent under the Christmas tree right now. I know that's another visual element of this episode. A real gift. A real, yeah. And the trigger is yourself. Oh, no, deep. Well, Brandy, is there anything else you'd like to share before I wrap us up here? Merry Christmas. Happy holidays to you and yours from us at the polarized pod. Well said.

And for next time, we will be doing a New Year's Eve themed movie, which will be the original 1960 Ocean's Eleven starting starring the Rat Pack themselves, Frankie, Dino, Sammy Davis, Jr. All the way from the bar from the bar. Brandy and the Rat Pack Martin. It has a 40, 48% from critics and 81% from audience. It will be our oldest movie that we've ever done.

You know, Ron Tomatoes wasn't really super popular in 1960, but for whatever reason, they've tabulated it all out there and we have the listen-umbies and we will be talking about a movie from the 1960 from the 1960 that is Jamesy from the night the 1920, 2023. That's that's the year of our Lord and soon it will be 2024 will be the next time you hear from us.

If you'd like to talk to us at any time before or after twitch.tv slash polarized pod is where we'll be streaming live at ATM and X dot com slash polarized pine. You can reach out to us there. Gmail dot com slash polarized the pod. You can write out a whole dissertation and we will read it. You can send us anything you want. And to all of us from here at polarized pod, we wish you all a good night. Oh, oh, oh, very well. Bye.