Our annual epic extravaganza holiday show finds Patrick and Adam Riske having a Very Renny Christmas.



Download this episode here.

Listen to F This Movie! on Apple Podcasts.
Also discussed this episode: The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Scent of a Woman (1992), Stakeout (1987), Diner (1982), Hanukkah on the Rocks (2024), Nightbitch (2024), I Saw the TV Glow (2024), Speak No Evil (2024), A Taste of Christmas (2020), Driven (2001)

 by JB

With only a week to go to the BIG DAY, here are some last-minute gift suggestions for that movie-loving curmudgeon on your list!

Ah, Christmas! It’s always smelled like oranges to me... oranges and greed. Do not believe that loved one who insists, “I don’t need any presents.” They are lying. They are lying to your face. It’s a yearly holiday ploy to garner even more swag!

Swag, I say.

What follows is a list of terrific gifts with links to where you can purchase them.
For the first time ever since I started compiling this annual, cine-centric list, I did not take into account the PRICES of any of these treasures. I’m just assuming that MONEY IS NO OBJECT.1. Universal Studios Fan Fest Fun Nights – This one is going to take a little coordination, what with the travel arrangements, hotel reservations, cosplay costumes, and theme park tickets, but I think it will all be worth it. This spring, Universal Studios borrows a page from Disney’s Halloween and Christmas Party events and leans into Heavy Fandom by devoting a number of nights to specially-ticketed Fan Service Fun. I see they are planning a Star Trek evening, a Back to the Future soiree, a Dungeons and Dragons party, a Harry Potter extravaganza, and several Anime Events. Sounds fun.2. In Search of Darkness Documentary Trilogy – These were originally available as part of a Kickstarter campaign, but are now available at popular prices. According to the website, the discounted price is only available until December 24th. I don’t know about you, but this seems like a great price for 14+ hours of 1980s horror goodness. Our very own Heather Wixson even appears in the doc as one of the expert-talking heads! Bonus. Wait to be snowed in, light a fire in the fireplace or on the TV room floor, and do a deep dive into monster madness this holiday season. I know I will. $47.99 plus shipping. 3. Speaking of In Search of Darkness, you HAVE picked up the companion book, yes? It’s terrific, and was co-written by a certain web-master we all know and love. Yummy, booky booky goodness—guaranteed. It's got pictures!4. Jazwares' “This May Be My Craziest Purchase Yet” Darth Vader Costume – A review of this damn thing unexpectedly came up on my YouTube feed the other night, and I found it strangely fascinating. You know you want one, right? Only $10005. Speaking of books, the fine folks at the British Film Institute continue their important work by publishing some of the finest film monographs around. My three latest acquisitions/fevered reads/delightful afternoons of movie goodness include Chinatown by Michael Eaton, Close Encounters of the Third Kind by Dana Polan, and All the President's Men by Christian Keathley and Robert B. “A Certain Tendency of the Hollywood Cinema” Ray. All great! Like potato chips, addictive. I bet you can’t eat just one! $16.95-$17.956. The New Beverly Theater, the Los Angeles revival house owned by Quentin Tarantino, always has a goodly selection of merch. This year, for the cinephile on your list who has vowed to one day attend the New Beverly but nonetheless has never made good on his promise, we have a little vinyl model of the theater. It is cute. I wonder if it squeaks. $30.7. Lego Walt Disney Tribute Camera – I have been led into the Lego-verse through my lovely wife’s legendary Lego love. (Try saying that ten times fast.) This seems the ideal display piece for the move lover, cartoon hound, or Disneyphile. It’s handsome, and the building of this kit seems to guarantee hours of fun. And isn’t “Hours of Fun” what it’s all about? $99.998. Boris Karloff Autograph Display w/ Certificate of Authenticity – No, I do not collect autographs, but this one would be awfully nice to have. Awfully nice. Boris actually touched this. Sigh. Nicely framed and displayed. Look, Karloff wrote, “Sincerely.” Isn’t that just like him? $2,2759. Bela Lugosi Signed Photo - You see, the film Ed Wood wasn’t joking about Lugosi memorabilia outselling Karloff memorabilia. C’mon! The man’s been dead for 66 years... or do I mean UNDEAD? A steal at $4,466.09. 10. Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff: Rare Autographed Photo — Both! If you really have some disposable cash to throw around, consider this item: Karloff and Lugosi autographs on a SINGLE PHOTO. My heart races. My brain perspires. Yes, it is a little pricey. No, you cannot put a price on happiness. They both touched this!
I’m sure that any of these... various things... poking their various heads out from under various Christmas trees... will help to make the season bright. Or something like that.

Happy Holidays.

 by Rob DiCristino

The votes are in! Well, mine are, at least.

Among my many blessings in 2024 — good health, happy family, gainful employment, correct Ben Affleck opinions — was my admission to the Critics Choice Association, a national body of critics, writers, and broadcasters whose awards have grown to become significant precursors to the Oscars in the years since the group’s inception in 1995. With the CCA announcing our official list of film nominees this past week, I thought it might be fun to compare my first ballot choices in a few of the major categories to the consensus contenders and walk through what I’m leaning toward for my final selections. Does that sound good? Is that okay? I mean, you’re here, aren’t you?

1. Best Actor
My Nominees: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge), and Josh Hartnett (Trap).
CCA Nominees: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown), Daniel Craig (Queer), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), and Hugh Grant (Heretic).First of all, I like that the CCA asks its members to nominate only three candidates in most of these categories. On other ballots, I usually have to combine a few choices I actually feel excited about with a bunch I’m more half-hearted on (or feel pressure from other critics to nominate) just to get it up to five or ten. Anyway, I knew Aaron Pierre and Josh Hartnett were long shots (perhaps that’s why I nominated them in the first place), but hey, it’s great to see Hugh Grant’s Golden Globes momentum keeping up! He’s really fun in Heretic, as is Daniel Craig in Queer, but my vote’s likely going to Adrien Brody in The Brutalist, a film that will probably need a full hype/backlash/Good Actually/re-backlash cycle after its release before we all recognize it — and Brody’s performance — as an American masterpiece.

2. Best Supporting Actor
My Nominees: Yura Borisov (Anora), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), and Denzel Washington (Gladiator II).
CCA Nominees: Yura Borisov (Anora), Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing), Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), and Denzel Washington (Gladiator II).

This is probably a good time for me to admit that I think Sing Sing is just okay. It’s nicely made and boasts some engaging performances from professional and non-professional actors alike (including the charismatic Clarence Maclin as himself), but it’s cloying and manipulative and it takes easy dramatic shortcuts that undercut what should be compelling themes of isolation, renewal, and the transformative power of performance. It’s pretending at a lot more profundity than it executes, frankly, and I like it a lot less than I want to. With that said, my finalists are Yura Borisov and Guy Pearce, the latter of whom would be absolutely deserving of recognition this year for a lifetime of great work. Borisov is my boy, though, as his understated performance in Anora might be my favorite of any kind in 2024.

3. Best Actress
My Nominees: Mikey Madison (Anora), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths), and Demi Moore (The Substance).
CCA Nominees: Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths), Angelina Jolie (Maria), Mikey Madison (Anora), and Demi Moore (The Substance).Hell yeah, Demi Moore! I’m so excited to see The Substance getting serious awards play, something I think a lot of us had convinced ourselves was impossible. Emilia Pérez, on the other hand, is genuinely awful, and its presence in the conversation feels like a cultural overcorrection that we’ll look back on in a few years with more than a little discomfort. Let’s see: Cynthia Erivo does her best in Wicked, for sure, but she’s too hamstrung by its incompetent execution to really merit consideration. Maybe that’s not fair to her? I can see that argument! But I digress. I’m going with Mikey Madison over Marianne Jean-Baptiste by a nose, I think, mostly because Madison gets a shade or two more to play with as Anora. Marianne Jean-Baptiste is outstanding in Hard Truths, though. Don’t miss that one.

4. Best Supporting Actress
My Nominees: Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding), Michele Austin (Hard Truths), and Natasha Lyonne (His Three Daughters).CCA Nominees: Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Nickel Boys), Ariana Grande (Wicked), Margaret Qualley (The Substance), Isabella Rossellini (Conclave), and Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez).

This is the first category where I have to pivot, as none of my nominees made the cut. I was definitely surprised by how in on the joke Ariana Grande is in Wicked, but despite being bribed upwards of four figures to cast a vote in her favor, I can’t bring myself to sanction any of that movie’s buffoonery. Rossellini is a goddess, obviously, but let’s stop kidding ourselves about Conclave. Qualley? Is there enough there? I like Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor well enough in Nickel Boys (another movie I’m cooler on than others), but she’s a bit better in Exhibiting Forgiveness. Do I hold that against her? Danielle Deadwyler may end up being my consolation vote, honestly, as she and Ray Fisher are bright spots in the otherwise underwhelming Piano Lesson. I think it’s going to be a coin flip. Justice for Katy O’Brian!*

5. Best Young Actor/Actress (Under 21)
My Nominees: Nykiya Adams (Bird), Lily Collias (Good One), and Izaac Wang (Didi).
CCA Nominees: Alyla Browne (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), Elliott Heffernan (Blitz), Maisy Stella (My Old Ass), Izaac Wang (Didi), Alisha Weir (Abigail), and Zoe Ziegler (Janet Planet).

I really like that this category is specifically “Under 21” instead of just “Breakthrough Performance,” which is a term that gets a bit too broad and subjective for my taste. This is another situation where I have to make a compromise, though, as Good One was probably just not seen by enough critics to earn my top choice Lily Collias the recognition she deserves. I like seeing Alisha Weir get some heat for Abigail (a good movie!), and Izaac Wang made my nomination ballot for a reason. But now I’m wondering if my affection for Didi has more to do with my affection for early aughts internet culture than it does for its performances, whereas it’s Maisy Stella’s brilliant naturalism that really makes My Old Ass sing as well as it does. I think I’m going to end up calling an audible and going with Stella.

6. Best Directing
My Nominees: Robert Eggers (Nosferatu), Coralie Fargeat (The Substance), and Rose Glass (Love Lies Bleeding).
CCA Nominees: Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez), Sean Baker (Anora), Edward Berger (Conclave), Brady Corbet (The Brutalist), Jon M. Chu (Wicked), Coralie Fargeat (The Substance), RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys), and Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two).I’m about as heartbroken that Rose Glass didn’t make this cut as I am that Jon M. Chu did, but I’m starting to understand why awards bodies feel safe recognizing poorly-made but popular movies in nebulous categories like directing. Quality directing is much harder to quantify than quality acting, after all, and critics who claim otherwise are lying, deluding themselves, or both. Here’s my criteria: Is the tone consistent? Are scenes constructed creatively? Does the film linger on its strengths and whistle past its weaknesses? Is there a coherent vision? While the MOST directed film on this list is either Nickel Boys — shot in a subjective style that works to its detriment — or The Substance, I’m giving my vote to Denis Villenueve, whose Dune films remain remarkable achievements born of a singular vision.

7. Best Comedy
My Nominees: Hundreds of Beavers, Kneecap, and Kinds of Kindness.
CCA Nominees: A Real Pain, Deadpool & Wolverine, Hit Man, My Old Ass, Saturday Night, and Thelma.

I don’t want to tip my hand when it comes to my favorite movies of the year, but I do want to recognize the inclusion of Best Comedy, which seems to nod to the Golden Globes’ genre-split Best Picture categories without compromising the integrity of a single, unified list of great films. Obviously, none of my choices made it — Hundreds of Beavers being completely shut out is perhaps my biggest disappointment of this whole affair — but I’m happy to find a compromise between Richard Linklater’s Hit Man and Josh Margolin’s Thelma. While both are taught, inventive, and much smarter than anything else on this list, Thelma holds together a bit better and features a glorious lead performance from all-star badass June Squibb. Her “electricity” bit still makes me laugh whenever I think about it.
See the full list of nominees here, and watch the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards on E! at 7 PM EST on Sunday, January 12th!

*You could argue that O’Brian is the co-lead of Love Lies Bleeding, but since her principal role is to be a catalyst for K-Stew’s more story-propellant actions, I consider hers a supporting performance.

by Adam Thas & Alison Thas'Tis the season to take your shirt off.
Alison: Britt Robertson plays Ashley, a successful yet aging dancer in a popular metropolitan dance troupe. After being replaced by a younger protégé, Ashley returns to her small town home to find that her parents’ jazz club is $30,000 in debt. Determined to keep it from being turned into a juice bar, Ashley recruits some of the employees from the jazz club, who just so happen to be young, handsome, and well-toned, to form an all-male dance revue. The show is a hit, and Ashley finds herself falling for the handyman-turned-dancer, Luke (Chad Michael Murray). Will Ashley be content with living in the small town, or will the draw of the big city take her away?It’s no surprise that holiday films are a sure thing for many networks. I have certainly enjoyed this increase in attention to holiday films since it means more films are being made. Odds are, a few of these movies are going to really stand out in terms of the holiday cheer they bring to the viewers…or so one would think. It has been tough this year to find a holiday movie that really encapsulates what a Christmas movie should be.
On paper, Merry Gentlemen should be a homerun. It has so many of the “necessary” elements: a big-city girl returning home, small-town, family values prevailing over corporate America, a roguish, perfectly scruffy bearded male lead who turns out to be more than he appears. Yet these tried-and-true stereotypes of holiday movies only seem to show just how much Merry Gentlemen misses. When Ashley discovers her parents are in debt, it is only natural she’d want to help out since that is what a child would do for their parents. While I know in my heart why Ashley would do such a thing, the filmmakers never really flush out Ashley’s motivations for wanting to help her parents. In fact, the first few scenes establish the fact that Ashley has rarely visited since moving to the city. Is guilt propelling Ashley into action or love for her family?  Even with a baking montage between Ashley and her mother, I still couldn’t answer that question.Besides her family, it was also hard to believe the connection between Ashley and Luke. Why would Luke be willing to help out Ashley – a woman he’s just met – so much so that he’d agree to dance and take off his shirt? You would think it is because there was an instant connection, that Luke’s face lit up when he first laid eyes on Ashley. Or maybe Ashley’s big-city attitude charms Luke into giving up all of his weekends for the foreseeable future so that her parents’ club doesn’t go under. Again, I’m left scratching my head. Having watched so many of these holiday films, I know I’m supposed to be rooting for these two, but I just couldn’t get into them as a couple. It seems like the writers knew the beats they were supposed to hit but didn’t understand why or how to get to each of those moments. These misses ultimately lead to a movie that feels empty.
Adam: Comedian Dave Attell has a bit where he talks about being so drunk you “time travel,”  meaning you’ve blacked out but rather than staying drunk you begin to sober up during the night and aren’t exactly sure how you’ve gotten into the situation you’re in. I find myself wondering if I’ve been drunk because I agreed to watch holiday movies, but somehow I’m in a Christmas themed male strip-club (I’m sorry, “dance revue”) with the guy from One Tree Hill. Merry Gentlemen is by far the weirdest experience I’ve had watching any of these holiday rom-coms, and the fact that this movie even exists is a testament to how successful and far reaching this subgenre of movies has become. I’ve mentioned before that between the networks and streaming services, they average about 60 of these brand-new holiday rom-coms a year. Just go on to any one of the streaming services and type in “Christmas” and you will be inundated with hundreds of these types of movies, all with roughly the same plot, style, themes, and actors. With so many options, the name of the game is now what gimmick you use to garner clicks; in this case, they pander to the demographic. The same group of people who crowded into theaters to watch Magic Mike are now 12 years older and looking for something to watch on a Saturday night. Throw in the cute guy from a 20-year old TV show and you get sufficient amount of clicks to justify your budget.With the exception of some guys taking their shirts off, Merry Gentlemen is not doing  anything different or special. The cast is filled with the same type of characters with the same problems that we have seen in so many of these movies, from the bubbly lead trying to find herself to her mysterious love interest with a “past.” Britt Robinson is fine and does a nice job playing opposite Chad Michael Murray, who spends the 87 minute runtime looking like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world. I don’t know if I’ve been drunk or the entire world has, because in just a few short years we have “time traveled” from the holiday rom-com world being rocked by the Hallmark Channel airing a commercial with a gay couple to a movie with male strippers (I did it again, “dance revue”) being one of the most-watched holiday movies of the season. To be fair, I don’t think this movie would ever be run on Hallmark or Lifetime and it’s really been up to Netflix to push any type of envelope in the genre. As far as where this one ranks, it’s already insanely popular but if you’re into holiday rom-coms where men take their shirts off, watch Hot Frosty. It’s a way better movie.    
Adam’s List:1) Holidate (2020, Netflix)2) Love Hard (2021, Netflix)3) Your Christmas or Mine (2022, Amazon)4) Hot Frosty (2024, Netflix)5) Holiday Calendar (2018, Netflix)6) Snowed Inn (2017, Hallmark)7) The Princess Switch (2018, Netflix)8) Falling for Christmas (2022, Netflix)9) The Knight Before Christmas (2019, Netflix)10)  EXmas (2023, Amazon/Freevee)11) Midnight at the Magnolia (2020, Netflix)12) The Christmas Train (2017, Hallmark)13) Holiday in the Vineyard (2023, Netflix)14) Meet Me Next Christmas (2024, Netflix15) Christmas Under Wraps (2014, Hallmark)16) Reporting for Christmas (2023, Hulu)17) The Princess Switch 2: Switched Again (2020, Netflix)18) A Christmas Vintage (2023, Amazon)19) Merry Gentlemen (2024, Netflix) 20) The Noel Diary (2022, Netflix)21) The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021, Netflix)22) One Royal Holiday (2020, Hallmark)23) Christmas on the Farm (2022, Hulu)24) Holiday in the Wild (2019, Netflix)25) Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe (2018, Hallmark)26)  A Perfect Christmas Pairing (2023, Amazon)27) Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022, Hallmark)28) Christmas on the Ranch (2024, Hulu)29) Best. Christmas. Ever. (2023, Netflix)
Alison’s List:1) The Princess Switch (2018, Netflix)2) Your Christmas or Mine (2022, Amazon)3) Love Hard (2021, Netflix)4) Holiday Calendar (2018, Netflix)5) Falling for Christmas (2022, Netflix)6) Holidate (2020, Netflix)7) The Christmas Train (2017, Hallmark)8) The Knight Before Christmas (2019, Netflix)9) Holiday in the Vineyards (2023, Netflix)10) Meet Me Next Christmas (2024, Netflix)11) Midnight at the Magnolia (2020, Netflix)12) Hot Frosty (2024, Netflix)13) Christmas Under Wraps (2014, Hallmark)14) Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe (2018, Hallmark)15) The Princess Switch 2: Switched Again (2020, Netflix)16) EXmas (2023, Amazon/Freevee)17) Snowed Inn (2017, Hallmark)18) Reporting for Christmas (2023, Hulu)19) The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021, Netflix)20) One Royal Holiday (2020, Hallmark)21) The Noel Diary (2022, Netflix)22) Three Wise Men and a Baby (2022, Hallmark)23) A Christmas Vintage (2023, Amazon)24) A Perfect Christmas Pairing (2023, Amazon)25) Christmas on the Farm (2022, Hulu)26) Holiday in the Wild (2019, Netflix)27) Merry Gentlemen (2024, Netflix)28) Best. Christmas. Ever. (2023, Netflix)29) Christmas on the Ranch (2024, Hulu)

The review duo (with special guest Patrick Bromley!) who chat about three Gene picks: Mystic Pizza, Ghost, and MouseHunt.

It's the annual podcast version of Patrick and Adam Riske's monthly column, in which they watch and discuss two double features programmed in the last year. It's like nutmeg!



Download this episode here.

Listen to F This Movie! on Apple Podcasts.
Also discussed this episode: My Girl (1991), My Girl 2 (1993), Double Holiday (2019), A Real Pain (2024), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Casa Bonita Mi Amor (2024), The Terminal (2004), The Bachelor (1999), Babygirl (2024), A Complete Unknown (2024), The Primevals (2023)

by Rob DiCristinoYou think we need one more? Alright, we’ll get one more.

1. Babygirl (Dir. Halina Reijn)Hot Nicole Kidman 2024 continues with a steamy drama from the director of Bodies Bodies Bodies. Kidman is Romy, a tech CEO whose unfulfilling sex life with husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas) leads to a May-December entanglement with intern Samuel (Harris Dickinson). Samuel is the dominant to Romy’s budding submissive, a mix of confidence and aloofness that strips the power-suited mogul — pun absolutely intended — of the control she typically enjoys and casts both her personal and professional lives into chaos. Audiences hoping for a fuck noir that reaches the raunchy heights of The Piano Teacher or Secretary will be disappointed, however, as Babygirl’s passing interest in BDSM, gender dynamics, and workplace politics is secondary to its focus on how Romy’s sexual awakening reshapes her understanding of power, relationships, and identity. Nicole Kidman sells it with all the advertised fearlessness, though, and writer/director Halina Reijn deserves credit for giving us a largely sex-positive entry in a genre that tends to focus on shame, violence, and regret.

Babygirl hits U.S. theaters on December 25th.

2. Exhibiting Forgiveness (Dir. Titus Kaphar)Speaking of regret, multi-hyphenate artist Titus Kaphar makes his feature debut with Exhibiting Forgiveness, which stars Moonlight breakout André Holland as Tarrell, a painter whose flourishing personal life — including a happy marriage to Andra Day’s singer-songwriter Aisha — is suddenly complicated by the reemergence of his abusive father (John Earl Jelks as La’Ron, especially riveting in flashbacks that would be Oscar clips in a less-crowded field). Though his bible-thumping mother (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) begs him to, ahem, exhibit some forgiveness for La’Ron’s lifetime of drug-addled indiscretions, Tarrell’s resentment is too deeply-steeped for any easy solutions. Kaphar demonstrates a delicate compositional touch in his debut, and while his screenplay is littered with overwrought dialogue and his protagonist's attempts to rectify his trauma on the canvas lack the nuance that would make the film a true masterpiece, Exhibiting Forgiveness is nonetheless a confident and thoughtful drama featuring some of the best performances of the year.
Exhibiting Forgiveness is now available on PVOD.

3. In the Summers (Dir. Alessandra Lacorazza)Since we’re on the topic of bad dads: Chicago’s own Music Box Films brings us In the Summers, Alessandra Lacorazza’s semi-autobiographical feature debut about two Californian siblings (played as adults by Lio Meheil and The Flash’s Sasha Calle) who spend summers visiting their estranged father (René Pérez as Vicente) in his remote New Mexican hometown. Told elliptically over a handful of those summers, the film chronicles Vicente’s attempts to forge a meaningful connection with children who — in light of a background of addiction and incarceration that is left appropriately fuzzy — he is largely unfit to rear. Lacorazza won a well-deserved Sundance Grand Jury Prize for this stunning portrait of a family grasping at unity in a world that sees fit to drive them apart, and anyone whose upbringing was less than traditional will identify with the extraordinary authenticity of its detail, the empathy and grace it shows to an imperfect parent trying to find salvation and the world-weary children trying to learn from his mistakes without repeating them.

In the Summers is now available on PVOD.

4. Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point (Dir. Tyler Taormina)Speaking of flawed families — Gotta keep this transition streak going, folks — let’s shift gears to Tyler Taormina’s delightful holiday comedy, Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point. The Platonic ideal of a Christmas hangout movie, it follows Long Island’s multi-generational Balsano family as they gather for one last Christmas Eve at their ancestral home. While its opening epigraph (wishing “the lost” safe passage home for Christmas) portends some heavy-handed messaging about the Reason for the Season, the film has no interest in sugary fantasies or snow-bound magic. Instead, its loosely-plotted, fly-on-the-wall construction gives us a peek into the everyday politicking of people who wouldn’t give each other the time of day were they not related by blood. Driven more by its immaculate production design than any star power — though Michael Cera and Eighth Grade’s Elsie Fisher make brief appearances, as do Hollywood royalty Sawyer Spielberg and Francesca Scorsese — Miller’s Point is a wry and unexpectedly warm celebration of the ties that bind, whether we like it or not.

Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point is now available on PVOD.

5. A Complete Unknown (Dir. James Mangold)James Mangold is a talented filmmaker. He is. His best movies are glossy, mannered dramas that fuse genre eccentricity with prestige sensibility. He’s like Christopher McQuarrie in that way, actually, someone doing his damndest to make four-quadrant blockbusters that respect his — and his audience’s — intelligence while giving them the sweet nectar of familiarity they can’t help but crave. Keep this in mind when watching A Complete Unknown, Mangold’s second swing at mythologizing a folk hero after 2005’s Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line. Split between Bob Dylan’s (Timothée Chalamet) ascent to superstardom and his infamous decision to go electric during the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, the film recounts its hero’s struggle to protect his individuality in light of the cataclysmic cultural change he helped foster. Stranded somewhere between a Wikipedia biopic and a genuine character study, A Complete Unknown is at its best when it’s reckoning with that incongruity, but it never quite justifies itself in a world that already has I’m Not There and No Direction Home. It’ll get young people spinning Highway 61 Revisited though, so maybe that’s enough.

A Complete Unknown hits U.S. theaters on December 25th.

 by JB

Last Tuesday, I attended a theatrical screening of perennial Christmas favorite It’s a Wonderful Life. This may have been a mistake because over the next 23 days, I’ll only have 36 more chances to see it.

It's running as a Cinemark Special Event tonight and Saturday; and as half of the Music Box Theater’s 41st Annual Christmas show, on a double feature with White Christmas, tonight thru December 24th. Like some Christmas songs that I love but have now had quite enough of... (I’m looking at you, “All I Want for Christmas is You,”) some Christmas movies are... over shown and overblown.
Mind you, it used to be worse. Back in the days when It’s a Wonderful Life was considered in the public domain, some UHF stations used to show it on a continuous loop. Ironically, that’s one of the reasons that it became so popular: its sheer ubiquity on every television station in the nation each December. Still, I feel that I have had a bellyful of Zu Zu’s petals for this holiday season, and I need to move on.SIDE TOPIC: I refuse to enter the “Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?” fray. Of course, it is.

Some delightful comedies are generally overlooked as Christmas movies, perhaps because they are wholly successful as comedies and don’t need the holiday angle as a marketing crutch. Trading Places is a Christmas movie; a key scene takes place at an office Christmas party with Dan Aykroyd as a disgusting, inebriated Santa, eating a huge slab of smoked salmon through his beard. Diner is a Christmas movie; one of Kevin Bacon’s misadventures involves stripping out of his skivvies and filling in for Jesus at a local church’s Nativity Scene. The Apartment is a Christmas movie, its black comedy made grimmer by a holiday setting that underscores its themes of loneliness and hope.

SHAMELESS PLUG: If you are looking for a fun, unconventional holiday experience, why not watch perennial Schwarzenegger favorite Jingle All the Way, but with the commentary the F This Movie crew recorded 11 years ago. It’s big fun... and will have you laughing all the way!

NOW TO MY POINT: my suggestion for a fun but overlooked Christmas film to fill out your holiday viewing experience.Nine years ago, Universal Studios and Turner Classic Movies conspired to elevate an obscure 1940 Christmas confection to classic status, restoring and marketing Paramount’s Remember the Night on Blu-ray disc as an unsung holiday classic. I’m not sure if the film has achieved cult status yet, but it is a delightful comedy, dripping with holiday atmosphere, and features entertaining performances by its two leads.

THE PLOT IN BRIEF: John Sargent (Fred MacMurray) is an assistant district attorney tasked with prosecuting a shoplifter, Lee Leander (Barbara Stanwyck) on Christmas Eve. Knowing that it is well-nigh impossible to expect a guilty verdict on the holiday, Sargent asks for a postponement. The judge grants this, but remands Leander into the custody of Sargent himself. Sargent is forced, in one of those hard-to-believe movie clichés, to take the lovely Leander home with him for the holidays! Guess what happens next?CAVEAT: One reason Remember the Night has not yet entered the “Hall of Over-Shown Favorites” might be that it features an unfortunately stereotyped black character, MacMurray’s butler Rufus, portrayed by Fred “Snowflake” Toons. This type of portrayal is no longer acceptable, but 1940 was a different time. The relationship between Rufus and John Sargeant is portrayed as one of mutual respect; the two characters seem to be genuine friends, and there is a notable absence of scaredy-cat, eye-rolling nonsense on the part of Toons. Still, modern audiences might be uncomfortable with it, so you have been forewarned.

Despite the caveat, Remember the Night is my go-to “You Have Never Seen This?” holiday recommendation.I mentioned White Christmas in my first paragraph, and I would be remiss not to recommend the new 4K restoration with all of my black little heart. It’s stunning 4K Blu-Ray, and this is a film that has never looked particularly bad. In fact, at the dawn of digital theater projection, White Christmas at the venerable Music Box Theater was one of the first films I ever saw projected digitally. Back then, people thought theaters switching over to digital projectors was a death knell to the theatrical experience (How wrong they were; the twin death knells turned out to be COVID and streaming!) I remember thinking back then that if every film projected digitally looked like White Christmas at the Music Box, we had nothing to worry about. It was that good.

The new 4K disc is stunning, the best this Vista Vision gem has ever looked. It reminded me that sometimes a restoration like this can get you to watch a film in a new light, and almost make it seem like a brand-new film. Almost...AN HONEST PLEA FOR HOLIDAY SANITY: In this high-tech age of DCPs and satellite downloads, can’t we have more than four holiday movies that are shown in theaters on a regular basis? It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Elf, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation are all great… but COME ON! I would love to see seasonal theatrical screenings of Meet Me in Saint Louis, the original Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, Batman Returns, the Alistair Sim Scrooge, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Christmas in Connecticut, or Home Alone.

What Christmas Classic, shown at your local theater, would motivate you, gentle reader, to attend a screening? Comment below. Ho Ho Ho.

by Adam RiskeWhat award did your favorite movies get this year?

Attaboy: Juror #2
Best Crypt Keeper Haircut: Ed Harris, Love Lies Bleeding
Best Duo in a Great Movie: Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, The Substance
Best Restaurant Documentary: Casa Bonita Mi Amor!
Best Soundtrack: Smile 2 
Best Trio in a Good Movie: Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Conner, Challengers
Better Than I Expected: My Old Ass
Biggest Disappointment: Maxxxine
Boo Hoo: MoviePass, MovieCrashDid I Hallucinate It? Road House (2024) 
Dumbest Shit Ever: The 4:30 Movie
Enough Already: Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Fun: Trap
Good But Now Possibly Unwatchable Because of World Events: Civil War
Good Drama, Bad Horror Movie: A Quiet Place: Day One
Good Movie I Have Zero Enthusiasm For & Will Check Out Completely If You Bring It Up: Dune: Part Two
“Heartbreak Feels Good in A Place Like This”: Here 
Hidden Gem: The Last Stop in Yuma County
Horniest: Drive-Away DollsI Didn’t Hate It: Abigail 
I Dunno…Recommended? Heretic
I Hate It: I Used to Be Funny
I Liked Some of It: The First Omen
I’m The Only Person Who Saw: Here Comes a New Challenger
Interesting: A Real Pain
“It Insists Upon Itself”: The Fall Guy
It’s Alight: Late Night with the Devil
It’s Fine: Enter the Clones of Bruce 
Least Intimidating Villain: Longlegs Like a Movie from 1989: Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1
Like a Movie from 1993: The Bikeriders
Like a Movie from 2009: Immaculate
Like Eating at Applebee’s when you Wanted to Eat at Chili’s: Twisters
Like Going Spirit Halloween Wanting to Buy Something but Finding Nothing You Want: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Made Me Want Cash for Hanukkah: Anora
Most Annoying: Deadpool & Wolverine
Most Charming: Hit Man
Most Clamoring for an MTV Movie Award Nomination for Best Villain: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Most Desperate: Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Most Directed: Strange Darling 
Most Underseen: I Like Movies
Most Walmart $5 Bin: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Movie I Like Less than Everyone Else: Snack Shack
Movie I Like More than Everyone Else: Kinds of Kindness
Movie I Want to Erase from My Memory: I.S.S. 
Not as Good as Speed Kills: Cash Out
Not Terrible: Alien: Romulus
Pretty Good: I Saw the TV Glow
Pretty Indifferent: Terrifier 3So Bad It Should Be Against the Law: The Idea of You
Sweetest: Inside Out 2
Ugh: The Beekeeper
Wait, That Was This Year? Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
We All Have Problems, Bud: Brats
Whatever: Saturday Night 
Worst Movie: Trigger Warning
WTF: The Crow (2024)
Yeah, No, I Dunno, It’s Good I Guess: The Greatest Night in Pop
You Can Stop at Any Time Now: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire