Christmas Movie Bonanza with Alonso Duralde

Summary

Dear Movies, I Love You

Christmas Movie Bonanza with Alonso Duralde

Hosts: Millie De Chirico & Casey O'Brien
Guest: Alonso Duralde (film critic, author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas)
Release Date: December 16, 2025

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Episode Overview

This festive episode brings the "king of Christmas" movies, Alonso Duralde, for an in-depth, joyful, and slightly irreverent exploration of holiday cinema. The hosts and Alonso dissect Christmas songs and movies, debate what makes a Christmas movie, discuss Hallmark’s massive holiday empire, and swap favorite and oddball recommendations. The conversation is both critical and deeply enthusiastic, blending nostalgia, critique, and celebration of how cinema shapes and reflects collective ideas of Christmas.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Holiday Music Warm-Up

(02:09–14:20)

• Favorite Christmas Songs:

  • Millie loves “Christmas Wrapping” by the Waitresses and “Last Christmas” by Wham!. She finds some 80s/90s Christmas songs hit her "right in the feels", especially narrative-driven tracks.
    • Memorable Moment: “Are you a demon if you hate Last Christmas?” – Millie (05:49)
  • Casey appreciates “River” by Joni Mitchell, relating it to his own experiences as a transplant in LA.
  • Alonso’s era is mid-century: Andy Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, Sinatra, Bing Crosby. But he singles out Tracy Thorn’s “Joy” as a modern classic that “knocks him flat”.
  • Lively discussion on divisive holiday songs (e.g., “Christmas Shoes”) and how certain tracks become perennial.
  • Notable Quote:
    “I think the last sort of universally beloved Christmas jam was probably Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Underneath the Tree.’” – Alonso (07:11)

• Will We Ever Get Another All-Star Christmas Song?

  • Millie wonders if the era of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” charity supergroup songs could happen again.
  • Alonso and Casey argue the monoculture is gone due to media fragmentation and new cynicism post-celebrity “Imagine” video.
    • Quote: “I think this is sort of the end of a monoculture moment... You’d have Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo in a room with Bob Dylan and no one is coming away with everybody in that room, you know?” – Alonso (10:36)

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2. Film Diary & Recent Movie Watches

(19:46–27:32)

• Hosts share movies from their “Film Diary”, with Alonso providing his always-prolific critic’s highlights:
  • Millie: Dead Man’s Wire (dir. Gus Van Sant) – True crime, ‘70s vibes, lots of screeners for awards season.
  • Casey: The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025) – “Fine”, notes the franchise is running out of steam; Star Trek: First Contact (1996) – fun but less satisfying than the show.
  • Alonso:
    • BLK NWS: Terms and Conditions – “An essay documentary about Black history and futurism… dense with ideas, feels like an album.” (25:15)
    • The Housemaid (Paul Feig, w/ Amanda Seyfried & Sydney Sweeney) – “If you liked A Simple Favor… surprises around every corner… the less you know the better.” (26:16)

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3. What Makes a Christmas Movie?

(28:07–35:34)

• Genre Boundaries & The "Die Hard Debate"

  • Alonso: “Apart from I will absolutely die on the hill of Die Hard is a fucking Christmas movie and let’s drop it already…” (28:30)
  • The essence of Christmas films is less about explicit Christmas-ness and more about redemption arcs and togetherness, echoing A Christmas Carol.
    • “Ebenezer Scrooge, George Bailey, and Kevin McCallister all have the same arc.” – Alonso (30:05)
  • Films only partially set at Christmas (e.g., Meet Me in St. Louis, Eyes Wide Shut) still count because of key Christmas scenes.

• Perennial Tropes & Why They Work

  • The “everyone dances” moment, packed full houses, and feel-good finales acclaimed as classics of the form.
  • “A thing I find myself enjoying lately is these sort of like where people start dancing in a Christmas movie...” – Alonso (31:38)
  • Modern Christmas movies (e.g., Hallmark) are “pre–Bowling Alone” fantasies of thick community ties, appealing as real-life social networks shrink.

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4. The Emotional Pull of Christmas Entertainment

(40:01–45:02)

• Hosts reminisce about growing up with Christmas classics on TV.
• The importance of Christmas television specials (A Muppet Family Christmas, Beavis & Butthead holiday specials) as a venue for nostalgia and makeshift family.
• Casey and Alonso reflect on longing for community depicted on screen, especially as adults who work remotely.
  • “I think these movies have always kind of presented a certain sense of, like, you know, giving you a taste of [community], even if it’s not really happening for you.” – Alonso (43:45)

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5. Alonso’s Christmas Movie Obsession & The Explosion of the Genre

(45:03–56:36)

• Origin Story:
  Alonso’s lifelong appetite for Christmas movies and writing his definitive book, Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas.
• The Hallmark Juggernaut:
  • Hallmark holiday movies’ surge since the mid-2010s—now year-round content with fierce fans, podcasts, conventions (“Christmas Con”).
  • Quote: “I needed to stop watching the news so much… these movies, they are all about these women who are obsessed with the business of business business, but then they learn to love Christmas.” – Alonso (55:35)

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6. Hallmark and Modern Christmas Movie Culture

(48:57–56:08)

Hallmark Movie Recommendations for Newbies (49:23–52:43)

• Crashing Through the Snow – “Smart about divided families… kind of hot for a Hallmark movie.”
• Two Turtle Doves – “Actually talks about grief and melancholy, which is rare for Hallmark.”
• Round and Round (Hanukkah) – “Groundhog Day situation, really funny and smart, even my Hallmark-hating husband admits it’s pretty terrific.”

Hallmark Fandom Frenzy

• Fans revisit years past (“They have it broken down by year on the Hallmark streaming service…” – Alonso (53:15))
• “Hall Stars” at conventions: Tyler Hynes (“the queen is Lacey Chabert”), Nikki DeLoach, Ashley Williams, many Canadian actors.

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7. Is There Room Left For a New Universal Christmas Classic?

(56:08–60:39)

• Despite many excellent recent films, fragmentation of viewing habits and media landscape mean it’s nearly impossible for a new “classic” (like Elf or Love Actually) to enter the collective canon.
  • “One could say yes, we haven’t had a movie since Love Actually and Elf in 2003, you know, that really have entered the canon in that way. But I think it’s just because, again, the canon ain’t what it used to be…” – Alonso (57:56)
• Christmas movies now thrive on streaming; theatrical runs are rare and often just a bridge to home viewing.

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8. Directors Who Should Make a Christmas Movie

(61:15–62:39)

• Dream projects:
  • “I would give my back teeth for a Wes Anderson Christmas.” – Alonso (61:15)
  • Wishlist includes Baz Luhrmann (Christmas musical), Wong Kar Wai, and a film about Japanese KFC Christmas traditions.

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9. Alonso’s Book: Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas

(63:54–70:00)

• Update Motivation: More movies, new discoveries, and inspiration from other studios revising their guides.
• Book Structure: Organized by genres and micro-genres (“whatever kind of movie you like, it butts up against Christmas somewhere”).
• Guilty Holiday Pleasures:
  • Santa with Muscles (1996) starring Hulk Hogan—infamously odd and produced by Jordan Belfort (the “Wolf of Wall Street”)—becomes an instant must-see oddity.
    • “It’s bananas… It feels like 8 year olds hopped up on Nestlé Quick really just… went to town on this script.” – Alonso (68:31)
  • Blast of Silence – existential noir set at Christmas, recently restored by Criterion.
    • “It’s so dark… and Christmasy…” – Alonso (71:17)

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10. Personal Top 3 Christmas Movies

(72:23–77:24)

• Millie’s Picks:
  • The Silent Partner (1978) – “Christopher Plummer as Santa Claus committing crimes… cracks me up.”
  • A Charlie Brown Christmas – “Maybe the most heartwarming.”
  • All That Heaven Allows (1955) – “Wintry, with the worst gift-giver kids in history!”
• Casey’s Picks:
  • A Christmas Story (1983) – “Nostalgic Midwest vibes.”
  • Metropolitan (1990) – “Love the ‘party’ Christmas movies.”
  • Fanny and Alexander – “We try to emulate the Christmas house.”
• Alonso’s Picks:
  • It’s a Wonderful Life – (“I’m an American and I’m not made of stone.”)
  • Desk Set (Hepburn/Tracy)
  • Scrooge (1970; musical with Albert Finney)

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11. Employee Picks & Offbeat Holiday Movie Recommendations

(77:24–80:40)

• Millie: Black Christmas (1974) – “Legit scary moments, great characters, hilarious house mother with a drinking problem.”
• Casey: Feast of the Seven Fishes (2019) – “Heartwarming, tradition-filled Italian-American Christmas, hits the itch.”
• Alonso: Christmas, Again (make sure it’s the one with a comma!) – “Chilly, understated, beautiful drama about a Christmas tree salesman.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Are you a demon if you hate Last Christmas?” – Millie (05:49)
• “I always say that Ebenezer Scrooge, George Bailey, and Kevin McCallister all have the same arc.” – Alonso (30:05)
• “They are all about these women who are obsessed with the business of business business, but then they learn to love Christmas.” – Alonso (55:35)
• On Santa with Muscles: “It feels like 8 year olds hopped up on Nestlé Quick really just… went to town on this script.” – Alonso (68:31)
• “I would give my back teeth for a Wes Anderson Christmas.” – Alonso (61:15)

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Timestamps for Important Sections

• Favorite Christmas Songs (04:25–11:45)
• The “Monoculture” & Christmas All-Star Songs (09:54–11:39)
• Film Diary/New Watches (19:46–27:32)
• What Makes a Christmas Movie? (28:07–31:19)
• Hallmark 101 & Recommendations (49:23–52:43)
• The Fate of New Christmas Classics (56:08–60:39)
• Directors’ Christmas Movie Wish List (61:15–62:39)
• Santa With Muscles Discussion (67:57–69:35)
• Top 3 Christmas Movies (72:23–77:24)
• Employee Picks/Recommendations (77:24–80:40)

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Tone & Vibe

The episode is warm, witty, and deeply affectionate toward cinema, with plenty of dry humor (“We can’t have nice things… Not anymore.” – Alonso (11:47)), and nostalgic tangents. The self-deprecating, enthusiastic tone makes the podcast inviting for both cinephiles and casual viewers. The hosts and guest balance critical rigor with giddy love for the weirdest and warmest corners of holiday film.

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Where to Find More

• Follow Dear Movies, I Love You: @dearmoviesiloveyou on Instagram and Facebook
• Alonso Duralde: On Instagram, Bluesky, and author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas (revised & expanded edition out now)
• Podcast available on: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts

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Summary prepared for film fans seeking fresh recommendations, critical holiday context, and lively banter about the movies that make the season bright!

Transcript

[Millie Decherico]

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[Casey O'Brien]

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[Alonzo Duraldi]

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[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, Millie, it's the Christmas season and it's very thrilling because we have the king of Christmas, the Christmas Zaddy himself, film critic, podcaster, author of have Yourself a Movie, Little Christmas. Alonzo Duraldi joining us. Hello, Alonzo.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Hello, Millie. Hello, Casey. Thanks for having me.

[Millie Decherico]

Thanks for being here.

[Casey O'Brien]

He's an old friend.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I was going to say both of ours.

[Millie Decherico]

We go way back, but you particularly. Y' all worked together for many years, right? On.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yes, we worked on Maximum Film in case it was our. You were not the original producer, but you came in early and were there for quite a good chunk of the show.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, yeah, I was there. I was there at the very beginning and. Yeah. Back when it was called who Shot you?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yes.

[Casey O'Brien]

And now it's Maximum Film. How long has it been Maximum Film? Longer than it was. Who shot you?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Longer than it was. Who shot you? Yeah, I lose all perspective. Like, you know, if he recently left because his schedule is so bananas and we have Kevin Avery now, who's great. But like, I had always had an my head that. That Ify and Ricky Carmona had hosted about the same number of shows. No, no, no, no. If. He was there for a long time. Yeah, it just, you know, so I have no perspective. I'm just there week in, week out. So, yeah, I like, Casey was there till, I don't know, last week, and then Marissa came in.

[Millie Decherico]

I don't know. Well, and fun fact, that's how I actually met you, Casey, for the first time. Because I was a guest on who Shot you? And I was like, who is this organized gentleman emailing me all of the requirements and the tech specs? I was like, this is a flawless.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Production, a polite midwestern production.

[Casey O'Brien]

But it's great to have you here, Alonzo. Just thrilled. And this is the first time we've had somebody on for the whole episode. So this will be where this is kind of exciting.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I'm honored.

[Casey O'Brien]

A new realm for us as well. Millie. I wanted to sort of start the show off. You know, we did this with our Halloween episode. Talking about our favorite Halloween songs. I thought we should talk about Christmas songs. And you said you had an all timer.

[Millie Decherico]

Well, yes, because I dare I say that I. I feel like there are more. You would probably agree, Alonzo. You'd probably agree too. There are more Christmas songs than there are Halloween songs. Right? Just.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Oh, yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

You know, numbers wise. And I remember talking in the Halloween episode about how there's a lot of Halloween songs that I don't like that are actually bad, that they get played over and over and I'm like, I hate this song. And obviously with now more of the rotation, there's more Christmas songs to hate. But. But mine. I mean, I think it's just an age thing, but, you know, a lot of my favorite Christmas songs are 80s songs, 80s and 90s. So my absolute all time favorite Christmas song. And I don't know why it makes me cry. Actually, I do know why it makes me cry, but the waitress's Christmas wrapping.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Nice.

[Casey O'Brien]

That was on my list. Millie.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, of course. How could you not?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Indisputable. Classic.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes. And I don't know what it is about. I think it's towards the end where she talks about how she's having Christmas by herself and then the guy shows up or whomever shows up at the store and she's like, you forgot cranberries too. And it's that moment where I'm like, oh, she's gonna have somebody to spend Christmas with after all that is so cute.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

It's a story song, you know? I mean, it takes you through a whole year, a whole emotional roller coaster.

[Millie Decherico]

I know, I know. And I can definitely identify with somebody who's busy with things and forgets to do things around the holidays. So I love that. And then, of course, I love Last Christmas. I mean, I feel like, are you a demon if you hate Last Christmas? Are you?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah. I don't get why people get upset at that one. Like, you know, Christmas shoes. Yes. Dump all the hate on it. But last Christmas. And all I want for Christmas is you. Like, come on. Sure, you might be sick of them, but you don't hate them.

[Casey O'Brien]

Alonzo, I was just googling. I was like, what is that shoes song that I always hear, like, playing the Goodwill or something.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah, the Christmas shoes. God, it's the worst. And thankfully, Patton Oswalt has delivered the epic takedown of that one that it so richly deserves. But, oh, I hate that song with a fiery passion.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, do you feel like. I think with Christmas music, you know, like, Millie, you were saying you like the ones from the 80s? I do feel like. What's the last, like, Christmas song, Class? I'll probably ask this with movies, too. What's, like, the latest song, the most recent song that's been added to kind of the classic Christmas group, You know.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I mean, it depends on who you ask, you know? Like, some people will put, like, some Buble in there, maybe, or some Josh Groban. I think the last sort of universally beloved Christmas jam was probably Kelly Clarkson's Underneath the Tree.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay. Because I was thinking as far back as Mariah Carey.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

And that, like.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Well, that's the last, like, sort of culture shifting, you know, white Christmas size, mammoth hit. But I think the Kelly Clarkson song has definitely got in there. And Sia's Candy Cane Lane seems to be permeating a lot, too, in terms of, like, being used in movies and TV shows and stuff.

[Casey O'Brien]

Sure, sure, sure.

[Millie Decherico]

Alonso, do you have favorites? I'm just curious. I gotta know.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Oh, I have a ton of favorites. I mean, I'm a little older than both of you. I was born in the 60s. I grew up in the 70s. But for me, like, it's the mid century stuff, so it's the Andy Williams and Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Like, that's really my sweet spot. But if we're gonna talk about songs that we love that make us cry. Tracy Thorne from the band Everything but the Girl put out an album a few years ago of Christmas Stuff. And she has a song called Joy that knocks me flat every time. I love it so much.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, I'll have to check that out.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes. Love her so. That's a good one. Yeah. Casey. I feel.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. For me, you know river by Joni Mitchell, I really. That's like a very. That makes me. And it's kind of, you know, it's about a. Someone living in LA who's from, like, a wintry place.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

A cold place.

[Casey O'Brien]

A cold place. And so I had a lot of, you know, when I was living in la, I lived in LA for so long and, you know, it made me think about those Minnesota winter nights. We also. We used to play the Barbra Streisand, a Christmas album, constantly around Christmas time. And I always loved one of the great Jingle Bells. It's like the fastest jingle bell so far.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

No question.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

And a few years ago, she did it like, she had a concert special on Netflix and she sang it live.

[Millie Decherico]

Really?

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, I.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Lady can still slap that one out.

[Casey O'Brien]

But, yeah. And then, you know, this one's hard for me because the songs on it are so good, but. A Christmas gift for you from Phil Spector. It's hard for me not to put that album on, even though he is a horrible murderer.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I don't think we have to let Phil Spector spoil that for us. I think we think of it as. It's a celebration of the Ronettes.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

That's how I see everybody else on that record. So, yeah, he's just a Christmas. Just gift from someone.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. They may or may not be a murderer, but those are kind of my top songs.

[Millie Decherico]

I have a question for both of you, then. Going back to sort of the 80s stuff, you know, every time I turn on the radio, I usually. It usually hits on, do you know it's Christ. I'm sorry, do they Know It's Christmas? Which was the charity song that was done by all the 80s superstars.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

But tonight, thank God it's there instead of you.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes.

[Millie Decherico]

It's such a powerful Bono. But I'm curious as to whether or not you think that that could ever happen again. Could there ever be, like, a new version of, like, a Christmas song that's being sung by all the new people? Like maybe the Sabrina Carpenters or the Chapel Roanes or whomever. I mean. Yes.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I never say never. Like, I think nobody thought that any song was ever gonna challenge White Christmas. And then Mariah Carey came along. I think it's different now because I think that the music stardom is so Splintered.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

You know, you have the younger people who listen to everything they hear is on TikTok or YouTube and you have their parents who don't know who any of those people are, you know, And I feel like this is sort of the end of a monoculture moment where, like, everybody knew who Stevie Wonder was and everybody knew who Bob Dylan was and everybody knew who Paul Simon was. But, like. Yeah, now you'd have, like, yeah. Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo in a room with, like, Bob Dylan, you know, and it'd just be like, no one is coming away with everybody in that room, you know?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. I do feel like there's sort of an element of corniness when it comes to those, like, big get together songs. And I feel like people now are so afraid of being crazy. Yeah.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

They don't want to do the. What was the Imagine, Imagine, Imagine video again?

[Casey O'Brien]

I honestly think that that killed any possibility of something like this happening. Yeah.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Because it would. It would seem too earnest and try hard.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, exactly.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

And eventually somebody be like, well, you know, the money never actually got to the people that was supposed to. Blah, blah, blah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes. Yeah, I can see it now. Okay. That answers my question perfectly. Yes.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, my God.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

We can't have nice things.

[Millie Decherico]

Not anymore.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

No. There's a really good documentary, though, about the recording of We Are the World that was on Netflix this year. I don't know if y'. All. No.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, God.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Oh, it's great. Like, they talk to everybody and Sheila E. Is like, yeah, they invited me because they wanted Prince to come over and they thought that if I was there that he might show up. And once, once I made it clear that he was not coming, like, they seemed less interested in having me there. It was like, oh, tell it, Sheila E. Good.

[Millie Decherico]

Good tea there. Yeah. Oh, my God. The Bruce Springsteen part. And We Are the World makes me laugh every single time. I just. Yeah. I can't even imagine, like, all of these. Yeah, I just. I think you're right. Alone. So I just really do feel like it was probably, like, a time and place for that stuff to happen. And now everybody's just kind of in their own silos and nobody wants to get together. Banana Rama is never gonna hang out with, you know, Midge or whatever. So sad but true.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah. I want Taylor Swift and Banana Rama side by side, but, you know, I don't think we're gonna get it.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Amazing. Well, we have a very exciting episode coming up. I mean, as you can probably guess, we're talking all things Christmas today. Favorite Christmas movies, other things. Isn't that right, Millie?

[Millie Decherico]

Yes, that's absolutely right. And like Alonso wrote, I would say maybe the definitive book on Christmas movies. I don't know, maybe that's.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Oh, thanks.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah. I will say it because I like you and I don't know who else.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

For lack of competition. I think you might be right. But it's not to say that somebody isn't going to come along and really, you know, take over.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah. Well, I want to give that award to you anyway. So it is. It is a definitive Christmas movie book called have Yourself a Movie, Little Christmas. And we're going to dive into it a little bit, talk about it, and then just talk about sort of, you know, what makes holiday movies hit for people. And, you know, what is. I know that there's a lot of, like, genre bending happening, too, with sort of newer films being kind of brought into the Christmas canon. So we'll probably talk about that, I'm sure.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah. We've had a few people write in recently asking us, is this a Christmas movie? And we need your guidance.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, you got to be. You got to be the judge. You have to lay down the gavel.

[Casey O'Brien]

So also, Millie is recording in her new house, so it sounds a little different.

[Millie Decherico]

Yep. Sorry. There is not a lot of soundproofing right now. So if it's a little weird and echoey, I apologize. I'll have it fixed by next week, I promise.

[Casey O'Brien]

By Christmas.

[Millie Decherico]

By Christmas. My Christmas present is to, like, have my life together. So. Well, please stay tuned. It's going to be a lot of fun. You are listening to Dear movies, I love you. Dear movies, I love you.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

And I've got to know if you love me too.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes or no?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Check the box below.

[Millie Decherico]

All right, folks, you are listening to Dear movies, I love you. This is a podcast for those who are in a relationship with movies. My name is Millie Decherico.

[Casey O'Brien]

I'm Casey o'. Brien.

[Millie Decherico]

And like we said at the top, we have an amazing holiday themed episode. We're having Alonzo Geralde here with us the entire time, which, again, is a new thing. We've never had a guest be on for the entire podcast, but I feel like it's worth it. Cause we have a lot. There's a lot of meat on this bone, wouldn't you say?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yes.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

We're metaphorically sitting in Alonzo's lap.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Oh, well, I hope I'm not ruining it for any other future potential guests. You know, both get a candy cane.

[Millie Decherico]

Y.

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[Rob Gronkowski]

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[Casey O'Brien]

To help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means playing in a football game.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Boom. 42. You're going down, Doug.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

Your price on car insurance when you customize and save is going down.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Hey.

[Casey O'Brien]

Limu, what are you doing on their team? Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty.

[Millie Decherico]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. It feels a little weird talking about non Christmas movies right now, but we do have film diaries technically, right?

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes. Let's open up the film diary. Oh, it's heavy. And we're gonna go through the movies that we watched this past week. Millie, do you wanna start? Sure.

[Millie Decherico]

And Alonzo, you're gonna weigh in too. You're gonna have your film diary, right?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah. I'm gonna give you a truncated version. Cause this is a nutty time of year for film critics who didn't write a Christmas book, let alone for those of us who did.

[Casey O'Brien]

There's an ongoing bit on maximum film where we give Alonzo a minute every episode and he lists off all of the of movies he watched from that past week. And it's.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah, still doing that. And then. But also there's, you know, LA film. We're recording this in early December. LA film critics votes at the end of this week. So all of these films are being thrown to me at the last possible minute, like, oh, did you watch this yet? Have you looked at this? Could you consider this?

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

So. And then just my job as a film critic. So, yeah, it's. I've seen a ton. I will. I will give you some highlights.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah. Well, having said that, I, you know, I do get screeners too, because I belong to the Atlanta Film Critics Circle. And you're right, it is absolutely insane how many screeners is like, in my inbox. I have A folder of screeners, and it's just like pages upon pages.

[Casey O'Brien]

But I. Yeah, I think they think.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

If you don't see the movie, like, two weeks before you vote, you'll forget that you ever saw it.

[Millie Decherico]

And everybody, every studio, every distributor thinks that way. And so you're like, oh, my God, what is going on? Why are there so many movies being made? But so I ended up watching one of them, and I think it's because I was like, oh, this feels like it. I had actually never heard of it. I hadn't heard about it coming out at all. It has. It's not out as of this recording, but I watched the new Gus Van Sant movie, Dead Man's Wire with Bill Skarsgard. Interesting film. Based on a true story. It was a. Like a true crime that happened in the 70s where I think his name is Tony Kiritzes, is. I think that's the correct. The guy who. I didn't actually know about this crime, even though the minute they showed there's a part of the film where they actually show the footage of him taking the. Whatever the loan officers hostage and pulling him out of the building at gunpoint. And when I. The minute I saw the footage, I was like, oh, I've seen this a million times. I just. It just didn't connect about, like, what it was. But it's an interesting film, obviously, like, kind of topical when you think about, like, you know, Luigi Mangione and things of that nature. I think it's really interesting, too, that Al Pacino's in it because it does have, like, shades of Dog Day Afternoon a little bit. Whether or not Bill Skarsgard should have been this character, I don't know. I love Bill Skarsgard, and that's saying a lot. So it's like, I don't know if I've read that. People have said he's too young to have played the guy, but who knows? But I did like the 70s clothes and the. The vibe of it. And. Yeah, I mean, that was. That was pretty much the only movie I watched this week.

[Casey O'Brien]

So people say I look like him.

[Millie Decherico]

Bill Skarsgard.

[Casey O'Brien]

I've gotten that before.

[Millie Decherico]

Lucky you.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Specifically, as Pennywise. Right? Yes, exactly.

[Casey O'Brien]

Amazing. Let me. I'll go next and then we'll. Our guest will go last. I watched two movies this week. I watched the Conjuring last rites from 2025. This was fine. I put this in my letterboxd review, Millie. It's kind of like those seasons of Vanderpump Rules where they try to Bring in the young people to kind of replace the. The old cast.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah, they're cousin Oliver ing it.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes, exactly. So I don't know. I don't know if we're gonna make any movies with like the daughter of the Warrens and the fiance of the war. The fiance of the daughter of the Warren's daughter in the future movies. But this was okay. Patrick Wilson was still looking good, and I know that was very important to my wife, Trisha.

[Millie Decherico]

Well, I'm glad.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, it was just fine.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Vera Farmiga still rocking a frilly collar.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes, exactly. There were lots of frilly collars. I think this is supposed to be the last one, but.

[Millie Decherico]

Well, it's a. It's fine that you're talking about it as being okay, because we did, if everybody remembers, Casey's mom did bless the podcast from the Annabelle doll. So we don't have the Annabel doll demon anywhere near us. And if we wanted to talk about the conjuring movies, we can without risk of being possessed. So that's great.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yes. Fear of reprisal.

[Casey O'Brien]

Exactly. So thank God my mom came on, blessed us and blessed all of our listeners too. So if you want to be blessed, go back and listen to that episode. I think it was the K Pop Demon Hunters episode.

[Millie Decherico]

That's right.

[Casey O'Brien]

If I remember correctly. And then watched Star Trek first contact from 1996. I don't know why I watched this, but it was. I love Star Trek and. But the movies are always like a little disappointing for me. They're not as good as the TV show. And this was fine.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

So it's got Alfre Woodard. Come on.

[Casey O'Brien]

Alfre Woodard was great in it. Millie, we talked about Tetsuo the Iron man and the bad guy in Star Trek First Contact is the Borg, which I was like, they had to have taken some from something from Tetsuo the Iron Man. They're very similar kind of costume design in that. Anyways, that's all I watched. Alonzo, what about you?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Well, I would say the. The highlights of the last week that are new movies, one is making its way around. I'm not sure, you know, if it comes to your city, even if it. Like it's a one nighter at a museum. I would say try and check it out. And the other one will be opening soon. The one that's making its way out now is called Black News Terms and Conditions. And that's spelled BLK N W S in all caps. And it started as an installation that Khalil Joseph did at the Venice Biennale and it has kind of turned into sort of an essay documentary about black history, but also autobiography, but also black futurism. And it's. It. He, the filmmaker likens it to an album. So it. It feels like there's a lot of cuts in it that are very different. But overall, it all feels like it's of a piece. It's a movie that is dense with ideas. I feel like I really need to see it again just to sort of take in all the stuff. But I was really thrilled by it as I was watching it, and thrilled by its grasp and its ambition. And it's covering a lot of ground and dealing with a lot in terms of, like, you know, black images in the media and storytelling and a lot of things. And it's hard to describe. And so I'm doing a bad job. But you should really see this film. It's amazing. And then opening soon in theaters is Paul Feig's the Housemaid, starring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney. And the less you know going in, the better. I didn't know anything, and there were surprises around every corner. But I will just say it is a. If you liked a simple favor, you know, Paul Feig knows how to tell this kind of story of people living seemingly glamorous lives. But there's a lot going on beneath the surface, and not everything is as it seems.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, interesting. I did, like a simple favor a lot, so I wanna.

[Millie Decherico]

This isn't based off of the, like, the 1960 Korean movie the Housemates?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

No, no, no, it's not. I wish. But it's based on a novel that apparently was really popular.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, interesting. Okay.

[Casey O'Brien]

Do you have anything else, Alonzo, or should we close up the film?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Oh, I mean, you know, I could tell you about Silent Night, Deadly Night five, which I just watched for another podcast, but I watch it for another podcast so some of y' all can hear about it. There's.

[Casey O'Brien]

Wow, we're already up to five.

[Pluvicto Advertiser 1]

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[Casey O'Brien]

Wild. All right, well, let's close up the diary. Close. We're moving on to our main discussion, which is Christmas movies. One thing I wanted to kind of ask you, Alonzo, at the top, we've had some listener questions recently about.

[Millie Decherico]

What.

[Casey O'Brien]

Does it take for a movie to be considered a Christmas movie? And I guess for you, what is necessary for you for it to be considered a Christmas movie? Is there a percentage of the film that needs to be dedicated to it? A certain amount of screen space dedicated to, filled with Christmas ornaments or whatever?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I'm not super doctrinaire. On this point, like, apart from I will absolutely die on the hill of Die Hard is a fucking Christmas movie, and let's drop it already. But apart from that, like, you know, I'm open. I'm easy to like. If you say it is great. If you say it isn't for you, fine, whatever. You know, I think you can take a film like anything from Auntie Mame or Female Trouble, where there's just one scene at Christmas, but it's a really memorable scene. And so it's a movie that people wind up coming back with the holidays even if the rest of the movie isn't. You can even put, like, meet me in St. Louis in that category. You know, that's a movie that takes place over the course of a year. You know, it's as much a Halloween movie as it is a Christmas movie, except there's no big Halloween number, you know, which it does have for Christmas. You know, I think generally speaking, what we. What we think about when we think about Christmas movies is more often than not redemption stories. I think ever since A Christmas Carol, there is this idea that there's something about the magic of the Christmas season, the togetherness of the Christmas season that can force people together, can maybe force them into either confronting issues of the past that they haven't dealt with or confronting whatever it is that's keeping them from being their best selves and from being the best member of their family or their community that they could be, and then figuring out a way through that so that they can be better about it. I always say that Ebenezer Scrooge, George bailey, and Kevin McAllister all have the same arc.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, interesting.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

They all. They're all mad about where they are right now, and then they are given this glimpse of an alternate life, and it makes them appreciate the people around them. And I think very often, if you don't have some version of that, then people will question whether or not it's a Christmas movie, you know, and you can apply that to things like, you know, James Caan learns to believe in Santa Claus in Elf, or Natalie Wood learns to believe in Santa Claus and Miracle, Authority, Fortune, whatever version of that arc exists. I think there's different ways to do it, but I think it's also limiting because you can't tell me that the lion in Winter isn't a Christmas movie. It's all about this family, this very, very dysfunctional family getting together because it's Christmas. Or Metropolitan, which is shot against the backdrop of New York City as this bauble Christmas time. Or Eyes Wide Shut, which has, outside of the orgy sequence, has a Hallmark movie level of holiday stuff in every scene. I just only recently somehow found this. But some guy did a 12 minute supercut. That is every Christmas tree in Eyes Wide Shut. There's that many of them.

[Casey O'Brien]

12 minutes. Jesus.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

12 minutes.

[Casey O'Brien]

There's a lot of tropes in these Christmas movies that you see over and over again. Are there any that you're, like, particularly fond of where you're like, ah, yes, good.

[Millie Decherico]

Or.

[Casey O'Brien]

Or are there ones that you're like, I think we can retire this trope. It's a little tired.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah, I, you know, again, I think, I think in a good movie they can get away with murder, you know, and in a bad movie, maybe in a bad movie it'll sort of like, oh, you know what? I do like that part where. Yeah happens. You know, like a thing that I find myself enjoying lately is these sort of like where people start dancing in a Christmas movie. And not necessarily in a big choreographed way, although that can be fun too. But just like a family, like, oh, somebody puts a record on and like, we're all gonna like, there's a. Oh, God. And I'm blanking the name of this movie. It's. It's a big ensemble comedy with like John Leguizamo and, and. And Alfred Molina, you know, the. Where. Where they all, you know, gather. I want to say it's in Chicago, but that has a great moment this Christmas has this amazing Soul Train line moment in the middle of the movie. And then they actually kind of recreate it in the closing credits, but they're sort of out of character and just it's the cast doing it because it's fun. So, like, moments like that, I think are really fun.

[Casey O'Brien]

They try to do that at the end of the holiday, I remember with Cameron Diaz and Jack Black and Kate Winslet and it's really horrible to watch. It's like very unnatural. And they're obviously trying to get one of those, like, feel good, like, let's all just dance moments going and it doesn't quite work in that one, I'm afraid. Yeah, yeah.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I mean, I, I think, you know, people. Too many people saw Mamma Mia. On stage. We're like, oh, well, if we end with Waterloo, you know, everything will be forgiven. Nothing, Nothing like the holidays is the. Is the leg was ammo movie I was thinking of.

[Millie Decherico]

So.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah, I just, I kind of like that. I do love a packed house of people movie because I grew up in a Packed House of people, or certainly it became packed at Christmas time. There was a film last year, I don't know if you all saw it, called Christmas Eve at Miller's Point, that I'm a huge, huge fan of, and I'm screening it later this month in Los Angeles at the Alamo. And I really hope that it finds an audience because it premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. And then when it opened, I kind of feel like IFC didn't quite know what to do with it because the title makes it sound too Hallmarky for art house audiences. And then the movie itself is probably too arthouse for Hallmark audiences. So I don't know that people have discovered it, but I'm hoping they do because it's actually the guy who directed efis. If you saw that this year, that.

[Casey O'Brien]

Is the damn movie that has haunted our podcast. It gets brought up, incidentally, on every episode of our show. That's so funny.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

That is crazy. It's one of my favorite movies of 2025. The guy who directed Efis shot Chris was Eve and Miller's point. Like, it's this whole sort of collective of filmmakers working together. And. Yeah, and it's just. It's a. It's a. It's a great movie, and I hope you will check it out. But there's so much in it that I recognize just in terms of the. Just the masses of people and all the. All the plates on the table and just the general chaos of that kind of thing. Yeah. I think that there's a lot about Christmas movies that can be, if not aspirational, at least sort of fill a gap that maybe you weren't having. You know, like, I. I always say that Hallmark movies exist in this kind of, like, pre Bowling Alone universe, you know, where everybody's a member of a quilting bee or a BO or some kind of local thing, you know, and the local. The community's always getting together to, like, have the Christmas tree lighting or, you know, save the community center or whatever. And I think that we're so distanced these days, and. And we're so ground down by the necessities of the oligarchical state that we don't really have time to see our friends and family, let alone belong to groups or organizations. And I think those movies provide a window into, like, ah, yes, this idea of the community and the community at large and knowing your neighbors and hanging out with them and, like, being involved in holiday projects with them. That's a real part of the appeal of this stuff?

[Casey O'Brien]

Absolutely.

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[Pluvicto Advertiser 1]

You know what separates the pros from the rest? It's not just talent. It's how you respond. When the game gets tough, do you dig in? You fight back. And when it comes to your health, that same mindset matters.

[Pluvicto Advertiser 2]

Yeah, especially if you or someone you care about is facing metastatic prostate cancer. There's a treatment called pluvicto lutetium LU177 vapivotide tetraxitan. And it's changing the game.

[Pluvicto Advertiser 3]

Plavicto isn't chemo. It's a different kind of treatment that targets PSMA positive cells, including prostate cancer cells. Plavicto can be used before chemotherapy for some people.

[Pluvicto Advertiser 1]

Here's the official word. Pluvicto is a prescription treatment used to treat adults with prostate specific membrane antigen positive metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer or PSMA positive MCRPC who have already been treated with hormone therapy and are considered appropriate to delay chemotherapy.

[Pluvicto Advertiser 2]

Now let's talk safety. Pluvicto involves contact with radioactivity, which may increase the risk for cancer and cause fetal harm. Drink plenty of fluids, urinate often, use contraception and talk to your doctor about how to reduce the risk of exposing others to radiation during and after treatment.

[Pluvicto Advertiser 3]

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[Rob Gronkowski]

Rob Gronkowski from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jewels. Sunday mornings are sacred. I've got my game day routine coffee jersey laid out in my lucky playlist. But the real game changer? New morning Uncrustables sandwiches.

[Uncrustables Advertiser]

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[Rob Gronkowski]

Up an apple. Tough and reliable like a do it all tight end.

[Uncrustables Advertiser]

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[Rob Gronkowski]

It's a snack that can go with you anywhere from the couch to the tailgate or even in the locker room. Soft bread, yummy fillings. Protein packed. Once it's part of your ritual, you.

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[Millie Decherico]

Limu.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Limu and Doug, Here we have the Limu emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.

[Casey O'Brien]

Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Cut the camera. They see us.

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[Alonzo Duraldi]

Liberty Savings Ferry unwritten by Liberty Mutual.

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[Casey O'Brien]

Millie, what, what are your. What's your relationship to Christmas movies? Do you like Christmas movies? I don't even know.

[Millie Decherico]

I don't know this about you.

[Casey O'Brien]

I don't know this about you. We haven't gotten this far in the podcast.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, I do. I mean, I think, you know, I was a child of the 80s and I watched a lot of TV. A lot, a lot. So a lot of the stuff that was just playing like, you know, It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th street, like all that stuff. Christmas Story, certainly. And, you know, so I, I watched a lot of those. And we'll always like. I will. If I'm in front of a TV and one of those movies is on, I'm watching it. It's like, I just kind of. It's like drinking water at this point.

[IBM Advertiser]

But.

[Millie Decherico]

But then also. Yeah, I mean, I was in. I mean, I was a young person when, you know, the first Home Alone came out. I was probably like, I don't know, probably like 12 or something when Home Alone came out. And I thought it was the funnest, funniest movie. Like, when I first saw it, I was like, oh, my God. Like, I love. I mean, I loved Macaulay Culkin from Uncle Buck. And so when I was like, oh, he's in his Own movie with like all of these hijinks and, you know, all of the brothers and sisters thing always cracks me up too. But I'm always really, really fond of Home Alone, even though I know that's an absolute no brainer. But then also, I loved anything. I don't know, this is probably like veering off the scope of the podcast maybe, but I loved Christmas specials on tv. I listed this as part of my. You asked me, like before we recorded, like, so what are some of my favorite Christmas movies? And I love the, like Beavis and Butthead Christmas stuff. Like when they were due, there was this one special that they did on MTV that is on YouTube, by the way, with the original commercials. So I. Oh, it's. It's pretty amazing, but it's basically called Beavis and Butthead letters to Santa. And it's just goofy. It's just two of them, like, you know, making fun of celebrities and, you know, doing, you know, answering questions. It's like all the women are in love with Beavis who are like, writing in. It's really, really silly and fun. But like all that stuff anytime, like something like, yeah, like an MTV or like a Comedy Central or any kind of channel would do like Christmas specials. I was obsessed with them. So, yeah, I, I like Christmas entertainment, I guess I should say broadly. But what about you?

[Casey O'Brien]

I love Christmas. I love Christmas movies. Alonzo, you kind of spoke to this, like, when you watch any Christmas movie or like, especially the Hallmark movie Christmas movies, there is like this sense of community. Everybody is very involved in a lot of other people's lives outside of their families. And I think the older I get, the more emotional these Christmas movies make me. And I think it is as a result of that, just because, you know, I work remotely, I am kind of isolated and I sort of have. I have this huge desire for community. And I don't have anything even close or remotely close to like, what is happening in these Hallmark Christmas movies. And so it does. There's this sense of longing that I feel when I watch these Christmas movies now. So, Millie, when you said the Christmas specials, the TV specials, I really love a Muppet Family Christmas, which is this like, TV special that has like every. It has like Sesame Street, Muppets, Fraggle Rock, and it's like all just in this house in the middle of this winter storm. And it's great. And it's on YouTube.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

It's the Avengers. Infinity War of Muppets.

[Casey O'Brien]

Absolutely.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

No, but I'll tell you that as far back as like the 70s or 80s, when Danny Perry was writing about It's a Wonderful Life for the first cult movies book, he talked about the fact that, you know, when all of George Bailey's neighbors come in at the end to, like, rescue him, he goes, this is. He goes. It lands. You know, it lands hard. Given that most of us only know our neighbors when they come over to ask us to, like, you know, turn it down, you know. And so, yeah, I think this has been an ongoing thing where more and more people are not part. Don't feel like they're part of a community, don't feel like they have, you know, they are spending the holidays with family, with, you know, a lot of people. And so I think these movies have always kind of presented a certain sense of, like, you know, giving you a taste of that, even if it's not really happening for you. You know, I feel that way about snow. You know, I've never had a white Christmas in my life.

[Casey O'Brien]

Is that true?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Because I grew up in Atlanta and, you know, I lived in Texas, and I have been living in California for, like, more than 25 years. And so, yeah, I associate wintry, you know, winter weather with Christmas movies more than I ever do with Christmas.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, you're welcome to come down to Minneapolis anytime, shovel some snow and get the real experience here.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I'll take you up on it.

[Casey O'Brien]

When, Alonzo, when did this Christmas. When did this obsession start with you with this Christmas movies?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah, I mean, you know, it's something that's kind of been in my back. It was in my back pocket for a long time. I've always loved movies, and I've always loved Christmas. And I, you know, it was in my early years, you know, back when there was, you know, a media where I was, you know, writing for newspapers or magazines. And I would. Inevitably, the holidays would roll around and I would be asked to make a list of, oh, you know, Christmas movies that people don't think of as Christmas movies or, you know, Christmas movies that are also horror movies or whatever it is. And so, you know, I started kind of having these lists in my head of, like, unconventional Christmas movies, ones that don't necessarily fit the mold. And it wasn't until I met the guy who would become my book agent at a film festival party that I said, well, I have this idea about a book about Christmas movies, but all the different kinds. And he really encouraged me, and we moved forward with it. And so that was when I sort of put it down on paper, but always just a thing sort of dancing around in my head and come the holidays as much as, yes, I make it a point to watch It's a Wonderful Life or you know, Scrooge, you know, or one of the versions of A Christmas Carol. I also like watching Desk Set with, you know, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, which again, one Christmas sequence. But it's a memorable one, you know, and one of the things that's really changed since writing the book originally in 2010. I mean the book that's out now is a, is a revised and updated edition is not. Not only the fact that like streaming has happened, you know, which was really not a thing back then. I was working off of DVDs and even VHS cassettes when I was writing the first one. But there's been a real explosion of interest in Christmas media and I think Hallmark is a big engine behind that. But I think it's also reflecting a thing that people want. You know, there's a, there was maybe one Christmas podcast when I wrote this book originally and now there's a ton of them. And these are like year round podcasts. They're talking about this stuff, you know, all through the year. When the pandemic started and everybody was locked down, Hallmark started doing these weekend marathons of Christmas movies in April because they just knew that people really, you know, were hankering for some coziness. And, and I think that really clicked with people as like, oh yeah, this is a thing I turn to that makes me feel good. So like Hallmark now like once a week runs a Christmas movie again all through the year. So I think it used to be a very compartmentalized thing and now it's become such a phenomenon that there are people who will very happily indulge in it all year round. And even the people who wait until the holidays, there's so much more to choose from and it's so much more present in the media. I mean, the Christmas movie itself is kind of an invention of the television era in the first place. You look back at the 40s and 50s, you know, Christmas in Connecticut and Miracle on 34th Street. These movies came out in the middle of the summer. They were not considered like, oh yes, people are going to want to go see these at Christmas time when people want to see Christmas movies. No, they were just movies that were out in the world and they happened to be set at Christmas. But then TV rolls around and they have to start programming their December with their library of old movies and they start showing, you know, the Alistair Sim Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life and all these other kind of films. And then I think that's what starts making people associate Christmas movie as a thing that's going to be part of their Christmas experience. Alongside decorating the house, making cookies, pulling out the wacky sweaters. Whatever it is that they do to celebrate Christmas, movies become part of that, you know, again, like in the 50s and 60s, not going all the way back to as far as these movies have existed.

[Millie Decherico]

Can we take like a little side road? Because I am so fascinated with the Hallmark Christmas juggernaut that you just spoke about. I have not seen any of them. And so I was wondering if you had like, say, if you're a complete newbie greenhorn, whomever like I am, like, give me like some of your faves, like, where should I start if I want to get on this train?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Okay, now. And this is the Hallmark Christmas movie as we know it now was kind of started around like 2014, 2015. There was a, there was a Candace Cameron Bray movie where she got. Gets sent to a small town in Alaska to do her medical internship and falls in love with a guy whose dad may or may not be Santa. And that really sort of set in motion the kind of very rom com centric way that they do these movies now. So if I were to pick like three that I think really represent the best of it comedically. Let's see. Okay, so there's, there's one called Crashing through the Snow where a divorced couple who are still very amicable, the ex wife winds up tagging along with her husband and their daughters to Christmas with his new girlfriend at her family's place in Colorado. And she winds up, the wife winds up falling in love with the, the new girlfriend's brother. And it's, it's really smart about divided families and about, you know, like, you know, how divorce can work and people being on the same page about stuff. Also kind of hot for a Hallmark movie. Like, there's a, there's a scene where the brother takes the, the ex wife to this, like this closed spa at night where like, you know, there's the steam coming out of the pools and it's like, okay, I see what we're doing here. Yeah. And then like, for the sort of heart tugging, more poignant one, there's one that I really like called Two Turtle Doves about a woman who's a like neuroscientist whose grandmother dies and leaves her house. And this is a trope you get a lot like, I'm leaving the house and I want you to do all of these Christmas things we used to do together before you decide whether or not to sell the house. So that's all kind of cool. But it's also about this, like, missing ornament, and it's also about the neuroscientist falling in love with the grandmother's lawyer, who is himself a widow. So they actually talk about grief in this movie, which is, again, for Hallmark. Like, they usually. There's a lot of dead spouses or relatives. They don't really get into the sadness that often, the melancholy that can permeate the holiday season when loved ones are no longer there. So I think that's handled really beautifully. And really, Nikki deloach and Michael Rady are the leads, and they give really great performances. So I like that one a lot. And then I think the best Hallmark holiday movie is actually a Hanukkah movie. It is a comedy starring Vic Michaelis called Round and Round. And it's kind of a Groundhog Day situation where she gets an enchanted dreidel and lives the seventh night of Hanukkah over and over again until she gets it right. And it's adorable and really funny and really smart. And even. Even my husband, Dave White, who hates Hallmark movies with every fiber of his being, will acknowledge that Round and Round is pretty terrific.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, my God. How can he hate them when you. When he. He's with you? I mean, this is crazy. Like, how do you. You manage that?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Luckily, he goes to bed early, so, you know, and during the holidays, he understands it's work, and he just has to, like, buck up and deal with it. But, yeah, he doesn't look. He doesn't play, like, you know, Japanese industrial noise metal around me. And I don't subject him to Hallmark Christmas movies. And it's how you make a marriage.

[Casey O'Brien]

That in and of itself sounds like the plot of a Hallmark Christmas. Oh, my God.

[Millie Decherico]

No kidding.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's so. Alonzo. Do you get the sense within the Hallmark Christmas movie, you know, fans and that whole culture are people going back and watching years pass? It just seems like there's such a large volume. Okay. Because it just seems like there's such a large volume of Hallmark movies. It's almost like sports, where it's like, you watch this season, you just have to focus on what's going on right now.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I'm inclined to say yes because on the Hallmark streaming service, when you go to their Christmas section, they have it broken down by year. So, like, if you want to revisit, say, the 2019 Countdown to Christmas lineup, Bam. It's all there. And so, I mean, there's alphabetical listings, there's listing by star, but there's also just the yearly thing. So, yeah, I think absolutely, they do go back and enjoy those. And there's definitely ones that are favorites that get talked up a lot, that come up in online chatter and stuff. And, you know, I'm about to go to Christmas Con in New Jersey, which is a very big deal where, like, all of the hall stars come. And a lot of the. The main thing that people go there for is to, like, do selfies and autographs from their favorite, you know, stars of these movies. But, you know, there's also other. There's panels and there's a cool market and other things going on as well. I will be selling and signing copies of my book. So, you know, from there, drop by the deck, the Hallmark book booth. I'll be there.

[Casey O'Brien]

Who are the big hall stars? Is that the term? Did I say that correctly?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yes, the hall star.

[Casey O'Brien]

Who are kind of the top ones that people would be excited to see at Christmas Con.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Tyler Hines, always a huge draw. Non Hallmark folks may know him as long Dick Dirks from Letterkenny.

[Casey O'Brien]

Got it.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

But he is definitely, I think, risen to the top of the pack there. But like Andrew Walker, Christopher Palaha, Wes Brown among the men. And then for the women, I would say, like, Lacy Chabert. No question, she is our queen. But like, Nikki DeLoach, Ashley Williams, Bethany Joy Lenz, and so, like, it's a mix of. You remember them from One Tree Hill, but also, like, just people who have worked steadily and, you know, a lot of them are Canadian because that's where most of these films are made. And to qualify for, like, the. All the tax breaks you get of shooting in Canada, like, one of the two leads has to be Canadian, which is why, like, if it's a Lacey Chabert movie, if it's a, you know, like, sitcom, American sitcom actress you remember fondly from the 90s, then her male lead is always going to be Canadian.

[Millie Decherico]

Okay.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh, I didn't realize.

[Millie Decherico]

Interesting. Wow. What a world. I got to get into this thing.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

It's a whole thing.

[Casey O'Brien]

It's time, Millie.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I got into them because. Well, partially because just when. When. When Trump went down the escalator for the first time and, like, kicked off that nightmare. I just. I needed to stop watching the news so much. And my. My friend William Bibbiani had. Was in a car accident in, like, late 2014 or 15. I forget when, but he was laid up on the Sofa and started watching these movies. He was like, you have to check them out. They are all about, like, these women who are obsessed with the business of business. Business. But then they learn to love Christmas.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, my gosh. So is there. What would you consider the most recent Christmas movie that is unequivocally classic? You know, on par with stuff like Miracle on 34th street or, you know, Charlie Brown Christmas or something like that? Something that would be. You could play it for 24 hours in a row and people would be invested.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Well, that's been a conversation of late. It came up a couple years ago when we have the 20th anniversary of ELF and Love, actually, and people were like, we haven't really had anything since then that has had that level of impact. And that's true, but I don't think it's because the movies aren't as good. I think it's just that we watch things differently. It's. You know, again, it's the same thing with the We Are the World conundrum. You know, I think everybody is so splintered on what they watch, and there's so many streaming outlets and so many places to see things that, you know, you don't get the same number of eyeballs on something at the same time. So even if you have, like, Ted Turner deciding, yes, we're going to show this movie for 24 hours, you know, the way that he did with A Christmas Story, I don't think that there's anybody's watching any one channel enough for 24 hours to sort of make that happen. So there have been a lot of terrific movies. I mean, last, like last year, we had not only Chris's, even Miller's Point, but also Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which I thought was quite lovely, and even the very silly red one, but, you know, I just. I think that the way that everything is so fragmented now, I mean, did you guys see the David Gordon Green comedy Nut Crackers starring Ben Stiller that premiered on Hulu last year after premiering at the. After being at the Toronto Film Festival? No, you probably never heard of it, you know, and it's just. That's what we're dealing with here. And so even, like the Netflix stuff, I feel like, is just part of this stew of options. And so. So, yeah, I. One could say yes, we haven't had a movie since Love actually an elf in 2003, you know, that. That really have. Have entered the canon in that way. But I think it's just because, again, the canon ain't what it used to Be in terms of anything adding to it, because everybody's diverted in a million directions.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

But it seems like there is sort of a Christmas. Movies have been a little bit more relegated to kind of, you know, streaming movie. It's not the big theatrical release movies.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I mean, there are some. But I think the strategy now is release them early enough so that they will be on streaming by actual Christmas. So, like last year, for example, Best Christmas Pageant Ever, you know, was a theatrical film. Lionsgate released it. It came out, but it came out in, like, October just to give it so that its window would be over in time for it to be on your home, you know, to be rented on Amazon or whatever for the actual holiday. Like, that's really the end point now. You know, Happiest season was supposed to be a theatrical release, but then Covid happened, and so it went to Hulu and did very well there, but it never really got its. Its due in theaters. Noel was going to be a theatrical release, and Disney was just launching Disney and trying to, like, sex that up. And they were like, no, we're just going to make it straight to streaming. So I think that streaming, you know, becomes this factor now that keeps movies from. That makes the theatrical life of a film sort of, you know, a little minor detail that they have to work through before where the real action is.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, the last movie I feel like that I was like, oh, this is a big Christmas movie. Come to theaters with big stars was Paul Feig's last Christmas in 2019. That sort of felt like, for me, kind of a bigger movie.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

But, yeah, that's a good example. But I think, you know, I think if he were making that movie now, like, it would. They would have. They would have released it at September or October to make sure that it was on Peacock, you know, in time for the Christmas season this year, there was a really lovely romantic comedy called the Baltimore Ons that opened in, like, the beginning of September so that it could now be on AMC plus, which is where you can watch it or you can rent it from, you know, Amazon or Apple or whatever. But, yeah, that's the end game now is being able to watch it from your couch.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, interesting.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Apparently, the only reason Redone got into theaters was because Dwayne Johnson saw Oppenheimer in imax, was like, hey, I want my movie to be this. And so it wound up. It was just going to be a Prime video exclusive, but then it got a theatrical run because he decided it needed one.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, boy.

[Casey O'Brien]

Is that right?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

No. And when I think of Red One. I think of Oppenheimer.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yes, definitely. Hand in hand. That's right. Are there any directors that you feel like could really. That are working now that could really tackle Christmas movie?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Well, I would give my back teeth for a Wes Anderson Christmas.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes. Right.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Make it happen on. I mean, like, think about it. Even, like a Wes Anderson animated movie, you know, like in the style of Fantastic Mr. Fox. He would. I think he would nail the visual sense of it and the. The. The Gestalt of Christmas so well, and it would fit perfectly in the kind of worlds that he creates, you know?

[Casey O'Brien]

Absolutely. A lot of his movies, too, are like Crowded House movies.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yes, definitely. You know, so. Yeah, I think that is waiting to happen.

[Casey O'Brien]

Good question.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I, you know, I think, like, a Baz Luhrmann Christmas musical would be really something to behold.

[Millie Decherico]

Amazing. Totally, totally.

[Casey O'Brien]

Maybe this is just because I'm watching Blossoms Shanghai on the Criterion Channel, but I feel like a Wong Kar Wai did.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Has he? Oh, heck, yeah.

[Casey O'Brien]

I feel like 2046 might have had some Christmas scene in there, but I feel like he could do a whole Christmas movie.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Oh, absolutely. Yeah. You know, I. I think, like. Like, I would love to see a Japanese director really do a movie about how they do Christmas in Japan, because that's its own. Its own thing. Like just the. The KFC aspect of it alone I find endlessly fascinating. Do you guys know about this?

[Casey O'Brien]

No.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

So apparently an enterprising KFC manager back in the 70s started this thing where he basically kind of floated this white lie that. That Americans ate fried chicken every Christmas. And he started this whole, like, Kentucky Christmas thing, you know, and like. Like had a Colonel Sanders that was dressed as Santa and gave out chicken at some event or whatever, and it just sort of snowballed from there. And now, like, it is this cornerstone of how Japanese people celebrate Christmas is that they pre. They pre order, mind you, their KFC dinner because, like, it is. It gets booked up and they. They. It can be really elaborate where, like, you bring home not just the bucket of chicken, but like a cake and a bottle of champagne. And, like, they do plates and toys and ornaments. Like, I've kind of been collecting some of those. Like, it's. It's this whole thing. And, you know, it's a country that's not particularly Christian, but they do, you know, enjoy other kind of, you know, trappings of Western culture and stuff. And so somehow KFC Christmas has become this legit phenomenon in Japan. I would love to see a movie about that.

[Millie Decherico]

Wow, that is fascinating. I had no idea. And I agree. I would love to see something like that about that. That's crazy. I. So can we talk a little bit about your book, please? Okay, so what. First of all, you mentioned that basically, you know, you originally wrote the book in 2010. So what was it? What was the impulse to maybe revisit it and to, you know, revise it and update it? Like, what was going through your head when you're like, oh, I should. You know, there's considerably more Christmas movies that have happened since 2010. So, you know, what, what do I do? I pick up this old book that I've written and add to it. Like, how did that process go?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Well, there's a couple things. I mean, from the moment it came out, new Christmas movies would come out. I would think, ah, ooh, I wish I. And so I was kind of cattle logging those in my head. And then not long after I published the original edition of this, TCM did their Christmas book. And then a few years later, they did a second edition. I thought, oh, you can do that. You can do a second edition. You can update the thing. It really hadn't occurred to me. And then all. But also, I had to get the first book across the finish line of earning royalties to, to do that. And so, you know, it, it, it. All of those things came together. I, I did manage to make that happen. And so, yeah, so I was able to, you know, go back to the drawing board and be like, hey, I would like to do this. And the publishers were, were down for it.

[Millie Decherico]

Amazing. I love the way that the book is structured because you kind of have, you kind of collect them by little genres, right?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah.

[Millie Decherico]

When you were coming up with those, I mean, clearly you had to have, you know, certain. There's certain, you know, tropes and things that come up time and time again. Like you have an entire chapter about, you know, Scrooge and then holiday horror. Was there other things that you felt like you wanted to, like, what is something like a trope or something that you're, like, really into that is kind of like, I don't know what you'd call it, a micro genre of the Christmas movie, but like something that you really like? Like.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Well, you know, what I was going for was this idea of whatever kind of movie you like it, it does butt up against Christmas somewhere.

[Millie Decherico]

Sure.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

You know, and. And so I wanted to have a thing where, you know, yes, if you are like a straight up traditional Christmas movie fan, like, those movies are in there. But if you're Also looking for, like, some different movies to show your children or different movies that are in the action genre or horror or whatever. Like, you know, there's something for you, there is something that will appeal to you that also fits under this umbrella of Christmas. And so, yeah, so that just sort of seemed like the best way to kind of divvy it up that way so that folks are like, okay, look, here are some comedies, here are some tearjerkers, you know, here are some movies that are absolutely not meant for children, you know, but that deal with the holidays or whatever. So yeah, I kind of, you know, yeah, there's a million different ways you can sort of parse these things out or look for recurring motifs or whatever, but that just seemed like a good way for people to kind of approach this if they, if they wanted to come at it from a particular angle rather than just sort of try to take it all in.

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah, yeah. Well, I have to say, I mean, my. Because my brain is crazy. I went immediately to the chapter of like the worst Christmas movies of all time because I was like, I have to see this. And I was blown away. I mean, I, you know, of course I knew about, about Santa Claus and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and you know, all these like classic terrible Christmas movies, but you had so many that I had never heard of. I was, I mean, I Damn near like 80% of the movies in that chapter. I'm like, I've never even heard of this, including this one. I don't, I, I don't even know if you're prepared to talk about this at all. But I have to bring it up. This one stuck out to me. It's a 1996 movie starring Hulk Hogan called Santa with Muscles.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yep.

[Millie Decherico]

Which is the funniest name for a movie. I don't know why I'm tickled by that, but it's. It. The poster looks so terrible and then you go through it and you're like, okay, who's in this movie? You know, Garrett Morris, Ed Begley Jr. Hulk Hogan. And then you're like, produced by Jordan Belfort.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Uh huh. The Wolf of Wall street himself.

[Millie Decherico]

So what, what do you, what do you know about this movie? I feel like I have to watch it.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah, it's bananas.

[Millie Decherico]

It is.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

You know, like the cinematic career of Hulk Hogan, really. It was all downhill from already starting in the Valley with, you know, no holds barred. But yeah, he plays like an obnoxious rich guy who gets conked on the head and comes to believe that he's Santa and he saves an orphanage that is that the evil scientist wants to tear down because it's got these weird crystals under it. Like it's, it's, it feels like 8 year olds hopped up on, on, on Nestle. Quick. Really just like went to town on this script. Young Mila Kunis is in it and she's one of the best things in it. Like she's already got star quality, but it, yeah, it, it is, is quite terrible.

[Millie Decherico]

It says that it's, it was only out for two weeks.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Okay. Came and went. And again, this, this is like after the sort of, you know, there was a moment where like New Line and people like that were trying to make Hulk Hogan movies like Suburban Commando or whatever. And this was, these are the indie years where it's, it's, he's still trying to make this happen. It's just not happening.

[Millie Decherico]

Wow. Well, that is rocketing to the top of my watch list. I've got to watch Santa with Muscles. Muscles. Is there anything in the book like that you would recommend that people check out at all? I mean, I know there's, it's so comprehensive, it's so complete. But like, I don't know, just something maybe along the lines of A saddle with Muscles, like some kind of hidden gem or oddity that just is kind of super interesting.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I mean, you know, there's a bunch, One of the ones that I, you know, the thing about this edition was not only is it that all the movies that came out in the last 15 years that I was finally able to add, but I am constantly learning, I'm constantly being exposed to films I didn't know about, to older movies. So like I'm, it's not like I, I, I, I, I'm never walking up to the table with. I know all of them. And every day, you know, like, it, it, it is periodically it's like, oh, this was completely under my radar. So one of my favorites that, that I included this time around that, that was new to me was a noir film called Blast of Science.

[Millie Decherico]

Yes, that's my film recommendation for the week. But anyway, continue from the early, yeah.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

From the early season.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's crazy. Millie wrote that down. That's amazing.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah, no, I'm late to the game on this one. Like Criterion put it out last year, it's out in the world, but I just missed it. And it's this wonderfully bleak and existential noir film about a hitman who goes to New York at Christmas time to do a job and encounters a woman that he, you Know, had been had loved years earlier when they were both in an orphanage. Yeah. It's one of the things that's so cool about it is I. The thing that I love about low budget movies in general is, you know, they're very often kind of shooting guerrilla style with no permits or whatever. So if you really want a sense of, like, what city streets looked like, you know, it's what I love about, like, early Godara films. If you want a sense of what, like, what bars in Paris or movie theaters looked like, you know, this movie will tell you because there's no set dressing. They just came and shot in front of the thing, ran off, you know, so it really gives you that flavor of 1959 Christmas in Manhattan. But also, it's so dark, this movie. It has this, like, Waldo Salt wrote this narration that Lionel Stander reads. It's all about, like, you were born into an inky violet blackness of nothing and will return there one day. You know, I can't even get it, but it's just like, it's so, like. And Christmasy, you know, why not?

[Millie Decherico]

Yeah. No, I think what of back when I was programming at tcm, I think one of my favorite holiday double features that I got to play is a double feature of the silent partner from 1978 and blast of Silence that we just talked about. So I was like, that's a little bleak duo for you.

[Casey O'Brien]

All right, as we wrap things up here, Millie, what are some of your favorite. You want to go say, your top three favorite Christmas movies of all time?

[Millie Decherico]

Time, yes.

[Casey O'Brien]

In no particular order.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, in no particular order. You don't want to do a rank.

[Casey O'Brien]

I don't know. You do you want to do a particular order?

[Millie Decherico]

I don't know. Do you? I feel like if we. If we do that, you really have to be, you know, you have to have a. You have to have your list intact and be prepared to defend it for the rest of time. Right.

[Casey O'Brien]

Yeah, I know. That's why I'm like, I'm afraid.

[Millie Decherico]

Well, okay, we won't rank it then. So we don't.

[Casey O'Brien]

Okay.

[Millie Decherico]

Have a Reddit post about us or anything.

[IBM Advertiser]

Sure.

[Millie Decherico]

So I will say, like, my top three. I feel like I mentioned two of them already. The Silent Partner from 1978.

[Casey O'Brien]

Great movie.

[Millie Decherico]

Have to put that. I just love Christopher Plummer, Santa Claus. Like, committing crimes. That just cracks me up. I will also pick because this is pure nostalgia for me from childhood, but also just maybe the most heartwarming. Like, if every time I watch this, I feel so Wonderful and amazing. But a Charlie Brown Christmas, anytime it comes on tv, I just go back to that little place, you know what I mean? And I'm just like, it makes me so happy. So I will always, it'll always be in the top three. And then I think my last one, my last one is one that I actually mentioned a couple episodes ago is something that I watched again. But all that heaven allows from 1955, because those kids are the worst gift givers ever. I hate her. I hate her kids. Jane Wyman's kids. And all that Heaven Allows are the worst ever. But the, you know, the general vibe of that movie too is so wintry and so, you know, I mean, like Ron Kirby and the snow and the deer and every. I mean, come on, you just gotta love it.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

So I just watched There's Always Tomorrow, which is another Douglas Cirque movie that the subtext is don't have Children.

[Casey O'Brien]

I love in all that Heaven Allows when they roll that TV in and her face is just like, kill me, kill me.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh my God, I wanted to punt those kids down the street. I was like, just go to college and never come back.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Back.

[Millie Decherico]

Casey, what about you? What is your.

[Casey O'Brien]

Oh my God, this is hard for me. I, you know, I do. I have such a soft spot for A Christmas story because. From 1983, because I'm a child of the Midwest. I'm a little blonde boy with blue eyes. I have two younger brothers. And I don't know, I just, this is a very kind of. It feels like a, a real Midwest Christmas movie. And I really just have such a. Such nostalgic feelings for it. I also, I Love Metropolitan from 1990, Whit Stillman's Metropolitan. I love, I love the Christmas movies that are kind of like party movies too, where it's like people, you know, you think of wintertime as people like staying indoors. But I like the ones where people are going to parties, hanging out with each other, you know, And I just think Metropolitan is so great. And then for my third one, then I'll do Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander. Their, their house. The, the Christmas house is so. It's just we, we try. My wife and I are always talking about, we're trying to emulate that, the way they decorate for Christmas in that movie. And we haven't quite gotten there yet, but someday. So I'll say those are my top three. But Alonzo, what about. What are some of your favorite all time Christmas movies?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Hard for me to narrow it down, but I'll say These are the three that I, I pretty much watch every year without fail. So I would say, I mean, it's a Wonderful Life, of course, you know, I'm an American and I'm not made of stone, as Isaac Mizrahi would say. But that's a movie I grew up on. And it's a ritual every year that we, you know, very often we'll go see it at a theater because in LA a lot of people will screen it. So that's always nice desk set, which I think I mentioned before, with Hepburn and Tracy. That's a movie that, that we just, we always make it a point to watch. And then I really like the 1970s Scrooge with Albert Finney. It's a Leslie, Leslie Brickus musical. I think it's just one of the best adaptations of the many that are out there. Turns out Chris Carol is the most adapted English language work of fiction. And there's more coming, you know, like both Ty west and Robert Eggers are apparently working on new ones, so. But yeah, I, I really like Scrooge a lot. Albert Finney is one of the few people that plays young Scrooge and older Scrooge. I like the song. So, yeah, it's worth checking out.

[Casey O'Brien]

Let's move on to employees picks where we give recommendations based off the theme of the episode. Millie, why don't you go first?

[Millie Decherico]

Okay. Well, I, I, I feel like now I should choose a different pick because we talked about Blast of Silence already, which I encourage everybody to watch as well. It's such a, a gritty, bleak Christmas fun film. I think I'm going to go. I mean this is really obvious, but hey, who gives a right? I'm gonna go. Black Christmas from 1974, the original know Bob Clark. I, hell yeah. Re watched that movie in the past like couple years and there is some legit scary moments in that movie. I, anything involving the closet with things in the closet I was like terrified about. And also I love that woman who plays the, what is she like the house woman? The house mother with her like drinking problem and hiding her booze in the toilet and everything. I mean, I just, just love that. And I love the outfits, I love Olivia Hussy sweaters. And I love all of the women in the movie. They're just so fun. And yeah, I mean it's like Christmas.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Horror film from the director of a Christmas.

[Millie Decherico]

Exactly. So that, that'll be my recommendation. What about you?

[Casey O'Brien]

I am going to, you know, I was going to recommend Eyes Wide Shut because I really Feel like that puts me in the Christmas mood. And I do think it's like. Like it. Like the story is a very, you know, a redemptive Christmas story. But I'm going to go. I'm going to say this movie that came out in 2019 called Feast of the Seven Fishes.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Oh, good one.

[Casey O'Brien]

Starring one of my favorite young actors right now, Skyler Gisondo. It's a good, nostalgic Christmas movie. It takes place in, I believe, West Virginia, in this kind of small city there. And it's this Italian family celebrating the Feast of the seven Fishes. And it's just like a really kind of heartwarming, fun movie about family and tradition. And, yeah, I really.

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It really.

[Casey O'Brien]

It really scratched that, you know, Christmas itch. So that's what. That's gonna be my wreck, Feast of the Seven Fishes. Alonzo, do you have a wreck?

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah, I mean, you know, that. That Feast of Seven Fishes is one of, I think, several really cool indies that we've gotten over the last few years. Like, you know, see you next Christmas and Yen Tan's 1985. My recommendation is going to be a movie called Christmas Again, and make sure it's the one with the comma in it or you're going to get a dumb Disney Channel movie. It stars Kentucker Audley as a guy who is working 12 hour shifts selling trees on the streets of New York City and is clearly, you know, having a rough time of it. But it's the Christmas season. There is the possibility of redemption and of, you know, a new love for him around the corner. It is. It is chilly and it is understated, but it's really beautiful. And a film I. I just love a whole lot. And it's screening on Canopy.

[Millie Decherico]

Oh, good, good. We love that.

[Casey O'Brien]

Excellent. Well, that's all we got. We're all done here. Alonzo, thank you so much for being on the show today. This was such a delight to get to talk to you.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

My great pleasure. I adore y', all, and I was so glad you invited me to come on.

[Millie Decherico]

Well, and, like, also, everybody go out if you haven't gotten it already. Or maybe you have the older version, the 2010 version. Get the revised and updated version of Alonzo's book. Have yourself a movie. Little Christmas and I. Again, it is the bible for Christmas movies. Honestly, like, you gotta. You can't. You got so much to watch just by flipping through it, and there's a lot of stuff in there that I didn't even think about. So it's an Incredible book, everybody. Check it out.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Yeah, there's like a hundred titles that weren't in the first edition. So you're. This is not just a do over. You'll be getting a lot more new stuff, even if you've got the the first go round. And hey, if you want to buy both of them, I won't.

[Millie Decherico]

Awesome.

[Casey O'Brien]

If you're a completionist, make sure you get both of them. And hey, this comes out. This episode comes out on December 16th.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Okay.

[Casey O'Brien]

Which means you have plenty of time to buy this as a Christmas gift for people.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Totally. And to start reading it yourself to gird yourself for the weeks ahead and for next year.

[Casey O'Brien]

That's right. Amazing. Well, thank you all for listening. If you want to write into our show, if you need film advice, if you need a recommendation, need help navigating a director's film, or you need a film gripe resolved, if you have a film regret, a gripe, or a consensual film grope, please write into dearMoviesExactlyRightMedia.com youm can also send us a voicemail and just record a voicemail on your phone, keep it under a minute and email it to dearMoviesExactlyRightMedia.com that's right.

[Millie Decherico]

Please follow us on our socials. We are at earmovies. I love you on Instagram and Facebook. And actually, I gotta say, if you wanna give us a Christmas present this year, follow our Instagram. I feel like every time I. Every time I force the issue, people actually follow. So we want you on our Instagram. That's where we're the most active. And there's a, you know, a little tight crew of people on there talking about the movies and stuff, which I love. And also we have letterboxd handles. I am at M. De Chirico and he is at Casey Lee o'.

[Casey O'Brien]

Brien.

[Millie Decherico]

And please listen to Dear Movies, I love you on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get podcasts. Rate and review the show. We really appreciate it. It really helps us. And that is all.

[Casey O'Brien]

Alonzo, where else can people find you? Because you are also a podcast fiend. You said you're recording six different podcasts today. I don't know if you heard that Millie before we started.

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Wow.

[Millie Decherico]

I didn't. I was late, so I did not hear that.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

It's December. You know, this is my life. You can hear me on Linoleum Knife, which I have hosted with my husband, Dave White for 15 years now, where we talk about new movies and also whose turn it is to do the dishes. I do the aforementioned Maximum film on the Maximum Fun Network with Kevin Avery and Drea Clark, Breakfast all Day with Christy Lemire, who is a great film critic. We do a YouTube show, but you can also hear it as a podcast. And I'm a regular contributor to the Deck, the Hallmark podcast as well. So yeah, you can hear me in all those places. I'm at a Doraldi on Bluesky, Alonzo Deraldi on Instagram, and the easiest person.

[Millie Decherico]

On earth to Google, Perfect.

[Casey O'Brien]

Millie. What are we watching next?

[Millie Decherico]

Oh boy, oh boy. So this is the last episode that we'll have before the holiday break and our. So this next episode will be in 2026, right?

[Casey O'Brien]

That's correct. We're going on a two week hiatus, people.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Happy New Year.

[Casey O'Brien]

Happy New Year.

[Millie Decherico]

It is a wonderful time. But we'll be back in 2026. We with. I guess this is kind of a tradition now because this is the second year we've done it. We are going to do our annual dry January episode where we talk about movies that have something to do with drinking. And we picked quite a movie about drinking, wouldn't you say?

[Casey O'Brien]

Hell yeah. I would say the definitive. Maybe not the definitive movie, but it's. Yeah, it's in the drinking movie hall of fame. I would say say. And that is with Nail and I from 1987. So you get to hear a lot of fun stuff, including. We actually already recorded this episode. So I know what's going to happen. But you, I can tease it. You'll get to hear all about my illustrious acting career and stay tuned for that.

[Millie Decherico]

And I already said in the episode that if he doesn't post a clip from his reel on our Instagram, I would walk away from. I would quit the podcast. So he is going to post it or else. So check that out.

[Casey O'Brien]

I will, I promise.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

I promise.

[Casey O'Brien]

Well, thank you everybody. This was wonderful. Merry Christmas to you all.

[Millie Decherico]

That's right. Happy holidays.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

Happy holidays, everybody.

[Casey O'Brien]

Happy holidays. Ho ho, ho.

[Millie Decherico]

This has been an exactly right production. Hosted by me, Millie de Cherico and produced by my co host, Casey o'. Brien.

[Casey O'Brien]

This episode was mixed by Tom Breyfogel. Our associate producer is Christina Chamberlain. Our guest booker is Patrick Cotner and our artwork is by Vanessa Lilac.

[Millie Decherico]

Our incredible theme music is by the best band in the entire world, the Softies.

[Casey O'Brien]

Thank you to our executive producers, Karen Kilgariff, Georgia Hardstark, Daniel Kramer and Millie de Cherico.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

We love, love you. Goodbye.

[Millie Decherico]

Be kind.

[Alonzo Duraldi]

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