144: Halloween Movies Actually: Monster House (feat. Christine Sellin)
Release Date: 10/05/2025
154: Valentine's Day Movies Actually: My Bloody Valentine (1981) - feat. Patrick Ripoll
Christmas Movies Actually
The second Valentine's Day Movies Actually episode takes a strong left turn from the warm and fuzzy feels of the Garry Marshall ensemble rom-com they covered a couple years ago. This time, Kerry and Collin are joined by their resident slasher movie expert, Patrick Ripoll, to discuss the 1981 cult classic, "My Bloody Valentine" (later remade in 2009). What makes this particular masked killer so distinct from the likes of Jason, Freddy, Michael, Ricky, Chucky, et al? Why was there never a sequel to this film when there was clearly a lot that could be done with it? How does the remake hold...
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153: A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025)
Christmas Movies Actually
The Jonas Brothers surprised Kerry and Collin with their charming holiday offering this past season that they decided to devote an entire episode to "A Very Jonas Christmas Movie." Please know that the hosts have little to no knowledge of the Brothers Jonas and their back-catalog, so be patient with the little that they do know. What exactly is figgy pudding (Andrea Martin wanted to know, so the question is being asked on her behalf)? Is Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Santa beard real or fake? Finally, if the Jonas Brothers returned for a version of A Christmas Carol, who would they play? And how...
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152: Nutcracker: The Motion Picture (1986)
Christmas Movies Actually
As always, Kerry and Collin begin the year taking a look at a Nutcracker movie. This one celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, so the festivities for it starts now! "Nutcracker: The Motion Picture" was a theatrically-released performance film with an added touch of storybook-like innovation and imagination from the one and only Maurice Sendak (author of Where the Wild Things Are). Does it successfully work as a piece of storytelling and staged performance? How does it compare to the similar 1993 version Starring Macauley Culkin? What exactly is PDIP? All these questions, plus a look at...
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151: Santa Claus: The Movie - 40th Anniversary (feat. Peter Sobczynski)
Christmas Movies Actually
Though beloved in England, the 1985 Salkind Production "Santa Claus: The Movie" never met its high expectations, either critically or at the box office. Film critic Peter Sobczynski returns to the show to break down why the movie doesn't really work, even though it's well cast and the production design is (mostly) quiet good. What went wrong? Just how much strategic product placement went into this? Is this a more or less dignified role for Dudley Moore than "Six Weeks"? How has Peter been traumatized by this particular movie? We get into all of that, as well as Peter's Christmas episode pick,...
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150: BONUS - New Christmas Movies Now Streaming
Christmas Movies Actually
Kerry and Collin have been keeping track of several new Christmas films and TV episodes that have been dropping over the last several weeks and give brief thoughts on each of them. This includes "A Very Jonas Christmas," "Jingle Bell Heist," "A Paw Patrol Christmas," "The Merchants of Joy," "Oh. What. Fun." and "Christmas Karma." They also have quick thoughts on the new "Silent Night, Deadly Night" remake, which will be talked about more in-depth in October of next year, per SNDN tradition. Kerry also talks about her new "cozy murder show" obsession, CBS's "Elsbeth," which aired a Christmas...
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149: Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (1964) / The Christmas Martian (1971) (feat. Dave Canfield)
Christmas Movies Actually
“Santa Claus Conquers The Martians” is often considered the Granddaddy of all bad Christmas films. A cheaply made kiddie flick from 1964, it is perhaps most well known for being the screen debut of a young Pia Zadora. Film critic Dave Canfield returns to the show to dissect the film’s notoriety, the filmmakers' misguided intentions and what makes this public domain favorite so special. They also discuss a lesser-known yuletide oddity for kids along the same lines, “The Christmas Martian.” A Canadian production made for television, it is made up of so many odd elements that don’t...
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148: The Ice Harvest - 20th Anniversary (feat. Nick Digilio)
Christmas Movies Actually
Last year, film critic Nick Digilio came onto the show to talk about the crime comedy "The Ref." This year, he returns to talk about a film that feels like a close cousin to that film, Harold Ramis' "The Ice Harvest," starring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Connie Nielsen and Oliver Platt. Like "The Ref," it is an underseen gem about criminals trying to get out of town on Christmas Eve, with too many obstacles--including family, cops and other criminals--getting in the way. What was it like to hang out with John Cusack when he lived in Chicago? Is this his best performance? How does this...
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147: A Merry Little Ex-Mas (2025)
Christmas Movies Actually
Every year, Netflix kicks off the Christmas movie season with a little trifle of a rom-com that stars an actress whose name used to be commonly above the title in past decades. This year, it's Alicia Silverstone's turn in the formulaic "A Merry Little Ex-Mas," a tension-less comedy in which a married couple call it quits on their marriage, but decide to stay together, more or less, through the holidays. Does the script give Silverstone anything to do? Should we all have two Christmas trees up in our houses in case one of them catches fire? How is it that a real-life father and son have no...
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146: Thanksgiving Movies Actually: Planes, Trains and Automobiles (feat. Ed Daly)
Christmas Movies Actually
Author Ed Daly (The Christmas Book) returns to talk about easily one of the most celebrated holiday movies ever, John Hughes' Thanksgiving classic "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." This movie was the career-changer for the late, great John Candy and this episode gets into the hows and whys of that turning point, as well as how the movie was ultimately saved in the editing (as many films often are, but here especially). Would you consider yourself more of a Neal or a Del? What is the most important deleted scene that could've been left in? Which country still rates the movie a PG-13 in spite of...
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145: Don't Open Till Christmas (1984) (feat. Patrick Ripoll)
Christmas Movies Actually
With all the Silent Night, Deadly Night films complete (or are they?), Kerry, Collin and their frequent guest at this time of year, Patick Ripoll, take a look at another slasher film from the same era, the less controversial, but just as violent Don't Open Till Christmas, directed by (kind-of) and starring Edward Purdom. There's not a whole lot that makes sense here, but that's what makes it so fun to dissect. Why is one character hanging up random strands of garland in random places in her apartment? Does the killer only want to kill male Santa Clauses in the area? What exactly is the...
info_outlineCollin and Kerry correct a mistake from last year by focusing on a movie that actually does take place during Halloween. Christine Sellin returns to talk about "Monster House," a subversive and hilarious animated from from 2006 that sneaks up on the viewer with a poignant story of love that durns dark and foreboding when you look back on it. Is this the best of the motion-capture animated films of this era? How does the animation hold up today? What was trick-or-treating like when you were a kid? Has it changed over the years?
All this, plus a Blu-ray Gift Exchange segment for both dog and cat lovers (and lion lovers, too).
Blu-rays covered:
Warner:
Criterion:
Lionsgate:
"Little House On the Prairie" - The Complete Series
Warner Archive:
Hollywood Legends of Horror Collection