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Living With Madeley
"Living With Madeley" is a nostalgic TV based podcast that attempts to take a humorous look at some of the most weird, wonderful and woeful moments in UK television history.
Titled "Living With Madeley" as neither host can remember a week of their lives where Richard Madeley hasn't been on their screens, join Andrew and Liam as they take you on a journey to TV past.
Living With Madeley
The 12 Days of Madeley Episode 9 - Top 5 Christmas Films
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Ever found yourself fiercely debating whether 'Die Hard' is a Christmas film? Well, so did we on this holly-jolly edition of "Living with Madeley." Andreas and Liam toss aside regular programming, we dished out our top holiday film picks, wading through plot lines thicker than grandma’s eggnog. We even traverse down memory lane, reminiscing about those beloved cinema trips left indelible marks on our festive spirits.
Then, with the glee of a child on Christmas morning, Andreas and Leeroy discuss the myriad of takes on "A Christmas Carol." From the timeless Albert Finney rendition to the Muppets' whimsical portrayal, we debate the enduring charm these stories hold within our yuletide traditions.
Wrapping up our holiday cinematic sleigh ride, Andreas and I pondered over the peculiar tradition of films like more unusual film choices becoming Christmas fixtures. They might not have the classic trimmings, but they’ve nestled into the nooks of our festive watchlists. So, whether you’re in for the action-packed, the heart-tugging, or just a spoonful of Muppet mayhem, this episode is the perfect stocking stuffer. Tune in, and let's toast to the movies that light up our season as brightly as the star atop the tree.
Top Christmas Films
Speaker 1Living with Maidalee. Living with Maidalee. Living with Maidalee. Living with Maidalee. Living with Maidalee.
Speaker 2Welcome to episode 9 of the podcast Living with Maidalee. These are the 12 days of Maidalee, the festive specials. I am Leroy and I am joined by Andreas Higinson. Good evening, how are things. Marvelous, marvelous.
Speaker 3Marvelous.
Speaker 2Doing. We've bent the rules. We try to stay away from films generally in the main episodes, but festive films we're going to let ourselves do, but they've all been on TV. It's gone into it as a we've could be a brief on this. We're just going to have our top Christmas films that have all been on TV.
Speaker 3Yeah, they've all been on TV. Well, mine have. I presume yours have as well.
Speaker 2Yeah, definitely yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3Well, he's done it, doing a big fuck off intro. Do you want to just fucking get on? Get into it, mate. I'll let you start with your first one. I'm really struggle with this, as I'm sure you'll see, but anyway, you want your first one.
Speaker 2You're not a film man, are you Like my clothing? And he's seen like three films.
Speaker 3Yeah, and one of them's Heat. I don't know why he's seen as well, aren't they? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't know. I don't know. Over the years I've been thinking maybe I've got a bit of ADHD because he's linked with dyspraxia, which I don't know if I've mentioned before or any of that, I've got dyspraxia.
Speaker 2I think it's come up, yeah.
Speaker 3Yeah, and apparently it's linked with that, but I don't know how to struggle. I think I'm intimidated by two-hour films. I think like. But then again yesterday I watched an hour north documentary about wrestling. So I don't know, it's a weird one. I'm all to pin down.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, fair enough. Right, my first one. I'm going straight in. I'm going straight in hard. There's debate over whether it's a Christmas film. It absolutely is, and it's die hard. First of all, have you seen it? I suspect you have.
Speaker 3I haven't seen it, you haven't seen it. I've never seen it. Never seen Die Hard? No, none of the Die Hard's Well.
Speaker 2I know you haven't seen loads of films, but you still expect you to have seen like the sort of Essentials list. It stuns me every time you're in a class.
Speaker 3Is this an Essentials film? Yeah, definitely yeah, is it Die Hard? Yeah, it's brilliant, brute Bullis, and Not Sol Vestas alone. Oh, someone else's film, wesley Snipes.
Speaker 2No, no, no no.
Speaker 3Go for it.
Speaker 2Alan Rickman is the bad guy and he plays Hans Gruber, who's an absolutely brilliant character. German. They set out you sort of think they're terrorists and it's all a bit of a bluff. They're actually just stealing, they're just robbers. Hans Gruber is a fantastic character and he has got one of my favourite lines. I don't know if this is one of these Mandela things. That's not even in the film that I remember it. Maybe it was in a game or something, but I have to say you surprised me again, maclean. Oh, I've heard that line?
Speaker 3I've heard that line, yeah.
Speaker 2Probably heard it from me.
Speaker 3Yeah, you're surprised. Why am I running at you going around going? You surprised me again, maclean.
Speaker 2Yeah, well for you then, because everyone else listening, I'm guessing, does know the plot. But for you, a cop comes back home for Christmas to see his estranged wife. He ends up in the middle of a, I could say, sort of terrorist attack, slash, robbery, classic Christmas. In it he ends up without a shirt, walking on in broken glass Brilliant ending where he's got a gun taped to his back, which I've just ruined the twist for you. But I don't think you'll ever watch it. And yeah, the kids have started watching it even though they're far too young.
Speaker 3But we've said we might have to turn it down a bit because it's just one of these in it, because I'm talking at work saying I was struggling to get films for Christmas to this guy who's a big film buff, and then someone said, oh, you should have died on me. He said not a Christmas film, not a Christmas, do you know? Like when I don't know what, when Patty Stoot and odds. When you were doing the opposite just shaking his head really slow. They're going. Not a Christmas film, it's not a Christmas film.
Speaker 2It is. There's been debate about this. It absolutely is. It's set at Christmas. There's Christmas music in it. All the way through it starts with bells will be ringing. I think it's on a Christmas song, which you can't remember which one. Yeah, it definitely is, I mean. And yeah, the language in it is not appropriate for kids. So if you're going to let kids watch it, just be aware, because if this week I said someone kicked her in the ass and she also said she'd punch that asshole in his face Amazing.
Speaker 2So yeah just be careful if you've got young kids watching.
Speaker 3When it got off for Christmas. She'll be brandy.
Speaker 2Yeah. Yeah so that's my first one Like I suppose if you haven't seen it, it's not an awful what you can say about it. I would watch it over here. I think it's worth a watch this Christmas.
Speaker 3I don't know if I'm into action films. I've never seen any Lord of Rings. I think it is an action film, isn't it? Is it one of those against the clock films? Like what's his name, Jason Steeve? I can't stop fucking watching.
Speaker 2No, there's no countdown on it. He's trying to take them out. There's about 12 of them. He's taking them out one at a time. There's some really good characters in the. Yeah, I'm not gonna kind of go into too much detail. I hadn't done loads of research.
Speaker 3I'll be very, very much detail in man, because I can't remember that much. But yeah, what's data? Me's always one of them. Films like if I don't Fucking play the harmonica 24 hours a day, my heart's gonna explode. You know me, I don't like them. Well, that would be good actually.
Speaker 2There's no, there is no harmonica time in this node. It's fine. It does not have to play the harmonica in a set time.
Speaker 3Well, my first one is one. I imagine you my I don't know if you've got any list. I've asked you to pick ten on that because it gets me over a lot. This is home alone. Yeah, and this is one. This is the film of a say I've seen. It's the first thing I thought of when we talked about Christmas film the foot, maybe the only one that I can probably say I could probably give you a good overview of the story. So I'm alone. I'm sure people know my call. The cold came Joe Pesci and Marv. I don't know what actors call, we'll see called Marv.
Speaker 2We wrote like to a script we wanted to, didn't we? Somewhere I said I feel like Joe Pesci or Marv. Yeah, I don't know. Feel sorry for. Don't know his name.
Speaker 3Kevin because, like Kevin McAllister, he's gonna Christmas in abroad, somewhere I can't remember where, and then they leave him behind. They've gone, but they've got such a big family, like they've got a huge family.
Speaker 2It's like cousins and uncles and yet a flying to Paris for Christmas and he gets. He doesn't want to share the bed with the guys played by his brother actually.
Speaker 3You're such a disease.
Speaker 2Yeah, he ends up on his own in the attic and they leave him behind and he wishes his family would go away. And he wakes up and they've gone.
Speaker 3Yeah, they've all gone. And then he's mums on plane and she's Kevin. She's not saying Kevin, yeah, kevin.
Speaker 2Yeah, I knew you have this, but otherwise I would have. I think it's probably the best Christmas film. I think it works. Kids, grown-ups, it works. I watch it every year and it's great. I've watched every year since I was a kid. Yeah, we have really, really good. The soundtrack is absolutely fantastic, by the way.
Speaker 3Soundtrack to honest yeah.
Speaker 2I remember jingle ball, yeah, yeah, but there's like Did a little, don't don't. I don't know that what song that is. There's also Brilliant one where he's on his way back to get ready to set his traps, which is the yeah the carol singers. I can't remember how that goes now, Anyway yeah, so this is a film I really enjoy.
Speaker 3So Marvin Joe Pescher trying go, try and break into his house because they are aware on that he's on his own and they state out the pretend to be policemen.
Speaker 2At the start, they state out the area you know here's a way and they know what time is they've got on the lights and all this sort of stuff, but they don't bank on Kevin McAllister being there.
Speaker 3No, so give him a catalyst. I love that scene, you know, when he pretends he's got loads of guests in his house doing dancing and stuff.
Speaker 1Around.
Speaker 3And I like the bit where he One of his things, where he puts the toy cars on, you know, on the stairs and they're over flying back and smash their heads and then it's him in the at the end. You're you actually all. My mother, oh, my mom.
Speaker 2I guess couple mentions Marley in these films.
Discussion on Movies
Speaker 3Yeah, all my Marley comes in and yeah, you think he's a baddie, don't you throw out, and he's actually turns out to be a goodie. But yeah, genuinely a really, really, really good film. Watch it, probably when it came out, actually when it first was showing.
Speaker 2I'll say this. At the cinema at Crystal Peaks, my brother wanted to see Ducktales the movie, I think, so my dad came to watch this for me. My mom went and watch Scrooge, not Scrooge ducktales, and then when she? Came out. She was, you know, I'd say, not much good, and my dad said that was brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
Speaker 3Absolutely brilliant. Why have you seen Ducktales since?
Speaker 2Yes, all right, it's not there, it's not home alone level.
Speaker 3So that's my first layer.
Speaker 2I'm going to your number two good choice I am gonna go for. I nearly took this out because I Found out really recently it's not a Christmas film, but in my head it always has been, so I'm having it in. It's playing strains and automobiles.
Speaker 3I've seen it.
Speaker 2Yeah, written, produced and directed by John Hughes I thought I might have something to do with home alone, because he tends to use a lot of the same cast, and John Candy and Steve Martin are in this. You know what I mean, don't you, eddie? Yeah.
Speaker 3I've heard that of the who's who directs it.
Speaker 2John Hughes who does Uncle Buck and one of the national lampoon, and John candy and Steve Martin in my face.
Speaker 3So I do know those two. Yeah, written produced. Yeah, yeah, anyway, carry on. I've never seen it.
Speaker 2This is absolutely what they know. Of all the ones I picked Probably watch this. This is absolutely brilliant film.
Speaker 1Is it.
Speaker 2It's genuinely really funny, quite sort of moving at the end. Quite a quite a well-written story and it's brilliant because it is self-frustrating you watching these two guys try and get across the country and Everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Dell is the most irritating man who's played by John candy, but kind of.
Speaker 3I always get mixed up with John Belushi. Is that common? Is that just me?
Speaker 2Well, you probably aren't seeing any films with them in of you, so I might have been Blues Brothers. I've definitely had the soundtrack. Is that Jim Belushi? Though I think that's Jim Belushi.
Speaker 3What is he to? I didn't know there were two Belushi. It's genuinely didn't.
Speaker 2This is like a beginner's level of films.
Speaker 3I thought it was. John Belushi was the one who anger and we acroid all time.
Speaker 2What, what in Blues Brothers?
Speaker 3It's.
Speaker 2Jim, it's Jim Belushi, john Belushi, the one who does canine.
Speaker 3We're gonna play Peter Vigman and then he died and they made slimer as like tribute to him. I know that. I know my ghostbusters.
Speaker 2Slime as a tribute to him.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2What do you mean is a tribute to him?
Speaker 3No, I went on the Ghostbusters film, the 1984 Ghostbusters film. Slime is obviously character in it and he were based on one of the Belushi brothers. I've only just realized these two of them, but I don't know if it was John or Jim, I presume the one who died. Slime.
Speaker 2Come first. You tell me the film is before the cartoon. You insane.
Speaker 3You. This is the worst film thing ever. This, of course it was. Did you fit the cartoon?
Speaker 2before the film. Yeah, I'm sure I watched a cartoon as a kid before it came out the cinema.
Speaker 3Absolutely ridiculous. I'm laughing at you now. You've been laughing at me, but now you've the tide has turned. You've come to us, yeah.
Speaker 2It doesn't make sense. I just I don't know. I just I think, because maybe I saw the cartoon first, although I did go and see it. The cinema sauce.
Speaker 3Yeah, it was remark that slime. It was sort of like bluto in the film animal house not seeing it and and he was basically the ghost of us with a ghost of John Belushi.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's a thanksgiving film. I thought he was trying to get home for Christmas. All these years of being watching it, not paying attention it's actually Thanksgiving he's trying to get home for, which is obviously a big thing in the whole thing.
Speaker 1Yeah, yeah thanksgiving exactly.
Speaker 3I mean, I know like what it is essentially, but what's the difference?
Speaker 2We don't give presents. I think you just get together with friends and family and have a big meal and all sort of. I suppose it's that big of a community where people get together and not seeing each other for a long time.
Speaker 3Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 2Obviously it's not a big thing here, so I can't really explain it to you.
Speaker 3What's happy?
Speaker 2Hanukkah. What's happy Hanukkah? That's a.
Speaker 3Jewish one, isn't it?
Speaker 2Yeah, is it the festival of light? Is that Diwali? I don't know what we're doing here.
Speaker 3Honestly, I knew this would be a bit of a shambles for me, to be fair, because I don't know much about films, but this is our age. So far, go on.
Speaker 2That makes you think. By the way, hanukkah, have you seen what's the Friends bit?
Speaker 3Yeah boss, this is where I got it from.
Speaker 2yeah boss is a armadillo, is it? Joey and Monica, have a happy Hanukkah, and then you can't think of anything to run with Chandler. It says Merry Christmas, chandler, and I see you in a handler.
Speaker 3One of the finer moments for you, but not one of the finer moments.
Speaker 2Yeah again, I'm hoping everyone listening has seen it. If you haven't, definitely definitely go and watch Plays and Chains of Art Robiles Absolutely brilliant. Although it's Thanksgiving, not Christmas, that's the caveat.
Speaker 3I thought it was a black and white film when you said it. I'm getting mixed up with trains, planes and armadillos, aren't I? No, that's what you just said, bossy. Other one, hang on. There's another one, isn't there? You think it's Angbusters? Come on, it's a great, famous film. We're not marilling you A famous black and white film, blur, blur and blur like summit, summit and summit. Anyway, I'll think about it.
Speaker 2Well, I can only speak for myself. We have not been drinking before this. Can you confirm? No, it's only a quarter past four, just trying the first despair at all.
Speaker 3Trying the first despair Right. So I can black and white, though. My next one is 1951, and it's the Scrooge film. I was going to have Scrooge with Bill Moray, but I'm not sure if I've actually seen it all. I think I did as a kid but I couldn't be. But I have definitely seen this. Alice the Sims. Then this is let me just get it up because I'm not entirely sure yes, it is Alice the Sims. Alice the Sims.
Speaker 2I associate the Albert Finney one, but that's a bit later. I think that's the one I think of as the traditional Christmas.
Speaker 3Carol book. Oh, maybe I've got the wrong one then, because I'm thinking where's the one where he goes, you boy, what day is it? Is that this one? I think that is the one you're on about yeah.
Speaker 3Oh, that's the one I've seen a lot of. My mum's favourite ever Christmas film is she Hate. I'm going to have a wonderful life, by the way. I don't know if you're going to have that. Sorry for the spoiler, but I'm going to have that. But I can't remember a single thing about it, other than if we're going to commit suicide. So I couldn't really have that this one.
Speaker 2I've never seen it, I've heard it multiple times, but I've just started to see it. I have seen it. A guy who wants to kill himself and then he doesn't.
Speaker 3But this one I used to have to genuinely watch it every Christmas. I'd have to watch it when my mum she'd let all her Scrooges on blah, blah, blah. So I sort of know it, I must say off by heart, but I've seen it more than most other films. To be honest, it is really really good. It's obviously the Christmas Carol story, but I think it's really really well acted. I'm not going to go into the Christmas Carol story, everyone knows it. But yeah, real acting.
Speaker 2You can have the first line in that book, by the way, Christmas Carol.
Speaker 1You boy.
Speaker 2No, it's not you boy. The first sentence of the book. You boy? No, I can't how many times you say it. It's not going to be that you don't even say it like that you boy. The first line of the book is Marley was dead.
Speaker 3Marley was dead. I guess with one of yours, obviously the young Jacob Marley, I'll lose the other guy with the other Marley.
Speaker 2Ebenezer Scrooge.
Speaker 3Oh yeah, that's it, scrooge and Jacob Marley.
Speaker 2But I do like that You'll have to hook with that one, you might think about the other, marley, we'll tie into my next film. You've got to hold Gus straight into it, then Go on. So I've got a Christmas Carol, but I've got the Muppets version. I've not seen it. So 1992 and obviously the main, well, it's all the usual characters in it the Muppets, and Michael Cain is playing Ebenezer Scrooge, but in this one they've got the other kind of old guys that make jokes at everyone. In the Muppets, well, they play Marley and Marley, so there's two Marleys in this version.
Speaker 1Ah right.
Speaker 3No, I'm not saying that's not no. I think the only one I've seen Christmas Carol one is the Bill Murray one, but I can't remember anything about it other than I think you were in a coffin at one point and you were going to get burned. But that's not any better than a bit of a memory from it. I keep getting things from the Groundhog Day, that's not it.
Speaker 2No, it's not.
Speaker 3I've seen Groundhog Day, but go on.
Speaker 2So, yeah, there's some good songs in this. There's songs throughout this. It's a good one. If you want to watch Christmas Carol with the kids, it's probably a bit more lighthearted than some of the one you mentioned, or even the Finney version as well. This is the most watchable. I don't think it's all that long. To be honest, probably should have done that in my research, I don't know. Let's just say it's not all that long 86 minutes, see talking less than an hour and a half. So it's narrated by Gonzo and Rizzo the Rat. But what made me laugh is I didn't know this. I've just read it in the description. Apparently Gonzo is playing Charles Dickens, who wrote the book but then did not give him Rizzo characters. So it says the plot. On Christmas Eve in 19th century London, charles Dickens and his friend Rizzo addressed the hudians. Why have they made one Charles Dickens and left the other one as Rizzo the Rat?
Speaker 3I don't know that is bizarre. I mean, they gave him a piece. I do know the piece, obviously, but I never really got into it. I haven't shown here much Another massive in America. They're not as big here as they are in America, obviously.
Speaker 2No, I mean, I used to watch them fairly regularly. I don't know what on actually, I'm not sure.
Speaker 3I remember Sesame Street, obviously, that obviously massively came over here, but I don't remember the Muppets ever being on.
Speaker 2Yeah, I definitely used to watch it, but I don't know what it was on that I watched it.
Speaker 3As an insult, come from this? Obviously, they don't say anything, but you fucking map it. Is that from the Muppets? Is that like? I don't know, Because he came in quite a cool character.
Speaker 2Yeah, he's a bit of a smug. Quite really, I think he thinks it's a Miss. Piggy likes him, but he's not that bothered.
Speaker 3Miss Piggy likes him. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but anyway, sorry, yeah. So yeah, I don't know, it was a weird one with Muppets he never like actually, I know I couldn't really. I know Kermit, I know Miss Piggy, those two old guys who say, oh, that were rubbish. And Fosy Bear, is that another one?
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, yeah, fosy Bear, miss Piggy Animal, I think, played the drums.
Speaker 3Animal, yeah, the drums. So I don't know him, but I don't know if I've ever watched an episode of the Muppets. Weird, that Interesting.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's. Everyone knows his story. The three ghosts come to see him Christmas past, christmas present, christmas future and make him change his ways. And then he becomes kind and starts giving things away. You've got the tiny Tim is. Do you know the little frog? What's his name? The little, is it Kermit's nephew?
Speaker 3Yeah, I do know you mean that it's just basically Kermit, but smaller isn't it?
Speaker 2Yeah, he speaks with a higher voice like but yeah, wait, yeah Again. I'm not going to go into any detail. I enjoy it, I watch it every year and, yeah, it would be my top five.
Speaker 3A fan of Charles Dickens. Overall is a riot Because I've read a couple of his things.
Speaker 2I don't know what. I've read Probably this in a tale of two cities. Maybe that's the kind of given.
Speaker 3You know Rick Copperfield.
Speaker 2No.
Speaker 3I don't think so. It's alright, but you must have read all of his twists, Ah yeah, of course.
Speaker 2yeah, In Chuzzlewick, is that one of his?
Speaker 3I don't know, nicholas Nickelbears, I always like the names. Great expectations, that's another classic. Oh yeah, I might have read that, I'm not sure. Dickens, I wonder if it's like in I don't know 100 years time, when they're calling this podcast like the equivalent, today's equivalent, of Dickens. Right, my next one, 2003, so fairly recent, right. I have seen this, obviously, when we were discussing, oh, we should do a films episode, and we started listing films for each other and I said this one and I accidentally said that it was directed by Ian Curtis. It was obviously the Singer of Joy Division. It was sadly no longer with us. What I meant is Richard Curtis, obviously. Love, actually, is what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2I think you'd make a very different Christmas film today, shouldn't you?
Speaker 3No, I think it would. But I'm really confused by this and I purposely not done research genuinely for comedy reasons, because I didn't want to get this right, because this film is in my head, because I have seen it. I'm actually a young lady, actually once one Christmas, so Hugh Graham is a Prime Minister. Is that what I've got to try so far?
Speaker 2Well, I don't know, because I have seen it and I remember it so well. I think there's two, three of these type of films on there, all quite so.
Speaker 3Yeah, this is what I'm getting confused. So in my head this film you've granted Prime Minister, and he falls for Marty McCutcheon. Andrew Lincoln hates Keira Knightley and Keira Knightley like just don't understand why he hates her. But it turns out Andrew Lincoln loves her and he does that thing with the signs or whatever, and everyone knows like to me you are perfect at the end of the film and all that sort of stuff. This is where I get confused and pretty sure that this is not the one. Is it where it says I'm just a woman stood in front of a man saying I'd love you, out of that line? Is that a famous line?
Speaker 2Mmm, I don't think, ah no.
Speaker 3Is that Notting Hill? I think that might be Notting Hill. And what's the one with Rowan Atkinson in it, because he's not in? Is he in this? Yeah, it's usually in these sort of films, isn't it Rowan Atkinson?
Speaker 2Yeah, it might pop up somewhere, imagine that film connoisseur listening to this.
Speaker 3This is a great, justly bad thing, In fact. If I was really into music, if I was to two people talking about music like this, I'd be like furious.
Speaker 2Four years ago. You know, that's what he's in innit, is that?
Speaker 3Atkinson.
Speaker 2Yeah. Yeah, yeah, and he's in Johnny English, so that's two other films that are nothing to do with this.
Speaker 3yeah Well, I've got another one for you which I genuinely thought. Until I thought about what it's called the soundtrack. I thought Badler Drone Boy did the soundtrack, but that's about a boy because the soundtrack is called about a boy. So four films in a web, Four films in an in-kirr, is few, Amazing.
Speaker 2But yeah, I do remember. The bit I remember from Love Actually is Well, I imagine it's probably got nothing to do with it, but I imagine Martin McCutcheon singing Perfect Moment in it, which probably doesn't happen.
Speaker 3But I doubt it. Was that around this time, because she's like a maid or something.
Speaker 2It's she who gets with the Prime Minister.
Speaker 3Yeah, I think she's like, yeah, she's like lower in the rung and the Prime Minister falls for her. The thing that arrives with this film more than anything are the two things about Andrew Lincoln, actually Massively. You know how Andrew Lincoln smokes on the TV show Teachers he is the best smoker on TV, Smokes so aggressively like he's not enjoying it Brilliant.
Speaker 2Tommy Shelby might be better than Peaky Blinders, but yeah, yeah, maybe, maybe I've not seen it.
Discussion About Christmas Films
Speaker 3Yeah, human traffic is good in that as well. But the two bits here is obviously the bit where he's got the letters. You know when I always think that she comes to the door. Don't you think what if he either comes to the door with you and just said all right, mate, do you know what I mean.
Speaker 2Like what. He's got a different set of like cards for that. Can you go on and get her?
Speaker 3please, yeah, yeah, I just like. But I don't like that scene because at the end she gives him a kiss and you're like I'm gonna minute. You're fucking married to this other guy who I can't remember who it is. You know what I mean and I think that she's not a nice character. Who's trying to impress? He's trying to impress Kieran Eitely innit, Because all the way through.
Speaker 3He hates her, don't speak to her, but then he shows it. He's trying to impress. She gets older, she gets older footage of his wedding day. And this is really creepy. All he's filmed is her. Do you remember this bit?
Speaker 3No, but yeah, he's filming the wedding and everyone thinks he hates this Kieran Eitely character. And then she looks back at the film footage and she's there and she goes oh, they're all of me, and all he's filmed is her, which is very horrible and weird. It's his best mate, I think as well. And then obviously so then he goes yeah, you know what I mean, I love you and all that. So then he comes round and but then it's a sort of happy ending for everyone. But it's not, Because if you Not for original husband, what does what mean? But he doesn't know what's going on and she stays with him, but she gives him a nice big snog as well.
Speaker 2So the bit I remember, in this is some phenomenal acting, which is so Alan Rickman gets his second, so Hans Gruber gets his second marriage. And he goes to a department store and he goes off to buy oh, if he buys underwear or perfume or something and his wife sees him buying it and thinks like, oh, you know, they're kind of growing apart, but he's actually doing something really romantic for her. And then on Christmas Day she opens a present and it's not that it's something really dull Like, it's just some gloves or something.
Speaker 2So she knows he's bought that for another woman and she's seen someone else and her acting is absolutely amazing.
Speaker 3Oh God, that's great. I mean, you know you said that that. Yeah, that is yeah.
Speaker 2It's Emma Thompson and she kind of has to act if she's happy with the present. But you can kind of see she's devastated at the same time.
Speaker 1What would you say, Max?
Speaker 3Would you ruin Christmas on that day? Would you say what the fuck's going on? Jordy, I've just seen you buy a fucking Where's my underwear, where's my? Yeah, I mean, if you see her buying I don't know something, what would you? I don't know. Like I'm trying to think what you'd be really into. The best of Ireland, volume 4. And you think, oh God, yes, she's getting me out, that's great. And then she comes home and it's Christmas Day and all you're getting is a I don't know a chef-in-night-of-beer-mart, which I've just looked at beside of me. Yeah, would you ruin Christmas?
Speaker 2Yeah, probably yeah.
Speaker 3Yeah, Right, moving on. What's your next one?
Speaker 2Moving on Next one, so really recent, this one, 2011. I'm almost certain you won't have seen it because it's not a classic. Well, I think it is a classic. I think it's just about staying into that territory. Now, some might disagree. This is Arthur Christmas. Have you seen it?
Speaker 3Never seen it, never heard of it.
Speaker 2No, I'm, I am not, I was like. So this is a much more recent one. It's an animation and it's a slightly different take on the way it's done and the father Christmases and the elves and, but it's genuinely funny. If anyone's got young kids and thinking of watching a Christmas film, you might see the box and think, oh, it's just a kids' film. I went to see a cinema and laughed several times throughout. It is funny. Bill Nye plays Grandpa Santa. That doesn't sound great, several times.
Speaker 2You're buying the kids films. If you laughed out loud.
Speaker 3I thought you were going to say it like. I will laugh it all the way. I laughed several times.
Speaker 2Imagine that on a poster. I once went and watched my little Polly film and I didn't smile once in the two hours. So this is it's supposed to come in a Well, yeah, I think for kids, some of it was, I think.
Speaker 3Interesting.
Speaker 2Yeah, this is so. James McAvoy is Arthur Christmas, who's sort of the father Christmas's son. Grandpa Santa is still around. Who's James McAvoy, the Scottish guy who was in? How shameless. Yeah, yeah, I know you mean You've got Hugh Laurie from House who plays his brother, so he's Pete. I think it's Pete.
Speaker 3Famous little fellow from Fry and Laurie. We're not Hugh Laurie.
Speaker 2He was in that. Yeah, I'm just looking at. Ashley Jensen plays one of the elves, jim Broadbent plays the Santa and Bill Nye plays Grandpa Santa.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's a great voice cast and some really really funny bits in it and bits that sort of stand up as well, that it wasn't just because I was in the cinema and sort of trying to enjoy it. I've watched it back. We watch it every year and yeah, it's really really good. So probably not one for you, I would say. But if you've got like a young family and you wanted to watch a Christmas film, that it's going to be bearable, and not just Because what we put on last night we put on. We went to see a film called the Bad Guys which has got Sam Rockwell. It's about Anyway, they're like the robbers, but we watched the Christmas version of it last night, half an hour. It was one of the worst things I've ever seen it was so badly written.
Speaker 2The voices weren't right, the animation was poor, the story didn't make any sense Absolutely awful. So yeah, what I'm trying to say there's plenty of crap out there that you can watch with kids. If you want to watch a good film, watch Arthur Christmas. Do you ever watch these?
Speaker 3Channel 5 Christmas films. They're on like seemingly all the time. Every time I'm off on a site just before matches start, if I'm not at the game, I'll be flicking through the channels where if a game's to start, and there's always a Christmas film on Channel 5. It's always American, I think it's one of the hallmarks, I think of them sort of films.
Speaker 2It's always called something like A Princess for Christmas or the Prince Arrives on Christmas Day or something like that, and it's normally about, like I'd say, normally it's about a woman who lives a busy life in New York and doesn't have time for romance.
Speaker 3But then some guy comes under the he's going to get into the dating game, girls.
Speaker 2like someone will say, to her she'll go.
Speaker 3I'm too busy for that. I think I've got time for dating.
Speaker 2I'm so busy with my job.
Speaker 3And then a guy'll come up and say hey, I've just moved into the city. Do you want to go for a coffee? Well, I'm so busy I'm not sure. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I've probably seen all of them. Actually, I've seen all of them.
Speaker 2By the end of it it is her Christmas Prince. And yeah, I think it's a bit of a. I've not got any of them. Probably lots of them that you could put in. Yeah, yeah, I've probably seen a lot of them.
Christmas Films and Escape to Victory
Speaker 3Well, my next one. I'm really struggling here. As you can probably imagine, this isn't a Christmas film, but it's on TV every Christmas, so I'm hoping you accept it. Is that the card I? Think it's associated with Christmas? I think it's associated with Christmas. What?
Speaker 1do you?
Speaker 3think. Do you know what I mean, don't you, though? Like it's always on at Christmas. Yeah, yeah, I see you think so. Talksball said it's been on Christmas day every year for the past 25 years of going to the Sportsport.
Speaker 2Yeah, but Talksball. My pirate is on the stage.
Speaker 3It's that great escape innit. Yeah, this is Escape to Victorious, a different film, but yeah, this is something I've watched a lot.
Speaker 2because we've said before, I mean maybe Escape to Victorious this sliced the load.
Speaker 3Sliced the load. Yeah, michael McCain as well, and Bobby Moore's in it. I've gone through the cast, actually a bit. Was it the Idealizes?
Speaker 2I think, yeah, it was the Idealizes innit, I know what you mean Our class. This has been shown between Christmas and New Year maybe I don't know, but yeah, I can kind of see where you're coming from, I suppose.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, I'd like to say I'm struggling, but this does remind me of Christmas and I've seen this a lot because We've always said Christmas Day and stuff. Where I'm at, you think, oh yeah, it's Christmas, brilliant. When it gets to about four or five o'clock, it's pretty boring innit. Right Christmas, I think. You get up in the morning, you've got kids, obviously open your presents, I'll see family or whatever. Do you know what I mean? And you're like, oh yeah, maybe even go for a drink in the afternoon. It gets to like five or six o'clock and you're like it's fucking boring, innit. What do we do now? Pubs are normally shut. Kids are just playing with the toys. What is this to do? And this is when this is normally on stuff like this. But Escape to Victory if you don't know what it is, prisoner, it's a brilliant film. Do you like it?
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, it is a good film, yeah, prisoner, the Wall, basically yeah they're what's up in Germany and they're in a football game with the guards, is it, yeah, the?
Speaker 3prison guards versus the. Michael Cain is acting as manager, isn't he? Michael Cain is the captain. Actually he's the captain of the team. He's not the manager, but he is sort of the manager, but yeah. So basically the plan is they're going to play this game and, as they're playing this game, in the dressing room they're digging a tunnel to get out of the camp. But this is how outrageous it is. I think the fall and all down at one point. But one of the goals they had, a goal that were disallowed by a German referee, that shouldn't have been disallowed. So all the off time the tunnel's there and they're like, right, come on, we can get out, we can go. They actually want to go and play the game and get back into the match. They go back out and they get a nice 4-4 draw and then everyone invades the pitch and they leave the stage.
Speaker 2Yeah, they're brave to get away in their crowds, don't they? Yeah, they're so. Imagine that. Imagine if they didn't go out and they lost.
Speaker 3Yeah, it's like what a waste They've lost. And then someone has seen the tunnel. They know what's going on here. They've probably got like, realistically, they'd have been killed, wouldn't they? Someone has discovered it. I think Sly wants to go back out there. He's in there, and ain't Sly, captain Robert.
Speaker 2He's remembering like clapping a lot, bashing his hands together a lot.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's bad sort of choreography with this, but there's some really weird names in it. So for some reason, half the Ipswich team at the time like had guest roles, so you've got like Russell Osman and John Walker. There's loads of people like that. And then there's Mike Somerbey, Bobby Moore's obviously in it. Pelle Pelle is in it.
Speaker 3Oh, I've forgotten that Pelle is a song called. This is another good thing. Actually, we're on football cliches recently. I don't think you've seen it where it's like Are we on football cliches or were. It might be quickly covered. Anyway, there's a film and it features you remember Alex DeLalas, Big beard man, America.
Speaker 2No.
Speaker 3You're playing in I4Walkup anyway. And anyway, he's playing like this, this player in a film, and the Olsen twins are in it, and they point to him and say, oh my God, it's Alex DeLalas. Because who's he? Because he's under the best player since Pelle. So Pelle, yeah, but I think he's quickly covered. Actually, they go back to quickly covered and they go Alex DeLalas has seen this film. He's obviously gone along with that line and said yeah, yeah, yeah, I am the best player since Pelle. Do you know what I mean? Ridiculous, but anyway, that's it. Escape to victory 1981.
Speaker 2That's not the one at the end. Is it when he's getting on a bus and he says he says the wrong thing or he understands the wrong word or something? Is that? What's that?
Speaker 1one.
Speaker 2What do you?
Speaker 1remember.
Speaker 2Did he say something in German or in English, or yeah, I don't know what's the other one Great escape I might be taking that.
Speaker 2Anyway, my last one, come on. I debated quite a few for this last one. I really like Christmas Chronicles, which is a new one with Kurt Russell as Father Christmas. I quite like the Grinch. I won't mention it more than once he quite liked it. I'm not confident that I'm ever that bothered about it. It's a bit bummer, but it's true. So we get what's his old heads and watch Christmas films from there one night when they run up and what's become irregular is National Lampoon Christmas Feudation.
Speaker 1Oh yes.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3Have you seen this one? No, I've not seen any of the Lampoons. Actually, I know Chevy Chase's.
Speaker 2Yeah, Chevy Chase is in it. Yeah, it's good. It's kind of got these moments that you wait for these lines. They're kind of funny. You know what's coming. But yeah, there's some brilliant bits in it. He's getting more and more stressed out. He's expecting his bonus to come through. He wants to get to him with Paul. It doesn't and they've sent it to Charity or something in his name. Anyway, the end of kidnapping his boss, his brother-in-law, is absolutely fantastic in it. He was played by Randy Quaid, Another co-produced, written and co-produced by John Hughes. So I've got another John Hughes one in here.
Speaker 3Yeah, john Hughes boys.
Speaker 2And it's the Griswolds are the family. Yeah, it's a weird one, because I wouldn't necessarily say go watch it if you haven't seen it. I think it's a bit of its time. But I think if it's part of your sort of tradition then it is brilliant. But yeah, I don't know, I'm not entirely sure. First time I saw it I wasn't convinced on it. But I've seen it three or four times and I really like it now.
Speaker 3Yeah, fair play Is it worth watching. I mean, I am going to try and watch some films, but I'm really into YouTube Watching.
Speaker 2YouTube. Yeah, I've got into watching a lot of YouTube now in the evenings, rather than anything of any value really.
Christmas Films and "Masters of the Universe" Analysis
Speaker 3Well, my last one is actually something that I watched on YouTube recently, because you can get the full film on it. You're not going to like this 1987, bear with Me. It was released on the 26th of December. It's not going to be.
Speaker 2Gremlin or something like that, because I think that probably does count.
Speaker 3It's much better than the universe. It's what it's. He man, yeah, masses of the universe. So I saw this. Are you seriously putting that in as a Christmas film? I ain't seen any others. I've genuinely not seen any others.
Speaker 2I've gone through all the Christmas films. If you were to give someone a list of Christmas films to watch, you genuinely would put in a massive amount of the universe.
Speaker 3I'd have to because I've not seen the rest of them, so how?
Speaker 2long times, did you see it? Is there anything? Is it set at Christmas? Is there some sort of? Because I read Gremlins and I thought, no, gremlins is not a Christmas film, but actually it is set at Christmas. So I thought, yeah, I can kind of see that.
Speaker 3Now it's set in a turnier mate, it's not. Some of it is on Earth, though innit.
Speaker 2Some of it is on.
Speaker 3Earth right. I saw this in the Christmas holidays one year and this is my tenuous link to it. I know it's shit and I can't have proper things, but I do remember. When you mentioned Christmas films, I thought of this Because I thought I remember seeing this around Christmas.
Speaker 2I don't think anybody listening right, they might have guessed the other nine. Somebody. Somebody will have guessed one. I don't reckon anybody listening. If you are, I'll let us know. I thought I wonder if they're going to have Masters of the Universe. They do.
Speaker 3Yeah, I don't know what to say. I knew it had come out around Christmas. I honestly went through the top two of Christmas films. Sorry, what's your connection then? When did it come out? 26th of December, boxing Day, so just after Christmas, so again after Christmas, but around that period I watched this at the cinema. At Christmas, though, so I definitely remember that. I remember like I think I got must have got a ticket for it.
Speaker 2So technically it couldn't be further away from Christmas, then could it? We were after.
Speaker 3Christmas and he sat on a foreign land.
Speaker 2It was 365 days away from Christmas, yeah, but it's a fucking good film, mate.
Speaker 3Have you seen it? I think I saw it at the cinema.
Speaker 2Yeah, I don't associate it with Christmas, for me enough.
Speaker 3So the story is Courtney Cox and a boyfriend is on Earth Courtney Cox's. I'm doing this off the top of my head so I might get some from him. Courtney Cox's parents have died recently, but back on a tour. Yeah, skeletal was finally taken over Grey School and he's banished He-Man to Earth. So He-Man and teams up with Courtney Cox.
Speaker 2Well, where's it going? Because the keymaster I remember being a big part of this and you haven't mentioned him yet.
Speaker 3Yeah, I think he nicked one of the keys or something. Yeah, well, oh is it. Anyway, for the end of the Like you've done a Ross film review, I think he nicked a key, I think he got one at keys and then an evil one needs to get this key back. But anyway, but the whole film is basically just Skeletal is worth watching. Dolph Longdrum is fucking awful in it, barely speaking English in it. It's one of his first roles. I think it comes just after Rockay. But Skeletal.
Speaker 2Frank Langeller in this, we haven't played any- I've heard you doing loads of impressions of him. If I had one night in the pub you were doing this for so long, I think everyone just moved cheeks away from you, didn't they?
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, I put my sword up and did it to look like him as well. This is the finest piece of acting of all time. I am going to play a clip of it right here. This is when Skeletal is combining the powers of Grayskull with his own powers and the powers of the cosmos. This is the finest bit of acting ever yeah.
Speaker 1Ever the universe is power, you unstoppable power, and I am the force, I am the power. You live before your master. You are no longer a hill-cloth. I am more than man. I am more than man. I am more than man. I am more than man. I am more than man. I am more than man, more than life, life, life.
Speaker 3God, and it's interesting with that because it is a brilliant thing and he was just. He would play Shakespeare at the same time, richard III at the same time, so he plays Skeletal. I right, I've got to say I can the piss to a degree. This is not one of the best movies ever made or anything. I will stand by that. This is one of the best performances in film history and I've seen over 8 films, so I know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2Do you remember him being quite good in it? Is there some? Has he got something that plays musical notes to get him back there?
Speaker 3Yeah, they go into a music shop and they play some music notes to get back into Aterm here and stuff. It's all about Skeletal. There was going to be a sequel, but, cameron, do you remember Cameron films?
Speaker 2No.
Speaker 3He did the Superman films. I've seen a couple of them. I think Wait, christopher Reeve did, but Christopher Reeve I've seen it's a brilliant line. I don't remember, yeah, but they went both. So they were the very end of the films. Skeletal sticks his head out and says I'll be back. He never was before. There's always rooms that they're going to do a new master. This was supposed to actually be a new master. I thought it was going to rival Star Wars. I thought it would be like the 80s version of Star Wars.
Speaker 2But yeah, it wasn't.
Speaker 3It was a massive flop. What was?
Speaker 1Star Wars 80s.
Speaker 3I think it was 70s, I think it was 77. Star Wars, I think it came out same year as Nevermind the Bollocks. I don't know why I've associated those two. But yeah, so that's my. I genuinely am. I went through all the films, all the Christmas films. I don't know why, I don't know why.
Speaker 2I don't know why, I don't know why, I don't know why I thought we were going to have one, but we're actually going to do it as our final episode.
Speaker 3So, this is one that I would have had, but we'd already decided we were going to do it. We'll get straight onto that next week's episode. Sorry if you're a film buff. We've absolutely destroyed the film industry with that long. I don't know if it is a short film, it was on one of the lists that.
Speaker 2I looked forward to. It said Top 50 Christmas Films and it was on that list.
Speaker 3So somebody, somewhere, has defined it as a film I would have had this as one of my five, if we weren't already doing it. And it is the Snowman from is it 1984? I think 1984, the Snowman.
Speaker 2Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3We'll get your research next week. We'll have a more clue, we'll have a few years out yeah, raymond Briggs obviously wrote it and we're going to go through the story of the Snowman, which I think you've watched this quite a lot. I've not watched this for a long, long, long time and I'm really looking forward to it Because I remember it being fantastic.
Speaker 2I can't come out in 1982. Was that when the book was written? No, 1982.
Speaker 3British television animated film 1982.
Speaker 2Really, I thought I kind of thought we were seeing it with pressure eyes when it was, when we were so six or seven of those.
Speaker 3First time was on, but obviously not, it was written in 78, came out in 1982. Interesting, yeah, yeah, for the last six. Next one, like couple of days.
Speaker 2And that will be the last one you'll hear before Christmas. That should be our Christmas Eve, yeah, and then we have got a couple of episodes coming out between Christmas and New Year.
Speaker 3So we're not quite done yet. Yeah, we've got some ideas. We haven't actually got one idea, but probably. But yeah, thanks for that. Anyway, liam, I apologise for my lack of knowledge.
Speaker 2Thanks for your insight. I think we were equally poor, to be fair. So yeah, okay.
Speaker 1Let's do it again soon, yep, see you later.
Speaker 2If anyone wants to get in touch with those, send us anything by us on Twitter at livingwithmade1, or you can send us an email at livingwithmadelycom.