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.
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.
Living with Maidalee. Living with Maidalee. Living with Maidalee. Living with Maidalee. Living with Maidalee.
Speaker 2:Welcome 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 3:Marvelous.
Speaker 2:Doing. 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 3:Yeah, they've all been on TV. Well, mine have. I presume yours have as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, 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 2:You're not a film man, are you Like my clothing? And he's seen like three films.
Speaker 3:Yeah, 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 2:I think it's come up, yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, 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 2:Yeah, 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 3:I 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 2:I 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 3:Is 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 2:No, no, no no.
Speaker 3:Go for it.
Speaker 2:Alan 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 3:I've heard that line, yeah.
Speaker 2:Probably heard it from me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you're surprised. Why am I running at you going around going? You surprised me again, maclean.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 3:But 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 2:It 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 2:So yeah just be careful if you've got young kids watching.
Speaker 3:When it got off for Christmas. She'll be brandy.
Speaker 2:Yeah. 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 3:I 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 2:No, 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 3:I'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 2:There'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 3:Well, 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 2:We 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 3:Kevin 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 2:It'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 3:You're such a disease.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 3:Yeah, they've all gone. And then he's mums on plane and she's Kevin. She's not saying Kevin, yeah, kevin.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 3:Soundtrack to honest yeah.
Speaker 2:I 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 3:So 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 2:At 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 3:No, 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 1:Around.
Speaker 3:And 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 2:I guess couple mentions Marley in these films.
Speaker 3:Yeah, 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 2:I'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 3:Absolutely brilliant. Why have you seen Ducktales since?
Speaker 2:Yes, all right, it's not there, it's not home alone level.
Speaker 3:So that's my first layer.
Speaker 2:I'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 3:I've seen it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 3:I've heard that of the who's who directs it.
Speaker 2:John Hughes who does Uncle Buck and one of the national lampoon, and John candy and Steve Martin in my face.
Speaker 3:So I do know those two. Yeah, written produced. Yeah, yeah, anyway, carry on. I've never seen it.
Speaker 2:This is absolutely what they know. Of all the ones I picked Probably watch this. This is absolutely brilliant film.
Speaker 1:Is it.
Speaker 2:It'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 3:I always get mixed up with John Belushi. Is that common? Is that just me?
Speaker 2:Well, 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 3:What is he to? I didn't know there were two Belushi. It's genuinely didn't.
Speaker 2:This is like a beginner's level of films.
Speaker 3:I thought it was. John Belushi was the one who anger and we acroid all time.
Speaker 2:What, what in Blues Brothers?
Speaker 3:It's.
Speaker 2:Jim, it's Jim Belushi, john Belushi, the one who does canine.
Speaker 3:We'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 2:Slime as a tribute to him.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:What do you mean is a tribute to him?
Speaker 3:No, 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 2:Come first. You tell me the film is before the cartoon. You insane.
Speaker 3:You. This is the worst film thing ever. This, of course it was. Did you fit the cartoon?
Speaker 2:before the film. Yeah, I'm sure I watched a cartoon as a kid before it came out the cinema.
Speaker 3:Absolutely 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 2:It 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 3:Yeah, 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 2:Yeah, 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 1:Yeah, yeah thanksgiving exactly.
Speaker 3:I mean, I know like what it is essentially, but what's the difference?
Speaker 2:We 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 3:Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 2:Obviously it's not a big thing here, so I can't really explain it to you.
Speaker 3:What's happy?
Speaker 2:Hanukkah. What's happy Hanukkah? That's a.
Speaker 3:Jewish one, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, is it the festival of light? Is that Diwali? I don't know what we're doing here.
Speaker 3:Honestly, 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 2:That makes you think. By the way, hanukkah, have you seen what's the Friends bit?
Speaker 3:Yeah boss, this is where I got it from.
Speaker 2:yeah 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 3:One of the finer moments for you, but not one of the finer moments.
Speaker 2:Yeah 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 3:I 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 2:Well, 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 3:Trying 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 2:I 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 3:Carol 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 3:Oh, 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 2:I'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 3:But 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 2:You can have the first line in that book, by the way, Christmas Carol.
Speaker 1:You boy.
Speaker 2:No, 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 3:Marley was dead. I guess with one of yours, obviously the young Jacob Marley, I'll lose the other guy with the other Marley.
Speaker 2:Ebenezer Scrooge.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, that's it, scrooge and Jacob Marley.
Speaker 2:But 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 1:Ah right.
Speaker 3:No, 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 2:No, it's not.
Speaker 3:I've seen Groundhog Day, but go on.
Speaker 2:So, 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 3:I 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 2:No, I mean, I used to watch them fairly regularly. I don't know what on actually, I'm not sure.
Speaker 3:I remember Sesame Street, obviously, that obviously massively came over here, but I don't remember the Muppets ever being on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I definitely used to watch it, but I don't know what it was on that I watched it.
Speaker 3:As 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 2:Yeah, 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 3:Miss 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 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah, fosy Bear, miss Piggy Animal, I think, played the drums.
Speaker 3:Animal, 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 2:Yeah, 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 3:Yeah, I do know you mean that it's just basically Kermit, but smaller isn't it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 3:A fan of Charles Dickens. Overall is a riot Because I've read a couple of his things.
Speaker 2:I don't know what. I've read Probably this in a tale of two cities. Maybe that's the kind of given.
Speaker 3:You know Rick Copperfield.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 3:I don't think so. It's alright, but you must have read all of his twists, Ah yeah, of course.
Speaker 2:yeah, In Chuzzlewick, is that one of his?
Speaker 3:I 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 2:I think you'd make a very different Christmas film today, shouldn't you?
Speaker 3:No, 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 2:Well, 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 3:Yeah, 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 2:Mmm, I don't think, ah no.
Speaker 3:Is 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 2:Yeah, it might pop up somewhere, imagine that film connoisseur listening to this.
Speaker 3:This 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 2:Four years ago. You know, that's what he's in innit, is that?
Speaker 3:Atkinson.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah, yeah, and he's in Johnny English, so that's two other films that are nothing to do with this.
Speaker 3:yeah 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 2:But 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 3:But I doubt it. Was that around this time, because she's like a maid or something.
Speaker 2:It's she who gets with the Prime Minister.
Speaker 3:Yeah, 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 2:Tommy Shelby might be better than Peaky Blinders, but yeah, yeah, maybe, maybe I've not seen it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, 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 2:Like what. He's got a different set of like cards for that. Can you go on and get her?
Speaker 3:please, 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 3:He 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 3:No, 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 2:So 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 2:So she knows he's bought that for another woman and she's seen someone else and her acting is absolutely amazing.
Speaker 3:Oh God, that's great. I mean, you know you said that that. Yeah, that is yeah.
Speaker 2:It'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 1:What would you say, Max?
Speaker 3:Would 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 2:Yeah, probably yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Right, moving on. What's your next one?
Speaker 2:Moving 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 3:Never seen it, never heard of it.
Speaker 2:No, 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 2:You're buying the kids films. If you laughed out loud.
Speaker 3:I thought you were going to say it like. I will laugh it all the way. I laughed several times.
Speaker 2:Imagine 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 3:Interesting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 3:Famous little fellow from Fry and Laurie. We're not Hugh Laurie.
Speaker 2:He 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 2:Yeah, 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 2:The 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 3:Channel 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 2:It'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 3:But then some guy comes under the he's going to get into the dating game, girls.
Speaker 2:like someone will say, to her she'll go.
Speaker 3:I'm too busy for that. I think I've got time for dating.
Speaker 2:I'm so busy with my job.
Speaker 3:And 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 2:By 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.
Speaker 3:Well, 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 1:do you?
Speaker 3:think. 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 2:Yeah, but Talksball. My pirate is on the stage.
Speaker 3:It'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 2:because we've said before, I mean maybe Escape to Victorious this sliced the load.
Speaker 3:Sliced 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 2:I 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 3:Yeah, 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 2:Yeah, 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 3:prison 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 2:Yeah, 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 3:Yeah, 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 2:He's remembering like clapping a lot, bashing his hands together a lot.
Speaker 3:Yeah, 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 3:Oh, 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 2:No.
Speaker 3:You'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 2:That'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 1:one.
Speaker 2:What do you?
Speaker 1:remember.
Speaker 2:Did 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 2:Anyway, 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 1:Oh yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Have you seen this one? No, I've not seen any of the Lampoons. Actually, I know Chevy Chase's.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 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 3:Yeah, john Hughes boys.
Speaker 2:And 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 3:Yeah, 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 2:YouTube. Yeah, I've got into watching a lot of YouTube now in the evenings, rather than anything of any value really.
Speaker 3:Well, 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 2:Gremlin or something like that, because I think that probably does count.
Speaker 3:It'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 2:I'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 3:I'd have to because I've not seen the rest of them, so how?
Speaker 2:long 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 3:Now it's set in a turnier mate, it's not. Some of it is on Earth, though innit.
Speaker 2:Some of it is on.
Speaker 3:Earth 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 2:I 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 3:Yeah, 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 2:So technically it couldn't be further away from Christmas, then could it? We were after.
Speaker 3:Christmas and he sat on a foreign land.
Speaker 2:It was 365 days away from Christmas, yeah, but it's a fucking good film, mate.
Speaker 3:Have you seen it? I think I saw it at the cinema.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't associate it with Christmas, for me enough.
Speaker 3:So 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 2:Well, where's it going? Because the keymaster I remember being a big part of this and you haven't mentioned him yet.
Speaker 3:Yeah, 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 2:Frank 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 3:Yeah, 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 1:Ever 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 3:God, 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 2:Do 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 3:Yeah, 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 2:No.
Speaker 3:He 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 2:But yeah, it wasn't.
Speaker 3:It was a massive flop. What was?
Speaker 1:Star Wars 80s.
Speaker 3:I 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 2:I 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 3:So, 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 2:I looked forward to. It said Top 50 Christmas Films and it was on that list.
Speaker 3:So 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 2:Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 3:We'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 2:I can't come out in 1982. Was that when the book was written? No, 1982.
Speaker 3:British television animated film 1982.
Speaker 2:Really, 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 3:First 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 2:And 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 3:So 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 2:Thanks for your insight. I think we were equally poor, to be fair. So yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:Let's do it again soon, yep, see you later.
Speaker 2:If 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.