The Mainlining Christmas Podcast
The Mainlining Christmas Podcast is available on Soundcloud, Stitcher, iTunes, or almost any podcast app.
Podcast Episode 5: Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?
In the final episode of 2018, we debate whether or not violent films like Die Hard should be considered "Christmas movies."
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Podcast Episode 4: Insert Cold War Joke Here
It's time for another full-length episode!
Why are Christmas spy movies abnormally good? Mainlining Christmas investigates.
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Mini Episode - The Christmas Chronicles Movie Review
Mainlining Christmas reviews the surprisingly good Netflix Original movie, The Christmas Chronicles, starring Kurt Russell.
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Mini Episode - The Grinch Movie Review
Mainlining Christmas tries to decide whether there's any merit to the new Grinch movie.
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Mini Episode - The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movie Review
Mainlining Christmas reviews the surreal new film, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.
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Episode 3: Kevin's Shadow
Just in time for Halloween, Mainlining Christmas explores one of Christmas's most infamous horror icons: Kevin McCallister.
Notes and Transcript available.
Episode 2: The Alien Christmas Spectacular
We're back! In the new episode, we explore how the holidays are celebrated among the stars, where no one can hear you sing Christmas carols.
Notes and Transcript available.
Episode 1: Back to the Yet to Come
In the first episode, secular holiday nerds Erin and Lindsay get a visit from their own Christmas future, along with a lesson on the true reason for the season (spoiler: it's time travel).
Notes and Transcript available.
I cannot wait to listen to your Episode 5. This was one of the major impetuses for me to start my own Christmas movie reviews (Diehard is the one people read the most as well). FTR, I'm a grudging "yes," on technicality, but no it is not in spirit. And sure as hell doesn't get to be in any Top 10s all time.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're enjoying these, though you might be waiting a while for future installments. We stopped making these when we had a kid. Maybe someday we'll have the time to restart them or do something similar, but for the time being it's just going to be the blog for a while.
ReplyDeleteCurious why you think Die Hard isn't a Christmas movie in spirit - its use of the holidays to lighten tone and connect with a symbolic renewal of family bonds is more or less the same approach taken by Hallmark Christmas movies. If I'm in generous mood, I might even argue coupling that with a "surviving the darkest night" story (essentially a modern update on the Christmas ghost story) equates to bringing together two of the quintessential Christmas narrative traditions. Throw in some light connections to A Christmas Carol, and you're left with something that feels awfully Christmasy to me.
Feels very 'post-War American Christmas movie Christmasy', that is, which is why while I think it's VERY much a Christmas movie in both definition and spirit, I find its holiday aspects less interesting than, say, First Blood, In Bruges, or The Proposition - all movies I'll argue have every bit the claim to the "Christmas movie" label as Die Hard but test our understanding of the meaning and breadth of the holidays in ways Die Hard (as much as I love it) just doesn't.