Christmas and Chill

The Family Man is a 2000 American romcom directed by Brett Ratner, from a screenplay by David Diamond and David Weissman. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni, with Jeremy Piven, Saul Rubinek, and Don Cheadle in supporting roles.

Today we watched Black Christmas, a 1974 Canadian slasher produced and directed by Bob Clark. The story follows a group of sorority sisters who receive threatening phone calls and are eventually stalked and murdered by a deranged killer during the Christmas season.

Today we watched Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean, the seventh episode of the British television series Mr. Bean. It was first broadcast as a Christmas special in December 1992. This episode also marks the last appearance of Mr. Bean's girlfriend in the original television series until reappearing on Mr. Bean: The Animated Series eleven years later.

Today we watched Happiest Season, a 2020 romantic comedy directed by Clea DuVall, from a screenplay written by DuVall and Mary Holland. With an ensemble cast consisting of Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Dan Levy, Mary Holland, Victor Garber, and Mary Steenburgen, the film follows a woman who struggles to come out to her conservative parents while she and her girlfriend visit them during Christmas. 

Today we watched Batman Returns, a 1992 film directed by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics character Batman. In Batman Returns, which is set at Christmas, Batman faces both the Penguin, while dealing with Max Shreck, a corrupt tycoon who allies with the Penguin to bring Gotham City under his control, and Catwoman, who seeks vengeance against Shreck.

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town is a 1970's stop motion television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The film stars the voices of Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney and tells the story of how Santa Claus and several Claus-related Christmas traditions came to be. It is based on the hit Christmas song "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"

Today we watched The Princess Switch, a 2018 American Christmas film directed by Mike Rohl The film starring Vanessa Hudgens is based on the ‘Parent Trap' formula, where two people who look identical run into one another and decide to switch places. 

Today we watched Klaus, a 2019 animated film produced for Netflix. The film starring J.K Simmons, Rashida Jones and Norm Macdonald, revolves around a postman stationed in an island town to the Far North who befriends a reclusive toymaker. Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcast

Well well well, we're back!Long time no speak - you look beautiful How's the family?We kick things off with the Vince Vaughn and Reece Witherspoon movie, Four Holidays. Also known as Four Christmases, this 2008 movie tells us the story of Brad and Kate, who despite their best efforts, are forced to visit all their families for the holidays in one day.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcat

It's the end of Season 1 and we're going out with a bang! Join us as we hand out awards, have a laugh, and talk all things Christmas for the last time.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Join us as we go one on one in this post Christmas trivia special to find out who paid the most attention during the season, who really does love Christmas, and who is the Christmas Champion for 2020!Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

And finally, we're looking at Love Actually, a 2003 Christmas-themed romantic comedy written and directed by Richard Curtis. It features an ensemble cast, composed predominantly of British actors. Mostly filmed on location in London, the screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as the tales progress. The story begins five weeks before Christmas and is played out in a weekly countdown until the holiday, followed by an epilogue that takes place one month later.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at The Night Before a 2015 American Christmas comedy stoner film directed by Jonathan Levine. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie as three childhood friends who annually reunite on Christmas Eve in search of the best party in New York City. Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at The Night Before a 2015 American Christmas comedy stoner film directed by Jonathan Levine. The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie as three childhood friends who annually reunite on Christmas Eve in search of the best party in New York City. Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at Last Christmas a 2019 romantic comedy directed by Paul Feig and written by Bryony Kimmings and Emma Thompson. Based on the song of the same name, and inspired by the music of George Michael, the film stars Emilia Clarke as a disillusioned Christmas store worker who forms a relationship with a mysterious man and begins to fall for himFollow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at Frosty the Snowman, a 1969 animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The special first aired on December 7, 1969, on the CBS television network and has aired annually for the network's Christmas and holiday season every year since. The story follows a group of school children who build a snowman called Frosty and place a magic hat on his head, which makes him come to life with enchanted power. Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at The Santa Clause Trilogy, a series of comedy films starring Tim Allen. After he accidentally causes the death of a man in a Santa suit, Scott and his son are magically transported to the North Pole, where an elf explains that Scott must take Santa's place before the next Christmas arrives. Over the span of the trilogy, we follow along as Scott embraces the new, permanent role he has as Santa Claus.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at Fred Claus a 2007 comedy directed by David Dobkin,  It is loosely based on the poem "A legend of Santa and his brother Fred" written by Donald Henkel. The plot begins When Fred's criminal ways finally land him in big trouble, his brother Santa Claus bails him out and brings him to the North Pole to work off the debt by making toys. Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at A Charlie Brown Christmas a 1965 animated television special, and is the first TV special based on the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. The program made its debut on CBS on December 9, 1965. In this special, Charlie Brown finds himself depressed despite the onset of the cheerful holiday season. Lucy suggests he direct a neighborhood Christmas play, but his best efforts are ignored and mocked by his peers. Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at Christmas with the Kranks a 2004 American Christmas comedy based on the 2001 novel Skipping Christmas by John Grisham. It was directed by Joe Roth and  written and produced by Chris Columbus. The film tells of a couple who decide to skip Christmas one year since their daughter is away, much to the chagrin of their neighbors until their daughter decides to come home at the last minute. Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at Jingle All the Way a 1996 family comedy film directed by Brian Levant. Inspired by real-life Christmas toy sell-outs for such items as Cabbage Patch Kids, the film was written by Randy Kornfield. The ploy follows two rival fathers, both desperately trying to purchase a Turbo-Man action figure for their respective sons on a last-minute shopping spree on Christmas Eve. Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at Miracle on 34th Street, a 1947 comedy-drama released by 20th Century Fox, written and directed by George Seaton and based on a story by Valentine Davies. The story takes place between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day in New York City, and focuses on the effect of a department store Santa Claus who claims to be the real Santa. The film has become a perennial Christmas favorite.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at Nativity! 2: Danger in the Manger a 2012 British improvised comedy written and directed by Debbie Isitt. The film focus on Donald Peterson, a easily scared junior school teacher, who embarks on a wild and heart warming adventure with his class and teaching assistant, as they travel to Wales to perform in a Christmas singing competition.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at The Nightmare Before Christmas a 1993 stop-motion animated musical directed by Henry Selick and produced and conceived by Tim Burton. The story originated in a poem written by Burton in 1982 while he was working as an animator at Disney. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, the King of "Halloween Town" who stumbles through a portal to "Christmas Town" and becomes obsessed with celebrating the holiday. Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, a 1989 family comedy. it is the third instalment in National Lampoon's Vacation film series, and was written by John Hughes, based on his short story in National Lampoon magazine. The plot follows Clark Griswold, who wants to have a perfect family Christmas, However, things go awry quickly with an unexpected visit from his family.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at Daddy's Home 2, a 2017 Christmas comedy directed by Sean Anders. A sequel to Daddy's Home (2015), it stars Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. The plot follows now-reformed fathers Brad and Dusty co-parenting Dusty's kids, who have to deal with their own fathers visiting for the holidays.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill

Today we're looking at Elf, a 2003 American Christmas comedy directed by Jon Favreau, starring Will Ferrell. The film centers on Buddy, a human who was adopted and raised by Santa's elves. He learns about this and heads to New York City to meet his biological father while also spreading Christmas cheer to a world full of cynics.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at I'll Be Home for Christmas, a 1998 family comedy film directed by Arlene Sanford. The plot follows a college student who order to win his father's Porsche, must make it from his campus in Los Angeles, California to his family's home in Larchmont, New York in time for Christmas dinnerFollow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at Nativity!, a 2009 British Christmas musical comedy directed by Debbie Isitt. The film was written by Isitt, but was also partially improvised. The plot follows A British schoolteacher who must find a way to bring his former lover who is a Hollywood producer, back to London to film his class's Nativity playFollow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at It's a Wonderful Life, a 1946 American Christmas fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet The Greatest Gift, published in 1943. The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man who has given up his dreams to help others, and whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, who shows George how he touched the lives of others and how different life would be for his wife and his community if he had not been born.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at Home Alone 1 and 2, a series of American Christmas family comedy films created by John Hughes. The first film follows Kevin an eight-year-old boy, who must defend his home from two burglars after his family accidentally leave him behind on their vacation. The second film once again follows Kevin now a 10-year-old boy, who must fend off the same burglars after he is again separated from his family on their Christmas vacation.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastWe now have Facebook as well! You can like us hereGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at Deck the Halls, a 2006 American Christmas comedy directed by John Whitesell. The film follows a battle of one-upmanship between new neighbours buddy and steve that threatens to drag the everyones Christmas spirit through the slush.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at The Muppet Christmas Carol, a 1992 musical comedy directed by Brian Henson. This is the fourth theatrical film in The Muppets franchise, and was the first film to be produced following the death of Muppets creator Jim Henson. Although artistic license is taken to suit the aesthetic of the Muppets, The Muppet Christmas Carol otherwise follows the original story of a christmas carol written by Charles Dickens'Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we''re looking at The Polar Express, a stunning computer-animated film co-written and directed by Robert Zemeckis, and is based on the 1985 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. The film tells the story of a young boy who, on Christmas Eve, sees a mysterious train bound for the North Pole and is invited aboard by its conductor. The boy joins several other children as they embark on a journey to visit Santa Claus preparing for Christmas.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com

Today we're looking at How the Grinch Stole Christmas! a 1966 television special directed and co-produced by Chuck Jones of Looney Toons fame. It is based on the 1957 children's book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, which tells the story of the Grinch trying to take away Christmas from the townsfolk of Whoville below his mountain hideaway. Originally telecast in the United States on December 18, 1966, How the Grinch Stole Christmas went on to become and still is, a perennial holiday special.Follow us on Instagram: christmasandchillpodcastGot a question? Contact our mailbag at mailbag.christmasandchill@gmail.com