Klaus (2016) Reprints Klaus #1-7 Written by Grant Morrison Art by Dan Mora So many origin stories have attempted to explain Santa Claus’s roots. I just reviewed a middling Netflix animated film a few weeks ago, also titled Klaus, that provided its own explanation. I’ve always been a fan of writer Grant Morrison and their genre-reinventing work in comics. From devouring their run on JLA in the 1990s to going back through their catalog to read Animal Man and more modern work, like Seven Soldiers and Morrison’s extremely engrossing Batman work, I am a fan. Not an uncritical one, though. Some of ..read more

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977) Written by Jerry Juhl and Paul Williams Directed by Jim Henson There is nothing else quite like the Muppets. Growing up in the 1980s & 90s, the Muppets were a constant presence in the media. Sesame Street lives on, and everyone knows who Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the rest are, but the Muppets and Jim Henson were more than that. You had films like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. There were shows as different as The Muppet Show, Muppet Babies, Fraggle Rock, and other less successful attempts. The throughline in all these things was the belief of Henson ..read more

Knowing Me, Knowing Yule (1995) Written by Steve Coogan, Armando Iannucci, Patrick Marber, and Rebecca Front Directed by Dominic Brigstocke  The British have a word: “prat.” The definition I could find states: “very stupid or foolish.” I don’t think many characters could serve as a living definition of that word better than Alan Partridge. Partridge is the creation of actor/comedian Steve Coogan. This perennial television host is meant to encapsulate all the phony, idiotic behaviors your average TV presenter exhibits in the UK. I don’t think it’s too far off from some of America’s hosts ..read more

Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! Chrimbus Special (2010) Written by Tim Heidecker, Jonathan Krisel, Doug Lussenhop, Jon Mugar, and Eric Wareheim Directed by Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, and Benjamin Berman I can’t say I “got” Tim & Eric the first time I saw them. That was in the context of their first show for Adult Swim, Tom Goes to the Mayor. It would be discovering their follow-up, Awesome Show Great Job, that cemented them as some of my favorite modern comedians. I would eventually revisit Tom Goes to Mayor and appreciate it immensely. I still see how their tone & style of ..read more

Klaus (2019) Written by Sergio Pablos, Jim Mahoney, and Zach Lewis Directed by Sergio Pablas The origins of Santa Claus have been the fodder for several pieces of modern American media. Rankin-Bass’ 1970 special Santa Claus is Coming to Town sees Santa as an orphan raised by elves. The animation company would do it again in 1985 with The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, based on the novel of the same name by L. Frank Baum. 1985 was also the year the producing partnership of the Salkinds put out their gaudy Santa Claus: The Movie, which provided its own take on St. Nick’s beginnings. Other ..read more

Tokyo Godfathers (2003) Written by Keiko Nobumoto & Satoshi Kon Directed by Satoshi Kon This year, I wanted to look at some Christmas-themed films & television specials that are not part of the traditional canon but aren’t a garbage fire. Last year, I did a series titled “A Very 2000s Christmas” and found that decade to have some of the most rotten, mean-spirited dreck centered around a holiday that purports to be the opposite. I needed some media that brought me Christmas cheer this year. We start with this animated feature film from Japanese master filmmaker Satoshi Kon. I first bec ..read more

It’s Christmastime! What’s waiting under the tree for you? A big pile of stinky shit called nostalgia. We cleanse our palette of that by talking about some Christmas media we actually like. Then it’s on to a beloved classic. As always, Ariana & Seth have a lot to say about what we watched ..read more

Four Christmases (2008) Written by Matt R. Allen, Caleb Wilson, Jon Lucas, and Scott Moore Directed by Seth Gordon I hardly ever enjoy disparaging another fellow Seth, but for Mr. Gordon, I will make an exception. He made quite an entertaining pop documentary in The King of Kong, giving us one of the great villains of the 2000s, in video game veteran Billy Mitchell. And to be fair, I don’t place the blame for this movie squarely on the director’s shoulders. Watching Four Christmases, something was happening in the background that most viewers likely didn’t notice. Even with my attention to de ..read more

Deck the Halls (2006) Written by Matt Corman, Chris Ord, and Don Rhymer Directed by John Whitesell Surviving Christmas is objectively the worst holiday film I have ever seen. However, Deck the Halls does not lag far behind. What redeems it only the slightest is Danny Devito. Without him, the movie would have been unwatchable. I try not to shit on directors too much; just like actors, movie-making is a job for them, and you often take work you aren’t excited about because it affords you opportunities down the road. However, John Whitesell has just cultivated a career of utter shit. Before dire ..read more

The Holiday (2006) Written & Directed by Nancy Meyers I don’t really enjoy much of Nora Ephron’s work. It’s just not my taste, but I acknowledge there are things I like. Despite knowing it is such a flawed picture, I have a soft spot for My Blue Heaven. Ephron’s closest contemporary is Nancy Meyers. Both women were gaining steam during the same period, and they made films targeted at women…well, white women. Where Ephron can be playful & inventive, even if it doesn’t always work (see Bewitched), Meyers consistently wallows in indulgent upper-middle-class fluff. I actually went into Th ..read more