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SPECIAL XMAS EPISODE: CHRISTMAS ADJACENT #3
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CHRISTMAS ADJACENT #3!
ROCKY (1976)
DIAL CODE OF SANTA/GAME OVER/PIERE NOEL/DEADLY GAMES/3615 DIAL CODE FATHER CHRISTMAS (1989)
THE WORLD OF KANAKO (2014)
TRIGGER WARNING: The World of Kanako features scenes of sexual assault that are discussed.
Four our third year in a row we are doing a Christmas episode that, despite very few people being interested in, we are doing AGAIN. This time... it's with Thomas.
Christmas Adjacent is described in countless dictionaries as a "Non-Shane Black film that is not Christmas-themed or exclusively takes place on Christmas but happens to have Christmas in one or two scenes that could just as well be any holiday." In year one Ken chose LA Confidential while Jack chose In Bruges. GREAT DOUBLE FEATURE! Year two had Ken choosing Trading Places and Jack choosing The Hunt. Also a great double bill.
This year Ken chose the original Rocky, from 1976. Though it barely has Christmas in it at all, there is that one scene where Paulie comes home drunk and kicks Adrienne out of their crappy house on Christmas. Rocky works as a beautiful American Christmas fable and may be the most traditional Christmas-type movie we've watched in this series. We have a great time going over how accidental so may indelible scenes are in Rocky. Even Scrooge would pump his fist when that theme starts up.
Next, Thomas completely fails in the "adjacent" part of the rules and picked a full-on Christmas movie. But that is ok because Dial Code Santa (1989) or whatever name you happen to catch it under, rules. René Manzor's bonkers tale of a little kid living in a mansion who is both a super genius and full throat believer in Santa Claus who has to fight for his life. When a crazed man bent on murder, dressed as Santa, breaks into the mansion he is in with his diabetic grandfather, a lot happens! If you have never seen this before, please watch before listening. It is an instant classic to nearly everyone who sees it for the first time. Note: it came out well before Home Alone and Manzor sued over the similarities between the two. This one is so much better.
Finally, Jack picks The World of Kanako (2014) Tetsuya Nakashima's very extreme tale of a violent ex-cop looking for his estranged daughter, who may be more of a chip off the old crazy block than dad ever knew. Violent, lurid, depressing, transgressive at almost every turn, The World of Kanako may ruin Christmas forever. We have some disagreements on this one. Thomas Vinterberg's amazing The Hunt that Jack chose last year should have stood as the most depressing movie in this series but Jack said "hold my beer" this year. Kanako is a visual and narrative buzzsaw.
Happy Holidays! See/talk to y'all again in 2023!
THEME SONG BY: WEIRD A.I.
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