Stocking Stuffers 9.8 Christmas Full of Grace with Carol Borden

What was your first physicians prays all because I met Paella Panela play football traps transis make a fush because story for me, make my say he has some village call fish head you deals which from being a sequencednes no fret you sull you guess that is the conquers. Oh bah oh bar, we think that's how you say it in Brice Bill. For today's movie, which is from Brazil, that's all right, you heard the trailer kind of. You probably have no idea what the trailer was unless you speech speak Portuguese, and if you do, that's fantastic. You can probably tell us more about what happened to the movie.

Today's movie is twenty twenty two's Christmas Full of Grace, which is airing on Netflix. I have no idea if it was made directly for Netflix or what Netflix. I know does have a big international division and has a lot of Brazilian programming, including Christmas Full of Grace. This movie, my gosh, this movie has so it is bananas. It is absolutely bananas, and it is dangerous for one woman to dive into a pit of bananas on her own.

So therefore I have assistance. My special guest star today is the one and only Carol Borden of the Cultural Gutter. Hello Carol oh oh by, So tell me everything you know about brazil and Christmas movies. This is the only Brazilian Christmas movie I've seen, and I would like to think that every Brazilian Christmas movie is just like this one because it's banana pants. I also hope that every like Brazilian Easter movie is like this one.

Yes, you know, it's how just you know? Now, this was kind of a dual effort in picking. I wanted you on the show, so I said, oh, here's a list of different movies that I was thinking of covering. See if any of these click for you. What drew you to this one?

What made you say bananas? I had never seen a Brazilian Christmas movie, and I was curious how much it would be alike and how much it would be different from the Hallmark in Lifetime American and Canadian Christmas movies. And I really liked the ways it was different. I realize we're calling this one bananas, but I have to say like most of the Hallmark in Lifetime movies I have seen have been bananas one way or another. Yes, that's why we love these movies.

Yes, it's the weirdness that isn't meant to be weird that tends to be the thing that really draws you to them. Yes, And I think this one was actually more self consciously weird and genuinely joyful than many of the ones I've seen that's often come off as kind of forced. Yeah, this this one, I will say, it took me maybe about ten minutes to kind of get on its wavelength, because it is a lot. It starts and you are just whiplash trying to figure out what the hell is going on? Why are things so so different in Brazil than they are in you know, where you are from or where I am from.

And then it's a certain point and I can't exactly I'm gonna see as we walk through it to figure out in the fact identify At what point I was like, Okay, yeah, this is the greatest movie you ever made. I definitely Maybe at one point I might have walked away from that a little bit, but by the end of this movie, I was I was all in and I was It was one of those things where I was like almost sad when it was over and I had looked at the running time, and I looked at the time I had left, and I was like, Okay, so I have twenty minutes left of the movie, but I probably only have, like you know that probably Netflix credits are always really long because they always have to have all of the international credits listed there.

So I'm probably looking at like sixteen minutes left. Damn, I wish I had more. And then we had outtakes, so I did. Yeah, I was concerned that it was going to be too long when I started it up, and then I was very concerned because there's sort of there's a kind of comic relief that seems to be universal internationally, and I was very concerned that our heroine was that kind of what we have called in the past odious comic relief that I struggle with. Ye By the time that she is in like the movie's kicked off, she's with the guy there in his house, she's in the family chimney, I'm like, I love this movie.

This movie. It's I think I told you. It's like he's picked up a raccoon and he's dating a raccoon and they have a crazed raccoon in their in their house in their chimney. This is very much a like. This should have been a hybrid animated and real life movie that starts as a cartoon where it is about a like little wild raccoon with with big raccoon boobs and a short skirt who ends up in this situation, then gets turned to do a human but nobody even realizes she still has a raccoon.

Tell Like, all of that would have made perfect sense, And I like that these people both deserve to have a crazed raccoon in their house and need to have a craze. Sometimes we all need a crazy raccoon human being in our house. Yes, why don't we get into So. I don't have much behind the scenes on this movie. I just you know, I I'm not familiar with the writers and directors.

They you know, obviously are Brazilian. I'm not familiar with any of these titles. But so I won't go into all of that. But I think we just need to dive into the story of Christmas Full of Grace. So please Carol walk us through.

You can give spoilers. This has a lot of surprises, but ultimately it ends the way you think it's gonna end. So go have at it. Let tell up, tell me about these people and what befells them on this Christmas Eve. Okay, I'm going to also butcher the names.

Yeah, I know we have the whole you know country. Yeah, I very much apologize to the Portuguese speaking worlds. But Carlinoch is a young business sky on and he but he's not entirely sure. He wants to inherit the family business. And he is going home from a long day of businessing to proposed to his girlfriend.

And before he even gets there, he tells his driver Jorge and again I'm sorry, I'm using the angli like Americanized Spanish version of a Portuguese name, but he tells his driver like his whole life about how he's going to marry her and they're going to have a kid, and their kid's going to go to this school, and their kid's going to go to that school language his own kids. Yeah, and then at an exactly twenty seven years of age, his kid is going to be sitting in the back of the limo telling his limo driver this very safe thing. So he's clear, it's clear he's unhappy and is trying hard to be dissociated from his own unhappiness. Yep. So he arrives home and discovers that his girlfriend is having an affair because she's having a bubble bath and her girlfriend can no longer hold her breath.

I was suppressed for how long she was holding it to begin with? It was I mean, like proposing is going on and on about his day, like I don't like the average human being, Kin, what like three minutes is like if you were great? Yeah, yeah, you know, we could time it and see because it could have honestly been like three minutes of screen time. I wouldn't put it past this movie. No, no.

And I also wouldn't put it past this movie for that actress who have actually had to have her head underwater the entire time. Yes, yeah, it was hard to say because like most movies of this kind, it would just be like there were like towering bubbles, but the whole bank would just have towering bubbles in it. It wouldn't have water. But I think this did have water. Yeah, No, I believe it.

I believe it. And there's a deep tub too, yeah, and very like I don't know, it's like one of those like tubs like I don't. I that's when you know you're rich and won't ever be rich. Like that'll thing of like who has a tub like that? Only rich people?

Nobody really actuly has that. I you know, I was having similar thoughts about it because I was looking at it and I'm like, I recognize that this is a nice tub. It's like one of those big ceramic basins that's supposed to be like that's a standing tub, like it kind of sugg claw foot and like old style, but it's also you know, and it's like very and it's facing out over the beach with a big window. But I'm like, I don't really like this tub. I've been thinking about how I don't really like many of the things that signify wealth right now.

Yeah, well, especially in this movie. I mean, aside from the fashion. But we'll get there, and I feel like getting in and out of that tub would be awkward, especially when there's two of you and one of them is holding their breath. Yes, so, he needless to say, does not propose no what happens next, because I don't know that I actually understood how this meet cute happens. I understand his half of it.

He is like he does not want to. I'm like, good job, Carlinos. You she and you clearly don't like her all that much. I mean, you think you like her, and you try to have the romantic moment with the proposal because I think he's like, would you like to have your happily ever after with me? And she's just even before her girlfriend appears.

She's clearly not that girl. Definitely, so I'm not even sure what they're doing together except we discovered. I'm also thinking so Lage, Oh yes, yes, we discover later she's having an affair with Carlinosh's brother, whose name he caught but he looks like Michael Cohen to me. Oh maybe that. Yeah, I was trying to fare out the entire movie who he looked like.

I couldn't quite grap my finger around it. But Pedro is the character's name, and yes, his wife is having an affair with Bebela. Bebelina, Bebela. It's like the one name I think I could say, the Bela. Yeah, the Bela.

That's how you have to say it. Uh So. Carlinos then runs out of the house, runs out of this gigantic apartment building and is like stuck in his courtyard. What's going on there? Yeah, he gets he gets stuck in his courtyard because they live in a gated building, like in a gated apartment building in Rio, and apparently you can only open and close the gate from your unit.

Okay, so he is trapped inside. And this is what I don't understand. Grasa is outside and she's trying to get in, and she's screaming and shouting, and you know, like, now that I think about it, she must, like I reconstructed what she did in retrospect, because she has that whole plan where every year she spends a Christmas with someone. So she was busy faking I think having been mugged, yes, And I guess I feel like she does that every year. But like, do you think she picks someone or she just whoever the first guy or or I mean, anybody is that sees her goes for it?

Like she didn't scout out Kerlinos right, No, Okay, I think she scouts out an area so she knew that was like a fancier area, probably so that she would be more likely to have a quality Christmas and to have good food, yes, which which is her primary motivation in life, which is very relatable. I mean, it's it's mine, so like yeah, yeah bad or get into pet dogs. It's all the same. So they like, she's trying to get in and I don't know why. He's like good, but like, how does it go from her trying to get into him being like, okay, let me take care of you and for everything?

There was something I was missing. It was cultural, but I think it was just weird writing. Yeah, I didn't really catch it in retrospect. I'm like, well, maybe it's because he's like a good guy and she's like, oh no, I'm being mobbed. Yeah.

It is a strange way to get yourself a Christmas. I feel like, like, we we meet someone later RUI who is German and always wears later hosen. Obviously, why do you even say that? If it's weird, I'm sorry, I'm like a quarter German. It's therefore I have a sock that is later hosing at all times.

I liked that Carlino is correctly identified that he was addressed as a Tyrolean happy because I live in the Midwest and we also appreciate some German. Is that yeah important? But she we meet him and he has she has I'd done the same thing with him and his family and spent a very German Christmas with them, and he fell in love with her. But she just cried about how she was alone and couldn't go back to her family. I don't think that she had the whole I've been mugged and lost all my stuff and can you help me?

Okay, So she does it to Carlinos, who's like, Hey, I have to go tonight. It's Christmas Eve. I have to go to my grandma's house, where my whole family is. And there's a lot writing on the line because I Grandma's picking who's going to inherit the company, and it will be weird if I show up without my girlfriend, But yet it won't be as weird if I show up with a complete stranger who is also a raccoon. Yeah, yeah, you know.

It's one of those things that needed more writing. Maybe in a movie, but in real life is exactly how it would go down. Don't you be like that? I kind of like you and we've bonded, so why don't you come to Christmas with me? Yes, you psychotic human raccoon?

Please, let's talk about when she shows up. So they get to the grandma's house and uh, you know, it's a very like old money house. Everything seems fragile. Everything is decorated to a tea and like this is where when you said human raccoon, I'm like, oh my god, you're right, because she's really it's like she's unleashed. It's like you bring a dog in from outside and like it's like a really hyperdog and you take that leash off and the dog is like great now, I'm just gonna do zoomies across the entire She does zoomies in this house, right, yes, yeah, And they take advantage of the convention of the empty wrapped package.

Yes they do. They have a whole tree that has empty wrapped packages under it, only it's like decor so it's not even like we're supposed to believe there's anything in them. But she's just excited to get full raccoon or a dog with zoomies. Yes, starts tossing them like we're not exaggerating. She's like she's almost cheering through them with her teeth.

Yeah. Yeah, And then I think that's when I started to be like huh. But when she was in she also gets so excited about their chimney because they have a real chimney like tears away the gate in front of the end of Child's Play. If you remember when Chucky like comes down the chimney's like when they like stick him in there and they set him on fire, but then he gets out. It's like, that's kind of what that moment reminded me of.

I just I loved when she exclaimed Santa can't work with this, yeah, because there's also an aspect of this movie where maybe she's the daughter of Santa Claus. Right, That's that's when I texted you, Oh my god, Like what exactly is her story? Because what is it? Like it's like her dad die, her dad was like, yeah, not Santa Claus, but maybe real Santa Claus. But like she gives like a memory and it's like Santa Claus giving her a gift and her being like, oh, Saint Nicholas.

And then it's like and then my dad died, and and I guess that was her fam or only family, So then she just every do you think she only emerges a great is she like Brigadoon but Christmas? Like she only comes out on the day I prefer this interpretation to what I because initially I was so excited that she was the daughter of Santa Claus and was so sad about it when she's telling anybody but Carlino her actual life story. Yeah, my interpretation of it subsequently was that her dad was a mal Santa and that he was always busy on Christmas, so she always wanted this nice Christmas and yeah, that he either died or there was no point in going home to her family for Christmas because her dad wasn't around because either he was mal Saeta before he was real Santa.

Either way, he was a workaholic, and that's why she's so disgusted by Carlinos like taking the job. Yeah, yeah, okay, I mean it's all it's I mean, this is, you know, very tight screenwriting when you put it that way. Yeah. So now meanwhile, oh sorry, I was just gonna say I hadn't really thought about that parallel between her dad and her boy. So that was really nice.

Yeah, it all works. So she meets the whole family, and the family is amazing in different ways. How we'll like go into detail when we get to who's a sassy sidekick, who's a villain and all that. But we have a colorful band of characters in the family, right, and they are both people like they're wealthy people in Rio. So I think that there's like a level of wealth and untouchability that even with things as they are right now here, is still kind of inconceivable, right, Like to be rich in a city like that is to be like to be rich in Moscow, Like there are certain cities where you are it's not like, oh, yeah, I have a good job and make money.

Like no, no, like you are like you have millions, you are loaded. And so the whole family they call his grandma Lady Sophia. Yes, well, and like I would too. She she's classy. I love her.

We'll get we'll get there. But I feel like these people both deserved her raccoon antics. And then we find out that they needed her ras to improve their lives and bring the spirit of Christmas to Yeah, they all needed to loosen alphabet, even Lady Sophia, who seemed like very eager to do so also, and whether it's yeah, just like the actress, like kind of winking in the beginning, but like right from the start, you're like, oh no, Lady Sophia is gonna break. We're we're okay, it's gonna be okay. She was magnificent, she was I know, life goals.

I want to be her. Uh so everything's great. Lady Sophia is like, okay, I'm gonna give the company to Carlinos speak because he brought somebody who can karaoke and got my whole family to do so, and and you know, important skill for family. But then, so what happens from there? Carlinos is great, He's excited, but then conflict.

Yes, his jirk cousin, who is bitter about losing the company, finds out that Grasa has done this before and brings the German guy who claims he's her ex in to tell the story of how she did the same thing to his family and broke his heart. Yeah, and so Carlinos's kind of rightful reaction at first is like, you're a con artist, this is bullshit. She runs away, and then what like he kind of has a change of heart and realizes, oh, no, you're great. I need to find you. But now we have like a week between Asmost and New Year's where he you know, she's off the grid, nobody can find her.

But this is where the power of TikTok comes in. Mm hmmm, yeah. Yes, he decides he needs to make a grand gesture, which I have to say is almost always a mistake, but in like real life it's a mistake and these movies always works. But in real life a grand gesture is very concerning and is something that honey, sweetie, if you're if you said no to a guy and then he like rents out the entire high school to come march in your bedroom and sing a love song to you, that might sound sweet on paper, but it's actually horrifying and abusive. Yes, And what I like about this movie compared to the other Hall of movies, which I are the other similar type movies, is in those movies it always works and it's very enjoyable in them, Like I have no problem with that.

I again do not do these kinds of things in real life. It's not good in this one. It doesn't really work with her because she's he accused her of just being after his mind and that that's why she was lying, instead of accusing her of just being after his Christmas and family. Yes, being a d raccoon person. Yes, So she got offended and left and so his solution of using the power of TikTok and his wonderful I don't know if it's a sister or cousin or whatever.

Yeah, I thought either aunt or cousin's Yeah, but yes, uh, the boyfriend who is very much in the family or husband I think even yes, yes, who is both like a TikTok influencer and a popular singer. Uses he gets to fourteen million followers and uses that to give him a platform to sing a special, very romantic song about how he wants Grassa back, and then he uses all his resources and all his family members to basically plan an advertising campaign to apologize to her and to get Grosa to come to his big party on the beach for New Year's where they will be reunited. And she is not having it. Yep. But what changes her mind our good old friend Lady Sophia realizing that she's successfully finding her at the bus station and stopping her before she goes and saying he's changed.

You can tell he's changed because he's quit his job because he wants to find his own happiness, And she wisely does not say his happiness includes you, and you have to go make him happy, but just like what would make you happy? Are doing that? Yeah? So she Grosa shows up to the party, they kiss, and then we get out takes and presumably they create some adorable hybrid raccoon human chill. Yes, yes, uh, it's so much.

And again you might think like, okay, that sounds like kind of like a regular Hallmark plot, right, Like you could have a story of somebody like you know, this z any kind of magic pixie dream girl who just you know, can't kind of settle, but spends Christmas with somebody who every year and one year kind of ties in the poor little rich boy and he, you know, he falls in love and he's got a wacky family and it all comes together. But it's like the this is the case of the movie where it's like no, no, no, it's not it's not the story, it's everything in between. Yeah, and then there's just like little elements like uh, not just that he you know that there might be a twist in one of the other movies where like, oh no, my partner cheated on me with someone of the same sex, but this one has like I think more than one polycule in it.

Yes, oh my god, completely Yeah, because you will you have the so, yeah, it's my partner cheated on me with another woman. Oh and she all so cheated on me with my cousin's wife, who therefore my cousin's wife has been cheating with another woman. And then you have the the brother and the the TikTok star brother in law who at one point there's like there is like a throwaway like line about how they're into threes like how the wife is into like threesomes and stuff, and it's h yeah, I mean it's again, it's it's a different It's this isn't a hallmark, this isn't lifetime. This is obviously a different market. It's also I think interesting, And again I don't think either of us have the context as far as like what where does this movie compare, like what is the equivalent of it?

Like is it like a raunchy sex comedy in the US, or is it like is this a very general thing that like you would watch with your family like, cause it's it's not like there's no nudity, there's no like, you know, nothing like I I don't know if I'm sure Brazil has a rating system. I would this be like the equivalent of PG. Thirteen. But I know it's yeah, I think there's nothing more than kissing. Yeah, but like there's a lot more implied, and there's a lot of things said that here.

I feel like it would be very like and maybe just because it's Christmas, so you don't you don't do those things at Christmas. But it's it's fun, it's very fun. Kelly. We see his we see Bento the TikTok sensation, his wife or girlfriend or partner, and Ruie the the ex German. That's it.

I knew there was a third third person in that group, could not remember how it all went. And we see them together and they mentioned that they're together, and they say, well, we'll get back to you later about who's smashing who is in their special night? How fun? Yeah? Yeah, all right, So now all of this to say, is it a typical Christmas movie?

Let's dive into the tropes to see how it all stacks up. No. Number one is our lead in need of a lesson? Who do you want to put in this position? Do you want to say that's Carlinos or is that Grosa?

You know, I guess I think they both equally do. But I don't think that either of them needs the same kind of strong lesson that movies are usually about, Like, yeah, I think maybe if there is a hallmarky lesson, it's like they both need to pursue their own happiness and there's a little bit of Like the the way Carlinos is introduced is very like, oh, he's a workaholic. It's Christmas Eve and he's still at work, and he's talking about, you know, his whole life being planned, and you feel very much like, oh, this is going to be the uptight guy. But the fact that like that same day he's like, hey, crazy lady stranger, come meet my family and I'm putting my entire fate in your hands. Don't be too wacky, and then I might not get the promotion.

So he learned the lesson pretty quickly. I guess, Yeah, I also feel like it he already knows what's wrong with his life. Yeah, it's really like being able to leave that he needs so and she helps him leave what is making him unhappy. And I guess for her, like what does she do the rest of the year, Like what is her job? Do you think I wondered about that because I think that she might well actually be very wealthy.

She's got that ceremony. Yeah, I mean she that well, yeah, I guess you know she she d We don't like she kind of claims to not have clothing, but like when you you know, she knows how to wear clothing. You know, she she's got hair extensions. Those can't be cheap. No, yeah, no, yeah, I don't know what she does.

We don't know, and she's just it seems like she just travels around. And I'm really like, I'm now like, coming, is she like hollygo lightly type? Like what what exactly is her deal? Come? I don't know, and I want to know.

I don't know. Maybe maybe she returns to her natural form and goes off into the force to frolics per year. You know, that's it. That's definitely it. And now that she's found love, like the Little Mermaid, but much happier.

She's a real woman all the time. Well but like what if not like it was New Year's Eve? I guess we see it after New Year's but you know in some cultures, how how like the holiday season kind of extends to little Christmas and all that. But like on January seventh, right, after little Christmas? Yeah, is he gonna wake up in bed and like stretch his arms and like turnover as if he's gonna nuzzle his beautiful wife, And instead he's like, why do you smell like you?

You're very did you forget to shave? Oh my god, you're a raccoon? And then she has to explain to him and he has to be very understanding of it. But I feel like they can make it work. If anybody can make it work, these two can I do.

Yeah, Yeah, yep. I think they've both learned about like both the importance of honesty and forgiving people for the necessary lives in their lives, lies in their lives. Yeah, I'm with you now. Number three is our setting, which can be a big bad city at charmick small town or a magical winter wonderland, but pretty big bad city, would you say? Yeah?

Yeah, And it's neat to see rio, you know, not a city I've seen on film very often. This seems to be a very clean version of it. It looks like a very nice city. Yeah, yeah, it's it's certainly all big city all the time, and it doesn't have any like the they don't have like the big city versus the little small town thing going on. They have like the regular real folk and the detached, crazy wealthy people.

Yes, that's about right. Yeah, and I mean in any major city. I used to live in New York City, like you have both of that and at all times. So yes. Now number four is our dead parents or dead wife.

I clocked it. It was thirty eight minutes in where she mentions that her dad is dead. Yes, and I guess no, he has his parents. We have we have a dead patriarch, right, we have a dead grandpa somewhere in the mix who leads us to believe that maybe Lady Sophia had been like Grasa in the past. True.

Yes, reinvents herself. So it all comes so in another like sixty years, we're gonna get Gratsa in that part in the sequel to this movie. Yeah. Fo Now number five, it was is gonna be a big one here. It's our sassy sidekick.

Okay, I'm going to let you handle the sub part, but I will say there's a lot of sassy side sassy side kicks, but at the same time, she is her own sassy sidekick. Yeah that is brilliant. You are. Yeah, like this is the character that in any other movie, and I can think of like Santa boot Camp last year, she's Marissa Joan Whitaker. Like there's always that like, hey, I'm this any friend who's gotta keep the energy up this year the last I'd say like two movies that I've done for the show.

I'm not sure if these I don't think these episodes has been released yet. But the well, the Scottish Christmas, you had Hamish who was the like you know, the Scottish just groundskeeper who just every single scene this actor was working so hard to be like wacky and Scottish. And then the last movie was missed at Christmas, where there's like one of the aquarium interns is just giving so much face in every one of his scenes where you're like, oh yeah, like the director told this person like, hey, go for it, be wacky. We want you to stand out in the movie. And in this case, you're right, it's the lead.

And that's a lot. Yeah. I would not be surprised as a discover that she is a famous comedian. She must be. I mean she has again, she has credits on her on her imvb oh her so the actress's name is Jessica Kayane.

Again, apologies for saying it wrong. I'm sure I am, but she is better known but stage name gk oh yeah, single name yeah yeah, which I mean that when you know actress, digital influencer and comedian born in Brazil. Yeah, so I mean she's clearly like somebody with extreme confidence who knows to go big and knows how to do it. And again it's a lot at times, but but yes, I would. I would cast her in a movie, in any part, just to give it some life.

And it's it's neat to see her be the lead because if she were in a Hallmark or a Lifetime movie, she would not she would be the saussy sidekick. And you know, like she's pretty, she's voluptuous, like she's short, yeah, and or everybody else in this movie is very tall. But I think she's short, Yes, yeah she is. She's wearing some heels. When she was wearing heels like they were right, they looked like they were at least three inches.

Yeah. So it's a very fun I wonder how tall she actually is because it does feel you're right, like it's and again this second movie this year where we have had a heroine who was not your typical you know, size four, and it is again it's very exciting to see and they dress her up in really fun outfits, and it made me happy in general to see that all the beautiful people were regular, ordinary, real world beautiful people. Like even the male lead. He's very cute, but he's like real life cute. Yes, yes, yeah, I would agree.

Other sassy sidekicks, I mean, let's let's go through it. So you've got on the let's see so on Carlinos's side, he's got like a good sassy rapport with his driver. Right, Jorge is there and kind of again lend some sass here and there. Then the Jorge gets eventually to kind of rub knees with Chica, who is Lady Sophia's well, I forget the term they use, but sort of like not made but like not lady in waiting assistant. Yeah, but it felt more like domestic than like right, like she wasn't taking notes for her she was like keeping the household in orders of housekeeper me.

Yeah. Yeah. And Chika is also very much the sort of guardian angel, like almost more sage old person to gratza. Y uh. Then you have, but really, like, I can't bury the lead here We've gotten.

We got to talk about Mew, right, Mew. We talked about Bento a lot, right. Bento is Mu's partner. He's a TikTok star, He's amazing. H But Mew who is?

I think the aunt I wrote down fun aunt, so I'm guessing. And they said that at some point, and we need to talk about her earrings? Yes, please do. Oh my god, those ear rings. So many earrings and I'm not just one pair like the first pair.

I think she wears all these flowers that are like the size of ear muffs but they're on her ear. But then like every scene, she's wearing something different in every scene. Every scene is just eye catching and like zeny but actually like looks good. But the lobsters, Yes, how do you describe these lobsters? You you nailed it when you said it.

I said, watch out for the Dan mangling lobsters and then you said they are like little lobster cookie cutters. Yea, yeah, yeah, they are like tiny lobster cookie cutters. And then just was like I'm going to make ear rings out of these, yeah, and credit all eyebow Ibow. Granted, I was raised on the movie Outrageous Fortune. They used to watch it all the time, and I have you ever seen it with Bette Midler and Chili Long, No, I haven't.

It is it is a classic of my youth. God, we covered it for the show like in year one and I thought it held up very well. But there's a great moment where Bette Midler ends up like in a house, like looking for things, and she finds like Christmas ornament. She's like, oh, ear rings And she puts on this gigantic Christmas ornament earring and she's like, wow, it works. And I always remember as a kid being like it would work.

Can I do that? And thankfully I did not try because that probably would infect my ear. Yes. Number six is our evil woman or our male boss villain. Uh, we're just villain in general.

We actually get a little we get one here, almost two, but definitely one. Yeah. Well I think it's his cousin Pedro. Yeah, it's the villain. Yeahre's a little squirmy jerk and I and I like that.

They actually say like, oh no, it's not just that Carlinos is more responsible. He'll be better head of the company, it's like, oh no, like Pedro is morally bankrupt, like he will use our money for evil, so like we know he's actually bad. And his girlfriend or wife, I don't know if they say which one is also like kind of a cunt for a while. Yes, yes, yeah, although she is friendlier to both of them than Pedro is she is, but she's also like very much like and I guess I guess she's the partner she kind of has to. But she's kind of like laughing along with Pedro at times and seems like to also want to pick on them at first.

Well, I mean, you know, the person she ends up with is Pipila, and you know, not not a nice person. Ye. Yeah, she's got a type, I guess. So I love that that Pedro thinks he hasn't made when he recks things, but they're just like, okay, we're going to make the precocious between the CEO. Now.

I was, I was, I was so hoping that would happen, and that was so exciting, so excited when it did. Yeah, and I feel like it's in good hands, yes, yehs, which is very competent. Definitely. Number seven montages. I don't remember a montage.

Uh, it's a tricky one because there's a few, but they're very like and you can argue a few of these aren't full out montages because they're all kind of broken by other things. So there is one where there's sort of like Christmas preparation and use like shots of foods and decorations. I think we need to talk about is less a montage and more just a music cue with slow motion and with like different you know, lots of cuts of different things happening. And it's the introduction of Lady Sophia. Do you remember what song is played when we are introduced to Lady Sophia.

Wasn't it dancing with myself? It was dancing with myself? Yeah, the music, the whole all the music was very interesting. But that I still don't. I feel like if I were in Rio, I maybe there would be a reason and I would understand it, but I do not.

I don't know that that can that we can always use that excuse for some of the decisions made in the meaning you know. Yeah, it's a very very odd one. Uh, there's some like there's the museum date they have is kind of montage. The oh and then my my Okay, So my favorite type of montage is a tryangun closed montage followed by a makeover montage, and then the next one is the we are Very Sad montage, and we do have a we are all very sad montage in this one when Carlinos is like moving on with life and you see him in the board meeting but he's not paying attention, and then you just see the whole family, like everybody packing into the cars and it's just the we're all very sad. Uh yeah, okay, yeah, yeah, and Lady Sophia almost approaches him.

Yeah. Also respect to Lady Sophia for bringing like full down and Abby Dowager energy. Oh so much, so much. I guess there's one more montage when he's doing the camp, the social media campaign to get Grassia back. Yeah, right, there's there's a touch.

There's the music video where he's actually singing and playing the guitar, and while that's happening, we get the cardboard cutouts of him and we get flyers. Flyers are big this year in stocking stuffers, so keep your eye out for them. We'll see if they come back into her for you know, a flyer would really win my heart if I was annoyed with someone and they wanted to win my heart back, and you happened to walk by a bulletin board at any you know, local business and see your face right there. Yes, yeah, that's exactly what I want in a very big city with many people who might like, was there a ransom put out on our Like? Do you think there was a bounty?

I I don't know, Like what were people supposed to do if they found her? I think they were supposed to like either tell her to go back to him or contact him. I don't know. I don't know, kind of horrifying. I think it was social pressure, which is you know, it's why every Cuzy Cardigan Christma movie is just a sound design away from being a lifetime thriller, exactly.

A number that's very true. Number eight is slapstick, definitely boy mostly in the beginning, a lot in the beginning, the whole like you climb the fence, No, you climb defense. I can't climb defence. I don't know what was happening, but I think it was slapstick. Yeah, yeah, the present tossing the I don't know how to act inside of a house I don't know how to act in side of a helicopter.

That too, when they're eating Christmas dinner and she's using the I guess it's like an S cargo shell d shellar but she's using it to correct eyelash or eyelashes. Yes, I like that. Uh. There's a great family fight. I think it's at the dinner table after she kind of like riles everybody up and they're all screaming at each other, and there's there's a sound cue of a cat screeching.

Did you catch that? I didn't. It's amazing because there's no cat. There's definitely no cat in this movie. If this family had a cat, that cat would have starved to death.

But there is, like absolutely somebody is pressing a button to play a cat screeching and it's great. Uh the uh oh so they played polo and of course, uh Gratzia ends up breaking Lady Sophia's nose. Who's and she's really cool about it. But I have to say I again, like I watch these movies and this year they've kind of broken me, like I I did, Like I had a wet eyeball watching one of them recently, and in this one I had an absolute like, guffall, laugh out loud. Did you have a moment like that?

I wonder if you if this little site gag got you two. I'm afraid the one that got me was when she was unleashed in the house like that. I mean, that was great. That wasn't the one for me. For me, it was sure, they're playing polo, and of course she's like, doesn't actually know how to ride a horse, doesn't actually know how to play polo.

But she's like, yeah, of course I'll do it. And so she goes to get on the horse and she's like, I can do this, and I don't even know how to describe it. She like kind of like bounces on the horse and just completely gets thrown over and float and like just jumps on the horse and just jumps right over the horse and lands like on her head. Yes, it was so fucking funny. It was very like nineteen twenties Harold Boy.

It freakly what it was like they threw a dummy in the air and it landed and it made me laugh very hard. Yeah, and again like, look people, I'm not laughing at somebody being clumsy. I am the clumsiest person you will ever meet. When I see good clumsy humor, you know, and I'm saying it's good clumsy humor, that means it's good fucking clumsy humor. And that one was good.

There's and there's one more. There's the the Cinderella moment when she's like revealed, like at the staircase, wearing you know, like the big red Travels dress and she starts walking down the stairs and like almost slips, which is cute enough, but they played a sprinkle sound effect. Well that's happening, and that made me very happy. I like it. I feel like it's better because of the sound effect then it would be, I think, because the other one comes across as the one where you know, like the female lead can't be too beautiful, like she has to be relatable, so you know, it's like the music is playing and then it screeches when that happens.

But in this case, it's like, no, that's part of her magic because she is the daughter of Santa Claus, maybe the raccoon daughter. Did you like when she was sliding down the banister, you know again, because it's like the first thing she does when she walks into this very wealthy ausion like, oh, a banister, I am a thirty year old woman. Therefore I am going to hurl myself down it as if I had never seen one. And I was kind of I appreciated how committed she was to admit. Yeah, yeah, exactly.

You know what happened, Like you know how it goes like you medicate the animal when you put the animal in the carrier, but eventually those men's wear off, and when you open that door, you got to stand back, stand back, your fault for the house. Yes, how dare you? How dare you? I'm just imagining like something. You know, I have cat.

I have cats. They're now they're over a year old, but like they still are very kitten like. And it's like the joke that we first said when we got them was my husband and be like, yeah, we can't have nice things. No, now we can't have things because it is like if anything dangles, if there is any like I don't I have a seapap machine. Like every couple of nights my cat realizes I have a seapap and it's like, oh, how can I funk this up tonight?

You know, that's the best thing I've ever seen right, Like, I get it. It makes noise like I'll you woke up last night and I'm like, did you turn it off? And I think she did, Like I've seen her start like jump on it and step on the button and it turns on suddenly. So I get it. If you know you're you're an animal, and you are you know, there's certain instincts we have, and you know, raccoons apparently are up that milk.

Yes, how about sage old person or people? Uh, Lady Sophia. Yeah, they set us up to think like, oh no, she's so scary and forbidding. And then she was the one who provided them, both of them with the best life advice. Yeah, and uh she missed Chicasa.

Yes, she also gives them very good advice. I liked her a lot. I would watch her story. She looks like she got a happy ending too. Yeah, like her and Hohoorge are totally Mangan's see now.

Number ten is Santa Claus. Yes, this is kind of the first movie this year that I sort of have a Santa Claus. Oh no, yeah, I don't know what's going on this season. I need it's very upsetting. This is episode eight.

I have not had any any any real sense of a real Santa Claus. I had to really reach to say, well, you know, there was the guy who had white hair in the background. I bet he was maybe supposed to be Santa Claus in a way. I also thought in this movie there was a moment of that right when when the German leader hosing guy is running after her, he bangs into a Santa Claus who seems to slow him down deliberately. And I thought to myself, is that Santa Claus?

And is he trying to make things not happen or make things happen for his daughter Gratza unresolved plot thread, but I'll take it now onto our bonuses, So we'll let's start on the music again. Typically we have a lot of public domain holiday songs and then some Christmas word salad. Did you clock either of them? What were your thoughts on the music in general? It was very interesting.

I did not expect it to open with like American gospel dancing with myself, Yeah, as that old Christmas dady dancing with myself, and then they at their Christmas ball when the family was finally loosening up and everybody was happier they clearly segued into some traditional, like not traditional traditional, but the kinds of things that people in Rio and in Brazil enjoyed singing and hearing it Christmas. I took it as like our version of Sweet Caroline. Yeah. Yeah, there's even the TikTok dance song. Yes, the TikTok dance song.

Lady Sophia's symphony, Yes, yes, of course, there is a we Wish you a Merry Christmas. Oh yeah, and it's played like in slow motion. That's when Gratza meets Lady Sophia and like goes to kiss her because I guess it's you know what you do with a stranger in Brazil and everybody is agast at that. Yeah. And then there's a couple of Christmas songs that, like, I don't know if there are songs anybody has heard of.

I had never heard them, although some maybe were familiar. But it was like there's one song that was seemed to be called like Christmas Party, and it was like the lyrics were I stand by the Christmas tree. I hope no one notices me. Everyone is having fun. I keep wondering when I can go home again.

Okay, yeah, yeah, I wonder how widely these things are understood, right, or if it's because Okay, so I've watched a lot of Cantonese movies and sometimes English songs get used in funky ways because people speak some English, but they don't speak necessarily a lot of it erish. And like, the best one ever I think you will appreciate was Wang Jing Satan Returns, where the emissary of Satan manifests in the vending machine break room of a police station. To the dirge like strains of Silent Night. I mean, the Silent Night's a creepy song. I'm into that, and that to me makes sense.

Yeah, So with some of these, I'm like, how much did people understand this Christmas party song? Or does it seem different? Like does it seem like a funnier song? And it's yeah, funny. Well, and then there's also that whole like how many songs do we like hum to ourselves or sing when we don't actually think about what they're about or the lyrics exactly, like Afternoon to Light being the great example of like how many shows have used that as a joke of characters not really what it's about.

So, yes, number two, our secret family recipe and or needlessly complicated holiday cocktails. There's not really cooking in the movie, but there's some food in different ways, and it's fancier than she thinks that people should be having. Yes, yes, which is fair, like, you know, it should just be good. And she also hates the like she's all into drinking whatever is being passed around, but she's very angry at it because I guess it's very sour. Yeah, And I like that because she does seem someone who likes like someone who likes a sweet cocktail.

Yes, yes, and said She's like, no, this tastes like candy. It is gross the which I get. I'm not a sour person, like I know, and it's one of those tastes that you either love or hate. And I nothing for me. If you want to torture me, I mean, there's a lot of ways you can do that, but one way to do that is just to like lock me in a room and say the only things you can eat for the next like five days is sour apple candy, and I might just chill myself because I can't think of anything worse.

Maybe now, one other food thing that comes up is, uh, what are your thoughts when when I when I'm gonna, I'm gonna throw a food at you. Okay, let's pretend we're on Top Chef and it's one of those like you pick something out of bag and your challenge is to make this in twenty minutes, and it's we've just put two culinary terms together and you're gonna have to make it a meal, and you pick out tofu tartar. Oh my god, I have no idea. How like, on one hand, what is he thinking? And on the other hand, he is someone who cannot he commits, he can't admit he's wrong.

Yes, So uh Grasa sets up that is challenged by Pedro at the dinner to tell people about her family in a very gross way, and so she says, if you can tell me stuff about your family, I'll tell you stuff about mine. And so she asks him what his wife, So Loungees favorite food is, and he says steak tartar, and so Lounge is like, what, I'm a vegetarian, So he changes it to tofu tartar, which I guess is just like eating the silky tofu. You wouldn't have to do much to I guess that's the whole idea of tartar in general essentially. Yeah, I mean it's you could put some soy sauce and say, yeah, usually there's like some lemon maybe, like right, it's like about like balancing acid there. So yeah, I meant that with the tofu you could put these things.

But yeah, with the tartar, yeah, you put some some lemon juice. So I mean, people share your best to fu tartar recipes. It was really good thinking of two things that were like the writers did a good job with that one. It made geometrically opposed. Yes, Now number three, we often find a small business in danger.

I so, okay, I have a really important question for you. Now, obviously we don't have a small business. We have some form of corporation that makes a lot of money. Yes, what does it do. It's a construction company.

Yeah, okay, I I did not catch that. That makes sense. It's interesting to me that lady Sophia founded a construction company. Well, I guess there's something to building stuff in some way. Oh yeah, like I imagine there's construction all over Brazil.

I think that's part of why they're very, very wealthy. Yeah, makes sense. And property is probably very pricey. So okay, yeah, I just for some reason didn't I thought they were making something and I was like, what are they making? It would be that kind of company, which again is one of the things in the movie that's more like real life than it is, like a who of true true.

Yeah, because a construction company is never a can't ever be a positive thing in a Hallmark world. Yeah, okay, so I didn't catch any product placement. But of course it's also hard for me to know, like if maybe there was something that just I culturally didn't know was a product, you know, Like, for all, I know that TikTok dance is a real thing. I don't think it is, but I want to believe. I want to believe it is.

Now let's talk about our cloying child, because we do have a child in this movie kind of. I mean, yeah, yeah, she's a child. Yeah, I don't think she's I can see how some people would find her irritating, but I quite liked her. I loved her. Yes, yes, And who describes her?

I think it's when they're like talking introducing, like, oh, who's who in the family, and she's described as the prodigy, the annoying prodigy. Yes, but she is very funny. Yeah, let's see number six finding the perfect tree. I don't think there's no they have people who do that. Yes they do.

Yes, there's some other like Brazilian Christmas Romance that's about their employee he finds the perfect tree for their mansion. I like to think it's like the way they filmed Dracula, right, and then Spanish Tracula at night in the same set, like the same thing. It was like this movie was film during the day and then while like Gratza was getting coffee like okay, quick run in there. Film the like the earnest Hallmark version of this movie. On that note, did we have empty coffee up acting?

I don't remember much. I didn't see. Yeah. And then she they really ate the cotton candy. Yep, she was really drinking the drinks.

Definitely. They were bent to really put that snailshell in his mouth. Yes, yes he did. We saw it twice in the out takes. Yeah.

Yep. So again for all these Hallmark actors who were like, oh, I can't really drink the coffee. I'm not even gonna pretend there's anything in there. Look, they're doing it fine in Brazil, you can do it too, that's right. Yeah, So same thing with eight.

Normally we have actors who are trying very hard to not actually eat on camera, but I they were eating. Yeah, yep, say obviously number nine canadianisms we skip in this case warm weather. Watch this, it's Brazil. It is I guess summer weather. It's What I did notice is that they were wearing these cashmere turtlenecks underneath their suit jackets.

Christmas heat. That seems very hot for that weather. It does, doesn't it. Yeah, So it's sort of like an inversion or something. I don't know.

Yeah, because within that same scene, you have a character in like hot pants, and you know, I know there are people that, like youn always wear hotpants and always wear like the dudes with beards who always wear shorts no matter what weather it is. Yeah, maybe there's chicks and hot pants that can do the same. But again, she also what we don't see is her raccoon fur coat underneath all. So let's see so old people aggressively matchmaking leads. Yeah not yeah, I mean, Lady Sophia is like gonna make this happen, but not in a gross way, which is nice.

I was I was gonna say, they're kind of aggressive, but they're not inappropriate. I like that. Yeah. Yeah, So that brings us to number twelve. The favorite fashion moment.

I don't even know where it is. I mean moments moments. You know. I want to say, you said something to me that I actually really appreciated when I had said because I sent you the notes and I said, oh, don't forget, because I, you know, had made some changes to this doc from last year. There's a couple of things that were added, including favorite fashion moment.

And because I'm like, you have to watch the for the fashion of this movie, and I mean, you can't miss the fashion of this movie. It's it's so wacky. But you made a good point about kind of I don't know if you want to say it or not, how like you didn't used to think about fashion so much. I used to be dismissive of it in film because and I think some of it with some internalized sexism. Sure that stuff is that's associated with women is less serious, right, and that it has to be they have to look good, whereas we don't think of men looking as good.

Yeah, and you know, sort of ignoring the narrative component of fashion, like narratively and in character. And the thing that turned it around for me is watching a pillow talk in one of those settings where it was like on TV and different talking heads talked about it and they talked to the costume designer about it. And it's not that I didn't have thoughts like that, but seeing people I think talk about them made me feel more willing to talk about them. Yeah. I think it's oh sorry, oh go ahead, Oh no, I just think it's fascinating because I've realized so even like on in a personal way that growing up I was never a fashion person.

It was like the way you're a teenager and you kind of pick like the clues that tell me who I am. But also as I got older, and it was always a very for me, like I'm a weird size, I'm chubby, like all these things that always made me feel like, oh, like I can like clothing, but that clothing isn't gonna look good on me. Like this looks great on the model, this great on Project Runway, but I can't pull that off. And there's also that sense I think that just comes with age of like you rounding a corner and realizing, oh, I'm not dressing for other people. I'm not dressing to look good for a man.

I'm dressing because this makes me feel good. I feel comfortable in what I'm wearing, or I feel sexy or powerful in these clothes. And I think, like it's it's something that ben like once that like like once you kind of like light that flame and realize like, oh right, it's not It's not about how I look. It's really about like what closed you on a character basis, even for yourself, certainly for movies where it's like, yes you can storytelling filmmaking like the way it looks and the way an actor feels and the costumes they wear is part of that. Yeah.

Yeah, And I feel like you can't talk about this movie without the fashions because they they're very pointed, like they they're very present, and every character, both male and female, but I mean particularly the women. Every character's clothing is very carefully curated for them. Like I mean, even what's his name mean pedro suits, He's wearing some very nice suits that are perfectly fitted to him. Because a man like him would do that, He would not go out looking like a slob no and and he they also sort of contrast with Carlino, who is more often more casually but more elegantly dressed than him. Yes, he, like Pedro is wearing very nice suits that are very that suit him very well, but they're very boring business guys, you know, kind of frat boy.

Yes, the well fitted and clearly designer, but yes, without kind of that personality. Uh, the to go through I think like maybe it's easiest to go character by character on some of the clothing. Sure, Okay, let's start with Grotzy Grotza, because I mean my favorite of her outfits, and again, she is a very particular body type. She is very short, very very curvy, you know, a little fuller than you would expect in a movie like this as the lead, but like stunning, like absolutely like a body that you'd look at and you're like, oh wow, banging uh. And you know her her clothing emphasizes those parts like her, you know, lots of boob, lots of butt.

My favorite of her outfits was the like it was like the white I forget, I guess it kind of a romper. It's probably a ramper. It was white with the blue patterning on it. Yes, I was the Greek themed one. Yes, it was green.

Yeah, that was I was gonna say, that's my favorite one. And it had something written about splashing on it. And then it had you know like that, uh what is it the meander the you know, like the classic Greek pattern the Yeah, yeah, yeah that I thought how to describe it, but it was yes, it's yeah, but it looked great. Yeah, she liked shorts, she did like And that's the first scene where she's distressed and you realize that she is not wearing sort of the classic pink dress with pink jacket like boxy you know, very sort of sixties looking thing, because she sits on a bench with her legs splayed, and you realize that it is a romper with a very chanel looking square cut dreck jacket. Yeah, it's it's almost like like kind of like a sexy drag queen Jackie Kennedy.

Yes, yes, that is a perfect description, which is what we all aspire to. So yes, Now, how about Carlinos's mother, Alice is kind of it is an artist, and she's not the flashiest dresser, but her statement necklace that wiry, like right, yeah, very she got it at the museum store, yes, m but she wears it. Well, I would love something like that, but I'm also I would get that at the museum store kind of persons with a coupon. Yeah. Let's see Solange, who's like very stunning because she is very tall and so like she very elegant, and because Pedro is much shorter than her, Like there's something that like it makes her look even taller.

She I like she got kind of I don't know, how do you describe it, Like it was deep purple, kind of like also Grecian in its own way. Yeah, yeah, I don't know, yeah, but it was Again, what was interesting to me is like she was going for like she was clearly interested in fashion, and she was very well dressed and wearing designer stuff, but she I think she was going for more like a funky hook coachier. Like she's she is not letting other people's sense of fashion direct her. She's getting the stuff that she likes. Yes, Mew, who's you know style et icon?

Yes? Yes, I also loved her broad brand beach hat that was like it had like it was almost like a Gibson girl Like it was a big ass hat. Yeah, it had a broad diameter and then its little cap was, uh, do you know those like little boas that have like the little fluffy feathers. It was like it was a swirl looseiled on top of her head, right, it was. It was amazing.

Yeah, I appreciate. I know you're a big hat fan too. Yeah. The hats and movies always are good. I loved I forget when she's wearing it because every outfit she wears is colorful and vibrant and weird, and she has matching jewelry that doesn't match.

But she's got one outfit it's the It's like, uh, she's got like a little kind of almost a bomber jacket with a puffy, puffed sleeve and it is sparkly, like fish scale, but with flower patterns on it. Yes. Everything she had was sparkly and patterned and brightly colored. Yes, And this one was one where I was like, oh no, if you put that like, you could put that on a runway, it would look good. And then I'd say, last is Lady Sophia.

Yeah, yeah, very like classic bohemian from like the twenties kind of stuff going on. And you know what's interesting to I loved her her sort of jacket sort of Christmas. I can't remember what they're called, but yeah, the the silken jacket that she had when they were playing polo that was very embroidered. Oh yeah, that was nice too. And speaking of like character revealing stuff or narrative revealing clothing, she had so much that was embroidered in a very like like she's wearing bernousas and stuff and stuff that's embroidered around the yolk.

And then we find out that her husband was like Lebanese or something and or no, her father sorry was like I remember his name was like Yosef. Yes, that sounds right, And I'm like, oh, so much of your clothing with these embroidered yolks and the cuts and the orientalist fantasy of it all is like pointing right there, right right, Well, it's it's that exact like thing that we were saying too on like costume design, where like costume tells the story. Like I don't know if you've ever read Tom and Lorenzo there, they're bloggers who and they like, yeah, they're like they did a whole series of Mad Men coverage where they would take every episode and just talk about the costumes and how you know who's like Joe's signature color is green, but when she's not wearing green, like what does this say about this?

And how like yeah, and like look at the hemline on Peggy's skirts and how it changes and what it's saying and like and it was just incredible. And they've done it for a couple of other things too, and it really you know it And again, every movie is different, every budget it is different. Yeah, oh completely, yeah, how like obviously he's like dressed more freely in everything, but when you see it, it's something when you start looking for it, and you know, a costume designer is like a cinematographer. They are artists that come to a job and are given a directive by the actor, by the filmmaker and in a lot of these cases and that's why, like I found it really interesting on Hallmark lately that you know, these movies are made pretty cheaply, they're made pretty quickly.

There are certain motives they have to do. Put the red and green in there, put you know, give me a lot of pea coats. But you're like, if you just watch it for costumes, sometimes you can really see somebody's eye in there that got some kind of note of like, oh no, but we want to suggest this and like, you know, even the cheapest movie made in fourteen days, sometimes that person in that job, in that department is doing it right and is telling a story this way. And that's a really good catch you have on Lady Sophia and the appliquet and the patterning, because I, I mean, I did not think that at all. I was just thinking, my god, when I am if I am her age with that money, I am dressing exactly like that.

Yeah, yeah, that is. She's incredibly aspirational for one's sixties and seventies. Yeah, oh, such a such an elegant woman. Yeah, yeah, So that was Christmas full of grace. What a what a ride?

What a carnival ride if you will, Yes, a very delightful time. Indeed, do you who do you recommend it to? Is there? Like you know, you're who you have to give this movie to to somebody and you want them to like it. Who is that person that you're like, you you were gonna like this movie?

Hi? I don't know everybody. Maybe someone who is looking for like a Christmas romance movie that is different, with like a twist on a lot of the conventions that we take for granted and as looking for something that's like not so conservative as some of them can be. Oh definitely, yeah. I think the people who liked which is the one I did with Christine earlier this season, which was the late and Easter one, this is kind of similar in terms of like, oh, hey, we're telling our Christmas romance.

You know, it's gonna end happy. It's hot people falling in love, but also we have some sex chokes and we have some more adult stuff, and also everybody looks really pretty and cute, and so it's kind of that, oh, this one's zanier. This one, I think again, like it's about a human raccoon and we're not kidding. Yeah, you're gonna watch it and you're gonna see exactly what we mean. Uh So, yeah, I had a blast.

And again it took me a little time because I thought, for a while, boy, this is a lot, but it is. It is. It is wild, it is energetic, The lead actress is a star. I hope to see more of her, and it's you know, and I'm sure on Netflix it is probably you can probably watch a dubbed Diversion. Please don't watch it with it's Brazilian because it's also like Portuguese is a beautiful language, and it's a beautiful language when people are angry, and they're angry in this movie a lot, and it just is so exciting to watch.

So with that being said, Carol, what are some other things we can look out for you from from you? For these holidays? Where can people find you? You do a lot of awesome stuff. I please tell the world.

You can find me writing at the Culturalgutter ww dot culturalgutter dot com. We have editors who write all kinds of things about various kinds of disreputable art. You can find me at my own blog which is called Monstrous Industry, which is Monstrous Industry at WordPress dot com, where I put up both some of my writing for the Cultural Gutter, other reviews I do of different movies, and some of my own art. And this Thursday coming up, I co host drive in mob on Twitter and Blue Sky and we will be having our annual Squallow Day special with Senior Squallow from the Last Shark bringing us seasonal cheer. Nice Find us on Blue Sky on our dedicated feed which is hashtag drive and Mob or find us on Twitter with hashtag drive and Mob.

And that is every Thursday, even after throughout every Thursday. Yes, I just I thought maybe this time people would want to see senior squallow, nice nice, nice. Well it was a joy. With that being said, I hope everybody remembers that when you are trying to escape your home and you can't get out, but a raccoon is trying to get in, maybe let that raccoon into your life and into your heart because it could change everything. M I think that is uh excellent advice for everyone.

Indeed, indeed, love down, joinvy God, see fast as your voy g alcome hu s bride mh s from door June, my God did the live? Oh Juana Samding? Who saw the young Jaca? Who the same? Who would I sung?

Who I sung? Japan It soun