This week, Julia, Thom, and Anthony tackle the two Christmas episodes of Parks and Recreation! Join the elves as they discuss 2009's Christmas Scandal and 2012's Ron and Diane, reveal which Pawnee residents they're most like, and quote both episodes to death in this fun-filled discussion full of holiday cheer! Settle back with your favorite holiday beverage and enjoy!
We're back, covering another superhero film that's set during the holidays and debating whether or not it's a Christmas movie, or merely a film set at Christmas. But this time, we're far from the streets of Gotham, and take to the skies with Tony Stark in this 2013, Shane Black directed vehicle, Iron Man 3. Join Julia, Thom, and Anthony as they discuss the Marvel Cinematic Universe overall, share their histories and preferences when it comes to Marvel and DC comics, examine the similarities between Batman and Iron Man, talk about Shane Black's proclivities for using the holiday season as a backdrop in his movies, debate about that twist, and discuss their theories for the just-released Avengers: Endgame! (Don't worry - no spoilers for the film in this episode, as it was recorded before the grand-finale of the MCU up until this point hit theaters!) This is one super fun episode you do not want to miss!
Happy Monday, Christmas Fanatics! We hope you all had a wonderful Easter (and/or Passover!)! Though it doesn't include the Easter Bunny, this week Julia, Thom, and Anthony discuss a beloved holiday classic starring a bunch of cute, furry animals - 1977's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas! Does this Muppet Christmas film elicit all of the comfort and joy for our three elves, or do we have a Grinch in our midst this week? Tune in to this fun episode to find out!
Happy Tax Day to our American listeners! To help you over that hurdle, the elves are back this week to discuss Disney's 2018 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, a modern take on the classic ballet, The Nutcracker. Does Disney have a new classic on it's hands, or does this film join the long list of attempts to bring The Nutcracker to the big screen over the years that can't quite capture the magic? Find out for yourself as you settle in for a fun-filled episode!
This week, at long last, the elves cover the [in(?)]famous and much beloved 1987 claymation classic, A Claymation Christmas Celebration! How does Will Vinton's clay version of London's Christmas Square compare to the stop-animation settings of Rankin/Bass? Can Rex, Herb, and the California Raisons even compare to Rudolph, Frosty, and the Miser Brothers? And, perhaps most importantly, is this another case where nostalgia plays a huge role when it comes to this special's final rankings? The amount of Christmas music discussed this is almost reason enough to tune into this rollicking, joyful, fun-filled episode! So settle in with your holiday beverage, and enjoy!
A Claymation Christmas Celebration website that we discuss in the episode, which features music and behind-the-scenes images and stories and was brought to our attention by listener Gerry Davilla. Thanks, Gerry!
This week, take a sleigh ride with Julia, Thom, and Anthony as they fly across the pond to Slough, England in order to discuss how the employees of Wernham Hogg Paper Company celebrate the holidays in The Office Christmas Specials. As enormous fans of the American version of The Office, which spawned from this original British version, this series finale has a lot to live up to in the minds of the three hosts. There's plenty to talk about here, from the famous (baby!) faces of the main cast, to comparisons with its US counterpart, in addition to plenty of debate over whether or not this two-part episode is actually a Christmas special, amongst many other things. This is one international field trip you most definitely do not want to miss! Also in this episode, the elves take a detour into the realm of Halloween, and geek out over the new Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark movie trailer in addition to the three anthology books which inspired it.
Happy first day of April, Christmas fanatics! This week, pull up a comfy chair and have your holiday beverage of choice ready, because Julia, Thom, and Anthony are warming themselves up in front of Douglas Chick's Crackling Fireplace! It might be warming up outside, but inside Tis the Podcast's Headquarters, our the three elves can't stop gushing about this particular Yule Log - or roasting chestnuts over it either, for that matter!
This week, journey back in time to the town of Bedrock with Julia, Thom, and Anthony as they discuss the 1977 holiday special, A Flintstone Christmas. So settle in with your favorite holiday beverage and tune in, because you're sure to have a yabba-dabba-doo time with the elves as they debate the holiday traditions of the Flintstones and the Rubbles.
And after an unintentional week off, we're back and covering the 2015 comedy-film, The Night Before! Will Julia and Thom make like Miley Cyrus and come in like a wrecking ball when talking about this movie, or is there enough underlying heart to it where Anthony can make a convincing case in its favor? Did Thom's trip to New York make Anthony change his mind about whether or not his co-host is "the worst"? Will the elves agree about the use of Christmas in Hollis in this movie? And will Thom's new derivation of the word "Rudolph" become a thing, or is it never going to happen? All of this and much more are discussed in this fun episode dissecting a movie about three childhood friends who become three wise men over the course of one Christmas Eve night in New York! So settle back with a cup of hot cocoa, enjoy, and get excited - because as of next week, we are officially under 40 weeks until Christmas! (And Tis the Podcast has a lot of fun stuff coming up on the horizon very soon, besides our normal weekly episodes, so stay tuned!)
For the first time ever, the hosts of Tis the Podcast delve into the realm of Chanukah with 2002's musical-comedy, Eight Crazy Nights. Join Julia, Thom, and Anthony as they discuss this awful, animated Adam Sandler film, the discussion of which yields some personal revelations from the elves and the biggest rant that Anthony's gone on in a while. There's lots of fun in this episode, despite the movie that's being covered, so settle in, put on your yarmulke, and get ready for this Christmas podcast to celebrate Chanukah!
*Important Note - Due to the nature of this movie, we discuss certain hard truths about Santa Claus throughout this episode, so you may want to listen to this one when your children aren't present!*
This week, the Julia, Thom, and Anthony gather around the fireside to discuss the 2014, black-comedy film, A Merry Friggin' Christmas. The fact that this episode title is merely the name of the movie should tell you all that you need to know in advance about what the hosts thing about this movie, which features the incomparable, late, great, Robin Williams. Nevertheless, it's fun discussion that you'll want to settle down with your favorite Christmas drink to listen to. In addition to the film, the elves also discuss which holiday movie family they'd like to sit down and have a meal with.
The elves say goodbye to Valentine's this year with one last romcom - While You Were Sleeping. Join us this week as we discuss a love filled romantic movie, debate its merits as a Christmas movie, discuss some Sandy B love, and do our best to spread some Christmas cheer in February!
The elves gear up for Valentine's Day week with the 2006 romantic comedy The Holiday starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, and Jack Black. Throughout the conversation, they discuss favorite movies with the leading actors and actresses, rom-coms as a film genre, sentimentality, and what can keep a movie from being a Christmas movie. Snuggle up with that special someone and join us for this romantic episode!
This week, the elves tackle the 1997 horror-comedy film, Jack Frost - not to be confused with the still yet-to-be-covered 1998 comedy, Jack Frost, starring Michael Keaton. Does this low-budget, campy movie fall into the same "so bad it could be fun to mock" category as Santa's Slay, or will it even come up short of that standard? Given the length of this episode, and keeping in mind Disco54's "Laws of Tis The Podcast", I'm sure you can guess what Julia, Thom, and Anthony think of this film before listening to it! It's not a complete waste this week, however, for the hosts get surprisingly sentimental when discussing a question posed to them by listener, Martin Achatz ("What would you put in your Christmas time capsule?") and a classic Christmas carol is used as the show's outro music! In addition, sunnier and more romantic times lie ahead, which Julia makes clear when announcing the movies that will be covered in the next two weeks!