8 Bit Christmas (HBO Max - 2021) ft. Alonso Duralde

[00:00:00] Hi, I'm Bramble and I love at the time HBO Max Christmas movies. I'm Dan and I despise HBO Max Christmas movies I'm Alonso and I haven't owned a video game system since the Magnavox and this is the Deck The Hallmark Podcast! Deck The Hallmark, it's his podcast

[00:00:21] Bramble Jam Podcast Bramble Jam Podcast We hope you like this jolly podcast Wow! Oh boy! Hello everybody, it's Bramble, it's Dan, it's Alonso, it's Monday! Monday, Monday, Monday! We missed you last week Dan, oh? And then the absolute goal of this guy, I had to miss that episode.

[00:00:50] I show up on Monday and I casually go, hey how was the movie you guys had to watch last week? And he goes, it's Dan, it's the best one we've ever done in our Monday series.

[00:01:00] Didn't even like have the courtesy to lie to me and be like, it was good! He said, the week you were gone is the best one we've ever done on any Monday. I don't know if I'd go that far but it's definitely top, upper tier.

[00:01:16] Outside of 25 weeks of Christmas is all I'm saying. Well, yeah, sure. Was it better than those, your Christmas Remind? I liked it better than your Christmas Remind. Better than that Christmas Subway movie in England? The one I watched? Comparable. It's up there with those.

[00:01:34] Well, I'm sorry I missed out guys. But I'm back this week. Hopefully I didn't curse us this week. No, I hope not as well. By the way, before we dig into nostalgia for the late 80s, early 90s,

[00:01:47] I gave you guys a homework assignment that I don't think either of you has fulfilled yet. Oh no. Which is to watch the, well okay, we talked about last Christmas on this program a few weeks ago. Correct.

[00:01:58] You guys both copped to the fact that you had never heard George Michael's Freedom 90 before, which blew my mind and then I later thought, wait, that means they've never seen the video. And the video was a very big deal at the time and I sent it to you,

[00:02:12] have either of you watched it? Bray, you go first. So I think what's important to remember here is that we had a festival. There's a lot going on.

[00:02:22] Stuff came and it's not from a lack of watch it branded not and I will withhold my entire critique of it until brainwashed. Well, that's all it can be. You don't have to plug my ears. It's the least I could do. Your is the least I could do.

[00:02:40] Look, not to spoil this video was revolutionary a because George Michael does not appear in it and B because in his stead he hired the very, very hottest supermodels of the moment.

[00:02:53] We're talking Naomi and Christie and Linda and Cindy Crawford and Tatiana and it was it was it was the zeitgeist of 90. Wow. So you know, it's a thing. All right, we'll put it on the list when we can carve out three minutes somewhere.

[00:03:11] I think maybe you can find the time. Alonzo, if you were up against it, if you could be or how about I do this? If you could replace Dan and I with supermodels for the week. Who would it be? Because I don't want to replace you.

[00:03:27] You're the bread and butter here. Dan and I are interchangeable. Who cares? I would go old school. I'd want like Lauren Hutton and Marisa Barrenson. I don't know. They would they would be great for the show. As long as I'm Lauren Hutton, that's all that matters. Okay.

[00:03:41] Well, that's fine. You're more of a barrenson. Yeah. Read a book. Barrenson bears. Read a book. See a model. Alonzo, have you ever given thought to if you were ever going to be in a movie who you'd want to play with you? In the movie of your life?

[00:03:58] It's come up occasionally. I have. I used to say Jack Black, but I'm kind of annoyed with him right now. So. Oh, wow. I'd love to get into that. We don't have to get into it on this show. It's a whole long story. You can Google it. Okay.

[00:04:12] Huh? Who would play me now? Gosh. Um, I don't know. Come back to me. Have you been giving this thought, right? Jimmy Stewart or if he's not available, Jim, Carrie, Jim, Carrie, oh, stop it. Stop it. We're having fun. We're having fun.

[00:04:28] But obviously not a bad comp, I think. Yeah. For me. For you. Yeah. Jim, Carrie, I think maybe I'm a little Zach Galifianakis is your comp. That's fair. Zach Galifianakis is your car. Jason Manzuchas. Oh, Jason Manzuchas would be great. I'll take both of those. Yeah.

[00:04:46] I'll take both of those. That's right. What about you, Dan? I got no idea. I got nothing. You've never thought about it? I literally have never thought about it. Not once. I don't know. I've always said Ralph Nader is your guy. Ralph Nader. Ralph Nader. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:05:01] It's full. Sing flies off the page. Let us know in the comments. Uh. Smash that subscribe button. That subscribe button everybody. And by that subscribe button we mean Filo. Filo.tv.tv. You can watch it. Filo.tv.com. You can watch this show and so much data.

[00:05:14] And I got to, I got to, I want to tease it for the people. The next episode of the Filo deep dive is a doozy. It's a doozy. That's true. That's true. That's a lot of deep dive doozy. Those are special episodes.

[00:05:26] You got to look for the big dog episode of the week here at the Hallmark, which is this episode. That's about our fact. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. That's right. I love Alonzo getting in on it. It's fantastic. Alonzo giving what I would describe as 40%. Let's play that.

[00:05:45] I was thinking half-hearted. You're cutting me down to 40. Let's play that back at full speed, please. We're talking a bit Christmas came out back when Max was still HBO Max. The good old days for the rebranding whole new app. Can we talk about this real quick?

[00:06:07] Do we have to? Because you can rebrand without having people download a new app. It wasn't necessary. People do it all the time, but for some reason, HBO Max said we can't do it. We have to do a whole new Max app. Do you know why Alonzo?

[00:06:25] I have a guess. I'm curious because David Zaslaw is the worst. That's sort of my fallback answer to everything. The Batgirl took up so much memory. Exactly. We couldn't possibly save everybody's wish list. We have to start all over again.

[00:06:42] HBO Max with Batgirl and they couldn't do it that way. Can I tell you what? I'm just as a pure guess. Cinemax and HBO becoming a company? Cinemax was always the embarrassing relative of HBO. I think it was a brand. It was like an HBO.

[00:07:01] How do we slowly dissolve Cinemax? We start with H Cinemax on demand and HBO, and then we do HBO Max, and then we just do Max. That makes sense to me at least in my head. Then you're dissolving HBO.

[00:07:14] My point is you could have done all of that without having people download a new app. Yes, absolutely. Now here's the big question. When Hallmark movies now... Go ahead. Erin, yes? I thought I had read somewhere that because the content was so different between the two apps,

[00:07:30] it was easier for them to just build a new app with the correct content. Interesting. Because they lost a lot of their own... Some HBO content isn't on there. That's what I read. I'll take that answer. True. They had to take on all that discovery crap. Thank you.

[00:07:46] I love that answer. Home shows and stuff. But remember how bad that app was at the beginning where they were not listing producers and directors and writers? They were just lumping everybody as like... Cast. The crew. Oh, yeah. It was a disaster. They really did it, man.

[00:08:01] When Hallmark movies now becomes Hallmark Plus, are we going to have to download a new app? Or are we just going to wake up one morning with a logo? I can only hope there's a new app. I think that there will be a new app.

[00:08:11] But I think that it'll just update. I think it'll just update. But we'll find out. We'll see. We'll find out. It's a new world. Anything can happen. H... H... Yes, Max ran so Hallmark Plus can run. Wait. If you said so. Stop coming!

[00:08:27] This is poke all over again. I'm going to crash the people listening. I'm going to get it because it's pre-show. But I've done goofed. I couldn't think of a single dance. Not a one. Eight-bit Christmas. Max dance so that Hallmark Plus could cha-cha. Could polka.

[00:08:40] November 24th, 2021 is when this movie aired or dropped, streamed. Anyone else something like this? Okay. When it polkered. Polkered hard. It's 2021. We're in Chicago. Here's what I found. What'd you find, Siri? Tell me what you found, Siri. That was crazy.

[00:09:00] It's 2021 in Chicago and Jake Doyle is walking down the street with his daughter and she is going on and on about how badly she wants. No! Needs a phone. When they get to Jake's mom's house, they realize that no one is there yet and so

[00:09:16] they're walking around and he says, let me show you my old Nintendo. And she's like, what's a Nintendo? And she's like, what's a Nintendo? So they sit down and he tells her the story about how he finally got his hands on a Nintendo.

[00:09:32] The gift that he really wanted back when he was her age. Cut back to the late 80s and Jake is 11 years old and he shows up at Timmy Keene's house, the richest kid in the school and the one who had a Nintendo. Every day kids would crowd 10,000 people.

[00:09:51] Nintendo. Every day kids would crowd Timmy's house chanting Nintendo begging for their chance to go inside and play the Nintendo but Timmy would only pick 10 kids to play with him in the basement

[00:10:04] and one day he picks Jake to come down and it's great until it's not because Jake doesn't actually get to play, he just has to watch Timmy play so now he is more committed than ever to get his own Nintendo so he can finally play it for himself.

[00:10:20] First idea is a simple one. I'm going to ask my parents if I can get an Nintendo for Christmas. Easy, simple, we've all done it. He tricks his mom into saying yes, hoping that he can use that to convince his dad

[00:10:32] which he does and then they finally start talking about it and video games are killing kids' brains so they collectively say none enough. Kids should be playing outdoors. Jake is sad, heads to Timmy's house which was especially hyped that day due to the addition of the power glove.

[00:10:52] Timmy gets so much stuff because he's making people give him stuff for a chance to enter into the house to see the power glove and Jake has to actually sneak his way into it because all he brought was a sausage and he did not get picked for

[00:11:11] that sausage so he falls a dog into the basement and then that same dog ends up getting crushed by the TV because Timmy gets mad that the power glove sucks. But dreams die harder than dogs do and when he hears that the first prize of a

[00:11:29] Scout fundraiser for selling the most Christmas Reese was a Nintendo, Jake and his friends all join the Scouts and then compete to win that system. It is brutal out there though. Jake's sister Lizzie has her own dream toy, the Cabbage Patch Kids doll

[00:11:46] and in exchange for tips for selling Reese because she's really good at tips, Jake agrees to drop hints on her behalf about how great a present would be that is the Cabbage Patch doll. Turns out though Cabbage Patch Kids they're sold out so things go from bad

[00:12:05] to worse when a Nintendo distracts Jake at the mall and he loses his sister and his retainer Jake and so Jake is forced now to accompany his dad to a back alley to get the doll for his sister.

[00:12:22] He's like well why can't I have a Nintendo and all this good stuff? It is time for the Wreath Sale Results and Jake wins but there's no Nintendo because the troop leaders decided that video games are melting kids minds because word has spread about the Smush Dog.

[00:12:40] The anti-Nintendo movement is spreading and any chance Jake had at getting one is all but dead. It is six days until Christmas and Jake and his gang are at a roller rink for a birthday party.

[00:12:52] They get some baseball cards they're opening up and as luck would have it they find the banned Billy Ripken cards. Yeah they do. It's an error card and that card is worth $95. So they now have a new plan.

[00:13:06] Sell some baseball cards including the Billy Ripken one, put all their money together and buy their own Nintendo when they are in Chicago on a field trip. A lot can go wrong but they have it all planned out complete with you know throwing up to stop the bus

[00:13:22] by the mall because sometimes you gotta take one from the team. But the plan immediately runs into a problem before they can even start because the bully takes his money but Jake finally snaps and tells the bully off and gets his money back. The plan is on.

[00:13:36] Nine minutes of throw up time gives him nine minutes to get in, buy the Nintendo and get out but just as he's about to get inside the store he spots his mom outside protesting Nintendo.

[00:13:47] He gets his friends to page them over the intercom so to distract them long enough for him to get in and get out. He runs in, secures the package. It's all looking good.

[00:13:55] But he runs outside, he slips on ice which launches the Nintendo into the road and gets run over by a bus. After getting, after getting advice from the underground cabbage patch dealer, Jake wakes up on Christmas morning and tries his best to have a good attitude

[00:14:14] but it's hard until he sees a box in the corner that looks just like a red rider, I'm sorry, a Nintendo box. He rips open the box and it's a light bright. It's not a Nintendo at all.

[00:14:26] It is Christmas night and Jake's dad tells him before they leave that he has to go out and pick the poop up in the backyards. And that is when his dad surprises him with his real Christmas gift, an amazing tree fort. Jake is blown away.

[00:14:42] Cut back to present day and Jake and his daughter are in the tree fort and she's like, well was the Nintendo in here waiting for you? And he's like no, I worked to get that Nintendo myself a couple years later.

[00:14:54] But this tree fort was the best gift I ever got. The family sits down for dinner and we find out that Jake's dad has since passed away and Jake and his daughter agree to carry on the tradition of the fort

[00:15:08] and go out and work on the fort some more in the morning. And now my friends was 8-Bit Christmas! We did it. We did do it. We're gonna take a quick break. We're gonna come back. We're gonna break this movie down here on Jack the Hallmark.

[00:15:24] Welcome back everybody. We're talking about 8-Bit Christmas from 2021. Every Monday we're doing some Christmas movies that somehow, whether it came out after Alonzo's initial book or maybe just didn't get to it, we're reviewing some of those movies for just fun. For funsies. No other particular reason.

[00:15:53] And this week we're back in 2021. Not too far for 8-Bit Christmas. We're gonna start with a hot tag. We're gonna share our thoughts on this movie. We're not gonna hold back and I'm gonna kick it to Alonzo. Alonzo what did you think of 8-Bit Christmas then and now?

[00:16:07] So crazily I think this makes an interesting pairing with Violent Night. Obviously they're very different. Violent Night is very R rated and you know not, this is a much more family friendly film but both films are operating knowing that audiences

[00:16:24] know the movies that they are likely to be compared to. And they have to exist in a way that they resist that comparison or they are so good that you don't mind the comparison or that there may be even better in certain ways.

[00:16:39] So this is a movie predicated on the notion that everybody watching it has seen a Christmas story. Has seen a movie told in flashbacks about a kid and that one Christmas where he really wanted the one specific thing and all the hurdles involved in getting it.

[00:16:56] And even with that I think this movie works really well like it's really charming, it's really funny and yes it has a lot of the DNA of a Christmas story in it in terms of

[00:17:07] the family dynamic and the sort of like you know the voice over narration and the kind of like kid obsession and you know the sort of adult humor about the passage of time whatever.

[00:17:20] But even going in knowing all of that stuff I think this is a movie you can absolutely enjoy on its own merits and I think really it's probably a better call out to a Christmas story movie

[00:17:33] than a Christmas story Christmas was let alone all of those ridiculous like sort of sequels of a Christmas story that we've gotten over the years. So yeah I'm you know I'm a fan, I like it then and watching it again a couple years later

[00:17:50] I think it holds up. I adore this movie. It has become a part of my yearly watch over the past few years. I've watched it each year since 2021 and I'll watch it this holiday season even though I watched it in late July because I'm sorry August.

[00:18:07] Yep of course August yeah you were right. So I love this movie and you're right there obviously it is hitting a lot of Christmas story beats. I think the thing that works the most for me is if you remember guys when we did Christmas

[00:18:24] story Christmas Christmas story Christmas was so much about trying to make us believe that the dad from a Christmas story wasn't as bad as we remember him being. That's right. The guy in a Christmas story has one redeeming moment in the movie where he's like I had

[00:18:45] when I was a kid gets the thing and it's like okay yeah there's a lot throughout the movie that's kind of the worst but he's not the one thing. But par for the course for a 1950s. Sure sure sure father.

[00:18:55] But in a Christmas story and a Christmas story Christmas it's like dad was the best. He was like yeah that's not really the guy that we saw. I think the thing that worked for me in this one is they do do that but the dad

[00:19:09] in this movie is so darn like likeable throughout this movie he is just great and so when you see the end of this movie and kind of the revelation of him passing away the tree fort all of that

[00:19:28] and him not getting the Nintendo but him having to work for it and that the tree fort was the best gift he ever got. All of that makes this movie so great because it's really telling the story that you

[00:19:44] think it's about one thing because of the Christmas story and by the end of it the Christmas story I love it. It does not make me cry.

[00:19:52] Ape at Christmas has made me cry every time I've watched it at the end of this movie and so this movie crushes it gives me all the feels and there's also just some absolutely hilarious moments in this movie that make me laugh out loud

[00:20:08] and I love it and I'm going to kick it over to Dan who had not seen the movie before. I had never seen this movie. I was not prepared for this movie. This movie destroyed me in all the best ways.

[00:20:21] This is my favorite one we've ever done on a Monday and I'm not that is 100% accurate as someone that was born in 1983 spent the majority of his childhood begging for Nintendo and never got one. All of this worked for me. The Billy Ripken era card had the card.

[00:20:37] Like went to the card shop literally. The minutiae of this movie was made for me. The thing about a Christmas story is I like that movie because I was supposed to like it. I didn't watch it until I was 12.

[00:20:50] I literally never seen it until I was 12 years old and I remember everyone being like you've never seen a Christmas story and then I remember just feeling like I'm just not going to be like this movie isn't bad but it doesn't really resonate with me at all.

[00:21:01] It's fine. It's got a few funny moments but it never really was my thing. This movie crushes and it crushes for a number of reasons. One is it plays on your expectations of a Christmas story which is what Alonzo said.

[00:21:14] And two Steve Zahn as the dad and June Diane Raphael as the mom are amazing this movie. And then the idea I think for me the whole movie I'm like this is so enjoyable. I'm really like vibing with the fact this is very nostalgic for me.

[00:21:29] I have a sea of memories. My all the feels segment could be 12 or 13 stories. My weight what's are like two and then all of a sudden the end of this movie I am certain based upon this movie being almost beat for beat Christmas story

[00:21:45] but better in every way in my opinion that under the Christmas tree there's going to be a full what's that over there in the corner and then they don't do that.

[00:21:55] And then instead of doing that they just pull all the stops out and it may be manipulative for other people. It may be I'm sure a 10 or 11 year old now may not have resonated with it. I don't know. I'm interested to show it to my kids.

[00:22:09] I was a mess. I thought about my parents and the times they like I never got a Nintendo but they surprised me with gifts just like this dad surprised his kids with gift.

[00:22:21] I thought about my kids and I did buy them a video game system and surprising them. I have it on video. It's one of my favorite prize possessions.

[00:22:28] This whole movie was made for someone my age from start to finish just everything I could possibly want a Christmas movie. Can't wait to watch it again. We'll watch it again at Christmas time.

[00:22:40] Adored this movie loved it loved it loved it and Dan and I have talked about a tree for we got a good tree. We have talked about three for less excited about the tree for but still great on the price. One. Yeah. It's the trees annoying.

[00:22:54] It's his tree. It's annoying to me but you know I get it. But what if. Yeah. What if tree out. What if tree for it we could jump right in the pool from the tree. That's right. That's the placement of it makes it tricky. It does.

[00:23:07] Let's get to all the fields. We're talking about when this movie gives us this feels a lot. Yeah.

[00:23:15] So this is I mean I am you know a little older than the all not entirely my frame of reference nostalgia wise but there was a I laughed a lot in this movie. I love early on when they're establishing how terrible Timmy is.

[00:23:30] When he knocks the connect four board off his grandmother's hospital. It's one of the best moments. Oh my goodness. Crushed it. It makes me laugh now. I just I love that. I love the talking Nintendo in the Marshall Fields. It's just as him Jake. That's right. Yeah.

[00:23:49] Oh God that yeah we've all been there. There are some some really great set pieces that I think are elaborate wonderful the whole retainer gag. Oh my goodness. They're both like running after it's been kicked and mopped and he's got to put it his mouth anyway like that.

[00:24:04] That's hilarious. The whole like caper of then going back to the mall to get the Nintendo on the school trip and all the different things that have to happen the phone call and the Spaghetti O's or whatever.

[00:24:16] So yeah I just I think there's a lot there and and yeah I think that it really does stick the ending because yeah again you're you're you're thinking it's going to go Christmas story and he's going to get the thing but it's like no the

[00:24:29] whole point of telling the stories to tell the daughter I'm not giving you a phone but you know yeah there are other there are other things that are more important you know so yeah no it's it's it's a delight.

[00:24:40] Obviously the tree for at the end of this movie is amazing. It's an amazing moment. If for no other reason the lights on it masterful touch great vibes.

[00:24:55] I also just the small moment and when when the parents are watching him climb up and she goes let me get the camcorder and he goes led this moment just live.

[00:25:10] Like as a parent I killer I felt that hard and there are so many times where I look back and I'm like I just wish I lived in this moment and that was a really sweet moment to be not sweet though for a second throw up bits don't always work for

[00:25:30] to do. This one dad gum it if this throw up scene did not like amazing moment because perfect so they're leading up to it they're talking about how this kid Spaghetti knows we got nine minutes.

[00:25:47] What are we going to do and they could have done it could have done it off camera they could have a lot of things.

[00:25:53] They went as hard as they possibly could with this throw up and it was hilarious it hit every time that it happened and full money Python. It was awesome I loved it and that is now the number that's what I want out of every throw up scene.

[00:26:12] Wow for big ask I know Dana.

[00:26:14] Yeah the movie one and memory one might my movie one is I the tree house reveal was great and this the scene where they're talking in the tree house is wonderful and I'm like like I'm like sitting there going man this is this is it right here this is it but then when they sit down at dinner and then they start showing you all the J J's around the house.

[00:26:38] Come on. Come on. I'm only human here like that was that was the year and they like say that that was the year that me and dad founder thing yeah and then it starts oh my gosh.

[00:26:52] It's so similar to in one of the lawns of his favorite movies about time Richard Curtis is about time where where Dom now Gleason have you seen don't all don't all Gleason yes where he it's the same almost the same narration beat where he says he wasn't just my hero.

[00:27:09] He was my dad. Yeah like that line I mean come on forget it and then personally like all of this listen I my neighbors had a Nintendo.

[00:27:16] It was just life to go over there just to watch somebody play Zelda like that was it man like I remember when they got the power glove I really got the Nintendo power pad which is before the glove and you played Olympic track and field on it like Brian Harold I see you.

[00:27:32] Timmy came making his sister go out and play on the set for the music to play so he can do a big power power glove reveal yeah is cinema cinema yeah let's we forget that was an entire movie designed to sell the power glove to people.

[00:27:48] Yes we call the wizard with Fred Savage. Fred Savage baby it was like this was all of this like collective baseball cards one in a Nintendo. I also love you know they don't get him the Nintendo right away he gets in a couple years.

[00:28:01] My parents got me a Gameboy my parents were terror like video games were absolutely not an hour we have cable no video games and then they bought into a lot of the stuff that I mean I think if you play too much video games is probably true but at the time

[00:28:14] Nintendo like this your brain will turn to mush thing they bought they bought into that and they didn't want it in the house and it's probably too expensive we couldn't afford it for all those reasons I didn't get one.

[00:28:22] They didn't buy me a Gameboy when I was older which I like I asked for just like off the cuff and was like there's no way they're buying this we've never had a video game system in the house and then I got it on Christmas.

[00:28:31] That was a fun memory I distinctly remember being 10 and us opening all the gifts and being like this was great and my parents were like go take the trash out and we walked it through my dad's study and they had made the three in one

[00:28:42] tournament table which was like pool ping pong air hockey one table and that was like that moment and like it was just everything we didn't have a campground grown up but like I still remember that moment and I also like it just all of that stuff really

[00:28:59] really worked for my dad wasn't didn't have the Midwestern you know Steve's on has an edge to me yeah he gets real mad in traffic but you can tell he loves his kids my dad didn't have that it my dad was just like he was just amazing he just unbelievable

[00:29:11] he didn't have that like I never heard him yell in traffic not once like I probably yo born traffic this week that my dad you know his whole life can't confirm and so like all of that like all of that stuff like really really worked for me but the whole movie I had so many memories I'm

[00:29:26] not even share I'm literally like every scene I'm like I remember when this I think it was great it was just it's just my thing well we've been sappy we've had fun let's take a break we'll come back we'll get to the wait what and the what the what what song

[00:29:40] take it to the max yeah take the homework hi everybody welcome back we're talking 8 bit Christmas here on this this Monday first month first Monday of August yeah happy my birthday

[00:29:59] birthday birthday birthday birthday birthday birthday is my birthday the big 4-1 wow right old all right yes so old so old thanks Alonzo for jumping in on that

[00:30:12] Nintendo memories yeah let's let's get to the wait what we're talking about when this movie just go wait what so long time yeah not a ton and they're all pretty minor

[00:30:22] reeth sales would have started earlier way early because you've got to deliver those bad boys and so I don't think you're going to be like you're to start selling them like what eight days before Christmas or whatever this movie is but you know this is a thing they always do what are you going to do

[00:30:38] I I don't know if it's the camera angles or what but there are times where he appears to be wearing boots that are not the purple boots yeah like they make a big deal about he's got the girls boots and stuff and then but there are

[00:30:52] like the first time he's in the mall in Chicago it looks like he's not wearing them and so maybe that's just a trick of the light or something but like they there seems to be some some boot continuity issue there

[00:31:03] and then the other one is when he the second time he's in the mall and he's trying to get into Marshall Fields and the two moms are out there protesting video games it's a mall yeah and it's Marshall Fields there's more than one entry like you

[00:31:17] just taking the next later up to another level and gone in that way and there's no way that's the only store in the mall that sells Nintendo right also that probably yes no way like I got

[00:31:27] that was a big one for me yeah yeah that's it I don't have a ton I did write down buses are crazy and I just kind of think about this in general whenever I see a bus that just the fact that we're still doing it is is crazy to me the buses are

[00:31:42] the buses are crazy like if you think about it that there is in an order to be here can you believe I know I understand this is about a throw up I want more throw up is what I want you're with me on this one though the fact that there are 20 plus kids on a bus

[00:31:57] with one only adult is a bus driver yeah that's what that's that's that's the qualification you can drive a bus you can handle kids and I think I think about it almost every time I see a bus that buses are crazy

[00:32:11] and so I just wanted to say it here on the on the record and have my buses are crazy look they have the teacher who gets puked on and she by the way did we recognize her she's a she's a hallmark bet

[00:32:23] no in quite a few movies yeah she had a really funny line I should have never stopped in and so in Vegas speaking of her one of mine is if a kid threw up on me like that

[00:32:36] you're out I'm out you're not teaching that's the red that's the that's like the rest of my day is just trying to get that out of like that's crazy yeah that was a crazy man it's a it's a chain reaction kudos to her kudos to her for for sticking with it because

[00:32:54] that I would have been thrown up I'm in the same boat weirdly enough like of the things that Bob like my wife works in pediatrics and she'll come home and I can always tell when she has the hospital scrubs on that some some kid has thrown up on her

[00:33:05] and it's just like whatever's a normal day it just happens it happens from time to time and I'm like no it does not that's like the rest of my day is just thinking about that moment

[00:33:16] and but here's the thing it's not just throw out like that that is that's a project that's a yeah that's all yeah yeah there you feel it hit this I just want to throw out this actress Catherine Greenwood she was the mom in

[00:33:27] ex-mus which okay did yeah earlier this year she was in unlocking Christmas which is and yeah that's the one and something else but I've lost it now anyway so yeah she's just she's one of those faces that we've come to know from this you

[00:33:46] know Avenue of cinema that we're covering the only real way what that I have is that for a family that is as frugal as they are it's a really nice camcorder they had in 1980s yeah it is that's they maybe spent all the money on that

[00:34:01] okay like the fact that you said that your parents you guys didn't have a world we had we had friends that we had one friend said of friends that had one and it was this huge deal yeah and this is

[00:34:10] like the shoulder strap with the bit yeah they in the day yeah no it was it was it was handheld it wasn't a shoulder strap but it was like this ginormous thing so much about this movie is talking about how frugal the parents

[00:34:21] are and then they bust out this big camcorder and here's the thing is if they did have that camcorder they would bust that thing out for literally any reason not just

[00:34:30] everything the people that had camcorders they wanted you to know that they haven't seen these steves on space you would just see this all movie all the time

[00:34:39] maybe it was a gift from the rich uncle who lives in Tokyo yes that's a good one thank you I did love that bit rich uncle in Tokyo that was perfect

[00:34:49] both some minor Nintendo nerd stuff but I think they're both valid this movie does a great job of not giving you a specific year because I'm pretty sure the power glove may have not come out

[00:34:58] until 1990s and so they just have it all happen they do say 88 on the video that we see later of okay okay because he's beyond that they do keep but he does keep going like 85 86 late 80s

[00:35:11] and so that's a perfect thing which is also the deal with the Christmas story like you quite nailed which year in the 40s and so I don't I don't mind that I'm not not there but the two that I have were at

[00:35:21] in Timmy's house they take great liberty with the length of the controller cords as someone that played Nintendo you had no choice but to get retinal burn you were not you didn't get to sit back on your couch and roll into some punch out

[00:35:39] like you were there man like you were squatting in front of the screen these cords are like the hundred foot HDMI ones we got in the store in here like it's like I get it you had to film a movie but for a movie that's very intent on being do you remember the Nintendo

[00:35:54] that was a big one for me I was like having Timmy not like make out with the TV screen missed opportunity I just like I didn't it's just one scene because early he's playing duck hunt you can't really see it but when he's when the TV falls on the dog

[00:36:09] that scene the cords are like they are on the floor with slack like they have there's their 12 foot 20 foot cords they're crazy I have I have a duck hunt question because I again this was after me when he's standing that close to the screen and shooting at them is that

[00:36:24] like cheating because yes closer is that sure as if you got that close you almost assuredly we're going to hit it every time dog was going to be like good job there at the end you were going to yeah there was a

[00:36:37] every living room had like an agreed upon you know distance you got a tape tape on the floor table the floor behind the table that's right by the type and it was weird he said winter now I'm thinking was where he said winter stays when it's easily a two person game like winter stays and he's like look at me I win but there's a duck hunt the two person game you can take turns

[00:36:57] and still have winter stays for anything over there Timmy's a B hole my yeah he is he's both players my one big one that was against character was Neil Patrick Harris is telling the story and he sees what amounts to be the encyclopedia like set under this sheet and he's telling

[00:37:16] the story and he goes it look way bigger than the NES systems I had seen so saying NES system is like saying ATM machine Nintendo Entertainment System system if someone says that I don't care if you say that I don't care but if your entire childhood was Nintendo you would only say

[00:37:36] NES that's all you would never say NES system I don't think I ever heard that growing up unless it was from a parent like I did like I got you know that NES system that's right exactly and so

[00:37:46] Mim pendo that's the one time where it's like that didn't that ring false to me the one time on baby that's all I got we haven't talked about Neil Patrick Harris is great in this he's unbelievable

[00:37:55] great terrific great with the scenes with his daughter but also like as an error radar so good yeah where he doesn't over like he doesn't ever try to manipulate you it's really really good stuff yeah

[00:38:07] great work and he sets up the ice patch thing oh yeah he does early on they fire that gun or they show you that gun or whatever it is you get it there's a gun the gun is ice let's get to save the max yeah oh I like that say

[00:38:22] the thing where we wonder what could have been maybe happy to give some clarity to any questions that we still have this movie isn't interesting want to do because we see back in time and we see now

[00:38:33] but I guess there's some what the homerings may be in between Alonzo what are you still wondering about well I think the giant unanswered question here because the entire story has been leading up to the fact that like he didn't get the Nintendo for Christmas but his dad did build him the tree forward and how that really you know was so great and and I think that it really appreciated and this is basically his way of telling the dog that

[00:38:52] I'm not buying you a phone for Christmas what is he getting her for Christmas yeah or when did she get a phone either of those would have been I want I need to find out because he now had if you're going to lay this entire story on her over the course of a day you better deliver

[00:39:07] something that is tree fort comparable or better because you got this is your your good dad wave I didn't get the phone but I got you it's a better story to tell after Christmas

[00:39:19] yes instead of like building up suspense there he is talking to jacking up expectations like nobody only thing you can do there is actually get her a phone I think that's when

[00:39:28] dad of the century so in a similar vein they when they walk out he sees to tree forts is I just crazy and then mom just goes your dad was up all night putting that together which no way impressive

[00:39:45] for freezing cold because the whole movie about how the dad never finished I know I know which is great my my thing is it was had he done any of its before hands like

[00:39:58] did or what was he secretly doing stuff before there is a there is a scene earlier on where he tells me when he makes the kid pick up the dog poop in the backyard he goes don't worry about the ones behind the shed

[00:40:10] maybe a set up of like don't look behind the shed there's a work in progress I don't want to get the benefit of the doubt there because that I remembered that line and just thinking he would have seen a freaking tree house

[00:40:20] when your dad was up all night working on it is yeah alright great you're making a tree house in a re-selling schedule you know and it's not just the tree house is a tree house that's decorated

[00:40:33] immaculately on the outside with those lights so that's a that's a whole you know how like a sunroof it's a whole thing way longer than I was talking about just the lights I think the lights

[00:40:45] probably yeah um so I weirdly have a for a movie that I loved I have a note about my my save the max is I would have preferred a different a scene differently in the end of this movie

[00:40:58] I think it's wonderful that he doesn't get the Nintendo I think the way they just write it off by going I worked hard I you know I worked hard and save money and got it later completely deflates that balloon like it's the gifts that don't matter

[00:41:09] however I I loved this didn't get the gift so much and he got something that was so much better I love that so much that what I wanted to see was this

[00:41:20] the cool thing about grandparents like when you watch your grandparents and you watch your parents become grandparents is they literally become different people like my my parents like we're amazing but like I never watched any tea like I'm literally watch movies for a living now probably as an overcorrection

[00:41:38] for the fact that I didn't watch anything growing up I went to the movie theaters maybe a handful of times before I was 10 years old and then my kids stay at my parents house and and it's like well we have morning TV time and then we have after like it's a completely different animal

[00:41:52] and it's beautiful because grandparents get to do the things they wanted to say yes to with their kids but didn't want the responsibility or the repercussions from that so I would have loved her to go when you get the Nintendo

[00:42:07] and you could you could say he could say well and you have one more flashback scene and it's Neil Patrick Harris his wife that is pregnant with his daughter and the dad hands him a gift and it's the

[00:42:20] and it's the Nintendo that's all I ever wanted he gets in the gift a little wink or something like there's your Nintendo and it would have just been like perfect 10 of 10 stick to landing that's what another play

[00:42:34] I don't know how you do it because I think the fact that his dad has passed it makes the ending so powerful but the grandparents giving her giving her a phone would have also been great that'd be great too yeah

[00:42:46] yeah but also they the when when they're when he sees the treehouse they are on their way to the grandparents house there could have just been an extra scene where they get there and the grandparents give it to

[00:42:57] yeah but by the way we should mention Winslow Feigley who plays young Jake really really good in this he is his brother Oaks Feigley also an actor those kids are amazing

[00:43:07] Winslow is in La La Crocodile and Oaks was in Peace Dragon yeah wow but yeah he was also in another one Noddy Nine which we have done Noddy Nine on the show then yes that's true yeah good stuff

[00:43:22] he only does he only does Christmas he's only just a little lion lion could be a Christmas it could be close enough we did every congratulations next week we're going back a little bit further than 2021 we're going back to 1995 for while you were sleeping

[00:43:39] I saw it in the theater the dollar theater at the beach I don't think it's gonna come as any surprise I've never seen it oh my gosh I was on Christmas aficionados show a couple weeks ago talking about Christmas adjacent films and I would say while you were sleeping as Christmas adjacent but I'm

[00:44:04] I'm not allowed to say what I'm excited to talk about I'm excited for a long little watch and I wish you could watch it together unbelievable come down here I'm excited this is a fun time where I get to watch a Christmas movie with you for the first time that happens

[00:44:19] never so this is exciting for me as someone that's seen that movie multiple times I this will be fun we'll hold hands the whole time it'd be great we're back then with that and we'll be back tomorrow you and I until then it was first wish you a very good

[00:44:34] very good the Homework is a Bramble Jam podcast is produced by Aaron Shea for more information on Deck the Homework you can go to deckthehomework.com for more information on the Deck the Homework family you can go to bramblejamplus.com

[00:44:46] Deck the Homework is presented by Philo TV for a free trial of Philo go to philo.tv slash dth you're about to hear some ads that help keep the lights on here in the old studio

[00:45:04] thanks for listening or don't listen it's really up to you at this point is at the end of the show I mean you're listening to me hi but here they come I promise they're coming yep here they are happy day