NPR: Bullseye with Jesse Thorn: Holiday Special 2014

December 16, 2014 12:00 PM

The Bullseye Holiday Special returns for 2014! Music expert Mitchell Kezin talks about his new documentary called Jingle Bell Rocks! It dives into the world of alternative and underground Christmas music. Bill Corbett (the veteran writer and performer from RiffTrax and Mystery Science Theater 3000) talks about his new graphic novel called Super-Powered Revenge Christmas. And there’s another exciting Christmas comic out this year:  The Flash Gordon Holiday Special: 2014. Jesse will talk to its authors, The Daily Show writers Elliott Kalan, Dan McCoy and their pal Stuart Wellington. Lastly, Jesse reveals his one true holiday tradition.
posted by ocherdraco (3 comments total)

To add to the episode's discussion of favorite holiday films: growing up, White Christmas was my own family's traditional Christmas movie. But in recent years, now that we have it on DVD again, The Muppet Christmas Carol has become our standby. I highly recommend it.
posted by ocherdraco at 4:10 PM on December 16, 2014

I just got the Muppet Christmas Carol. I think I saw it as a kid, but my 3-year-old is pretty interested in the Muppets, so I'm hoping it's a good option for us.

In related news: Charlie Brown Christmas is INCREDIBLY dull (though it's also sweet and the music is wonderful), and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas totally holds up.
posted by YoungAmerican at 7:40 PM on December 21, 2014

Muppet Christmas Carol is great. Michael Caine is genuinely good as Scrooge (both on the level of personifying the character, and on the level of playing the straight man to many, many muppets). It works well for kids because there are just hundreds of muppets involved, and great songs. Even in scenes where things are a little heavy, Gonzo plays the role of Dickens and narrates (with asides from Rizzo) for nearly the entire film, which helps keep kids engaged in the story.

Two things I'd note: 1) the scenes with The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come are the kind of thing that might be scary to some young kids but not others. Might be worth checking out before showing to your 3-year-old. 2) Nearly every available copy of Muppet Christmas Carol omits one of the songs ("When Love Is Gone"). This will not affect your kid's enjoyment of the film, but it's a lovely song, and its absence is noticeable.

(As you might be able to tell, I really like this movie.)
posted by ocherdraco at 6:17 AM on December 22, 2014