The A to Z English Podcast The A to Z English Podcast | What's your favorite Christmas movie?
In this episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Xochitl and Jack discuss their favorite Christmas movies.
Transcript:
00:00:00
Jack
You're listening to the A-Z English podcast.
00:00:13
Jack
Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I'm here with my co-host social. And today we are going to do another quick talk episode.
00:00:23
Jack
And today's discussion is what's your favorite Christmas movie?
00:00:29
Jack
So, so. So what is your favorite Christmas movie?
00:00:33
Xochitl
So this was kind of interesting, Jack, because we didn't really watch Christmas movies and stuff at my house. Well, we saw some, like, really old ones, Mexican ones from when my mom was a kid, but we never really watched like the typical American ones except for my next door neighbors.
00:00:54
Xochitl
Uh, which I've talked about before, we were always at their house. It was like the Hangout House.
00:01:00
Xochitl
And I got.
00:01:01
Xochitl
I was exposed to American culture through them, basically.
00:01:06
Jack
Right, right, right, right.
00:01:08
Xochitl
And So what? The one that I watched and that really stuck with me and I still watch like pretty much every Christmas is elf.
00:01:18
Jack
Ohh wow OK.
00:01:21
Jack
That is a. That's a brilliant movie. I love that movie.
00:01:25
Xochitl
I love that movie and my mom actually likes it too. I had her watch it with me last Christmas. She's never really seen Christmas movies either, but it's really well done. And I.
00:01:35
Xochitl
Hope to watch.
00:01:36
Xochitl
It with my boyfriend.
00:01:39
Xochitl
At some Christmas because it's such a funny, it's really funny. It's a really funny movie. It's well done, and I and there's like a lot.
00:01:46
Xochitl
Of aspects of it that are funny for children and adults, and it's just a good wholesome.
00:01:53
Xochitl
Christmas movie and if you don't?
00:01:54
Jack
Yes, it there is something wholesome about it. And there's also something disturbing about.
00:02:00
Jack
But like, he's such a weirdo. Like the guy is so weird that.
00:02:05
Xochitl
I good.
00:02:06
Jack
Yeah, sorry that I'm done. Like he's so weird. He's so strange that it's almost like it's. It's funny for adults, but kids wouldn't pick up on that. I don't think.
00:02:16
Xochitl
Yeah. I was about to say that's funny because when it came out, it came in in 2003. So I was a little kid. I was like probably five or six maybe when.
00:02:23
Jack
I was 2025.
00:02:25
Xochitl
Yeah, you were, like, 20 years older than.
00:02:28
Xochitl
Me, I was just probably.
00:02:28
Jack
Yeah, I was watching it as like, an adult, and I loved it. Yeah.
00:02:33
Xochitl
Yeah. And so it's funny because even when I watch it now, because I saw it as like a kid and it has a nostalgic value, I don't see him as, like a weird adult. I just see, like, it just makes sense to me on a kids level because that's when I was first supposed to it. And as kids, we don't really pick up on how, like, weird he is. It's just funny, like.
00:02:52
Xochitl
Because he has, like, elves culture, it's it's the people who don't know, like the premise is that this kid crawls into santas's bag and gets like when santas's.
00:03:05
Xochitl
Giving out presents and then gets stranded in North Pole because they don't know like who the kid belongs to or anything. So he's raised by Santa and elves. And so when he goes to like meet his biological dad, he's basically brings elf culture into our world, which is completely different.
00:03:26
Jack
He sleeps like 45 minutes a day, he.
00:03:31
Jack
He's he could build things, you know, incredibly quickly. It's just so funny. Like, it's really funny, you know.
00:03:39
Xochitl
Yeah. It's like completely bizarre. And as a kid, it's just, like, really funny. And and I still love to watch it.
00:03:46
Xochitl
Every year, it's like he just.
00:03:47
Xochitl
Does a bunch of crazy stuff you guys have to absolutely see it. It's on Netflix in the US at least. It probably is on Netflix in other countries, or if you have a VPN, you can switch it to the US.
00:03:58
Xochitl
And watch it on Netflix.
00:04:01
Xochitl
Yeah, definitely. I recommend it. It's elf with. Oh, my God, I forgot.
00:04:05
Xochitl
His name? The yes.
00:04:06
Jack
Will Ferrell.
00:04:08
Xochitl
Will Ferrell, Will Ferrell's great comedian Jack, what's your favorite Christmas movie?
00:04:14
Jack
So mine my favorite Christmas movie is.
00:04:17
Jack
Die hard.
00:04:20
Xochitl
Ohh yeah, typical.
00:04:24
Jack
I know it's the, it's the. It's the typical like bro choice, right? Like.
00:04:29
발표자 3
It's a typical.
00:04:30
Xochitl
Man answer, especially like a certain generation.
00:04:34
Jack
Yeah, this is right in the pocket of like my, you know, my generation, this, this movie die hard was an original idea in 1988. It has obviously been copied so many times by so many different film makers that the story is so tired.
00:04:56
Jack
I'm so old, but you.
00:04:58
Jack
You have to remember it was originally it takes place during a Christmas party.
00:05:05
Jack
At a fancy LA building like hedge fund type of you know, wall, some kind of investment banker type of business or whatever. And and it's it's about these people that are they're doing a heist, they're trying to steal the money.
00:05:25
Jack
From this company and there's one guy at the party who is Bruce Willis. This the action star.
00:05:32
Jack
And he's a cop from New York City and he basically saves the day. And it all happens during this Christmas period. So there's like some Christmas music in there and there's, like, a Christmas decorations. And so it's it happens during.
00:05:53
Jack
Christmas it's not your typical Christmas movie. It's an action movie, but it because it happens during Christmas. That's the setting of the movie. It does. It still is considered a Christmas movie by some people. So I'm.
00:06:08
Jack
It as.
00:06:09
Jack
A Christmas movie.
00:06:11
발표자
And so.
00:06:11
Xochitl
Yeah, a lot of people consider a Christmas movie because of of the setting, like you said.
00:06:19
Jack
Yeah, and it's a classic. Like, it's like if anytime I could sit.
00:06:23
Jack
Down and watch.
00:06:23
Jack
Die hard like I can I I just love the acting, the the bad guy in it. I I forgot his name.
00:06:34
Jack
Alan, he's he's in Harry Potter. Yes, Alan Rickman, thank you plays.
00:06:37
Xochitl
Alan Rickman.
00:06:40
Xochitl
And it has been spills, doesn't it?
00:06:40
Jack
The bad guy.
00:06:43
Jack
What's that?
00:06:44
Xochitl
Isn't Bruce Willis the main character? Am I wrong?
00:06:46
Jack
Bruce Willis is the hero and then Alan Rickman is the antihero. He's the villain, right? And they they're doing a cat and mouse game against each other and such good acting. It's it. I mean, Alan Rickman is was such a good actor like he was so good.
00:06:48
Xochitl
That's here. It's the villain, yeah.
00:07:04
Xochitl
He passed away.
00:07:06
Jack
He passed away.
00:07:07
Xochitl
Yeah, my gosh, I didn't even know that.
00:07:09
Jack
Yeah, year, years ago. Yeah. Success several years ago. Yeah.
00:07:15
Xochitl
Alan and Rick.
00:07:17
Jack
Sorry, not social is morning, right?
00:07:18
Xochitl
Crazy. I just now. I didn't found out.
00:07:20
Xochitl
That helping, Rickman passed.
00:07:22
발표자 3
In 2016, this just lover.
00:07:23
Jack
Yeah, yeah, you're you.
00:07:25
Jack
Only missed it by 7 years.
00:07:27
Xochitl
Yeah. Why did I just find out that Alan Rickman was doing? This is a bummer to me. Ohh man. Wow. So sorry. Don't mean to detract from the original.
00:07:34
Jack
Yeah, they, yeah.
00:07:39
Xochitl
This, but yeah, I actually.
00:07:42
Xochitl
Saw die hard once when I was like in high school. It was like playing on a reruns channel in the US during this time period. There's a bunch of like Christmas movies on on TV.
00:07:56
Xochitl
And I remember that it came up and I don't, but I don't think I I think I caught it like around the end. So I was just really confused about what was going on.
00:08:03
Xochitl
One, yeah, but I will watch it all the way through just on account of it being your favorite because I was not interested.
00:08:10
Xochitl
In ever watching it all the way through.
00:08:13
Jack
You've probably seen it all in like pieces, but you gotta sit down and experience the whole thing. I mean, it's it's an absurd movie, but it is it. It has some great one liners. Bruce Willis's performance is is right on the money.
00:08:26
Xochitl
Alan Richman is in it.
00:08:28
Jack
Yeah, it's really fun. It's just a fun, wild movie.
00:08:32
Jack
Alan Rickman is in another movie called Love, Actually, which is also a Christmas movie that I really enjoy, but I'm embarrassed to tell people that I like it.
00:08:42
Xochitl
I can't believe you like that movie. I really don't. I've seen it and I just don't get it. It's such a sappy, unrealistic view of love and it's like cringy and it's so.
00:08:55
Jack
You gotta remember, like the movie's 20 years old, so be that. That whole like part where he holds those like placards.
00:09:05
Jack
And you know, yes, that scene has been like redone so many times and and, like, repeated in other mediums like so many times. But that was an original idea at the time like it was.
00:09:06
Xochitl
Oh, with Tara Knightley.
00:09:24
Jack
You it's it's like you.
00:09:25
Jack
Know when you see something cheesy that's been copied so many times.
00:09:28
Jack
But it wasn't.
00:09:29
Jack
Cheesy the first time, you know, and so.
00:09:31
Xochitl
Right I when I saw it, I was like, I just felt like.
00:09:34
Xochitl
I was like, it's so weird cause.
00:09:36
발표자
That's just.
00:09:37
Xochitl
Well, I won't spoil it for anyone who I.
00:09:38
Xochitl
Haven't seen it, I.
00:09:39
Xochitl
Won't spoil what happened, but I.
00:09:41
Xochitl
Did think it was?
00:09:42
Xochitl
Weird. And then I just felt like the whole movie was kind of cheesy and like, the writing was bad because it was really like 1 dimensional. It has Kate Winslet in it though, doesn't it? Is that the one that's not the one?
00:09:53
Jack
No, I I don't think I think.
00:09:55
Jack
That's the the holiday. That's a different movie.
00:09:57
Xochitl
But that's a different one I do.
00:09:59
Xochitl
Remember this movie I.
00:10:00
Xochitl
Just blended them both together in my.
00:10:02
Xochitl
Head because a lot of different plots.
00:10:02
Jack
Yeah, they do get they're.
00:10:03
Jack
Kind of similar. Yeah. It's a British, yeah.
00:10:05
Xochitl
Yeah, there's.
00:10:07
Xochitl
Yeah, there's it's a British movie and there's, like tons of different plots and love. Actually, I think everyone should watch at least one. So because it is considered a classic.
00:10:16
Xochitl
I don't know why, but it is. Oh.
00:10:18
Jack
It's a it's a minor facing, yeah.
00:10:18
발표자 3
It happens.
00:10:19
Xochitl
Grant it does have two grant in it, right?
00:10:22
Jack
He's got Hugh granted, and he plays the Prime Minister, Billy Bob Thornton plays the president of the United States. I mean, it's basically four stories that kind of interweave with each other. So everybody knows each other somehow, but it's different, different stories. And the one story that is the most famous is the.
00:10:40
Jack
The old aging rock star, who is recording this like horrible Christmas album.
00:10:47
Xochitl
Oh yeah.
00:10:48
Jack
And that that performance made that that actor Bill Nyke very, very famous in the United States. So that was where he, I think he got nominated for an Academy Award for that performance I believe.
00:10:57
Xochitl
I didn't know.
00:11:04
Xochitl
OK, that's really cool. I didn't know that.
00:11:08
Xochitl
Yeah, I think it's it's worth to watch anything with Hugh Grant and it is print is worth a watch for me. I think he's really funny. I like his acting style and he he kind of nailed. He was kind of one of the original self deprecating humor comedians.
00:11:22
Jack
Yeah, I know. You mean like leading man leading actor too? Like he was handsome enough to be a leading actor, but he also had a kind of self deprecating that. Then that kind of British, you know, humble.
00:11:26
Xochitl
Yes. Yeah.
00:11:36
Jack
Humble way. Yeah, I know. I know what you're talking about, you know.
00:11:39
Xochitl
Yeah, you definitely made it work for him. So yeah. Well, if there are any famous holiday movies from your country, please let us know. Or yeah, for just for Christmas or for any holiday. I would love to give them a watch. Maybe Jack and I can even watch some of them and discuss them on the on the podcast.
00:11:59
Xochitl
I think that'd be really fun. What do you think that?
00:11:59
Jack
Definitely, yeah.
00:12:01
Xochitl
That'd be really great. So leave a comment down below at A-Z, englishpodcast.com shoot us an e-mail at at ozenglishpodcast@gmail.com or message us in the.
00:12:10
Xochitl
WhatsApp group or WeChat?
00:12:11
Xochitl
Group and we.
00:12:12
Xochitl
Will see you guys next.
00:12:12
발표자 3
Time bye bye bye.
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