The Goods send off 2025 with an epic and somewhat discursive look at the history of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starting with the beloved book by the influential children's author, through the animated classic by Chuck Jones, through the Ron Howard/Jim Carrey adaptation of our childhood, and through the Illumination retelling from a few years ago. Join as they discuss what makes Seuss so special and distinct, the elegant exuberance of the original animated special, the unhinged and sexually charged "ugly Christmas sweater" energy of the 2000 film, the baffling "anodyne" choices of the recent film, and everyone's favorite Christmas character, Fred the reindeer.

Lastly, Will shares two Christmas surprises with Dan and Brian to make sure their hearts grow three sizes this winter.

Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/

Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian approach the end of 2025 pondering what makes a "movie year" -- how to measure and rank it, what they've watched on the podcast, and what eras of film history they've under- and overrepresented. Then, they fill an important hole in their podcast's lineup with a look at two 1974 Christmas movies at very different ends of the spectrum: a family stop-motion TV special and a terrifying proto-slasher. Join as they discuss the their competing feelings towards the Rankin-Bass holiday shorts, their histories with and feelings towards Santa Claus mythology, the thinking face emoji, chilling phone calls coming from inside the house, and the role of "female empowerment" themes in both selections. Yes, Virginia, there is a 1974 film.

Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/

Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian welcome Brennan Klein from Alternate Ending to celebrate some of their shared cinematic interests and then dissect a strange COVID-era holiday romcom, Dear Christmas. Join as they discuss the ranking of Disney's Zombies movies, the Hallmark-and-co holiday romcom industrial complex, the alien qualities of a quarantine production, the many occupations of Jason Priestley's character, ephemeral conflict, the baffling depiction of podcasting, glassblowing music, and the fine line between bland and bizarre.

Brennan can be found several places online:

• Most socials @ItsRainingBrens: https://x.com/itsrainingbrens
• Alternate Ending: https://www.alternateending.com/
• ScreenRant: https://screenrant.com/author/brennan-klein/

Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/

Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian discuss four adaptations of Charles Dickens' famed holiday novella for a sixth consecutive holiday season. This year, they each share their feedback on two different entries randomly selected from a giant list. Join as they consider the perils of low-budget cinema tackling high-budget material, British humor, and the compatibility of western tropes with Scrooge.

Then, they look inward and combat some holiday malaise by discussing a film in a similar spirit to Dickens but from an entirely different angle, the Frank Capra classic It's a Wonderful Life. They discuss the film's deliberate pacing, its complicated politics, the soapy fake snow, and what it all means, both in and out of cinema.

Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/

Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian are joined by their friend and co-host of The Movie Call Podcast, Mitch, to discuss Paul Thomas Anderson's rich and beguiling filmography, including a detailed look at PTA's debut Hard Eight. Join as they discuss PTA's distinct filmmaking characteristics, the wonderful John C. Reilly, the appeal of gambling movies, the secret keys to unlocking PTA films, paternal affection, emotionally complicated endings, and some other PTA film mini-reviews.

The Movie Call Podcast (co-hosted by Mitch): https://www.youtube.com/@TheMovieCallPodcast

Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/

Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all! Join as Dan and Brian together celebrate Brian's wholesome holiday tradition of watching Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd film. Join as they discuss their history with the story, attending stage musicals, the pros and cons of sung-through musicals, Burton's approach to the tonally complicated story, the joys of the all-time goon, the impacts of some adaptation choices, the bloody finale, and -- lastly -- why Brian sees it as the ultimate Thanksgiving film.

Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/

Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Dan and Brian tackle a recent release in James Sweeney's Twinless. Join as they discuss spoiler warnings, sudden grief, mid-film title cards, suspense vs. surprise, dolly zooms, Hitchcock tropes, a remarkable split screen shot, unexpected sex scenes, and ambiguous endings.

Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/

Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/

Old friend-of-the-pod Gargus joins Brian and Dan to discuss lost films, particularly the Tod Browning-Lon Chaney pairing London After Midnight, reconstructed with stills, and its talkie remake Mark of the Vampire. Join as they discuss some notable lost films (and some recovered ones), they complicated legacy of lost films, Tod Browning and Lon Chaney's collaboration, the long horror legacy of Dracula, German Expressionism's influence, and convoluted mystery plots.

Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/

Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/