You just knew he was weird about his daughter the whole time.

Look at how weak the strong man’s civilization is. All it takes to destroy it is a stranger with the truth.

A short summary of Michael’s 2025 activity on Letterboxd.

Someone must have compromising information on the stars because otherwise I don’t understand how this movie got made. Every single element is wrong. The writing, the acting, the aimless direction, none of it made any sense. However, that doesn’t mean My Secret Santa is boring. From the exposition gays to the male lead falling in love with drag Santa and the dad doing his best Wallace Shawn impersonation, I loved every minute of this movie. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. Oh, and Jimmy the elf was the real star.

Sidney Poitier is so charismatic in this role.

“I don’t want to go down fighting. I want to win.” This is a good movie. Made by blacklisted filmmakers knowing it wouldn’t be seen in a McCarthyite America, it has themes of racial, sexual, and economic equality. It might not hold up to modern standards, but it’s definitely worth watching.

A good story of a man falling apart both physically and psychologically after a robbery gone wrong. The city is divided and everyone he meets wants to use him for their own ends.  The cinematography is fantastic. There are some absolutely beautiful shots and bizarre sequences.  The only big negative is that it doesn’t sound like any of the actors are actually Irish. They all talked with the BBC Received Pronunciation.

The main character kind of under reacts to insane things happening around him which takes a lot away from the movie. Ben Caplan is very good, though.