If I were a real jerk, I'd say that's not the only energy the new production seems to be lacking.

Honestly, if anyone has recommendations for other fantasy fiction where a group of Incidental Guys figure out who they're dealing with and give up, I'd love to hear it.

Now we're watching clips from a different production. Ugh, Raúl Esparza is SO COOL.

Nobody is more upset about this than me.

"One Night In Bangkok" and I'm not simultaneously skeeved out and pumped? What are we even doing here?

And, I gotta tell you, Lea Michele is not the only person on "Nobody's Side" in this production.

Well. We are starting strong. I was bamboozled and that movie was a DELIGHT. Maybe the best movie I've watched all year.

Holy shit. HOLY shit. Those two supporting characters were the generic holiday romance couple in the phone video at the start of the movie! How did I miss that!

Another Christmas Romance Movie, another movie that doesn't understand what Christmas is really about: Coopting pagan traditions and bolting them to the story of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus of Nazareth, to ease the transition into the new order.

Peanuts remains the GOAT.

Holy shit. I was right.

This movie actually rules.

My insane conspiracy theory is the movie tricked me into thinking we entered Christmas Romance Movie World (CRMW) when Emily took a dive in the airport. But NO! We were already in CRMW when the film started. We have slipped into progressively deeper layers of CRMW. I think we are layer 3 or 4.

Okay, here's the thing. Here's the mistake I made earlier. I thought I was watching "Pleasantville" (1998, dir. Gary Ross), but ChRiStMaS. It isn't that.

This is "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra" (2001, dir. Larry Blamire), but ✨ CHRISTMAS ✨

Santa has summoned Marlie Collins's best friend to help her recover her Christmas spirit (just roll with it). And things have become MORE insane.

I will say, the hilariously named Brad Harder is acting circles around the rest of the cast. Per @reenamccarty.bsky.social: "He's Brading as hard as he can!"

If we find out Brad is ALSO a normal human trapped in a Christmas romance, not just Marlie Collins (the female lead), this could turn around.

The joke of the movie is that the main character is trapped in a terrible Christmas movie, which would be a pretty good joke if the quality had undergone anything like a noticeable change.

We are watching "Just Like a Christmas Movie" (2023, dir. Soran Mardookhi) for our first one and it is TERRIBLE.

Honestly, it wouldn't be so bad if we weren't somehow living in EVERY PKD novel.

Too many.

Daniel Day Lewis drank his milkshake in the movie where he's an oil man who carries around a little boy to use as a prop to appear family friendly. Paul Dano plays identical twins. One of their introductions features Dano performing an exorcism and the cinematography implies Day Lewis is the devil.

Right?!