weekly recap: some mixed nuts & (foot)balls
alt title: The One Where She Watched 'Go' Again
I’m finally at the point where I feel like it’s “acceptable” to watch holiday films! I’m definitely not a “day after Thanksgiving” girlie by any means; much to the chagrin of my loved ones, I’d rather wait until maybe the second week in December before I start breaking those cheerful babies out. I’ve done a bit better this year! Despite *everything,* I’m excited to get cozy with all things Christmas trees and overindulgence.
This week I slowly ushered in some holiday faves and some… holiday-themed choices into my viewing schedule! I also watched some recent favorites because we had days this week ending in Y. Let’s break ‘er down:
Extended Play (1982, dir. David Casci, short): Extended Play is a 14 minute short about a guy who spends the afternoon at the mall arcade, and… he has a pretty wacky time. I found out about this interesting lil pal from the website rarefilmms, which I may have found out about via Substack. It’s a silly snapshot into a specific era of time. If you’re a fan of vintage video games, malls, pop culture from the early 80’s, or general mayhem, I’d definitely recommend you check this baby out. It’s available for free on YouTube!
Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story (2024, dir. John Putch): WeLLLLLLL. Speaking of specific time snapshots, I’ll bring you back to the year of our Lorde 2024, and wrap ya up in a cozy blankie in front of the fire, cause we’re going to get our Hallmark on!
Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story was made to cash in on the phenomena that is the Kansas City Chiefs. I stand by my beloved Titans through thick and… whatever this season has been, but I’m not well versed in any other NFL teams. I will proudly flaunt my Swiftie status and admit I’d never heard of Travis Kelce until he won our girl over with a friendship bracelet and some hope. Now I know pretty much everything about the guy and his family, including his brother Jason and his mother, Donna (and I know that she’s in this movie!)
I felt compelled to watch this film because I’d written a series of articles about Swift at my former job, so I knew it was coming out. And, y’know, I think the whole idea is sweet. I love the whole idea of a cozy phenomena that captivates lots of people. I went gardening and hit “play” afterward, and let go.
I have nothing groundbreaking to tell you. It was sweet! There were cameos of players whose names I do not know! Momma Donna Kelce played a restaurant owner! There was happiness! It’s as painfully white and heteronormative as you’d imagine! If you’re in the market for some coziness and want to turn your brain off I absolutely recommend. I watched it on Peacock, but it looks like it’s not available anymore. Google says it’s now on Fubo. If you have cable, it airs tonight and again on December 12th on Hallmark!
Tootsie (1982, dir. Sydney Pollack): I’d love to become known as “That Woman Who Loves Tootsie” in the Substack film community!
Some days you’ve just got to put on your favorites and they just “hit” as the kids say. For those new around here, I’ve been going through a Tootsie obsession for the last few months. Having studies a lot about Elaine May this year, it found its way back to my radar, and I was lucky enough to find a used Criterion Collection DVD of the film shortly afterward. This warm and classically funny film became a soundtrack for work and become a warm blanket after losing my job and post-election sadness. I found the soundtrack on Spotify too, and I’m at the point of rocking to it on a regular basis!
If you’d like to read an essay I wrote on Tootsie, you can find it here!
Mixed Nuts (1994, dir. Nora Ephron): Oh, how I love a comfortable mess! My hero, Nora Ephron, got out of New York City and made one of the most chaotic and coolest holiday films ever. This film features Steve Martin and Madeline Kahn together! What more do you need? The answer is literally every cast member. You’ve got Rita Wilson, Rob Reiner, Adam Sandler, my beloved Garry Shandling, and the scene stealing trio of Juliette Lewis, Anthony LaPaglia, and Liev Schreiber as a trans woman who needs some accepting company on Christmas Eve.
Despite its 2.6 average rating on letterboxd, this film is absolutely worth seeing and I won’t rest until everyone sees it. It’s not perfect (there’s some transphobia, and we’ve got a straight man playing a woman, but hey, it was 1994.), but it definitely deserves a spot in the holiday film lexicon. There is a scene where Madeline Kahn’s character gets stuck in an elevator and I have to show it to you now. I swear it altered my brain chemistry.
Mixed Nuts is streaming now on Peacock and is available to rent wherever you get your rent on!
Josie and the Pussycats (2001, dir. Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont): Oh my god. This is probably one of the most important films of my life. I fell in love with this movie as a music-obsessed second grader when it came out. I lived and breathed all things ‘Josie.’ I was the target audience that the film was marketed to… and that’s why it failed at the box office. As much as I deeply believe young girls are the coolest curators of pop culture and we should be looking to them as important figures, they aren’t going to be able to understand the brilliance of Josie and the Pussycats quite yet.
This live-action adaptation of the Archie Comic characters sharply critics consumerism through a tongue in cheek music industry-fueled romp. I f*cking loved it as a kid, and still do as an adult. I’m so glad it’s finally receiving its flowers through a reexamination and the celebration of a devoted cult following. JOSIEANDTHEPUSSYCATSISTHEBESTMOVIEEVER.
It’s available for rent wherever you get your rent on!
Get Over It (2001, dir. Tommy O’Haver): Let me tell you. I screamed. I giggled. I kicked my feet. I texted my best friend and told her she had to see this immediately. I had a REACTION.
I was clearly feeling the Y2K-vibes last night when I finally decided to watch 2001’s Get Over It featuring Kirsten Dunst, Ben Foster, Colin Hanks, Sisqò (!) and Mila Kunis. Oh yeah, and some guy called Martin Short, complete with frosted tips. I genuinely do not understand why this wasn’t more popular; maybe it was overshadowed by another teen film adapted from Shakespeare at the time called 10 Things I Hate About You. Your pal Tay hasn’t seen that one all the way through yet. Can you believe that?????
I can’t believe I forgot to mention A Walk To Remember’s Shane West up there because he just goes for it as the boybander British guy who steals Ben Foster’s girl. Ben Foster is fantastic and I wish he’d been in more teen films!!! Man, I just love everyone in here. Did I mention the legendary Vitamin C is in here too? I think I knew that before but I’d forgotten so it was extra fun when I lost my mind last night.
Also- petition to bring back fun closing credits, huh?
Go (1999, dir. Doug Liman): Okay, so my new favorite movie is Christmas-adjacent, so it doesn’t matter how many times I watch it at this point time, right?
I love Go, the film that was painfully overshadowed at the box office by a little film called The Matrix. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked it up over the years because of its cool ass pop art-inspired poster, and my curiosity as a Katie Holmes gossip mag newshound. I love how it becomes harder to find something and you know you’ve picked it up and put it back down so many times with the promise to explore it again. I finally got there when Go hit the Criterion Channel back in July. I gave it a three star rating on the box of lettrs. There is so much going on in this movie that I actually recommend watching it more than once before deciding how you feel because I think it’s impossible to absorb everything in one sitting. I think I finally did last night after seeing it a few times. Those late night viewings that are born from putting a movie on and not intending to watch it all before falling asleep. I swear I didn't mean to watch the whole thing!
You’ll recognize some faces in this commercial! Go is currently streaming on Paramount Plus and Pluto TV, and can be rented from wherever you get your rent on. <3
See you next week, film friends! x Tay
90s/early 2000s movies just hit different.
Never saw "Get Over It", and not sure if it's even real. The super-intense Ben Foster in a "fun" teen movie? I would say it probably flopped because 1) The title is wack, and 2) I think it was the 800th teen movie that year.
Fromtheyardtothearthouse.substack.com