GNI MAG ISSUE 59 - Christmas 2023

Page 108

COLUMN MARTIN KEARNEY

CASTING COUCH Martin Kearney

Halloween has passed its last whisper, so from November 1st to December 25th, it’s off icially Christmas time. The anticipation for the John Lewis Christmas advert leads us to a winter wonderland. – “ The Bear and the Hare” remains a personal favourite.

Dozens of festive-themed Hallmark movies are now on repeat, and Netflix boasts its ‘The Christmas Chronicles’ franchise amongst other holiday films, which, to be fair, are quite good. Disney+ delights with ‘The Santa Claus’ series, and modern classics like ‘Last Christmas’, ‘Love Actually’, and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ are seasonal must-watches. However, for many Millennials and those born in the late ‘70s to ‘80s of Generation X, there will always be one Christmas movie that stands out: ‘Santa Claus: The Movie’. Not Home Alone or Gremlins or even Die Hard but this tripe The Santa Clause Movie Starring Dudley (I wanted it like Demi Moore not Dudley Moore) Moore. Created by the team behind the first two Christopher Reeve Superman movies and ‘Supergirl’, and directed by Jeannot Szwarc, ‘Santa Claus: The Movie’ is fondly remembered. Now, why call it tripe if it’s deemed the best Christmas film? Because it is delightfully crappy but ask anyone from my generation for their favourite Christmas film, and the majority will cite this one – the Dudley Moore vehicle, not the Tim Allen series. Despite the movie’s flaws, it has an odd charm with Santa (David Huddleston) oddly ranking third in the credits, preceded by the elf Patch (Moore) and the antagonist, John Lithgow, who always reminded me of my Uncle Joe. The

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film starts with Santa’s origins and segues into Patch’s departure from the North Pole to New York, where he’s manipulated by a greedy businessman – a role brilliantly played by Lithgow. If hypothetically, a remake was in the works, who would be the dream cast? Imagine Kim Bodnia of ‘Killing Eve’ fame as Santa – a quick Google search will prove it’s a perfect fit. Ann Dowd, known for her role as the evil sadistic Aunt Lydia in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, would bring warmth as Mrs. Claus would make a great change for the talented underrated actress. For Patch, I’d suggest a gender flip to America Ferrera, who has proven her comedic chops and stole the show in the Barbie Movie. And for the corporate villain, why not Taraji P. Henson, who would bring a new dynamic to the character. Despite its initial flop and critical panning, ‘Santa Claus: The Movie’ has achieved cult status. While I’ve shared my playful critique, the film evokes wonderful childhood nostalgia. You and your family might watch it and wholeheartedly disagree with me – and that’s the beauty of the festive season! Please note, this column is the opinion of the columinst and not that of GNI or Romeo & Julian Publiccations Ltd.


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Articles inside

MAKING MAGICAL MOMENTS Christmas

0
page 115

KINGFISHERCountry Estate

6min
pages 112-114

BREDA LODGE

2min
pages 110-111

FITNESS THE COUNTDOWN IS ON...

3min
page 109

CASTING COUCH Martin Kearney

1min
page 108

TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY Martin Murray

3min
pages 106-107

Gnostic REVIEW

1min
page 105

REAL LIFEPaul

9min
pages 101-105

TRAVEL Zurich

6min
pages 97-100

TIPS FOR AN AFFORDABLE HUMANIST WEDDING

3min
pages 95-96

OUR BIG DAY Lee & Loan

11min
pages 89-94

OUR BIG DAY Becky & Ciara

5min
pages 81-88

THE LORD BAGENAL INN

1min
pages 79-80

THE LODGE

1min
page 74

YOUR CELEBRANT

3min
pages 72-73

FOR LOVERS OF SOMETHING DIFFERENT

1min
page 71

THE OUTING

1min
pages 64-68

7 FESTIVE FOODIE STOCKING FILLERS BRUNCH VENUES

3min
pages 62-63

SPENDING CHRISTMAS ALONE Xand

3min
pages 60-61

SURVIVING AND THRIVING THE WORK CHRISTMAS PARTY

4min
pages 57-59

& CHILL

7min
pages 54-56

LOTS OF CHEER, LITTLE CASH

5min
page 53

PARTY LIKE A PRO THIS FESTIVE SEASON

4min
pages 42-43

JEAN CHRISTOPHE NOVELLI BRINGS MICHELIN STARS CHRISTMAS TO AC HOTEL BY MARRIOTT

2min
pages 40-41

EVERY WOMAN WANTS TO BE HER!

1min
pages 38-39

CHAYCE’ING HIS DREAMS

4min
pages 36-37

JORDAN Oosterhof

5min
pages 31-34

WHO IS BABY QUEEN?

3min
pages 29-30

THE RETURN OF PARRALOX

2min
page 28

Can I Foster?

2min
pages 26-27

Meet the WriterTara Lynne O’Neill

1min
page 25

REBECCA FERGUSON

10min
pages 22-24

Jake QUICKENDEN

4min
pages 17-20

ROUGH SEAS AHEAD?

2min
page 16

CIAN

13min
pages 13-15

QUEER ASSEMBLY Connor Mills

3min
page 10
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