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Showing posts with label Santa Claus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Santa Claus. Show all posts

Thursday, December 25, 2025

Something Not Quite Right About "I Believe In Santa" (2022) (video)

 


Here's a heartwarming romantic comedy about the joys of Christmas...

...a celebration of all that's wholesome and nice about the season of Christ's birth.

Things like love, family, song, good cheer, peace on earth...

...and, of course, devil horns.

Wait, what? DEVIL HORNS?

 

Video by Porfle Popnecker. I neither own nor claim any rights to this material. Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

 


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Saturday, December 20, 2025

100+ Santa Sightings all over the World with Tim Conway



(Here's some Christmas nostalgia that was originally posted on 12/22/15. Especially for fans of the late, great Tim Conway.)

 

Santa Claus is being tracked and caught on film with the family friendly website iSpotSanta.com starting December 1st and going all the way to Christmas Day. You can only find these Santa videos, pictures and more with the “25 Days of Santa” from the entertainment site iSpotSanta.com from Pasquale Murena, creator of the site.

THIS YEAR’S SPECIAL ATTRACTION: Six time Emmy winner, comedian/actor Tim Conway appears in comedy sketches as “Dorf” the elf, helping Santa Claus in his workshop and causing havok. Tim's hilarous work on "The Carol Burnett Show" and "Dorf on Golf" videos are rekindled this Christmas seaon.


PLUS, You’ll enjoy new comedy sketches featuring Internet sensations Chip & Bernie and Puppets from the North Pole Newsroom they spot Santa Claus in comedy sketches that children of all ages enjoy.

OVER 100 SANTA VIDEOS: Site visitors will see Santa at the North Pole, France, Germany, Rome, New York, England, Australia, Japan, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, the Pyramids in Egypt and many more. “You are never too old to believe in Santa and the Spirit of Christmas,” Pasquale Murena said with a trinkle in his eye.

http://ispotsanta.com/


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Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Yes, Virginia...There Is A Santa Claus



 

(Originally posted on 12/21/14. MoviesAndMore offers are no longer valid.)

 

"YES. VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS"

Our Season's Gift To You...
The Iconic 1897 Editorial That Continues to Bring Holiday Joy


On September 21 1897, the New York Sun published what was to become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial. The letter from eight-year old Virginia O'Hanlon of New York City and the quick response from veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has appeared whole or in part in dozens of languages in newspapers, books, movies, on posters, stamps and the internet.


DEAR EDITOR

I am eight years old.

Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Poppa says "if you see it in the Sun it's so." Please tell me the truth.

Is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O'Hanlon
115 West 95th Street
New York City, NY




VIRGINIA, YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS ARE WRONG.

They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age.

They do not believe except what hey see. They think nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist and you know that they abound and give your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas, how dreary would the world be if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus? You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your Papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not vthere. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes that noise inside, but there is a vieil covering the the unseen world which not the strongest men, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance can push aside the curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all the world there is nothing else as real and abiding.


No Santa Claus?

Thank God he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.


------------------------

This week's features:

It's simple mathematics, really. As the days leading to the holidays become fewer and fewer, stress levels become higher and higher. All the more reason to take a break with some of the most enjoyable films ever made. To name just four of the treats MoviesAndMore.tv has in store.

Check Coming Attractions for dates and times (ET) for these features as well as for all the great free films on MoviesAndMore.tv.


Copyright © 20XX. All Rights Reserved.

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Saturday, December 13, 2025

SILENT NIGHT -- DVD Review by Porfle



 

Originally posted on 11/29/12

 

I'm not sure who first had the idea of turning Santa Claus into a psycho killer, but I do recall sitting at the drive-in and thrilling to the sight of a not-so-saintly Saint Nick menacing Joan Collins in the original TALES FROM THE CRYPT.  Later, the home video age allowed me to witness Linnea Quigley's celebrated antler-skewering in 1984's SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT in the comfort of my own recliner.  And now, with Anchor Bay's release of SILENT NIGHT (2012) on DVD, the jolly old elf with the axe and the attitude problem stalks the snow-swept streets yet again.

The pre-title sequence gets things off to a nice start with some teasing glimpses of Psycho Santa gearing up to go medieval on a couple of squirming home-invasion captives.  One guy's harrowing electrocution, complete with exploding eyeballs, gives us a foretaste of the film's generous gore content which will include plenty of slashings, choppings, piercings, dismemberments, and other mischief all done with old school 80s-style practical effects. 

Strangely enough, though, we've seen all this stuff so many times before that even the ghastliest effects have a "been there, done that" quality.  It's the staging of the mysterious killer Santa's attacks that makes the difference, with director Steven C. Miller doing his best to inject new life into very familiar situations.  He's already shown that he can do horror on a small budget (AUTOMATON TRANSFUSION) and handle action scenes with skill (THE AGGRESSION SCALE). 

Here, both are done with Miller's usual competence, although little that happens is original or over-the-top enough to really impress us on the level of, say, HALLOWEEN--which this movie resembles a bit in its earlier scenes of a placid Midwestern town lazily gearing up for a holiday amidst ominous glimpses of a murderous masked intruder.  As slasher killers go, this hulking Santa with the plastic mask has the size and imposing bearing for the job, yet lacks the personality needed to make him truly memorable in the "Michael Myers" vein.

Jaime King, who was the beautiful Goldie in SIN CITY, does a fine job in a non-glamorous role as a woman who actually looks like she might be a smalltown deputy.  Having just lost her husband, she's getting moral support from her parents over the holidays but is called in to work when Deputy Jordan (Brendan Fehr, COMEBACK SEASON) fails to show up--for reasons we're already aware of. 

As the killings escalate and a Santa-suited slasher is identified as the main suspect, the investigation is made doubly difficult by a plethora of Saint Nicks wandering the streets in preparation for the big Christmas parade.  Red herrings and false leads abound, including Donal Logue as an amusingly cynical fake-Santa who likes to make the kiddies cry by telling them the truth about Christmas.  Playing a crotchety old sheriff who looks forward to dealing with something exciting for a change, Malcolm McDowell is a welcome presence and seems to enjoy lending this earnest little horror flick some name value.

King's acting talent is given full range as her character's vulnerability and shaky self-confidence are evident in a series of close calls with suspects and some disturbing crime scenes including the murder of a little girl (who, as we see earlier, is an insufferable brat who richly deserves her fate!)  Equally shocking ends are in store for a stereotypically lecherous priest and an even more stereotypically sex-crazed teen couple whose lusty liason is rudely interrupted.  (The latter includes a direct homage to SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT that echoes a similar re-enactment by Linnea Quigley herself in CAESAR AND OTTO'S DEADLY XMAS.)

The gore effects are hokey but fun, with a crudely inventive woodchipper scene being perhaps the most genuinely unpleasant sequence.
Miller uses his modest budget to good effect and his movie looks pretty good (the Christmas ambience is especially well done) except for when the camera starts spazzing out during the murder scenes.  A frenetic flamethrower finale inside the police station isn't all that exciting but is rather impressively staged. 

The DVD from Anchor Bay is in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 soun and subtitles in English and Spanish.  Extras consist of some deleted scenes and a brief behind-the-scenes featurette.

Like most good yuletide horror movies, SILENT NIGHT is melancholy and atmospheric, and actually generates a bit of Christmas spirit with which to contrast its brutal carnage.  While in no danger of becoming a perennial cult favorite along the lines of BLACK CHRISTMAS, and not particularly memorable in general, it's a morbidly fun way to pass the time while waiting for your chestnuts to roast.




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Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Porfle's Movie Trivia #3: "A Christmas Story" (1983) (video)



In one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time...

Ralphie's little brother Randy is an extremely picker eater.

But which food does he find especially revolting? 


I neither own nor claim any rights to this material.  Just having some fun with it. Thanks for watching!

 


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Thursday, July 18, 2019

Raja Gosnell Signs On To Direct Live-Action "SANTA: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS" For Armory Films




RAJA GOSNELL SIGNS ON TO DIRECT LIVE-ACTION 

“SANTA: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS”

Armory Films to Produce Alongside DNF Pictures & K. JAM Media


Los Angeles, CA (July 18, 2019) – Raja Gosnell (The Smurfs franchise, Scooby Doo, Never Been Kissed) has signed on to direct the live-action family film Santa: The Adventure Begins from a script penned by Tamara Taillie in her feature film debut.  Armory Films’ Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros (The Peanut Butter Falcon, Arctic, Mudbound) have come on board to produce alongside DNF Pictures’ Dean Altit (Realms, The Misfits) and K. JAM Media’s Kia Jam. (Lucky Number Slevin, The Misfits) Academy Award winner Barrie Osborne(Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Mulan) is executive producing and K. JAM Media’s Carolina Vianna Leite will serve as co-producer.

Santa: The Adventure Begins will bring the world's most beloved and recognizable mythical persona to life in an exciting holiday epic. This legendary story of Santa Claus reveals his humble origins as an orphan and young would-be toymaker. In a quest to know his true identity, Santa embarks upon a journey to the forbidden North.  With a little help from his friends, Santa discovers the source of his extraordinary magic, and we learn how Santa finds his true love, his forever home and his destiny. Marisol Roncali and Chelsea Bloch (Deadpool 2, Fast &Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Jungle Cruise) are currently casting with principal photography set to begin late this year in Cologne, Germany, in cooperation with MMC Studios.

Producer Kia Jam commented: “My producing partners and I are thrilled to have Raja on board as our director for this film.  He has proven time and time again that he is the master of family films and is the perfect film maker for us and our origin story of Santa Claus.”

Armory Films’ Christopher Lemole added: “This is a fantastic Santa origin story and we can’t think of anyone better than Raja to direct. We are very much looking forward to the world he is about to create.”

Gosnell has directed such films as: Columbia Pictures’ The Smurfs and The Smurfs 2; Disney’s Beverly Hills Chihuahua; Fox’s Never Been Kissed; and Warner Bros.’ Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar.  Gosnell began his career as an editor working on classic films including: Academy Award® nominee Pretty Woman, Academy Award® nominee Home Alone and Academy Award® winner Mrs. Doubtfire. Gosnell is represented by Paradigm Talent Agency.

Armory Films’ slate includes: The Peanut Butter Falcon, starring Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson and newcomer Zack Gottsagen, which received rave reviews and the Narrative Spotlight Audience Award out of its SXSW premiere and was acquired by Roadside Attractions which will release the film August 9th; Joe Penna’s Arctic, starring Mads Mikkelsen; Dee Rees’ lauded feature Mudbound, starring Carey Mulligan and Garrett Hedlund; and Charlie Day’s directorial debut El Tonto starring Day, Kate Beckinsale, Jason Sudeikis, which is currently in post-production.


ABOUT ARMORY:
Founded in 2013 by Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros, Armory Films is a film finance and production company that creates, develops, produces, and finances high concept and commercially viable content. With the ability to finance projects from initial creative inception through production and release, Armory has amassed an impressive slate spanning numerous genres and styles, nurturing distinctive stories into groundbreaking films.

Armory recently wrapped production in Los Angeles on Charlie Day’s directorial debut El Tonto starring Day, Kate Beckinsale, Jason Sudeikis, John Malkovich, Edie Falco, Jillian Bell, Ken Jeong, Adrien Brody, Ray Liotta and Travis Fimmel, and produced The Peanut Butter Falcon, starring newcomer Zack Gottsagen, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Bernthal, Dakota Johnson and Bruce Dern, which received rave reviews and the Narrative Spotlight Audience Award out of its SXSW premiere. Roadside Attractions acquired the film for the US and will release August 9, 2019. Up next, they will be teaming with Don Handfield on the sci-fi comic book series The Dark Age.

They also produced Joe Penna’s Arctic, starring Mads Mikkelsen which made its world premiere at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival where it was acquired by Bleeker Street for North American distribution and released earlier this year and produced and financed Dee Rees’ lauded feature Mudbound, starring Carey Mulligan and Garrett Hedlund, which rose to critical success since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017. After being acquired by Netflix, the film went on to receive a record breaking four Academy Award Nominations, making the film a milestone in Netflix’s history in the awards race.


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