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If you want to enjoy a true Middle Eastern Christmas, one with diverse religions and languages, but also filled with historic, cultural, culinary and artistic delights, join the Fans as we head on a festive jaunt to amazing Lebanon.  This is a unique holiday location, with incredible natural beauty, that offers a little something for everyone — ancient Roman ruins and castles, limestone caves, beautiful beaches, and mountainous ski resorts.  It is a well-kept secret and a hidden gift that you didn’t know you needed, but one you should unwrap nonetheless.

We explore a Memory Box filled with journals, notebooks, cassette tapes and photographs. It is the basis for a film that incorporates different media and textures, where still photographs turn into mini-animations to illustrate a story that folds together the past and present.  It begins one snowy Christmas Eve in Canada but flashes back to the Lebanese Civil War of the 1980s and Beirut on the brink of being torn apart.  The box serves as a portal to painful and buried memories and experiences.  Although not exactly common Christmas fodder, this is a deeply personal tale of old friends who still “eat with the dead and the ghosts” of the past.

And yet, when they reunite at the conclusion, now middle-aged and greying, they still can dance to Blondie’s One Way or Another with the same reckless abandon they had as teenagers.  This moving echo of a memory seamlessly melding into modern day Beirut signals a brighter future for all, just as the brilliant sun rises over a reborn city.  It provides a hopeful note that resonates with literal warmth and brightness.  We can’t think of a better message to embrace for Christmas.

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Festive Fans Unite! (send us a message)

Put on your Gjermundbu helmet, grab your tunic and don’t forget the woolen underwear. We are off the coolest country in Europe to explore their Christmas traditions during our dog days of summer. We are talking Norway, on the outskirts of Europe – the land of Vikings, reindeer, mountains, glaciers, and fjords. Is there anything better? Yes, Norway has the northern lights!

Plus our visit to Scandinavia provides us an opportunity to review the Yuletime dramedy Himmelfall about mentally ill patients at the holidays.  Mark and Bob also weigh in on a raging controversy about what is the best regional meal to serve for Christmas dinner (we have our thoughts).  Next, we take on a festive song called “Nå er det jul”, which mentions several of the Norwegian traditions, and ole’ Julenisse brings the Splayers what is our number one gift – Crocs for Christmas!

Bob and Mark are currently gathering a petition to allow two lowly but impartial American podcasters to resolve the national debate that we understand has riled the country and turned neighbor against neighbor.  We believe that only hungry  outsiders who vote with their stomachs can set it right and determine once and for all which is the better choice:  ribbe or pinnekjøtt?  Our only requirment is that we be served these celebrated meals many times over a several week period to ensure that we can make a smart, honest and thorough assessment.  Oh, yes, we will also need many bottles of the best Norwegian beer.  This is necessary to clense our distinguished palates with some homegrown brew before we attack the next meal.

Don’t forget the Festive Foreign Fun Fact.  You may need one this winter!  We also are looking for a local touring guide sporting a Santa hat to escort the Festive Fans on a fishing, hiking and skiing expedition, preferably to Lillehammer’s Olympic resort.  We want the full Norwegian experience (especially if everything is on the house, because, you know, we are Festive Foreign influencers and worth every free penny)!  One last request, let us know which of our new theme songs you like – “Another Festive Foreign Film Fan” (apologies to Pink Floyd), “Festive Foreign Film Fans” (apologies to Cyndi Lauper”), or “Festive Foreign Film Fans” (apologies to Michael Jackson”).  Send your choice to festivefans@gmail.com.

Email Address:
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Festive Fans Unite! (send us a message)

Email Address:
festivefans@gmail.com

Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/festivefans?utm_source=linktree_profile_share

4F Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2QIjYWNP1TS0hC2OFeBXqO?si=8791632a966d4f53

Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092522416848

4F Flair Shop (Festive Fans Merchandise)
https://festivefanflair.myspreadshop.com/

Festive Fans Unite! (send us a message)

One Year!  Wow, it seems like just last June we were in the street markets of Ancient Baghdad on a flying carpet with Aladin.  Or, trying to escape from the top of a burning tower in South Korea.  These films offered us a cinematic glimpse into the diverse traditions, customs, and ways of life for people in different places around the globe, and all in the name of international Christmas entertainment.  As the Festive Fans, we have learned so much about the holiday celebrations of the places we visit and elements of their history and culture as well.  It has been enlightening in a way we didn’t expect.  When we watch films from foreign countries we are exposed to a unique artistic experience. These films tell stories with different perspectives and new ways of thinking.

As a simple little Christmas podcast, we have enjoyed scary goats, naked elves, and zombie high schoolers; we’ve explored issues of white nationalism, antisemitism, and sexual abuse; we’ve watched dramas, comedies, animation, and whatever the heck that Echo was; and we’ve touched almost every continent – Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America. Each different location we visit demonstrates how the world is so much bigger than we often recognize.  This podcast has been an amazing ride for us, especially with its soundtrack of foreign Christmas music.   Our next two episodes are going to highlight the best of the last 24 shows.  We have selected our own personal favorite quotes, food and drink, customs, songs and films.  It is our time to review and revisit the best of what we’ve discovered.  Watching foreign films allows us to visit and celebrate Christmas in exotic cities that we may never be able to see in person.  It sometimes takes a movie from halfway across the world to remind us how our experiences and rituals are more universal than we think –regardless of linguistic, cultural or geological differences.

If this is your first time joining us, we hope it’s a good experience and maybe you want to go back and start at the beginning.  If you’ve been with us before, let’s appreciate this change of pace and treat this like one of those flashback sitcom episodes.  Pop some champagne and kick back, it’s the Best of the Festive Foreign Film Fans – Season One!  On with the show!

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The boys are going Dutch this episode and exploring Christmas in the land of tulips, windmills, and hole-y dykes.  Grab your wooden shoes, we are heading to the Netherlands for St. Nicholas Day!   We also examine a surprisingly dated film from 2007, Alles is Liefde, and discuss whether the same film could be made today.  It is another example of the subgenre we call the “Love Actually Knockoffs” with several characters, many stories at once, and intersecting storylines brought together by the holiday spirit.  The film is funny and has all of the necessary feel-good elements – including a charming prince on a horse – but it also features the controversial assistant of St. Nicholas known as “Zwarte Piet” or “Black Pete”.  This traditional Dutch character is portrayed here in an exaggerated and offensive fashion.  The film even posits the question of whether the Petes exist as the slaves of St. Nicholas, and this concept is played for laughs.  Sadly, this undertone of racism detracts from what is a fun, lighthearted holiday movie, especially if you’re interested in the culture.  And speaking of, we also take a look at some unique Christmas elements, including a novelty song about a dead rabbit, Santa with a butt plug, and a popular festive song that was first popularized by Ernie and Bert on the Dutch Sesame Street, and is sung by one of the actresses in the film.  This episode is truly a delectable gourmetten!

Email Address:
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The boys  head north again to another Scandinavian country to fully embrace the land of Vikings, pastries, and Mads Mikkelsen.  It’s Denmark!  Yes, our own Hannibal Lecter stars in a revenge drama that has all of the elements you didn’t know you wanted for the holidays  – anger, grief and lots of violence.  And It is still feels Christmassy!  Don’t misunderstand, this is the rare film where you recognize by the end that everybody should’ve gone to therapy.  Good thing we are in the happiest country in the world!

Even their Christmas customs are snug and cozy (well except for the nisse who wants to break the necks of your cattle and burn down your barn). You better leave him some Risalamande.  Plus, we have our first international rap anti-Christmas song “Jul ‘Det Cool”.  It joyfully celebrates how Christmas is expensive and boring.  Happy Holidays!  There is nothing rotten here, so sit back and enjoy this ride.  Trust us, it’s a wild one!

Email Address:
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Don’t cry for us Argentina, you have delivered on a very meaty holiday.  And we are not just talking about the ox tongue and tuna sauce at the Asado.   Our first tour stop in South America really delivers its fireworks — both on and off the screen.  La Noche Magica is a film that may seem dark and unsettling, but it is what Mark has described as a “must see”.  The complicated plot finds a thief mistaken for Santa on Christmas Eve who becomes intrigued with the family he is robbing.  He first stumbles upon the wife’s lover, hiding on the balcony.  Next, he walks into an unfortunate love triangle between a fussy collector, his beautiful wife, and the best man at their wedding.  In the midst of this serious storytelling and social reflection, there are also comic moments and black humor to relieve the suspense and to help grapple with the heady subject matter being tackled in this arty Christmas movie   All is not what appears to be, including Nicola and his mission. This is not your conventional festive film but hold on to your red hat for a provocative and colorful ride,

Next, we explore the traditional customs of Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) with an hourly detail of the evening’s events, both the dinner and the Sobremesa.  The all-night party continues with a festive display of fireworks, globitos, and the arrival of Bom Velhinho.  If you can’t make it, at least you can listen to “Ven a Mi Casa Esta Navidad”, which reflects the yearning we all have for a sense of belonging and togetherness during the holiday season. The song is a reminder that if can’t be home, at least you can “Come to My House this Christmas”.

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We’re gonna show you a movie you can’t refuse.  The boys are off to Italia — Bob’s ancestral homeland – for a magnifica celebration of amore, famiglia, and Natale.  And don’t worry, it’s not personal, it’s business.  We review the Italian holiday film Una famiglia perfetta from 2012.  But first, we listen to Bob try to pronounce the Italian words without mistake, so he doesn’t end up sleeping with the fishes. This is a thoughtful comedy that asks the question of what it means to be a family, because, as we know, a man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man. And don’t ever take sides with anyone against the Family. Ever.

This film also examines the delicate fragility of marriage. While it can be a bit emotional, you act like a man. What is the matter with you?  Is this how you turn out, a Hollywood finocchio that cries like a woman?  While thoroughly enjoyable, this film has equal parts charm and anxiety, and a few comic twists that we don’t want to share. What are you worried about?  If we wanted to tell you, you’d know already.  We go the mattresses and weigh in on the cultural battle of panettone versus pandoro – dishes that taste best when served cold.  We also discuss La Befana, the Christmas witch and enjoy a festive song that is an ode to, of all things, ginger, which the lyrics describe as “the true fulcrum of Christmas, not the crib, not the Baby Jesus, but ginger.” And when we’re done, leave the gun.  Take the cannoli.

Email Address:
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It’s a new episode, a new year, and an exciting new country for the Festive Fans!  For the start of 2024, we travel to Iceland — a country with dramatic landscapes full of giant glaciers and fiery volcanos.  Such extreme contrasts also underscore the movie Echo.  This intimate film is equally humorous and heart-breaking.  It is a probe of contemporary Iceland at the holidays, with 56 separate scenes highlighting the minutiae, quirks and idiosyncrasies of daily life.  Once you get past expectations of a fluid storyline, Echo has a real-life poignancy with its authentic detail, nuanced emotion, and universal themes.  This movie leaves a lasting impression through its small and quiet moments. Plus, we also explore the magical Yuletide customs of this land, with its dark winter nights lit by the celestial Northern lights.  So get cozy, lick a spoon, put on your new duds, and put aside your book for our love letter to an Icelandic Christmas!

Email Address:
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