Bah Humbug: A Christmas Movie Podcast with Helen O'Hara

1d ago

What's more important: Christmas or geography? Can sexy Russian spies also be cat ladies? And is Marky Mark secretly French? All these and more questions will be answered on today's episode of Bah Humbug, the Christmas movies podcast, as we look at The Family Plan 2, Apple's Christmas-tinged sequel to the 2023 action comedy with Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Monaghan. Your host, Helen O'Hara, is joined today by Chris Hewitt of Empire magazine to look at this action classic (tbd). The Family Plan 2 is out now on Apple TV. For more from Chris, pick up a copy of Empire magazine or listen to the Empire podcast here . You can find the spoiler podcasts he mentioned here , and to come along to the live show in London on January 9th, pick up your ticket here . For more from Helen, you can find here on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com . Her latest books, A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary and 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know, are available now, and Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film remains on sale. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O'Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email producers@stripped.media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5d ago

Cynical brand extension or charming Christmas adventure? Why not both! A Very Jonas Christmas Movie features pop siblings the Jonas Brothers on an epic quest to get home from London to spend the holiday with their families. Alas, Santa Claus (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) decides that the trio need a lesson in brotherly love so he sabotages their plans, forcing them to spend time together on the road. With a supporting cast that includes Randall Park, Billie Lourd, KJ Apa and Will Ferrell, it's a star-studded musical that is...weirdly charming. At least, so says your non-fan host, Helen O'Hara; does her guest, journalist Charlotte Harrison, agree? Listen and find out! A Very Jonas Christmas Movie is out now on Disney+. For more from Charlotte, look on social media @sometimesmovies. For more from Helen, you can find here on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com . Her latest books, A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary and 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know, are available now, and Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film remains on sale. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O'Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email producers@stripped.media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6d ago

Kate Winslet's directorial debut is not your typical Christmas movie. It's set mostly in a hospital, as a family gather around their dying matriarch (Helen Mirren), and features more IVs than holly-and-ivy. But it has a truly impressive cast and a surprising amount of heart and humour. To talk about it, your host Helen O'Hara is joined by Empire's news editor, Beth Webb. We also have a visit from two of the cast, in the delightful forms of Andrea Riseborough and Timothy Spall, so settle in for a surprising amount of cheer given the subject matter. Goodbye June is out in cinemas now, and will be available on Netflix from December 24. For more from Beth, you can find her @BethWebb on Bluesky and @bethkatewebb on Instagram, and of course at Empire Magazine . For more from Helen, you can find here on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com . Her latest books, A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary and 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know, are available now, and Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film remains on sale. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O'Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email producers@stripped.media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6d ago

This year has been relatively light on Christmas horror, but fear not. There's plenty of claret on offer in the remake of 1984's slasher Silent Night Deadly Night from director Mike P. Nelson. It's the story of a likeable drifter, Billy Chapman (Rohan Campbell), who is also a prolific serial killer. But, you know, he wears a Santa suit so it's seasonal! Horror expert Becky Darke joins your host, Helen O'Hara, and Mike Nelson drops by to talk us through his attempts to sweeten up the slaying. Silent Night Deadly Night is out in cinemas now. For more from Becky Darke, check out her website here or follow her on social @BunnyDarke. For more from Helen, you can find here on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com . Her latest books, A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary and 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know, are available now, and Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film remains on sale. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O'Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email producers@stripped.media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 12

It's not often here at Bah Humbug that we can lay claim to a genuinely great, not-graded-on-a-curve film set over the Christmas season, but say hello to Harry Lighton's Pillion, starring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgard. They star as a meek young man called Colin and the impossibly hot biker daddy he falls for, in a coming-of-age story about unconventional romance and figuring out what it is you want in life (surprisingly, the answer may not be "someone who looks like Alexander Skarsgard"). It's won acclaim and awards nominations, but how does it score on the Christmassy scale? Your host, Helen O'Hara, is joined by comedian David Morgan to try to figure it out. Pillion is out in cinemas nationwide now. For more from David, you can check out their website here , or on Bluesky here . For more from Helen, you can find here on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com . Her latest books, A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary and 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know, are available now, and Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film remains on sale. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O'Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email producers@stripped.media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 9

The last time Michelle Pfeiffer made a Christmas movie, the result was the great Batman Returns. Now she's back in Oh. What. Fun., starring with the likes of Felicity Jones, Jason Schwartzman, Chloe Grace Moretz, Dennis Leary, Dominic Sessa and Eva Longoria. She's the stressed-out matriarch of a Texas clan who just goes AWOL one Christmas when she is left feeling unappreciated by her family. A warning for unthinking families everywhere, perhaps, but is it really fun? Well, your host, Helen O'Hara, and special guest Cathy Cullen from the Cinemile podcast are here to break it down - and possibly have a breakdown. Oh. What. Fun. is out on Prime Video right now. For more from Cathy, check out the Cinemile here for all sorts of film-y goodness, follow them on socials @TheCinemile or come along to the event we mentioned at the Curzon Hoxton on January 29 by booking tickets here . For more from Helen, you can find here on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com . Her latest books, A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary and 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know, are available now, and Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film remains on sale. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O'Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email producers@stripped.media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 6

Today's episode of Bah Humbug, the Christmas movies podcast, focuses on Tinsel Town, the new Sky film wherein a spoiled Hollywood star reluctantly agrees to do theatre in the UK - and unwittingly finds himself signed up to play Buttons in a panto production of Cinderella. Kiefer Sutherland is our hapless hero, with support from Rebel Wilson, Danny Dyer, Derek Jacobi and many more. To talk about it, your regular host, Helen O'Hara, is joined by talent agent Corrie McGuire and the film's director Chris Foggin. Can all of us together explain the appeal and importance of panto to an international audience? Oh no we can't! Oh yes we can! Etc. Tinsel Town is available to watch on Sky Cinema and Now TV right now. For more from Corrie and her astonishing roster of clients, you can visit her website here . Check out Chris Foggin's credits here . For more from Helen, you can find here on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com . Her latest books, A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary and 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know, are available now, and Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film remains on sale. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O'Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email producers@stripped.media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 4

Are Netflix raising their game on Christmas movies? Or just softening us up for My Secret Santa? Your host, Helen O'Hara, assesses the contenders with guest Olly Richards. First up is Alicia Silverstone in A Merry Little Ex-Mas , trying to bring that Clueless magic to a tale of a divorced couple trying to negotiate their first Christmas apart. Then we look at Champagne Problems , wherein Minka Kelly flies to Paris to buy some sparkling wine and instead ends up in a fizzy rom-com. And yes, these are Christmas movies, we're still judging on a curve. But are there signs of actual quality here? The answer may surprise you! Both films are now out on Netflix. For more from Olly, you can find him on Bluesky (etc) @OllyRichards, and his new book, Tim Burton: The Complete Unofficial Guide (part of the Iconic Directors series) is out now. For more from Helen, you can find here on Bluesky @HelenLOHara, or at helenohara.com . Her latest books, A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary and 50 Film Ideas You Really Need To Know, are available now, and Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film remains on sale. This podcast is produced and edited by Helen O'Hara with Stripped Media. For more on this podcast, and others produced by Stripped Media, please visit www.stripped.media or email producers@stripped.media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices