Christmas is creeping ever closer—presents maybe bought, probably not wrapped, Baileys flowing like the Thames, decorations at full twinkle. And while you’re settling into the festive haze, we’re diving headfirst into the ultimate Christmas tale: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The man practically invented the modern Christmas… and yet somehow Hollywood keeps reinventing him. (And yes, because the universe demanded it, there’s even a brand-new Johnny Depp version on the way.)

We all adore The Muppet Christmas Carol here at TTR, but this year we’re taking the long road past Kermit and into the return of our Versus Series—pitting two adaptations that NONE of us had ever seen before. Bold? Foolish? Extremely on brand?

In the red corner: 1951’s Scrooge, starring Alastair Sim—widely hailed as the definitive Scrooge by Christmas purists.

And in the blue, motion-captured corner: Robert Zemeckis’ 2009 animated A Christmas Carol, featuring Jim Carrey playing… well… everyone.

Which film honours Dickens’ vision? Which is more entertaining? Who gives the superior “Bah Humbug”? And which one deserves a place on your festive rewatch list instead of being visited by the Ghost of Christmas Nope?

We break it all down in four categories:

🎭 Performance

📚 Faithfulness & Adaptation

🎨 Visual Representation

🎄 Entertainment

Each category scored out of 5 by each TTR host, with a final tally to crown the ultimate Christmas champion.

Grab your Baileys, wrap something (literally anything), and join us for a festive showdown of Dickensian proportions.

FULL SPOILERS FOR SCROOGE AND A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN THIS EPISODE. But you surely already know this story...

Agree with our scores? What would you score these films? We want to know!

Email us at thirdreelpod@gmail.com or through the socials @third_reel_pod

https://linktr.ee/thirdreelpod

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00 - Preamble

00:20:58 - Category 1: Performance

00:41:10 - Category 2: Faithfulness & Adaptation

00:53:27 - Category 3: Visual Representation

01:11:38 - Category 4: Entertainment

01:27:11 - Final Scores

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can you believe it? Somehow, against all odds, missed upload windows, rogue microphones, and at least one near-existential crisis per host, we’ve made it to a full year of recording this wonderfully chaotic little podcast.

To mark the occasion, Dale takes the captain’s chair (steady yourselves) and fires a series of deeply investigative, hard-hitting questions at the other two — everything from our humble, slightly shambolic beginnings to the origins of our name, and even whether any of us seriously considered quitting along the way. Yes, we are doing a clip show!

We also peel back the curtain on how the whole circus actually works: from the first spark of an idea to the moment an episode finally, miraculously, appears in your feed. And to top it off, we drop some genuinely exciting news about what’s coming next as we roll into the new year — changes that might just make this podcast feel ever so slightly more legitimate.

Here’s to a year of laughter, questionable opinions, cinematic nonsense, and the unwavering belief that chatting about films is a personality trait. Onwards, upwards, and maybe even occasionally on time!

Email us at thirdreelpod@gmail.com or through the socials @third_reel_pod

https://linktr.ee/thirdreelpod

TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00 - Preamble

00:04:00 - Looking Back

01:06:26 - The Process

01:29:14 - Looking Forward

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Remember 2012? The year we almost got wiped out by a Mayan prophecy, everyone was suddenly doing the Gangnam Style dance, and the world collectively agreed that coloured skinny jeans were acceptable? Well, we’re diving straight back into that glorious fever dream.

Before we even get to the movies, we take a wander through our own personal histories of 2012—yes, the questionable fashion choices, the terrible haircuts, and the cultural moments we’d rather forget. Then we hop over to the big headlines and pop-culture buzz of the year, because nothing sets the mood for a nostalgic top-ten like reminding ourselves just how strange that year really was.

Then it’s list time. Each of us brings our personal Top 10 Films of 2012, counting down from ten to one… with one important rule: if a film appears higher up on someone else’s list, we zip it until it reaches its highest spot. (It’s tense. It’s dramatic. It’s the closest thing we’ll ever get to strategy on this podcast.)

Last time we did this—for 2010—Daniel and Dale basically had the same list in a slightly different order.

This time?

Oh no.

No, no, no.

Let’s just say the lists are… wildly different. Chaos reigns. Friendships are tested. Rachael judges everyone.

But at the end of all this, one film must stand victorious. Which 2012 masterpiece takes the crown?

Let us know your 2012 rankings!

Email us at thirdreelpod@gmail.com or through the socials @third_reel_pod

https://linktr.ee/thirdreelpod

All music used in this podcast is for commentary and review purposes under fair use. We give full credit to the original composers and right holders, and acknowledge that we do not own any of the music featured.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00 - Preamble

00:13:57 - The Lists

01:56:18 - Honourable Mentions

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.