In this episode of the show we celebrate Christmas by diving into the drawer of proper ‘deep cuts’ and fishing out a Christmas movie that probably nobody else knows, Abel Ferrara’s R X Mas.

I’m not going to lie, this movie is insanely difficult to find outside of the US, but if you happen to have access to it, I strongly urge you to give it a chance. Although Abel Ferrara is noted for being uneven recently – a claim I cannot yet verify but given his record in the 80s and 90s, all of his divisive movies might be masterpieces in my eyes – this is an amazingly solid film. In fact (and we do get into it on the show), it perfectly epitomizes the very idea at the core of what we do on the podcast, which is looking for great movies that literally nobody talks about. Granted, this one is so off the beaten track that it is nearly impossible to find, but the point still stands. And I think we did R XMas justice with our conversation that included deconstructing Ferrara’s unique style and how it fits as an evolution of cinema verité, gushing over Drea De Matteo’s wonderful lead performance, the way Ferrara shoots New York with equal amounts of love and disdain, and how this movie functions as a gangster epic, a Christmas movie, a social commentary on American politics and a rudimentary family drama all at the same time. Give it a listen!

Tune in and enjoy!

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