Midday Movies Christmas Face-off! Plus, arts exhibits to see for free

S1: Welcome in San Diego , it's Jade Hindman. Today's show is all about the arts and culture. We're talking about the best Christmas movies according to our film critics and visual art. You can see around town. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. Over. The holidays can be stressful , not just because of the pressure to plan one more event or outing , but also the pressure to spend money. Well , we've made a list of 20 art exhibits in San Diego where you can pop in to get some culture without a ticket. Without a ticket means without spending money. Joining me to talk about a few of those places is KPBS arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans. Julia , always good to have you on. Hi , Jay.

S2: Thanks for having me. Yeah.

S1: Yeah. So before we dive right in , all of the exhibits will be covering or totally free.

S2: Um , at least like the independent or nonprofit gallery level or art space level. And they also require zero commitment , which I love. Um , it's a great way to get out and socialize around art , like going to an opening reception or bringing friends and out-of-town guests to see things , the kind of low stakes , low prep , uh , way to way to be cultural. And , you know , art obviously isn't free to make , but and if you want to bring a piece of art home with you , that's also not free. But , you know , some of these art spaces , they're private galleries that survive on just enough art sales. Um , a lot of these spaces are non-profits , so of course , if you can and you enjoy your visit , consider tossing a little donation their way.

S1: Very nice. So let's start with a story you covered this week. The Hill Street Country Club in Oceanside will soon close its doors. Artist Marissa DeLuca just opened an art exhibit in that space to send them off. You've seen this show ? Tell us a little bit about it. Yeah.

S2: Yeah. So , Marissa DeLuca , her paintings are these really powerful representations of buildings or spaces that are on their way out , kind of abandoned , rundown or otherwise overlooked. And I really love the way that she paints these places. It gives them so much gravity and beauty , and even if it's traditionally an eyesore. Um , one of her paintings in this exhibit is a little different from that. It's a painting of the Oceanside pier on fire. The painting's called She's Not There. She painted this with , um , charcoal from the actual pier. Uh , right after it had been on fire. Like actual burnt pier is in the painting. And I talked to her this weekend and asked her what this painting means to her. My work has.

S3: Always been kind of a love letter to Oceanside and to the ancestors of Oceanside. When that fire happened , it really kind of put kind of an exclamation point on the rapid change in the region. The remains that I picked up were , um , I kind of felt like , you know , the remains of a loved one. And I really wanted to go along with my practice of using materials that are , um , anchored in the space , you know , site specific materials. And so I took the charcoal that I collected off the beach. I ground it up , mixed it to make oil paint , and then I painted this painting with the charcoal so it becomes like a reliquary kind of painting , kind of in the same way. Like , you know , the relics of saints hold kind of divine energy. I feel like the paintings that I've made here in the gallery kind of hold that same memory.

S2: She also has paintings of abandoned homes or like the the this distinctive tile wall in Oceanside. Um , it's really wonderful stuff , really thoughtful and beautiful. And Hill Street is staying open until escrow closes on , on the sale of the building. And they're treating these final weeks or months , who knows , as kind of a funeral. Um , yeah. And their gallery hours are 12 to 5 Monday through Saturday if you want to check it out.

S1: All right. Well , we even have a special holiday installation at the Timken , which is always free. What can you tell us about jewels of the season ? Right.

S2: This is kind of an annual installation. They fill the the lobby in the Timken with a thousand really intricate handmade ornaments. And these are by local artists Florence Hoard and Elizabeth Sharp. And it's beautiful. Like you walk in , there's Christmas trees lining the entrance with ornaments hanging from the ceiling. Even they have some model trains as well from the San Diego Model Railroad Museum. And this is all like a like a set design collaboration with San Diego State's theater , television and film program , which is kind of cool. And while you're at the Timken , you can also check out the big like , literally huge Kehinde Wiley painting. And they also have a 19th century sculpture collection that's on view as a special exhibit. They're open 10 to 5 Wednesday through Sunday , and the ornaments will be up until December 29th.

S1: All right. Here's one more that we've discussed before. Remind us about Melissa Walter and Manuel Alejandro Rodriguez Driggers Delgado at Ika North. Yeah.

S2: Yeah. This is two separate exhibits. This is at the Encinitas space of the Institute of Contemporary Art , San Diego. One of them , Manuel Alejandro Rodriguez Delgado. His futuros itinerant exhibit includes these self-contained survival systems. They're made from found materials , found electronics , and his works informed by Star Trek and the US space program. But also and this is super fascinating , the unsuccessful bid by Puerto Rico to host the Olympics , um , they bid for this in the 1980s. It would have been the 2004 Olympics. And then also on view is Melissa Walters. Plexus. This is paperwork's also animation and ceramics. Those two are new practices to Melissa Walter. And her art is really fascinating. Almost everything I've seen of hers is it's science informed in some way , not just the ideas , but she will take data sequencing and use that to to like visually manifest in her art. And in this case it's DNA forensics. Um , like the identification processes in the criminal justice system. And this is Melissa talking earlier this year about this project when she was installing it.

S4: The body of work began with sort of learning about DNA analysis and the history of it and its history within forensic science. As I was making new work , I was still interested in that topic , but I was starting to think about it a little more from a psychological perspective of the people that might have been affected by the lack of DNA analysis in the , you know , progression of their lives or the presence of DNA analysis.

S2: And what I love about her work is you walk in , you look at it , and it's objectively beautiful. It's this aesthetic creation. But then you hear this and it's really meaningful. Like it really gets you thinking. Yeah. And these are both on view. Um , their gallery hours are 12 to 5 Thursday through Sunday at ICA in Encinitas. That really.

S1: Sounds fascinating.

S2: This is at the Front Gallery , and they will actually close for their winter break on Saturday. So you actually just have today and Friday to see this until I think they reopen January 7th. And this is by cognate collective collaborative. And they were a recent recipient of the San Diego Art Prize. And this exhibit is this really interesting collection of sound art and video and also sculptures. They have some immersive pieces. And then also what I love , this giant neon anatomical heart. And they're open 11 to 6 today and Friday.

S1: There's always plenty of art to see it. Bread and salt in Logan Heights. It's definitely a top arts destination.

S2: There's always something surprising in bread and salt. So first at Athenaeum Art center , the Bryan and Ryan's Christmas installation. This was put up for an event like a ceremony kind of last weekend. It's still up. It's going to be there , um , for a couple more weeks. And they also have the Athenaeum Art Center's faculty exhibit , which has really great pieces by some , some long standing artists in San Diego. And then at Ice Gallery , you have Adam Belt's full room installation. This one is perplexing. Like you walk in there and you're not necessarily sure where the ceiling ends and the walls begin and the art begins. It's incredible. That's up for just a couple more weeks at Quint one , you can check out Marcos Ramirez Aries Whites Always Move First , which is the sculptural installation that's inspired by chess. And then at the Burn All Books newsstand , there's a new sound installation , kind of the first slick little installation they've put in that new newsstand. This is Maddy Torrens , and it is based on field recordings of a Risa Graf printer , which is a printer that burns books and other zine making groups used to do this , like high output printing. Um , so that should be really cool. And at the main Gallery Insights , the Mexicali Experimental Project and then commonplaces , the sedimentary effects , those are still on view. And you also have bread and salts. Impact artist in residence Luis Alonso Sanchez. And he's been busy creating works since his residency began last month. So the the whole space is open 11 to 4 Tuesday through Saturday. But ice gallery for the Adam Bell installation. That's Saturday only.

S1: All right. And there's also something showing at Liberty Station. It actually has a gallery of its own.

S2: This one is a gallery 201 , and it's an installation by San Diego based artist Cristian Garcia Olivo. And he uses , like , paint skins. Um , there's as like a material in his sculpture. So he will , like , pour paint into , um , into strips or into a , into , like a flat surface and then peel it and weave it into works. This is curated by Diana Pollinates from the Hill Street Country Club , and this exhibit is about the cause and effect between identity and culture and kind of the interplay there. Um , one work as an example. He's he's like drizzled paint and then taken those and woven them literally into a textile. So that's on view daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. , which is great to see some evening hours. Mhm.

S5: Mhm.

S1: And finally we have an exhibit that'll make you forget what you think you know about quilts at Visions Museum of Textile Art in Liberty Station. Yeah.

S2: Yeah. So Quilt Visions this is a juried exhibit , a collection of contemporary art quilts from around the world. There are dozens of them , and some of them look like intricate contemporary art pieces. There's some that look like watercolor paintings , which is it just seems really impossible to look at it and know that it is like sewn fabric. And one of my favorites is by Maggie Dillon. It's this vintage illustration inspired quilt called Mill Town Bus Stop. Another great one is Winter Trees by Chinny Chin. Um , and that's one of those impossible seeming ones. There's also two other really interesting exhibits up right now at visions , and both of them are solo shows. One is Amy Sands Constellations , which is papercut art , and the other is Charlotte Bird's really whimsical , kind of immersive mixed media exhibit , um , kind of about animals and the wilderness. It's called intimate Wilderness and visions. Museum of textile Art is open 10 to 4 Friday and Saturday.

S1: All right , well , you can find more art events or sign up for Julia's weekly newsletter at pbs.org. Smart's. I've been speaking with KPBS arts reporter Julia Dixon. Evans. Julia.

S2: Thank you , thank you. Jade.

S1: Still to come , we're inviting you to our Christmas SmackDown edition of midday movies , starting with Die Hard.

S6: Come on to the coast. We'll get together , have a few laughs.

S1: We'll look beyond die hard to pick the warmest and funniest , as well as most action packed Christmas movies in video podcast form. Hear more when KPBS Midday Edition returns.

S7: Ladies and gentlemen , are you ready ? Cinema junkie presents the midday Movies Christmas SmackDown , representing Christmas cheer and all things warm and fuzzy is Yazdi. A lot of movie wallows and decking the halls with Christmas carnage and yuletide action is Beth Kamado , the KPBS cinema junkie refereeing the matches. Midday edition host Jade Hyneman. The contest three rounds. No disqualifications , no holds barred. Christmas face off. Jade , take it away.

S1: You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. With Christmas around the corner , midday movies wanted to highlight not just some holiday favorites , but the contrasting tastes of our movie critics. So today , KPBS , Cinema Junkie , Beth Accomando and movie Wallace podcaster Yazdi Kavala will face off with some diverse offerings. Yazdi will be offering some holiday cheer , while Beth will be arguing for Christmas action in horror. So Beth and Yazdi , welcome to you both.

S5: Thank you , thank you.

S1: I'm ready for the ring bell I need. I feel like we need to add that in. Check it out. Yeah , yeah.

S8: Nice.

S9: Nice. Fair.

S8: He just wants to spend Christmas with the family.

S10: Is daddy coming home with you ? We'll see what Santa and Mommy can do. Dress.

S1: Dress. I think you made your stand on this clear in the past.

S11: Yes , I have , so Die Hard is absolutely a Christmas movie. It tops the list that my son and I have for Christmas action films. We do 12 Days of Action Christmas every year , so not only is it set at Christmas , but the setting of Christmas plays a role in this as well. There's an office party that provides a key component to the plot , and it also raises the holiday themes about family.

S6: Gather the coast , get together , have a few laughs.

S11: And it has the gift of Alan Rickman. And I mean , nothing says Christmas better than this.

S12: Now I have a machine gun.

UU:

S1: Beth , I'm with you on that one. Yes.

S13: It is a Christmas movie. Let me just say this , uh , desert island pix. If I had to watch a movie every day for the rest of my life. As long as I live.

S1: Die hard. Okay. All right , I'm with it. All right , now let's get to our official list of Christmas films. Let's start out with something traditional , perhaps with a little warm and fuzzy feel. Yeah.

S13: Yeah. Of course. So everyone loves to watch Home Alone this time of the year. And we've all grown up with It's a Wonderful Life and Elf and Love Actually are on the annual holiday watching plan for most adults. And if you don't like Paddington or Paddington two , then you're no friend of mine. But I wanted to recommend Hollywood films that may be a little less familiar. Let's go all the way back to 1945 with Christmas in Connecticut , which is streaming free online or available in a crisp print for a few dollars more on most VOD platforms. When the great Barbara Stanwyck goes out in the night with Dennis Morgan on Christmas Eve to return a cow to the barn , improbably , it is just about the most impossibly romantic thing ever committed to film.

S14: Sure , it's nice here. I'll hate to leave tomorrow. That's soon. I'm due back tomorrow night. I'll have to leave early in the morning. Oh.

S15: So this is our your last night here.

S14: I had a wonderful time. You've all been very kind to me.

S15: Let's keep on walking.

S14: But your shoes.

S15: Oh , yes. They are sort of inadequate. I guess I was just letting my imagination run away with me.

UU: Why not ? Milady.

S14: Your carriage. Oh , we couldn't just parked here. Nobody will mind. We'll make believe we're going for a ride.

S15:

S13: Having come off our most iconic role in Double Indemnity just the previous year Demonstrates here how she could be just as effortless a comedian. Yoshi plays a post-war Martha Stewart like writer for a magazine , popular for her recipes and her perfect life on a Connecticut farm with her husband and kids. She's forced by her boss to host a recently returned war hero at her home over the holidays for the publicity. The only problem is that she's been lying. She doesn't cook and she doesn't have a farm house , much less a husband and kids. And so the film unfolds as she tries to perpetuate this lie , even as she's falling in love with this soldier. And this film is just such a perfect confection , with a great supporting turn from the actor as suckle , who plays kind of a , uh , you know , a helper for the for the two lovers in distress. And here is a clip from towards the end of the film , where the two leads argue through lies about marriages.

S15:

S14:

S15:

S14: Oh , and I like it.

S15: Well , I don't like it. Oh.

S14: Oh.

S15: There's only one thing to do with you. Yes , let's do it. No , no. Now , don't you come near me.

S14: You attract me.

S15: Remember what you forget.

S14: Oh , no I don't. You're a married woman , but you don't feel like a married woman , remember ? Well , it's not fair. Oh , there are rules to this game , are there ? You must teach me.

S15: Well , uh , men who are engaged must.

S14: Play the game.

UU: Yes , well , let's play well. If.

S16: If. Stop talking , that's good.

S1: All right. Well , that sounds like a classic , Beth. You know Yoshi's out of the gate. Strong. What do you have ? Yeah.

S5:

S11: So I want to take each of Yazdi picks and kind of flip them. So I don't want to sound totally coldhearted or anything , so I will admit that I do love classics like Christmas in Connecticut and especially Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life and even miracle on 34th Street. But I will confess that I have a low tolerance for most recent holiday classics or holiday fare. But like I said , my son and I do have a tradition of watching Christmas action films , and most of these involve Shane Black in some way or other. So my counter-programming to Yazdi Christmas in Connecticut is the long kiss goodnight , and this was written by Shane Black. It stars Geena Davis and Samuel L Jackson , and like Barbara Stanwyck , Gina Davis's character has something of a dual personality she presents as the perfect suburban mom. I could say Martha Stewart here as well , until her memory is jarred and we discover that she used to be a lethal agent whose last mission left her with amnesia. So , as with Die Hard , Christmas is very present in the decor and the music , and it plays a key part in the plot. Davis's appearance in a Christmas parade causes her life to unravel , and the plot to unfurl , and the person who comes to kill Davis's Martha Stewart mom hides behind some Christmas carolers early in the film at midnight. Sorry.

S17: Sorry. Long time.

UU: Mom ! Ah ah ah. Ah ah. Ah ! Ah.

S11: So this is one of the classic Christmas action films on our list. We watch it along with Lethal Weapon and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. And all of them are from Shane Black classic Beth.

S5: Yes , I love it.

S1: Well , Yazdi , you got something less violent there.

S5: I do , I do.

S13: So The Holdovers , which is streaming on Amazon Prime , is just from last year and is ready , I think , to be inducted into the perennial list of holiday films. So it starts. Oscar nominated Paul Giamatti , who plays a curmudgeonly professor in a New England college who is forced to look after students who have nowhere to go during the holidays and after school closes for Christmas break. He's forced to take care of them. And those kids. The professor and a cuckoo , has recently lost her son form a makeshift family of sorts. To the film's great credit , it refuses to indulge in sentimentality all the way to the end , but it still remains authentic and so very entertaining.

S18: I'd like to propose a toast to my two unlikely companions on this snowy island , and to our absent friends and family. And I realize that none of us is here because he wants to be. So if there's any way that I could make the holidays a little cheerier for either one of you. Just say the word. Okay.

S19: Okay. I want to go to Boston.

S18:

S19: I want to go ice skating. I want to see a real Christmas tree with real ornaments. Not that stupid thing.

S18: You said it was nice.

S20: It is nice.

S21: Let's get out of here.

S19: I want a real holiday.

S18: We're not going to Boston. It's out of the question.

S20: You told the boy anything. So take the kid to Boston.

S18: Mary , we're not allowed to leave campus or the immediate environs.

S1: That sounds good. And you know , Yazdi , I will say that was one of my favorites , too. That was a really good film. Yeah , but now I know that's a little too warm and fuzzy for you , Beth. So.

S11: Well , I agree on the fact that it's a very well-made film. Not exactly my choice for Christmas viewing. I did enjoy it. And Yazdi is absolutely correct in saying that it never becomes cloyingly sentimental. But if I am looking for a bunch of people stuck in a school adjacent setting for the holidays. Then I will go to the 1974 film that is often credited as the first slasher film , and this is Black Christmas. So this has a group of sorority sisters who are stuck together for the holidays , and they start receiving threatening and obscene phone calls , and then the women start getting murdered. So this is the very cheery and Christmassy trailer for the film.

S22: Remember those idyllic scenes out of your childhood ? Crisp winter nights star. Bright sleigh bells crackling you logs. Candlelight glistening off of shimmering Christmas trees. Chestnuts roasting over open fires. Cattle is beneath snow covered window ledges. Remember those ? Remember them well. After Black Christmas , they'll never be the same again. Black Christmas. If this movie doesn't make your skin crawl. It's on too tight.

S11: So this , along with psycho inspired Halloween and many more slasher films , and it's filled with lovely Christmas decorations , but also a lot of dead bodies. Olivia Hussey , Keir Dullea and John Saxon are great in their roles here , and it was directed by Bob Clarke , who also directed A Christmas Story. So maybe that is why I love A Christmas Story as well.

S5: All right.

S1: So Yazdi Beth went all the way back to 1974. I know you went back to 1945 earlier , but she had a whole slasher flick for Christmas.

S13: Beth. Beth actually showed that in San Diego. Uh , Christmas at Christmas , I think last year. And it's a splendid film. My final pick is The Last Holiday from 2006. Just to be clear , this is not to be confused with the home swapping romance The Holiday that was also released the very same year. Now the holiday has lost none of its charms since , and a lot of people watch it every year but the last holiday , even though it may not measure up to the other film , I think it does check off a lot of boxes for me. It's a great vehicle for the abundant charms of Queen Latifah in the title role. Most of it is set at an amazing winter resort in Europe , and finally , it features gorgeously prepared food. What is not to like ? Latifah plays a quiet department store worker in New Orleans who dreams of becoming a chef. Finding out that she has only weeks remaining to live. She quit her job and decides to splurge all of her life savings in Europe , buying the best clothes and eating the best food. The film is predictable and silly and unrealistic , but I would argue those are the exact things you want in a holiday film. Here's the clip from the film where Queen Latifah character steps into an upscale restaurant and asks for a table for one.

S23: For the specialties dimension. We have the cassoulet. We have risotto , Barolo with truffles , the rosé citrus beer blanc with capers. Roast quail with brioche stuffing , and the braised lamb shank with blood orange relish.

S20: And blood orange relish.

S15: Now , now , that all.

S20: Sounds so good. Well , he has the same specials tomorrow night.

S23: No , chef. Never creates the same any twice.

S20: Well , I guess I better try them all tonight , then.

S1: Oh , that sounds more like my liking. You know , I'm with you on that. But , Beth , are you going to kill the Christmas spirit with this ? This next one ? What ? What do you.

S5:

S11: So it all starts out very sweetly with a young boy wanting to prove that Santa exists. Okay , but on Christmas Eve , the young boy discovers that the Santa in his house is a killer , and he and his grandfather have to defend themselves since Yazdi mentioned Home Alone. This is a film that came out a year earlier and basically says , what if the kid in Home Alone were Rambo ? So the threat of violence is real in this film , and the result is the 1989 French horror action Christmas movie known as Deadly Games , but originally titled Dial Code Santa Claus. So the kid proves to be endlessly resourceful , and the film is clever but also tense and violent. So play this back to back with Home Alone. And I'm not saying Home Alone stole the idea , but the films do feel very familiar. And of course I would prefer Dial Code Santa Claus.

S5: You know , even.

S1: Though you've got all the horror films and Yazdi , you've got all the the fun , lovey dovey Christmas spirit and happy films. I will say that , you know , I'm not opposed to watching any of them. We've got a solid list here to check out. And of course , these are the picks from our critics. You can decide which of these films you want to unwrap these holiday seasons. I want to thank our critics , Beth Accomando and Yazdi. Thank you so much. You all.

S5: Thank you. Thank you.

S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.