Calebs Video Store Issue #4
The final issue of the year
Introduction
Hello and welcome to another issue of Calebs Video Store. This is a series where I talk about recent film topics in the film world as well as topics that I thought of or something that I got to experience. We are here towards the end of the year and I’m excited to see where this series will go as we enter the next year. We have decent amount of topics to get into and there’s a decent amount of lists in this issue to dive into as well. Without further ado, lets dive into the topics.
I Changed My Letterboxd Top 4 to a Christmas Theme So Let’s Talk About the Films I Picked Out
I’ll be honest, I could not figure out for the life of me of what type of Christmas topic I should talk about for this issue. I just couldn’t figure out what I should talk about. Then I thought about how I changed my Letterboxd top 4 for the Christmas season and listed some of my favorite Christmas movies there. I figured that it would be interesting to talk about my picks here and why I picked each movie in my top 4. I made a Tik Tok talking about these picks, but I figured I could talk about them here as well. So here’s that list that I picked out.
Klaus (2019): This is probably my favorite Christmas movie ever made. The film takes a unique approach in retelling the origins of Santa Claus and I think it’s done in a fantastic way. I watched it for the first time a couple years ago and the feeling I had watching it made me feel like a kid watching Christmas movies in my childhood. The animation looks visually stunning and is one of the most unique animated movies I’ve seen. I consider it a Christmas Classic in this household.
The Muppets Christmas Carol (1992): I have always loved the muppets and this is probably my favorite thing that they have done. There’s such a unique take added with the muppets in this story that I found so delightful. The music is very fun to listen to and has some great bops in there. Also Michael Caine gives a genuinely great performance in this role and it’s satisfying seeing his character change by the end. It’s one of the best Muppets movies out there.
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946): This is one of the most iconic Christmas movies out there and for good reason. There’s a magic to this that really feels like it can’t be replicated if it was made today. There’s not much to say about it that hasn’t already been said other than there’s a reason that this film has stood the test of time 79 years after releasing.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): I remember the animation of this movie blew my mind when I first watched it when I was young. I watched it on Disney Channel and it felt like my world changed seeing how the animation in this film looked. Also the musical elements kick ass and the music rocks so hard in this film. It such a breeze to get through as well and it’s a memorable film to watch during the holidays.
Honorable Mention: The Holdovers (2023): I realized after I made my list, I left out a movie that came out a couple years ago yet deserves some recognition. Most can agree that this is already a Christmas classic and for good reason. It has a good story, great characters, and feels like a nice warm hug watching it. If you haven’t watched it, give it a watch. You won’t regret it.
Those are my Letterboxd top 4 picks. I’m happy with the films that I picked out and I think represents the holiday films that I really love. Let me know what your holiday picks would be in your top 4.
The Landscape of 2026 Films
With the new year on the way, that means we get a new lineup of films to look forward to in the year. It honestly looks stacked this year for the blockbuster side of things as we are getting a new Avengers and Star Wars film released in the same year. If I told my 15 year old self that I wasn’t really excited for either of them, he would probably not believe me lol. However there’s still a lot of movies to look forward to and obviously a lot more will be announced as the year progresses, but I figured I would go over 5 films that I’m looking forward to.
Dune Part 3: I’m a big fan of the previous Dune films and this seems like it will be another unforgettable installment of the series. I need to read Dune Messiah before this comes out, but I will be seated day one when this hits theaters.
Project Hail Mary: I have never read the book that this is based on, but from the trailers and how people that have read the book describe it, this sounds like a film that is going to resonate with audiences when it comes out and it seems like it will be exciting. Also Phil Lord and Christopher Miller being attached as well as Ryan Gosling starring tells me this is going to be a great time.
The Odyssey: I don’t even know what to expect from this movie but the fact that Christopher Nolan is at the helm of it makes me excited to see how this is going to come out. I really need to get myself at a 70mm IMAX screening of this film because it looks like it’s going to be a film you won’t want to miss in the format.
Disclosure Day: Steven Spielberg is my favorite director and the fact he’s making a new alien invasion movie sound like a dream, but we are really getting it and that makes me excited. A trailer released recently and it looks very promising. I will be seated day one for this.
I Want Your Sex: A new Gregg Araki film is coming out and this is probably what I’m most excited for in the year. I became a fan of Arakis work this year and the fact he’s releasing a new film makes me extremely happy. I found out it will be showing at Sundance this year which I will be going to, but I won’t be able to see it then due to scheduling conflicts (I am devastated about this lol). But the moment I get the chance to see it, I will definitely be there.
Overall, I think 2026 is going to be a stacked year for film releases. It does seem like a lot is coming out that people can be excited for and hopefully many will take the opportunity to go out to the theater to watch these films. There’s always a decent amount of indie films to be excited for as well so I look forward to seeing how the year will play out for them. It should be an interesting year.
Side Tangent: An Appreciation for Paul Dano
Just wanted to show my appreciation for Paul Dano for no reason whatsoever. That is all.
Netflix is Buying Warner Bros So Let’s Talk About It
As many have heard, Netflix recently won the bid to start negotiations on acquiring Warner Bros. Right now this is still an ongoing transaction and the official acquisition won’t happen in a while. A lot has happened with this news ever since they won the bidding like Paramount launching a hostile bid, but Warners Bros has also denied their bid so it seems likely Netflix will be the one that acquires them. A lot has happened, but I wanted to focus on two major things that I’m worried about with this acquisition.
The first thing is theatrical releases as Netflix is known to not be too keen on releasing their films in theaters and usually only do it so their films can be considered for Oscar contention. They have said that they plan to keep the theatrical experience of Warner Bros films, but with the way that Netflix CEO Ted Sarando’s talks about theatrical releases, there is a worry about this sentiment changing and those theatrical windows only getting shorter and shorter. As theaters have already had it rough ever since Covid it’s important that the theater experience stays and I’m worried about what this will do for the Warner Bros films we get in the future.
The other thing that is at risk is physical media for these movies. Netflix rarely puts their films out on physical media as it is and they only release a very select few for a Criterion release. Physical Media has become a discussion over the past couples years of being important for preserving film. There’s is this convenice of being able to stream movies on these apps, but many movies are always moving from platform to platform and it becomes unreliable to count on them. Even with a digital purchase of a movie, they could very much still take that film away from you. With this Netflix acquisition, it’s very much possible that we won’t see as much physical media out for Warner Bros films and that is scary to think about. They have so much film history behind them and physical media is important for making sure people see these films as well as them being preserved.
I am very scared for what the future holds for Warner Bros and how this will affect their movies. Yes Netflix might have been a better option to acquire them than Paramount, but it’s still a bad situation all around to whoever won that bid. We will have to see how things play out and we can only hope that maybe Netflix will take these things into consideration and change there model, but they are also Netflix and we don’t know what the future will hold for this. I can only hope that it won’t be as bad as we think it is, but I’m really not sure. Just make sure to support physical media and go to the movies because it’s a huge part of what makes film special.
December Movie Recommendations
As always this is a segment where I recommended some movies that I watched during the month. The rule is that I don’t include any theater releases or any film that I talked about already in this issue. Without further ado, lets talk about some recommendations.
The Night of the Hunter (1955): I’ve had this film on my watchlist for a long time now and I finally gave it a watch and I finally saw why it had its iconic status. What really impressed me with the film is its cinematography and how it really places with the lighting and shadow to create suspension . Despite being made in 1955, it still has you on the end of your seat watching it. Also Robert Mitchum gives an unforgettable performance. It lives up to the iconic status that it has.
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999): This might be one of the coolest movies that I have ever seen. This film moves at a slow pace, yet it still manages to be exciting to watch everything play out. Forest Whitaker is so good in this role and elevates the film with his presence. Also It has a kick ass soundtrack from RZA. I need to pick up the Criterion of this film because I think deserves a purchase.
![Inside Llewyn Davis - Official Trailer [HD]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!trWb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa06c3889-b148-43a5-bf81-c759aa6cb3b0_1280x720.jpeg "Inside Llewyn Davis - Official Trailer [HD]")
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013): This is a top tier Coen Brothers film for me and I knew as I was watching it, it was going to be a film that would resonate with me for years to come. It felt realistic in the approach it takes in it’s story and it left a huge impression on me. This is something I plan on revisiting in the future and a movie that I will probably rewatch countless times.
When Harry Met Sally (1989): I think any Rob Reiner film would be worth watching right now, but this one is especially special to me this time of year. It has been my go to watch on New Years Eve for the past couple years and I plan on keeping that tradition up. Rob Reiner made so many great films that are important to many people and he will forever be remembered for this work. Rest in Peace Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner.
Conclusion
That’s concludes another issue of Calebs Video Store. I’m grateful I decided to start this series this year and I’m excited to jump into the new year with so much more planned for this series. It’s going to be great and I hope you join me to see how it grows. Thank you for stopping by the store and I’ll see you next time for another issue. Happy Holidays and a New Year!