For our annual Non-Denominational Holiday Fun Fest this year, we unwrap “Grift of the Magi” (S11E9)—the Simpsons episode that gave us the name of this special—and its climactic spoof of James Cameron’s The Terminator (1984). Podcaster and prolific Letterboxd reviewer Matt Lynch joins us to break down the greatest movie ever made about a son sending his father back in time to have sex with his mother. (Oh yeah, and save the world in the process.)

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Also in this episode:

• The delicious stone soup of Cameron’s budget filmmaking and special effects
• Is this a slasher movie? Does it simply borrow slasher tropes? Did those tropes exist in 1984?
• How James Cameron makes corniness as well as Frank Capra
• Why ‘90s kids saw T2: Judgment Day first, and why we need to break the cycle
• Plus, check out our show notes for a complete list of Simpsons references, double feature suggestions, and further reading

Springfield Googolplex is taking a break for the holidays, but we will be back on February 4, 2025, with a new batch of episodes. In the meantime,  have a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukkah, a cwazy Kwanzaa, a tip top Tet, and a solemn and dignified Ramadan.

For more of Matt Lynch, check out his popular Letterboxd profile, his thriller movie podcast The Suspense Is Killing Us, Scarecrow Video’s YouTube channel VIVA! Physical Media, or the massive library of Scarecrow Video itself and its awesome rent-by-mail program.

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