Warner Brothers Pictures, Azoff Entertainment, The Canton Company
Michael Keaton, Kelly Preston, Joseph Cross, Mark Addy, Andrew Lawrence, Eli Marienthal, Will Rothhaar, Mika Boorem, Benjamin Brock, Taylor Handley
Jack Frost (Michael Keaton) is a musician in the Jack Frost Band. They are on the verge of getting signed and he’s not around much when the family needs him. Especially his son Charlie (Joseph Cross) misses him. Wife Gabby (Kelly Preston) tries to make it up as much as possible. They plan a little Christmas vacation at their cabin in the mountains, but an opportunity for a record deal comes up, so Jack sets off for Aspen. After thinking it over, he turns around half way and heads back in a borrowed car, but as the storm gets worse, he is killed in an auto accident.  One year later, he returns in the form of a snowman with a fresh chance to make it up to Charlie and set things right.
This movie was a box office bomb. With a budget of 50 million, it took in about half of that domestically. I can’t figure out why. I guess a lot of people must not have liked it. Or maybe it was what it came up against. But at any rate, I loved it, and saw it in the theater twice that year. Then I bought it, and I still watch it when it’s on TV.  I don’t know why this film resonates with me, but it does. Jack wants to be a loving Dad, and he loves his family, but his dream is to be a rock star. He lets the family down and never had a chance to make it right. So showing up as a snowman for a few days a year later gives everyone closure and helps Charlie down the right road. It’s also got a lot of funny parts too. Having a snowman as a snowball fight partner is a great benefit!  This was one I really loved, and I still love to watch it when I can. I still have to wipe a tear or two away as well when Jack has to leave.  It’s a great holiday film to me.
Lauren Coe, Fionnula Flanagan, Amy Huberman, Thomas Irons, Hugh O’Conner, Brendan Patricks, John Rhys-Davies
Ellie (Lauren Coe) sees witnesses her father having an affair and vows she will never fall in love again. Her guardian angel abandons her, and she grows into a miserable old woman. The angel is given a second chance to change her life so she doesn’t have so much sadness so he travels through time to recruit her as a young woman and her future self to reconcile with her father and change the path of her life to avoid a terrible future.
Now if you think this is confusing, then try watching this movie! This is obviously a twist on the story of A Christmas Carol where instead of the ghost of Jacob Marley, there is a guardian angel of sorts. And instead of the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, it’s Ellie herself trying to reach out to her father. It doesn’t work very well. It’s not absolutely awful, but not very good. It’s kind of hard to follow and rather disjointed. And I could never like the supposed guardian angel. He’s very annoying. All in all, there is so many missing cylinders in this story that I cannot see this being a big hit in future Christmases. There are so many clever renditions of the Christmas Carol that you have to be able to find a better one than this!
Keshia Knight Pulliam, Pooch Hall, Earl Billings, Ray J, Richard Lawson, Janet Hubert, Tom Bosley, Hayley Marie Norman, Nadeen Gautier, Kyanya Mikhize, Riley Weston, Giovonnie Samuels
Leila Turner (Pulliam) is a very spoiled rich kid who’s about to fail out of college. In order to pass, the teacher assigns her to do community service at a place called “Angel House” for the Christmas holiday and have a research paper/report on her desk first day after the break. Leila is planning on a ski trip to Aspen and is in no mind to volunteer anything.  Meanwhile Tre (Pooch Hall) is a would be musician who is now died and trying to get into heaven. He’s been given a chance to redeem himself, and is sent back to earth to try to change Leila’s selfish attitude. What a challenge, as Tre is, shall we say, a bit befuddled, and Leila is one of the most spoiled kids in history. Trying to teach her (especially given the air heads she hangs out with) is going to be a heck of a challenge. Of course the fact that she hates Tre, and Tre is forbidden to get romantically involved with a mortal client makes it hard. Dad is a businessman who is too busy to listen to his family. Lo and behold, he’s building a strip mall in the block where Angel House is located, and they’ve been told to move out as it’s being torn down.
People either love or hate this film. I can see why people don’t like it. The acting isn’t the most awesome or spectacular, but Leila is certainly acting what was written, and Tre also is a good character that fits the story. Plus, as a bonus Harry (Tom Bosley) who runs Angel House, is fantastic as always. I enjoyed this movie a good deal and thought it was well worth watching.
DTM3 Productions, Sneak Preview Entertainment, Valkyrie Films
Maxwell Perry Cotton, Robert Wagner, Louise Fletcher, Isaac Durnford, Kim Schraner, George Newbern, Jake Beale, China Anne McClain
Dennis is up to his usual tricks. Everything he does is done with a pure heart and in a clumsy way. It’s one attempt after another to make Mr. Wilson happy, but each adventure ends in a bigger disaster. Dennis wants a bicycle for Christmas but his last adventure with Mr. Wilson left his family with a big debt and no way to pay it off and afford a bike for Christmas. Mr. Wilson has forbidden Dennis to come on his property. As Mr. Wilson falls asleep in his chair, a Christmas angel appears and takes him through the past, present, and future to show him what the path he is on will lead.  We learn why he’s the way his is, and the future Dennis doesn’t turn out so good either.
This is a cute Dennis the Menace story that is just what you would expect, nothing more. It’s a cutesy kids story, but those of us like me who grew up with Dennis every Sunday Night after Lassie, will remember the way it was. This is the same Dennis. The Christmas Story part in the last half hour isn’t very long, and it’s appropriate to the story line. But the best part is the accidents and destruction at the hands of Dennis. Everything that could happen to Mr. Wilson, does.  It’s worth watching for all the fun!
Bakula Productions Inc, Columbia Broadcasting System, Marian Rees Associates
Scott Bakula, Cynthia Nixon, Eva Marie Saint, Lachlan Murdoch, Jenny-Lynn Hutcheson, Kimberley Warnat, Kirsten Bishop, Brandon James Olson, Shane Meier, Pamela Johnson
Grins Jenkins is a Arkansas furniture maker with 5 kids. Grins is a happy man, and enjoys playing the banjo, dancing, and mostly loving and caring for his family. He’s the life of the party. Suddenly Sharon (Cynthia Nixon) get very ill. When it’s determined it’s tuberculosis, she is sent away to a hospital. Grins builds a sun porch closed in glass for her, but she grows weaker and dies as does Grins joy in life. He turns bitter and starts drinking and forbids the kids to celebrate Christmas in his house. When Christmas arrives, his older boy refuses to let his little brother miss the Christmas dream and pushes against Grins wishes to have a Christmas of sorts after all. Miracles happen, and the family is brought back together again.
This is a very sad but touching story of a backwoods family and their struggles to survive. Then when this tragedy strikes, there is little hope of redemption. This movie addresses some of the beliefs the Irish immigrants brought with them to the Ozarks when they arrived and how they kept these beliefs alive. If you’ve heard of the tradition of a yule log, this movie will bring home why it’s important to some folks. This is a film that will tug at the heartstrings and is a very well done film. Both Scott and Cynthia bring a lot to their roles, and the rocky relationship between Cynthia’s character and Eva Marie Saint who is the grandmother to these kids is also very enlightening. I highly recommend this film.
