Ed's Review Dot Com

Daniel L. Paulson Productions, Pitchblack Pictures,

Callum Seagram Airlie, Ben Cotton, Antonio Cupo, Autumn Resser

As Thanksgiving approaches, Chicago prepares for it’s annual Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Emily Jones (Autumn Reeser) is the coordinator and trying to make a spectacular parade. Henry Williams (Antonio Cupo) arrives as a financial consultant to review the financial aspects of the parade, and Emily is shocked to find out he thinks its not a profitable endeavor and should be scrapped. Emily is engaged, but things are not going well, and through her struggles to convince him that the parade is worth more than simply dollars and sense, she finds somehow she is falling for him.

This is a brand new holiday film for this year that is a romantic comedy and nothing much else. It’s a good romantic comedy and it delivers as well as any. There isn’t anything else going on, so this is definitely a chick flick, nothing more, nothing less. It’s a fine new Hallmark addition to the holiday lineup, but will have a narrow audience. This is not a classics holiday film, but is definitely going to have it’s fans. If you’re looking for a love story, then this is a good one.

Mystique Films,

Ralph Macchio, Hamza Adam, Marlee Grace Becker, Allie Bertram, Garrett Clayton, Erica Eleniak

Ruben (Ralph Macchio) is a former dance champion who was sidelined years ago due to an injury. His son comes to live with him while he mourns the lost of his mom, whom he blames his Dad for deserting years ago. The big dance contest, the “Holiday Spin” is coming, and everyone is wondering whether Ruben’s son has the skills to knock off last years champions while Ruben and his son try to find some common ground to build on for the future.

Sorry, but this film just did not catch me. It’s a new film for 2012, but to call it a Christmas Movie is stretching it a great deal. The dance contest is called “Holiday Spin” and the music is Christmas music, but the story is as old and worn out as you can imagine. This is just like every other dance movie that has ever come along. The bad guy is a great dancer, the new kid is an outcast, and doesn’t want to dance, but they talk him into it. Then there’s a big showdown. Very little has anything remotely Christmas like. Instead it’s simply a dance movie set around Christmas. I’m sure there is a market for this. Dance fans might like it. I’ve found the years of being forced to watch Dancing With the Stars has given me some knowledge of dancing. I know what a Paso Doble is now. Then there are a few Ralph Macchio fans left, especially since his Dancing with the Stars adventure. But unless you fit into one of these two groups, you’re not going to be very happy with this Lifetime movie. I appreciate them brining us new Holiday films and I’m sure it’s tough thinking up new stories, but they’re going to have to do better than this to make it worth while for the viewers.

[Here’s the link to the Lifetime page for this film]

Dorsten,

Maria Thayer, Sam Page, Vivica A. Fox

Santa Claus’ daughter, Annie (Maria Thayer) heads to Los Angeles to find her future. She starts working at a little toy shop, but meets a fantastic guy who tells her he’s a lawyer who volunteers part time at an orphanage. She falls for him, but seems oblivious to the fact that the owner of the toy store where she works is very attracted to her but not able to show it. Annie has to decide whether to stay in L.A. and get married, or return to the North Pole to work in the family business.

This very light romantic comedy is not the first one to offer us a young Claus who is looking for the path for the rest of her life. It has been done before. But, just the same, Maria Thayer is very charming in a young Doris Day sort of way, and it’s a really cute Christmas film. It’s very well done. So, yes, it’s not really an original idea, but it was so well done, I didn’t mind that the idea is not new. It’s lighthearted and fun, and was a pleasure to watch.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday November 27, 2012

• Men In Black 3 [Click Here for Ed’s review]
• ParaNorman
• Lawless
• Step Up:Revolution
• Sparkle
• The Apparition
• The Greatest Miracle

Sandollar Productions,

Dolly Parton, Lee Majors, Bo Hopkins, John Ritter, Dan Hedaya, Anita Morris, Danny Cooksey

Lorna Davis (Dolly Parton) is a country singer who is getting burned out by the frantic pace and the “rock” influence on her music, and is in the mood for a simple vacation back in the hills of Tennessee where she was born. But on the way, she runs into a mean sheriff, a whole bunch of orphans who escaped from a couple of nasty sisters who hate kids, and a mountain man (Lee Majors) who tries to keep the peace and assist the kids. All Lorna wants is to make a nice holiday for the kids, feeling sorry for them, but she’s breaking the law and looking for more trouble than she can imagine.

This is an older Christmas film from way back in 1986, but one that I’ve never seen before. It’s a typical Dolly Parton type film, filled with some original Dolly music, cute kids, and a few twists and turns. For example, there’s a witch who just HATES Lorna! You can pretty much predict the whole movie before it even starts, but that’s ok because it’s not supposed to be an earth shattering new experience. It’s rather a holiday film filled with warmth and nice scenery and a feel good plot. That’s just what you get, so if you haven’t seen this one, It’s all over the airwaves every season.