Ed's Review Dot Com

The Asylum,

Danica McKellar, Dustin Milligan, Scott Patterson, Brian Huskey, Alexandra Paul, Lea Thompson

Kat (Danica McKellar and Sam (Dustin Milligan) grew up together. Every Christmas they shared a place at the children’s table at Christmas. As they passed through the teen years, they stayed close friends, but when Sam finds the love of his life, Kat is devastated on the inside, but neither wants to admit how they really feel about each other. In this new Christmas Romance we get to revisit the pair each year at Christmas time.

Everybody remembers Danica as every guy’s first love, Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years. She’s still as pretty as ever, and a very good actress, though she doesn’t appear as often as we’d all like. So seeing her in this new Lifetime Christmas movie is a real treat. It’s an enjoyable film, very cute and very Christmassy. The locations are very good, and the soundtrack is decent, and the acting is great, so it’s a winner. Probably not a classic for years to come, this is not Miracle on 34th Street, but it’s a enjoyable time waster. Watch for this premier this year on LifeTime, and watch the sparks fly!

The home page for this Lifetime Movie is here.

Front Street Pictures,

Joey Lawrence, Emily Hampshire, Marilu Henner

Rob (Joey Lawrence) has just broken up with his girlfriend on Thanksgiving Day, much to his mother’s chagrin, and Julie (Emily Hampshire) is tired of her Mom always trying to fix her up with her ex’s. The two of them meet each other on-line and setup an agreement. They promise to attend each other holiday events as a couple with no strings attached. But it’s complicated as he’s Catholic and she’s Jewish, so they have very little in common to work with. Troubles mount as things get more and more complicated.

This is a standard romantic comedy film that just sort of falls flat. There is nothing really unique about this film. This is a brand new film for 2012 for the Hallmark Channel, but one I didn’t really get into. It was much more like a bad TV sitcom than a 2 hour film. It’s slow, it plods, and the funny moments are pretty few and far between. I just didn’t buy this story from start to finish. Waste of time.

The home page for this film which features a trailer is located here.

Bride For Christmas Productions,

Arielle Kebbel, Sage Brocklebank, Peter Benson, Andrew Walker, Jordana Largy

Mike (Sage Brockelbank) is an avid poker player. He makes a bet that he can make a girl fall in love with him, and accept a marriage proposal before Christmas. Jessie (Arielle Kebbel) is a reluctant bride. She’s been engaged three times, and three times she’s run away. But as these stories go, Mike does fall deeply in love with her, and immediately calls off the bet. Naturally she finds out about the bet and trouble ensues in this holiday romance story new from Hallmark this season.

This is such a formula. This has been done over and over and over. But darn it, this movie is just so cute. Arielle Kebbel is just so pretty, and the story is just so perfectly done with Christmas lights and Christmas music, and loads of Christmas cheer, that you can’t help but enjoy it. So I would say, if you’re a fan of romantic comedy Holiday films, grab some hot cocoa, snuggle up, and give this one a shot. You won’t need to concentrate hard on the story to follow the plot. So it’s not an earth shattering new idea for a Christmas film. It’s just good old fashioned fun.

The website for this 2012 Hallmark film is here.

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CBS Television Network, Paramount Pictures,

Patricia Neal, Richard Thomas, Edgar Bergen, Ellen Corby

It’s the 1930’s and it’s Christmas Eve. The Waltons are up on Walton’s Mountain preparing for Christmas. Father has been working in the city over 50 miles away and is due to arrive home any moment to bring his pay to provide a Christmas for the children. It’s late, and everyone is worried, when the news on the radio of an overturned bus and injuries to the travelers is overheard by the adults, they decide to hide it from the children so they won’t worry. But as it gets later and later, eventually they have to tell John Boy, the oldest son, who sets off to find his fathers.

This TV Movie from 1971 is the introduction to what became The Waltons TV series that was a staple on television for many years, and spawned several reunion films. It’s a heartwarming story, and full of traditional family values. For anyone not familiar with The Waltons, it’s a story of a poor depression era family and their trials and tribulations along with the love and respect they all have for their extended family. At a time when charity was a sign of weakness, families stuck together to survive.

Since I haven’t seen this film in 40 years, and since it’s never been reviewed for my Christmas on TV Project, I saw it coming up on TV this year and figured I just had to watch it. I’m really glad I did. This is a lot better than any of the reunion movies, and though some of the cast in this movie were replaced, when the series started on TV, the majority of the cast is the same, and it is like visiting old friends. This certainly was one of the best TV series ever done, and this film certainly does it justice. This is a great way to introduce the young folk to traditional American life back in the day! A very worthwhile film.

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Marvista Entertainment,

Corey Sevier, Briana Evigan, Travis Van Winkle, Brooke Burns

Cassie (Briana Evigan) is a small town girl who is struggling to get by. No boyfriend and no options, she spends her time building her Christmas cupcake business which is very popular with the townsfolk. When Alex Gray walks in to her shop and falls in love with the cupcakes. Alex is a very famous movie star, but Cassie has no idea who he is. Then trouble starts as Cassie and Alex really fall for each other, but the pressures of fame and fortune create havoc with their relationship.

This movie is a 2012 premier movie on ION TV. It’s a romantic comedy, but not really a very good one. It’s exactly the same plot as a million other films. Rich movie start guy, small town girl who falls for him, but a rich costar decides to try to win him back and meddles in the relationship to try to break them up. I have seen this movie all my life, and I know they were making the same movie years before I was born. Briana Evigan is a bubbly cupcake baker. She’s cute, and she’s good at the role. In fact, everyone is cast correctly in this film. But it’s simply so derivative that I have to recommend against this one. It seems ION is getting the weakest of the new films. I suspect young teens will like this movie, and if you haven’t seen a million versions of this same story, go right ahead. I’m sure some people will like this film, but for me, I’ve seen it all before and it was a waste of my time to watch this tired old plot.

Here is the link to the home page for this ION Holiday Movie special.