Ed's Review Dot Com

Home Theater Films,

George Newbern, Megyn Price, Taylor Spreitler, Corbin Bernsen, Francesca Capaldi, Aidan Potter, Kevin Crwoley

Martin Taylor (George newbern) feels he’s lost touch with his family. They don’t talk anymore, and the electronic gadgets rule their lives. So in desperation, Martin comes up with a plan to lock his family down in the house with no power, no water, and no heat. The family despises the idea and rebel, only to gradually come around to stick together when Martin’s crazy brother decides to interfere and toughen them up by stealing their food and supplies. The thinks Martin has always been a wimp, but Martin learns to stand up and defend his family bringing them all closer.

Up Television is a religiously oriented channel that is doing Christmas up right this year. They have had a number of really good new movies, although this one is not the best by far. It’s a little like Home Alone, and the brother, played by Corbin Bernsen is a comic book character. The whole thing is a bit bizarre. They could have planned a little ahead, stocked some wood and supplies (to avoid chopping up their furniture for heat!), and had a nice stay-in vacation, but instead started this off as wildly unprepared and made it a lot harder than it had to be. But the basic premise is good, and the idea that we need to get closer as a family and listen to each other is a good idea. The movie is different, and interesting enough to keep your interest. I wish it was a little better thought out, and not so haphazard. Not a classic Christmas film that will last for years and year, but a pleasant diversion if you happen to catch it.

[This is the home page for this UP Christmas movie.]

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Mainstay Productions, Paulist Productions,

Brian Krause, Nancy Stafford, Danielle Chuchran, Heather Beers,
James Gaisford, Jacob Buster, Ruby Jones

It’s the midst of the Great Depression and the Kane family is struggling to survive. Dad is buried in debt with the medical bills from his son’s polio, and the family has just lost their mother, and as Christmas approaches, it looks like another year of no presents. But Dad has managed to save pennies and nickels all year long and has one dollar in change to spend, so he enlists the kids to use the dollar in the best way they can so each can give a gift to another. The Kane children rise to the occasion and catch the spirit of the season and bring a wonderful Christmas to the whole family.

Reminiscent of the Christmas Comes to Canaan movies, but perhaps more a nod to The Waltons or The Little House on the Prairie, this is a warm and uplifting Christmas story of a family who has it a lot worse off you, but manage to bring it together and make it a wonderful Christmas by focusing on love and family8 and less on presents. Brought to us by the UP network, is a really good heart warming Christmas film worthy of the genre. They did a good job with this family drama, and it was a pleasure to watch. It’s great that the smaller channels are pressing Hallmark and Lifetime, and the competition is good for everyone. They did a very nice job on this one, and it’s worth checking it out.

[Here is the home page for this film]

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Hallmark Channel,

Sean Astin, Ethan Erickson, Donovan Scott

Dan Ryebeck (Ethan Erickson) is struggling. He’s unemployed, trying hard to buy the gifts he thinks his kids Sally (Annie Thurman) and Joe (Griffin Cleveland) deserve, but in the process he’s neglected his wife Linda (Anne Dudek), who is fed up with him. While drowning his sorrows, a chance encounter changes his life when he becomes Santa. His first edict is that everyone gets everything they want, no questions asked, and then he sets out to shower his wife and kids with gifts. Like “Bruce Almighty”, Dan learns the hard way that granting every wish doesn’t work out very well. It takes him a long time to learn the lessons that family doesn’t require expensive gifts, but just time and attention.

This film is obviously a bit far fetched. Santa needs a holiday in the islands, so he sets up some sot in a bar to become Santa while he parties. But it’s really a lot more than that. This Hallmark film has got a lot going for it. The lessons of family and how the best gifts are gifts of time and simply love and concern. It’s well told, and though not the greatest Christmas film I have ever seen, it was certainly a pleasure to watch. It’s painful sometime to see people screwing up and making the wrong choices, but sometimes that’s what’s necessary to learn the lessons we need to know. This guy made some bad decisions, that’s for sure, but he has a good heart and comes around in the end. This is a classic good triumphs over evil story that was a pleasure to watch. I enjoyed this one. Sean Austin was a hilarious elf, too, by the way!

[Here is the Hallmark Channel page for this movie!]

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Monogram Pictures,

Melissa Sagemiller, Brad Rowe, Tom Arnold, Stuart Pankin, Martin Klebba, JoJo Wright, Eddie Deezen

Elizabeth (Melissa Sagemiller) is called into a meeting where she it told that the advertising firm is struggling and needs more customers. Additionally they have hired an expert to assist which doesn’t please her in the least. When she meets one of Santa’s helpers, and elf named Calvin (Martin Klebba), he gives her a special pin that allows her to hear everyones thoughts. This gives her the edge to show up the new guy, and read the thoughts of her bosses and prospective clients. Of course this leads to some disasters and she learns to give it up and to use her own instincts to determine why people don’t like her and how to change herself to make her a more pleasant person and bring some good to the world.

This is one of the misses (in my opinion) on the list of holiday premiers on ION Television this year. Elizabeth is a pretty nasty person who very self centered. She does learn to tone it down a bit, but we never really get to like her. Stuart Pankin and Tom Arnold are running the company, and both are decent actors, but we never really understand their roles in the company or why there are two of them. All in all, it seems to fumble along trying to bring peace and redemption, and not cutting in line at Starbucks anymore to our heroine who we don’t really like in the first place. It just seemed like a thrown together script to try to push out one more Christmas movie for the advertisers without a lot of thought to the actual story. It just didn’t gel for me, and is certainly one you may want to skip. By the way, this seems to be a very popular title for Christmas films and there are several already out there. I understand there is another one coming for next year as well with the title, so before you sit down to watch “All I want for Christmas” you have to read the synopsis or check the release date to see which one it is.

[Here is the home page for this ION Television release]

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Swirl Films, UpToParr Productions LLC,

Lisa Arrindell Anderson, Omari Hardwick, David Banner

Pamela (Lisa Arrindell Anderson) is a single mom with her 4 children struggling to make sense of their first Christmas without their father who was killed in action in the military the previous year. Things are really hard for them, and they are trying their best to get along. They bump into Earl (Omari Hardwick), a lonely guy, surviving Christmas without his children whom he lost custody of when they moved away with their Mom and her new husband. They form an alliance when Pamela’s children run into some issues that they can’t deal with very well, and Early steps in to help them out.

This premier movie on the TV One network doesn’t get the same splash and bravado that Lifetime, ABC Family, and Hallmark get, but it’s a really good film. TV One is an African American oriented cable network that was started in 2004 and has grown very rapidly. This film is a really good example of the quality stuff that they put out. This movie is real life, and is darker than most Christmas films, but with the hopefulness and uplifting feel by the end that a good Christmas story should have. The kids are suffering, each in a different way, but still the suffering in their own way. But the adults, though trying to do the best for the kids, are both suffering through their own pain. This movie is especially about loss, but also about redemption, and other qualities such as courage, compassion, and love and how they can overshadow the pain. It’s a great urban Christmas story of people trying to do the best they can under their difficult circumstances. It may be tough to track this one down, but it’s well worth watching, and I hope in the future it can get a wider release and distribution.

[Here is the location of the TV One page for the film]
[This is an informational page from The Examiner about this movie]