Archive for November, 2015

** I’m Not Ready for Christmas

Hybrid, Mayor Entertainment,

Alicia Witt, George Stults, Brigid Brannagh, Maxwell Caulfield Dan Lauria


Holly (Alicia WItt) is a sales executive who is in the habit to telling lies to those around her to get what she wants. Trying to get ahead of her co-worker to land the biggest account and a partnership in the firm, she tells a whopper. But the lies she tells to her niece is the worst. She keeps making promises but fails to deliver time and time again. When her niece was performing in a concert and Aunt Holly was a no show again, the girl asks Santa (Dan Lauria) for her one Christmas wish, that her aunt will not be able to tell a lie. Unfortunately she gets her wish and Holly finds herself in real hot water when she has to tell the truth and everyone figures out what she’s really like. But in the process she learns an important lesson about telling the truth.

Jim Carrey’s “Liar Liar” for Christmas. Well that’s pretty close. But they didn’t invent to story either. Aside from the fact that it’s not exactly an original idea, this is still a fitting Hallmark TV Christmas Movie that is premiering in 2015. Alicia Witt is charming as this poor lady with no idea why she can’t keep her mouth shut. She does a pretty good job. The story is funny and heart-warming, and full of holiday cheer. The rest of the cast is very good, and the story is pretty interesting. There are some smaller characters (for example, Holly’s door man from her apartment) that have good back stories and add a lot to the events. The story was filmed in Salt Lake City, and that is one beautiful city, so the settings are very nice. This is certainly not the best Christmas story of all times, nor is it even Alicia Witt’s best work, but given the script and the setting, and the need to come up with new Christmas stories every year, it’s not all that bad and I did enjoy watching it. One additional bonus. Alicia Witt herself sings the theme song from this movie. Thanks Hallmark for another enjoyable couple hours.

Here is the link for the Hallmark Home page for this film!

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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** Ice Sculpture Christmas

Johnson Production Group, Annuit Coeptis Entertainment II,

Tonya Albers, David Alpay, Kwesi Ameyaw, Callie Shaw, Ellis Manning, Ken Camroux-Taylor, Peter Ciuffa, Wayne Cox


[Here is the link for the Hallmark Home Page for Ice Sculpture Christmas]

Anna Shaw (Tonya Albers) and David Manning (David Alpay) are childhood friends who have grown up in different worlds. David’s father is a wealthy member of the country club where Anna’s father works as an employee. Anna has always dreamed of being a master chef, and when she is able to get a job as a dishwasher in the club, she is thrilled to be close to the chefs. But there she reconnects with David and the two are good friends with the hope of perhaps more. Anna’s boss, Chef Gloria (Brenda Strong) is a tough one, but she has won the annual ice carving contest for a span of years. David, as a prank, more or less, enters Anna’s name in the competition which angers her as challenging boss could put an end to her budding career, but Callie insists that Anna compete, so Anna makes a pact with David that he will be her partner, and sets out to teach him all she knows about ice carving. What follows is one disaster after another as everything seems to go wrong, but underneath, the romance between Anna and David seems doomed before it even starts.

This is a brand new for 2015, Hallmark Christmas Movie that is a pretty good start for them. Well cast, and well written, the script matches the actors and the actors match the script. The sculpting contest is a good backdrop (if you remember, last year it was a cookie baking contest) for the romance between rich boy and poor girl. It is a tale as old as time, but it’s well done for a Christmas film, and certainly worth seeing. Christmas films are typically pretty formulaic, but that’s what makes them fun. Watch out this year for this one.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday November 24, 2015


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** It Happened on 5th Avenue

Roy Del Ruth Productions,

Don DeFore, Ann Harding, Charles Ruggles, Victor Moore, Gale Storm, Grant Mitchell, Edward Brophy, Alan Hale Jr., Dorothea Kent, Edward Ryan, Jean Andren, Johnny Arthur, Florence Auer



The O’Connors are one of the richest families on New York’s 5th Avenue beside Central Park. Michael O’Connor (Charles Ruggles) is a real estate investor. Ever year before Christmas the O’Connors head for their mansion in Florida to spend the winter, and Aloysius T. McKeever (Victor Moore)New York’s best dressed homeless man, moves in through a loose board in the fence to spend the winter in luxury. But this year he meets a down on his luck fellow sleeping in the park and invites him to come with him. But surprisingly their daughter, Trudy O’Connor (Gale Storm) shows up when she has run away from boarding school, and she keeps her identity a secret, and before you know it the house is filled with strangers who have no place to stay.

Though not really a Christmas movie, this classic 1947 film is typically considered one because it takes place over the holidays and if filled with Christmas spirit and some holiday music. This is a vehicle for Gale Storm, a popular early TV star. The film is light-hearted and a classic 40’s romantic comedy. This was released right after the war, and as such it is a typical story of hope for the future that films of this era do so well. It deals with some of the issues that returning soldiers faced coming home after the war and starting families in the beginning of what would come to be known as the Baby Boom. This is a great example of classic cinema from this time period, and one I didn’t even realize existed until I found it on Netflix. It was a very enjoyable look back to 1947 and a time when things were so much more hopeful for the future. This is a good little holiday adventure and if you’ve never seen it, or heard of it, watch for it. It was a lot of fun.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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** An Evergreen Christmas

Kim and Jim Productions, WonderStar Productions,

Charleene Closshey, Robert Loggia, Booboo Stewart, Naomi Judd, Jake Sandvig, Greer Grammer, Tyler Ritter, Brantley Pollock, Tiz McWilliams


Evie Lee (Charleene Closshey) get a call just before Christmas with some very bad news. Her father has passed awawy and she must leave the city and head home to the small town where her Grandfather Pops (Robert Loggia) is running the families small Christmas Tree farm with the help of her brother. She is surprised to learn that as the oldest sibling, she is charged with being the executor of the estate much to her brother’s distaste, as she moved to the city to attempt a music career while he stayed behind and took care of the farm. Torn between saving the farm and going back to her big city music career, Evie Lee has a lot of soul searching to do to find the answers.

This is a charming Christmas tale with the strength around the home and family. The story is very well told, with lots of heart. The casting is really good, and there are some really good performances here. Evie Lee is faced with a dilemma, and she has to use all her wits to try to dig her was out. Charleene does an excellent job in portraying her struggle. Another excellent performance comes from Tiz Williams as Becky Tamora, Evie Lee’s nemesis in school who is now running a huge conglomerate tree farm who wants to buy the family’s property. She does and excellent job as a bad guy who is not so bad, but who might be trying to help them out. On the other hand, she might be a cold-hearted snake who is only interested in her own wealth. In the end will will probably never know. Good performance none the less. Of course Robert Loggia is very well cast as the loving grandfather. He is an excellent actor, so that’s to be expected. All in all, this was a really good film, far above average, and a great choice for your holiday watch list.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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