Archive for Christmas

Calamity Films, Feigco Entertainment, Perfect World Pictures,

Madison Ingoldsby, Emma Thompson, Boris Isakovic, Lucy Miller, Emilia Clarke, Maxim Baldry, Margaret Clunie, John-Luke Roberts, Michelle Yeoh, Bilal Zafar, Patti LuPone, Lydia Leonard, Henry Golding, Michael Addo, Peter Mygind

Last Christmas is a brand new holiday film about a family who moved to London from Yugoslavia and especially the daughter Kate (Emilia Clarke) who is struggling. Kate has a job as an elf in a Christmas all-year-long store run by Santa (Michelle Yeoh) who is very eccentric person for sure. Kate is struggling with life and making lots of bad choices, but when she meets the very handsome Tom, (Henry Golding) he helps her find meaning in her life. But Tom is very quirky as well, and though he is a big help to her, he is not very consistent. This is a lovely Christmas story filled with lots of heart and a great deal of values and good feelings.

This film is hard to categorize, as it is many different things. Most of all, it is very heartwarming, but this is not like a Hallmark Christmas movie, as it is a LOT deeper than that. There is serious drama, and side splitting humor, mixed in with a charming romantic tale as well. Kate’s family is hysterical, and has a wealth of back story to fill in the richness of the story. Emma Thompson is absolutely astounding in her performance and deserves the award for best supporting actress for sure. It is an awesome character she brings to life. Emilia Clark, as well, is absolutely fantastic in her role, and she brings a great deal of professionalism as Kate. She really steals the show. And thought Henry Golding is not in every scene, he certainly carries himself very well in every scene he is in. The casting in this story is exceptional, as each role is played to the hilt by the perfect actor for each role. From Kate’s sister, to her poor father, to those who try to help Kate when she is at rock bottom, everyone helps move this film forward and each role adds a lot of depth to the story. I went to see this film without a lot of expectations, and I was really blown away. Yes, there is a bit of a Shamalayan twist too, but there is also a lot of George Michael music, and all in all this is a movie that I think most everyone could enjoy. Filmed on location in London, the city itself is a star character as well. This filim is firing on all cyylinders and is a MUST SEE for this Christmas season. Go ahead and pass up some of the others if you must, but head out to see this one. I really, really enjoyed it, 100%. I loved this movie.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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** Christmas Camp

Almost Never Films Inc., MarVista Entertainment,

Lily Anne Harrison, Talkha Kahn, Reece Ennis, Megan McQueen, Stephen Katz, Shadner Ifrene


Here is the URL for this movie on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.

An advertising executive is up for a promotion, but finds a bit of competition when it comes to a new client who is a toy company, looking for a classic Christmas doll for the holiday. She is definitely not “classic Christmas” material so her boss sends her to Christmas Camp, a lodge that is all about Christmas traditions to learn how to do it right. But thigs get complicated when she starts to fall for the lodge owner’s son, and she begins to realize how much she’s been missing by spending every holiday working for her biggest client in the Bahamas. Turns out snow and holly makes a great holiday, and she has a lot to catch up on really fast.

This Christmas in July holiday premier from Hallmark Movies and Mysteries is a refreshing film, as it’s a new movie right in the middle of the Christmas celebration in the heat of the summer, but unfortunately it’s a very worn out story premise. Over-worked anti-Christmas executive has to travel to a Christmas destination that she hates, but she learns to love Christmas while falling for the owner’s son. Yeah, that’s been done a hundred times it seems. I Have to give them some credit though as it is well done, and there is a certain number of possible holiday stories that can be told, and with dozens of new films to develop every season it’s really hard to do anything unique at all, but they should, at least, try for something a little bit fresh. Ah well, let’s go around the table one more time and say what we’re grateful for so that we can all feel like we’re really shallow people, eh? Sorry, not to be too excited about this premiere Christmas movie in July, but I’m sure it will be back around this Christmas, so you’ll have a chance to catch it if you wish.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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** A Joyous Christmas

The Hallmark Channel,

Natalie Knepp, Michael Rady, Bonnie Bedelia, Steve Bacic, Marc Senior, Chiara Guzzo, David Lewis, Jillian Walchuck, Jordan Ninkovich, Bobby L. Stewart,
Jaime MacLean, Françoise Robertson, Sam Vincent


Rachel Kennedy (Natalie Knepp) is a self help author. She is also a motivational speaker, but due to hardships in her own experience, her message is all about taking care of yourself first. She believes that if you don’t make yourself happy first, you can’t help anyone else to be happy. She is on a book tour to advertise her newest book and takes the opportunity to head the Christmas Pageant in her home town which is an annual event, but secretly her plan is to use it to promote her new book. But as she gets in touch with the people involved, she begins to learn the error of her ways and how spreading love and good will to others can really help her find the true meaning of the season.

This is one final Christmas movie for this season. I have seen a great many new films, some quite memorable, and others that I could easily forget. This one lands somewhere in the middle, I guess. It’s a nice story, and the performances by Natalie Knepp and Michael Rady are very good. Michael is actually really gentle in his role, and near the end, the story spins off track a bit to back fill his story and though he pulls it off, it is a little to sweet even for me, perhaps. Bonnie Bedelia is a surprise character here, as Joy, one who offers her help and puts in her best efforts to make everything a success. Joy is an angel, although not literally, who has been through a great deal in her life. A lot of the story (and Rachel’s final redemption) comes through a big misunderstanding with Joy that brings all the parts of the movie together. All in all it’s a fairly decent Christmas film, though not perfect, a completely adequate addition to the holiday class of 2017. I have enjoyed once again bringing the new Christmas movies of 2017 to you and am looking forward to a great cinema year in 2018. Merry Christmas Everyone.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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The Hallmark Channel,

Erin Krakow, Pascale Hutton, Jack Wagner, Kavan Smith, Martin Cummins, Carter Ryan Evancic, Aren Buchholz, Eva Bourne, Mary Black, Paul Greene, Loretta Walsh, Daniel Lissing, Lori Loughlin, Hrothgar Mathews, Johannah Newmarch


This Christmas Special (2 hours) is actually the first episode of Season 5 of the Hallmark Channel series When Calls the Heart, about a small coal mining town in western Canada in the 1910’s. The town has hardships, but very good people who are happy to help one another. This year, the town develops a new holiday tradition instead of the town Christmas tree in the square, they have erected a Christmas Wishing Tree where the townspeople can take an ornament and write their deepest wish on the back, and hang it on the tree. If the ornament disappears, that means someone is going to make the wish come true. School Teacher Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow) has one wish, that her husband, a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman can return home from the cold north region to be with her for Christmas. The new town Mayor, Abigail Stanton (Lori Loughlin) has a plan to bring the disgraced former mayor who is in prison, home for the holidays where he can stay in jail overnight, but do community service in the daytime in order to pay back the town for what he stole. All in all, as Christmas comes closer, more and more people get into the spirit to reach out and help someone else so that they can all enjoy the holiday.

When Calls the Heart is a wonderful series with a lot of heart and the goodness of the times a century ago when people were close and really depended on each other. Some weeks ago I reviewed another wonderful Christmas film as a part of the When Calls the Heart series. It is called When Calls the Heart Christmas Movie. [Here is the review for this film.] That was a wonderful film as well, but this one is a lot different. This one has no big disaster or problem facing the town, no pending major crisis, but just a need for everyone to pitch in and help out each other. But as a quality Christmas film, this one stands up every bit as good as the original one. It is a truly special series and a wonderful holiday treat. Be sure to find them both if you can.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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** Christmas Getaway

Front Street Pictures,

Bridget Regan, Travis Van Winkle, Raven Stewart, Teryl Rothery, Sarah Smyth, Dan Payne, Alvin Sanders, Krystle Dos Santos, Kiefer O’Reilly,
Keith MacKechnie


Emory Blake (Bridget Regan) is a writer, and has a new assignment for a Christmas Day article invoking the Christmas Spirit, but she’s feeling really burnt out. To help her out, her publisher offers her a Christmas vacation at a Christmas Cabin up on the mountains. But when she arrives, she finds the place occupied by a widower Father, Scott Hayes (Travis Van Winkle) and his young daughter Katy (Raven Stewart), who are also booked in the same cabin. Unfortunately there are no other openings as the lovely winter town is booked full months in advance. She decides to spend the night, but has plans to leave right away in the morning, but storms, bridge outages, and other minor disasters keep delaying her return to the city. By the time she’s able to get out, she’s got the perfect story, but more than that, has found her personal joy in the season and a couple very good new friends in the process.

Once again, I found this a wonderful new Christmas Movie. The pacing was great, and the scenery around the town and the cabin is unbelievably beautiful. The Christ Sprit is intense, and the actors are superb. All in all this is a nicely done very festive holiday movie and one that is very worthwhile. The story is very well written and nicely done, and one that is very much worth watching. Look for it on the Hallmark Channel this season. This is one I really did enjoy.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

 

 

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