The Twelve Reviews of Christmas...Day Eight: "Fred Claus"

 It's called Rubberneckin' baby....

The Story:

This is the story of Santa's (Paul Giamatti) older brother, Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn).  Needless to say, Fred isn't exactly enamored by Christmas anymore, and he's drifted apart from his little brother over the years, thanks also in some part to the parenting skills, espeically of their mom (Kathy Bates).  Fred is in love with a girl (Rachel Weisz) but is afraid to commit.  When a misunderstanding lands Fred in jail, there's only one person left to turn to.  However, the bailout comes with a condition: Fred's got to come North to work it off during the Holiday Season.  Naturally, Fred doesn't exactly fit in at the North Pole, but when an efficiency expert (Kevin Spacey) arrives, ready to shut the North Pole down, Fred may end up costing the entire world Christmas.

Will Fred work to end Christmas forever, or does he have it in him to help save the holiday?

I don't understand the hatred for this film, I think it's actually pretty fun(ny).

We've discussed Vince Vaughn already.  There's probably no better on-screen con-man/huckster on film these days than him, and Fred is no different.

He's the quick-witted, fast talking Santa's big brother who hates the holiday.

In fact, the reasons behind Fred's dislike both of his brother and Christmas are quite sad, and not entirely Fred's fault.

Sibling rivalry is a given in just about any family, but when your little brother is always gushed over by the parents.  Every time you do something neat, your little brother comes along and does something cooler...

And then he grows up to be Santa and adored by millions?

Yep, that's got to be tough to swallow.

Which turns Fred into the cynical con artist that we meet in this movie.

Amusingly, there is a Sibling Support Group scene that underscores Fred's (and other famous...mostly...brothers) gripes with his brother's success and his considerable lack thereof.

You'll also have a rousing Elvis singalong in the middle of the movie that livens things up and shows that the North Pole could use a little bit of Fred, and Fred certainly could use a little bit of North Pole.

Overall, it's a sweet movie that captures the magic of Christmas, and more importantly, the love and magic of family.

I'm a fan, and look forward to this one each year.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I liked it, I bought it.  It gets 1-2 spins each holiday season!

Tomorrow... it's the Final Four Christmas movies of 2013!!!  Time is flying!!

The Twelve Reviews of Christmas...Day Seven: "The Christmas Card"

I seriously want to live in this town...

The Story:

Sgt. Cody Cullen (John Newton) is serving a tour in Afghanistan.  For the holidays, he receives a random Christmas Card written by Faith Spelman (Alice Evans) who gives him some words of encouragement and invites him to come visit the family if he ever happens to be in Nevada City, California.  When one of Sgt. Cullen's men is killed in a mortar attack, he takes leave to go console the girlfriend, and then winds up in Nevada City.  He meets Faith, and in a nice twist of luck, saves her father (Edward Asner) from getting hit by a car.  Cody is invited to stick around for a bit, exchanging some work at the mill for a place to stay.  He agrees, and all is going swimmingly until Paul (Ben Weber), Faith's fiancé shows up...

Let's hear it for Hallmark!

Not to be outdone in the holiday department, Hallmark made this film in 2006.

Sadly, AT&T does not carry the Hallmark channel so I can't tell you if this film is playing this holiday season or not.

It should be, and if it is, I recommend a viewing.

It's sweet and charming.  A bit of drama with a helping of humor.

Yes, a lot like real life.

Faith's parents are hilarious in their obvious affection for Cody over Paul.  But as all good parents, they mostly want their child to be happy, so they will bite their tongue.

Mostly.

:)
Aside from Asner and Peter Jason, a great character actor, most everyone in the cast was a relative unknown to me.

But if the story is good, and the acting passable, it's hard not to want to watch a good Christmas movie.

That's what we have here.

Count me as  a big fan.

Probably my favorite of these sentimental dramatic romantic films that take place around the holidays.



Final Grade: B+/A-...

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: At least once, every year.  I do own this one, and I'm glad to have it!

The Twelve Reviews of Christmas...Day Six: "White Christmas"

A remake and changing  of a previous film that gets it right the second time.

The Story:

At the close of World War II, Capt. Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) is entertaining the troops under the command of General Waverly (Dean Jagger) who is getting ready to be shipped home.  When the enemy attacks, Wallace is saved by Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) who will use the injury that he sustains to turn Wallace's successful stateside career as a singer into a dynamic entertainment duo that takes the nation by storm.  A decade passes, and the boys find the Haynes Sisters, Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy (Vera-Ellen) at a nightclub event, and Judy and Phil conspire to get Bob and Betty to fall in love, with the ulterior motive that they will get more freedom if their partners are romantically entangled.  The next thing you know, the quartet is heading to a gig at an inn in Vermont, owned and operated by none other than General Waverly!  However, a balmy winter season threatens to shut down the place.  Will there be a Christmas miracle to keep the place operational?

Bet on it!

First the obvious, yes, this film is very, very similar to the Bing Crosby led Holiday Inn. 

However, where that inn opened only for the holidays and had specific song and dance routines based around those holidays, Holiday Inn focuses on Wallace and Davis rehearsing their show at the inn to pump some money into the General's pockets to keep the place open.

Better still, the partnership between Crosby and Kaye is just that, a partnership.  In Holiday Inn, Fred Astaire was a jerk.  Any time Crosby found a girl, Astaire tried to steal her.  Some friend.

So if you're going to choose one for the holidays, it should be this one.  The other encompasses all the holidays, whereas this one ends at Christmas with a wonderful closing number of the title song.

Speaking of songs, yes, this is a musical.  There is singing and dancing.

So if you hate that, you'll want to avoid the movie most likely.

However, as this is a classical musical comedy, the ratio of dialogue/plot to song & dance is very good.  There are stretches of movie before a song breaks out, and many times the songs simply help the narrative of the film, so it's all good.

All of the songs were written by Irving Berlin, and Crosby, Kaye and the ladies do an exceptional job with his body of work.

Plus, I dare you not to get a little emotional at the end of the film when the boys spring their surprise on the General.


Directed by Michael Curtiz, who directed a slew of Hollywood's best films of all time, including The Adventures of Robin Hood and Casablanca.

This one?

Better than those.

: )

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Amazingly, with cable broadcasts and streaming on Netflix, I still as yet have to purchase this film.  Maybe next year when it celebrates its 60th Anniversary?

The Twelve Reviews of Christmas...Day Five: "A Holiday For Love"

You can go home again...

The Story:

Jacob (Tim Matheson) is sent by his company to his hometown of Athens, Nebraska, to determine who to lay off and who to keep at the local tractor factory.  He arrives in the town pretending to need to make a larger order of tractors, and runs into Emma (Melissa Gilbert) and her daughter, Noelle (Michelle Trachtenberg) who take him in.  Emma just so happens to work at the factory, and is dating the local sheriff (Travis Tritt).  Naturally the two become interested in one another, but when Emma learns why Jacob is really there, will their budding romance survive... and will the small town that relies on the factory?

From 1996, I'm not sure if this was a Hallmark movie or a Lifetime movie, but I caught it sometime between one of those channels.

And I liked it.  A lot.

There is romance.  There is drama.  Plus a touch of humor throughout the film to keep things light.

It's also the struggle for a man to return to his hometown where he lost a lot of his childhood, including his father who walked out on the family when Jacob was very young.

However, Christmas is a season of miracles, and maybe...

Just maybe...

With the help of the townspeople...

Jacob is going to come up with a plan that works for the company AND the town.

He'll save the day.  Get the girl.  Live happily ever after.

I'm good with that!

It is available on the ABC Family website: http://abcfamily.go.com/movies
If you don't already own it or haven't seen it in some time.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  Every year around the holidays, and yes, I enjoyed it so much I did track down a DVD of it and it's mine, all mine!

The Twelve Reviews of Christmas...Day Four: "Christmas Cupid"

It's never too late... or is it?

The Story:

Sloane (Christina Milian) is a go-getter at a PR firm, but her golden goose is cooked when her star client, Caitlin (Ashley Benson) dies.  However, in true A Christmas Carol fashion, Caitlan comes back to haunt Sloane, and take her on a trip through Christmases past, present and future where she shows Sloane what is truly important in her life.

Can Sloane change her ways in time to win back her true love, Patrick (Chad Michel Murray) ?

Yes, another version of A Christmas Carol.

However, this time it switches to a romantic comedy idea courtesy of ABC Family back in 2010.

I don't think we saw this one until 2011, or maybe last year, but it became a hit in the household, and has been watched many, many times since, especially by a few of the kids who absolutely adore this movie.

Thankfully, I liked the version too, so I'm always happy to have a Holiday movie playing as long as it is one that I enjoy.

This one easily fits the bill, taking the standard Dickens tale and focusing on Sloane's love life versus Scrooge's miserly ways to show how Sloane crushed guy after guy by putting her job before her heart.

Blasphemy, I know.

:)

Anyway, it's a cute little movie and it is streamable on Netflix as of this writing, and probably playing on ABC Family sometime this month as well, and also available on the ABC Family website as well.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Watched it probably half a dozen times, maybe more.  Finally bought it this season, packaged with three other ABC Family Holiday hits! :)

The Twelve Reviews of Christmas...Day Three: "Angels Sing"

Life is what you make of it.

The Story:

Michael (Harry Connick Jr.) hates Christmas.  His wife (Connie Britton) and son (Chandler Canterbury) don't share his disdain, but deal with it.  When he was little, Michael's brother died in an accident trying to save Michael.  He blames himself, and has hated Christmas ever since.  His father (Kris Kristofferson) always told him it wasn't his fault, but Michael never believed him.

When Michael stumbles across a house being sold by Nick (Willie Nelson), the two strike up a deal that seems entirely too good to be true.  All that Michael has to do, is keep up the standards that the neighborhood lives up to.  When it turns out that his house is the key centerpiece in an annual holiday lights that people travel the globe to see, it seems that the Grinch is going to steal everyone's Christmas.

Ah, but fate has one more cruel trick up her sleeve that will maybe, finally, open Michael's eyes to the real reason behind Christmas celebrations, and why he has to accept that sometimes, accidents happen.

Wow.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this film.  I'd never heard of it before, and to my knowledge this is the first year it's been released.  Not on Lifetime, ABC Family or the Hallmark Channel.

Saw it was coming out on Netflix last week, put it at the top of the queue, and well, now here we are.

:)

Needless to say, yes, a movie that has Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Harry Connick Jr. (and Lyle Lovett... among others...) in it:

There will be singing.

But, it is not a musical if that's what you're worried about.

The singing comes naturally, most often in the form of caroling by friends or family.

The message about accidents is a powerful one, and one that Michael doesn't realize until it's far too late.

He felt that he was always to blame for his brother's death but never once did he consider who shouldered a greater burden than he ever could.

My advice?

Bring a tissue to this one, you might find it will sneak up on you and you're going to need one.

Plus, I really want the snowman decoration in the film!!

Final Grade: Solid B  Could possibly push it even higher.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  It's a deceptive crowd-pleaser with a bit of a sad overtone, but ultimately uplifting message.  I'm a fan, and I think I'll make sure it's in the library by this time next year.

The Twelve Reviews of Christmas...Day Two: "Extreme Christmas Trees"

It's Christmas...

To the Extreme!

The Story:

In 2011, The Learning Channel created a special showcasing some of the biggest, most elaborate Christmas trees around the globe.

They showcase the largest indoor tree in a private residence at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina.

There's the 35 foot tall lobster trap tree in Maine.

An upside down 3 story tree inside of a 2 story house in England.

A 10 foot charity cake tree.

And many, many more!

No history of trees or anything noteworthy about Christmas.

It's simply straight up, one extreme tree after another.

It's available to stream instantly on Netflix if you are so inclined.  Apparently it should also be airing on TLC on the 21st of December if you'd like to go that route.

Some segments, and trees, are better than others.  That said, there is not a lot of time spent on any particular segment, so they'll all zip by fast enough to not bore you.

Hopefully.

:)

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  No reason to purchase it.  I might stream it again in a few years on Netflix, or watch it again on TLC.  I don't think it will go into annual rotation though.