Thursday, December 29, 2011

#66 "A Family Thanksgiving"

Stats: 2010. Starring Daphne Zuniga and Faye Dunaway. Not Rated.

Background: All I "knew" about this movie before I popped it in the DVD player was that it took place in the 1800's (yup, it was another of those Holiday 6-pack movies that I bought because of something else in the pack), so I was quite surprised and puzzled to see it was modern ... and then I realized I was confusing it with An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving, another film that also aired on the Hallmark Channel.

Plot:
 Claudia is a lawyer on the verge of becoming the first woman at her firm to make partner. She promised her sister, who left her own high-powered dreams behind to raise a family, that she would be there for Thanksgiving. When her boss assigns her a case that must be tried the day after Thanksgiving, she decides her career is more important than a day spent with family. That’s when she meets Gina, a mysterious woman who promises her another chance at life. Suddenly, Claudia is married with two kids and no recollection of the choices that led her there. Though initially desperate to get back to her old life, she soon learns the joys of being a wife and mother. But will her newfound life last?

Reactions:
Yes, this film has been done before. Take The Family Man, throw in a little Comfort and Joy, change the holiday, and you have A Family Thanksgiving. But because I’m a sucker for these types of movies, I loved it! This is a perfect movie to put on while you’re cooking or cleaning—you don’t have to pay rapt attention to get what’s going on.

Verdict: Keep

Saturday, December 24, 2011

#65 "Christmas in Boston"

Stats: 2005. Starring Marla Sokoloff and Patrick J. Adams. Not Rated.

Background: I taped Christmas in Boston, which is an ABC Family original, several years ago. I recently dug it out and watched it … and then I found it on Amazon for less than $5, so I went ahead and bought it on DVD.

Plot: Gina and Seth have been pen pals since elementary school. She lives in Boston, he in Denver, and they’ve never met. One Christmas, he has to go to Boston for a business conference, so they decide to meet … only when they exchanged pictures years ago, each sent a picture of their (in their opinion) better-looking best friend. They send their friends to the designated meeting in their stead … and end up meeting at Seth’s conference, though neither knows the other’s true identity.

Reactions: This movie is so cute, though it’s not for the younger set. Seth and Gina’s relationship is sweet and innocent, but the same cannot be said for their best friends’ relationship. The movie has a definite You’ve Got Mail vibe to it … I love those mistaken identity stories! It’s a movie I’ll definitely be pulling out each Christmas!

Verdict: Keep

Thursday, December 22, 2011

#64 "A Christmas Without Snow"

Stats: 1980. Starring Michael Learned, John Houseman, and James Cromwell. Not Rated.

Background: This came in a Holiday 6-pack (sound familiar?) that I couldn’t pass up at Walmart. I knew nothing about it going in, and I was surprised to find it’s a movie older than I am—it was made in 1980.

Plot: A recently divorced woman (Learned) moves from Omaha to San Francisco to restart her life. She joins a church choir, and the new director decides the choir should put on a concert of Handel’s Messiah. Along the way, the choir faces several trials, including vandalism, death, sickness, and prejudice.

Reactions: I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this film! While it isn’t mesmerizing by any means, it is a nice little Christmas movie. Not all the threads are tied up by the end of the movie, but I found that I didn’t really mind. The movie ends with about five minutes of the Messiah, and I thought it was a fitting conclusion.

I do have to mention a couple things, though. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves when Nebraska is treated as "the sticks" in movies. While the filmmakers did a good job of not making Omaha, where the main character is from, sound too backward, she did bring up a couple of “Nebraska sayings”… one of which I’m certain I've never heard in my 26 years as a Nebraskan! (The one I’d heard was “Can’t died in the cornfield.” This was said after one of the other characters said he couldn't do something. The one I hadn’t heard was “Dead dogs don’t talk,” which was referencing her tired feet.)

Verdict: Keep (I may never watch it again, but I’ll surely watch one of the other movies on the disk.)

P.S.: You can watch it for free here.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

#63 "A Child's Christmas in Wales"

Stats: 1987. Starring Denholm Elliott, Mathonwy Reeves, and Glynis Davies. Not Rated.

Background: Oh, Walmart $5 bin, I am powerless to resist you!

I got A Child’s Christmas in Wales in a Christmas 6-pack I found in the $5 bin (similar to the 6-pack A Christmas Romance was in, only cheaper). Now that I have this 6-pack at home, I can’t even really remember why I bought it. But since I’m always up for a Christmas movie at this time of year, I decided to open it up rather than return it!

Plot: It’s Christmas Eve, and Thomas is sad because it is raining, not snowing. To cheer him up, his grandfather tells him about the many adventures he had during his boyhood Christmases. And at the end of the night, after putting Thomas to bed, Grandpa opens the window to find the rain has turned to snow.

Reactions: I sincerely hope the other films in this 6-pack are better than A Child’s Christmas in Wales! It’s not that there was anything wrong with it; it was just incredibly … boring. Apparently it’s quite the beloved film (just check out the reviews on imdb!), but its 55 minute running time was about 45 minutes too long for me.

Verdict: Keep (because there are five other movies packaged with it)

P.S.: If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can watch it free here.
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