#62 "A Christmas Romance"

Stats: 1994. Starring Olivia Newton-John & Gregory Harrison. TV-PG.

Background: I can’t believe I didn’t see this movie when it first aired. I couldn’t find what network it was on, but I’m guessing CBS, as it is similar in tone to A Holiday to Remember and Christmas in My Hometown (now renamed A Holiday for Love) which both aired on CBS in the mid-90’s. Two years ago (the last Christmas I had cable … oh, how I miss it during Christmas!), I caught this on ABC Family during a Christmas movie marathon. As I probably watched six other Christmas movies that same day, I didn’t remember too much about it. But then I found it in a Christmas six-pack for less than $10. Yes, please!

Plot: Julia (Newton-John) is a single mom living outside a mountain village. She has just lost her job and doesn’t know how she’s going to make ends meet. Brian (Harrison) is the manager of the city bank that holds the loan on her house, and he heads up the mountain two days before Christmas to threaten foreclosure as she has ignored her last payments. He has an accident and ends up concussed and snowed in with Julia’s family … and sparks begin to fly.

Reactions: Of all the Christmas movies I’ve watched in the last few weeks (and there have been many), this one is my favorite. Newton-John and Harrison have palpable chemistry, the girls who play the daughters (one of whom is Newton-John’s daughter) are endearing, and the story line is cute. It’s no more realistic than any other Christmas romance out there (especially the end), but we watch Christmas movies to escape reality, not confront it.

Verdict: Keep

P.S.: For now, anyway, you can watch it on Hulu. Check it out!

#61 "The Christmas Choir"

Stats: 2008. Starring Jason Gedrick & Rhea Perlman. Not Rated.

Background: I watched The Christmas Choir on the Hallmark Channel during the 2008 Christmas season. I also videotaped it—yes, I still use a VCR, not a DVR. I recently went on a Christmas movie buying spree, and I got this in a 3-pack with Moonlight & Mistletoe and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. (Sorry, you’ll have to wait a while—maybe years—for those reviews!)

Plot: Peter (Gedrick) is a workaholic accountant who, through a chance meeting at a bar, becomes involved with a homeless shelter. When he desires to do more than serve food to the men at the shelter, he comes up with the idea of forming a choir comprised of homeless men. This group—known as The Christmas Choir—becomes well-known throughout the city, and Peter learns what it means to forgive, love, and give of yourself.

Reactions: This is an enjoyable film, and though it seems a little far-fetched, it’s actually based on a true story. Rhea Perlman is great as a caustic nun with a heart of gold, and the homeless men—especially musician Bob and pickpocket Juan—fill the story with life. It’s a great feel-good movie.

Verdict: Keep

P.S.: For a limited time, you can watch The Christmas Choir on Hallmark.com.

#60 "The Christmas Hope"

Stats: 2009. Starring Madeleine Stowe, James Remar & Ian Ziering. TV-PG.

Background: The Christmas Hope is the third movie in the series based on the Newsong song “The Christmas Shoes.” I got this in a 3-pack with The Christmas Shoes (see review here) and The Christmas Blessing (see review here).

Plot: When a single mom dies in an accident, she leaves behind a young daughter. Social Services steps in, and when no temporary foster home can be found, Patricia (Stowe), one of the social workers, decides to take the girl through Christmas. Patricia and her husband are on the verge of divorce as they still are reeling from their son’s death two years before, but helping this young girl through her mother’s death opens them both up to the possibility of loving again.

Reactions: You know how on soaps they recast characters all the time? Well, the character of adult Nathan Andrews (the boy who buys the Christmas shoes for his mother in the first movie) has been played by three different actors in three different movies. In this film, they even went so far as to reshoot a scene from the second movie that was used in a flashback. It reminded me of how General Hospital reshot some of the pivotal Lucky & Liz moments after they decided Lucky really wasn’t dead and Jacob Young replaced Jonathan Jackson on the show. (Don’t judge me, okay? Yes, I was a GH fanatic back in the day.) Anyway, I couldn’t get past the fact that Neil Patrick Harris (Nathan in The Christmas Blessing) and Ian Ziering (Nathan in The Christmas Hope) are nothing alike (kind of like Jacob & Jonathan on GH, actually). I think the film would have been better (and less distracting) had they not tried to carry through Nathan’s story line—or if they’d coughed up the money to get NPH back.

The Christmas Hope is definitely the weakest of the three movies—in acting, cinematography, and plot. I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever watch it again. Still it’s part of the 3-pack, so …

Verdict: Keep

#59 "The Christmas Blessing"

Stats: 2005. Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Rebecca Gayheart, Angus T. Jones, and Rob Lowe. TV-G. 

Background: This is the sequel to The Christmas Shoes, and since I'd never watched that film before, I didn't want to watch this one. I just bought it in a 3-pack with The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Hope. (See my review of The Christmas Shoes here.)

Plot: Nathan (Harris), the boy from The Christmas Shoes, is burned out from the stress of being a surgeon in a city hospital. He returns to his hometown, where he attempts to reconnect with his dad. He meets teacher Meghan (Gayheart) and quickly begins building a relationship with her. He also connects with Charlie (Jones), an young boy who has just moved to town. When Charlie and Meghan both become ill, Nathan grapples with the prospect facing of loss yet again. 

Reactions: Before I get into my overall review, I have to get two things off my chest: 1). The fact that Nathan hides that he’s a doctor when he meets Meghan really bugs me. I just don’t understand his motivation. This, of course, sets up a major conflict in the movie, as Meghan is furious when she discovers Nathan didn't tell her the truth about who he was. Everyone else in town knew he was a doctor, so why didn't he tell Meghan? 2). You have to pretend the last five minutes of The Christmas Shoes didn't happen when you watch this movie. I was glad to see Rob Lowe reprise his role as Robert from the first movie, and it was good to see the changes Robert made in his life. But to have him not know who Nathan was when he clearly figured it out at the end of the first movie was a bit frustrating. Plus, Nathan left the shoes at his mother’s grave in The Christmas Shoes—but in this film, his father accidentally gave them to a Goodwill-type organization. Continuity, people!

Overall, I enjoyed the movie. It’s not as gripping (or tear inducing) as The Christmas Shoes, but it’s still a good story. I especially enjoyed the story line following Nathan’s father as he finally decided to move on with his life. And you really can’t go wrong with Neil Patrick Harris as a romantic lead. (For another great NPH movie, check out The Wedding Dress. At this rate, I’ll be 50 before I get to it in the review list!) 

Verdict: Keep

#58 "The Christmas Shoes"

Stats: 2002. Starring Rob Lowe & Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Not Rated.

Background: Somehow, I managed to escape this movie until tonight. It probably has to do with the fact that, though I enjoy a good tearjerker every once in a while, I don’t want to be sad at Christmas. I did see a clip at a Newsong concert last year, and I think I may have teared up a bit (though I can't quite recall—that concert was more memorable for other reasons). I’ve been on a bit of a Christmas movie kick lately, and when I saw The Christmas Shoes packaged with its two sequels for less than $10 from Amazon, I couldn’t pass it up.

Plot: Robert (Lowe) is a busy attorney who can’t be bothered to spend time with his wife and daughter. Nathan is a young boy whose mother, Maggie (Williams-Paisley), is dying. On Christmas Eve, Nathan tries to buy a pair of pretty shoes for his mom to wear, but he doesn’t have enough money. Robert sees him, and when he hears Nathan’s story, he decides to help him, and, as my sister said, “His heart grew three sizes that day.”

Reactions: Oh, my goodness. Grab the tissues for this one! Had my sister not been at my house when I watched it, I probably would have broken down into actual sobs. As it was, the tears streamed down my face. The Christmas Shoes may be a TV movie, but it’s one that’s very well done. Just try to watch the scene where Maggie dances with her husband one last time without crying! This probably won’t be in my normal Christmas rotation, but it will certainly be a movie I keep in mind to watch when I need a good cry.

Verdict: Keep

#57 "Christmas Lodge"

We've now hit the Christmas season, and you'll see my weakness for Christmas movies. I've always been partial to Christmas movies, and now that I don't have cable anymore, I'm more inclined to buy Christmas movies on DVD. Not so good for my wallet, I know, but sometimes I just can't help myself! Since I'm already past the "C" section of my DVDs, I'm now reviewing many of my recent Christmas movie purchases (go here to read the "rules" I set forth for myself) in the order I bought them. We'll have more Christmas movie goodness later on, too, as not every Christmas movie begins with the word "Christmas." I'm currently languishing in the "F" section of my movies ... maybe by next Christmas I'll be to the Christmas movies that begin with the word "Holiday"! (Oh, and you should be thankful I didn't decide I had to review all the movies I have on videotape—I bet I've got at least 15 Christmas movies taped off of TV!)

Stats: 2011. Starring Michael Shanks & Erin Karpluk. G.

Background: I don’t remember how I first heard of Christmas Lodge—it may have been my Mom’s CBD catalog. Anyway, it caught my attention for two reasons: 1. It’s a Christmas movie. 2. It stars Erin Karpluk of Canadian TV’s Being Erica (thanks for the recommendation, Hulu!). I didn’t realize until later when I looked it up on imdb that it also stars Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson on Stargate: SG-1). I was sold. (And I felt sorry for Shanks—that picture of him on the cover is certainly less than flattering!) I really had no intention of buying it, even though I really wanted to watch it—I was thinking about renting it from Amazon. But then I saw it at Walmart for $10 and snapped it up. Definitely an impulse buy!

Plot: While hiking in the mountains with her boyfriend, Mary (Karpluk) comes across Christmas Lodge, where her family used to spend Christmas. Now in disrepair, the lodge would take millions to bring up to code. Mary determines to use her connections in the construction and restoration world to help Jack (Shanks), the lodge’s owner, restore the building before Christmas.

Reactions: As far as Christmas movies go, this wasn’t the best, but it was far from the worst (Christmas in Wonderland, anyone?). It is completely clean and sweet, and it has some genuinely touching and funny moments. The cinematography bugged me a bit (and I never notice things like that!) when Mary was first looking around the lodge—the camera kept jumping from showing Mary to showing what she saw, and it was awkward and jumpy.

Also, I have to mention the cheesiest moment of the film. Mary’s dad is a contractor, and she’s trying to convince him to take on the renovations at Christmas Lodge. When he refuses, Mary’s grandpa pipes up with this line: “I remember a tale of a carpenter that would not turn down this job regardless of money or convenience.” I thought, “Really? You’re going there?” Yup. Grandpa even ends his little speech by saying, “You might even ask yourself, ‘What would Jesus do?’” Of course, Mary’s dad can’t argue with that, and he agrees to oversee the renovations.

Still, despite the cheesiness, I enjoyed it. (Come on—it’s Shanks! The sci-fi nerd in me was destined to love it.) Do I think you should rush out and buy it? No. But it will stay in in my Christmas movie collection, and you're welcome to borrow it.

Verdict: Keep

P.S.: The small role of Mary's boyfriend is played by Peter Benson. The name might not mean much, but if you're a Psych fan, he'll look familiar—he played Lester, the Ryan Seacrest character, on the "American Duos" episode. (If you have Netflix, you can watch it here.)

#56 "Beautiful Boy"

Stats: 2010. Starring Maria Bello and Michael Sheen. R.

Background: I remember hearing buzz about Beautiful Boy while it was on the film festival circuit, but I didn’t think too much about it, just that I’d probably add it to my (insanely long) queue if it ever showed up on Netflix streaming. Then it appeared in one of my Amazon Vine newsletters, and since I didn’t have offers for any amazing electronics, I chose it. (That was a joke, by the way. Some "Viners" get offered insanely expensive products, but most of us get newsletters stuffed with books and food. Not that I'm complaining, though—I've gotten some great stuff, including a portable clothes dryer, a baking stone, a great camera ... and lots of food and feminine hygiene products!)

Plot: Kate and Bill are on the verge of separation when their son Sammy (Veronica Mars’s Kyle Gallner) opens fire on his college campus, killing 17 others and himself. As they struggle with their grief and guilt, they realize they need to rely on each other if they want to survive.

Reaction: Bello and Sheen are fabulous in their roles as parents of a mass murderer. This film is worth watching for their performances alone, though the supporting actors were all excellent, as well. (Loved Alan Tudyk of Firefly and Dollhouse as Kate’s brother, and Gallner—who plays "troubled" very well—did a great job with his limited scenes.) One scene in particular stood out to me. They were staying in a motel because reporters were camped out at their home, and Bill convinced Kate to go out for dinner. As she sat at the table waiting for Bill to return with their menus, her strong exterior melted, and she dissolved into sobs. Bello totally sold the scene, which could have come off as overdramatic. Instead, it was the most touching scene of the film. This movie is quiet and understated with an underlying desperation. It’s a well-made look into the lives of people we often don’t consider—the parents of killers.

While I enjoyed the movie, there is a pretty intense sex scene halfway through the film. As I've determined not to own movies with that kind of content, I’ll be getting rid of it.

Verdict: Throw away (after 6 months, which is how long I’m contractually obligated to keep Vine products.)