The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey - 2007

Charming adaptation of the well known children’s Christmas story. A grieving and reclusive woodcarver (Berenger) agrees to replace a loved wooden nativity that has been lost. Surprisingly, this well written film managed to remain true to the original book, a feat not always achieved, especially when so much must be added in order to reach the time frame of a movie. Performances were excellent by the entire cast but especially the three central characters. Filming was exceptional with rich colors and lighting that enhanced the emotions portrayed. Wonderful musical score! This is definitely a new Christmas favorite that will be watched many times.****

The Three Gifts - 2009

Entertaining family holiday film. When the orphanage must close for repairs, a toymaker and his wife (Cain & Kelly) agree to temporarily take three energetic orphans for the holidays. Although this pleasant, predictable story had few surprises, it managed to convey some gentle heartfelt moments anyway. Performances were good, especially those of Dean Cain and Jean Louisa Kelly as the temporary “parents” as well as those of the three kids. Often young “troublemakers” have completely over-the-top or slapstick performances but the kids were actually fairly believable. Plus the story itself was a nice change of pace from the usual holiday fare available. Definitely one we will watch again. ***

The Preacher's Wife - 1996

Ok holiday movie but poor remake! This story follows a preacher who is struggling to hold things together with his church and congregation. After a prayer for help, an angel (Denzel Washington) is sent to help. This is a pale comparison to the original movie (The Bishop’s Wife). I am a fan of several other movie remakes but this one is really lacking. With the exception of Denzel Washington, the acting of the main characters is pretty wooden. The preacher (Courtney Vance) seems to only have one expression. He is so passionless about his role as a preacher that its hard to believe he would have had the desire to pray for help in the first place. As his wife, Whitney Houston is also barely believable both as a wife and a mother. Her lines seem rehearsed as if she is reading cue cards. The charisma of Dudley came across fairly well as played by Denzel Washington, although his role seemed minor in this version. The plot changes and updates were clever but the plot moved very slowly and I found myself longing to fast forward. An ok movie for the family but there are definitely better holiday movies out there.  ***

The Bishop's Wife - 1947

Charming holiday movie! This film is about a Bishop ( David Niven) and his wife (Loretta Young) and the struggles they are having in their marriage as the Bishop struggles to build a cathedral. As he prays for help, an angel (Cary Grant) comes to his aid. What follows is humorous, inspiring and fun as the angel maneuvers the Bishop into realizing what is really important. This movie has a great story with the plot being developed well. The characters are interesting and fun and well done by both the main characters and the supporting cast. This movie is definitely filmed in the old classic style for black and white movies but the story flows well without the need for color to put across the emotions. Definitely a favorite in our home.*****

Most Wonderful Time of the Year - 2008

Enjoyable, light-hearted Christmas romance. The storyline included the usual single, suspicious mom (Burns), the stiff “almost” fiancé who only pretends to like her son, and the caring, handsome, spontaneous stranger (Christie). With the help of her match-making uncle (Winkler), both the Christmas spirit as well as a romance blossoms. Although this was certainly a predictable film, it somehow managed to be fairly charming anyway. Performances were pretty good with a fair amount of chemistry between the characters. It was especially enjoyable to see the great performance of Henry Winkler as the lovable, interfering uncle. The film also included some enjoyable humor as well as several heart-warming moments. Definitely one we can enjoy watching each year. ****

The Storyteller - 1987

Wonderful collection of fantasy stories and myths produced by the masterful Jim Henson. Filmed more like stage productions, these are darker stories rather than your typical light-hearted fairy tales. Each episode is a wonderful blend of live action and mild puppetry, but one of their main strengths is really the talented narrative of John Hurt as the “Storyteller”. His "storytelling" is truly magical and will have you completely entranced. Definitely worth your time! On a side note, although family friendly, these would probably not appeal to a younger audience.  *****

The Errand of Angels - 2008

Charming inspirational film highlighting the work of sister missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). This is not a fast-paced film but the story moves along smoothly and is well written. The acting is good, especially for this type of independent film and the cinematography of Austria is beautiful. Most of the dialog was in German so concentrating on the subtitles and eliminating distractions were a necessity for us. This film beautifully expounds on some of the very basic elements of the Mormon faith, blending it well as part of the story. Enjoyable film.  ****

Miss Potter - 2006

Delightful film on the life of Beatrix Potter, author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. With excellent performances by both Renee Zellweger as Miss Potter and Ewan McGregor as her publisher, the story moves along smoothly. It was fascinating to watch a little of what a woman author would have faced in order to be recognized and published in this era of time. Although the script distorts several of the facts about her life and sometimes becomes a little too whimsical, the cinematography is wonderful and helps keep the basic story believable. The film had me wanting to locate a copy of her books, which to me is a strong plus for a movie's success in this genre. Enjoyable family viewing!   ****

Yours, Mine & Ours - 1968

Enjoyable movie based on the book written by Helen North (“Who Gets the Drumstick”) which tells of their real-life experiences after she met and married Frank Beardsley, joining their two families (18 children). Although not totally accurate, the movie does a great job of portraying many of the emotions and efforts of Helen and Frank to unite their families. The struggles they face are both humorous and touching. Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda have great on-screen chemistry and are very believable in their roles with a great supporting cast. The movie is full of humor and is especially enjoyable because it’s a more realistic portrayal of the situations a family of this size would encounter. Having read the book years ago, I fell in love with this movie and have enjoyed watching it many times. (If you are a fan of more believable humor rather than the slapstick variety, this is the version to watch rather than its recent remake.)  ****

Yours, Mine & Ours - 2005

OK movie remake of Helen (Russo) and Frank (Quaid) who marry, joining their families (18 children). We enjoyed this film but it needs to stand alone without comparisons to its predecessor. The 1968 version made an effort to keep closer to the true story on which it was based whereas this film kept only the barest outline. The characters and family situations bear little resemblance to the original. That said, this version of this large blended family is still fun if you enjoy the slapstick style of comedy. Both Russo and Quaid do a good job in their roles as do the kids, although both Helen’s character with its “free expression” and no discipline along with Frank’s “not a toe out line” attitude seemed a little over the top to me. The kids were polar opposites in personality as well which was also pretty unbelievable. Both problems, though, came more from the script than the acting. This story is not as believable as the original and has several holes. It is hard to accept that anyone who really loves their kids would marry without introducing the new “parent-to-be” to their children. Or that any parent wouldn’t be grounding their kids for life with some of the antics that go on during this film. Even so, if you set aside the believability factor, this is still an enjoyable family film.  ***

That Darn Cat - 1997

Pale remake of the Disney ’65 classic. When a watch appears  around the neck of her cat, Patti (Ricci) is convinced it belongs to a woman who has been kidnapped. Admittedly, the premise for this story was not very believable, and unlike its predecessor, this version never succeeded in making you feel otherwise. Although mostly a comedy, this one had little of the suspense of the earlier story, nor did you develop any sympathy for the victim as you did for the bank teller in the ’65 film. Performances were pretty flat. Ricci’s character was pretty unappealing and showed so little curiosity and/or interest in the “mystery” that it was hard to believe she would have contacted the FBI in the first place. The portrayal of the agent (Doug) assigned to the case went beyond incompetent to just plain ridiculous. (sigh) The parents were only so-so and even the CAT paled in comparison! The film also skipped any of the former intelligent physical humor of its predecessor and went straight to the slapstick style, resorting to plenty of gooey stuff, a crazy car chase and spectacular explosions. The only redeeming factor was Dean Jones, and although his inclusion was only minor, it was wonderful to see him again. Definitely wouldn’t watch again. **

That Darn Cat - 1965

Delightful Disney classic! After her cat shows up with a watch around its neck, Patti (Mills) is convinced it came from a recently kidnapped bank teller. When the FBI gets involved, one of their agents (Jones) sets up surveillance to follow the cat. This humorous story is well written with some witty dialog and comic situations. Great interactions between each of the main characters as well as the many supporting characters, from the nosy neighbors to the jealous boyfriend. Although mainly a comedy, there is also some good suspense. The kidnappers (Gorshin & Brand) are actually fairly chilling and you feel the fear of the bank teller. Performances were wonderful from everyone, including the cat! Especially loved the nosy neighbors, Lancaster and Demarest, who steal every scene they are in! It was also great fun, however brief, to see Ed Wynn as the jeweler. The filming was good and although the film included plenty of comic physical humor, this film managed to avoid the overdone silly slapstick of its ’97 remake. This is definitely a family favorite!  *****