A Christmas Carol - 2009

This new animated version of the Dickens classic Christmas tale definitely falls far short of its potential. The story itself struggles to come together while on one hand keeping close to the original dialog, and on the other hand completely skipping crucial emotional changes in Scrooge. In fact, the film has an underlying feeling of “callousness” that even surpasses earlier “Scrooge” films. The animation is pretty incredible but is completely overdone! The special effects “fly-bys” were an interesting concept but it was almost as if they included as many as possible just because they could; resulting in far too many scenes that defied the laws of physics. Plus, many of the scenes were very disturbing for kids. And, yes, I know “Scrooge” isn’t exactly a children’s story but the animation logically encourages us to assume otherwise this time around. The characters were pretty creepy (more than usual) especially Christmas Present, who rots, turns into a disgusting skeleton, and then disintegrates and blows away! (sigh) As a fan of “Christmas Carol” in all its varieties (including the cheesy ones), I’m usually pretty tolerant but this is one I won’t be watching again.

A Christmas Carol - 1984

Exceptional adaptation of this classic story. Great script that moves smoothly with outstanding performances by George C. Scott as Scrooge as well as a superb supporting cast. The emotional levels of this story are wonderfully portrayed. Excellent filming and costuming. This version also has my favorite “Christmas Carol” endings with great final scenes between both Scrooge and Bob Cratchit (Bob's amazed shock in this version is superb) and Scrooge with his nephew, Fred, and his wife. As a fan of “Christmas Carol” in all its various adaptations (including the cheesy ones), the holidays are not complete without viewing this particular one! Definitely one of my top two favorites! *****

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 Christmas Cottage - 2008

Somewhat entertaining look at the events that shaped one of today’s most endearing artists, Thomas Kinkade. Returning home for the holidays, Thomas (Padalecki) discovers that his mother (Harden) is about to lose her home. This film definitely had its ups and downs. The first half is a little slow moving, struggling to decide what kind of story its really going to be. The film has its heart-warming moments but also has its fair share of cursing and vulgar innuendos. The characters vary from the exceptional performance of Peter O’Toole, the artist next door, to other townspeople that seem little more than caricatures. The last half of the film finally seems to come together, delivering some very heartfelt moments. Was definitely disappointed that the film seemed to tiptoe around the Christian aspect of the story.  In spite of its problems, however, we enjoyed the film. It was worth watching if only to see the incredible performance of Peter O’Toole. ***

Noelle - 2007

Slow moving, somber Christmas drama. Two troubled priests struggle with the course their lives are taking. This dreary storyline was obviously meant to be uplifting but fell far short of the mark. In fact, parts of the plot actually felt somewhat insulting. With some of its darker issues, this was definitely not family friendly. The acting was dreadful and the main characters were so unlikable it was hard to care whether or not they worked out their problems. The scenes with the community Christmas pageant were somewhat humorous and the final scene was mildly touching but this was certainly not enough to redeem the rest of the movie. On the plus side, filming was actually pretty good, with some beautiful scenes of the Cape. Of the three viewers in our family, I’m the only one who actually finished watching and I certainly would never watch again. Definitely better choices available. **

Santa Baby 2: Christmas Maybe - 2009

So-so sequel. When Santa (Sorvino) decides to retire, he wants Mary (McCarthy) to take over the job. Unfortunately, there were some pretty big holes between this storyline and that of its predecessor. Even well into the movie there is little explanation for where the first story left off and this story begins. Mary must go home and again save the day, but you are surprised that she wasn’t already there in the first place! It was also disappointing to have new actors in more than one of the major roles. Santa was apparent immediately, but the boyfriend took some time before we realized that he was the same character, just a new actor. The main outline of this film’s “Christmas conflict” was fairly clever but it really struggled to come together. Nor was Mary’s character as enjoyable this time around. In the first film you felt she just hadn’t “found” herself but in this one you were annoyed she was acting so selfishly. We are pretty forgiving of holiday films so even with its problems we still moderately enjoyed this one. ***

Santa Baby - 2006

Likeable Christmas film. After her father, Santa (Wendt), suffers a mild heart attack, Mary (McCarthy) must leave her corporate job to help with Christmas. This light-hearted holiday film included the usual concerns that Christmas would be ruined, the failure of any attempts to change Santa's system and the love triangle where a choice must be made between the "bad" and the "good" boyfriend. Although completely predictable, the storyline was still fairly charming with some fun comic moments, especially watching the elves try to cope with Mary's addition of new technology. There was also some wonderful chemistry between the characters. Performances were good from both the main and the supporting cast. We were particularly fond of the portrayal of Santa (Wendt) and Mrs. Claus. Definitely an enjoyable addition to our Christmas viewing. Maybe 3 1/2 stars. ***

Jingle All the Way - 1996

Moderately enjoyable Christmas comedy. Workaholic Howard (A.S.) has forgotten to purchase the coveted Turbo Man for his son’s Christmas. Finding that everywhere is sold out, Howard ends up on a fervent hunt to find one. Admittedly, this is an unrealistic, goofy story. In its defense, though, it never actually pretends to be anything deeper. The situations are mostly ridiculous, the acting is often over-the-top and the conclusion is completely off the wall. But it all seems to be part of the intended outcome. The comic aspects of the film are a little forced with much of the humor coming from comic violence. And the underlying message that at all costs you must get your child whatever they are demanding is moderately uncomfortable, but the story is so improbable that it’s hard to take either of these issues very seriously. In spite of its problems, we usually watch this one every year.  ***

Ernest Saves Christmas - 1988

Light-hearted comedy from the memorable Ernest (Jim Varney). For those of us who remember the lovable Ernest, this was probably the best of his films. Ernest steps in to aid an aging Santa in his search for his replacement. Along the way we meet some of Varney’s most unforgettable characters. (His snake man really had me chuckling!) Even my teens, who are certainly too young to remember Ernest, found themselves laughing at some of his antics. The story itself is somewhat cheesy (as are many Christmas films), but the special effects are surprisingly pretty good. Although not at the top of my Christmas watch list, this film was great fun. ***

Christmas Caper - 2007

So-so romantic comedy Christmas film. After she narrowly escapes being arrested during a robbery, Cate (Doherty) hides out at her sisters while she is away on vacation. Gradually Cate finds herself changing as she cares for her sisters kids. The storyline for this film was certainly predictable, unbelievable and cheesy, with few changes to this often used outline. However, this is certainly the case with many of the Christmas shows being churned out these days. Still, if you are a holiday film enthusiast like me, you don’t seem to mind some mindless fluff with its sentimental, happy ending if a little Christmas spirit is thrown in. Performances were good, although I’m not a fan of Shannen Doherty. She was perfect in the role, however, and made a good transition from the cynical thief to a loving, caring human being. Definitely not at the top of my Christmas film list but Ok for at least one viewing. ***

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!   ****