Christmas on Chestnut Street 2006

     A store clerk makes a mistake and 2 truckloads of Christmas lights are ordered by mistake.  The total of the lights comes to 60,000.  The store manager tries to shield the employee by saying he made the order but the store owner comes up with an idea to turn everything around.  He proposes a Christmas light-decorating contest with customers using their Christmas lights to decorate the homes in the town.  This idea will sell all the lights in their inventory and the prize will be a shopping spree at the store.  The homeowners on Chestnut Street make this a contest between the houses on this street and they go all out to decorate.  The store owner has enlisted his daughter as the judge to make sure the store manager wins the free shopping prize.  All the prize goods can be donated to charity for as tax deduction for the store.

     The store owner’s daughter, Dianne has her life completely planned out with a year divided into quarters.  Management, marriage and two daughters with options for their names already selected.  She doesn’t count on real life getting in the way mixing up her plans?  As you can tell by his plans, her father is a ruthless businessman who will boost store sales in any way he can.  Interesting twists on stores, neighbors and decorating.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

89 min, TV Movie, Drama directed by Anne Wheeler with Kristen Dalton, Robert Moloney, Garry Chalk, Tom Heaton, Donna White, Michael Kopsa, Jane Sowerby, Ellie Harvie, Rob Bruner, Mackenzie Gray.   

Note:  Imdb 5.4 out of 10, 40% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 5* out of 5* with 3 reviews.  

Special Note:  This movie was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Twelve Trees of Christmas 2013

     Cheri Jamison works at a local library in her Manhattan neighborhood.  She really loves her job and she also teaches literacy for children.  She loves that part of her job too.  Cheri finds out the library is going to be torn down for a development.  Originally, the library was the home of a wealthy family and they donated the building to be used as a library.  Now, the grandson of the builder is the one planning to tear it down.  Cheri comes up with the idea of having people who use the library decorate 12 Christmas trees with a theme of their choice that reflects their feelings about the library.  She is hoping the display will change what is going to happen and change the mind of developer Tony Shaughnessy.  Cheri has asked Tony’s grandmother Rosaleen to judge the contest.

     This is interesting and enjoyable, I liked it and I think it presents a good message for Christmas.  Cheri and Tony go back and forth with their spats over differing ambitions and choices.  Plus, there must be a double cross in the plot that causes one of them to mistrust the other.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

TV Movie, Romance directed by Michael DeCarlo with Lindy Booth, Robin Dunne, Melanie Brown, Casper Van Dien, Shauna MacDonald, Joe Pingue, Dawn Greenhalgh, Matt Baram, Naomi Snieckus, Ace Hicks.

Note:  Imdb 6.2 out of 10, 50% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

An Accidental Christmas 2007

     Vicki and Jason have two children.  They have separated and they are concentrating on their careers.  Their daughter and son want to try to get their parents back together over the Christmas vacation.  The children want them to work on their marriage so they can be a family again.  The family has a beach cottage that belonged to Vicki’s parents but now it is their cottage.  They did a lot of renovations and they have had many happy times here.  The children arrange to change their own plans, the plans of their parents and they all end up at the beach cottage. 

     Everything flips back and forth and the kids don’t know how this will end up.  Sometimes Vicki and Jason are getting along and other times they want to be permanently apart.  Jason does turn around and he does want to align with the kids on wanting them to be together.  Vicki wants to keep going forward and not looking back.  3* (This movie is OK)

90 min, TV Movie, Family directed by Fred Olen Ray with Cynthia Gibb, David Millbern, Jason Connery, Stuart Pankin, Austin Majors, Cassidy Freeman, Alison Woods, James Hong, Mark Costello, Lynn Milano.

Note:  Imdb 3.7 out of 10, 38% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.

Special Note:  This movie was filmed at Malibu, Santa Monica and Valencia, California.

A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride 2008

     Roxanne is in her forties and the widowed owner of a bridal shop that she runs with her twenties daughter Rose.  Roxanne goes away on her regular shopping trip to Paris to buy the latest wedding gowns.  She returns but she's not alone.  She has met Jack and they have quickly fallen madly in love.  Rose is not very happy with this new turn of events and an addition to this family.  She begins planning a Christmas wedding for her mom but she is secretly hoping to sabotage both the wedding and marriage plans.  Jack’s son would like to keep his full share of his inheritance and he doesn’t want to see this wedding take place either. 

     There is a lot of behind the scenes negative work going on with Rose and Jack’s son both trying to stop this marriage.  Roxanne and Jack just want to be happy and start a new life together.  They are both tired of being alone and they are planning on moving to Jack’s place in Seattle.  3* (This movie is OK)

89 min, TV Movie, comedy directed by Leslie Hope with JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Helen Shaver, Kenneth Welsh, Lucas Bryant, Chantal Perron, Luke Perry, Lorette Clow, James D. Hopkin, Myrna Valiance.

Note:  Imdb 5.6 out of 10, 35% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 58 reviews.

Special Note:  This movie was filmed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Luke Perry and Jason Priestley previously worked on Beverly Hills, 90210 beginning in 1990.

Merry In-Laws 2012

     Peter and Alex have been very happy together and Peter asks Alex to marry him just before Christmas.  There are two problems, Alex hasn’t met Peter’s parents and Alex’s parents aren’t very happy about Peter as a son-in-law?  Peter’s parents come to visit just before Christmas and they are leaving on Christmas Eve.  What Alex doesn’t know is that Peter’s parents came by sleigh and it landed on the roof.  Peter’s father brought along his Naughty and Nice Book.  They need to leave by Christmas Eve because they will have a lot of gifts to deliver all over the world on that night.  Alex’s parents aren’t very happy with Peter’s parents and now even less happy about Peter.

     There are a lot of funny moments in this film!!  Alex and her son Max want to believe Peter’s parents are Mr. and Mrs. Claus but her parents are very forceful in their belief that this is impossible.  Mr. Claus demonstrates to Peter’s students that a large round man can fit down the chimney!!  Mysteriously, Max discovers the very large Naughty and Nice Book under the bed of Mr. Claus!!  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

90 min, TV Movie, Family directed by Leslie Hope with George Wendt, Shelley Long, Lucas Bryant, Kassia Warshawski, Jabov Thurmeier.

Note:  Imdb 6.1 out of 10, 50% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 50 reviews.

Special Note:  This film is also known as Beau-pere Noel.  George Wendt and Shelley Long worked together on the sitcom Cheers.

A Country Christmas Story 2013

     Desiree Ross is 14 years old and she lives in the Appalachian mountains.  She would like to become successful playing guitar and writing songs.  Her mother is trying to discourage everything about this idea.  Desiree's dad tried to make it in country music but he's always done just OK.  

     This film has a slightly different and updated plot with a singing contest like American Idol.  I would’ve liked a little less fighting between the daughter, mother and grandmother.  Plus, a little less fighting between the mom and dad too.  They can have their differences but this is a Christmas movie after all!!  3* (This movie is OK)

120 min, TV Movie, Drama directed by Eric Bross with Desiree Ross, Megyn Price, Mary Kay Place, Preston Bailey, Brian McKnight, Dolly Parton, Ross McCall, Dillon James, Camille Sanders, Kevin Flood.

Note:  Imdb 7.2 out of 10, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 21 reviews.

Special Note:  Dolly Parton is a multiple Grammy Award winner and Brian McKnight is a R&B producer and singer nominated for a Grammy Award.

All About Christmas Eve 2012

     Evelyn Wright, is a party planner in New York City.  At the last minute, Eve learns that one of her agency’s top clients is throwing a HUGE Christmas party in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve.  There is a BIG problem, Eve already has plans to go on a romantic vacation with Darren, her boyfriend.  Elizabeth, Eve’s boss, lays it on the line, take this job or she doesn’t get the promotion she was expecting.  Of course, Darren is not happy that Eve is choosing work over their plans.

     There is an aspect of this film that I didn’t like.  It doesn’t just stick to one story but it splits into two stories that alternate.  In one story, she makes her flight, in the other story, she misses the flight and gets fired?  3* (this movie is OK)

120 min, TV Movie, Comedy directed by Peter Sullivan with Haylie Duff, Chris Carmack, Connie Sellecca, Patrick Muldoon, Stephen Colletti, Bianca Lawson, Gib Gerard, Mark Lindsay Chapman, Diana DeGarmo.

Note:  Imdb 6.1 out of 10, 40% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Special Note:  There are two songs sung by Diana DeGarmo and she was on American Idol.  There is a surprise performance by another singer from American Idol.