Santa Con 2014

      Nick DeMarco is a small-time con man and he's released from prison.  He's ordered by his parole officer to work as a department store Santa during the holidays.  He's making minimum wage and he hates this job.  His sister Rosemary overhears him promise a young boy that he would get his parents back together by Christmas.  Rosemary gives Nick an earful about making empty promises to a child.  Nick decides he’s got to track down the boy and his parents to try to get them back together.  What he doesn’t know is that the father has started drinking again and that’s all he cares about.

    Finally, Nick finds a good use for his con man skills.  If he can make good on this promise he can help himself turn around and help a family too.  What kind of job did he expect to get at Christmas, fill in for a rocket scientist on vacation?  3* (This movie is OK) 

87 min, Comedy directed by Melissa Joan Hart with Barry Watson, Selissa Sagemiller, Scott Grimes, Melissa Joan Hart, Jaleel White, Tucker Meek, Wendy Williams, Alimi Ballard, John Ratzenberger, Matthew Porter.

Note:  Imdb 6.1 out of 10, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 7 reviews.

Special Note:  There is an annual pub-crawl before Christmas with everyone dressing up like Mr. or Mrs. Claus.  This happens in New York and also in San Francisco.  It’s not popular except for the participants because there are many drunken people on the street and in cabs!!

Special Note:  This movie was filmed in Bridgeport and Stratford, Connecticut.  Some scenes were filmed in the Christ Episcopal Church that was built in 1743 and this was their second structure.

A Snow Globe Christmas 2013

     A television executive trying to film the perfect Christmas movie is struck on her head by a snow globe when she was shaking and looking at it.  She envisions the perfect town in the globe and she wants to translate this into her movie.  Meg is knocked unconscious by the blow and she dreams about this perfect town, husband and children. 

     This follows the theme of two other Christmas movies (Comfort and Joy 2004, Snowglobe 2007) with waking up with a husband and children that you’ve never seen before.  Meg makes mistakes but since this is a dream, she can correct them and remember.  3* (This movie is OK)

89 min, TV Movie Drama directed by Jodi Binstock with Alicia Witt, Donald Faison, Christina Milan, Trevor Donovan, Art LaFleur, Damoni Burkhardt, Hayden Faraday, Francia Raisa, Logan Binstock, Jackie Moore.

Note:  Imdb 5.9 out of 10, 42% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 44 reviews.

Special Note:  This movie was filmed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and Sylmar, Sunland, Valencia, California.

A Very Married Christmas 2004

     This movie is based on a novel in a series by Erika Marks.  Ellen Griffin tells her husband Frank that she’s been seeing someone else and she wants a divorce.  Frank is surprised but he says he is not moving out because of their young daughter Zoe.  Ellen begins sleeping on the couch and Frank takes a training class to be a Santa for Christmas.  He meets a lot of nice people and it does help with his depression.  He meets Donna, she takes pictures of the kids with Santa for the parents.  They are just friends, her husband went to prison and she doesn’t know where he is now.  Her young son is confused and he wants his dad back.  As it gets closer to Christmas, Zoe starts to have problems but her mom still moves out to her own apartment. 

     This plot was unexpected for a Christmas movie?  Everything seems like a regular marriage drama except for Santa and the decorated Mall.  The problems make for a downer movie.  2 ½* (This movie is so-so)

85 min, TV Movie, Drama directed by Tom McLoughlin with Joe Mantegna, Jean Smart, Kari Matchett, Charles Durning, Jordy Benattar, Rod Wilson, Andrew Chalmers, Rosemary Dunsmore, Tannis Burnett.

Note:  Imdb 5.1 out of 10.

Special Note:  This movie was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The Christmas Consultant 2012

     Maya Fletcher is a workaholic mother with three children.  Her husband is an attorney and he is also very busy.  They have just moved to a new house and their youngest daughter is struggling with the change.  Jack Fletcher wants Maya to hire a Christmas Consultant to help her with the details of the season.  Maya is struggling to balance a new perfume account at work and the demands of planning for Christmas.  The couple meets with Owen and decides to hire him to help them with the holidays. 

     I wouldn’t classify this film as a comedy even though Caroline Rhea is a comedian.  I thought this film was stressful because of the countdown of the number of days until Christmas and the amount of work needed to be accomplished.  2 ½* (This movie is so-so)

87 min, TV Movie, Comedy directed by John Bradshaw with David Hasselhoff, Caroline Rhea, Barclay Hope, Eliza Faria, Jessica McLeod, Darien Provost, Lanette Ware, Aleks Paunovic, Ken Camroux, Linda Darlow.

Note:  Imdb 5.3 out of 10, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 66 reviews.  

Special Note:  This movie was filmed in Maple Ridge and Langley, British Columbia, Canada.

Deck the Halls 2005

     Jack and Laura Hall are the owners of Dreamland.  It’s a very large toy store and they have stores in 15 different towns.  Jack has hired Nickolas St. Clair to take over their Christmas campaign.  Holly Hall, their daughter has moved back to town with her son Ben.  Holly and Ben are still hurting after Holly’s husband/Ben’s father was killed in a car accident.  A new neighbor has moved into the house next door.  He’s parked on the wrong driveway plus he makes a lot of noise with power tools.  Holly will be starting to work at Dreamland as the Chief Financial Officer.  She finds out her new neighbor is Nickolas St. Clair and he also works at Dreamland.  Holly will need to rein Nick in on his spending in every area of the Christmas campaign.

     This is interesting and different.  Ben gets the idea to send an email to his mother as a secret admirer.  Holly writes back but she doesn’t know she is writing to Nick.  They meet for lunch on a park bench and they find out what is going on.  Things may begin to change for Holly and Ben?  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

87 min, TV Movie, Drama directed by George Mendeluk, Gabrielle Carteris, Steve Bacic, Jocelyne Lowewen, Ken Pogue, Maureen Thomas, Steven Culp, Josh Hayden, Jonathan Hill, Penny Blake, David Mylrea.

Note:  Imdb 5.8 out of 10, 38% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 42 reviews.

Special Note:  This movie was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  In 2006 there was another Christmas movie with this title starring Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick.

A Dad for Christmas

     This film is also titled Me and Luke.  Matt is nineteen years old and his girlfriend goes to the hospital to deliver a baby boy.  Emma has refused his marriage proposals.  Emma and her mother arranged to have a family adopt the baby.  Matt doesn’t want them to do this but they won’t listen to anything he has to say.  Before the mom leaves the hospital, Matt sees a chance to walk out the door of the hospital with baby Luke.  This is his only chance to stand by the baby.  Matt knows what it is like to have people run out on your life and he doesn’t want this for Luke.  Matt and Luke go to Matt’s grandmother’s house in Pennsylvania and she agrees to let him stay with her until he can figure out his life.

     This is very good, Matt really steps up to the plate and he takes very good care of Luke.  Glennie, his grandmother has a friend who is an attorney and he agrees to help Matt obtain legal custody of Luke.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

90 min, TV Movie, Drama directed by Eleanor Lindo with Lousie Fletcher, Kristopher Turner, Jack Shepherd, Lindsay Ames, Emma Taylor-Isherwood, Catherine Disher, Daniel Kash, Lachlan Murdoch.

Note:  Imdb 6.9 out of 10, 73% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 5* out of 5* with 4 reviews.

Special Note:  This movie was filmed in Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada.

The Christmas Hope 2009

     Patricia Addison is a social worker for children and Christmas is a busy time of the year for her job.  There is a four-month-old baby needing to be immediately placed in a foster home.  Most of the homes are full but Patricia finds a woman to take little Mia.  Emily Adams is nine-years-old and she is waiting for her mom to come home from work so they can decorate the Christmas tree.  Her mom is hurrying to her job, she walks in front of a car and the driver doesn’t see her.  Patricia stops by Emily’s apartment to pick her up and explain that her mother isn’t coming home.  Patricia decides to take Emily to her house because she probably can’t find another place for her.  Patricia and her husband Mark are still trying to recover from the loss of their son Chad in a car accident.

     The Addison’s have a big decision to make this Christmas.  Are they going to let their marriage dissolve or will they make changes that could keep them together.  They can put hope back in their lives or they can continue to grieve and go their separate ways.  I thought this was good and heartwarming.  3 1/2 * (I liked this movie)

90 min, TV Movie, Drama directed by Norma Bailey with Madeleine Stowe, James Remar, Ian Ziering, Tori Barban, Phillip Jarrett, Jayne Eastwood, Devon Weigel, Rebecca Gibson, Daniel Boiteau.

Note:  Imdb 6.5 out of 10, 78% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 90 reviews.

Special Note:  This film is based on a series of books written by Donna VanLiere.  A reviewer on Amazon said she thinks the books are better than the movies.  There are three books and movies in this series, The Christmas Shoes, The Christmas Blessing and The Christmas Hope.  This movie was filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.