December 20, 2014

Back to Christmas

Interior designer Laura returns to Utah to spearhead the renovation of an old hotel in time for the annual Christmas Eve show run by Ricardo, her ex-boyfriend and dance partner. When Laura steps in to dance in the finale with Ricardo, she is pulled between her job, her family, and her reawakened feelings for Ricardo.

Our Two Cents:
You know we love the dancing movies! The chemistry in this movie better be good because it stars real life husband and wife Carlos PenaVega and Alexa PenaVega. Of course it's predictable, but aren't they all?

Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★  •   Acting ★★★  •   Chemistry   •  Overall ★★

Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site



Have you seen Back to Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!  

Back to Christmas

After meeting a woman named Ginny and telling her the story of her failed engagement, Ali wakes up to find herself transported back to that Christmas before her planned wedding. While she sets out to avoid the mistakes of her past, she learns that changing the course of history is no easy task.

Our Two Cents:
You can find this on Netflix as Back to Christmas, though it's also known as Correcting Christmas. We've seen the time traveling Christmas movies before, but other than the basic formula of meeting an unconventional "Christmas Angel", it doesn't follow quite the same formula as it's movie siblings. By the way, you may recognize the "Christmas Angel", named Ginny in this movie. She played Jan Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie, and frankly, she's hilarious, one of the best parts of the movie. Anyway, hopefully this will be on TV for those of you without Netflix. Find it! It was a good one.

Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★  •   Acting ★★★  •   Chemistry   •  Overall ★★

Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site


Have you seen Back to Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!  

December 14, 2014

The Christmas Parade

Hailee Anderson, the famous talk show host, is preparing for the holiday season by working; she's planning her very important TV show, her Christmas special. Already a scrooge, Hailee is even more miserable when she finds out on live TV that her real-estate fiancée Jason is cheating on her! To clear her head, she goes on a drive and ends up in Carver Bend, Connecticut, and unfortunately crashes through a local judge's fence. When is sentenced to community service, witness and rescuer Logan recommends she work with him at the local art center where they are building a float to win the contest at the annual Christmas Parade. While Hailee bonds with the locals, the art center kids, and grows closer to Logan, she begins to learn the magic and joy of Christmas.

Our Two Cents:
Shamelessly stealing Winona Ryder’s line from Reality Bites: this movie is so cheesy you can’t watch it without crackers. Full of christmas cliches including the Scroogy saboteur, a classic Grinch transformation, and sappy romance, it’s a perfect candidate for a Christmas guilty pleasure.

Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★★★★  •   Acting ★★★★★  •   Chemistry ★★★★★  •  Overall ★★★★★

Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site




Have you seen The Christmas Parade? Tell us what you thought of it!

December 13, 2014

A Christmas Kiss II

At a Christmastime event, Jenna shares an impromptu, unforgettable kiss with the dashing and wealthy, Cooper Montgomery. Unaware of his intentions and fearful of getting hurt in another relationship, Jenna vows to resist his charms, but begins to realize his affection is real as the two spend more time together.

Our Two Cents:
This is a sequel of sorts to A Christmas Kiss where two strangers share a passionate kiss when their elevators seems like it's going to plummet to the bottom floor of the high rise.

So, this movie... We don't even know what to say about this one. It's not bad, but it is bad. The elevator kiss in this one is a little more forced as far writing into the story. Maybe they didn't want to repeat the same circumstances where their lives seemed to be in jeopardy, but it would have been better if they had. After you get over that, it's just your typical guilty pleasure--shameless product placement included.

(Quick tangent, you may have noticed the trend, especially but not limited to Hallmark, for shameless product placements. Usually they're for Walmart, Folgers and Kay Jewelers. I'd say see if you can find it in this one, but if you miss it, it's probably because you fell asleep. It's none too subtle.)

Note: Also known as Another Christmas Kiss.

Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★★★★  •   Acting ★★★★★  •   Chemistry ★★★★  •  Overall ★★★★★



Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •  Official Site

Have you seen A Christmas Kiss III? Tell us what you thought of it!

The Santa Con

Small-time con man Nick DeMarco (Barry Watson) is ordered by his parole officer to take a minimum-wage job as a department store Santa during the holidays...and he hates it. Near the end of his first shift, he hastily promises a young boy, Billy (Tucker Meeks), that Santa will bring his estranged parents back together by Christmas. When his sister Rosemary (Melissa Joan Hart) hears this, she is livid and can't believe he would break a little boy's heart with an empty promise. After a long night of soul searching--and with the help of an insightful female pastor (Wendy Williams)--Nick decides to make good on his promise to the child, somehow.

Our Two Cents:
This movie surprised us. We actually found ourselves not quite sure how the movie was going to end, and for these TV movies, that is rare. Usually, with in the first 15 minutes, you can make a pretty accurate guess on the plot of the entire movie. But as a whole, we enjoyed this one, especially the little nod to Ocean's Eleven (in which Barry Watson played himself) in the opening scenes.

Side Note: Hate that this is the only poster for the movie--featuring minor supporting cast rather than main characters.

Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★  •   Acting ★★★★  •   Chemistry ★★★★  •  Overall ★★★★

Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Trailer: 

Have you seen The Santa Con? Tell us what you thought of it!


December 07, 2014

Christmas at Cartwright's

With the holiday season at hand, single mom Nicky Talbot is unemployed and struggling to afford a nice Christmas with her 8-year-old daughter. Hearing that Cartwright’s Department Store is hiring temporary holiday help, Nicky rushes in to apply, but is rejected by Senior VP Fiona Aldrich, who considers Nicky a threat to the relationship she hopes to have with Bill, a charming and handsome store manager. In a whimsical turn of events, Harry Osbourne, claiming to be a consultant from corporate headquarters, encourages Nicky to dress up and begin working as Cartwright’s store Santa Claus. With the magical help of Harry, Nicky keeps the job, but nobody knows Cartwright’s Santa Claus is a woman. Will she be able to keep her job if her secret gets out?

Our Two Cents:
Our only real complaint with this one, because it was pretty darn cute, is that we wished the main character had a little more backbone and didn't wilt under pressure from Fiona (who obviously has a vendetta against her) quite so easily. But otherwise it was a fun movie, and we recommend it!

Ratings:
Storyline/Writing ★★★★  •   Acting ★★★★  •   Chemistry ★★★★★  •  Overall ★★★★

Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •  Official Site

Trailer:


Have you seen Christmas at Cartwright's? Tell us what you thought of it!