A Bramble House Christmas

While settling his father’s estate, Finn Conrad becomes suspicious as to why the man left a nurse $50,000. His dad knew her for less than two months before he died. Just before Christmas, Finn wants what to reclaim what he considers his family’s money, going undercover to investigate the bed and breakfast the nurse has recently taken over. When Finn meets Willa, he discovers she’s not a conniving gold digger at all, but a woman in need who put the money to good use. When she discovers his true identity, will it keep Willa from ever trusting him again?

Our Two Cents:

After several duds and a few movies that were only okay, the holiday movie season has finally begun with A Bramble House Christmas. We found this movie to be delightful, especially the exceptional location shots! Of course there was that certain level of predictability you expect in our beloved holiday movies, but this one had a twist that kicked it up a notch and left us quite satisfied.

Now that the praise is done, we must ask: Were we the only ones who noticed Willa wore the same style skirt in different colors throughout the entire movie? 

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen A Bramble House Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!  

The Sweetest Christmas

When struggling pastry chef Kylie Watson (Chabert) learns she’s made it to the finals of the American Gingerbread Competition, she thinks her competitive spirit has finally paid off and hopes the publicity will help her jumpstart her new café. There’s just one problem — the oven she’s supposed to use breaks down right before the contest. Determined to enter, she reaches out to Nick Mazannti (Coco), her old boyfriend from culinary school who gave up his dream of being a pastry chef to take over his family’s pizzeria. Nick allows her to use his industrial pizza oven at night to craft her ambitious gingerbread confections. As the two reminisce about the dreams of their youth, their romance is rekindled. But just as Kylie is on the cusp of taking the grand prize—and embracing true love—things get complicated when her ex-boyfriend takes drastic steps to win her back. Kylie realizes she must embrace the Christmas Spirit or risk losing both the contest and her new love.

Our Two Cents:

Oh, Lacey Chabert, Lacey Chabert. I hate to say it, but I do not care for Lacey Chabert. (If you pronouce Chabert the way I think it's pronounced "SHA-bear" then that should be a nice little Dr. Seuss rhyme for you from me. Merry Christmas and you're welcome.) Seriously, her acting is okay, but she has the same dry sugar toast personality in every movie--which is actually NO personality. Sadly, the same goes for her costar in this one and the love story fell flat. 

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

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

Christmas in the Air

Lydia, a successful professional organizer, is constantly trying to grow her business, but even her ambition takes a back seat to love when she meets Robert, a frazzled widower with two young children. A toy inventor, Robert is asked to present his new Christmas toy line to a superstore. His challenge is he only has 12 days to get his life and his business in order. Talk about a Christmas rush! Lydia shows Robert that this task goes way deeper than messy junk drawers and encompasses every aspect of his life. While she’s intent on helping him straighten out details he had long ignored, Robert teaches the buttoned-up Lydia that messiness can be a delightful part of life.

Our Two Cents:

This one did not meet our approval. We can forgive a lot of plot and continuity problems and even bad acting, but if there’s no chemistry… no bueno. It wasn’t the worst, but it was a bit of a chore to finish. I think I'll only remember it because of the reality-defying toys.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen Christmas in the Air? Tell us what you thought of it!  

Miss Christmas

Nicknamed “Miss Christmas,” the official tree finder for Chicago’s renowned Radcliffe Tree lighting is left desperate to find the perfect tree. A letter from a young boy promising his tree is perfect sends her to a small town where she learns the young boy’s dad isn’t willing to part with his tree. While sparks fly, she’ll be forced to confront what she’s really been missing for Christmas.

Our Two Cents:

This has everything you want and expect. The Christmas fanatic meets the Scrooge, the sugar sweet love story that gets a brief dose of vinegar, and of course the “surprise” ending that you see coming a mile away.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen MissChristmas? Tell us what you thought of it!  

Marry Me at Christmas

Organizing a Christmas wedding is a true treat for bridal boutique owner Madeline Krug. She loves the challenge of finding the perfect dress for the bride and orchestrating an exquisite event. What Madeline didn’t expect was to be swept off her feet by the bride’s gorgeous brother, movie star Jonny Blaze. Jonny came to the quirky town of Fool’s Gold to support his sister — not to fall in love. Yet Madeline is the most extraordinary woman he’s ever met. Planning the perfect wedding leads to candlelit dinners and strolls through snow-covered streets. Madeline finds the real Jonny even more captivating than her celebrity crush. Will the action star be brave enough to take on the role of a lifetime?

Our Two Cents:

So our biggest problem with this movie was hair. Her hair and the fake curls (thankfully at the end, she wore it straight and it suited her much better), and his fake Zach Morris blonde hair. You might think those are petty complaints. We agree. Our conclusion: a movie where the biggest complaint is about the hair, can't be all that bad! Marry Me at Christmas is definitely one that you don't want to miss!

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen Marry Me at Christmas? Tell us what you think!

Looks like Christmas

When two type-A single parents battle it out for control of the Christmas holiday at their kid’s middle school, they get more than they bargained for when they learn a little something about the true meaning of Christmas, while opening themselves up for the possibility of a new romance.

Our Two Cents:

Fairly typical in it's plot, however we can't help but like this one. Great movie to play to you in the mood for decorations and Christmas cookies.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen Looks like Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!  

A Dream of Christmas

Be careful what you wish for! Penny doesn't really want much: just a promotion and for her husband, Stuart, to be home for once, especially it being so close to the holidays. But when everything seems to go wrong, Penny makes a wish that she might regret. While in line to see Santa, she wishes out loud that she had never gotten married. A Christmas Angel grants her wish, but Penny soon realizes what is lacking in her new "single" world and tries to win back the husband and life she had before. Now Penny must figure out how to turn her life back to the way it was.

Our Two Cents:
No complaints with this one. It was just too cute! Make sure you catch it!

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

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

Christmas in Homestead

One of the most famous actresses in the world heads to the Christmas-obsessed town of Homestead, Iowa, to shoot a holiday-themed movie. She is thrown for a loop when a romance brews between her and local inn keeper and single dad, Matt. As she gets a taste of small-town life, she discovers the true meaning of Christmas.

Our Two Cents:
We didn't hear anything about this movie and weren't sure what to expect. Frankly the title made us a little concerned it was going to be really sappy. But within the first minute, we knew this was going to be a keeper. Mayor Matt won us over from the get go and his daughter Sophie tops the list of child characters in all these movies. Full of sass and personality.

Plus it has a great side story with his sister. So, basically, we loved it. A little Notting Hill, a lot Christmas.

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

Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen Christmas in Homestead? Tell us what you thought of it!

Broadcasting Christmas

When her on-air partner decides to depart America’s favorite morning show, Veronika Daniels announces that she will be choosing her new co-host from a handful of candidates that includes Charlie Fisher, a local NY newscaster who is the son of a broadcasting legend. However, when Emily Morgan, a human interest reporter for the local Connecticut station, makes an impassioned on-air plea to be considered for the job, the game changes for everyone as video of Emily’s declaration goes viral and the network brass decide to put her in the running. Veronika delights in the healthy competition she sees brewing, and encourages the candidates to bring their A game in the segments and stories they do between now and the Christmas Day Telethon, when she will announce her choice. As the competition narrows, and it becomes clear that either Charlie or Emily are going to get the job, they begin to rediscover a spark between them that started long ago.

Our Two Cents:

While Dean Cain is notorious for bad Christmas movies, Melissa Joan Hart usually doesn't disappoint. Luckily her good vibe outweighed his bad! Cute and fun and totes predictable, this is one not too miss.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

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

A December Bride

Layla is dreading the Christmastime wedding of her cousin who’s marrying Layla’s ex-fiancé. Although Seth is the one responsible for introducing the bride and groom, she begrudgingly accepts his offer to be her date as she’s out of options. Things get more complicated when Seth's association and reference get her a dream career opportunity she couldn't achieve on her own. Helping her save face with the bridal couple and guests, Seth begins to brag about their relationship and really put on a show as a loving and devoted boyfriend. Layla really appreciates his efforts until Seth gets carried away at the reception and announces they’re engaged. Because the fake engagement benefits both of them--for her it creates a dream career opportunity, and him, getting his house decorated to impress his boss, they decide to keep up the act. But as Christmas gets closer and the need for the fake relationship comes to an end, both start to wonder if it really is an act!

Our Two Cents:

This is our biggest complaint. If you are going to cast an actor with a perfectly lovely Australian accent that could have totally worked in the story, let him use it!

Now that we got that off our chest, we have to say we don't have any real complaints about this one. In fact there were a few things we especially loved, like the fact that her brother saw through their lies right away. Why doesn't anyone ever figure it out in these movies?

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen A December Bride? Tell us what you thought of it!

Dashing Through the Snow

Stranded at an airport at Christmastime, Ashley Harrison accepts a ride from Dash Sutherland, who has just rented the last car in town. As the pair heads north, their adventures include car trouble, adopting a puppy and being secretly tailed by federal agents, who believe Ashley is up to no good. With a hint of romance gradually filling the air will these two fall in love or will their journey bring about an unexpected road bump to romance? 

Our Two Cents:

Our 10 year old niece perfectly summed up one of our biggest problems with this one in three words: She was weird. 

We feel like the writers kind of stretched to make some things work in this one that could have easily worked out better with minor changes in the story. 

She used a brown scarf to try to bribe her way onto a flight. I get that it's pure angora wool, but it was brown. At least try to bribe the lady with a better color. Thankfully as the movie progresses she tones down a bit because her over the top enthusiasm and weirdness was a bit much.

The movie does have some cute moments. Enough to make up for the stuff that didn't work so well we think. Love the references to It Happened One Night. Great movie. The original source of many movie cliches especially including the stuck traveling with someone I hate and have to fake being married/in a relationship so we can share the last hotel room and get a good night sleep and then oops we fall in love for realsies bit.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen Dashing Through the Snow? Tell us what you thought of it!

Just In Time for Christmas

Lindsay has to make a tough decision: stay in her small hometown and marry longtime beau Jason, or accept a once-in-a-lifetime job teaching at an Ivy League college thousands of miles away. Fortunately, a magical messenger gives her a priceless Christmastime gift: Lindsay is instantly transported three years into the future, so she’ll be able to make the decision today that will be best for her future.

Our Two Cents:
It seemed like this one had a lot of hype last year leading up to the premiere, and sometimes that leads to high expectations and disappointment. But we felt it totally lived up to the hype. The basic concept of the plot is one of the main repeated plots in Made for TV Christmas Movie land, but for some reason, this made an old standard feel new and different.

There were two big cameo roles, Christopher Lloyd and William Shatner. The former was more delightful than the latter, though it might just be our reaction to the bizarre beard Captain Kirk donned.

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



Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •  Official Site

Have you seen Just In Time for Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!

A Christmas Detour

Two New York City-bound travelers find themselves inextricably linked when a snowstorm reroutes them to an airport hotel in Buffalo. Ever the eternal optimist and hopeless romantic, Paige desperately needs to find a way back home to meet her fiancee’s parents before her forthcoming wedding. And it’s somehow up to fellow passenger Dylan MacKenzie, who is permanently soured on romance following a recent heartbreak. Yet Dylan somehow rises to the occasion to become Paige’s chivalrous helpmate. The pair are joined on this misadventure by a married couple named Frank and Maxine trying to get to Connecticut. As their madcap journey ensues, our foursome will find plenty of surprises in store.

Our Two Cents:

We didn’t dislike this one, but did find it a bit mediocre. We were glad it wasn’t Candace Camerone Bure’s typical plot—a goal oriented work obsessed woman who gets sent to a small town and learns the true meaning of life (see Mistletoe & Moonlight, Let It Snow, Christmas Under Wraps, Finding Normal…). Fully predictable and full of your classic Christmas movie cliches, but, isn’t that the charm?

So… here’s our problem with it. The male lead had a weird personality. Weird might not be the right word, but it just didn't seem to all fit together. Half cynical, half happy-go-lucky, and has the same back story that all male leads seems to have—he got dumped in a big way. They could have had more cute moments in building the romance. It felt a bit forced at times. We might have liked Frank and Maxine's side story even more than Paige and Dylan's.

But that being said, it’s worth watching. Not the best, but CERTAINLY not the worst.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •  Official Site

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

Crown for Christmas

After getting fired from her job as a maid at a ritzy New York City hotel, Allie reluctantly accepts a temp gig as the governess to a young girl who is part of a powerful family in Europe that lives in an actual castle. After arriving, Allie learns the girl is named Princess Theodora and her father is Maximillian, the King of Winshire. The King informs Allie that the Princess has a tendency to terrorize authority figures, a predilection that has grown worse since her mother’s death. Yet governess and Princess wind up hitting it off while at the same time a spark forms between Allie and Max. However, Countess Celia is expecting to wed the King. Will Max take a stand for his feelings for Allie and make it truly a merry Christmas for all (or at least, most)?

Our Two Cents:

Classic tale of the governess and single dad falling in love with a Christmas twist. So far, this might be one of the best of the 2015 movies. Can't say that the, ahem, casting doesn't have anything to do with it. There's something about English men named Rupert. Look it up. They tend to be attractive.

Anyhoo, cute movie, great grand gesture at the end... Don't miss this one.

Side Note: We greatly appreciated the authentic English accents in this movie.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •  Official Site

 

Have you seen Crown for Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it! 

Once Upon a Holiday

All she wanted was one hour to see the art gallery, but since, as a princess, every minute is accounted for, Katie decided the only way to get a much needed a vacation from being royal was to sneak away. Now in the big city on her own, she meets Jack, a good Samaritan who catches some con men stealing her purse. Keeping her real identity a secret, Katie enjoys seeing what life is like as an ordinary person, and enjoys getting to know Jack too! But secrets can't stay secret forever, especially when the Royal Guard is hunting for you.

Our Two Cents:

A princess wants a day off so she runs away. This movie is kind of a hybrid of Roman Holiday and The Prince and Me. We’ve enjoyed Paul Campbell in his other movies, as he’s great at creating real characters. He did a good job in this too, but the story wasn't as strong as it could have been. It wasn’t bad, but could have been better.

There's a few places where they dropped the ball. She didn’t have that undefinable princess quality. She kind of just wasted the time she had away from the rigorous life of a princess. There are so many cool things to do and see in NYC. Especially at Christmas! Lastly, she never seemed to mourn (or care at all about) losing her mother's camera, and it sounded like it had a lot of sentimental value.

However, all of those are nitpicky critiques, because as a whole, it's a cute and enjoyable movie.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

Have you seen Once Upon a Holiday? Tell us what you thought of it!

Merry Matrimony

Brie, an advertising executive, lands her dream assignment organizing the perfect Christmas wedding for a fashion magazine. If she succeeds, she will make partner at her firm. The only catch is that she unknowingly has been paired up with a certain high powered fashion photographer who just happens to be her estranged ex-boyfriend.

Our Two Cents:

First time watching this, we had to stop it. We found her somewhat unlikable (especially on her date with Jared), and he seemed a bit dull. But then we each went back and finished it another time. Ironically, just after where we'd stopped it is where it starts getting better. Notwithstanding the slow start, the two characters bloom and hit their stride.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •  Official Site

Have you seen Merry Matrimony? Tell us what you thought of it!

Christmas Incorporated

Sometimes, life just seems to hand you exactly what you need – particularly at Christmastime. In this new yuletide tale, Riley is scraping bottom when she miraculously lands a job with a wealthy New York City entrepreneur. He’s a bad-boy socialite type who is poised to play Scrooge by closing one of his factories just before Christmas, which would devastate and entire town. It’s left to Riley to talk him out of it and turn him into a man of virtue rather than shame. But will a case of mistaken identity ruin the whole plan?

Our Two Cents:

Three times we tried to record this. Though the schedule said Christmas Incorporated, it played a different movie two times! But third time was the charm. And it was worth the wait. Great banter and chemistry between Riley and William.

The end was a little rushed and abrupt, but… we can forgive that. Overall, thumbs up!

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Official Site

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

I'm Not Ready for Christmas

Holly lives in a world where lying has become common place for her. However, she finds after telling a few too many fibs and disappointing those around her that her life it about to change. Holly's niece, Anna, asks Santa Claus to make Holly incapable of telling a lie as her Christmas wish. What follows is a tale of how telling the truth changes Holly's life in ways she could never have anticipated before.

Our Two Cents:

Ok, here it goes. This one was a bit of a disappointment. I'll start with the most superficial complaint. I don't understand why it was called "I'm Not Ready for Christmas." It didn't have anything to do with the plot. Such a waste of a great title. They didn't really take as much advantage of the truth telling as they could have when it comes to creating comical situations (especially when you compare this movie to Liar Liar). The chemistry... there was none! I really didn't care about the love story at all. And lastly, everything seemed to work out too nicely for her in the end. Don't want to give spoilers, but it all wraps up in a big bow, drizzled with chocolate sauce and glittler and marshmallows and was a little too unrealistically perfect.

Now we can appreciate a guilty pleasure for what it is, there are lots of them on this blog (Eve's Christmas, anyone?), but we had a hard time with this one.

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

Links:

IMDB  •  Official Site



Ice Scupture Christmas

After starting her first job at a country club restaurant, Callie – an aspiring chef – reconnects with her childhood friend David, whose wealthy family is a member of the club.  When David enters Callie into the club’s annual Christmas ice sculpting competition without her knowledge, she’s forced to go head-to-head with her boss, Chef Gloria. Even though ice sculpting is cold work, sparks are ignited between Callie and David as they prepare for the competition as a team. Callie’s passions for cooking and ice sculpting are met with romance and Christmas spirit as she works to create the perfect sculpture.

Our Two Cents:

We were a bit hot and cold with Ice Sculpture Christmas. After finishing it, we found that we ended up liking it more than we thought we were going to after the first 30 minutes. Still, it had the potential of being a lot better than it was. Callie started off being very giggly and happy go lucky. Towards the middle we start to see a bit more depth from her, but there wasn't quite enough realistic conflict to carry the story. But hey, at least she wasn't named Holly, Carol or Eve. Not good enough to be a favorite, and not bad enough to be a guilty pleasure. But we'll take it for what it is.

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


Links:
IMDB  •  Buy DVD on Amazon  •  Official Site

Have you seen Ice Sculpture Christmas? Tell us what you thought of it!

12 Gifts of Christmas

When Anna, an unemployed painter, is unable to make ends meet, she is hired to become a personal Christmas shopper for Marc, an uptight corporate exec. As they work together, Marc learns that Christmas giving has less to do with the amount of money spent and more to do with the importance of the gift, while Anna discovers she might find success as an artist in a way she never expected.

Our Two Cents:

The plot sounded so cute. We had high hopes. It wasn’t really bad, but partway through we realized, we were plain bored. The characters didn't have much personality and sadly, not enough chemistry. Sorry, a hot guy isn’t enough to make the movie.

Ironically this year had another movie about a professional personal shopper helping soften a uptight corporate exec. Check out A Gift Wrapped Christmas. It was much better.

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


Links:
IMDB  •   Official Site

 

Have you seen 12 Gifts of Christmas? Tell us what you thought about it!