Kaoteek

I'll Be Home For Christmas just didn't really work for me. Suvari & Brolin were fine, Brolin's direction was, too, but the cop love interest with the haircut, the arrogant/pedantic boyfriend, and the overly precocious little girl that wouldn't shut up all bugged me, the script wasn't too compelling, and the Streisand soundtrack was... what it was. I liked the dog, though.

I did enjoy Season's Greetings, aka "let's set a romantic comedy at Hallmark headquarters, and make it a big, loud, farcical movie". It wasn't particularly subtle (whether in acting or in writing), but it was mostly a fun, light-hearted movie with a few sound issues here and there (they needed a better mic, or a better boom operator), and excentric supporting characters. A nice surprise.

Not a huge fan of A Dream of Christmas. Not only because I'd just watched Holiday Joy 48h earlier, but also because of the ending felt... awkward. Especially when you take into account the production title of the movie, "It's a Wonderful Wife". Yeesh. That said, aside from the ending, the movie was overall competent and the cast likeable. Finding Father Christmas wasn't my cup of tea, either. Too "Movies & Mysteries", if that makes any sense. Nothing particularly bad in and of itself, aside from the slow pacing, but I just didn't really care much for the mystery or the romance... too sappy for my taste.

Holiday Joy... meh. Been there, seen that. Also, despite Bailee Madison's energy, it was kinda dull in the long run, especially after that pre-wish segment, which was unvoluntarily hilarious, with its cheap, bad wigs and fake belly on Bailee "because she's a nerd". As for A Christmas in Vermont (aka A Vermont Christmas Vacation), I don't have much to say about it. It was your standard ION/Hybrid production directed by Fred Olen Ray, with kinda sad cameos by Chevy Chase & Morgan Fairchild, and a female lead that initially had me doing constant double takes, thinking she was Janet Varney's sister or a lookalike or something. And then that made me think I'd like to see Janet Varney in a comedic Christmas movie, and I kind of halfway paid attention to the story after that. Then again, it was a very pedestrian effort (and i'm not saying that because they're walking-and-talking everywhere, in this movie ^^), so there wasn't much to miss there. At least the leads had chemistry. (gotta say I had a good laugh when I noticed "A Prince for Christmas" on the town's theater marquee, though. )

Yeah, that was also my problem with her on Once Upon A Time : even taking into account the writing (which didn't help at all), she didn't bring much to the part, and was very bland and forgettable.

Hearts of Christmas was okay, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that it was written either by some ex NICU nurse, or by someone closely affiliated to one (hence the constant, awkward exposition/praise from the characters about how great the NICU & its people are), and/or that the movie only got made if they could find some outside sponsoring/financing to pay for most of it (hence the recurring product placement, whether for national brands, or local establishments, or even the hospital). It didn't feel like a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie at all, yet the fact that Hallmark aired it there just feels like the network just didn't really believe in it, right from the start. Weird. And while we're in the "business man wants to sell beloved building at Christmas but falls for the cute girl working there after butting heads with her" & "it's on Hallmark Movies & Mystery, but doesn't really fits the brand" categories, Sound of Christmas (aka Twelve Trees of Christmas II, only less cartoony, and with less trees) was decent, but utterly unmemorable. Part of the problem was the predictable plot, and the uneven acting (Dunne's boss couldn't be flatter, and even Lindy Booth kinda overacted here and there), but mostly, it just felt on auto-pilot to me.

I can't say she made any sort of impression on me when she was on Once Upon A Time, and I don't watch TWD, so... eh, we'll see (which is about where i'm at re: the entire project, these days).

Much to my surprise, I enjoyed Looks like Christmas more than I thought I would. There was no big moral lesson, there was no contrived setup or angle, nobody had to totally change who they were (even though Anne Heche could have done with a serious relooking), no big dramatic depressing stuff, it was just fine, pleasant opposites attract-type comedy, with likeable enough characters & actors, and solid production values (they kinda were heavy-handed on the fake snow during the tree lighting scene, but other than that, and the awkward product placement, no major complaint from me. As for Journey Back to Christmas, I think I would have loved it with another lead actress, and a few writing changes. I'm not a huge CCB fan, and her acting here wasn't particularly great (nothing horrible, but she was really... well, "acting", you know), so she really was the least interesting character of the whole bunch to me, and not really likeable to boot. On the other hand, I liked the rest of the cast (the cops, the sister, and so on), I liked the fact that the romance wasn't a huge part of the plot, and didn't involve CCB, and the time travel shenanigans were fine... but this could have been better with a couple of rewrites of the script, in order to drop the antagonists, and tighten everything up (spend less time before the time travel - or at the very least make that part of the story more interesting - , accentuate the contrast between the past and the present from the nurse's perspective and not glance over it, give Skeritt something else to do than just "exposition machine"). As is, the movie wasn't bad, but it could have been so much more with a few tweaks here and there.

Congrats, Shanna Marie, you've just given a dozen Hallmark/ION/Up writers a paycheck for 2017 ! ^^ On another note, A Cinderella Christmas left me quite cold. It wasn't a disaster like the other ION movies I've watched these past few weeks, and the male lead was fine (even though I didn't care at all for the character, and his mommy issues), but i've struggled with Emma Rigby since OUATIW (can't help it : both the lips & the occasional overacting/overreacting bother me), and even though the fairy tale aspect of it should have made suspension of incredulity easier, I had a hard time believing that Rigby and Stouffer could be mistaken for one another, even with a masquerade mask on (the lips, the voice, the eyes, the cheekbones, the smile...). Also, Christmas barely mattered to that (doubly) derivative plot (it could have been called A Cinderella Valentine/Easter/Spring/Summer/Romance, and the script would have been just the same), so... meh.

I feel about the same about A Nutcracker Christmas as I did about Christmas in Homestead : it was okay, but unexceptional. I'm not much of a ballet person, but I like The Nutcracker (you can't go wrong with Tchaikovsky), and i've had a soft spot for Amy Acker since Winifred (and I knew about her dancing background), so I was kinda curious about the end result. It was fine, they clearly seemed to have a bigger budget than your basic Hallmark rom-com, and it was nice having leads that looked believable & competent (to my untrained eye, and some more than others, of course) without having to resort to akward body doubles & editing tricks (even though there were a few, if lowed pretty well), but overall, it wasn't particularly memorable, aside from the dance numbers. Christmas with the Andersons, on the other hand, was memorable. Mostly because I strongly disliked it, to the point I couldn't wait for it to be over. Unlikeable & caricatural supporting characters, unlikely, forced situations, mediocre pacing & writing, pointless intro/outro... not too surprising, since ION tends to buy the cheapest MarVista products available (the ones Hallmark, Lifetime & UpTv passed on), but still, annoying.

TBH, I haven't watched this week's shows either, so... I feel your pain.

Christmas in Homestead was... okay, I guess. I didn't really buy Taylor Cole as a Jennifer Lawrence-type superstar known worldwide, I didn't really buy bearded Rady as the male lead/love interest, and I didn't really buy the whole premise/the movie-within-the-movie stuff, but the town was pretty, the characters were likeable, they had an easy chemistry, and the kid was just adorable.

Yes, I'm with you on that one. I was fearing the worst (a UPTv + Marvista production, California-based, with no name attached, a derivative script, and low production values... rarely bodes well), but I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. The three main girls were kinda overacting the whole way through, but since the movie didn't really take itself too seriously, and didn't shy away from its farcical nature, it kinda worked. Also, gays everywhere (half the male extras pinged my gaydar) ! The ex's new girl was black ! Everybody had somewhat distinct personnalities ! Those three points alone make it about 200% more diverse than most Hallmark movies, these days. (and yes, the song was... a miss. To be kind.)

Funnily enough, I was pleasantly surprised by Broadcasting Christmas. Nothing to write home about, but MJH & Dean Cain had a nice chemistry, and their scenes had enough energy to make up for some bits of dodgy character writing, re: MJH's character. On the other hand, I can't find a good thing to say about A Firehouse Christmas. That was painful, unfocused, and it didn't seem to know whether it wanted to be a caricatural Christmas comedy with very "evil" antagonists, or a more touching, sob story with the big emotional finish and that pointless token-black-bff-and-colleague-of-the-lead-character's absent dad storyline, that brought nothing to the movie except some padding. Also, the lead actress was almost a supporting character in the movie, since her bf & the ex hogged most of the screentime. Bleh.

That said, these past few years, a good bunch of Lifetime's Xmas movies were produced by the exact same production companies as Hallmark movies : MarVista, Lighthouse pictures, Hybrid...

Just finished Christmas List. I usually like Alicia Witt, even if her Christmas movies aren't always the best, and this one had a pretty decent concept & script (though it could have done with a less caricatural boyfriend), but I just couldn't with Witt's acting in that one. I'm not sure why, but most of the time, she seemed like she was half-tipsy, over-acting & over-reacting to anything and everything, with weird affectations here and there. Very distracting. The shooting locations were nice, though.

Okay, this explains that, then. It didn't really register much around here (aside for the outfits, maybe, which I remember very vaguely). EDIT : RESULTS : No big surprise here, as far as the final 3 go.

- A Puppy for Christmas left me cold. Yeah, the dog was cute, and the lead was fine, but the overall romance just never clicked for me, and the script felt too cluttered by unnecessary secondary characters, who were there just for the sake of being there & excentric. - Christmas Cookies. Not really bad, but boring as hell. Which is sad, since I like Jill Wagner & she's good in this, but everything felt so (pardon the pun) half-baked, and too business-centric to keep me interested. - My Christmas Dream. I could watch anything with Danica McKellar in it, she's just that likeable... except this movie, I guess. Once again, not particularly bad, but as much as i'm used to a big dose of predictability & tropes in those Hallmark movies, this one just laid all of its cards down on the table in the first few minutes, and you could predict every single thing thing that happened later. Which wouldn't be too problematic if the movie was dynamic, or the cast compelling, but aside from Danica (who kinda overacted, in this one), the lead male character wasn't really memorable, one way or another, and the kid... yeah, I wasn't a fan of his acting. And right now, I'm in the midde of Christmas List, with Alicia Witt, and... man, her acting.

So, here we go, Christmas week, or rather "Half-Christmas, half Get-me-in-the-finals song". - Matt's Silent Night was borderline cheesy, but fine. - 5AM's East 17 - Stay Another Day... that's a Christmas song ? I'll take your word for it. Cos honestly, I didn't care enough about the song or the performance to really pay attention to it. - Emily's War is Over was... eh. Then again, half of the time, she was drowned out by the chorus & backup singers, so... - "All I want for Christmas is you" ! One point for aradia ! In other news, Saara delivered. - Listen, I like Mad World, but it's almost as if they've given up on Emily, this week, and she's on autopilot. I don't see her making it to the finals. - Matt's Say You Love Me left me cold. It wasn't bad, but... meh. - Saara nailed Chandelier, but that dress... WTF ? - 5AM ended the show on a good note with Signed, Sealed, Delivered. Nothing too outstanding or mindblowing, but it was solid. I guess it will be Saara & Matt to the finals, with 5AM & Emily fighting for third.

So... 5 after midnight - Uptown Funk / Justin Bieber, Sorry + Drake, One Dance : the boys were fine (Uptown Funk isn't the hardest song ever, and I didn't care much for Sorry/One Dance, but that's more because I don't care much for the songs than due to 5AM) but i'm getting tired of their "sing for a bit, then dance break, then sing a bit more" formula. Emily - Britney Spears, Toxic / Rag 'n' Bone Man, Human : Emily was fine, too, but unmemorable. I hate Toxic, as a song, and her version of it was basically what I expected all of her performances to be when the competition started, but it was okay.. Honey G - MC Hammer, Can't Touch This + Rick James, Super Freak / Salt-N-Pepa, Push It + Rae Sremmurd, Black Beatles : yeah... I've got nothing to say. Aside from the fact that the stage invasion & the mannequin challenge will probably save her for one more week. Smoke, mirrors, and all that... Matt - Little Mix, Secret Love Song / Sia, Alive : I liked the first performance, the other one left me cold. Not the greatest week. Saara - ABBA, The Winner Takes It All / Diamonds Are Forever +Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend : well.... loved it. I want Saara to win the entire season, she's so likeable. Edit : RESULTS : Next week :

Really enjoyed Married by Christmas. It was fun, dynamic, the cast seemed to be enjoying itself, and even though the ending could have benefited from a little more work, the lead actress made it work all through the movie. And the online outrage, in some circles, re: the gay character and the drinking... #facepalm. On the other hand, contrary to most, I really didn't like Love Always Santa. The cast wasn't the problem, since I liked the main characters & actors, but something just didn't work for me, as far as the overall tone of the movie went. On one hand, you had the dull cinematography, the omnipresent piano score, the tears, the drama, and so on, which screamed "we're doing something more dramatic & serious, here, it's Hallmark Movies & Mysteries !!" ; and on the other hand you had the silly supporting cast (the post office grandmas, the "boyfriend" and his potato gun, the kids storyline), and a bunch of typical tropes that tried to veer the movie into a more traditional Hallmark rom-com direction. Both vibes clashed way too much for me, and I really didn't care for the end product. Also, I know they kinda lampshaded it at the end but Moreau's kid (despite being adorable) just didn't really sound like a 7yo (even a precocious one).

Yeah, I think I'm gonna skip both December Bride & Operation Christmas, the cast & themes of those two don't appeal to me, at all. Just finished Every Christmas has a Story. Not bad, very likeable cast (obviously) with great chemistry, the romance side of thing wasn't too heavyhanded, and overall, it didn't seem to take itself too seriously, which is always a plus. That said, the whole town mystery angle was a tad contrived, and the final stretch felt a bit rushed, which kinda detracted from the overall experience. Not a future classic, but still perfectly watchable.

I'll make this one quick : Ryan, 5AM & Honey G were unmemorable, bordering on mediocre ; Sara was fine, but looked... wedding-cake-ish ; I really liked Matt's Writing's on the Wall ; and Emily's song left me cold. My guess is Ryan is finally gone, this week. Though I could see Sara's Titanic not connecting with the crowd. EDIT : Results :

(Very) slowly catching up on recent Christmas movies. - The Bridge part 1 & 2 felt like a mediocre, standard, 90 minutes Hallmark tv movie stretched to last twice that, I was absolutely bored to death by the time its final hour kicked in. Really liked Katie Findlay, though. - A Perfect Christmas felt like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (or at least, it seemed to try to emulate the same sense of chaos that movie had), but if that movie had a bland cast, a bland script, and just not enough energy, chaos, and... well, not enough of anything, really. I appreciate the fact that, for once, it wasn't your standard Hallmark romance, but still, utterly forgettable, and it wasn't really surprising to see Hallmark sacrifice that movie by premiering it during summer. - A Wish for Christmas, aka Lacey Chabert's Annual Christmas Movie, aka Hide The Bump, was... watchable. I usually like those "magic wish" movies (not too fond of business-centric ones, though), but it was nothing to write home about, and it ended up kinda dragging during its middle stretch, when they tried to have that family drama without really paying it off on screen at the end. - The Mistletoe Promise had potential, but I really didn't feel the execution, and the cast even less. Well, let me rephrase that : Luke Macfarlane was fine, but I really disliked Jaime King in this : her style, her hair, her make-up, her cold demeanor, and so on. She screamed more "Hallmark movie villain/rival" than "romantic lead", and I didn't feel she had much chemistry with Macfarlane. So... a huge meh for that movie.

Results :