Sunday, January 6, 2019

Hallmark Christmas Movies: 2018

I just love the Hallmark Christmas movies.  Here are a few I has watched this year.



***Once Upon a Christmas (2000)
Santa is discouraged due to a lack of Christmas spirit.  His daughter is tasked with getting a family from the naughty to the nice list to save Christmas.  Kristen Clause (Kathy Ireland) has a pretty big task.  Especially since her sister, Rudolfa (Mary Donnelly Haskell) is intent on changing the Holiday to Christmas Fools Day.  In the end the sacrifice Kristen is called upon to make may be larger than she is prepared to do.  This movie was fun.  Ruldolfa is an evil soul but her father gets back at her in the end.

***^Twice Upon a Christmas (2001)  Her is a sequel with Kristen and Ruldolfa still at it.  However, as a result of the first movie Kristen has lost her memory of her life with the Clauses as well as her immortality.  Ruldolfa comes back from her banishment with the goal of selling the North Pole.  In this way Christmas will be done.  She sends pieces all over the world.  She even plans to sell the real estate to Donald Trump for a Trump Tower.  And without her memory Kristen is not likely to intervene; although she knows something is not quite right.  It is a doll that they kids have gotten as part of the pole that jogs her memory and puts Kristen into action.  Here is a sequel with a bit more magic than the original.

****A Town Without Christmas (2001)
Peter Falk plays the role of the magical manipulator who is getting everyone together.  In the end, two people, a writer and a reporter, (Rick Roberts and Patricia Heaton) who are both in Seacliff, Washington pursuing the story of a boy Chris, who has sent a note to Santa hinting at suicide.  They have different motivations however, as the writer has received some paintings which portray the past and the future and include a picture of the letter.  However their two pursuits merge and leads to a romance.  However the big question is finding and saving Chris. 

***^A Town Christmas Forgot (2001)  When the Bensons (Rick Roberts and Lauren Holly) at stranded with their two children due to car issues in Nowhere, Colorado, they come upon a town that is dying due to the loss of the coal mining industry.  The people are depressed, many having left, and the mayor has failed at finding any other business to come to town.  No one will finance a ski lift up the mountain behind town.  But in the end they find likeable people, and even though their car is fixed so they can travel on to the fancy resort they have reserved, the turn around to join the locals for the Christmas Eve Pageant.  And the Bensons are in position to help the town with their problems. 

****A Christmas to Remember (2016)
I think this is my favorite of the Hallmark movies I have watched.  The romance just seems to jump off the screen more.  This is the story of a woman, Jennifer Wade (Mira Sorvino) TV personality, cooking show, who needs to get away.  She is headed to a rural Colorado, and while doing so, she slides off the road and bumps her head, and loses her memory.  She has no memory of who she is.  She is taken in by a single man and his family.  John Blake (Cameron Mathison) and his children are still dealing with the death of his wife and the kids’ mother three years prior.  Even though she does not remember her name, she still remembers her cooking and domestic skills.  Through these skills the family begins to heal, as well as herself.  A romance ensues; but this is interrupted when someone recognizes her and she is forced back to her urban life.  However Jennifer has other plans.

***Santa Incident (2010)  Santa (James Cosmo) is shot down by the Air Force, and he is found with a cracked skull by two siblings who are taking a restricted short-cut to school.  The little girl’s smile is very infectious.  She believes in Santa, while her brother is not sure.  Santa was gathering supplies and Christmas is coming.  On his tail are two people from Homeland Security who pursue Santa as a threat to national security.  Santa has enough magic to make toys.  He sets up shop in an abandoned warehouse where the older brother likes to spend time.  However he still needs to be rescued by the elves.  The eventually show up with the restored sleigh and Christmas is saved.  However not before Santa sparks a romance for their mother.  Father ran away a couple years prior. 

***^A Carol Christmas (2003)  Carol Cartman (Tori Spelling) is the diva of the talk show scene.  Everyone is scared of her and she doesn’t hesitate to fire those who displease her.  That is until she is visited by four ghosts.  First her Aunt, who mentored her in the business to be sure everyone is always waiting for you, and treat everyone as you inferior.  She even chased off her love interest.  Then the Ghost of Christmas Pat (Gary Coleman) and the Ghost of Christmas Present (William Shatner)  And of course the Ghost of Christmas Future.  When they are through with her, Carol is a changed woman.  The mood of her show is changed from being cynical to being uplifting.  She even offers to pay for all her cast to travel to Hawaii.

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