Category: Film

Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger! – 13th December

One of my personal favourite Christmas films. This year, I watched it in early November but will most likely be watching it again this holiday season. In my opinion, this is the best of the Nativity films. David Tennant as Donald Peterson, a supply teacher who stumbles across St Bernadette’s when Mrs Bevan is at the end of her tether. Her nephew, Mr Poppy has driven away the last few supply teachers and she needs someone to discipline them. Fortunately for Mr Peterson, the children are preoccupied with entering the Song for Christmas competition. After Mrs Bevan says no, they kidnap Mr Peterson and go on a wild road trip to the castle in Wales. After Mr Shakespeare, teacher at rival school, Oakmoor turns the sign around on his journey to the competition, St Bernadette’s get very lost.

Featuring magic donkeys; a boat that swims; snow globe sabotage; baby auditions; daring abseiling and white water rafting. This film is non-stop fun and laughter. Most the kids from the first film are back and now that they are a bit older, have more talent and better comedic timing. David Tennant also plays his twin brother Rodrick and if you didn’t know Tennant, you would think he had a twin in real life.

A great British film with fun for all the family that isn’t set during the big day. 5/5.

The Holiday – 12th December

This British/American Classic is not a Christmas film to be missed. I consider it in my top 5 of all time Christmas films and I make sure to re-watch every year. Nancy Meyers is great writer/director who has done some other great films including The Parent Trap (1998), It’s Complicated, The Intern and Something’s Gotta Give. Her ability to navigate between the two story lines in the US and UK is to be commended. I personally always think of this film as British because the Americans call a holiday, a vacation but it is a hybrid.

The film follows the lives of Iris and Amanda. At the beginning of the film, Iris finds out her ex-boyfriend that she is still in love with is engaged and he neglected to tell her first despite leading her on and getting her to edit his book for free. We see at a low point in her cottage in Surrey until she gets a message from Amanda. She lives in Los Angeles and is very successful as a film trailer editor. The beginning of her story starts with her finding out her boyfriend whom she lives with has cheated on her. She kicks him out but cannot cry about the event. She decided to get away for the holidays and finds Iris’ house on a house swap website. They decide to switch houses in the two weeks leading up to Christmas.

In Surrey, Amanda meets Graham, Iris’ brother and the two start a whirlwind relationship. She tries to move on from Ethan, her ex and becomes vulnerable for the first time since she was a teenager. In L.A., Iris meets Arthur, a retired screenwriter who worked with some of Hollywood’s greats. She also befriends Miles, a film score composer who works with Ethan. The two bond with Arthur and his friends while Miles awaits his girlfriend, Maggie’s return.

I really enjoy this film, I think it is well-written and well acted and the scenery is wintery in England and gives you some winter sun in America. I wouldn’t say it was overly Christmassy but it is definitely a festive film. This is a film for older viewers, ages 12 and up so not one to watch with the kids but it does tug on your heart strings and is full of surprises that any good script should have. Overall 5/5.

A Christmas Prince – 11th December

This Netflix Original film is one that I remember being promoted heavily on the site/app back in 2017 and this festive season I got around to watching it. It was fairly predictable but if you’re looking for a gooey Christmas love story, fit for all ages then this will be right up your street.

The basic premise of the story is that a reporter from New York trying to further her career is sent to do a story on the heir to the throne of Aldovia, a fictional European country. He has to ascend the throne by Christmas Day, (of course) otherwise his cousin will take over. Amber the journalist goes to the castle on a press visit but manages to trick everyone and poses as the Princess Emily’s tutor. Amber’s editor tells her to stay and dig the dirt on Prince Richard but as she sees his genuine side, Amber doesn’t want to expose the family secrets.

Apart from very obvious logic flaws and the manufactured story line, A Christmas Prince was an enjoyable film and if you’re into it, fun to pick apart the plot holes and spot the sponsors. I did see lots of parallels to the Julia Stiles film, The Prince & Me where the prince goes undercover at university and meets a normal girl. It could have had influences but the plots were not massively similar. I don’t think I would watch again unless with young children. The film has sparked two sequels: Royal Wedding and Royal Baby arriving this Christmas so maybe there is some worthwhile content. Overall 3/5.

Let It Snow – 10th December

As a big fan of the book that this film is very loosely based on, I was not a big fan of the film. I think that if you choose to base a film on a bestselling novel, it should at least have the same characters and basic plot lines. In the book, three stories based in Gracetown all intertwine written by three separate authors, Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle. There’s Jubilee or Julie who meets Stuart and realises that her boyfriend who doesn’t care that her parents were jailed is not as perfect as she thinks.

There’s also Tobin, the Duke or Angie and JP. They have a late night Christmas Eve adventure to the Waffle House to bring Twister to fourteen cheerleaders. Their friend, Don Keun works at the Waffle House and when the cheerleaders enter from the train that also brought Jubilee to Gracetown, rings Tobin. The quest disturbs their midnight marathon of James Bond films. Complete with Carla, a lovable car; a race against the Reston twins and a pursuit of hash browns.

The final story is about Addie and her heartbreak over Jeb, her boyfriend. He was also on Jubilee’s train and they were meant to meet Christmas Eve to talk out her big drunken mistake but he didn’t show. Instead she chops off her hair and dyed it pink. She works at Starbucks and to show her friends that she isn’t as selfish as she appears to be agrees to pick up the teacup pig that her and Dorrie bought their pig-obsessed friend, Tegan. Forgetting to get the pig before it is picked up by someone else, Addie enlists the help of the last person she wants to see. In the final story, the other characters all make appearances.

The reason I have waxed lyrical about the book is that the film is so different in comparison. Jubilee is called Julie and meets pop star Stuart on the train instead of the Waffle House. He has no-one to spend Christmas with so spends the day with Julie and meets her family. In the book, Jubilee is cared for by Stuart’s mum and little sister. Her selfish boyfriend doesn’t exist and her parents who were jailed for a riot over a Flobie Village are transformed into her sick mother and grandfather. The Flobie Village, a collectable ceramic Elf display town is mentioned but never seen.

Tobin and the Duke are friends with Keon who wants to host a Christmas party at home but it is moved to Waffle Town where he works with Billy and Dorrie. Tobin and the Duke make friends with JP who is now white and a college guy. They shelter in a church and Tobin gets roped into a multi-denominational Nativity. He also loves Duke the whole times whereas in the book, only realises it at the end. There is no daring journey with Twister as the fourteen cheerleaders have been replaced by six dancers. Carla the car ends up in a shallow ditch but does not lose a wheel.

Addie has trouble with Jeb as he doesn’t want her to crowd him and prefers fictional Madison instead. She still buys the pig but there is no Starbucks around and she is also helped by Tin Foil Woman (not man who also never originally meets Addie). Dorrie also has a love story with Kerry the dancer. This extra gay relationship was a nice addition to the story which originally has no homosexual relationships but this is the only change I welcome. They even changed Gracetown to Laurel, Illinois.

My opinions of the film are quite biased but if you like cute Netflix teen rom coms then the film is still enjoyable. It has some great up and coming actors:

Isabela Merced (Dora the Explorer, Instant Family) – Julie

Liv Hewson (Santa Clarita Diet) – Dorrie

Shameik Moore (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) – Stuart

Kiernan Shipka (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) – Angie (the Duke)

Odeya Rush (Lady Bird, Dumplin’) – Addie

Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Every Day) – Keon

Miles Robbins (Blockers, The Day Shall Come) – Billy

Joan Cusack also makes a cameo as Tin Foil Woman and the Narrator. I think the film was great for exposing new talent in a Netflix film that will be seen by millions. Some of the actors only have a few credits to their name. I feel very passionate about the book so felt let down by the film. Overall I give it 2.5/5.

A Bad Moms Christmas – 9th December

This Christmas sequel to the first Bad Moms film is definitely one to watch without any kids as the jokes are quite explicit. I really like this film and will hopefully be watching it again this season. The original is something I hadn’t seen before as the film focused on three mothers not wanting to be responsible and have some R-rated fun for once. They agree to be Bad Moms which is where the title comes from. This is quite unusual for a Hollywood film as mothers are usually portrayed as rule-following and not wanting to have that sort of fun. I think it’s important to show that just because women are mothers, doesn’t mean they have to sacrifice their personalities.

In this Christmas edition, the three main characters have their mothers come to stay for the holidays. Amy (Mila Kunis) is the main mother and in the last film, she was feeling under-appreciated after her divorce and then met Jessie (Jay Hernandez) who also has a daughter. Her mother, Ruth (Christine Baranski) is the perfectionist type and tries to upstage Amy’s quiet family Christmas with the full works.

Kiki (Kristen Bell) has a few young kids and her husband relies on her too much. Her mother, Sandy (Cheryl Hines) has boundary issues and tries to be as near to her as possible. She gets the same haircut as Kiki and suggests moving in the house next door.

The third mother is Carla (Kathryn Hahn) who is much looser than the other two and always the first to suggest partying. She works at a beauty parlour, waxing but as her son is much older, she has a bit more freedom. Her mother is even more free-spirited than Carla. Isis (Susan Sarandon) wears lots of leather and is always ready to get into trouble for a little fun.

This ensemble cast really gels together and along with the great acting quality and fun story, this Christmas comedy is one to watch when you need to laugh aloud. The scene at the Trampoline park is particularly fun as is the dynamic between Kiki and her mother in therapy. Some surprising heart but with a heavy focus on comedy, it’s time women got a turn at the raunchy comedies. Overall 5/5.

Home for Christmas – 8th December

I’ve seen this film floating around on Amazon Prime for a few years but have resisted watching it until this year. I hadn’t heard of it before but I’m really glad I took a chance on it. It was warm, full of heart and genuinely moved me.

The premise is that Beth is stuck in life, she works at a struggling cinema and can’t seem to tell her boyfriend she loves him. When he dumps her, she makes a series of life choices that lead her down a different path. Between her new love interest, changing career and mum pestering her to move abroad, Beth has a lot on her plate. She is also a big fan of rom-coms and references them constantly. As a film fan, I enjoyed this touch.

The Brighton setting was something different and even though most of the film was not Christmassy, it was a great film. I really related to some aspects of Beth’s life and many of the scenes were funny and something I hadn’t seen before. The cliches were there but self aware as Beth’s boyfriend dumped her saying ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ and she begged him not to be the cliche she knew from films.

Another cliche used of a character talking to someone and you think its a love interest but is really themselves or an animal. This time Beth was talking to a cardboard cutout of Ryan Gosling. I enjoyed the witty dialogue and amusing situations that were somehow plausible yet ridiculous.

I would definitely watch this film again and not just at Christmas. A great rom-com and a surprise performance from April Pearson who is known for her role as Michelle in ‘Skins’. Overall I would give this film 4.5/5.

Christmas Inheritance – 7th December

This Netflix Original did a flip on the usual spoilt rich boy meets a girl next door and becomes more humble. In Christmas Inheritance, it is the girl, Ellen who is sent on a mission by her father, a CEO millionaire, to hand deliver a letter to his ex-business partner in their mid-west hometown. She is only given $100 and has to travel by bus and not private plane as she is used to. At Snow Falls, she meets Jake who immediately doesn’t like her as he thinks she is spoilt and entitled. As the weather means she must stay at her inn and earn her keep, she gradually starts to learn the true meaning of Christmas and that a little kindness and generosity goes a long way.

There are some well known stars in this film: Eliza Taylor, Jake Lacy and Andie MacDowell but most actors are not people I know from other films or television. I thought the acting was good, there’s only so much you can do with this sort of plot and predictable Christmas mush but it was heartwarming and had a positive message. It was also the first time I had seen Eliza Taylor playing anyone other than Clarke Griffin in the 100 so it was interesting seeing her take on a different sort of role. It is surprising to think of Eliza as Australian as her American accent sounds native.

Overall I think this film is a gooey Christmas romance as many of the Netflix originals are but worth a watch if you’re a fan of riches to rags story or the actors. 3/5.

Holiday in the Wild – 6th December

Another Netflix Original for today’s film and this time it’s a trip to Zambia. A new film for this year, Holiday in the Wild has a lot of heart and important messages about wild animal conservation. The film is about a woman whose husband leaves her just before they are meant to go on a safari. She ends up going alone and on the way to the luxury hotel, her pilot makes a stop to save a baby elephant. Kate decides instead of living in luxury for two weeks that she will help out at the elephant sanctuary. Back in New York, Kate used to be a vet but gave it up to raise her son while her husband worked.

This all happens in September and when Kate is due to leave, she decides to stay. She also starts bonding with Derek who has lived at the sanctuary since he was sixteen. They bond over their single lives (Derek’s wife died 15 years previously) and start breaking down the barriers they have each held around their hearts. When Christmas rolls around, Kate can’t face going back to her empty apartment for the holidays so stays in Africa. Her son, who is now in college comes to visit her for Christmas Day. I won’t reveal too much more of the story but the plot is predictable enough.

What separated this film from other Christmas love stories is that not all the film is set at Christmas time and the love story is not the main focus. It centres around Kate rediscovering her passion for animals and learning to love elephants. At the end of the film, just before the credits, there is a really important message about elephant conservation and links to some charities.

I enjoyed this film and even though it was cheesy in some parts, it had real heart and the acting felt very natural. A fun fact is that Kate’s son is played by Rob Lowe’s son in real life. I would watch this again but probably next Christmas. It is also suitable for younger audiences. Overall 4/5.

Deck the Halls – 5th December

A fun family film with a nice warm ending. Deck the Halls is a film I re-watched in preparation for the Countdown to Christmas and I had forgotten how funny and entertaining the film is. It centres around two rival neighbours and their families. Steve Finch lives a quiet life until his new neighbours arrive in town. Buddy Hall is a car salesman and moves his family around a lot when he gets bored of a town. After his daughters show him My Earth (A fictional version of Google Earth) and point out that there house isn’t visible, Buddy decides to make his house a massive light display that can be seen from space.

This causes conflicts with Steve who then tries to sabotage the light display in order to get a good night’s sleep. Meanwhile, Steve who is normally king of Christmas, has a run of bad luck. The film is led by Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick with Kristin Davis and Kristin Chenoweth supporting. There are some great scenes with plenty of physical comedy. A sweet ending that puts you right in the Christmas mood and thankful that you aren’t Steve Finch. Wholesome family fun, 3/5.

The Man Who Invented Christmas – 4th December

As the poster says, The Man Who Invented Christmas is about how Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol and had it published in only six weeks. After a few flops in a row, Dickens’ publishers need a new story. It is after the success of Oliver Twist but he still hasn’t written many of his famous novels. A more adult film with less frills but an entertaining watch nonetheless. If you’ve ever wondered how the story was created, then this is the film for you.

The sets and costumes really made Victorian England come alive. Before watching, I had no idea about Dickens’ background and his tricky relationship with his father and the pressure he was under to write bestsellers. Starring some acting greats like Christopher Plummer and Jonathan Pryce and Dan Stevens as Dickens. I must admit I didn’t thoroughly love this film but different audiences might find the magic in it more than me. 3/5.