Merry Christmas, Baby (2016)

Merry Christmas, Baby (2016)

Director:

Rhonda Baraka

Starring:

Malinda Williams

Victoria Rowell

Karon Riley

Plot:

Marci throws herself into preparing for Christmas and building her new event-planning business. But when the business gets off to a rocky start and members of her family face their own hardships, Marci steps up to help everyone have a good holiday.

Review:

So in the first movie Marci, Malinda Williams, comes home because her favorite cousin is going to be a missionary in Haiti and she’ll be gone for five years. I mention this because, they have continued this plotline. They mention her in every movie and in this one they even do a video chat. I like that she didn’t just disappear.

Blair, Karon Riley, is still struggling with his law firm. Marcie is now trying to run an event business with her aunt Elizabeth, Chrystale Wilson, and Myra, Deetta West, wants to adopt the young girl from the last movie. Again all the same actors which is nice, but they’ve stopped growing. They’re more giving but apart from that they’re still the same people.

I was really hoping that Marcie would be back on top and that Blair would be a stay at home dad, but I guess that’s not the direction they want to go in which is a bummer. It also kind of ended abruptly it felt.

Once again, poorly sung Christmas carols, check.

Picking out the perfect Christmas tree, check.

Learning to give to those in need, check.

It’s interesting to see an entire arc with this type of movie. I thought it was very real to life, which is probably the major negative for me. I wanted something more fanciful, I wanted perfect, and super happy endings. It’s Christmas, I want everything to work our beautifully in the end, not be stuck working with someone you can’t stand. Still, I will be very interested to see if there are more of these movies.

4/5

A Baby For Christmas (2015)

A Baby For Christmas (2015)

Director:

Rhonda Baraka

Starring:

Malinda Williams

Karon Riley

Deetta West

Chrystale Wilson

Plot:

It’s Christmas with the Chandlers but no one seems to have the Christmas spirit – except for Stephanie, that is. Marci and Blair are obsessing over being the perfect parents, Myra and Donald have retired and suddenly feel useless and Elizabeth is bending over backwards to get a promotion at work. Add to that Stephanie’s blooming romance with Lawrence – who is torn between being with her and continuing his mission work – and Christmas seems to be taking a back seat. That is, until a group of kids at an orphanage helps the family to realize that there’s more to Christmas than wrapping gifts and baking cookies.

Review:

Alright, movie number three and we’ve still got the same actors. I wasn’t as big a fan of this one, mainly because Marcie, Malinda Williams, who loves her job decides that she’s going to give it up so that she can be a stay at home mom. Even though she’s about to land a huge contract and her husband, Karon Riley, is still struggling with his law firm. It doesn’t make sense to me why he doesn’t just become a stay at home dad.

Outside of the main couple we got more focus on the other Chandler sisters this movie. Elizabeth, Chrystale Wilson, is trying to get a big promotion and Myra, Deetta West, is coping with her husband’s new retirement. It was nice to learn more about them. Elizabeth didn’t really make much progress, though, she did realize she didn’t want to be cut throat and is now thinking about starting her own business.

Poorly sung Christmas songs, check.

False labor and a rush to the hospital, check.

Christmas baby, of course check.

Oh well, one more movie to go in this franchise and I’m curious to see what happens.

4/5 (Still giving a star for being a Christmas movie)

Dashing Through the Snow By: Debbie Macomber

Dashing Through the Snow By: Debbie Macomber

Plot:

Ashley Davison, a graduate student in California, desperately wants to spend the holidays with her family in Seattle. Dashiell Sutherland, a former army intelligence officer, has a job interview in Seattle and must arrive by December 23. Though frantic to book a last-minute flight out of San Francisco, both are out of luck: Every flight is full, and there’s only one rental car available. Ashley and Dash reluctantly decide to share the car, but neither anticipates the wild ride ahead.

At first they drive in silence, but forced into close quarters Ashley and Dash can’t help but open up. Not only do they find they have a lot in common, but there’s even a spark of romance in the air. Their feelings catch them off guard—never before has either been so excited about a first meeting. But the two are in for more twists and turns along the way as they rescue a lost puppy, run into petty thieves, and even get caught up in a case of mistaken identity. Though Ashley and Dash may never reach Seattle in time for Christmas, the season is still full of surprises—and their greatest wishes may yet come true.

Review:

I thought the premise for this was interesting, what happens if you’re on the no fly list and can’t fly home for the holidays. I really liked the subplot going on, it provided a nice contrast to the sweet romance that was developing, though the bumbling FBI agent is an older overused trope.

Ashley was fine, kind of boring, and I don’t think it was ever explained what she was in grad school for. Dash was boring too, though, very close lipped and vague about stuff. It was really just slightly more than a short story and wouldn’t have been that without the side plot. It also kind of annoyed me that their names were so similar, they had a lot of things in common actually, back story wise. Honestly apart from the initial premise the story was unimaginative.

If all you’re looking for is a sweet Christmas story than this is perfect.

3/5

Christmas Kiss II (2014)

Christmas Kiss II (2014)

Director:

Kevin Connor

Starring:

Elisabeth Harnois

Adam Mayfield

Jonathan Bennett

Plot:

At a Christmastime event, Jenna shares an impromptu, unforgettable kiss with the dashing billionaire, 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.

Review:

This movie sold me until the ending. I’m sorry but a Leo Diamond from Kay Jewelers isn’t going to make up for the fact that they’ve known each other for like two weeks and she’s spent most of that time barely tolerating him. Literally a couple days before she accepted his proposal he was taking his old fling out to dinner.

Forgetting about the ending, I liked the movie. Cooper, Adam Mayfield, plays a trope that I’m not fond of, the male that is forceful and knows that he and the female lead will be perfect together. It’s past confidence and in the obnoxious cocky area. It’s a popular trope that I usually hate, but that can sometimes be alright. In this case I didn’t mind it because Jenna, Elisabeth Harnois, called him out on it. She kept pushing back and called him like she saw him. I liked that a lot.

Magical kiss, check.

Billionaire that gives a cheap diamond and lives in a split level apartment, check.

Christmas tree shopping, check.

I’m going to watch this one again. I think it’s safe to say I liked it better than Christmas Kiss I, but the ending was pretty poor.

4/5

Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone (1990)

Director:

Chris Columbus

Starring:

Macaulay Culkin

Joe Pesci

Daniel Stern

Plot:

An eight-year-old troublemaker must protect his house from a pair of burglars when he is accidentally left home alone by his family during Christmas vacation.

Review:

This is a classic Christmas movie that I watch every year. As I’ve gotten older it’s taken on a new light. I still marvel at the ingenuity that Kevin, Macaulay Culkin, is able to manage in protecting his home, but I’m also amazed his parents didn’t beat him. The fact that he didn’t kill the Wet Bandits, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, is remarkable and something that never even occurred to me when I was young. The language is a bit crude and now I worry that my daughter will pick up bad words, but I honestly can’t not watch this every year.

The music is, well, it’s John Fucking Williams, so it’s amazing.

As a child I wondered if I would be able to pull off something so amazing. As a parent I know I would go to the same extremes as his mother, Catherine O’Hara, if not more if I somehow managed to do the unthinkable.

If you have somehow managed not to see this definitely check it out. I hope you enjoy!

5/5