35 Days of Christmas (2015)

NOVEMBER 27: I suppose this isn't really a Christmas movie, but the scene I love the best and the one I always seem to remember is the Christmas scene at the end.

I think Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon play off each other very well in this film. I also like how Susan Sarandon always tries to come off as the better person, but she always seems to be more petty.

While I wouldn't peg it as a classic Christmas movie, I still feel it's a classic movie in general.

NOVEMBER 28: This was a cute movie, however it was quite predictable in many respects. I thought the child actors that portrayed Ruthie and Norman were fantastic. Ruthie was particularly enjoyable because she has no filter. Case in point, see the exchange below (I'm glad IMDb had as I wouldn't have remembered it correctly):

Ruthie Kamp: What's so funny?
Mrs. Rathbone: It's just, you remind me of myself, when I was your age.
Ruthie Kamp: Oh, that's awful.

NOVEMBER 29: I can't believe this movie was rated PG! Of course, this movie was listed as one of the movies that helped create the need for a PG-13 rating.

I hadn't seen this movie in so long! Gizmo was so darn cute. Except, I'm pretty sure this movie was an inspiration point for the creation of the Furby dolls. Kind of puts a damper on the movie. I never had one with no desire to ever own one. They're creepy.

NOVEMBER 29 BONUS: This movie had some super cute moments, but I felt it kind of dragged a little bit. Being stuck in an airport with no opportunity to really change scenery for much of the movie was also problematic. There was however, one piece of dialogue that I found hilarious and it had me laughing quite a bit. IMDb does not have it, so I'm going from memory recollection:

(after Maddie has made the metal detector beep for the third time)
Airport Security Guard: Do you have something in your hair?
Maddie: What? Like a grenade?
Airport Security Guard: Like a barrette?

P.S. Am I the only person who thinks JoBeth Williams looks like Susan Sarandon in the DVD cover? You can even scroll back up to number and take a look at the Stepmom cover.

NOVEMBER 30: Done in the mockumentary style, it's definitely not meant to be taken seriously. It's a little cheesy in spots, but overall entertaining.

NOVEMBER 30 BONUS: The story concept of this movie was great. It's a story, the likes of which, I've heard many times before. I just could not take Linda Hamilton seriously as the German mother, though. Maybe it's because I'm used to her being in more action-packed movies like the early Terminator movies and Dante's Peak. Seeing her in such a passive role was awkward. I never quite caught the names of the soldier characters, but I think my favorite character was Rassi (if he was the cocky one).

DECEMBER 1: When is the last time a truly wonderful Christmas movie was released mainstream. I didn't realize how crazy this movie was until I re-watched it this year, but it's kind of ridiculous in some spots. And yet, there's so much magic in how the story is told, it's become a Christmas classic. David Krumholtz, as Bernard, was always my favorite character.

DECEMBER 2: I feel like the same people who created the TV show Doug created this movie. I'm too lazy to actually check it, but the animation is so similar. It's a cute movie. It's about toys who are trying to find who they are meant for on Christmas eve.

DECEMBER 3: Despite the fact that snow only shows up in the last five minutes or so of the film, it's such a classic! Bing and Danny played off of each very well.

DECEMBER 4: Another movie to add to my tearjerker list. I don't cry during movies, so the list is really small. What a beautiful story...and it's based on true events!

DECEMBER 5: Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick both have successful comedies under their belts, but this is not one of them. It has its moments where it's almost entertaining, but I thought the biggest travesty of this movie was the dialogue. It was so stiff and didn't really fit the mood of the movie.

DECEMBER 6: I love the family dynamics shown in this movie. I think my favorite part wasn't actually part of the movie; it was the soul train line before the end credits. I particularly enjoyed how Delroy Lindo seemed to come to the rescue of quite a few of the characters, which endeared him to the family all the more. Ma'Dere was my favorite character. I loved how she could be blissfully ignorant of some things, but all-knowing with others. And her sense of humor is just awesome!

DECEMBER 7: I loved watching this movie when I was a kid. The girl who played Jessica kind of reminded me of a young Megan Follows about the time she started portraying Anne of Green Gables. Such an adorable kid. Of course, in real life, she's actually older than I am.

DECEMBER 7 BONUS: I had to follow the original with the sequel, especially since I had yet to actually watch the sequel. Not as good as the first, but still enjoyable. I liked the budding romance between Tom and Denise, but I liked the fact that the focus primarily stayed on the reindeer and Charlie (why is Charlie such a popular name in Christmas movies?).

DECEMBER 8: Not my favorite version of Charles Dickens' classic story. The dialogue was difficult to understand due to the audio track, which made it hard to enjoy the movie. It also felt very compacted (the movie was only 58 minutes long).

DECEMBER 8 BONUS: It wasn't until 10:30PM last night that I put two and two together and figured out it was the anniversary of Pearl Harbor (I initially thought it was the 11th), but it was too late to start this movie. So, I started Scrooge early enough that I was left with plenty of time to watch this movie as well. Not really a Christmas movie, but as it takes place during December and it commemorates the attack on Pearl Harbor, I decided to include it. Setting aside the romance that was used primarily to further the story along, I thought it was very well done. It's always hard to make these kinds of movies, because you don't know what public perception will be and whether people will be offended by some minor detail of the movie and so on, but I thought it was an excellent tribute to the memories of those who died at Pearl Harbor. Someday I'd like to be able to travel there to visit the memorials.

DECEMBER 9: I love this movie! I grew up with the American Girls and Samantha was always my favorite. AnnaSophia Robb did a fantastic job portraying Samantha and I found this movie to be very faithful to the ideals and values presented in the Samantha book series.

DECEMBER 10: This movie could have been much better. The CGI effects in the flying scenes were awful, the acting was terrible, the script could have been better, and the execution of the plot was quite boring.

DECEMBER 11: I forgot how totally creepy and twisted this movie was. Probably my least favorite version (yes, after re-watching this movie, Scrooge has moved up a spot). I did like all the ghosts floating around in the sky after Marley leaves.

DECEMBER 12: There is no positive way to say this, so I'm just going to say it: all of these characters are unbelievably annoying! I can't enjoy this movie, because every time someone opens their mouth or pops up on screen, it grates on my nerves. I did appreciate the Buffy reference in light of the fact that the main character is a former Buffy cast-mate.

I take it back, Jeremiah was the only likeable character in this movie.

DECEMBER 13: The ballet featured here was pretty good. The acting...not so much. In fact the actual actors' ballet movements were not as fluid and graceful as those from the ballet which detracted from the story. However, I rated it high due to the really beautiful set pieces, despite the stage setting, and the ballet performance. I have yet to actually see this story performed live at a ballet performance.

DECEMBER 14: Watching this movie, I was struck by the fact that I have never really seen anything else with Olivia Newton-John aside from Grease. It really hit home when she opened her mouth to speak and I was like "Aw! It's Sandy!" A little sassier than the "pure shy girl" from Grease. This was a cute movie. Emily Rose was such a phenomenal character with a little bit of her mother's sass. I loved the budding of the romance between Julia and Brian, however I found that their public declarations to each other at the end was somewhat anti-climactic.

DECEMBER 15: In light of the fact that my parents have tickets to see the new Star Wars this Friday, I am trying to squeeze in my outlined Christmas movie viewing with a Star Wars marathon leading up to Friday. I had a little extra time last night, but not enough to watch an entire Star Wars movie, so I jumped ahead a day on my Christmas list. After watching Ernest Scared Stupid in October for my Halloween countdown, I figured I might as well watch Ernest Saves Christmas. I grew up on these Ernest movies, so this was like a trip down memory lane. So ridiculous, it's actually hilarious. I loved the actor who portrayed Santa Claus and I'm quite sad he wasn't in more mainstream movies.

DECEMBER 16: What an adorable movie! I loved it. I definitely prefer Samantha Barks in Les Miserables instead, but she was still a fun character in this film. I do have to admit that I was not impressed with Susan Boyle's acting; however I did enjoy the fact that her character was able to sing a lot and I'm still in awe of her beautiful voice. I loved the Reverend; he was so awesome. I loved that he inspired the people in the village to be each others' miracles.

DECEMBER 17: Generally speaking, I don't cry during movies. Movies that send most people running to tissue boxes, might me a tiny bit teary-eyed, but I generally don't cry. I've seen thousands of movies in my lifetime and only two have ever made me cry. Yes, this is one of the two. I think it was primarily due to the boy's performance. My heart really went out to him with his mother dying and it's something that many people have to suffer through in reality.

DECEMBER 18: I can't believe I had never seen this movie before! I had seen the remake several times already, but this was so wonderful. I can't decide who I like better as Santa: Edmund Gwenn or Richard Attenborough. Both were superb! I loved the romance between Doris and Fred is this movie better, though.

DECEMBER 19: I became a Gary Sinise fan many years ago when I first saw Ransom (I had seen him previously in Forrest Gump and Apollo 13, but it was Ransom that really drew me to him...Ransom and Snake Eyes). He's such an amazing actor. I loved him in this movie, but him in a romantic role is a little hard to swallow. He's always been in dramas and action movies...this was a really big change of pace. Still a wonderful movie and a favorite of mine. Joely Richardson was wonderful, too.

DECEMBER 20: Oh my goodness! Such an adorable movie! I loved how Della Reese's character kept professing that she wasn't an angel, especially when you realize one of Della Reese's most memorable roles was as the angel Tess on Touched by an Angel. It was a little weird seeing Tamara Mowery in a maternal role, since everything I'd ever seen her in was when she was a teenager and acting with her sister. I loved the character of Olivia. She reminded me of the sassy Jessica from Prancer a few weeks ago.

Oy vey! Can you believe Christmas is five days away?! Where did the time go this year?

DECEMBER 21: What a classic! I feel like I say that about almost every mainstream Christmas movie I watch. It's so hilarious that no Christmas is complete without it and Macaulay Culkin is so priceless in that role. It just sucks that it went beyond the first sequel. I think it may be at five, but let's face it, any sequel that doesn't have Macaulay, Daniel, or Joe in it is not worth it.

DECEMBER 22: I'm pretty sure I went to bed stupider than when I woke up yesterday morning (I'm writing this mini review on the 23rd) and this movie contributed to that. It was awful and my rating of 4 is being generous. Santa was cynical, the elves were ridiculous, the CGI was horrible and don't even get me started on any scene with the Miser brothers. So glad tonight's movie is a favorite of mine.

DECEMBER 23: Overall, I really enjoy this movie and the story presented, but this recent viewing showed me that I'm not a fan of the CGI used to animate the characters. Most of them looked pretty weird. Still love it.

DECEMBER 24: I've already reviewed several other Christmas Carol's, so I won't spend any additional time on this one. Alastair Sim was a fantastic Mr. Scrooge, though.

DECEMBER 25: Such a beautiful portrayal of the nativity story. Mary and Joseph were almost exactly how I imagined them to be in real life: kind, humble, faithful. And, oh boy, did you see those wise men? Hilarious! They totally made the movie for me.

DECEMBER 26: Not much to say about this one. I enjoyed it and it was a cute little romance, but nothing truly phenomenal. Sadie kind of reminded me of a young Reese Witherspoon.

DECEMBER 27: **adjusts target on back**

I don't like Will Ferrell, so this movie that everyone else seems to love, is only mildly entertaining to me. Taking the comedy genre as a whole, I typically don't care for it, which is why I'm not that fazed by this movie. It did have its moments, though, but it came off as super cheesy (in annoying kind of way) to me.

DECEMBER 28: Cute movie! Hillary is adorably naïve and the charade she concocts for her family just keeps getting better as she tries to keep it together. David is kind of hot and I think they have decent on-screen chemistry.

DECEMBER 29: Another Christmas classic. No Christmas is complete without this one. 'Nuff said. :)

DECEMBER 30: What a cute movie! I love all characters! And such a great message, too.

DECEMBER 31: Knowing this is a semi-biographical movie, it's kind of amazing to see what Thomas Kinkade went through to get his start in painting. I also loved seeing the town mural come to life with all the heart and soul he poured into it.

UNKNOWN: I have no idea what day I watched this on, I just know I watched it sometime this month. I'm not a fan of crude humor and that seems to be all this movie has, so I was not a big fan of it. However, I think it had some endearing moments, so I rated it a little higher than I normally would have, but I wasn't really impressed.