Days 350-365: December 16-31, 2015
On the Twelfth Day of Christmas (2015)
Starring Brooke Nevin, Robin Dunne, and Dani Kind
Maggie must get home for Christmas and gets a ride home from Mitch, an upperclassman. While on the road, their trip is stopped due to bad weather and Mitch gives her 12 gifts of Christmas along the way home. Years later, Mitch ends up in her hometown as the local DJ and no spirit of Christmas. Maggie takes Mitchâs Christmas future into her own hands and send him 12 Secret Santa challenges just as he had all those years ago. I love the concept behind this movie by its spends far too much time on the setup and earlier gifts leading to a breeze through of the last five gifts.
The Flight Before Christmas (2015)
Starring Mayim Bialik and Ryan McPartlin
Two strangers in dead end relationships must share a room at a bed-and-breakfast when the snow delays their flights home in Montana on Christmas Eve. This is an opposites attract kind of movie where two people who couldn't irritate each other more fall for each other making one of the most awkward couple ever.
A Gift Wrapped Christmas (2015)
Starring Meredith Hagner, Travis Milne, and Anna Van Hooft
Gwen, the perfect personal shopperâs world is rocked when her newest client, Charlie, a workaholic oblivious single father refuses to take her advice  Luckily for Gwen, she is able to unfreeze his heart and inspire him in the true spirit of Christmas. This movie features an appearance by 7th Heaven alum, Beverley Mitchell and is the most entertaining of the personal shopper Christmas movies.
Ricki and the Flash (2015)
Starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Mamie Gummer
Diablo Coby helms this music themed film where Ricki (Streep) must return to her family after abandoning them for years when her daughter played by her actual daughter becomes divorced and depressed. Unfortunately, her children donât welcome her with open arms as old wounds cut deep. Full of quips and songs, Ricki and the Flash is an enjoyable guilty pleasure type movie.
National Lampoonâs Christmas Vacation (1989)
Starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, and Juliette Lewis
Clark Griswold has fantastical plans for Christmas to be perfect but everything blows up when the extended family arrives. Other than the Holiday hi jinx, this movieâs best moments feature the snooty neighbors played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Nicholas Guest (best known for playing the Headmaster on the short lived but guilty pleasure worthy USA High). Who can forget the 2 set of actors to play the Griswold children, The Big Bang Theoryâs Johnny Galecki and my favorite bitchy TV detective from Secret and Lies, Juliette Lewis. Two words: christmas classic. I canât believe it took me this long to watch it.
My One Christmas Wish (2015)
Starring Amber Riley, Matreya Fedor, and Priscilla Faia
Based on a true story, a hardworking young woman played by Gleeâs Amber Riley who has no family becomes a counselor for a group of trouble girls showing them the true spirit of Christmas. She places an ad on Craigslist of a family for Christmas and receives amazing responses which gives her the idea of having a party so all these people can meet and finds that she had the family all along. This is a beautifully touching real life story that inspires.
Starring Nikki Deloach, Luke Macfarlane, Richard Karn and Maureen McCormick
An inheritance story as a city girl inherits her beloved Auntâs Christmas tree farm that she used to visit as a child. Just like Northpole: Open for Christmas, she wants to flip the place and get back to her job as soon as possible. But Christmas Land is irresistible to resist along with the town and a certain lawyer Tucker, who will do anything to help her. Itâs a story thatâs been told just this season that does nothing for me except make me want to visit a Christmasy town like that.
Starring Elisabeth RÜhm, Laura Breckenridge, and Brendan Fehr
The first stranger kiss in an elevator comes to us via ion television and A Christmas Kiss where a assistant in disguise kisses her bossâs boyfriend and they fall in love while her boss forces her to decorate his house for Christmas. Ironic that his girlfriend is the one whoâs controlling nature that brings them together. An enjoyable slightly romantic Christmas tale with nods to Holiday traditions that none of us understand and a bunch of laughs.
The Spirit of Christmas (2015)
Starring Jen Lilley, Thomas Beaudoin, and Kati Salowsky
A young realtor must visit a house her boss needs to sell and determine while all her appraisers refuse to finish the job. She gets more than what she bargained for when she runs into a ghost that has been cursed into haunting the house for the 12 days prior to Christmas. When I saw this plot summary, my first thought was wtf, that is random but like all of Lifetimeâs 2015 Holidayâs movies, I let myself believe the world. This was until the movieâs final moments when the ghost is set free from the curse and comes back to the land of the living to be with the realtor. Thatâs just not possible even in a fantasy world.
Christmas Crush aka Holiday High School Reunion (2012)
Starring Rachel Boston, Jonathan Bennett, Marilu Henner and Harry Hamlin
Once voted most likely to succeed, Georgia has little to celebrate as her high school reunion approaches. Her bright side is that she can finally win back her high school boyfriend, Craig who's as dumb as a bag of rocks. Georgia makes a fool of herself in several amusing ways before she discovers her true love and childhood best friend, Ben Oliver. Itâs always the best friend.
Starring Peter Billingsley, Melinda Dillon, and Darren McGavinÂ
Who could forget this iconic film with the leg lamp, âyouâll shoot your eye out, kidâ, and never stick your tongue to a metal pole in Winter. This is a true Christmas classic that I watch every year and taught me many important lessons as it did most kids.
Starring Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, and Alison Brie
James King (Ferrell) was framed for fraud and about to go off San Quentin. He wants to make sure that he survives which is where Darnell Lewis (Kevin Hart) comes in to toughen him up. Iâve never watched a Kevin Hart movie in my life and watched this one to see what the fuss was about. The truth being that this movie as a small amount of amusing moments and is definitely not one of Ferrellâs best or I hope an accurate depiction of Hartâs.
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Bradley Cooper
Joy tells a glamorized mix of the true and fictionalized life story of Joy Mangano, the inventor of the Miracle Mop featuring incredibles highs like when she sells almost 100,000 mops and lows like when she is forced by her own parents to give up and file bankruptcy. That is a truly messed up family. Jennifer Lawrence is young to be playing Joy but the feistiness of her performance (mostly revealed in the trailer) is deserving of its praise. The rest of the movie however feels rather muddled at time with occasional moments of clarity.
A Christmas Melody (2015)
Starring Lacey Chabert, Brennan Elliot, Mariah Carey and Kathy Najimy
The undisputed âQueen of Hallmarkâ, Lacey Chabert returns for this Christmas coming home story along with her former co-star/fiance in another Hallmark movie, Brennan Elliot (best known to Hallmark fans as sleazball Warren Saggett). To top of the crazy, letâs add Mariah Carey is her former classmate and bitchy PTA president, who may not have been acting the entire time as a ominous glow follows her around. The best thing about this movie is Fina Strazza, the child star who steals the movie from its four larger stars in every scene sheâs it. And as in all of these movies, the children are always way smarter than the adults.
Wish Upon A Christmas (2015)
Starring Larisa Oleynik, Aaron Ashmore, and Linda Darlow
A woman whose job it is to travel around and fire people must return to her childhood home and make cuts to the Christmas Ornament factory which her old boyfriend owns. Talk about awkward. The two of them along with his son must believe in Christmas Magic to save the factory in this holiday movie featuring a disguised Santa Claus who crash lands to make the sonâs wish come true and reunite the lovers.Â
Last Chance for Christmas (2015)
Starring Hilarie Burton, Gabriel Hogan, and Tim Matheson
Prancer is injured and canât fly on Christmas, so John must travel to a failing Reindeer farm to buy a special reindeer to save Christmas. This movie best featuring is Johnâs awkward conversations with everyone outside the North Pole since the only people he talked to for 15 years are elves and Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Mr and Mrs. Claus have the best lines trying to intimidate John into confidence to get the reindeer.
Starring Christian Bale, Steve Carell, and Ryan Gosling
Four men predict our most recent housing crisis and take on the big banks for causing it to happen. Similar to other films slated as Oscar frontrunners, The Big Short boasts high profile talent with actual knowledge of financial jargon and jabs at the big banks that we wished we had thought of.
origamiaround
blakekathryn
romaincrisis
yousharknotpass
gummygunk
jimmyeatworldofficial