Christmas Icetastrophe (2014)

Rated: PG

Genre: Drama, Fantasy

Starring: Victor Webster, Jennifer Spence, Mike Dopud, Richard Harmon, and Ben Cotton

Synopsis: An asteroid strike unleashes ice crystals, threatening to freeze anything in its path.

Review: This is primarily a science fiction film.  It feels pretty much like the standard one.  It takes place at Christmas but that’s barely a part of it.  For the genre, it’s interesting and well-acted but a bit cliché.

Scoring: 2

Christmas in Carolina (2020)
Rated: G
Genres: Family, Romance
Starring: David L. Rowell and Joslyn Y. Hall
Synopsis: Elle, a career-driven investment banker, has given up on love until she meets Wesley, who invites her to his hometown in South Carolina, where she falls in love and finds the spirit of Christmas again.
Review: It was a hard one to watch in the beginning. If I wasn’t reviewing it I would have given up. The worst part is a lot of amateur acting. I’m glad I stuck with it. The story got good. Not amazing but good enough for me to enjoy it. It’s more of a romance than a Christmas movie but it’s cute. I probably wouldn’t watch again but glad I saw it. 
Scoring: 2

Christmas in Compton (2012)

Rated: PG-13

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Keith David, Eric Roberts and Sheryl Lee Ralph

Synopsis: Big Earl, the owner of a Christmas tree lot in Compton, California runs into some trouble when his son Derrick crosses the line to prove to his father that he is a success.

Review: There are parts of the plot that are quite far-fetched but I like the overall message of the value of community.  It’s not the highest quality film I’ve seen and it felt a little long.  I did enjoy it, though.  As with many movies, the little girl was a highlight.

Scoring: 3

Christmas In Connecticut (1992)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Dylan Cannon, Kris Kristofferson, and Tony Curtis

Synopsis: Elizabeth is the star of a successful cooking show and author of several cookbooks. Alexander, her manager, sees a heroic forest ranger named Jefferson on the television news, saying he has lost his cabin in a fire and wishes he could get a home-cooked Christmas dinner. Alexander arranges for Elizabeth to do a special live show on Christmas, where she will cook a Christmas dinner for Jefferson. In reality, Elizabeth can't cook and trying to keep Jefferson and the viewing public from finding out may be a little difficult, especially on a live show.

Review:  As with many remakes, the original is so much better. The original is more of a love story with humor and this is slapstick. It’s funny and silly but it doesn't take itself seriously and is still entertaining.

Scoring: 3

Christmas In Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing (2020)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Holly Robinson-Peete and Barbara Niven

Synopsis: As Michelle's wedding approaches, Hannah steps up to help finish the launch of the new Evergreen museum while questioning her relationship and future with Elliot.

Review: While the characters, at times, seem artificial with their giggly responses to everything, the movie evolves and gives them a little more depth. This fourth installment once again weaves new characters in with the old while highlighting the town as the star. Unlike most Christmas movies, I didn’t see this ending coming but I enjoyed the movie. I recommend watching all of them in order. 

Scoring: 3

Christmas In Evergreen: Letters To Santa (2018)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Starring: Jill Wagner, Mark Deklin, Holly Robinson Peete, Ashley Williams and Barbara Niven

Synopsis: Lisa's trip home to Evergreen for the holidays finds her shepherding an effort to save the town's beloved general store, fulfilling the wishes of a Christmas past and finding a romance full of Christmas magic.

Review:  I actually liked this better than the first Evergreen movie. There’s something special about this movie. It’s got love, friendship, family, healing, and magic. I loved everything about it. 

Scoring: 4.5

Christmas In Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019)

Rated: G

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance 

Starring: Paul Greene, Maggie Lawson, Barbara Niven, Holly Robinson-Peete, Jill Wagner, and Ashley Williams

Synopsis: A skeptical writer shows up in Evergreen to get the scoop on the town's famed passion for Christmas during a search for a long-lost time capsule.

Review: I admit I was skeptical that the third Evergreen movie could live up to the first two. It was the best yet. All the Christmas traditions, scenery, and joy are there like the first two. The addition of the time capsule kept me riveted to the TV. The relationships between all the town people are heartwarming. This is one to watch. 

Scoring: 4.5

Christmas In Harmony (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Loretta Devine, Ashleigh Williams and Luke James

Synopsis: Harmony is tricked into auditioning for the Holiday Chorus-directed by an ex-boyfriend.

Review: I adore Loretta Devine so I was disappointed that I didn’t like this more.  It’s a little all over the place.  Is it about grief, believing in yourself, raising money, finding love again, faith, jealousy?  There are too many stories and they aren’t woven together well.  The music is beautiful but I’m not sure it’s worth sitting through the rest.  My favorite part was the mother and sisters on the couches with wine talking. Overall, it just felt like it was trying too hard.

Scoring: 2

Christmas In Hollywood (2014)

Rated: NR

Genres: Family, Fantasy

Starring: Jiang Zi Long

Synopsis: Charlie, a young boy from China travels all the way from Shanghai to find his father’s restaurant in Hollywood is in trouble. He must convince 3 people to believe in the Spirit of Christmas in order to save his family's dream.

Review: I understand that Long is a child actor but he’s a horrible actor which makes his character hard to warm up to.  His uncle speaking as a pirate was grating.  Believing in Christmas and magic is great but this is not the vehicle for conveying the message in a good way.  The not so subtle nod to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is as over the top as the rest of the film.

Scoring: 1

Christmas in Louisiana (2019)

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Jana Kramer, Barry Bostwick, Dee Wallace, Moira Kelly, and Brian McNamara

Synopsis: A woman returns home to celebrate the anniversary of the town’s Sugarcane Christmas Festival.

Review: The movie is fairly upbeat and filled with Christmas.  I just had trouble buying into the premise.  Senior year a boy breaks up with a girl in front of the whole town, she holds a grudge for 15 years, then all is forgiven in a day and they’re celebrating the festival together.  It took away from what the movie could’ve been.  Even with that, the movie is still wonderful.  Old love, new love, and rediscovered love all together wrapped in Christmas. 

Scoring: 3

Christmas In Love (2018)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Brooke D’Orsay and Daniel Lissing 

Synopsis: Ellie works at a local bakery but her love is crafting. Nick, the new CEO, arrives filled with modernization ideas destined to lay off many employees. When Nick finally tells the employees his future ideas for the company, Ellie must decide if she should trust him, but more importantly, whether to take a leap of faith in making her own dreams come true.

Review:  I know this includes a small town and a bakery as so many Christmas movies seem to but this one is different. It’s layered and moves at a steady pace. It’s full of Christmas tradition and small-town charm. 

Scoring: 4

Christmas in Maple Hills (2023)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Emily Alatalo and Marcus Rosner

Synopsis: Valerie Warrick and a dashing veteran need to track down the enigmatic owner of her family's land in order to preserve her family's legacy.

Review: The story had so much potential, especially with the two time periods.  Sadly, it was put together in a way that took away from the emotional aspect.  I never found myself caring about the characters.  It’s not horrible, it’s just not great.  Alatalo and Rosner did well.  They were the best part of the movie.

Scoring: 2

Christmas In Mississippi  (2017)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Jana Kramer, Wes Brown, Faith Ford, Barry Bostwick, Richard Karn, and Gary Grubbs

Synopsis: Photographer Holly returns to her hometown of Gulfport, Mississippi for Christmas. The town is resurrecting their traditional holiday light show for the first time since a terrible hurricane struck five years earlier. Holly volunteers to pitch in, but soon has second thoughts when she discovers the festival is run by her high school sweetheart, Mike. With the help of her match-making mom, Caroline and Mr. Kriss, the kind man who will play Santa in the town's celebration, Holly begins to fall in love with her hometown, and Mike, all over again.

Review:  I found the storyline about the hurricane to be distracting and overkill. Other than that, I really liked it. Kramer and a Brown had strong chemistry, the story slowly unfolds, and it weaves in Christmas magic. 

 Scoring: 3

Christmas In Montana (2019)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Kellie Martin and Colin Ferguson

Synopsis: Before the holidays, Sara goes to Montana to help resistant Travis save his ranch.  

Review: This movie was a heartfelt Drama with real emotion yet it didn’t feel dark. It didn’t get too much into the ranching and was more about the relationships. The main characters were learning to deal with loss which is something many people can relate to. There was tons of Christmas and community. I especially loved the bonfire sing along. 

Scoring: 3.5

Christmas In My Heart (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Luke Macfarlane, Heather Hemmens, and Sheryl Lee Ralph

Synopsis: Violinist Beth returns home after the recent death of her mother and tutors the daughter of a reclusive country music star to prepare her for the upcoming holiday concert.

Review: The movie is a drama about learning to live after loss and finding a new normal.  As you can imagine, it’s very dramatic and a little heavy.  I liked how they handled it, especially the scene in the church with Macfarlane and Ralph.  What it didn’t provide was enough positives and lighthearted moments to balance it out. *** I’ve rewatched it. It didn’t seem as dark the second time, but I think they could’ve added more celebration. I also think the romantic leads were lacking chemistry. 

Scoring: 3