by ‘Tis the season to get cozy and watch every new holiday movie as it starts. Every Monday, we look back at the previous weekend’s preliminaries to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with a new list of great spots.
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Longest Grudge has been
For those of us thinking about 2014 Nine Lives of Christmas Christmas classic, it’s hard to look at actress Chelsea Hobbs and not see Blair, the model who got fired by Marilee and let Zachary’s cat, Ambrose, outside to get lost. But after Hallmark Channel Navigating Christmasin which Hobbs plays a successful, recently divorced mom trying to make her teenage son’s special vacation to stay at a lighthouse, we’re finally ready to do it.
The Least Predictable Ending
By default, Great American Family’s Paris Christmas Waltz: Not because Leo (a fully committed Matthew Morrison) and Emma’s (Jen Lilley) dramatic number to “O Holy Night” didn’t win the yuletide dance competition. But because Garland was not hung on that rail in the final sequence of the film. You know they thought about it! Second place: BET+’s Justice Under Oath: Taken Before Christmasfrom his church balcony climes Christmas Day brawl and bomb (!).
Best Representation for the Standard Gingerbread House Competition
Channel hallmark Happy Christmas They got into the spirit of the Morgan clan judging the annual Christmas whiskey competition at a distillery. Together again Party of Five co-stars Scott Wolf and Lacey Chabert were in the scene where estranged brothers Lindsey and Brad clashed in their joy when the characters could enjoy themselves and each other which was the real reason to to see
Welcome
Hallmark Channel is all about the unbilled appearances this year, and Happy Christmas was the grimmest so far. Will Kemp, Chabert’s regular dance partner, appeared in a festive bar scene as her love interest’s brother-in-law. Although Lindsey Chabert only knew how to waltz and tango The Christmas Waltz and The Dance Detective: A Deadly Tango), Tomás Kemp showed her how to do the Highland Fling. If he wasn’t wearing something under his kilt, those high kicks would be a very interesting outfit.
Best Supporting Actor from Canada
You see many of the same people in Hallmark movies year after year because Canadians encourage tax incentives to cast and film in Canada. Erik Athavale is one of those familiar faces, but he deserves a special shout out: In this week’s episode Holiday Hotlinehe was the boss who was too invested in Abby’s love triangle, and earlier this month, he played the sarcastic but wise reindeer rickshaw driver in Santa’s Summit. We see you, sir, and we appreciate you.
The Most Hilarious Family Scene
Who isn’t in love with a crowded car jam when someone needs to find somewhere quick to confess their love, à la Notting Hill? Amazon Freevee EXmas Graham’s (Robbie Amell) enthusiastic slo-mo family went out the door screaming to stop wearing their shoes before getting into a two-door Datsun that wouldn’t start. Almost the same fun: most of the family fighting over cookies accidentally made with THC butter and mom Jeannie (Kathryn Greenwood) sculpting a tiny snowman on her plate.
The joke is least likely to make it into a Landmark Movie
We doubt we’ll ever see one, because Christmas Jeannie, gift wrap this shape for Aunt Mildred. “She loves it. She needs that,” said daughter Mindy (Veronika Slowikowska).
The Best Duo We Didn’t Know We Wanted
Heather Graham and Brandy Norwood are a riot in Netflix’s The best. Christmas. Ever! and amateur Graham Charlotte hopes to discover that the life of her old college friend Jackie (Norwood) is not as big as it appears in her holiday newsletters. We had our doubts about Jackie’s son (didn’t Charlotte ask Jackie why she didn’t take out a newsletter then?), but still we couldn’t explain to you how those women managed the solar hot air balloon- empowered to repair that. Honorable mention: Cher and Michael Bublé, whose duet “Home” was a smash hit. Happy Christmas.
Best Week Ever!
Madison Skye Validum co-stars in both The best. Christmas. Ever! and Disney+’s Jump through the snow (our pick of the week, pictured). In the latter, she’s an effervescent spitfire, getting between Santa (Lil Rel Howery) and her unbelieving father (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges). First of all, she is a skeptical child genius out to prove that Santa is not real. We are happy that her character’s faith has been restored – and that the The best. Christmas. Ever! generally, children had actual personalities – but the kid whiz shouldn’t have wondered why there were only two reindeer in charge of the sleigh hanging from that hot air balloon?
Sexiest Christmas jumper
We have seen a lot of shawl-collar cardigans this holiday movie season, but Navigation Christmas’ Peter (Stephen Huszar) is our favorite so far. The quasi-Fair Isle print suited the film’s seaside setting, stayed true to his Scrooge character (it’s wintry, not Christmas-y), and paired nicely with his denim shirt and blue eyes.
A Sweetest Moment
Across Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ World Record Christmas, Eric (the always tender Lucas Bryant) was a loving dad to Charlie (Aias Dalman), his wife’s son from a previous marriage. We got misty when Charlie, who is on the autism spectrum, showed Eric to the seat he had reserved for his absent biological father: “You belong here,” Charlie told him. “You are my real father. You always were.” But!
Very Likely Snow
PLEASE NOTE! Did they really make a Lifetime movie Christmas Plus One during an actual storm? You could see the breath of stars Emily Alatalo and Corey Sevier as the snow collected on their hats, coats and hair in compacts. The steps up to this bench were messed up enough to look like they were legitimately planted. (If this was a fake storm, cheers to the snow coordinator. Yes, that’s a job title at holiday movies.)
Christmas Movie Guide 2023
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