Topic: Addicted2DVD's 25 Days of Christmas Marathon: 2010

[addicted2dvd]

The X-Files: The Complete Sixth Season Now you can own the entire sixth season of THE X-FILES™. All 22 classic episodes are available for the first time in this exclusive 6-disc collector's edition. From "The Beginning," "Dreamland" and "How the Ghosts Stole Christmas" to "Two Fathers," "One Son" and "Biogenesis," these Season Six episodes are a must for every X-Files fan.

Episode Watched:
How the Ghosts Stole Christmas
Mulder convinces Scully to put aside her gift wrapping on the night before Christmas to help him stake out a reputed haunted house.


My Thoughts:
Not only is this one of my favorite Christmas episodes to watch each year... it is one of my favorite episodes of X-Files. This episode has 2 big named guest stars in Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin. How The Ghosts Stole Christmas takes place in (and some outside) a haunted house the entire episode only has the 4 actors in it. And I think they all did a great job.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Veronica Mars: The Complete First Season A little bit Buffy. A little bit Bogart. A dash of Nancy Drew. Veronica Mars takes the best and brainiest of the American culture of crimesolving and adds a unique vision of its own – brooding, edgy, darkly funny and just plain dark – to become one of the hottest, sleekest series of the new century. Veronica (Kristen Bell) is an outcast in a trendy SoCal beach town.  Once she ran with Neptune High's in crowd. But she's on the outside after her best friend is murdered and her sheriff father accuses the wrong man as the perp: the dead girl's billionaire father. Dad loses his job, Veronica loses her popularity and both struggle to build a detective agency and new lives. E-mail scams, cults, car thefts – you name it, Veronica investigates it. But her obsession is the murder of her friend. And she'll take any risk to solve it.

Episode Watched:
An Echolls Family Christmas
California Hold 'em. Weevil's the big winner at Logan Echolls' poker party but the $5,000 pot disappears. Keith attends the Echolls' swank Christmas party to discover who's been stalking Logan's father.


My Thoughts:
This is a good episode. There was two mysteries in this episode. One for Veronica to solve. And one for her father. Of course Veronica's mystery was the more interesting mystery to watch. I really didn't find myself caring too much about the mystery Keith was working on. But either way a good show... well worth watching.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol An animated, magical, musical version of Dickens' timeless classic "A Christmas Carol." The nearsighted Mr. Magoo doesn't have a ghost of a chance as Ebenezer Scrooge, unless he learns the true meaning of Christmas from the three spirits who haunt him one Christmas Eve.

My Thoughts:
This is part of a boxset that I got called The Original Christmas Classics... it is in a set of 7 specials. This is one I haven't seen since I was a kid. I always liked the character of Mr. Magoo. And I always liked the story of A Christmas Carol... but the one thing I don't like about this special is all the music they use in it. That is the one downfall of this show in my personal opinion. I am happy to say that the quality of the release is much nicer then I was expecting... for some reason I wasn't expecting too much quality wise. but I have absolutely no complaints about the quality of this set.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Call Me Claus Lucy Collins (Goldberg) is a cranky, volatile producer at home shopping network in charge of hiring the station's on-air Santa Claus. Nigel Hawthorne is the "real" Santa Claus, who, finding himself at the end of his 200-year contract, must convince Lucy that she is the perfect candidate to fill his shoes. A funny, moving and enlightening look at the true spirit of the Christmas season.

My Thoughts:
This is a TV Movie I recently recorded of cable. Not a bad movie... entertaining and has a few chuckles in it... but really isn't much more then that. I am not sure how I feel about the Santa outfit she got when she became the new Santa. I don't know... just seemed a bit on the strange side. I guess it was the white dreadlocks that threw me.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Ms. Scrooge A contemporary version of Dicken's A Christmas Carol featuring a female Ebenita Scrooge.

My Thoughts:
Another TV Movie I recently recorded of cable. Mainly because I read that Katherine Helmond (Who's the Boss) is in it. But also because I always liked the story of A Christmas Carol. This re-imaging of the story is not the best I ever seen... but it was entertaining enough to keep me watching till the end. I do wish Katherine Helmond was in it a little more... she played the part of Marley's ghost. As I said... not great but entertaining. Definitely not something I would watch every year.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[Achim]

My Thoughts:
Another TV Movie I recently recorded of cable. Mainly because I read that Katherine Helmond (Who's the Boss) is in it.

Funny how that works. For me she will always be "Katherine Helmond (SOAP)" Even though I have seen my fair share of Who's the Boss episodes, I would never associate her with that... Danza and Milano, yes, but not Helmond.

[addicted2dvd]

I never got into Soap.

[addicted2dvd]

Christmas Comes But Once A Year At an orphanage, the children are sad because they received broken toys as gifts. Professor Grampy sees the children while passing by in his sled and has an idea on how to give them a merry Christmas.

My Thoughts:
This is an animated short that is in the Holiday Family Collection putt out by Mill Creek Entertainment that I got today. This set is actually a bundle of 2 previous released sets... Holiday TV Classics and Holiday Family Favorites. This is a very cute little cartoon. One that is before my time... but I do remember watching toons like this when I was a kid. Though they were obviously in reruns at the time. But I must say... they don't make cartoons like this anymore... and was an enjoyable blast from the past. It really reminded me of a simpler time. I got a kick how they made all the orphans in this animated short look exactly alike... except just changed the hair and night gown colors. Well all except the one infant orphan... but that one was barely in the short. And yes this is an early color short... as you can see by the screen cap above.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Holiday Wishes Danni Hartford, party planner to the King family, wants to find her sister. Britney, the Kings' spoiled 15-year-old daughter, wants a horse. On a nearby horse farm, Rachel is treated like a servant by her foster siblings; all she wants is a real family. When all three girls make wishes at the Christmas dance, Britney and Rachel's souls switch bodies. But the girls soon find their new lives are not exactly what they pictured. When Danni discovers what has happened, she must figure out how to switch the girls back.

My Thoughts:
Another TV Movie I recently recorded of cable. Mainly because I read that Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is in it. But the storyline sounded like fun as well. And this one I really did enjoy. Sure there was one big part of it that was very predictable... but another part of it did surprise me... so it's all good. This is one movie I wouldn't mind getting on DVD and watching each year... but I don't think this one is even on DVD at this time.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Colgate Comedy Hour: Christmas '52 Bud Abbott and Lou Costello host this holiday-themed episode. Their guests include: singer Margaret Whiting; The Nicholas Brothers; dancers Buster Shaver and Olive; comic actors Sid Fields and Bobby Barber; acrobats Tom and Jerry; The Hollywood Stunt Group; The Four Pipers; Sid Fields; actors Jack Lomas, Dorothy Granger and Gordon Jones; announcer Hal Sawyer; and Al Goodman and his Orchestra.

My Thoughts:
I've always liked the comedy of Abbott and Costello... so the comedy sections of this classic variety hour show was a lot of fun. But it did have a little bit more singing and dancing then I was comfortable with. So my enjoyment of the episode did take a hit because of it. Being a part of the Holiday Family Collection boxset I just got I wasn't expecting too much quality wise as it is a set from Mill Creek Entertainment. There was a couple quality problems with this episode... mostly audio problems with a vibration in the audio here and there through the episode. But over all it was watchable.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Mr. St. Nick In Mistletoe Manor, King Nicholas XX, commonly known as Santa Claus (Oscar and Emmy nominee Charles Durning, Hard Time), and his wife Carlotta (Emmy nominee and Golden Globe winner Katherine Helmond, Who's The Boss?), aren't feeling particularly jolly. With Christmas only weeks away, the aging king is ready to pass his throne to the Crown Prince, Nick St. Nicholas (Golden Globe and Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer, Animal Farm). But the sexy Santa-to-be is a no-show heir with other priorities-his lavish seaside estate, leggy newswoman Heidi Gardelle (Elaine Hendrix, The Parent Trap), and public relations expert Hector Villarba (Luis Garcia, American Family). Heidi and Victor may not know Nick's true identity, but they do know he is the prince of benefits. Their plan? Use his knockout connections to create an on-line holiday charity. Nick's all for it. Unfortunately, the problems are just beginning. A charge of fraud has turned Nick's charity into a nationwide scandal. What's it going to take to prevent Christmas from becoming a dim memory? Nothing short of a miracle.

My Thoughts:
Another movie I recorded off cable. To be honest I wasn't expecting too much from this one. I don't know... Kelsey Grammer as the son of Santa... just didn't seem like the ideal fit to me. But to be honest... I actually enjoyed this more then I thought I would. Sure some of it was right silly.... but over-all it works. I will have to try to remember to add the DVD to my collection before next Christmas.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Miracle on 34th Street (1955) One Kris Kringle, a department-store Santa Claus, causes quite a commotion by suggesting customers go to a rival store for their purchases. But this is nothing to the stir he causes by announcing that he is not merely a make-believe St. Nick, but the real McCoy.

My Thoughts:
I got this 1955 version of the movie in the Holiday Family Collection boxset. It stars Thomas Mitchell as Kris Kringle. It is very similar to... but a cut down version of the 1947 classic. This movie only lasted about 45minutes total. while it is very similar... they did change a couple small details. But nothing that changes the story in any way. Quality wise this one impressed me quite a bit. There was a couple minor flaws... but for being in on of those cheap Mill Creek boxsets it was impressive non the less. I think the entire cast did a fine job. I especially liked Sandy Descher... the child actress that played young Susan.

I was a little worried when I first ordered the Holiday Family Collection boxset... as it is a pretty big boxset (12 movies, 49 TV episodes & 27 Christmas Shorts) for only $9.49... but with the few I watched already I feel like it was a worth while purchase.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[Rogmeister]

Since it's only 45 minutes long, this probably isn't really a movie but an episode of a TV anthology series.  They had those back then.  I was wondering who played the Maureen O'Hara part (the mother of the girl) in this.  Was it anyone with a familiar name?  I am familiar with Thomas Mitchell who's been in a lot of well-known classic films such as Stagecoach and It's A Wonderful Life.

[addicted2dvd]

Teresa Wright played the mother... and you could be right about it being a TV ep.

[addicted2dvd]

Once Upon a Christmas Christmas is coming and Santa's house is buzzing with activity, but somehow the old boy's heart isn't in it this year. Disillusioned with all the selfishness and greed in the world, Santa is ready to throw in the towel but his daughter Kristin (Kathy Ireland) persuades him to give the mortals one last chance. If she can prove that even one family can change and become giving and caring again, Santa will put off his vacation in Hawaii and get back on the sleigh. Trouble is she's saddled with the Morgans, a family with a workaholic Dad (John Dye) and a couple of kids whose idea of good clean fun is putting peanut butter in the au pair's underwear and permaglue on the school coach's whistle. And with a sister who makes Cruella De Vil look like the cutest pup in the shop ready to wreck her plans, can Kristin teach them that what you give is what you get, and stop the spirit of Christmas from disappearing - forever?

My Thoughts:
This movie stars Kathy Ireland as Santa's daughter. I think she does a great job. This movie hit a special place for me... what with tragedy striking during the Holiday season. So I definitely enjoyed this one. Though I don't care to much for the ending. I mean the ending works... but it felt a little rushed. Next up I will be watching some more Kathy Ireland when I watch this movie's sequel... Twice Upon a Christmas.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5