Topic: Christmas Reviews: 2011

[addicted2dvd]

Christmas Reviews

2011s

This year I need to fight to get into the Christmas spirit more then ever. This time of the year is always tough for me as most of you here already know... but this year more then ever for some reason. So I thought I would start some Christmas viewing earlier then usual and see if I can snap myself out of this funk.

So I thought that I would create this thread and review whatever Christmas Movies/TV Eps/Specials that I watch between now and Dec. 25th.

I have loads of Christmas episodes... to many to list. But as for Christmas Movies and Specials... Here is what I have to choose from...

Titles in Bold are from my unwatched pile.
- An Angel for Christmas
- Beyond Tomorrow
- Black Christmas (1974)
- Black Xmas (2006)
- Christmas Evil
- A Christmas Story
- The Christmas Tree
- A Christmas Without Snow
- Cricket on the Hearth
- Don't Open Till Christmas
- Elf
- The Family Stone
- Frosty the Snowman
- Frosty Returns
- The Good Witch's Wedding
- Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
- The Great Rupert
- Gremlins
- Home Alone
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (animated)
- It's a Wonderful Life
- Jack Frost
- Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special
- Jingle All the Way
- The Little Drummer Boy
- Little Women: Jo's Story
- Little Women: Meg's Story
- Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
- Miracle on 34th Street (1955)
- Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
- The Nativity
- A Nightmare Before Christmas
- The Pilgrimage Play
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Santa Claus (1959)
- Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
- Santa Claus is Coming to Town
- The Santa Clause
- The Santa Clause 2
- Scrooge (1935)
- Silent Night, Bloody Night
- A Very Brady Christmas

As usual... if there is something here you would like me to review please feel free to ask. I won't promise... but I will try to get to it before Christmas.

[addicted2dvd]

Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Second Season: Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer (2005/United States) Cristina and Burke squabble over a young boy's heart transplant, as the interns pitch in to help Alex pass his upcoming exam and Meredith reminds Izzie about the spirit of the season.

Stars:
Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
Katherine Heigl as Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens
Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev
T. R. Knight as Dr. George O'Malley
Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber

Extras:

• Audio Commentary
• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

A good Christmas episode. I like how they made it Cristina that gave the boy the will to live... what with her being so anti-holidays. I also liked the idea of how the doctors have to be careful of what is said while a patient is asleep and they are doing surgery (in this case brain surgery) because you do not know what will find it's way to the subconscious and effect a person in a personal way.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[BigTim]

How about a review of "HOME ALONE 2"?  I actually enjoyed that and would love your opinion?

Thanks!

Big Tim

[addicted2dvd]

I dopn't have that one in my collection... but if I catch it on TV I review it then.

[addicted2dvd]

Grey's Anatomy: Complete Sixth Season: Holidaze (2009/United States) As Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's pass, Miranda gets a visit from her father, William who disapproves of her choices in life. Mark and Lexie cope with an arrival of a woman from his past. Thatcher questions the Chief's recent behavior as Meredith comes to his defense.

Stars:
Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey
Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang
Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev
Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber
Sara Ramirez as Dr. Callie Torres


Extras:

• Bonus Trailers
• Outtakes/Bloopers

My Thoughts:

As you can see from the overview... this episode not only covers Christmas... but also Thanksgiving and New Years Eve. Not a very cheerful episode... but that is to be expected from a medical drama. It does have a couple interesting medical cases though. A good episode... but far from the best that Grey's Anatomy has to offer.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

House M.D.: Season One: Damned If You Do (2004/United States) Original Air Date: 12/14/04 A nun appears in the ER with red and swollen palms, but when an allergy prescription for her goes awry, House and the crew wouldn't mind a little divine intervention in the case.

Stars:
Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House
Lisa Edelstein as Dr. Lisa Cuddy
Omar Epps as Dr. Eric Foreman
Robert Sean Leonard as Dr. James Wilson
Jennifer Morrison as Dr. Allison Cameron
Jesse Spencer as Dr. Robert Chase


Extras:

• Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This is a very good medical drama... one of my top favorites. It is a good episode. I enjoyed the storyline. While they make it obvious that it is a Christmas episode... Christmas isn't the main focus of the episode.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

That '70s Show: Holiday Edition (1998/United States) Deck the halls with this far out DVD collection featuring 10 beloved amd outlandish Holiday-themed episodes together in one festive and hilarious DVD package! Join Eric, Kelso, Hyde, Fez, Donna and Jackie as they celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween and more, 70s style! Episode: The Best Christmas Ever Eric gets permission to have a Christmas party in the basement. Red gives Eric money to buy the family Christmas tree, but the guys chop down a tree on the interstate and keep the money for beer. And Hyde wants to buy a special Christmas gift for Donna.

Stars:
Topher Grace as Eric
Mila Kunis as Jackie
Ashton Kutcher as Kelso
Danny Masterson as Hyde
Laura Prepon as Donna
Wilmer Valderrama as Fes
Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman

Extras:

• None

My Thoughts:

A fun episode that has a few good laughs. This is a show that I haven't seen many episodes of... but always wanted to watch all the way through. While this DVD has episodes for a few different holidays... there is mostly Christmas episodes. Matter of fact half the episodes on the disc (5 Episodes) are Christmas ones. So you should see at least some more reviewed here before too long.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Chasing Christmas: Widescreen (2005/) Director: Ron Oliver Writing: Todd Berger (Writer) Length: 81 min. Rating: Rated PG : Some Language, Sensuality, Thematic Elements, and Violence Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: Spanish

Stars:
Tom Arnold as Jack Cameron
Andrea Roth as Present
Leslie Jordan as Past
Brittney Wilson as Suzanne Cameron
Robert Clarke as Trevor James
Jed Rees as Future

Plot:
Christmas isn't coming early, late, or at all for the bitterly divorced Jack Cameron. This modern-day Scrooge hates Santa and any soul who loves Christmas. Jack gets a Christmas wake-up call from the Ghost of Christmas Past, who suddenly decides to take a vacation, leaving Jack in the past. Now Jack must team up with the gorgeous Ghost of Christmas Present to save the future of Christmas.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers
• Bonus Trailers
• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

This is a movie that one of my brothers rented from Netflix. So far 2 of my brothers watched it and they both enjoyed it. So between that and the fact that I always liked the story of A Christmas Carol I thought I would give it a chance despite it having Tom Arnold in it. As I never cared for him at all. Unfortunately it seems they liked it quite a bit more then I did. Sure it had a chuckle or two in it. But for the most part it was barely entertaining enough to keep my attention for the entire movie. What enjoyment I did get from this one came from the work Leslie Jordan did in it. I definitely got a kick out of seeing that little guy tossing Tom Arnold around like a sack of potatoes in the beginning of the movie. I would say this one is barely an average Christmas movie.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season: The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis (2008/United States) Penny gives Sheldon the most exciting, wonderful, amazing Christmas present ever. Sheldon gives Penny soap.

Stars:
Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
Kaley Cuoco as Penny
Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitz
Kunal Nayyar as Rajesh Koothrappali


Extras:

• None

My Thoughts:

An absolutely hilarious episode! I loved every minute of it! Once again it is Sheldon that steals the story. First his obsession of what to give Penny when he finds out that Penny got him a Christmas gift.. then his reaction to that gift was I don't know... it couldn't have been done any better! I even liked the side story of the good looking scientist taking out Penny.  Probably one of the best episodes of the entire series so far!

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season: The Maternal Congruence (2009/United States) I saw Mommy kissing...who? Christmastime brings Leonard’s mother and a number of surprises, including that smooch.

Stars:
Johnny Galecki as Leonard Hofstadter
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
Kaley Cuoco as Penny
Simon Helberg as Howard Wolowitz
Kunal Nayyar as Rajesh Koothrappali

Extras:

• None

My Thoughts:

While I still enjoy this series very much... this Christmas episode just wasn't up to the challenge. Especially compared to the excellent season 2 Christmas episode. I mean sure... a good episode... it had a laugh or two in it for me... I have just grown to expect so much more then an average episode from this series.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[Dragonfire]

The Bath Gift Hypothesis is a wonderful episode.  I love that Penny got the absolute perfect gift for Sheldon...and I love his reaction.  It is one of my favorite episodes in the series..and a favorite Christmas episode.

[addicted2dvd]

Hart of Dixie: Hairdo and Holidays
Zoe and Lemon's rivalry heats up when they coach Lemon's sister and Rose separately for a pageant that Lemon's sister is the favorite to win; and Wade and George go in search for a Christmas tree for the town square.

Stars:
Rachel Bilson as Dr. Zoe Hart
Jaime King as Lemon Breeland
Cress Williams as Lavon Hayes
Wilson Bethel as Wade Kinsella
Scott Porter as George Tucker

My Thoughts:
This is a new Medical series that started just this season on the CW. And a new favorite of mine. It also happens to be the first new Christmas episode I have seen for this season. This series made me realize who Rachel Bilson is. Because of this series (and thanks to a friend that gave it to me) I started to watcb The O.C. which she was in several years back. While I enjoyed this episode quite a bit... it wasn't the best the series has to offer.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Christmas Treats: Special DVD Collection (1962/) Delicious Holiday Classics from 9 of your favorite TV Comedies. The Beverly Hillbillies Christmas at the Clampetts Original Airdate: 12/25/63 Christmas brings great cheer for the Clampetts along with lots of fancy gifts from the Drysdales that has got this country clan totally mystified. The Lucy Show Together for Christmas Original Airdate: 12/24/62 Lucy wants turkey; Vivian wants goose. When the Carmichaels and the Bagleys spend their first Christmas together, no one can agree on the traditions. Petticoat Junction Cannonball Christmas Original Airdate: 12/24/63 Bedloe is a real Scrooge for visiting Hooterville during the holidays. He even has a court order to take control of the train, threatening to ruin Christmas. Happy Days Richie Branches Out Original Airdate: 12/7/76 Richie (Ron Howard) goes to extremes to receive his Christmas wish: to meet the Wisconsin Cola poster girl. Laverne & Shirley O Come All Ye Bums Original Airdate: 12/19/78 Laverne (Penny Marshal) and Shirley (Cindy Williams) raise money to save the annual Pizza Bowl Christmas Dinner for the less fortunate. Mork & Mindy Mork's First Christmas Original Airdate: 12/13/78 Mork (Robin Williams) is overwhelmed by his first Christmas experience until his friends show him the true meaning of the season. The Odd Couple Scrooge Gets An Oscar Original Airdate: 12/17/70 Oscar Ousts Felix, and in a nightmarish version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," sees himself as Ebenezer Madison, haunted by his past misdeeds. Cheers The Spy Who Came In For A Cold One Original Airdate: 12/16/82 An Englishman visits Cheers and tells tall tales of being a World War II spy. Everyone is impressed except Diane (Shelley Long). Love, American Style One Segment Intitled: Love And The Christmas Punch Original Airdate: 12/17/72 Christmas Eve has never been this fun or sexy when this segment of "Love, American Style" takes over, with hilarious slapstick results.

Extras:

• Bonus Trailers

My Thoughts:

I just finished watching this disc of classic comedies. 9 fun Christmas episodes. Though of course some were better then others. A couple of them Christmas was just the background setting for the episode. They made no big deal out of it in the storyline at all. Such as the episode of Cheers. Over-all a nice collection worth pulling out this time of the year.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

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House M.D.: Season Three: Merry Little Christmas (2006/United States) It’s the time for peace and goodwill to all, but House feels none of it when he discovers that Wilson has ratted his Vicodin problem to Detective Tritter.

Stars:
Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House
Lisa Edelstein as Dr. Lisa Cuddy
Omar Epps as Dr. Eric Foreman
Robert Sean Leonard as Dr. James Wilson
Jennifer Morrison as Dr. Allison Cameron
Jesse Spencer as Dr. Robert Chase

My Thoughts:

Another very good episode of House. I really enjoyed the storyline and the medical mystery of this one. It is a pretty down episode.... the only thing dealing with Christmas here is the background. Nothing at all in the storyline.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Christmas Caper (2008/United States) Director: David Winkler Writing: April Blair (Writer) Length: 88 min. Rating: Rated PG : Brief Mild Language and Thematic Elements Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Shannen Doherty as Cate Dove
Ty Olsson as Sheriff Hank Harrison
Conrad Coates as Clive Henry
Stephanie von Pfetten as Holly Barnes
Sonya Salomaa as Savannah Cooper
Jano Frandsen as Hamish Thurgood

Plot:
Professional thief Kate Dove (Shannen Doherty) takes refuge in her hometown after a heist goes bad. Unwittingly, she is roped into a role unfamiliar to her — babysitter to her sister's kids during the Christmas holiday. Not the most nurturing or sentimental person, Kate finds herself casing the neighborhood for her next big score. Eventually the comforts of suburban life makes her realize family and friends might be better than a life of crime.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Bonus Trailers

My Thoughts:

This is another movie gotten from Netflix. I wanted toi check this one out mainly because I enjoyed Shannen Doherty in Charmed. I have to admit I was a little nervous about how good it would be when I read the plot for it. But after watching it I have to say I enjoyed it more then I thought I would. Maybe that is because I didn't care much for the last Christmas movie we got from Netflix (Chasing Christmas). This one is definitely a bit of a different family Christmas movie... but it works and is a nice change of pace. I would recommend giving it a chance.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5