Happy Hump Day Friends! Christmas in only EIGHTEEN days away, which means we are quickly running out of time to jam in as many festive activities as possible before the big day! I hope your Christmas shopping is going well, or maybe even finished, your house is decorated, and Christmas cards sent out. If you’re like me, you’ll also be trying to cram in as many holiday films as possible, which is one of my favourite things to do during December! Every year though, it’s getting more and more difficult because I not only want to watch my ever-growing list of favourites again, but there are always SO many new films being released that I want to watch too! So if you’re looking for a few new films to check out this year, I’ve rounded up twelve that definitely need to be on your watch-list this month! One of my favourites from last year is Netflix’s A Castle For Christmas (2021), starring Brooke Shields as romance writer Sophie Brown and Cary Elwes as Myles, the Duke of Dunbar. It’s a really cute forced-proximity romance that refreshingly follows an older couple. After having a bit of a meltdown during an interview with Drew Barrymore that ends up going viral, Sophie decides to get away for a while, setting off to Scotland. In particular, she wants to visit Dunbar Castle, the location of her grandfather’s many stories from his childhood. When she learns that the castle is up for sale, she jumps at the chance of buying it, much to the displeasure of Myles, who doesn’t want to sell at all. In order to prove that she’s serious about her offer, Sophie agrees to move in for the two months leading up to Christmas, during which time Myles tries to make her stay uncomfortable so she’ll pack up and leave. But as the pair spend more and more time together, it’s clear there’s something sizzling between the two of them, but they just have to open themselves up for love again. Following that up is another absolute favourite of mine – A Christmas Dance Reunion (2021), which sees High School Musical stars Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman reunited, making it a reunion both on and off screen! Attorney Lucy is reunited with her childhood Christmas dance partner Barrett when she returns to the Winterleigh Hotel for their final Christmas celebrations. Naturally, Lucy and Barrett haven’t seen each other for several years, but they pick things up as if no time has passed at all, especially when it comes to dancing. As they work together to ensure the Winterleigh has the perfect final hurrah and send-off, including one last Christmas Dance, neither can deny the attraction they have for one another. It’s a super cute film that is PERFECT for High School Musical fans – it honestly feels like Chad and Taylor reuniting after going separate ways for college. Adding a bit of Australiana to the mix is the Australian Christmas classic Bush Christmas (1983), a remake of the 1947 film of the same name and starring Nicole Kidman, John Ewart and John Howard. With their farm on the brink of foreclosure, the Thompson family have all their hopes pinned on their horse Prince winning the New Year’s Cup so they can use the winnings to pay off their debts. Unfortunately, thieves Bill and Sly steal the horse and escape into the nearby mountains to evade capture. With their father off droving, Helen and John Thompson, along with their English cousin Michael, saddle up their own horses to track down the thieves on their own, assisted by their farm worker Manalpuy. While it’s by no means a traditional Aussie Christmas celebration, it is an adventure not to be missed. And what’s more, you can actually watch this classic piece of Aussie cinema for free on SBS OnDemand! Hallmark served up some great festive films during their ‘Christmas In July’ event earlier this year, one being Christmas In Toyland (2022), starring Vanessa Lengies and Jesse Hutch who attempt to save the toy store Grant manages. With sales declining at Big Teddy Toy Company’s physical stores, the board is considering closing all their brick and mortar locations and selling exclusively online. Data analyst Charlie doesn’t want to see the stores close and people lose their jobs, discovering that one store in particular is actually continually making a profit. So she’s sent on a fact-finding mission to see what this store does differently and how it can be applied in other locations. It’s here that she meets store manager Grant, whose magic touch and focus on engaging the community has made the location such a success. With the axe about to fall on a number of stores, including Grant’s he and Charlie pull out all the stops to show the board that the store is worth saving. It’s such a cute and sweet romance that’ll have you wishing you could actually visit Grant’s toy store. Another cutie from last year is Christmas In The Pines (2021), starring IRL husband and wife duo Dean Geyer and Jillian Murray who have both been sold the same cottage and must decide who ultimately gets it. Less than a week out from Christmas, Ariel buys the cottage for her family, seeing how perfect it will be for them to make Christmas memories, meanwhile the less-than-festive Mark buys the cottage for his family before he moves out to Australia for two years. Somehow, the owner has accepted both their offers and he’s left it up to them to figure out ownership before Christmas. The big problem is that if either of them leave the property, the ownership automatically goes to the other person. So in order to properly stake out their claims, they enlist their families to not only bring supplies, but spend Christmas at the cottage. Although they do try to sabotage one another, as they get to know each other and their families, it’s clear that their first impressions of one another were a little off, and it’s not long before their families are commenting on the connection between the pair. I’m a sucker for anything that Dean appears in, and I just love that he got to work with his wife of this one! Another round of Christmas in Australia comes in the form of the hilarious Christmas On The Farm (2021), starring Poppy Montgomery, Darren McMullen and Hugh Sheridan as they navigate a fake identity and a massive lie. New York socialite Emmy returns to Australia and the farm her now deceased mother adored, reuniting with her cousin David and his partner Miles. The reason for this trip? Emmy, using her mother’s journals, has submitted a story to a publisher who thinks Emmy is actually her mother. Publisher Ellison London and her son Jack invite themselves to Australia and Fig Tree Farm for a quintessential Aussie Christmas, with Emmy pretending to be her mother Clementine, Miles her husband, David remains her cousin, and their teenage neighbour Violet pretending to be Emmy. It’s an ever-growing twisted web of lies and deceit that is almost unravelled on several occasions, especially as Emmy and Jack grow closer. I’ll admit, this isn’t necessarily a great film, but it’s also one of those ‘it’s so bad you love it’ kind of films. I just love that it’s Australian, and although a little crazy at times, is a nice change from the snow-filled Christmas films from America and the UK. Continuing with the festive romances is Christmas With A View (2018), starring Kaitlyn Leeb and Scott Cavalheriro who work alongside each other at Thunder Mountain Ski Resort in the lead-up to Christmas. Celebrity chef Shane is hired by the resort as head chef, with his new celebrity status hoping to bring in more customers. Resort restaurant manger Clara can’t help but be drawn to him, and it’s not long before they settle into a relationship. But between Clara working on a secret project with their boss and Shane trying to keep a promise he made his parents many years ago, their compatibility is tested during the most magical time of year. It’s a really cute festive romance with some super sweet moments and a super fun BFF. Another cute romance from Hallmark last year is Coyote Creek Christmas (2021), starring Janel Parrish and Ryan Paevey who come together with the magic of Christmas at the Coyote Creek Inn. Event planner Paige returns home for Christmas and the inn owned by her parents. With her parents secretly preparing to sell the inn in the new year, they have decided to scale back on the annual themed Christmas celebrations, but Paige agrees to take the reins, deciding to organise a ‘Christmas Around The World’ party, bringing together all the festive customs of the guests who visit the inn for the holidays. One of the guests this year is Dylan and his son Noah, who have been tasked to scope out the inn for his brother’s hotel chain to see the potential of buying it. Paige finds herself in her element, while Dylan realises that the Christmas magic of the Coyote Creek Inn can’t be extinguished by their company. Next on the list is another forced-proximity romance in the form of The Christmas Listing (2020) (also known as Christmas Inn Farmstead), starring Travis Burns and Lexi Giovagnoli as rival real estate agents who are vying for the chance to be the realtor for an iconic Christmas inn. With their house about to be foreclosed on, Julia is in serious need of cash in order to save their home. When she learns that the Erickson Farmstead is up for sale, she’s determined to become the property’s realtor. Turns out, she’s not the only realtor with her eye on the property, and the owners are keen to find the right person for the job, asking the realtors to stay for the week in order to see the magic of the inn for themselves. Despite all the realtors who show interest, it is only Julia and Chad who make the time and effort to stay on the property. Julia has always disliked Chad for seemingly not showing any care for his clients, and only focusing on making a sale and getting his payout, but spending time with him at the inn partaking in their Christmas festivities, she begins to realise that her assumptions about him were a little off the mark. Adding some animation to the list is The Grinch (2018), the most recent adaption of the Dr. Seuss classic starring Benedict Cumberbatch as our favourite Christmas-hating green Who. As someone who grew up with the 2000 Jim Carey adaptation, I’m definitely a little bias when it comes to which iteration I prefer, but this was such a fun take on the classic story, introducing the Grinch to a new generation of Christmas film lovers. The animation style is really fun and lends itself really well to the Dr Seuss aesthetic. I think it’s a really nice mix between the 1966 animated short film and the live-action film, with a few twists of its own to make this version its own film. Plus young Grinch is the cutest animation ever! Going a bit old-school is an adaptation of A Christmas Carol that I feel like is a little underrated these days – Scrooged (1988), starring Bill Murray as cynical and selfish television executive Frank Cross. As the network gears up their Christmas programming, with the cherry on top being a live broadcast of ‘Scrooge’, Frank is visited by his deceased boss and best friend Lew Hayward. Lew tells Frank not to waste his life and that he’ll be visited by three ghosts, and although Frank doesn’t believe in the omen, he nevertheless expects and freaks out at the times he was foretold the ghosts would be appearing. It’s oozing all the 80s vibes and Bill Murray is in his element as our Scrooge. Plus it’s a nice change of pace from other A Christmas Carol adaptations – this one is definitely for the adults! Finally, one of the many new Hallmark films to come out during their ‘Countdown to Christmas’ season this year is Three Wise Man and a Baby (2022), starring Andrew Walker, Tyler Hynes and Paul Campbell, as brothers Luke, Taylor and Stephan, who come together to look after a baby in the lead-up to Christmas. While working a night-shift at the firehouse, Luke discovers a baby left on the doorstep with a note asking Luke to look after him and that the mother will be back on Christmas. Not wanting to get Child Protective Services involved over the holidays, Luke enlists the help of his mother and brothers. But when his mother has to go look after her sister after she has a fall, the three men are on their own trying to navigate caring for a baby. As they begin to work together, they realise how hard it was for their mother to raise three children by herself when their father left, and so are determined to give her the Christmas she’s been wanting for many years – all of them under the one roof, the tree decorated, lights on the house, and more importantly, no fighting. It’s such a sweet film with lots of laughs, and while there is a tiny bit of romance, the focus really is on family. So if you’re after the warm fuzzy feeling of a Hallmark film but want a bit of a break from romance, this is the film for you! And with that, I’m going to go make a dent in the long list of films I want to watch this year! Let me know some of your favourite Christmas films and which ones you’ve enjoyed watching so far this year so I can check them out too! And if you want even more film recommendations, be sure to check out my blog posts from 2018, 2019, and 2020!
Happy Watching! Victoria :) |
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