Movie Review ~ Falling for Christmas 2022 (Spoilers!)

Netflix has been putting out some of the best Christmas movies over the last few years so I was really excited to see this new film from them.  The opening scenes of our lead character, Sierra, (played by Lindsay Lohan), and her 'dad' (go head Jack Wagner....still looking awesome!)  were already giving you an idea that she'd earned this reputation of the rich, spoiled princess but was trying to figure out her own place in the world.  It was a nice way to give us a mature version of this sort of story.

She has a boyfriend of sorts, Tad, (played by George Young who is hysterical) that is very funny in his portrayal of our obsession with social media.  I couldn't tell if I was rolling my eyes from the corniness or how it was hitting home.  LOL, probably some of both.  After some tumbles and laughter, we get to meet Jake (played by Chord Overstreet).  He's got some financial woes, a daughter, and a MIL, and doesn't know what to make of the lovely Sierra.  

Will she change him for the better?  Will he change her for the better?  Will they discover Christmas?  This is a Christmas movie.......but even though you should know, I won't ruin it for you.  Lindsay Lohan is the lead for a reason, she's got everything you want in a lead.  Presence, talent, and a way of noticing her even when the other characters are speaking.  Can't wait to see what she does next.  

Cute?  Yes.  Corny?  Yes.  Christmas?  Yes.  New storyline?  Nope.  Gave me the Christmas feels?  Yes.

I'll give this one a solid 3 out of 5 shots.  Yes, I'll be watching it again and again and again.  

Movie Review ~ 12 Days of Giving 2017 (Spoilers!)

Movie Review ~ 12 Days of Giving

I don't want to be an asshole when it comes to reviewing things.  I struggle with my words and tone when I don't agree or like something.  I don't want to be mean or overly harsh.  No one deserves to have their feelings hurt because I struggle with communication.  So let me rehash this movie in the best way I can figure.  

Man is engaged.  She's not that nice, not really supportive.

But......man is engaged and should be sharing financial information and his private life instead of hiding it.  He won money but is giving it away to strangers that need help.  

Man wants to do good.  (he gave a old homeless man a mattress.......um.....how about some long term help!!!!)  For everyone but his fiancee. 

Man meets Jason (kid is not really named Jason but he's a little evil manipulator in a hockey mask so close enough).

Did I mention this man has no emotions?  He vaguely smiles, voice doesn't have highs or lows, he's so boring.  

Kid manipulates him.  Man meets Jason's mom and now he's in love with her instead of the fiancee.  There is no sense of time or days moving so you can't figure out the time frame on how fast or slow this is happening.  

The weirdest part is that the two main characters are played by talented actors Ashley Jones and David Blue.  I don't know what was happening when this was being filmed but it feels like this film wasn't finished and we saw them rehearsing.  They're both really good, very expressive.  I'm confused.  

At no point in the movie do they mention 12 Days.  Not of giving, not of anything so the title confuses me.  I was about 30 minutes into this life sentence and knew it was going to be dead last on my list.  My rating is on a scale of 1 - 5 shots.  1 being the worst and 5 being the best.  If I had really thought about this, I would have started at 0.  

My Christmas Movie (Ranked) List (Ever Changing!)

My Christmas Movie (Ranked) List (Ever Changing!) 

Today is Thursday, December 1, 2022.  I'm only giving the date so I'll remember when I started this crazy list I'm hoping to fulfill.  Over the years, one of the only genres of movies I actually make a point to watch is Christmas movies.  Usually the sappy, romantic, nostalgic, etc.  If it has a Christmas word in the title, happens near Christmas, etc........It's a Christmas movie in my book.  

Anyway, below is my ongoing Christmas Movie (Ranked) List.  This is not up for debate because it's only my opinion on creating my own list.  But if you disagree........I would love to hear your thoughts on what movies would go onto your list.  And if you're waiting for me to include your favorite movie, please send me your favorite Christmas movies to my email address prettyunlimited@gmail.com so I can find them and add them to my MUST-WATCH list of Christmas movies/films. 

Criteria for this list is broad.  When I was a kid, I thought those yearly animated Christmas specials were 'movies'.  Because of that, I've decided to leave them within this list.  And lastly, this list will be an ongoing list.  As new movies come out, I'll be writing my reviews for them and adding them to this list.  There are literally hundreds of Christmas movies I still haven't seen.  My biggest problem is that I like to watch the movies I loved over and over and over.  That's gotta stop so I can watch more movies to add to this list.  This will be the most fun project EVER.  As time allows, I'll try to make a link out with each title to my review of that movie.  Just started this so it might literally take me a few months to catch up with my own list.  LOL Merry Christmas!!!! 

Side Note:  If you're studio, channel, production company, etc are not INCLUSIVE......I'm just returning the favor.    

My Christmas Movie (Ranked) List

1. Netflix: A Boy Called Christmas 2021
2. TLC: The Secret Santa 2014
3. Arthur Christmas 2011
4. The Christmas Box 1995
5. Klaus 2019
6. A Charlie Brown Christmas 1965
7. Alastair Sims a Christmas Carol 1951
8. A Christmas Story 1983
9. Netflix: The Christmas Chronicles 2018
10. Miracle on 34th Street in 1947
11. Home Alone 1990
12. Home Alone two 1982
13. The Christmas List 1997
14. Frosty the Snowman 1969
15. The Holiday Calendar 2018
16. The Santa Clause 1994
17. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation 1989
18. Polar Express 2004
19. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 1964
20. This Christmas 2007
21. Trading Places 1983
22. What Was The Night Before Christmas 1974
23. White Christmas 1954
24. The Year Without Santa Claus 1974
25. Scrooge 1970
26. The Christmas Shoes 2002
27. A Christmas inheritance 2017
28. A Christmas Carol George C Scott 1984
29. 48 Christmas Wishes 2017
30. The Holiday Calendar 2018
31. Nothing Like The Holidays 2008
32. Falling for Christmas 2022
33. Gremlins
34. Mariah Carey‘s All I Want for Christmas is You 2017
35. Almost Christmas 2016
36. Diehard 1988
37. Always and Forever Christmas 2019
38. A Very Brady Christmas
39. Call Me Mrs. Miracle 2010
40. Castle for Christmas 2021
41. Christmas 9 to 5 2019
42. Christmas Bells are Ringing 2018
43. Christmas Everlasting 2018
44. Christmas Homecoming 2017
45. Christmas Hotel 2019
46. A Christmas Kiss 2011
47. Netflix: A Christmas Prince
48. Netflix: A Christmas Prince: A Royal Wedding
49. Netflix: A Christmas Prince: A Royal Baby 
50. A Christmas Romance 1994
51. A Christmas Visitor 2002
52. An Elf Story 2010
53. Grounded for Christmas 2019
54. Jingle All The Way 1996
55. Last Holiday 2006
56. The Long Kiss Good Night 1996
57. My Christmas Inn 2018
58. Scrooged 1988
59. The Knight Before Christmas 2019
60. Midnight at the Magnolia 2020
61. Let it Snow 2019
62. Holiday Rush 2019
63. Christmas with a Prince 2018
64. It’s a Wonderful Life 1946
65. Elf 2003
66. All I Want for Christmas 2013
67. Home Alone 3 1997
68. Home Alone 4 2002
69. The Christmas Aunt 2020
70. Christmas Cruise 2017
71. 12 Days of Giving 2017 

Christmas - Update on Shopping

I’m nearly done now. I’ve completed my shopping for my MIL, her sisters and their grandchildren. Just have to shop for a few relatives that I never see. That’s actually the more difficult to do. What do you get for someone you are related to but never see? You really have no idea what holds this person’s interest, and even worse, you don’t care to know except for when you are looking for gift ideas. It’s not to sound like I dislike any of these people. They are actually great people…..fun….loving…..devoted family. But we all have our own lives and we don’t spend much time together.

My daughter’s were probably the easiest ones to buy for. They are 21 and 20 so electronics or clothes. We went for the electronics. Two flat screen tv/dvd combos with new Roku players. We did get them a few of those dvd packs that come with 3 or 4 movies in one pack. My oldest loves the Batman movies and we found all four movies in one packet for like $13 at Walmart. My youngest daughter is more like me……got her Sixteen Candles (yes, that old movie) and her eye candy Vin Diesel in the original Fast & The Furious. LOL

My husband is a man that is nearly perfect (for me). So he is getting a Kindle Fire, which actually just shipped out today and should be delivered tomorrow. He unfortunately knows about his gift already and is anxiously awaiting the time to get his hands on it. He is really excited. Makes the $200 (nearly) worth it.

Now my mother in law is someone I feel I know really well. (UGH) But she is still really difficult to buy for because she has snooty tastes in everything. For instances, she loves wine. Drinks it all the time, but really doesn’t know much about it as far as I can tell. So a few years back we bought her a wine refrigerator and wines. She never uses it. We bought her Lenox African American figurines that we wanted. Very expensive. Only to find out that in her will, she will be giving these items to her nieces and not her grandchildren. Oh and how she loves Chinese and Japanese food…..bought her a wok and really gorgeous plate services to share with herself and her ‘boyfriend’. Never used any of it. LOL

So why do I spend so much time going through this every year? I love the challenge of it. Every year at least one person comes to us and lets us know how much they loved their gift. That makes me happy.

Christmas Is Coming - Day #1

This morning started out like any normal Monday. Rush – Rush – Rush. I didn’t really relax until my reminder to start my Christmas shopping popped up on my Google Calendar. Starting with the kids is the most fun and the easiest part to do. I should probably save it for last, but I always worry about not getting them fun gifts……I’d hate to get them just left over stuff they didn’t want.

For cute, but inexpensive toys, I really like www.lakeside.com. Many items do not have any sort of quality in the packaging. But that is easily remedied with gift wrap and holiday decorations. They are also one of my sources for Christmas décor for my home. Items are very reasonably pricing, shipping coupons are often available.

I really hate to be predictable when it comes to giving gifts. I try to stay clear of the gift cards, anything pre-wrapped, etc. It looks like what it is…..you didn’t take any time to just picture this person in your mind for a moment and consider what they might appreciate. For adults, I am a firm believer in www.eBay.com. Because of the search tool, I can take someone’s name, favorite color, favorite animal, anything I know about that person can go into the search tool. Different things pop up, it’s actually fun to toss a name in there and see what might come up that can even be personalized.

I typed in my youngest daughter’s name a few years ago and found out there was an entire series of fairytales starring a main character using her name. The greatest part of this was that she has such an odd name, it’s always been difficult to find anything with her name. She still has the books, and tells me she plans to pass them down to her children.

So today is just day one…..we’ll see how all this progresses. If you promise not to tell, I’ll post each gift, price and picture. I’m hoping to run a few searches on more hands on and homemade gifts…..I love a project!!!!