A Netflix Christmas

So, it's less than three days until Christmas. You may be a Scrooge, a Santa, or somewhere in between. Maybe you have plans with family tomorrow and you need an hour-and-a-half distraction from your esteemed guests, or maybe you just need a bit of you-time. Whatever your holiday case may be, Netflix, like a caring and lifelong friend, has got you covered.

Netflix, just like a well-meaning friend, can be very misguided. It suggested some "Holiday Favorites" to me such as Snow Days-which looks like a very epic crossover with Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank, and Barney-Mule-Tide Christmas-which sounds as equally boring as it looks disturbing-and so many cliche-looking made for TV movies that I won't even waste my time going through them all. Nothing screams Holiday Favorites like a quick cash grab, amiright? Anyway, this year, I only devoted my time to watching what I assumed would be quality. Here are the Christmas movies I watched, in order, and my thoughts.

The star rating will be given with a few things in mind: overall re-watchability year after year, festiveness, snow (because I'm biased), etc.

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas

I came in like a Christmas Ball!

Ok. So this movie is something I watched very frequently during my childhood Christmases. That being said, this will definitely be clouded with nostalgia. As an adult, you'll like it if you enjoy the more classic hand-drawn animation and Mickey, Goofy, Donald, etc. They even do a clever version of Gift of the Magi with Mickey and Minnie and you may get some laughs out of Donald Duck's plight in dealing with his ungrateful nephews.

4/5 Stars. This has all the makings of a sappy Christmas movie: the boy who doesn't believe in Santa Claus, the family gatherings, and the spirit of giving.

Love Actually

Please don't hate me. I realize that this movie is very popular and well-liked, but there were some things that rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it is due to the fact that I had just finished the great documentary Miss Representation, but I just felt as if they could have done so much better. I enjoyed the star-studded cast, because if it had been comprised of people who did not come with such star power, then the movie would have been even more lacking than it already was.

Why else would I care about all these people's lives?

 Don't get me wrong, I may watch this movie again because I found myself laughing a bit here and there, but there were definitely things that found very problematic. If you are going to watch it, don't do it with kids in the room, even if there is a very young Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

He's actually 24 here. Dermatologists hate him.

If you are looking for a relaxed romantic comedy about the pitfalls of city romance, give it a watch!
3.5/5 Stars. Due to some of the problems throughout the film, I would't want to watch this too much. The message it gives is not completely clear. Though it seems to be telling the us that love is actually present in our world, it just seemed shallow at times.

White Christmas

An obvious classic, it is most well-known for the song "White Christmas". However, there are a few others tunes that are just as nice that cover topics from "snow" to "army service". This is family-friendly because you won't have to sit through any awkward scenes with your in-laws, but may not hold the attention of some of the younger viewers. It's predictable, flashy, and everything a musical movie was from the 50's.

5/5 Stars. Classic Christmas film. Though it suffers from a lot of over-hype, it will get you into the Christmas Spirit. 

A Christmas Carol

On the right you'll see a dead man whom I adore.

 I'm in love...Maybe it's because I'm vaguely reminded of Bill Hader? 

This was surprisingly great! I thought it was going to be droll, but from the very first scene I was hooked! The acting was entertaining, the mood was jovial, and overall it was a memorable film. Clocking in at a little over an hour, this will surely make my list for movies that get watched year after year. I find this to be my favorite version of A Christmas Carol that I have seen to date.

5/5 Stars. Short, as re-watchable as It's a Wonderful Life, good message, and perfect mix of seriousness and joy.

Fireplace For Your Home: Winter Wonderland For Your Home

I have zero snow where I am. I can, at the very least, pretend that I am in a winter wonderland. Music plays throughout and I can pretend I am in the frozen tundra of somewhere else.
5/5 Stars. Snow is one of my favorite things, and the can be playing the background of all my daily tasks.

Fireplace 4K: Classic Crackling Fireplace from Fireplace for Your Home

Wow. The public asked for more and they delivered. My biggest complaint is the lack of music. You can watch the trailer for the first of the riveting films here, and don't forget to check out the Behind the Scenes.
4/5 Stars. I have a fireplace, but it doesn't crackle like this one. I can play it and choose my own music, or just decide to enjoy the warmth of the television screen.

Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection

Do you feel like crying? Because you may after you watch some of these animated shorts. Without spoiling anything, just know that there is some surprising depth within some of these short films. That may be because one of the shorts was based off an already written short story.

Those aren't tears! I got snow in my eyes, I swear!

The varying type of cartoons doesn't really give it a succinct feel, but this is to be expected with a combination of short stories by different authors and animators. You may have seen some of these before, but the creators of the shorts talk a bit about their processes beforehand, which is very interesting and adds new depth to each piece.

Help me! I'm feeling!

2/5 Stars. Though this is great to watch, I would not necessarily call it a "Holiday Favorite". I guess there's snow, and I love re-watching Paperman over again, but calling this a holiday favorite just because one of the shorts features two elves and another features Elsa does not make me think much of Christmas.

The Ref

Kevin Spacey. What a gift to humankind. He acts, he sings, directs, produces, and he even does impressions! This stud of a man is in this film and makes me enjoy it even more. But enough about him. This dark comedy centers around an extremely dysfunctional family and a burglar who has to deal with it all.

A man who has seen hell in the form a Christmas dinner.

Technically, it's rated R which means it should not be showed to the young children at your Christmas party, but there were youngish kids in it, so pop it in! However, you probably won't want to watch this around your parents if the relationship is already strained because it may bring to light a few flaws you were trying to ignore until they left your Christmas dinner.
5/5 Stars. There's a drunk Santa, snow, Christmas dinner, presents...how much more Christmas can you get?


Netflix, it seems, has got you covered. Are there any films in this list that you may add to your yearly watching? Did you watch any films about Christmas that were surprisingly good? Let me know in the comments below and have an eggnog on me.

Music of the Month: December 2015

Hey! I'm aware this is very late in the month of December, so this may count as January's as well. You probably thought this would be a posting of Holiday-type music, but instead it's all Star Wars!

I just saw Star Wars Episode VII and heck did I love it! The reason I can love because it definitely loved me back. Let's pretend the Star Wars Christmas Special never happened and just make Star Wars: The Force Awakens this holiday's movie.

Get out of here you Luke-sized Barbie.

John Williams is a very accomplished composer and in this playlist there are a few of his highlighted tracks from all seven of the movies. Say what you like about the prequels, but the compositions are still on par with the original movies. I'm sure there will be a long post about my thoughts on Star Wars later, but until then May the Force be with you. 

As always, if you ever have any suggestions for music to be highlighted, please let me know! You will get credit and you will have my gratitude! Thank you!

Get to this music quicker than lightspeed!