Another ridiculous length of time has
come and gone between posts on TSIMD and all I have to say is that I
just haven't felt like writing. I have watched a ton of TV, online
videos and movies, I've taken notes on some of them, but I just
haven't felt like writing and posting, until now.
What? What pray tell, has pulled me out
of my no-writing-mood? Cheesy holiday movies.
It all started the 2016 holiday season,
when Ion Television started advertising their Sunday holiday movie
marathons and that they even were going to premiere some all-new
original movies. I knew in my heart that these were guaranteed to be
cheesy and I wanted to be on my couch to view them. Unfortunately, I
was busy and/or forgetful on the Sundays of the holiday season 2016
and I barely caught a few clips, but never a whole movie.
Flash forward to 2017. Thanksgiving
turkey in the fridge, I turn on the TV on a Sunday morning with only
housework to do and I squealed with delight when I found a cheesy
holiday movie on and myself available to watch it. The following is a
list of my 2017 Cheesy Holiday Movie Marathon. I got so into it, that
I saw many if not most of Ion Television's offerings, I also found
some holiday cheese on Netflix and Amazon, as well. Some of it was
good cheese; Some of it was bad cheese, so that's the rating system I
used. Enjoy!
Good Cheese
Christmas Belle (Ion): Haylie Duff
(Hillary Duff's older sister. You don't remember her either, eh.)
stars in this Christmas Beauty and the Beast tale. Haylie just might
be the Karen Black of B holiday movies.
Back to Christmas (Netflix): Woman goes
back in time to her mistaken Christmas break-up, only to find some
new, old love. Gloria Loring, who plays the mom in this movie was the
co-composer of the Diff'rent Strokes and Facts of Life theme songs.
Everybody finds a way to shine!
A Christmas in Vermont (Ion): A
marketing expert turns around a failing winter wear company and falls
in love. Featuring Chevy Chase as the mean boss and the main
character is played by Abigail Hawk, who also plays Baker, the
commish's secretary on Blue Bloods.
Falling for Christmas (Amazon): An
injured figure skater recuperating in a small mountain town learns
how to slow down and enjoy life from a local handyman and his
daughter. Lisa Whelchel of Facts of Life Fame plays the figure
skater's mom and Lochlyn Munro, who often plays a villain or
antagonist, plays the handyman's best pal.
*Naught or Nice (I suspect it was
Amazon, but its not available right now.): A big city, bad boy radio
host is temporarily banished to work at a small town radio station
with a quiet and considerate radio host of a Dear-Abby-like call-in
show. Opposites attract and apparently make for good radio, too!
Starring Haylie Duff as the small town radio host. This was one of my
favorites.
*Marry Me for Christmas (Netflix): NYC
marketing firm owner contracts her assistant to pretend to be her
fiance during her long-awaited return home to spend Christmas with
her family in Atlanta. This was the only holiday cheese that had an
all-Black cast and it was also one of my favorites. The guy who plays
the main character's cousin, Carl Anthony Payne II, played Cole on
the show Martin. And the actor who plays the main character's mom is
Victoria Rowell, of Young and the Restless fame. I found that there
is a series of these films. Hopefully they will be available for free
next holiday season.
A Christmas Kiss (Ion): Assistant to a
high-end interior designer finds herself falling for her boss'
fiance. Of course the assistant wins. If that was a spoiler I
recommend you take some time to learn about cheesy movies. The actor
who plays the interior designer, Elisabeth Rohm, is known to me as
one of the DAs on the original Law & Order, but according to her
IMDB page, she gets a lot of work.
A Christmas Kiss II (Ion): Assist
to a fashion magazine editor finds herself falling for her boss'
brother and he for her. Elisabeth Rohm makes a cameo. Elisabeth
Harnois (What are the odds that both actors spell their name that
way?), who plays the assistant, is known by me as Brody from the
original CSI.
*12 Dates of Christmas (Netflix):
Groundhog Day with a female lead. The main character relives the same
day and the same blind date 12 times. She gets it right more than
once, so this feels long, even so, I thought it was good holiday
cheese. Starring Amy Smart from one of my comedy favorites, Road
Trip, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar of Saved By the Bell.
Christmas Inheritance (Netflix): An
heiress and socialite gets sent to a small town to deliver a message
to her uncle. Once arrived, she finds that her plans have to be
delayed and modified due to unforeseen circumstances. She's forced to
spend unanticipated time in a new place and with new people and she
find herself falling in love with the town and the hotel's manager.
Andie MacDowell shows up in this movie. And randomly, her uncle turns
out to be a Black man, but he also turns out to be just her father's
business partner, not really her uncle! Whew!
Spirit of Christmas (Netflix): Cheesy
holiday romance + time suspension + rum running = this movie. A
lawyer has a short time frame to make sure a bed & breakfast is
sold. During her efforts, she runs into the tangible, living,
breathing ghost of the house's former occupant who comes back every
year, 12 days before Christmas, to live in the house. Of course,
during that 12-day period, the lawyer and ghost fall in love. I won't
spoil the ending of this one.
A Christmas Prince (Netflix): Not to be
confused with A Prince for Christmas, A Christmas Prince is about a
reporter who finagles her way into the royal residence of some
unknown land, by pretending to be the princess' American tutor. She
falls for the bad boy prince and he falls for her, but then there's
that big ol' lie she told. Alice Krige, B-sci-fi-fantasy-movie star,
plays the queen.
A Cinderella Christmas (Ion): Angie
hopes to take over her uncle's event planning business from her lazy,
credit-taking cousin. Then she has a Cinderella-moment during her
client's event and falls for the guy her cousin wants and he for
her... but can he find her after the party or will he end up with the
cousin? I wrote this confusingly on purpose.
A Dogwalker's Christmas Tale (Netflix):
A spoiled 20-something has to fend for herself during the holidays
after she spends her allowance on an expensive watch for a boyfriend
that breaks up with her and her parents jet off on a winter vacation
without her. She begins to walk the neighbors dog for money and finds
fulfilment with a cute dogwalker, some other friendly dog owners and
a dog park that is being threatened by a local developer. Can she
help save the park? Is she falling for the cute dogwalker? You know
the deal.
*Christmas Mail (Ion): Santa's daughter
is sent to post offices all over the world during the holiday season
to respond to Dear Santa letters. This year she finds herself working
in an office with an ambitious mid-level office manager, single dad
and former rock musician, who falls for her and she in turn falls for
him. Will her dad let her settle in one place or will she have to
continue the Claus family tradition? One of my favorites!
