Official Holiday Challenge 2014 (1 Viewer)

[PatW]

Mmm, I don't get the Hallmark channel but I do get something similar. I noticed there is a lot to choose from this coming week as far as Christmas programming.

Movies

Bad Santa (2003) ***1/2

Not too bad of a movie and I always like Billy Bob Thorton. I enjoyed the relationship between him & the little boy even though I
found him annoying at times.


TV

11 Castle S7 : Bad Santa (2014)
12 Chopped: The Holiday Kitchen (20014)
13 Forever S1: Skinny Dipper (2014)

Not really much to say about any of them. Though I debated including the last one, there was decorated Christmas trees in the last scene and it did take place during the season.


CD


03 This is Christmas - Katherine Jenkins

Katherine Jenkins is a mezzo-soprano not strong enough for the opera but she certainly has a beautiful voice and she incorporates popular & classical pieces
on her CD's. I remember when Garrett was new & upcoming. Jenkins has a far superior voice and does well with light opera and
musical theatre.

This CD combines both classic Christmas hymns like Hark the Herald Angels Sings with pop songs like Santa Baby & The Christmas Song. This cd also contains a duet with Placido Domingo.

04 Noel - The Priests

Another classic trio reminiscent of Il Divo. This cd contains a collection of hymns and songs my favourite being Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth. I remember when Bing Crosby & David Bowie did that song for one of his Christmas specials. It still remains my favourite rendition but the Priests do it justice.

05 Christmas with Kiri - Kiri Te Kanawa

She is probably one of my favourite all-time opera singers and this cd is a nice one. My favourite song on the cd is The Greatest Gift of All.

 

[davidmatychuk]

I watched the Christmas classic "Die Hard" in 3D two nights ago, using the built-in 3D converter. It was actually pretty decent in fake 3D. If Fox Home Video is looking for other older films to convert to "real" 3D after "Predator", they ought to consider "Die Hard".

 

[PatW]

12 Last Holiday (2006) ****

Queen Latifah is Georgia Byrd a woman who works at a mundane job in a department store. She has one passion and dream and that is cooking and to open
up a little bistro. After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, she withdraws her life
savings and decides to blow it on a dream vacation in Europe and a luxury hotel in order to meet her idol, Chef Didier.
This movie was a lot of fun and of course has a happy ending. Loved Gerard Depardieu in the part of the chef.

13 Fred Claus (2007) ***1/2

Fred is Santa's older brother who all his life is made to feel inferior. Fred is in need
of some money so he agrees to visit his brother at the North Pole to help out
during the Christmas rush. Of course things don't go as expected.
Though not a great movie, I was entertained for the duration and was certainly
better than I expected.

TV

Holiday Baking Championship: Gingerbread Worlds

Not as enjoyable as some of the other episodes. The one I expected to win, won but she wasn't the one I was cheering for, though I must say he lost points with me for his sour attitude.


CD

DG 111 Christmas Classics: Various Disc 1

This is a five CD set that I bought this year. There is a combination of choral, symphonic, and hymns on this set. Many of the pieces are sung in German which
I guess I should have expected but probably wouldn't recommend to others.

 

[PatW]

Christmas at Cartwright's (2014) **1/2

Movie centering around a single mother who gets a job in a department store as a Santa courtesy of an angel. Cute movie but ultimately forgettable.

Love Actually (2003) ****

In my top ten all-time favourite movies. Though we are told several separate stories about love they all interconnect at the end. My favourite being the unrequited
love that Mark has for Juliet. The many times I've seen it, I never connected the actor playing Mark as the same playing Rick on the Walking Dead. I didn't realize
it until I saw his name in the credits. The other story I love is the relationship
between Jamie and Aurelia and their determination to bridge the language
divide. Great Christmas movie.


TV


15 Jamie's Festive Feast (2013)
16 Gordon Ramsay's Festive Cooking (2014)
17 Guy's Grocery Game: Dashing through the Aisles (2014)
18 Scorpion S1: Dominoes (2014)
19 Chopped: Celebrity Holiday Bash
20 Beat Bobby Flay: Bells Will Be Ringing
21 The Taste: Happy Holidays

All of these but one are cooking shows. Not really much to say about any of them.
Probably my favourite is Jamie's Festive Feast.


CD

Christmas Eve and Other Stories - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

The heavy metal band Savatage reinventing themselves as TSO. By the time they did this concept album, they had incorporated into their act different styles from classical to rock & new age. This Christmas CD tells a beautiful story (which you can read on the liner notes) of an angel being sent to earth to search and bring
back proof of man's progress in the last 2000 years. The cd is both a combination of
instrumental and vocal pieces. This cd contains the well known piece Christmas Eve
in Sarajevo but my favourite is An Angel Comes Down and the bookend piece An
Angel Returns. Those two pieces tells the whole story of the cd.

 

[JohnS]

Again I have watched an enormous amount of Christmas stuff, but just haven't had time to update.


MOVIES:

Home Alone
A movie I watched every Christmas. I never get tired of this movie.

TV:

Holiday Baking Championship #106 "Gingerbread Worlds"
It was cool who won, but Bill needs an attitude adjustment.
I really hope this comes back next year.
I even think this can be adjusted in some areas.

Bob's Burgers #418 "Father of the Bob"
This was just an average Christmas episode.
Not many laughs. I can't see myself watching this every year.

Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special.
This is now available on Netflix in HD.
Looks great and this ALWAYS puts a smile on my face.
One of my favorite musical numbers is Grace Jones.
I love it when Pee-Wee is talking to Oprah on the video phone.

Extreme Christmas Trees.
A great hour long special about different kind of glorious Christmas trees people decorate.
A must see that puts you in the spirit.

Adventure Time #319 & #320 "Holly Jolly Secrets Part I & II
I LOVE adventure time and any episode that has to do with the Ice King.
Finn and Jake find VHS tapes of Ice King's secret video diaries.
Some funny stuff. But VERY little to do with Christmas.

Rewrapped "Hammond's Candy Canes"
It was funny trying to see these "chefs" trying to recrate candy canes.
One chef's candy canes looked very pitiful.

Big Bang Theory #811 "The Clean Room Infiltration"
Every year these episodes loose all of its humor.
It's hard to find anything funny most of the times.
This Christmas episode was pretty lame.
I still love their first Christmas episode of Sheldon getting Penny's gift.

I have more to add, and yet again I'm at work...

 

[JohnS]

16 fantastic Christmas TV episodes you can watch right now.http://www.buddytv.com/slideshows/the-mindy-project/16-amazing-christmas-episodes-you-should-be-streaming-76559.aspx

 

[JohnS]

Don't forget!!!

Tomorrow Tues 23rd is Festivus.
Be sure to watch the Seinfeld episode "The Strike"
TBS always plays it. Check your DVRs

 

[Bryan^H]

I don't know where the time goes between Thanksgiving, an Christmas. I cannot believe it is almost Christmas already.Anyway, since Thanksgiving I watchedlanes, Trains, and Automobiles. I watch this most every year, and always enjoy it. Watched it the day before Thanksgiving this year, and for some reason, I just was not into it. By the time the end credits rolled, I was just depressed and felt awful. I can't explain it, that's just how it turned out. Grade for movie-AGrade for my mood and mindset watching movie-F

 

[Bryan^H]

The Mouse On The Mayflower(1968)First time viewing for me. Great animated tale of the pilgrims journey on the Mayflower. The mouse plays second fiddle to the main human characters. Songs by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Well worth the time to watch it, I'm going to see if I can find a copy on dvd. I watched on YouTube.Grade-A

 

[JohnS]

Perfect time to watch the Are You Being Served? Christmas episodes.Jeremy Llyod has passed away.