Stars: 4/5 ⭐️ So, this was the first Cinderella movie I've ever watched, and I liked it! It was funny and quick-witted, and with it revolving around music, the actors who sang were good at it, cause they actually are singers. Following wanna-be singer, Kat Decker, played by Laura Marano, is trapped in a horrid situation with her wicked stepmother, and two evil stepsisters, exactly like the original. One thing that already differed from the original story is the fairy godmother, which in this story is Kat's best friend, Isla, played by Isabella Gomez, who I liked as a character. She was funny, and kind, and althought she did feel a little one note, she was fun on screen. One thing that I'm not sure if it's delved into with the other variations is the father. In this, he died a year prior it seems, and in the movie, the stepmother, Deirdre, played by Johannah Newmarch, leverages that to get invited to the gala of a billionaire, which made me think she actually dated him just cause he had money, which might have made sense, since the family lives in a nice house, and Deirdre does nothing for a job. But that was an interesting point to get into, with another actually being the stepsisters, Joy, and Grace, played by Lillian Doucet-Roche and Chanelle Peloso respectively, as Joy is pretty mean to Kat, but Grace is generally nice. And we don't get exactly why they hate her, which I wish would be explained in one of these remakes, but I liked their dynamic. However, Joy is just more fun to watch, cause her one-liners are great. But, I want to get into one tiff I have with the movie. In the opening scene, Kat has Starbucks frappes spilled on her in front of the love interest, Dominic Wintergarden, played by Gregg Sulkin, and he helps her up, but she's embarrassed cause, you know, Starbucks frappe is on her face. Then later, we realize that he's the Santa at this Santa Land that Kat works at, as an elf, and Dominic can't realize that Kat is Kat, but the only difference about her is her elf ears, and she's wearing a wig. It makes more sense that Kat didn't recognize Dominic since he covered most of his face, and for me, it took a second to realize that it was him. But, it's like, how can you not tell it's Kat? When she takes her wig off, which is in front of Dominics's friends who were there in the beginning as well, and don't recognize her as "Starbucks Girl" until the big moment, it's like some big dramatic moment. Also, the reasoning that Kat doesn't want to "reveal" herself to Dominic, cause he takes off his Santa Costume, in Santa Land, and Kat recognizes him, is because he would only see her as "Starbucks Girl" which, like, he wasn't laughing at you or anything, he actually seemed concerned for you, so I doubt he would care. But besides that gouging plot point, the film was good, and I would recommend it as a holiday movie, that is if you like singing because there is a good deal of it, however, it's good, because Laura Marano is a great singer!
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Stars: 3.5/5 ⭐️ I find it weird that people treat Christmas movies like any other movie, cause they're not, you know. They're all the same, rinse and repeat type thing. (except for The Princess Switch, which did switch it up, pun intended) This one just features a magical holiday calendar. Following Abby Sutton, played by Kat Graham, a photographer who works in a small photography studio working for someone else, when she really wants to be taking her own photos. Then comes along her childhood best friend, Josh Barton, played by Quincy Brown, a freelance world-traveling photographer, and they start to work together as elves in a Santa's workshop type thing. And there's a third kinda main character, it's the guy that the main character dates until she realized that her friend, who she has had no sexual feelings for before, is the one for her, and that's Ty, played by Ethan Peck, a hot doctor who keeps popping up. So the whole thing of the movie is that Abby, whose name you don't remember, cause they don't say it that much, gets a calendar from her gramps, and it used to be her grandmother's, and each day at midnight, the calendar opens another door and inside is a little porcelain statue thing. And each one is supposed to predict what might happen to her that day. So, the first day is boots, and Josh gives her boots, the second day is a tree, and she runs over a Christmas tree that was tied to the doctor's car, and that's how the doctor and Abby have their meet-cute. And so, that's kinda what happens, and Abby and the doctor fall more in love and stuff, until Abby has a bad day, like a bad bad day. It first starts with Josh putting an SD card into a computer with photos from a tree lighting ceremony with the mayor, getting lost. And then she has a conversation about how Ty and her don't know that much stuff about each other, so they break up. Then, she dumps Josh as a friend, cause of the photos, and she gets fired because Josh lost the photos, and that's why she friend dumps him. And when that happens, there was still like a good 50 minutes left of the film, and it kinda felt weird, because when Josh and Abby stop being friends, nothing really happens after that. Abby just wallows for a while and then talks to people about how she messed up and stuff. She goes to talk to her old boss, and she gets her job back, and then she goes to her sister, to get the holiday calendar back, because she accidentally donated it, and then, when not getting the calendar, she gets it back by way of her gramps, and then the end is pretty predictable. Except for one part, which is the calendar itself. All the pieces in the calendar, we are led to believe relate somehow to Ty, but there is a flashback showing how they actually relate to Josh, and then the two get together at the end, which was predictable. So, for Christmas watching, would I recommend it? Not really. I think either Love Hard for more of a convention Christmas story, or The Princess Switch 2 and 3 for a fun, spiced up story. Stars: 4.5/5 ⭐️ This movie is the best. It's pure camp, and that's what makes it so funny, but honestly, there is a good amount of heart in this film, and it was really enjoyable. So the third installment of the Princess Switch universe is when a Christmas star, "Star of Peace" that's given by the Vatican, is stolen, so Margaret and Stacy team up with Fiona (all three played by Vanessa Hudgens) and Fiona's dashing ex-boyfriend/con partner, Peter Maxwell, played by Remy Hii, to retrieve it. What's great about this movie is that it moves quickly. The star is stolen in like 5 minutes from the beginning of the film and we get right into the action. And this movie is a heist movie cause the whole gang has to break into a hotel chain manager's Christmas home during a Christmas party to steal it back. And it's really fun to watch, which I think comes from the writing and the characters just having fun with it. Vanessa, I can tell, is having a blast playing all the different characters, and there are some really funny jokes in there, some that come out of cringe, but some that are genuinely hilarious. All the characters are likable as well, which you just sometimes don't get in a Christmas movie, and the fact that it's Christmas kinda makes the reason that those characters are likable. However, all the characters are great, and I think what makes the Princess Switch so good is that it's not a traditional Christmas movie. It doesn't follow a traditional rom-com plot, but I would say that all three movies are Christmas rom-com. The first two focus on Margaret and Kevin, and Stacey and Edward, and the third focuses on Fiona and her ex, Peter, and how they fall in love again. However, it's more than just about characters falling in love, it's about those characters switching, or kidnapping, or heisting, which makes the movie worth the watch. Okay, also the character Mindy, one of Fiona's cronies, played by Florence Hall, needs to be in more stuff, because I don't know why, but I loved her so much in this movie. Maybe because Mindy and Reggie get more characterization, cause I thought Fiona was going to be my favorite, cause she's the epitome of chaotic good, with all her lines, but Mindy and Reggie were great. Also, Edward was hilarious in this film, but, I am going to say that they don't need to add any more characters into the mix, because it felt like the character Kevin, played by Nick Sagar, didn't get that much to do in the film which felt weird, as Edwards' assistant literally helps in the heist plan. Fiona also gets more characterization and backstory, and we learn that her mom abandoned her as a kid, at an elite prep school place, where she met Peter. What kinda felt weird though about the movie is the villain. So, he collects rare artifacts that aren't sold normally, so he steals them, but we don't understand how scary he is. It's just told to us by Peter, which is stupid, cause it feels like the characters aren't in any real danger. This is fine for a feel-good Christmas movie, but it could have given the movie more depth to the stakes of returning the Star of Peace. Because the only stakes we have is when Margaret talks to the pope, and he talks about how there was a royal who lost something big, and they were shunned by the other royals, which is stupid. But, in all, I love the Princess Switch trilogy, and I hope that they make more of these because they're enjoyable to watch for sure. Stars: 3.5/5 ⭐️ Okay, so this movie is something for sure. Following Sophie Brown, played by Brooke Shields, who is an author of a popular book series following a girl named Emma Grace, and how over 12 books she falls in love with a dude, Winston, only for him to be killed off in the 12th book. That causes a "scandal" cause people don't like that she killed him off, which the real scandal part is the fact that Sophie kinda flips out on a talk show when she is questioned about her book. That would be the real scandal part, especially because it seems like only people in America don't like that she killed Winston, as when she goes to Scotland, and the people there don't like Winston. So, as I said she decides to fly to Scotland for some peace and quiet, where she decides to buy a castle from a grumpy duke. Getting it out of the way, the movie isn't special, and honestly, the characters just bent to what the plot needed them to do. For example at the end of the second act, where the lovers, Sophie and Duke Myles, played by Cary Elwes, break up, Myles' character just starts to act all weird and stuff, and it doesn't make sense to what has happened in the story. He blows up at Sophie because she offers him a place in the castle he sold to her, and then he says how his life is being ripped from him, and now it's being given back as a pity play. There is also a part much earlier on, where after Myles sells the castle to Sophie, they have a 90-day escrow so that Myles knows that Sophie can take care of the castle after he sells it, but the thing is, she never does any work in the castle. It's all Myles and his brother who do the work. I think the best thing about the movie is the shots of Scotland, or wherever they filmed it, as well as the castle. The acting was fine, but since this plot is the rinse and repeat for most Christmas movies, it didn't really matter, cause the plot pulled the acting down. What sucks is that four people wrote this movie, and with someone like Brooke Shields, you would think that the characters would get more depth, and dimensions, but they don't. Even the book that Sophie decides to write at the end of the movie, about a woman going into battle, is a smack in the face allegory for her and Myles' relationship, and I feel like there could have been more of a subtle way to do it. What I will give props to, though is that Sophie is divorced before the movie begins, and that's alluded to why Winston was killed, as Sophie bases her Emma Grace stories off her real life, and they never show the husband. I don't know why I liked that, but I thought it was a nice touch for the movie. Also, the ending, while the credits play, we get to see outtakes of Brooke Shields, on the talk show, which is The Drew Barrymore show, and seeing them goof off is probably the funniest aspect of the movie, so if you get through the movie, please watch the credits, cause they will be funny, I promise. Stars: 5/5 ⭐️ So, the second one is way better. In terms of camp, obviously. The second one follows again, Margaret and Stacey, and now a third Vanessa Hudgens, Fiona, all played by Vanessa Hudgens. In this one, Margaret and Kevin, played by Nick Sagar, have split up, and Stacey, and her husband, Prince Edward, played by Sam Palladio, but mostly Stacey, try to do everything to get Margaret and Kevin back together. It’s also Christmas time again, and Margaret is about to be crowned queen of her country, Montenaro, because spoiler alert her dad died. So the third Vanessa Hudgens comes in because I guess Margaret has a cousin named Fiona who is poor, and she has these two goons who help her scam rich people. And the whole thing is that Fiona wants to kidnap Margaret, take her place, be Margaret while she gets crowned queen, then send money to a bank account so that she and her goons can just do whatever for the rest of their life. But there’s also another crazy twist, Margaret and Stacey have switched before Fiona can do any switching around because Margaret wants time with Kevin to see if there is actually something there and so she’s going to pretend to be Stacey and just hang out with Kevin all day. But the thing is, the girls decide to not tell prince Edward that they’re switching, which is kind of a stupid thing to do because he should know. The only people who know are literally no one except Edward. So what happens is that Fiona kidnaps Stacey who is pretending to be Margaret, and they have to find Stacey, before Fiona gets herself crowned queen, but as Margaret, so she doesn't send the money to her bank account, which is just insane. Also, in my last princess switch review, I said the king's assistant was the best character, he’s better in this because he’s actually nice and not creepy but also still got the same weirdness, and he is awesome. Also, as I just described before, the plot itself is total camp. I actually found myself audibly laughing while watching this movie which I don’t think I would ever find myself doing while watching a Christmas movie. I honestly don’t understand why people don’t like this movie, because even though, yes, it’s a wacky movie, that’s what makes it great. It’s hilarious to just see what happens. The dialogue is hilarious, partly because it’s cringe, partly because it is actually kind of funny. Also, they snuck in a sex joke at the beginning which was an amazing job on them for putting in a sex joke for a TV-PG movie. Vanessa Hudgens is doing the most, and she must love doing the most because there’s a third movie and from what it seems there might be a fourth princess switch where she is playing three characters, which is just insane but as long as she’s having fun that’s great for her and I’m happy she’s getting a lot of money from it because she’s a producer for the second and the third movie. And it seems these movies do well as they’ve gotten a sequel and then got turned into a trilogy so they must be making some more money even if people haven’t enjoyed them. Also, will I watch this Christmas movie again? Yes, definitely, because it is hilarious, it’s funny, it’s crazy, it’s camp, it’s honestly everything I want in a Christmas movie. So I’m excited about the third movie because honestly, the best character is Fiona. After all, she’s just so wacky and insane and kind of like an adult caricatures version of a Gossip Girl character which I think makes this just every bit of fun. However, I will say something I am mad about the fact that they don’t ever go back to the idea if Margaret and Stacey are ever related to each other. That part just seem to have been dropped for the second movie. People do reference that they look very similar to each other but there isn’t anything brought up about how they got tested to see if they are related or anything like that which really pisses me off, because that was an interesting idea. Stars: 4/5 ⭐️ I'm happy the gays are getting their own version of a Hallmark Christmas movie. Especially because the movie is treated the same as if it's a heterosexual couple, as the problem of Peter, played by Michael Urie, isn't that he's gay, it's that he's single. Following Peter, and Nick, played by Philemon Chambers, the two, who have been best friends since they both moved to LA, go back to Peter's hometown for Christmas. At the beginning of the movie, Peter plans to bring home a boyfriend as a surprise, but then it's found out that the man is a cheater, so Peter devises a plan to get Nick to be his fake boyfriend for the time that they're there, and they're going to announce it at Christmas dinner. Nick isn't too thrilled about the plan, and as soon as Peter gets home, his mom sets him up with a date, which Nick totally agrees that Peter should do, as Nick doesn't want to lie to the family. Then hijinks ensue. I don't want to give too much away of the film, but it's very obvious what's going to happen in the end, and my only issue with that is it feels like for a majority of the movie the straight characters are pushing them together, and they don't want to be together by their own volition. However, we do find out, at, like the hour and twenty-minute mark, that they both share feelings for each other, but they've been too scared to express that because they don't want to ruin their friendship. And the problem with that is, it doesn't feel like it's set up, it really feels like they're two best friends, who want the best for each other, and are friends, and that's it. There are "clues" if you can call them that, such as Peter and Nick live together, playing on the whole "they were roommates" idea, everyone but the two sees that they're meant to be. (which feels weird, because it's brought up multiple times that straight people, as soon as they see two gay dudes, just automatically assume that they should be together.) The movie though is really good. The main actors of Nick, Peter, and then Peter's blind date boyfriend, James, played by Luke Macfarlane, are all gay. The writer and the director of the film are both gay as well, so I feel that had a massive influence on the fact that Nick, Peter, and James' sexuality isn't brought up that much. There are some conversations, but it's more about meeting people in places like rural New Hampshire, where James partially lives. What I was really concerned about was the critics and audience review of this movie, and after watching it for a few days on rotten tomatoes, I'm happy there is an uptrend, as that will make platforms like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and more realize that there is a market in queer romance movies, that don't end with one of them dying, or not ending up together in the end, and everyone being happy. So, this movie, even though it's probably very similar to any other Christmas, and it really hits the beats of a Christmas movie, it's fun, and it's refreshing to see a gay love story that ends in the characters being happy, and having a mushing feelings confession scene, where you're crying tears of joy. Stars: 3.5/5 ⭐️ This movie is straight-up camp. Like the good camp because it’s just so crazy. Following Stacey De Novo and Margaret, Duchess of Montenaro, both played by Vanessa Hudgens, as Stacey goes to Belgravia for a baking competition, where she runs into the Duchess, who's getting married to the prince on Christmas Day. They see that they’re identical and they decide to switch to experience the other ones’ life. And that’s the basic plot of the movie. But what’s really interesting is how zany the movie is. But in such a good way where you’re kind of laughing with the movie and at the movie at the same time. I think the best character, even though it’s intentional, is the kings assistant who is trying to figure out what is happening to the Duchess because she seems off, and so he’s following her around and stuff which is just really weird how obsessed he is with trying to figure out what’s different about Margaret. There’s literally a part where he finally does figure out that Margaret and Stacey have swapped, but he’s done that by standing outside of her bedroom window with a camera. Like what? That’s literally crazy person behavior. And when everyone else figures out that Margaret and Stacey have swapped places yes, it is bad, but people are acting like it’s going to be like the death penalty or something, but people are just like "oh my gosh Margaret has an identical doppelgänger" pretty much. But what’s funny is that the prince and Stacey’s business partner, who secretly likes her, are just OK with the fact that they just got duped by the two girls which is hilarious but also crazy. The Prince takes it to a whole other level because in the end after knowing Stacey for two days, he just proposes to her. There’s also a villain, kinda, in the movie who’s Stacey’s nemesis, baking nemesis, who just sabotages Stacey during the baking competition which is just child-like behavior because this woman is probably in her 20s or 30s. Why is she sabotaging another woman’s stuff to win? I hope though that we do figure out how Stacey and Margaret are related or if they are just doppelgängers because that's something they need to explore. That their great great great aunt, I think, flew to America and that’s how they’re possibly related, but there needs to be for sure explanation in the second or the third of how they’re related. Because personally, I think that’s an interesting idea, for a Christmas movie obviously, but I feel like I must need to know now. Also, the fact that there are three movies kind of boggles my mind, but that means there is a lot more camp to follow. Which I am excited for, because in the second and the third movie there’s three Vanessa‘s, and one of them is evil? That is literally the campiest thing ever. Now, when will I watch this movie again? Yes, I would actually, with friends only though, because it’s camp, so literally, we could point out everything in the movie that just is insane. But for solo watching, I don’t think I will find myself watching this movie again, just because it’s a very simple, very formulaic plot. However, that is not to say that I am excited to see what happens in the second and the third movies. Stars: 3.5/5 ⭐️ This is your basic Christmas movie. Like, you know what's going to happen. A stiff Christmas hater meets someone who loves Christmas, they hate each other in the beginning, then get to know each other, and then fall in love with each other. Following Erica, played by Kat Graham, a politician's assistant, she embarks on a trip to Guam to a military base to see if it deserves to be shut down, cause of cost. There she meets Andrew, played by Alexander Ludwig, a pilot, who gives her the tour of the place. And the whole conflict is around Operation Christmas Drop, where Andrew and his crew drop supplies onto islands where native people live, as there is no way for the people to get it otherwise, as they are pretty isolated. In the beginning, Erica is skeptical of Operation Christmas Drop because she believes that there must be some inefficiencies in the plan, but Andrew proves her wrong, time and time again, showing that Operation Christmas Drop uses everything in its power to not cost any taxpayers money, or use government equipment for their own personal use. Now this movie could be considered military propaganda, and could it? Kinda, I guess. But it does frame the politician who wants to shut it down in a bad light because it costs too much money, which I picked up as the US is so capitalistic that they'll cut anything that isn't profit, or military-driven, even if it's humanitarian. On the other side though, it makes the military look like good people for doing this, and they are, as the movie is based on something that actually happens. So, as said before, this Christmas movie is like any other, but for me, I always saw Christmas movies as camp, but the first third of the movie was just boring, finally picking up as camp at the 60-minute mark. So, if you can get through the first thirty minutes, it's a pretty enjoyable movie. But, the first thirty minutes are something else. The characters feel stale, and there feels like nothing is happening, and everything just feels boring. But as it starts to pick up, and the character Erica starts caring about the people whose jobs and lives are on the line, then it gets good. Cause that's also when the characters start to be likable. As I said before, Erica is a politician's assistant, and just like her politician, in the beginning, she's in it for the money, because she believes that if she does well, then she will get a really good promotion. On the flip side Andrew is this cocky dude-bro, who after some time, we see that he really cares about the people that he is helping and that he's just trying to get Erica to see it his way. The ending of the movie is kinda one where there is something left to be desired, but also a happy ending. It's an ending where the main characters kiss, and then the movie ends, which is kinda, like, blah, but also we learn that Erica got Andrew's family to fly in because he always has to video chat them. So, would I say this is a good movie? Well, it's a Christmas movie, and you can take that as you may. I know that I would probably watch Love Hard again, over this, but it is a sweet, yet simple and formulaic movie. Stars: 4/5 ⭐️ The holidays are here! And Love Hard is a great way to start that. Since it's a movie about a girl getting catfished, and it's obvious she would end up with him, I was a little skeptical about the movie, with the premise. But I don't think it's that bad. The catfishes didn't seem to be that bad, and you get why he has self-esteem issues, cause his brother is an egomaniac who does everything to have the spotlight on him and make fun of his brother. But taking a step back, Love Hard is about a girl, Natalie, played by Nina Dobrev, an LA-based writer, who expands her dating range to all of the US, and falls in love with Josh. Now the physical man she falls in love with is Tag, played by Darren Barnet, but when she gets to talking, she starts to fall for real Josh, played by Jimmy O. Yang. So, after a month-ish of talking, Natalie makes the impulsive decision to surprise Josh for Christmas, all the way in a small town in New York. And when she gets there, she is surprised by who Josh really is, but then she realizes that the physical guy, Tag, that she fell in love with, is also in the same town, and Josh promises Natalie to set her and Tag up, as long as she pretends to be his girlfriend for his family. And it gets complicated from there. While trying to impress Tag, Natalie starts to kinda change herself for him, almost another form of catfishing, while with Josh, joining him and his family with all their Christmas adventures gets intense quick, when Josh fake proposes to Natalie, to upstage his brother, for the first time, stealing the spotlight back. So there is the push and pull of Natalie between the two guys, but it's very obvious, even if you never watched a Christmas movie that Josh and Natalie will get together. Their chemistry is palpable, where they actually enjoy each other's company and play off each other, while also helping each other along the way. Natalie helps Josh find confidence and Josh helps Natalie look at herself as a person. Because it should be noted, as a LA writer, Natalie writes about her disastrous love life, so with Tag, she believes that she has to do everything to make it work with him because she's desperate. And what I think what makes this movie stand out, compared to other Christmas movies are the characters. They feel real, and how they talk feels real, and not just played out. They feel like people, with flaws, and relatable quirks, and just solid characters for the 94 minutes that we're with them. The only reason that this is a four out of five, instead of a higher score is because of one thing. Love, Actually. Which is referenced too much in this movie. It's Josh's favorite movie, which is fine, but also, his family watches it, and it's the famous, signs scene with Kiera Knightly and Andrew Lincoln, which is then parodied at the end of the film. Which, everyone can have a favorite Christmas movie, but it just seems like Love, Actually is overhyped for no reason, and I wish they went with a more creative ending, that spoke more to the characters, instead of referencing some famous scene. In the movie, Josh wants to actually make a business making and selling candles, and I feel the end would have been more impactful if candles were involved or something to that degree, which would have made the move stand out instead of the movie that referenced another famous movie as its climactic scene. |
AuthorRyan Jones is an aspiring screenwriting, and an environmental enthusiast and activist. Archives
February 2022
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