Melody has written 306 reviews for films during 2017.
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A Royal Christmas 2014
I can't tell if it's wise or lazy that it takes its cues for all the "Royal" stuff (and Lacey's character's inability to deal) from The Princess Diaries 2 (even the burgeoning relationship between the Queen and the long-serving butler…), but it certainly worked better for me as a result (I left this till last for a reason). Worst of all really is how badly shoehorned Christmas is into this - it could really happen any other time of the…
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A Holiday Heist 2011
I think this was kind of meant to be like Home Alone meets The Breakfast Club? But it doesn't really commit to either tone. I don't really understand who this was made for, because the concept is clearly geared to older teens but, like, the dumb villains for example are like preschool material. Lacey has a nice monologue about a childhood Christmas memory which takes a dark turn like Phoebe Cates in Gremlins towards the end, but I'd all but zoned out by that point.
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Matchmaker Santa 2012
"Don't look at me! I'm a skeeter, not a little birdy."*
"Thank you, Santa Kris."
This has one of the creepiest and most evil meddling Santas I've ever seen in it, but Lacey gets to wear an incredibly cute elf outfit at one point, and the "long term wish" idea captures my imagination, so it all balances out. Oh yeh there's a bit where Lacey just randomly pulls a cookie out of her pocket for her man as if she…
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The Tree That Saved Christmas 2014
For some reason this was called The Holiday Tree over here. Anyway it's nice to see one of these where there's no magic other than the kind that comes from people being nice.
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Black Christmas 2006
I mean it's not saying much but this surely has to be the best of all the Lacey Chabert Christmas movies? This was just so much more ridiculous, gorey fun than I remembered.
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Family for Christmas 2015
"Do you remember all the Christmases we've had?"
"I can't change the choices you've made in the past."
"Then what was the point?"On the one hand, boy do these Hallmark movies run together… on the other, I did find a few unique things here. I like how the idea of reversing the wish at the end (as usually happens) isn't ever the goal of Lacey Chabert's character - there's some adjustment but then she just wants to make it…
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Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas 1997
One of those movies I've been meaning to watch again for years but then I had to wait until I found it in HD, which I finally did this year on Sky. For about the first 10 minutes the animation is pretty horrifying in the way even my beloved Little Mermaid II is in places, but once it gets into that first song "Stories" it's really surprisingly worthy - that is, if you know me, it only takes one or…
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The Sweetest Christmas 2017
“Don’t you think every time I pick up the phone I wish I was picking up the pastry bag?”
I’m not entirely sure I have the right to log this as I had my eyes shut for most of it and definitely was in and out of sleep (I’ll be passing out shortly after I post this I think) but I’m logging it anyway as I might be able to get one of my this year’s faves Lacey Chabert up…
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Spice World 1997
"I know you said it was gonna be tacky but this - is - tacky."
Historically speaking this is kind of priceless. And I actually still find it at turns hilarious and profoundly moving (ok "profoundly" may just be a product of time) too. Happy 20th anniversary.
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