DVD Review: A Christmas Story Christmas

A Christmas Story Christmas
(DVD Christmas)

The first time I saw the 1983 movie A Christmas Story, I was expecting something completely different. Instead of a heart-warming, sentimental story about a family’s Christmas in the 1950s, this hilarious film looks at Christmas through the eyes of a child who sees everything going wrong for him. A Christmas Story became one of my favorite Christmas movies to watch during the holiday season.

 

I was excited to find that a new movie was produced recently looking at the characters from that original production nearly 30 years later. In A Christmas Story Christmas: Ralphie Comes Home, Peter Billingsley stars again as Ralphie Parker, looking at Christmas through the eyes of the Dad who is responsible for making sure everything turns out just right for his own young family as they celebrate Christmas with his Mom in his childhood home. Unfortunately, Ralphie has to deal with the loss of his own father and his inability to secure a publisher for his book that he has written while trying to make this a memorable occasion for his kids.

 

This excellent movie is filled with the same kind of imaginary scenes that made the original film the classic it became. We see all of the actors who played important roles in the original return for cameos as their adult characters. We see the same department store and its “visit Santa and his elves” but with the twist that its Ralphie’s kids waiting in the long line this time. The filming is well done, re-creating the look from the original set but fast-forwarded to the year 1973. We don’t have Darren McGavin as Old Man Parker (the actor passed away in 2006) but his photo is everywhere and there are clips from the original production as Ralphie remembers things his Dad did. We also don’t have actress Melinda Dillon (Mother Parker); she passed away shortly after this new film was released. Otherwise, the film does have the same feel as its predecessor.

 

A Christmas Story Christmas was co-produced by Jean Shepherd’s two adult children, Randall and Adrian Shepherd. One thing that I loved was the scene where Ralphie goes to visit his friend Flick in the neighborhood bar, Flick’s Tavern. The camera pans to a spot on the wall with a sign that says “In God We Trust; All Others Pay Cash.” This, of course, is the name of the book by Jean Shepherd that the original film was based on. I thought it was a nice touch to include that. The story was based on the author’s memories of growing up in the Hessville neighborhood of Hammond, Indiana.

 

I recommend this movie for anyone who is a fan of the original story.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the original A Christmas Story.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this 2022 film )

 

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Always, in December by Emily Stone

Always, in December
by Emily Stone (Stone)

I don’t read many “romance” novels, usually just one or two around the end-of-year holidays, and even then they tend to be “general fiction” with a romance flavor. This year, I picked up a paperback copy of Always, in December in a local grocery store, mainly because the cover was appealing. The libraries do have this available, but only in eBook format from Overdrive/Libby.

 

Always, in December turned out to be a very powerful read for me, which left me both sad and hopeful by the end. Nominally a “Christmas” novel — the opening chapters are set during the holiday season, and there are some major scenes around the same time of the year, a year later, but a large portion of this novel is set at other times. But the holidays aren’t just window dressing.

 

Josie, the central character, feels disconnected from the holidays, since it was at Christmas that her two parents were killed in a car accident when she was 10, and she was raised by loving grandparents. She has a tradition of writing her parents a letter each year at Christmas and placing it in a public post box. As the novel begins, she’s facing a job crisis and this year’s letter tradition is interrupted when she runs into Max by accident on her bicycle. As part of her efforts to apologize, and to try to improve his dour attitude, she takes him for drinks, and something seems to “click” between them. When it turns out they’re both on their own in London over the holiday, they end up sharing more time with each other and developing an instant and deep attraction. But when Max disappears on her with a cryptic note, after they shared a perfect day together, Josie is devastated.

The bulk of this novel follows Josie’s next year, as lessons she learned in the short time she had with Max lead her down paths she never thought she’d travel, and he returns to her life in a moment when she needs him most…only with a twist she didn’t see coming.

 

This novel is filled with well-developed characters. I empathized with Josie and really cared what was happening to her. I summed up my reaction to the ending of this book by saying “Good fiction (especially novels) should make you FEEL something.” This book definitely engaged my emotions. For a debut novel (released originally in 2021), Emily Stone hit a home run…and she’s had two more novels since then that I can look forward to!

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try One Last Gift and Love, Holly also by Emily Stone.)

 

( official Emily Stone Instagram feed )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: Three Wise Men and a Baby

Three Wise Men and a Baby
(DVD Three)

For the past several years, the Hallmark cable channel has led the charge in terms of producing light-hearted “romance” movies for the Christmas season. They have a stable of recurring actors and actresses, whom regular viewers look forward to seeing in this seasonal films.

 

Three Wise Men and a Baby was a 2022 premiere that teamed up three of the most popular male stars of these lightweight feel-good films. Actors Paul Campbell, Andrew Walker and Tyler Hynes are Stephan, Luke and Taylor Brenner, three brothers all still living with or near their mother, Barbara (played by Margaret Colin – who played the girlfriend in the 1987 film Three Men and a Baby). Stephan is a pet counselor, Luke is a fireman and Taylor is a disgruntled video game designer. When a baby is left on the doorstep of the firehouse he works in, with a note addressed to him, Stephen finds himself taking care of the cute infant, until other arrangements can be made…and he quickly ropes his two brothers into the task, especially when their mom has to leave town to deal with an injured relative.

 

This one was written by Campbell, with Kimberly Sustad (another regular Hallmark actress), and the two actors really know their fellow thespians — the roles of the three brothers fit these specific actors to a “T” and it’s obvious this entire cast had fun working with each other. Though Hallmark does occasionally feature more serious plots, this is definitely one of the silly, goofy ones, with a health side dose of heartfelt sincerity — the three confirmed bachelors’ interactions with the baby boy are adorable. If you’re looking for a good introduction to Hallmark Christmas Movies, you can’t go wrong with this one!

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you watched this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

New Booklist on BookGuide: "Have Yourself a Merry Hard-Edged Christmas!"

“Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?”

This has been a common pop-culture question in recent years, especially when the holidays roll around at the end of the year! Whether you believe this classic 1988 action film is a Christmas Movie or not, there’s no question that there have been a lot of action/adventure films set during the Christmas or year-end holiday season.

Becky W.C. compiled a list of those films for a display at the Lincoln City Libraries' Walt Branch Library in December 2023, and submitted her “video” list to be included in the resources of the libraries’ BookGuide readers advisory pages online.

Check out this new video "booklist" on BookGuide at the following link:

If You Like…Die Hard
a.k.a. “Have Yourself a Merry Hard-Edged Christmas!”

Book Review: Dashing Through the Snowbirds by Donna Andrews

Dashing Through the Snowbirds
by Donna Andrews (Andrews)

This Christmas, Meg Langslow has a house full of Canadians. Rob’s company Mutant Wizards begins to collaborate with a company that provides genealogical information. The idea is to help them expand their DNA testing services. The head of the company is rude and entitled. He demands that his people move to Caerphilly to work at the Mutant Wizard office instead collaborating online. He also failed to realize there wouldn’t be any rooms available for his staff ergo the house full of Canadians.

 

When Ian is found bludgeoned to death, Meg begins her search for who killed him. Was it one of his employees? His father, not wanting to see him ruin the company he worked so hard for? A man who was convicted of murder thanks to the information in their fledgling DNA database?

 

I was kind of disappointed her previous Christmas book, but this shows she’s not lost her touch. I loved the changes happening with Meg and her family. I like that the mystery is well done and that the books still have the subtle humor I’ve come to love.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Bones of Holly by Carolyn Haines or Twisted Tea Christmas by Laura Childs.)

 

( official Donna Andrews web site )

 

See many more items like this in the Mistletoe Mysteries booklist here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Marcy G.
South and Gere Branch Libraries

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Audiobook Review: The Geek Who Saved Christmas by Annabeth Albert

The Geek Who Saved Christmas
by Annabeth Albert (Hoopla Audiobook)

A cozy, gay holiday romance, between two men in their early 40’s, that should be on the Hallmark Christmas Romance channel. A favorite trope of mine with Neighbor #1, Gideon, who’s totally into all the holidays and decorates his house accordingly. Next door to him is Neighbor #2, Paul, who’s the grumpy guy who doesn’t decorate.

 

During one of their few interactions, Gideon learns that Paul’s brother is arriving for Christmas with his girlfriend, and he hopes to propose to her on Christmas Eve in front of the Christmas tree. Gideon offers to help Paul decorate and provide the perfect backdrop. They are together nearly every day as Gideon transforms Paul’s barebones house into a homey, comfy, wonderland as they get to know each other.

 

Of course this has a Happy Ever After and we get an epilogue for the following year (I love epilogues). You end up liking both fellows and wish you had next door neighbors just like them. Not to mention, I also approved of a lot of Gideon’s decorating ideas.

 

The reader of this audiobook, Tim Paige, does an excellent job of voicing each character and you have no trouble discerning who’s speaking in the story.

 

A fun, easy listen at only seven hours.

 

( official Annabeth Albert web site )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!