Hello everybody! Today, I’m going to be talking about the second set of films I watched in December, because as I explained in part one I watched an awful lot of films in December! Onto the post!
The Christmas Contract- I wasn’t expecting that much of this film, and I only really downloaded it on Sky because the fake-dating premise sounded like it might be cute. I was really pleasantly surprised by it though. I wasn t keen on Hilarie Burton in White Collar, but I loved her as Jolie, a woman who is so desperate to save face in front of her ex when she returns home for Christmas that she agrees to take along her best friend’s annoying writer brother and pretend he is her boyfriend. This is predictable in the very best way, because knowing exactly what was going to happen made it feel even cosier than the lovely small town setting and excellent romance already did. The chemistry between the main couple was brilliant, and I was really rooting for them throughout. The big romantic gesture at the end is one of my favourites I’ve ever seen, as well. None of the supporting cast was especially memorable, but I still loved this. I may well rewatch it next Christmas!
Miracle on 34th Street– I’m not going to go into too much detail about this film, because I talked about it in my favourite Christmas films post, but I really, really love this film. I left my annual rewatch terribly late this year, but I finally found time to watch it a few days before Christmas and my feelings haven’t changed a bit. It is indescribably magical and Christmassy, Mara Wilson is exceptional as precocious Susan and I adore Dory and Jack and their romance. It gets extra points for baby Dylan McDermott (I’m still not over Stalker being cancelled, because that show was EXCELLENT) and pre- West Wing Allison Janney!
Pitch Perfect- I have been meaning to watch this comedy about a college a cappella group since it came out, and finally watched it just before Christmas. I thought Anna Kendrick was fabulous as Becca, a student who reluctantly joins the group, and I was a big fan of her romance plotline with Jesse too (not least because the Breakfast Club plays a role in it). I also enjoyed the relationship between the members of the Barden Bellas and seeing them prepare for the contest they are entered in. Not all of the humour was my thing, but I did laugh at other things, and overall I would recommend it. However, I also watched the second film, but honestly my only thought on it was that it wasn’t a patch on the first, removed basically everything I liked and added plenty more I hated, so I don’t feel it needs it’s own spot on the list and I don’t intend to watch the third.
A Gift for Christmas- this was such a sweet film. It is about a bookstore worker named Darcy accidentally injuring a man, and them falling in love despite his amnesia. They are a very cute couple and I liked their relationship, and the dog in this is absolutely excellent. Darcy’s love of books made her a great main character, and I very much related to her love of books and pyjamas. The role of books throughout the film in general, especially in regards to the romance is pretty great, and I didn’t expect the outcome of who the mystery man really was, which was nice as I’d predicted something different (and my mum’s guess wasn’t right either!). I probably won’t watch this again and I’m struggling to remember anyone other than Darcy’s name, but it’s worth a watch if you’re looking for a cute festive romance.
The Christmas Cottage– This film was so, so bland that I genuinely can’t remember the female lead’s name (I only remember the male’s because I thought Ean was a ridiculous spelling of the name Ian). It is about a workaholic who returns to her childhood home for her best friend’s wedding and falls back in love with the aforementioned Ean, who happens to be her ex (and is just as annoying as his name implies). Both characters were really irritating, the romantic moments weren’t anything special at all and I couldn’t have cared a single iota less about whether they ended up together or not. The magical realism was jarring as well. All in all, this was just not a fun time.
Christopher Robin– this is 100% my favourite film of the year. This is perfection; just what I expected and wanted from this film, which focuses on Winnie the Pooh and his friends attempting to help the grown up Christopher Robin, who is very beaten down by his job and the pressures of his life. I cried from, and I’m not exaggerating, the minute the film began till the minute the credits rolled, and did not stop once, even though I was shrieking with laughter often too. There’s something so nostalgic and emotional about Winnie the Pooh as well as the joy of it, and this film achieves that mixture so beautifully. The characters were so true to the original versions and I thought the human cast all played their parts amazingly too, even though they were of course outshone by Pooh and his friends. I’m so excited to watch this again already- it’s one of my new favourite Disney films for sure.
Battle of the Sexes– I’m going to be completely honest and tell you the reason that I watched this film is not because I love a good biopic (though I do, I’m a bloody sucker for a good biopic), but because James Mackay (one of my favourite actors/celebs of ever) is a minor supporting character in it. I did know that his role was minor before I started the film, and yet I watched it anyway, because I have missed him since he left Dynasty and I was curious as to what he’d be like in another role. Spoiler, he’s great; he may not have had much to do in terms of quantity, but he played his part fabulously and I loved hearing his own accent. The rest of the film is also pretty great, even though it was a bit of a slow starter. It recounts the story of Billie Jean King and the famous Battle of the Sexes tennis match, in which a retired former male champion alleged that he could beat the current female champion Billie Jean King. I thought Emma Stone was fantastic innthe main role, and I despised Steve Carrell’s Bobby utterly; he was such a horrible, sexist man, and it was SO enjoyable to see him eventually get his comeuppance. The Billie and Marilyn romance was really sweet too, even though it wasn’t actually accurate to real life at all…
Finding Dory- I don’t quite know why I chose to rewatch this on New Year’s Eve, but I’m really glad I did. It follows Dory, Marlin’s loveable sidekick from Finding Nemo, as she remembers her family and sets out to find them. It made me cry at several points because I just wanted her to reunite with them so badly and what happened to her when she was an adorable baby fish was so sad. The aquariam setting was a lot of fun, and this does just as good a job as its predecessor in terms of creating wonderful and memorable secondary characters. I also really loved seeing Dory in the spotlight because while I’m not a fan of Ellen Degeneres generally, I think she does a fantastic job in voicing Dory . The animation is absolutely phenomenal too, of course. It’s not quite as much of a classic as Nemo, but I still really, really like this film.
What films did you watch last month? Have you seen any of these, or are you planning to? I’d love to hear in the comments!
Amy x
Golden Books Girl 