Netflix And Chill: Operation Christmas Drop (2020)

A Christmas movie that tries to maintain that seasonal feeling while being set in a very warm and non-Christmassy environment, Operation Christmas Drop has a tougher time than most making you feel the contrast of the winter chill and the fuzzy warmth of good deeds done by good people. The fact that it comes close, and certainly delivers on the latter part of that equation, is testament to the worthwhile story at the heart of it. That's not to say that it's a great film, and it still suffers in comparison to other Christmas movies that are happy to fill the screen with tropes and shots of snow-covered landscapes, but it does much better than expected at delivering a message of festive cheer.

Kat Graham plays Erica, a young woman sent from Washington to an island Air Force base, with a mission to check the efficiency there and make any recommendations for improvements (which could ultimately lead to the closure of the base). Once there, she is placed in the care of Andrew (Alexander Ludwig) AKA CLAWS, and it's not long until she sees how things are done on the island, with everyone donating their own time and talent to maintain strong relations with the many other islands in the local area. The big focus, the tradition that got the Air Force base noticed in the first place, is the upcoming Christmas air drop, with gifts and supplies being dropped during planned flights that take place at the same time as Santa might normally be making his rounds. Congresswoman Bradford (Virginia Madsen) doesn't see this as a good use of taxpayer dollars, but Erica might eventually see enough positive repercussions from the operation to be able to persuade her that the base should be allowed to carry on doing what it has been doing so well for many years already.

As is often the case with these things, writers Gregg Rossen and Brian Sawyer have a filmography overflowing with films in this vein (well, they seem to have moved between Christmas movies and a series of "Crossword Mysteries" TV films). Inspired by the real events at Andersen Air Force base, so much so that there is a lovely little cameo for Bruce Best AKA Brother Bruce, as well as photos during the end credits alongside text describing the good work done there, Rossen and Sawyer plug a familiar formula into a plot that mixes good cheer and a celebration of the oft-overlooked humanitarian work done by military personell during times they are not in any active warzone.

Director Martin Wood, much like the writers, now has a few of these movies to his credit, as well as work on a number of TV shows (including Virgin River, which everyone seems to have dived into during the past few months), and he handles the material well enough. Without any of the usual Christmas spectacles to make use of, Wood instead makes good use of a script that keeps moving between various characters, including a very cute gekko, and easily conveys the good feeling that can come from helping others in need. Which is arguably much more in line with Christmas traditions than, for example, rushing to try and get your hands on the latest best-selling toy.

The leads are as bland and "safe" as expected, although both Graham and Ludwig become more enjoyable to spend time with as they start enjoying their time together and working more as a team. Madsen makes for an enjoyable "villain" and the rest of the supporting cast includes upbeat and sweet turns from Jeff Joseph, Janet Kidder, Trezzo Mahoro, Bethany Brown, and Rohan Campbell, as well as the aforementioned Brother Bruce.

Not the best film of this kind, but very few of them get close to the top of the tree, but it's enjoyably different. I wouldn't mind seeing other films in this vein, using Christmas as a backdrop for a story that showcases the good work done by some people year in and year out, instead of the many that seem to focus on just one season bringing about a major change in the mindset of a lead character. Let me know of any obvious titles I may have forgotten, and I'll be sure to check them out.

6/10

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Yule Love It: The Holiday Calendar (2018)

AKA Netflix and chill for this week.

You often find that people who have written and directed one holiday movie have written and directed quite a few of them. That has become more and more common with the exponential increase in content being created for various channels, the main ones being Hallmark (the old pro), Lifetime (also quite an old hand with them), and Netflix (new on the block but showing some good form so far). Director Bradley Walsh gave us no less than THREE Christmas movies last year (Christmas Encore, Christmas Festival Of Ice, and Christmas In Angel Falls) and, so far, I saw one of them. It was slightly below average. Would The Holiday Calendar be better? The short answer is no.

Kat Graham plays a talented photographer named Abby Sutton who finds her life developing (no photography-related pun intended there) in unexpected and exciting ways when she is given an antique advent calendar that seems to predict her future, with each daily gift corresponding to things that then happen to Abby. This leads to her becoming involved with an eligible bachelor (Ty, played by Ethan Peck) while her best friend, and possible perfect guy (Josh, played by Quincy Brown), looks on from the sidelines. Will the calendar direct Abby towards happiness, with the additional help of her grandpa (Ron Cephas Jones)?

The Holiday Calendar is a strange film to rate. It’s not great, but not many of these films are, but it’s also not great when compared to other films of this type. There are certain tropes that you look out for, certain items that help you check off the numbers on your “Christmas Movie Bingo” card. This film has a number of those tropes, and also has an admirably diverse cast, including a couple of interracial couples depicted without any sign that this is a fairly radical concept in the world of the bleached-smile, homogenised, pigeonholing that normally dictates the populace of these movies. But none of the tropes feel as if they're being presented with any enthusiasm, leaving the whole thing feeling a little bit lacklustre throughout. But at least it makes up for in quantity what it seems to lack in quality, with every scenes almost bursting at the seams with candy canes, Christmas trees, sweet cookie treats, and general yuletide cheer.

Graham is fine in the lead, although a bit weaker than some choices for this kind of fare, but the highlight is Jones as the wryly amused and wise grandfather. Brown has to spend a lot of time being slightly frustrated at Graham not taking note of his suitability and cuteness, and Peck is . . . well, let's just say that he suffers the most from a script that makes him out to be pretty perfect and then has to tie itself in knots to show that he may not be the one for our lead.

Walsh directs everything capably enough, keeping everything smelling of hot chocolate and fir trees to distract you from the slightly incoherent script, from Amyn Kaderali. It's almost as if this started off heading down one path and was then forced to divert in another direction, but the seasonal magic and good cheer do just enough to save it from going completely off the rails.

Colourful, inoffensive, The Holiday Calendar is also amusing enough and entertainingly far-fetched to make it a passable time-waster during the holiday season.

5/10.

Here's a decent selection of Christmassy movies to pick up.
Americans may want to check out this collection.