Christmas On My Mind (2019)

Based on a book, “The Goodbye Bride” by Denise Hunter, Christmas On My Mind is exactly the kind of Christmas TV movie fare that you expect to find filling out afternoon schedules at this time of year. I don’t know if the book was written that way, or if it was adapted into such a seasonal treat by writer Kristen Hansen (who has, as is so often the way, given viewers a few Christmas movies over her career), but I was certainly surprised to find that there was some literary source material here. Because it’s fluff. Perfectly acceptable fluff, but fluff nonetheless.

Ashley Greene plays Lucy, a woman who starts the movie by falling and banging her head on the sidewalk. She is carrying a wedding dress, which makes her think she is very close to her wedding day with Zach (Andrew W. Walker). That isn’t the case though. Lucy has a whole new fiancé (Brad, played by Clayton James). She just cannot remember him, the knock to her head having wiped out her memory of the last two years. If you have seen even one other movie in this vein then you know where this is going. The important thing is that the characters have time for some small-town traditions: picking a great tree, ice skating, participating in the snowman-building competition, and baking a home-made pie that will be sold at auction.

You and I both know that if someone hit their head and suddenly couldn’t remember the last two years of their life then they would, or should, be placed in the care of dedicated healthcare professionals for an extended period of observation and attempted rehabilitation. But this is Christmas TV movie land, which means a doctor just smiles, says they can’t find anything physically wrong, and suggests that the patient just keeps doing what they were doing two years ago and hopes that memories eventually return. Which is exactly what our main character does. To be fair, it eventually works, just in time for the end credits.

Directed by Maclain Nelson, who moved into TV movies after a directorial career he kicked off with the fun Vamp U, this is competently-made fare that is elevated slightly by some of the main cast members. There are no surprises, of course, although it is nice to see more than one main character who needs a guiding hand back to their preferred path, instead of someone being absolutely right while anyone with a different view is absolutely wrong. And the main storyline may revolve around Lucy trying to get her memory back, but that ultimate aim could end up revealing some painful lies, whether they come from other people or from within herself.

I realise none of that is making this film sound any different from the hundreds of other films you could watch this festive season, fair enough, but it’s all sold on the charm of the leads. Greene is perfect for this kind of thing, she is likable and cute and convincingly strong-willed when she knows what result she wants to achieve. Walker is almost equally good, the standard handsome and harmless male who defines the word “safe” and offers support throughout, and James gamely portrays the standard non-true-love interest, trying to be understanding and patient while also being bemused by people who can just spend lots of time being all Christmassy and free from work duties. Preston Vanderslice and Donna Benedicto provide main support, as Zach’s brother and Lucy’s assistant, respectively, and Jackée Harry plays that surprisingly nonchalant doctor.

I liked this. I might even be tempted to rewatch it one day, but it’s worth emphasizing once again that Christmas movies get rated and critiqued as Christmas movies. I wouldn’t choose to watch this at any other time of year, I doubt I will ever rewatch it, but I consider it a good example of this kind of thing. And not just because I really like Ashley Greene (although that didn’t hurt it).

6/10

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Yule Love It: Christmas Time (2017)

AKA My Brother The Time Traveler.

Directed by Jake Van Wagoner. Written by Jake Van Wagoner and Maclain Nelson. Starring Jake Van Wagoner and Maclain Nelson, who play two brothers named . . . Jake and Maclain. The signs were all there, warning me to stay clear of this one, but I just didn't notice them from the very beginning.

A cute intro sequence covers the backstory that you need to know, for the most part. Jake and Maclain were very young when their parents died, and then Jake started to time travel, or so he told people when asked about his whereabouts (whenabouts?), which left Maclain alone and upset when he needed his brother most. Having not been in touch with one another for some time, Maclain's partner, Clare (played by Clare Niederpruem) decides that the brothers should be pushed into spending Christmas together at a fairly isolated cabin. Can they make up for those lost years, and will Jake insist that he can still travel through time?

The first thing that you notice about Christmas Time, once that fun intro sequence finishes, is that it's cheap. It feels cheap. Not necessarily the cheapest you will ever see, and the audio is of a decent quality (often the downfall of many a low-budget film), but you can definitely tell from the very beginning that this is a film made without a lot of money put into it. Necessity can be the mother of invention, especially when people are making movies, but this is one occasion when I think a bigger budget could have really helped, perhaps interspersing the main storyline with some flashbacks/hallucinations.

The second thing you notice about Christmas Time is that the leads are okay, but nothing more. I spent the whole film wishing that Jake was being played by Tyler Labine, for example, and Maclain could have been played by anyone able to do the uptight, exasperated, everyday Joe. Clare is surprisingly patient and sweet, and again could have been played by a number of other actresses. Nobody is awful, fortunately, but this premise could have been turned into something much more enjoyable with one or two more familiar faces onscreen. I have seen opinions from some people who liked seeing James Murray onscreen, he plays a therapist trying to help Maclain, but I am unaware of his past work and wasn't impressed by him in this.

The direction is also okay, suffering most from the script that everyone is working from. It's an unfocused work, never making the most of the comedy potential, the family drama, or the maybe/maybe not sci-fi element, and this leads viewers to an ending that is frustrating and a bit rushed when it could have been the satisfying end of an enjoyable journey.

So . . . you have a drama that often doesn't make you care about the characters, a comedy with too few laughs, and a possible sci-fi idea that isn't well-utilised, making the whole thing a disappointment, if not absolutely terrible.

4/10

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Vamp U (2013)

Written and directed by Matt Jespersen and Maclain Nelson (who also stars in the movie), Vamp U is an enjoyable comedy that highlights the perils of love and potential immortality in the long lifespan of a vampire.

Adam Johnson plays a vampire named Wayne Gretzky. He hasn't been able to bare his fangs since he accidentally killed his loved one (Julie Gonzalo) many years ago. Thankfully, he's been able to lead a relatively normal life, teaching history at university. But everything starts to get complicated when he spots a young woman (Julie Gonzalo) who looks just like his deceased love. It's not long until one or two people are bitten and the students look in danger of suffering some major blood loss.

There have been a number of vampire comedies over the years, some of them pretty good and some of them called Vampires Suck. Thankfully, Vamp U is a good one.

The central performances all help a lot, with Johnson and Gonzalo both having a lot of fun in their roles. Nelson also does just fine onscreen, never seeming to fall into that trap that some writer-directors fall into - creating a movie to give themselves all of the best moments. And there are fun supporting turns from Matt Mattson, Bart Johnson, Alexis Knapp and, in particular, the great Gary Cole, who has a lot of fun as a man who knows the truth about his vampiric friend.

The direction is fine, with everything nicely polished and professional despite not having a huge budget to work with (I assume). The script isn't full of one-liners to make you double over while laughing, but it creates a fun story for the central characters, develops everything well, and includes some nice running gags. This is about the characters more than the dialogue, but the balance works out nicely in terms of entertainment value.

Vamp U may not be the most enticing movie title you'll have seen recently, and it doesn't have a cast full of A-listers, but give it an hour and a half of your time and you might just end up as amused and entertained as I was. 

7/10

http://www.amazon.com/Vamp-U-Gary-Cole/dp/B00BQ1936Y/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1389639307&sr=8-2&keywords=vamp+u