Friday Movie Review: Holiday Television

Yep, kitties! It's that most wonderful time of year again . . . which means holiday tv programming.

The ABC Family channel has their 25 Days of Christmas from December 1 through Christmas Day. However, the programming seems lighter on Rankin-Bass classics this year, and heavier on the family movies. You can click here to see the schedule. This weekend is "Harry Potter Weekend," starting at 7:30 est tonight with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

The Lifetime channel is also showcasing a lot of romantic and heart-warming holiday movies this month as well. One of mommy's favorites is "Borrowed Hearts," which stars Roma Downey and Eric McCormick . . . in his pre "Will and Grace" years. It was on earlier this week and mommy stayed up way too late to watch it. You can see Lifetime's movie page here. According to their schedule, "Borrowed Hearts" will be on again on Sunday, December 14 at 3:00PM if anykitty or bean is interested.

AMC will be showing holiday movies starting the afternoon of Christmas Eve, beginning with George C. Scott in the 1984 version of "A Christmas Carol."

On Fridays and during the holidays of December, Turner Classic Movies is showcasing Yuletide movies, such as "Scrooge" and "Christmas in Connecticut." Tonight at 8:00 est TCM is showing "Meet Me in St. Louis" starring Judy Garland, and featuring her performance of the wonderful classic "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."



Judy is right, everykitty . . . we should all have ourselves a wonderful holiday season! So curl up with your beans on the couch and watch some holiday cheer!

Friday Movie Review - CCSI and Santa Claus

Kitties, the day we have all anxiously awaited has arrived! Today, Part I of CCSI: The Santa Caper has aired!

I am pleased to announce that, as expected, the CCSI staff has come up with yet another great show. Where is Santa? It is any elf's or reindeer's guess as the search is on for the missing Santa Claus! This four part episode is sure to provide speculation by the water and food bowls for days. After experiencing the cliff hanger ending of today's installment, I can hardly wait to see Part II!

Thank you to Sassy Cat and her Little Productions for another great show! Two paws up and a purr!

If watching CCSI puts you in the holiday spirit, and you just can't get enough of Santa, I do have a viewing recommendation for you. This is my mommy's very favorite movie about Santa Claus.

Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)

Director: Jeannot Szwarc

Writers: David Newman, Leslie Newman, and David Newman

This movie is great, kitties! It explains how Santa Claus became Santa Claus. My mommy watched this when she was a little girl, and to this day she still believes that this story is true! This is how Santa Claus came to be! I have to admit, the movie makes it very convincing. I think I may just agree with my mommy.

The movie begins with showing Santa before he became Santa (or Sandy Paws, or Sandy Claws, or Santa Claws . . . he goes by many names!) When he becomes lost in a snow storm with his wife and reindeer, trying to deliver toys to the children of the village, my mommy still gets all teary eyed. And when the elves find him and save him, and then explain how he is the answer to their prophecy, well kitties, my mommy's eyes leak and leak and leak! I've seen it happen! And she's watched this movie too many times to count, or so she has told me.

After you see Santa become Santa, then you see how the belief in him changes through the years, as well as how he and his workshop operate. By the time we make it to the 80s (when this film was released), significant changes have been made, yet Santa and the North Pole are still fundamentally the same. The second half of the movie takes place in modern times, with a rebellious and forward-thinking elf named Patch who leaves the North Pole and attempts to make a fresh start in New York City in order to impress Santa, two children from very different backgrounds who both despeerately need Santa and his magic in their lives, and one horrible and greedy corporate executive. If you don't feel the christmas spirit by the end of this movie, then you never will.

I give "Santa Claus: The Movie" two paws up. I do warn you that parts may make your eyes leak, but in a good way.

Mancat Monday - Anticipation

I tell you, kitties, it is hard for a mancat to retain his stoic demeanor this time of year. How can a kitty be strong and silent when he knows that in just a few weeks Sandy Paws will be coming to fill his stocking with catnip mousies?! This will only be my second Christmas. Last year I was just a kitten and didn't know what Christmas was all about. I had heard about Sandy Paws from my sisters, but I had no idea how exciting it all really was. Last year I had no clue what was waiting for me. This year I do, and it is making the wait that much harder.

I am sad to report that my mommy did leave me on Saturday, but she was back by early afternoon. She was home in time to watch "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" with me. However, she was busy wrapping presents and I had to help supervise her work, so it wasn't all snuggle time on the couch. Ivy was naughty and found some kitty toys in the shopping bags and stole one. Mommy had to chase her down the hall to get it back. Ivy is lucky mommy laughed at her for that . . . otherwise Sandy Paws might have decided Ivy was too naughty to get anything in her stocking!

Mommy was nice and left the dining room door open all afternoon on Saturday, so we three kitties had plenty of time to spend with our tree. We supervised how mommy put presents underneath it, and moved them around if they weren't placed to our liking. Dana found one of Ivy's wrapped presents and ran off with it! Mommy took it away from her and explained it wasn't her present, and that we all had to wait anyway. I don't think any of us furries can stand it. The excitement is killing us!

I am super excited this week because our holiday cards finally arrived on Saturday. Mommy is helping me to address them today, and then they will get sent out this week. Our Secret Paws is also getting mailed this week. I hope they like their presents! We had a lot of fun shopping for them.

I wish patience and peace to all furries this Holiday Season.

Friday Review - Classic Christmas Specials

When I was watching the television with mommy last night, I noticed this advertised . . . The 25 Days of Christmas on the ABC Family Channel! I was very excited to see that tomorrow (Saturday 12/8) starting at 7 AM they are having a marathon of Christmas classics! Here is what will be on.

Rudolph and Frosty

Life of Santa Claus

Nestor the Christmas Donkey

Pinnochio's Christmas

Jack Frost

Frosty's Wonderland

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Rudolph's Shiny New Year

Year Without a Santa

Santa Clause is Coming to Town

The Polar Express

The Santa Clause 2

Prancer

Now, kitties, doesn't that sound like the perfect thing to watch, all snuggled on a blanket in front of a nice fire? Maybe with some hot tea and a candy cane or two? With the lights off and the Christmas tree all alight?

Nestor

I am now developing ways of keeping my mommy home all day tomorrow so that I can enact this plan. I overheard her telling grandmama that she needed to be busy tomorrow finishing up her shopping, wrapping presents, and getting the sucky monster out to clean.

I don't think so, mommy.

With my sisters' help, I plan on having mommy snuggled on that couch with me ALL DAY LONG tomorrow. If any of you have an idea on how we can get mommy to stay home with us tomorrow, let me know. Holly and Ivy and I all have our thinking caps on for this problem.


Anyway, this won't be my traditional Friday Review, since I have to say that anything Christmasy generally gets two paws up from me . . . especially the classic programming, like the Rankin/Bass productions of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Nestor the Christmas Donkey." I know my mommy has watched them every year since she was a little girl, and she has watched them with me since I was a kitten.

Rudolph

I recommend that everykitty watch as much classic holiday programming as possible this season. If you can't tune into ABC Family, then pop in a DVD or VHS (for those old-schoolers) or hunt through your tv guide for something festive to watch! Now is the season to snuggle up with your parents and siblings and get into the Holiday Spirit!

Tybalt, Reviewer Extraordinaire

PS: I received my card last night from Eric and Flynn . . . it is GORGEOUS! And super exciting to get a holiday card all the way from the UK!