Christmas Inheritance (2017)

Directed by: Ernie Barbarash

Written by: Dinah Eng

Before ambitious heiress Ellen Langford can inherit her father's gift business, she must deliver a special Christmas card to her dad's former partner in Snow Falls, the hometown she never knew. When a snowstorm strands her at the town inn, she's forced to work for her keep, and in the process, finds romance and discovers the true gift of Christmas.

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I've been so many holiday movies, but it's working. I'm getting into the holiday spirit. So what harm could one more do?

Again I can repeat what I've been saying a lot while reviewing these movies. They are super average and predictable, and easy background noise. However, this one has more holiday spirit than the others I've watched.

Why does this one have more holiday spirit? Well first of all, almost every shot feels Christmas-y. They are warm, colorful and just so damn pretty. But what's most important is the story. Other stories were simple love stories, and even worse, princess stories. This one was about learning and doing good, and I associate that more to the holidays than becoming a princess. It's actually more like this story is the opposite of those. It's a spoiled princess become a regular girl. Yes, that happened in The Princess Switch too, but it went both ways because of the Prince and the Pauper kind of story. And here the main character isn't an actual princess, just the daughter of a business man, and there are good reasons for why she acts the way she does, earning her the nickname "party heiress".

I'm not really into the love story here. It could be improved with some things, like maybe remove the fiance, because it's just an annoying love triangle where there's a clear winner.

While I can say how average and boring this movie could be, it also made me feel something, and even made me tear up a little. It's a nice movie to watch during the holidays, but I don't see much rewatch value in it. If  you're a typical Grinch, then maybe you'll just find this movie boring and average and everything it is, but if you want to get into the holiday spirit, this might be the right movie for you.

☆☆☆☆☆

5 / 10

The Princess Switch (2018)

Directed by: Mike Rohl

Written by: Robin Bernheim & Megan Metzger

A Chicago baker is competing in a Christmas baking competition in Belgravia. There she bumps into the prince's fiancee. They look alike and switch for 2 days.

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I could repeat almost everything I said in my review for A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding. Almost. This movie is unoriginal with very typical plotlines. It's the kind of movie that can just play in the background when you're celebrating te holidays. 

The thing is, this plot has been done million times, so if your going to do it again, you should add something new to it. It's just a bundle of clichés you can predict a thousand miles away.  The writing just isn't very good or original. Biggest problem with me is how these two characters are supposed to have different personalities, but they seem very alike. The only difference is how they are described, but you just don't see that description when the characters are on the screen.

But what this movie has that A Christmas Prince didn't, is that I actually like the romances here. I actually get invested in the love-lives of the two main characters, and that doesn't happen to me often. 

Even though this is another unoriginal Netflix original background movie, it's very sweet, and I liked it way more than I did Christmas Prince movies. Will I rewatch this? No. Do I want a sequel? Hell no. But watching it wasn't the worst thing ever, and sometimes I thought good things about the movie. It's average, super average, but maybe some people like it, and I don't see the harm in that.

☆☆☆☆☆

5 / 10

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (2018)

Directed by: John Schultz

Written by: Nathan Atkins

Based on the characters created by: Karen Schaler

A year after helping Richard get to the throne, Amber is about to become his wife. But is she really made to be queen?

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I barely remember anything from the first movie. I guess that's fitting because I barely remember anything from this one, even though I just finished watching it.

There are too many side plots and all of them are very typical and we've seen them all before. Characters are cliches, the main character annoying, and the ending is dragged out.

All the princess cliches are annoying and I just want to roll my eyes to the character. Oh, she doesn't like the protocols and traditions, well guess what, that's what royal families are like, especially in the movies. And from what I recall they were pretty strict in the first movie too, so what, did you expect everything to change? Also she's upset that the king's busy. I get that, but also, what did she expect marrying into a royal family? Of course the king is busy! But you could've also chosen a less busy time for the wedding so this wouldn't be a problem.

Nothing in this movie is original, and it seems like the kind of movie that would just play in the background during your holiday party without anyone even paying attention to it. It's a movie that's easy to watch without giving a crap and it's easy to forget about afterwards.

☆☆☆☆

4 / 10

Evil Dead (2013)

Directed by: Fede Alvarez

Screenplay by: Fede Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues

Based on a motion picture written by: Sam Raimi

Five friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods.

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I've heard "surprisingly good" comments on this movie. I've also heard "don't watch it". And since I'm on a roll, I decided to defy all warnings and watch this movie.

It's weird seeing the same thing again. I've just seen Evil Dead, Evil Dead II which recapped Evil Dead, The Army of Darkness which recapped those two and now I'm watching that recap again, except this time it's different.

There are good things to the story, like how they are trying to get their friend of drugs and therefore it's not clear if there's possession or if it's all in her head. ... Except that makes no difference, because we know it's real. We know it's really happening because we know what Evil Dead is about. And it doesn't take long until it's confirmed this thing is happening for real. It would be different if it was an ongoing thing, no one would ever know what was happening or if it was happening for real. It would work well in another movie, but here it's just kind of useless.

The problem here is that it's a remake. That makes us automatically compare it to the original, which is something you can't really do again. The original Evil Dead is unique, weird, shocking and funny all at the same time. You just can't copy that atmosphere.

And talking about how Evil Dead was actually funny, this movie had no humor in it whatsoever. Like there wasn't a single funny scene, and that's kind of a shame. Humor is a big part of the original, at least to some viewers, and here there's no trace of it.

Another big thing is the effects. Since these ones are done with a big budget, they don't look the same compared to the original. And those effects were pretty damn impressive. And all the creative monster make-up? Holy shit! And here? Just throw in a pair of contact lenses. Seriously?

This movie is not Evil Dead, and I think everyone knows that going in. It's an average horror film with elements of the Evil Dead.

I did like the ending. The problem is I had to watch the whole movie to get there. Was it worth it? Almost. I wouldn't watch it again.

☆☆☆

3/10

Army of Darkness (1992)

Directed by: Sam Raimi

Written by: Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi

A man is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D., where he must battle an army of the dead and retrieve the Necronomicon so he can return home.

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I meant to dedicate December to Xmas films, but instead ended up starting with a horror comedy. 

Finally! Army of Darkness has been on my list since I saw the first two Evil Dead movies ages ago. But because during Halloween I went to see the first one in theaters and watched the second one yesterday, I thought it was finally time to watch Army of Darkness as well.

The movie starts with a quick recap, but unlike in the second movie, it's clear this is a recap and not just the first movies simplified into a few minutes. It's immediately less annoying, because it's fast in the right way compared to the recap in the second film. 

The beginning of the movie is quite slow, but once things get going, they really get going. There are incredible moments that make you wonder what the hell you are watching, but you enjoy every minute of it. It's comedic gold. 

The action towards the end can get a bit boring, but eventually the story and the movie is really enjoyable to watch.

Army of Darkness is different from the first two movies, considering it's not even called Evil Dead III, but it works. It's continuing the story in a different, but still fun and creative way. Ash is an enjoyable character, who I've started to really love. I enjoy the humour and the atmosphere of this movie. What it lacks in horror, it makes up in cool make-up, action and the hilarities. The effects are a bit dated but in the fun way, and some of them actually hold up quite well. 

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

8 / 10