A Merry Little Ex-Mas: Movie Review

Formulaic rom-com with maturity and gen-X humour.

Kate (Alicia Silverstone) and Everett (Oliver Hudson) are getting divorced. Except it's going to be a friendly, amicable divorce; a "conscious uncoupling" even though all the townspeople make fun of them for using that phrase. They're still going to have Christmas together, a separation isn't going to change the fact that they're still a family (Kate has 'custody' of Everett's two dads). It's their last Christmas with their youngest son still at home before he goes off to college.		2025 Directed by: Steve Carr Screenplay by: Holly Hester Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Oliver Hudson

A Keller Christmas Vacation: Movie Review

Europe without any of the adventure.

A Keller Christmas Vacation doesn’t quite fit any of the typical Hallmark modes. It has a simplistic premise, but does not have a simplistic setting, which kind of makes for an odd mix. A family with three adult siblings are spending Christmas on a river cruise on the Danube. Filmed on location in Christmas markets across Germany and Austria, Hallmark usually saves their more expensive and elaborate productions for a grander story.		2025 Directed by: Maclain Nelson Screenplay by: Maclain Nelson Starring: Jonathan Bennett, Brandon Routh, Eden Sher

Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper!: Movie Review

An enjoyable and cute movie thanks to the charming and lovable lead character.

Ted Cooper is a great character. A relentlessly positive and optimistic man who greets every day with a smile and every little disaster with a laugh. It’s a bold move naming the movie after the fictional lead, but Robert Buckley makes this work. Ted never comes across as annoying but rather the friend that everyone wants in their life.		2025 Directed by: Jason Bourque Screenplay by: Russell Hainline Starring: Robert Buckley, Kimberley Sustad