The Good Witch Of Christmas
A truly vile hot-dog of a movie. The movie equivalent of lips 'n assholes, composed of extraordinarily listless human narratives and some truly inexplicable dialogue, all of which runs over the top of several long animated stretches featuring "the puffins", a bunch of birds that have very basic kids show type adventures. These are ostensibly stories from a magic christmas book.
The Good Witch of Christmas
When I saw that this was starring Billy Baldwin and Tom Arnold I knew whatever this was would not be good but this broke my brain how meandering and incomprehensible it was. I couldn't help thinking about those puffins being murdered in various ways while watching this. Does that make me a bad person? If you show this to your kids you should apologize to them for ruining their childhood.
Is it so bad it's good? Is it bad on purpose? I am not sure. I can't even tell if I was entertained by this... I'm in a sort of daze. What depths of my soul has this abyss of a film looked into? Why did I enjoy it despite the sheer bizarre story?
On January 5th throughout Italy, excited children prepare for a late-night visit from La Befana by hanging up socks to be filled with small delights. Befana, a grandmotherly woman who resembles a kindly witch, brings gifts to good little children, depositing them in stockings hung above the hearth, then tidying up a bit before taking her leave.
According to the legend, Befana was in her cottage sweeping the floor when she glanced out of the window and saw a bright light in the night sky. She paused to behold it but then returned to her work as she was devoted to being a good housekeeper. Soon after the star appeared, she was paid a visit by the Three Kings, which, as you can imagine, took her quite by surprise! It seems they had wandered far from their path toward the humble stable in Bethlehem. They asked Befana for directions, told her they were following the star at the advice of royal astrologers and were intent on bringing gifts to honor the babe.
Since 2008, Catherine Bell played the charming "good witch" Cassie Nightingale on the Hallmark Channel. The unusual yet kind-hearted (and at times magical) Cassie shows up in the small town of Middleton, where she opens up the unique store Bell, Book and Candle. She also moves into the "haunted" Grey House that seems to mystify the rest of the townsfolk. From the very first film, Cassie was an immediate hit with audiences, launching her own series of Hallmark movies as well as her own TV series that recently ended after its seventh season.
A stranger shows up in Middleton claiming to be the legal owner of Grey House, and Cassie ends up without a home. The legend of her ancestor, The Grey Lady, gets scrutinized, and she's left wondering if she should just leave the town for good. For whatever reason, Cassie is still gaining the trust of some of her neighbors in this film despite being nothing but nice to anyone she meets. Will she keep her home and discover the truth behind the mystery of Grey House?
Grey House is one of the most magical places in Middleton, partly due to Cassie living there and partly due to its historical past that comes with the legend of the Grey Lady. An author who writes magical romance novels comes to stay at Grey House, and Cassie ends up bringing the town together for a special event. It's a sweet, feel-good story with all your favorite Good Witch characters.
I'm a big fan of this movie mostly because it's the first to introduce Cassie's cousin Abigail (Sarah Power). Like Cassie, Abigail has her own "magic" that she uses to bring chaos and stress to the Russell household as well as among the townsfolk of Middleton. It's mostly due to a major misunderstanding between her and Cassie but easily establishes the chemistry between the two actresses. I'm really glad they decided to make Abigail a big part of the TV show because I genuinely find her really interesting...especially since she's technically also a good witch, but with some added sass.
I'm a sucker for a holiday special, and since this was the only Christmas movie in the Good Witch series, it deserves a top spot. After Jake Russell proposes to Cassie, the two decide to quickly plan a Christmas Eve wedding in just a week...classic Cassie. I also love a good redemption story. At the same time as all of the wedding chaos, a newly released felon returns to town trying to reconcile with his wife and daughter. As usual, it seems like Cassie is the only one to see the good in people...but is she right to do so?
You just can't beat the story that started at all! This is when we first meet the mysterious Cassandra "Cassie" Nightingale after she inherits Grey House and decides to move to Middleton for a fresh start. She quickly enchants Jake Russell and his two children, Lori and Brandon, but it takes some time to win over the rest of the townsfolk, who find her to be a bit too witchy.
Good Witch is a Hallmark Channel media franchise that is centered on a series of films and a television series. The franchise is centered upon Cassandra "Cassie" Nightingale (Catherine Bell), the titular "good witch" who uses her abilities to bring positive change in the lives of those around her.
Cassie Nightingale has settled comfortably in Middleton with a successful boutique and is now engaged to Chief of Police Russell (Chris Potter). Having gifts for everyone else, finding one for Cassie proves to be a little more tricky for Jake. He sets his heart on letting Cassie wake up with a family on Christmas Day after getting married on Christmas Eve. With 7 days to go, everyone gets involved in the planning. Martha Tinsdale, who is looking for a job after her husband announces they're broke, discovers her talent for planning weddings. She eventually overcomes her struggles not to let her own vision undermine the bride-to-be's. Betty, the owner of a local bakery, is in charge of the menu, including the cake, and comes out more confident after Cassie gives her a necklace. As the chief of police, Jake Russell has additional concerns, as Leon Deeks, a man he put in jail for robbing a bank 10 years ago, got out of prison early. The money that was stolen had never been found. Leon appears at his former home. His daughter Jody is happy to see him, but his wife has filed for divorce and kicks him out. Jody is in a relationship with Brandon and the two of them visit Cassie's shop. Lori has been left to look after it for a bit and has been put in charge of Cassie's wedding ring, the last thing Cassie still owns from her mother. After the three of them talk for a bit, Jody suddenly has to leave. Immediately after, Lori notices the ring's gone missing. She feels horrible about losing it. Lori suspects Jody to be involved in the ring's disappearance and visits her at home. Before she can ring the doorbell, Brandon sees Lori and accuses her of harboring preconceived notions of Jody only due to the prior indiscretions of her father. He continues to get mad at anyone suspecting Jody. They later find out that Martha, who had previously been in the shop, had accidentally put it in her purse. Problems continue when the marriage certificate is first difficult to acquire, then gets switched up by accident, only to be followed by the minister's car breaking down and a dog eating the wedding cake. George considers moving to Montreal, but Cassie makes him want to stay and move into Grey House after she moves in with Jake after the wedding. He welcomes his new job as a caretaker for the property. All other problems are resolved just in time for the wedding. Leon retrieves the robbery money from underneath the tiles in Cassie's shop, where he had hidden it back when it had still been an abandoned building, and returns it to Jake. He decides to stay in Middleton to regain peoples' trust and his family decides to give him a second chance. Cassie wakes up the next morning with a family.
"Save Santa, save Christmas."In the sequel to 'Christmas Thieves', Frank and his roommate Tony are babysitting the children Liam and Olivia. While their parents are looking for Christmas presents, they have a traffic accident with Santa Claus and scare off all his reindeer. Santa then enlists the help of the good-natured Winter Witch. Unbeknownst to Santa, the Winter Witch has accidentally landed in front of Olivia and Liam's house - and she has completely forgotten about her memory. Frank, Tony, Liam and Olivia decide to help her. Will the Winter Witch remember in time to help Santa save the holidays?
The Befana is a rival to Babbo Natale (a.k.a. Father Christmas, Santa Claus) in December, but she comes from a much older tradition, has a very different appearance, and shows up to reward good Italian children in January.
On the night between January 5th and 6th, under the weight of a sack overflowing with toys, chocolates, and candies, the Befana flies over the roofs and comes down the chimney to fill stockings left hanging by children. The kids leave a tangerine or orange and a glass of wine for her on a plate. The next morning, tradition has it that good children will find gifts and sweets, while naughty children will find coal or even garlic in their stocking!
Her iconic appearance is always the same: she is an old lady with a long nose and a pointed chin. She wears a wide, dark skirt, an apron with pockets, a shawl, a scarf or hat, and a pair of worn slippers, with lots of colorful patches. She also travels (like a good witch) on her broomstick.
I don't know why I thought this would be a fun family Christmas movie. The whole premise is extremely poor and you're left wondering what the point of the film is and when something interesting is going to happen. The kids do fine in their roles but the adult characters are extremely false and exaggerated. I'm not even sure why the 'Good Witch' is in the film title when there are no witches in the film. I presume it's actually referring to the elf, who I guess is more witch-like than elf-like. The santa character is also very odd and not festive at all, moaning about how he can't rely on others. Don't waste your time with this one. 041b061a72