DECEMBER 31ST, 2019
John and I would like to wish everyone the most wonderful New Year’s as we slide into 2020. May you all find peace, love and happiness in the new year and decade to come.
I absolutely love that John is expressing her artistic side… I have never looked so good. - Lana
DECEMBER 28TH, 2019
By JOHN LILIES & LANA CARBON
[John] Let me start by saying that Canadian Christmas movies are not easy to find, depending on how Canadian we want them to be. We would love for the movies to officially take place in Canada (as in, Toronto is Toronto instead of New York) but that is a tall order, so we had to settle for basing the criteria on where the movie was filmed, the director being Canadian, and the majority of actors being Canadian.
Lana wasn't sold on the director needing to be Canadian; he felt that as long as it was filmed in Canada and a couple of the actors were Canadian, that would be enough. But, I insisted we needed more than that and so, after some major digging - hours of digging for some of these - we were able to create this list of 12 movies. Some you may find on Netflix and others are on network television - new and reruns. We hope you enjoy...
1. Always and Forever Christmas - 2019
Filmed in Manitoba (different areas)
Directed by Siobhan Devine (born in UK but came to Canada as a teen)
Canadian cast includes: Mark Ghanimé (Montréal; Christmas with a View, Soldiers of the Apocalypse), Cardi Wong (Vancouver; Road to Christmas, Supergirl), Adam Hurtig (Winnipeg/Vancouver; Curse of Chucky, Cult of Chucky).
Non-Canadian cast includes: Lexi Lawson (Power, The Mentalist), Beth Broderick (Sabrina The Teenage Witch, The Bonfire of the Vanities).
Synopsis: Woman goes home for Christmas to sell the year-round Christmas store her grandfather left her. Small town Christmas magic happens.
Thoughts:
[John] A cute and cozy movie - quite enjoyable. I liked the magical element to this one.
[Lana] I love that they used the literal ‘magic’ of Christmas to guide the main characters to that feel-good Christmas ending.
2. No Time Like Christmas - 2019
Filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Directed by Jeff Beesley (Saskatchewan)
Canadian cast includes: Edward Ruttle (Oshawa; Jigsaw, Arctic Air), Marina Stephenson Kerr (Manitoba; Channel Zero, The Big White), Rothaford Gray (Mississauga; Max Payne, Exit Wounds).
Non-Canadian cast includes: Kyla Pratt (One on One, The Christmas Pact), Jim O'Heir (Smothered by Mothers, Parks and Recreation).
Synopsis: A woman goes home for Christmas, tries to save a local theatre, and finds love. Small town Christmas magic happens.
Thoughts:
[John] Not bad - cute and cozy, which is pretty much my only requirement for Christmas movies.
[Lana] No matter how predictable these types of movies are, that heart-warming cheesiness always gives me the Christmas feels.
3. A Christmas Horror Story - 2015
Filmed in Toronto
Directed by Grant Harvey (Manitoba), Steven Hoban (Ontario)
Canadian cast includes: William Shatner (Montréal; (do you really need his acting credits?) Star Trek, Boston Legal), Rob Archer (Toronto; Lost Girl, Ant-Man and the Wasp), Zoé De Grand Maison (Montreal; Orphan Black, Riverdale).
Non-Canadian cast includes: George Buza (The Firm, The Case for Christmas), Jeff Clarke (Mad Men, Suits).
Interesting tidbit from IMDB: "The film takes place in the fictional town of Bailey Downs, which is where the "Ginger Snaps" films take place, as well as the name of the suburb where the Allison clone in the Orphan Black (2013) television series takes place. This was intentional, as the filmmakers were responsible for the Ginger Snaps films, and Director John Fawcett is one of the creators of "Orphan Black"."
Synopsis: Zombie elves, Krampus, and ghosts.
Thoughts:
[John] What more could you want for Christmas? Too much gore & violence for me, but otherwise a fantastic movie and perfect for Christmas.
[Lana] Now this is a Christmas movie. William Shatner as a DJ imbibing on too many Christmas spirits acting as intermediary comic relief between amazing scenes of festive horror. A classic.
4. A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas - 2019
Filmed in BC
Directed by David Winning (Alberta)
Canadian cast includes: Benjamin Ayres (Kamloops; Saving Hope, Suits), Christie Burke (Vancouver; Ascension, Supernatural), Chilton Crane (Vancouver; The 4400, The X-Files).
Non-Canadian cast includes: Rachael Leigh Cook (She's All That, Get Carter).
Synopsis: Girl goes home to help with sister's wedding at Christmas. Girl meets guy. Girl and guy fall in love. Small town Christmas magic happens.
Thoughts:
[John] Not my favourite one but not a bad one. It was cute but didn't give me all the warm fuzzies I tend to want out of these.
[Lana] I feel like I have seen this one quite a few times and done much better in all the other variations.
5. The Man Who Saved Christmas - 2002
Filmed in Toronto
Directed by Sturla Gunnarsson (Vancouver/Toronto)
Canadian cast includes: Kelly Rowan (Ottawa; The O.C., Perception), Ari Cohen (Winnipeg; Smallville, Gangland Undercover), C. David Johnson (Montréal; Street Legal, Soul Food).
Non-Canadian cast includes: Jason Alexander (Seinfeld, The Hunchback of Notre Dam), Edward Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Forgive Me).
Synopsis: A magician creates a toy and takes the risk of putting his entire life into making a hit. His factory goes through changes due to the war. Small town science happens.
Thoughts:
[John] A really sweet movie... ironically focussed on American involvement in the war. But hey, like we said, to have it 100% Canadian might actually be impossible.
[Lana] This really surprised me. Jason Alexander is so recognizable as George Costanza from Seinfeld that it is hard to imagine him as anyone else but, in this, his acting was so strong that I actually saw him as another person. A great story.
6. Elliot the Littlest Reindeer - 2018
Created in Canada
Directed by Jennifer Westcott (Victoria, B.C.)
Canadian cast includes: Martin Short (Hamilton; Three Amigos, SNL), Christopher Jacot (Toronto; Slasher, Eureka), Samantha Bee (Toronto; Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Bob's Burgers).
Non-Canadian cast includes: Morena Baccarin (Deadpool, The Flash), Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games, Burn).
Synopsis: Miniature horse wants to be a reindeer. Does he get his wish?
Thoughts:
[John] Awesome!!!
[Lana] What is it with all this reindeer envy? Why do all these other animals want so desperately to be something they aren’t? Seriously though, a cute animation.
7. A Christmas Village, 2018
Filmed in Canada
Directed by Justin G. Dyck (Ontario)
Canadian cast includes: Madeline Leon (Mississauga; Modern Classic, Ponysitters Club), Neil Paterson (Thunder Bay; Paranormal Survivor, Utak), Mark Abcede (Niagara Falls; ESL, Whistleblower).
Non-Canadian cast includes: Could not find any, despite all of the digging.
Synopsis: A woman lands in a small town to do some PR for her new book and lands some bad press. To save her career, she volunteers to help a failing Christmas farm. Small town Christmas magic happens.
Thoughts:
[John] Sadly, this one is really bad. Unlike the usual cheesy Christmas movies we love so much, this one is actually super stinky cheese.
[Lana] Little bit of Limburger. Though, I suppose there are people that enjoy it as well…
8. Nostalgic Christmas - 2019
Filmed in Sault Ste Marie
Directed by J. B. Sugar (Ontario)
Canadian cast includes: Brooke D'Orsay (Toronto; Royal Pains, Two and a Half Men), Jenna Weir (Toronto; Playdate, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood), Ron Lea (Montréal; The Recruit, Orphan Black).
Non-Canadian cast includes: Trevor Donovan (90210, Lucifer), Eugene Clark (Land of the Dead, Night Heat).
Synopsis: Woman works as a toy buyer in NYC but returns to her small-town home when her father decides to retire and close the local toy store. Small town Christmas magic happens.
Thoughts:
[John] This was a sweet one that gave me some feels. Wooden toys really are quite nice.
[Lana] If I could carve toys the way that woman did, I would never have left town in the first place.
9. Snowed-Inn Christmas - 2017
Filmed in Winnipeg
Directed by Gary Yates (Québec)
Canadian cast includes: Andrew W. Walker (Montréal; Steel Toes, Radio Active), Belinda Montgomery (Winnipeg; Doogie Howser M.D., Miami Vice), John B. Lowe (Toronto; The Butterfly Effect, The Haunting in Connecticut).
Non-Canadian cast includes: Bethany Joy Lenz (Colony, One Tree Hill), Tasha Smith (Empire, For Better or Worse).
Synopsis: Two journalists have to travel for work but get diverted and are forced to stay at a small town inn. Small town Christmas magic happens.
Thoughts:
[John] Not a bad one. Love the inn keepers. The cheese is decent.
[Lana] I quite enjoy most of the ones that have anything to do with an inn or a lodge. Yes they are all quite similar but I likes what I likes.
10. A Wind at My Back Christmas, 2001
Filmed in Ontario
Directed by Stefan Scaini (Ontario)
Canadian cast includes: Dylan Provencher (Montréal; Wind at My Back, Goosebumps), Tyrone Savage (Toronto; Redwall, Reign), Laura Bruneau (Vancouver; Purple People Eater, Wind at My Back).
Non-Canadian cast includes: James Carroll (Tracker, Red Dead Redemption).
Synopsis: Trouble arises at Christmas time for one of the town families.
Thoughts:
[John] Wind at My Back graced us following the huge success of Road to Avonlea (TV series) which immediately followed the massive love for Anne of Green Gables (mini-series). A Christmas movie special with this feel and magic, just screams CHRISTMAS to me.
[Lana] Is that what that sound was? I was starting to think the neighbours were getting robbed or something. It was a decent movie. I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as John but it was good.
[John] Lana is also not an Anne of Green Gables fan, so that would contribute to his lack of enthusiasm on this one. That style isn’t really his thing - he’ll watch it, but he doesn’t totally dig it.
11. Every Day is Christmas - 2018
Filmed in Vancouver
Directed by David Weaver (Toronto)
Canadian cast includes: Gloria Reuben (Toronto; Mr. Robot, Cloak & Dagger), Jeb Beach (Vancouver; Fringe, Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Guy Christie (Vancouver; Supernatural, The Man in the High Castle).
Non-Canadian cast includes: Toni Braxton (Twist of Faith, Kingdom Come), Michael Jai White (Arrow, The Family Business).
Synopsis: A Christmas Carol re-imagined (again). A super cheesy take on the story. Some familiar faces, too.
Thoughts:
[John] Cute and fun. It's a sweet movie. I may not return to it like I will others, but it's certainly a fun little movie.
[Lana] Not particularly one of my favourite adaptations of a Scrooge-like character’s one-night journey to redemption but it wasn’t horrible.
12. Christmas Lost and Found - 2018
Filmed in BC
Directed by Michael Scott (BC)
Canadian cast includes: Edward Ruttle (Oshawa; Jigsaw, Arctic Air), Lisa Durupt (Heartland, Less Than Kind), Maude Green (Center Stage: On Pointe, The Mirror).
Non-Canadian cast includes: Tiya Sircar (The Vampire Diaries, Witches of East End), Diane Ladd (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Chinatown).
Synopsis: (IMDB) An event planner mistakenly throws out her grandmother's Christmas ornaments, and the person who finds the ornaments leads her on a scavenger hunt to retrieve them, helping her to find the magic of Christmas again along the way. The epitome of small town magic happening.
Thoughts:
[John] We realized we had watched this one before but we really liked it and we were happy to watch it again. There is something really sweet and comforting about it; I seem to be drawn to the stories that involve Christmas ornaments. Perhaps it's the nostalgia - the feeling of decorating the tree as a child and looking at all of the ornaments while Christmas music (mostly Boney M) plays in the background. Maybe that's what really connects me to these movies.
[Lana] The secretive scavenger hunt aspect was fun too. I could imagine leaving clues for family members as a fun Christmas game.
BONUS - Black Christmas - 2019
[John] Not Canadian but we couldn't resist going to see this remake as our theatre Christmas movie this year. It definitely bears little-to-no resemblance to the original but I honestly wasn’t expecting it to. I went into this expecting hilariously bad - the stinkiest of stinky cheese - cheese and that is, pretty much, what we were given. In that respect, I was not disappointed.
[Lana] At least the original was Canadian. I must say though, literal small town magic does indeed happen.
[John] Well everyone, we really hope you have been enjoying the holidays - regardless of what you celebrate, if you celebrate anything - we wish for you happiness, great health, and personal success.
May your next year bring you all kinds of happy and a year of moments you cherish forever. Please take some time here and there to perform acts of kindness for those around you - it doesn’t have to be huge, but do challenge yourself to make it meaningful.
We wish to express to you all, our deepest gratitude for your continued support and friendship - it truly means the world for us. Much love and hugs to you all, as we close out this amazing year.
Be well and we will see you again soon.
