Christmas Cheers!

Now that I have a new approach to this personal blog, I have decided to get into the Christmas spirit by bringing you five christmas movies that you can See-for-Free this Holiday Season! 


The Most Wonderful Time of the Year 



The Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Inside Story - Free videos are just a click away


The Hallmark Channel has been showing this Christmas movie for free on it's website as a part of it's Countdown to Christmas celebration. I actually checked this movie out at my local redbox!

Synopsis 
A modern-day female Scrooge gets a taste of Christmas romance in this family film from the Hallmark Channel. Jennifer (Brooke Burns) is a stressed-out single mom whose holiday spirit is awakened when her eccentric uncle Ralph (Henry Winkler) comes for a visit and brings along a handsome stranger, Morgan (Warren Christie), who was stranded at the airport. - Sandra Bencic, All Movie Guide

Design
The concept of the design behind this made-for-tv christmas special was undeniably flat. This could have been due to the budget or the quick shooting schedule but that's what makes these kinds movies more fun to sift through... when a design really "pops" it's nearly a sure sign of something magical brewing. I love christmas movies, even the made-for-tv flavor and Peter Andringa , the Production Designer, was nominated for a Leo Award in 2007 for his work on Everything's Gone Green. He was also the Art Director of a few Fringe episodes (that look pretty amazing). Andringa's set dresser, Dave Paddon, has worked on crews since the mid nineties, never really breaking in to anything other than the made-for-tv scene. So what went wrong with The Most Wonderful Time of the Year? Let's take a look:

Frame Real Estate

This is the opening shot of the movie. Typically, designs should set up the expectation from the first frame on screen. There will realistically always be low scenes and cover sets that have to be accounted for in low budget movies but this shot should have said it all. They invested in a crane shot for this opening! If they are putting that much money into the execution of the shot, why not do the same with the set design?
What we end up seeing is a two dimensional use of space at best and a devastatingly dark, unbalanced frame at worst. The uniform and slightly boring white lights set up the neighborhood and play a small role later in the movie but it's unbelievable that Paddon and his team only decorated the faces of the houses. Without even so much as a candle in the windows to add a little balance to the frame, this shot pales in comparison to the potential Andringa has shown in his body of work so far.

Once a Dreamer 

Andringa may not be an advocate of the opening sequence "pop" I referred to, but he does have a way with his dream sequences. This scene was my absolute favorite in the film. Andringa and Paddon created a really exciting contrast that had a sophisticated sensibility. In the midst of all the yule-tide-romance blather, this scene is a diamond in the rough. The room where they sit is hallow and lifeless. There are

little details that sell this dream-like idea. The color scheme is incredibly strict, dominate by tones of white, this piece uses only deeply saturated  reds and very delicate hues of green. This contrast is key to the scene's concept. It makes things disproportional and unrealistic. This santa clause (the only representation in the film) is also fantastic. The small details make this character work: his missing beard and goatee replacement, the lack of a collar under his jacket, and his disheveled appearance. Jennifer's

outfit adds to the dream sequence. The oversized collar and silver pendant give her look an outdated feel. Her hairstyle harkens back to the fifties new wave up-do . Even her shoes look to be fifties inspired. With the all white table decked in deep red tones her costume contrast works well in the scene. Each piece of the frame is used by the art team to instill one idea: This is a sophisticated Christmas nightmare. Uncle Ralph makes a charming exception to the rule and though there

is no explanation as to why the designers choose to deviate from the color palette for his character, I find it a delightful quirk in the design. His orange patterned argyle sweater and bow tie combination should stick out like a sore thumb but in this sequence it makes nonsense, dream logic sense. This is clearly a strong collaborative moment for Andringa's team... it's just sad that the film has to right back to undeveloped (and under-designed) scenes like this:

Kitsch or Tell? 
This Holiday design has a few interesting attempts, but I have to say you get what you pay for. This free holiday movie lacks the design cheer that it needs to sustain the even weaker plot points. I'm making this movie the first on my winter Kitsch list.

If you still want to check it out... click here. ( I mean who can turn down a free Christmas movie?)