There's nothing quite like a heartwarming Christmas film to get you in the spirit at this festive time of year. They couldn't have chosen a better lead role than Tim Allen, who I already associate with Christmas since he is actually Santa! I really liked the running gag where they couldn't work out who Marty was. I've got to say though, I was a little disappointed that we did find out who he was eventually. For me, it would have been funnier had we never got to find out. But I suppose it brings it together to make sense. The cast were brilliant, funny but realistic. They could perform visual comedy and slapstick very well. Unfortunately, there was too much focus pulling in the camera work which made it look ridiculous and distracting. But that's about the only downside to the movie. One fantastic part of the movie is when they start singing an Eddie Cochran song "C'mon Everybody". Eddie Cochran is the bees-knees of music and I remember being pleasantly surprised at this when I saw this film in the cinema. (I've always been a huge Cochran fan.) Definitely worth a watch and I'll probably watch it every year from now on. It's only 77 days to go 'til the big day!! So Merry Christmas everyone!

From Chris Columbus comes the family holiday film Christmas with the Kranks. Based on a John Grisham novel, when their daughter goes off on a Peace Corps mission for the holidays the Kanks decide to skip Christmas in order to go on a Caribbean cruise; but the neighborhood doesn’t take kindly to the Kranks’ abstaining from the community’s Christmas festivities. Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dan Aykroyd form a solid cast, however their performances are lackluster. Additionally, the comedy is too broad and gets a bit bizarre at times. The tone of the film is also off, as if the filmmakers don’t have a clear message to tell. Christmas with the Kranks is a messy and uneven film that doesn’t have much holiday cheer to it.

I know this movie has been panned by critics but it is a yearly classic for our family. It's absurd and ridiculous and yet, it's always a joy during the holiday season.

Tim Allen needed to balance out his Christmas cheer after playing Santa Claus for a couple of movies.

Good flick to throw on when you've watched all the other Xmas movies