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Reviews
The Holly and the Ivy (1952)
One of the best Christmas movies ever made!
Christmas movies seem to multiply like the commercial world's "Season's Greetings"--and most of them are just as hollow and pointless. This is an exception, British cinema at its best. "The Holly and the Ivy" is an emotional roller coaster that leaves you wanting more.
Members of a family assemble to celebrate Christmas in the home of their father, a widowed Anglican clergyman. Various ones have gone through painful experiences of one kind or another. And all have concealed the details from their father on the assumption that he wouldn't understand "because he's a parson." The shattering explosions that occur as bits of the truth begin to be revealed are memorable. Forget about the endless fantasies, flying reindeer and dancing snowmen. This is a real Christmas about real people. The resolution at the end may come a little too quickly, but it is satisfying.
See this movie if you can find it--and urge the powers that be to re-issue it on DVD.
Because of Winn-Dixie (2005)
A Great Family Film
This is one of the best family movies I have ever seen. It is fun and totally entertaining, without being silly. It has very funny moments, but the humour is never contrived. The underlying story about dealing with past hurts and building new relationships is one that transcends age limitations. And the film has a very strong moral centre. Those with conservative values should find little to quibble about here. The acting is uniformly good to excellent, even from the newcomer Annasophia Robb. A great movie to watch and enjoy over and over. And the dog (that actually does smile) is amazing! The scene in the grocery store, which apparently took days to shoot, is positively hilarious. Hollywood needs to produce more films of this high moral quality.