Christmas Films Screencap Game - Answers!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Here are the answers to the Christmas Films Screencap Game from last week. Thanks for playing!

Which of these Christmas films have you seen?

#1

Answer: Muppet Christmas Carol

#2

Answer: Eloise at Christmastime

#3

Answer: White Christmas

#4

Answer: An Old-Fashioned Christmas

#5

Answer: The Christmas Candle

#6

Answer: A Christmas Carol (1984)

#7

Answer: Samantha: An American Girl Holiday

#8

Answer: Seasons Of The Heart

#9

Answer: Hercule Poirot's Christmas

#10

Answer: Christmas In Conneticut

#11

Answer: Miracle On 34th Street

#12

Answer: It's A Wonderful Life

#13

Answer: Shop Around The Corner

#14

Answer: Meet Me In St. Louis

#15

Answer: Little Women (1994)

~*~

Players Scores:

Melody - 14 points

Net - "It's a Wonderful Movie" - 14 points

Miss Sneyd - 13 points

Tom - 9 points

Lois Johnson - 7 points

Christmas Short Story Contest at Regency Delight

My very dear friend Melody is having a Christmas Short Story Contest over at her blog Regency Delight! Entries must be sent by December 26th so get working on your short story inspired by a Christmas carol now!

The Nativity Story (2006)

The Nativity Story (2006) is a lovely visual adaptation of the Biblical account of Christ's birth and although it does slip up in a couple places overall it is very nicely done. I'm writing this review on my second viewing of this film and I have enjoyed it quite a lot both times I've seen it. It of course in no way replaces scripture but it does help to give food for thought by showing what the events may have looked like. This is a nice film to view at Christmas time and helps me focus my mind and heart on the birth of my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

Story: Powerful, timeless and visually magnificent, The Nativity Story is "a beautiful telling of one of the world's most familiar stories". It was the cruelest of times. Under Herod's torturous reign, families struggled to survive and yet, in the midst of utter turmoil, a young woman's faith was put to the test. Join Mary and Joseph on an incredible journey of hope and discovery. Epic in its scope, yet intimate in its portrayal of this historical family, this "wonderful film" is a family feature that will be cherished for years to come.

Costumes: Show the contrast between the hard working folks like Mary and Joseph and the rich ruling folks like King Herod and the Magi. 

Music: Combines traditional carols with music that fits the actions of each scene. Just a nice soundtrack to listen to!

Inappropriate Content: There is no language or sexual content in this film but there are some scary scenes and thematic elements. Shows some scarier scenes such as soldiers killing toddler boys under Herod's order, Roman soldiers collecting people and animals as payment for taxes. Elisabeth giving birth to John the Baptist is shown briefly and the ceremony of his circumcision is also shown from a distance. Crucifixion of Jewish zealots are shown. Mary is also shown giving birth to Jesus and Joseph helping her. Nothing horrible, this film is rated PG but would be appropriate for most ages.

Biblical Accuracy: Sets the story of Christ's birth in it's historical content, Israel under Roman rule. Does combine events from the accounts in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Does put some emphasis on Mary's life but I do appreciate that it shows her as a sinful human chosen by God. Kind of shortens some of the accounts but does a fairly good job staying true to the scriptures. But there was no a choir of angels announcing the birth to the shepherds and the wisemen are incorrectly shown arriving at the time of Christ's birth instead of two years after, as the scriptures say. The wisemen decide on their own not to go back to King Herod instead of seeing it in a dream. Joseph is told in a dream to leave Bethlehem for Egypt but it is very shortly after Jesus is born instead of two years after as the gospel of Matthew says. Film does have some characters jumping to conclusions about the birth of Christ, things they probably wouldn't have known yet, but it is neat to hear those connections that we know now because we have the complete scriptures.

Character Portrayals:

• Mary - Has a quiet, thoughtful and gentle spirit but is still portrayed as a sinful human who also needs to trust Christ as her savior.  
• Joseph - Portrayed as an extremely kind and honorable man who loves Mary greatly. His great disappointment, confusion and anger when he finds out Mary is with child was very convincing. I like how it shows him sacrificing for his wife and even the donkey on their journey to Bethlehem.
• Mary's Parents - Kind and try to be understanding but have a difficult time accepting the Lord working in Mary and Joseph's lives.
• King Herod - Cruel and cunning man who craves power. His paranoia and menace are just creepy!
• Gabriel - Mysterious but not too terrify, he appears three times in the story. Nice that he is portrayed as looking ethnically the same as those he is appearing too only with a glow about him.
• Three Wisemen - Quirky and add some humor to the story as they journey from Persia to Bethlehem. They are placed coming sooner than they should but they are shown having great faith which is interesting.
• Zachariah & Elisabeth - Elisabeth is portrayed as a quite understanding and inspiring woman, a good mentor for Mary. Zachariah is an interesting character and it was neat when he got his voice back. 

Have you seen The Nativity Story (2006)?

Do you have any other favorite film versions of the birth of Christ?

Christmas Films Screencap Game

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's a little screencap game to make your day merry and bright! All these films have a Christmas-y feel to them and are some of my favorites to watch at this time of year. As a bonus they all have that period drama quality to them or are just great classic films. Enjoy!

To Play: Look at the screencaps below and leave a comment guessing which Christmas Film each photo is from. I'll respond with your scores are best I can, but may get a bit busy. I'll leave this game up until after Christmas and then I'll post the scores.

Scoring: One point for each correctly guessed Christmas film. A high score of 15 points can be earned!

Optional: When you comment let me know which of these Christmas films you've seen and what are your favorite films to watch this time of year are!

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

Happy guessing!

Have a wonderful Christmas!

News: The Christmas Candle (2013)

I found news about this movie on Facebook recently and was immediately intruiged by the story, cast and time period. It's also based on a story by Christian author Max Lucado so faith in God will be a big theme. 

This movie looks like a really good family holiday film and it's coming to select cinemas in the USA November 22nd!

Story: 

"From bestselling author, Max Lucado, comes THE CHRISTMAS CANDLE, a timeless holiday film for the entire family.

Deep in the heart of the English countryside lies the enchanting village of Gladbury. Legend has it every 25 years an angel visits the village candlemaker and touches a single candle. Whoever lights this candle receives a miracle on Christmas Eve. But in 1890, at the dawn of the electric age, this centuries old legend may come to an end.

When David Richmond (Hans Matheson), a progressive young minister, arrives in Gladbury, the villagers discover a new formula for miracles: good deeds and acts of kindness. While David's quest to modernize Gladbury sets him at odds with the old world candlemaker, he finds an unlikely ally in the lovely skeptic, Emily Barstow (Samantha Barks). Now, the fiery candlemaker must fight to preserve the legacy of the Christmas Candle. But when the candle goes missing, the miraculous and human collide in the most astonishing Christmas the village of Gladbury has ever seen." - from Official Website

Official Trailer:

Cast:

There's several period drama actors in The Christmas Candle that I'm excited to see in these type of roles!

Hans Matheson as David Richmond

Period Dramas: Poldark (1996), Les Miserables (1998 as Marius), Doctor Zhivago (2002), The Tudors (TV series, not recommended), Tess of the D'Urbervilles (2008, as Alec D'Urberville), Sherlock Holmes (2009).

Thoughts: His past period drama characters have been creepy sometimes so it will be nice to seem him play a minister in this film.

Samantha Barks as Emily Barstow

Period Dramas: Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert, Les Miserables (2012 as Eponine).

Thoughts: So excited to see Samantha in another film and another period drama role! She looks so pretty in the 1800's costumes! It really makes me wonder if there might be some singing in this film.

Lesley Manville as Bea Haddington

Period Dramas: David Copperfield (2000), North & South (2004, as Mrs. Hale), Poirot (TV series), Cranford (2007, Mrs. Rose), 

Thoughts: Always enjoy her performances and happy to see her in another period drama role! 

Sylvester McCoy as Edward Haddington

Period Dramas: The Hobbit (as Radagast), Doctor Who (1987-1989, seventh Doctor)

Thoughts: He made a very quirky Doctor and an interesting wizard, it's neat to see him in Victorian garb.

James Cosmo as Herbert Hopewell

Period Dramas: Emma (1996, Mr. Weston), Merlin (TV series), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (as Father Christmas), Ivanhoe (1997), Braveheart, The House of Eliott (TV series).

Thoughts: He's a big Scottish bloke and it's actually kinda funny to me seeing him in period costume. His character looks like a businessman.

Susan Boyle as Eleanor Hopewell

Period Dramas: Her film debut!

Thoughts: This looks like it will be a wonderful role for her film debut, she looks great in period costume! Now I'm really wondering if there might be some singing in this film!

Barbara Flynn as Lady Camdon

Period Dramas: Cranford (Mrs. Jamieson), Miss Potter, He Knew He Was Right, Poirot, Horatio Hornblower, The Forsyte Saga, Lorna Doone, Wives & Daughters, The Barchester Chronicles.

Thoughts: A period film wouldn't be a period film without her! So glad to see her in yet another lovely role!

John Hannah as William Barstow

Period Dramas: Poirot (TV series), Miss Marple (TV series), The Mummy movies,.

Thoughts: He's Scottish and I always enjoy seeing him pop up from time to time in films. 

~*~*~*~

Does The Christmas Candle (2013) look interesting?

Does having Susan Boyle and Samantha Barks in this film say singing to you?