UP Faith & Family film festival!

For the past week, Comcast gave free access to a channel I enjoy: UP Faith & Family!

That means I have busied myself with holiday-themed movies every day!

On cold days, I'll watch as many as four in a day!

Like the Hallmark holiday films, these are uplifting, though they might not have the happy-ever-after ending. 

They may also have a moral to the story, though they tread lightly.

I very much enjoy them!

I've managed to pack fourteen movies into this film festival, and many I would love to see again, though there are two that were not holiday-themed at all.

So, here we go!

 

"Christmas At The Amish Bakery" (2023)
This is definitely one I'd see again. Family values and free will intermingle in this story set in Amish farm country. One daughter chose to stay home there; the other chose to become a journalist in Chicago; and the father accepts both choices of his daughters.

"Dial S For Santa" (2023)
I do love a bit of mystery with my romances! Someone is robbing the family-run stores in Riverly and it's up to Policeman Nick to find out who. Would-be Private Eye Lana is home to visit family and keeps trying to help!

"Dognapped: Hound For The Holidays" (2022)
Since I enjoyed the other mystery, why not have another! This one has Vivica A. Fox in a small role as the magazine head that keeps pestering the woman charged to watch over the fancy-pants designer who has tagged along to her home town. Things get amped up when the designer's rescue dog gets kidnapped at the vet's office. Nice dose of humor!

"The Case Of The Missing Christmas Diamond" (2022)
Another mystery with another well-known actor doing a cameo! This time it's William Baldwin as the detective called in when a necklace goes missing. The lady of the house wants to blame her daughter's visiting childhood friend, mostly because said friend is poor. Then it turns out that her daughter's friend is the one who might solve the case! Very good!

 

(That third image is for "The Polar Express", which Comcast gave me as a reward!)

"An Eclectic Christmas" (2022)
This was one of my favorites! An aunt who owns an antique shop dies before Christmas, leaving her estate to the niece who always came to visit for that holiday. The trick is that the aunt loved riddles and to collect the estate, the niece has to solve the riddles scattered all over town... and had to do so with the boyfriend she had in high school, who is the attorney specified in the aunt's will.

"The Search For Secret Santa" (2022)

A reporter just relegated to per-piece status settles upon a series on a mysterious gift-wrapped package down in the storage basement of her apartment building. The only clue is to a girl named Abigail. Things move along nicely when a would-be thief helps her discover that an insanely rare nutcracker lies under the wrapping paper. Very good story!!!

"Christmas On The Rocks" (2022

What to do when you have a big presentation to impress a new client and you break your leg? Call you twin sister to the rescue and have her go in your place! So the chef has to pretend to be the holiday decorator, which sounds doable until an old boyfriend of the chef shows up and almost blows her cover! Kudos to Lyla Porter-Follows!

"A Prince And Pauper Christmas" (2022) doppelgangers and  Tom Arnold as FBI head
Having just seen a movie with twins, and having loved the story by Mark Twain, I was drawn in by the title! Nice to see Tom Arnold again, as the lovable FBI head. His agent is trying to keep tabs on a thief (whose catchphrase is "treasure is my pleasure") so he can testify against the mob. Enter a playboy prince visiting the States with his family jewels, mix well, and add a touch of romance! Kudos to Jonathan Stoddard for his charm!

"Pitching Love And Catching Faith" (2015)

I chose poorly this time. I suspected it would not be holiday-themed, but I was hoping for a good flick with a bit of baseball in it. Nope! The sport was softball and the story was all about abstinence while a guy waited for true love's kiss of the girl meant for him. 

"Squeaky Clean Mysteries: Hazardous Duty" (2022)
I knew this wasn't holiday-themed from the get-go, so that was in its favor. I did enjoy the story, especially as it reminded me of the days when my BFF and her husband had a ServiceMaster franchise to clean up death scenes, like the ones in this film.

"A Furry Little Christmas" (2021)
I specifically chose this one because it had Jonathan Stoddard as the lead! He plays the doctor in a small Vermont town, who decides to try to convince the visiting veterinarian from New York City to stay and take over her aged dad's business there. Very nice!

"Christmas In Rockwell" (2022)
A movie star, wanting a bit of peace, had returned to her home town for the holidays, hoping to be incognito. However, she's recognized by the owner of the town's only cinema, who first fell in love with her when they worked together as middle-school kids in the very film that's central to his Christmas Film Festival. Truly a darling tale!

"A Very Country Christmas" (2017)
This time, it's a music star that's come home to roost, far from the media world and big city life. Unfortunately, his sojourn in his country manor is cut short by the real estate stager readying it for sale! What to do now but fall in love with her! I liked the music, too.

"12 Dares Of Christmas" (2023)
What a fabulously fun way to end the film festival! An older sister is tasked by the younger one with solving riddles designed to make her bolder. That's just in time for a visiting teacher from France to help her out as they prepare for his students to take part in her program!