2025 faith & family film festival

My gratitude to Comcast for giving me access to a channel I usually cannot watch, but always enjoy!

I must add that Up Faith & Family definitely gave me some unexpected story lines, with a bit more realism and more edge than most holiday movies exhibit.

I like that!

With this dozen films, I had one with a Marine suffering from PTSD.

Another not only had foster children facing eviction at Christmas, but also the effects of a drunk driver on a family.

Then there's the talk show host that books freaks to belittle, just to bring in advertising dollars.

The autism spectrum pops up in the lead character of another film, as a woman who writes logic puzzles.

Plus, a saboteur threatens not just property, but people, in the first one I watched!

Still, I enjoyed every one of those.

Then there were all the Vivica A. Fox movies... a total of four!!! 

Those were made in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2025, with her sporting different styles in each.

Admittedly, two were choices made on purpose, as I sought them out simply because she was in them, and those earlier films were two of my favorites!

So, here are the ones for this year!

 

"North By North Pole: A Dial S Mystery" (2024)

Santa - Dax Belanger
festival planner Zoey - Abby Ross
her mom Avery - Andrea Reindl
co-planner of festival Dalton - Joe Scarpellino

007-clone Wilson - Aason Nadjiwon

 

All is not happy in Willow Creek when two planners clash.

All becomes worse when a saboteur starts wrecking those plans!

 

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"Dial S For Santa" (2023)

LOL!
Forgot I already saw this one last year!

insurance investigator Lana  - Sarah Dugdale
police detective Nick - Julian Haig
Santa - Dax Belanger
 

Note: It has the same Santa!

 

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"A Christmas Masquerade" (2022)

assistant Julieanne - Erin Agostino
public image boss Lara - Cory Lee
the client Michael - David Lafontaine

 

Starts of kinda sorta like "Working Girl", with the client mistaking the assistant for the boss at a party, then the assistant forced to follow through.

That means I liked it! 

 

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"A Carol Christmas" (2003)

TV show host Carol - Tori Spelling  ***
ghost of christmas past - Gary Coleman   ***
ghost of christmas present - William Shatner  ***
 

I had the suspicion that I might have seen this before, though I couldn't have siad for sure until nearly the end, when the three ghosts are looking in the window from outside.

Good fun!

 

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"Festival Of Trees" (2024)

small time designer Jacquie - Kate Miner (alos producer)
her smart-mouth asst Heather - Sara Hayter
treelot owner Brandon Holliday - Greg Perrow
his sick daughter Rachel - Jojo Regina

Actually filmed at the Georgia Festival Of Trees in Atlanta that year!

 

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"A Christmas Murder Mystery" (2025)

newspaper editor Charlotte - Vivica A. Fox  ***
autistic puzzle creator Vera - Morgan Bradley
real estate magnate Harold Sterling - Michael Paré  **
his college lit son Troy - Rob Mayes
 

The puzzle creator also works part-time as a consultant for the hometown police department.

Her catchphrase is, "Here's what we know..."

So nice to see Michael Paré again, though he doesn't have much to say or do after he's poisoned.

Trust me, I gave away nothing, as he dies at the very beginning.

 

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"Annie Claus Is Coming To Town"  (2011)

Santa's daushter Annie - Maria Thayer
Mrs Santa - Vicki Lawrence ***
Santa - Peter Jason
toy store owner Ted - Sam Page
motel owner Lucy - Vivica A. Fox ***
her daughter Mia - Nay Nay Kirby
Dean, actor hired to woo Annie - Ryan Bittle
 

This was so much fun, mostly due to the joyous enthusiasm of the lead, Maria Thayer.

Vivica A. Fox is quite spunky and has hair to match!

 

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"Christmas With A View" (2018)

asst restaurant mgr Clara - Kaitlyn Leeb
her celebrity chef mom Lydia - Vivica A. Fox  ***
celebrity chef hired for holidays Shane - Scott Anthony Cavalheiro
inn and diner owner Frank - Patrick Duffy  ***
co-inn and diner owner Jackie - Jess Walton
Clara's bff Bonnie - Kristen Kurnik
Bonnie's city planner bf Clive - Joseph Cannata

Love, love, love Bonnie and Clive! They're fabulous and quirky fun, constantly drawing parallels to the notorious Bonnie and Clyde!

 

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"Jingle Smells" (2023)

ex-Marine w PTSD Nick - Ben Davies
his police chief dad - John Schneider  ***
his 'Uncle Mike", the garbage man - Brad Stine
CEO of toy company Cashbro - Eric Roberts ***
action star Mason Stone - James Storm ** wrestler

Love that I had another one with John Schneider! 

NOTE: Even dedicated at the end to several military folks.
 

Two original songs in the soundtrack, too, both very funny and one with the Oak Ridge Boys!

"Jingle smells, jingle smells, stinking all the way.

He gives toys to girls and boys, a garbage truck's his sleigh."

 

Tell the truth... you just sang that, didn't you?

(smile!) 

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"Farewell Mr. Kringle" (2010)

magazine writer Anna - Christina Taylor  *** (Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!!!)
her boss and editor - Vivica A. Fox  ***
ex-lawyer, now inn owner Mark - Christopher Wiehl
formerly Mr. Wilson, now Kris Kringle - William Morgan Sheppard
 

Such a beautiful movie about finding Christmas spirit after loss.

 

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"Santa's Got Style"  (2022)

marketing designer Madison - Kathryn Davis
the fashion mogul Paul Grant - Scott Thompson
her best friend and former model Ethan - Franco Lo Presti
his assistant Matthew - Kato Alexander
 

A bit edgy, but I liked it!

 

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"A Christmas Letter"  (2021)

foster home mother Leslie - Glenda Braganza
one of the girls Sam - Ava Weiss
that girl's brother Wendell - Callum Shoniker
mailman who teaches them hockey David - David Lipper (also wrote script) 
his wheelchair-bound dad - Enrico Colantoni (*** 'Just Shoot Me!")
guy on N. Pole Rd, S. Clause - Colin Mochrie (*** "Whose Line Is It Anyway?")
 

Most def a bit edgy, with drunk driver, foster kids getting kicked out at the holidays, but very well done!
I liked that it was set in Detroit, Frankenmuth, and Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario. 

 

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I was quite happy with my choices!

I'd gladly watch any of these again!