It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for the Thursday Movie Picks feature. This series is hosted by Wandering through the Shelves and offers you a weekly prompt to post some movie recommendations/talking points according to the theme. Usually, you are supposed to post about 3-5 examples, which I find a very manageable amount.
I’ve enjoyed doing this feature on a weekly basis for the past year, but I don’t know if it (or I) will continue in 2022. So far, I’ve not seen a new schedule with topics for the upcoming year. We’ll see? I just know I don’t have the creative energy to come up with themes of my own and I understand this is a lot of work and yeah … Let’s just say I’d get it running its course, because I know it has been around for a very long time.
As it so happens, for this final theme of 2021, we once again change it up for the month and talk about TV shows instead of movies. Today’s topic is holiday! I’m going to liberally interpret the theme as festive holidays as well as going on vacation (or as I sometimes say, go on holiday, if you get my meaning).
Dash & Lily
I’ve read the books in the series and was really looking forward to all of them getting adapted. However, Netflix decided to not move forward with the property anymore, but at least the ending wasn’t super open. It felt pretty fitting and I’m sure that there’s many people who feel content enough with what the show provided. I loved it for sure!
Hjem til Jul/Home for Christmas
This was the first year without a new season of Hjem til Jul and I missed it. I would have loved to see a little bit of what happened after she got the guy, you know? But I’ll just headcanon that stuff and deal with it. Definitely one of my most favorite Norwegian shows!
The White Lotus
This show is messy and not exactly happy go lucky, but so well acted. I liked the subversion of expectations in many cases and am intrigued to find out what they’ll do with the next season, since it doesn’t seem like something you can continue easily. Maybe it will be more anthology like …
Life and Other Disasters 
I like how you used “holiday” as a vacation. I used as Christmas lol. I just finished The White Lotus the other day. I didn’t realize it was getting a second season. It has to be anthology, right? New people at the hotel?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was like “how am I get to three picks otherwise”!? haha I’d assume it would be an anthology with new guests, but I’m not sure. I read somewhere that it might be set in Europe and feature people we’ve already seen and that they want to go for a different tone and look, while still focusing on unlikable characters.
On another topic, have you heard anything about TMP continuing in 2022?
LikeLike
I like the way you went with this but you’ve got me as far as seeing any of these shows. I’ve heard of Dash & Lily but I don’t have Netflix nor HBO so those other two will remain elusive.
I thought of a couple of different ways to go but having just seen my first pick last week it inspired me to select three Christmas themed TV movies, though to be honest only the last is one I love the others pleasant time-passers.
Unlikely Angel (1996)-Dolly Parton plays selfish honkytonk singer Ruby Diamond who dies when she swerves to miss a deer in the road. Getting to the heavenly gates Saint Peter (Roddy McDowell) noting her final act of compassion gives her one shot at total redemption or it’s hellfire for her. She gets to return to earth and has less than two weeks, until Christmas natch, to bring a widower (Brian Kerwin) and his estranged children (one of whom is played by Allison Mack, currently doing time in stir because of her involvement in the notorious NXIVM cult) back together. It all goes as expected but Dolly’s force of personality makes it worth watching…. once.
The Night They Saved Christmas (1984)-There’s trouble abrewin’ at the North Pole when the evil oil companies decide to dynamite in the Arctic. Santa (Art Carney) and his elves set their sights on one corporate executive-Michael Baldwin (Paul Le Mat), his climate change fearing wife, Claudia (Jaclyn Smith) and their youngsters to try and turn the tide. Just when things look their bleakest a trip to Santa’s workshop just might save the day!
The House Without a Christmas Tree (1972)-Young Addie’s (Lisa Lucas) most fervent wish is for once in her life to have a tree in her home for Christmas. Her father James (Jason Robards) however, having lost Addie’s mother at the holidays when she was just an infant, is dead set against it. Despite his mother’s (Mildred Natwick) attempts to persuade him James will not be swayed. But then Addie wins her class tree in a contest setting in motion a chain of events that leads to a healing for them all. A Hallmark Hall of Fame production from the time when that name stood for the finest television had to offer, not the sad pablum producer it’s devolved into now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve actually watched Unlikely Angel, just because I had a Dolly Parton phase as a kid. I can’t say I’ve watched any of her movies twice though.
LikeLike
Dolly is always wonderfully watchable but by and large her movies are hardly classics. The only two of hers that I’ve seen more than once at “9 to 5” and “Steel Magnolias”. Love both of those films and have seen both dozens of times.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it is quite a bit of work to host and create this series and keep it fresh every year, and it is definitely back this year. But I enjoy coming up with new themes and as I was putting up the 2022 schedule, I’ve even come up with more themes that I can keep and use for 2023 if I choose to continue. The only thing so far that has ruin some of the fun is when some people pretend that I don’t exist, as if I am not the host and creator of the blog series. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, please read this post https://wanderingthroughtheshelves.blogspot.com/2021/12/2022-thursday-movie-picks-schedule.html
Now to your picks…haha cheat!….I think if you use UK English a vacation is called a holiday…at least that’s what I call it…a holiday, never a vacation. I was taught UK English.
Seen the first two. White Lotus only about halfway through. I think they’ve released casting news for season 2 recently.
LikeLike