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Office Christmas Party (2016)
Office Christmas Party (2016)
2016 | Comedy
7
6.9 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Josh Parker (Jason Bateman) is a man with many things on his mind. He has just finalized a divorce which has cost him his house, tons of money, and his confidence. Known for bunting instead of swinging away, Josh heads to his office to move on with his life as Christmas approaches.

His lead programmer Tracey (Olivia Munn) constantly reminds him of his playing it safe mentality to the point where she fed up with him and his ways.

Thankfully for Josh his boss Clay (T.J. Miller), values him and even though he is a goof who happened to be given the office by his late father who started the company, things are looking up.

That is until Interim CEO Carol (Jennifer Aniston) arrives and makes no effort to hide her disdain for her brother Clay, nor the company not meeting her expectations.

Carol quickly tells Josh and Clay that they will have to downsize if they want to stay open and in a very unpopular move, eliminates bonuses and the office Christmas Party.

Since the movie is called “Office Christmas Party”, you know that Carol’s request will fall on deaf ears as Clay convinces his sister that they are about to close a major client (Courtney B. Vance), and as such will have the deal set before she lands in London later that evening.

With nothing to go on aside from desperation, Clay puts the lovable but highly eccentric office into overdrive to create a party unlike any other so they can land the contract needed to stay in business.

When the party arrives one series of epic misadventures and mishaps after another arises which threatens to sink the company and everyone involved once and for all.

The film follows a fairly linear and somewhat predictable path but the strong cast does a great job and Kate McKinnon as the ultra-weird H.R. lead steals several of the scenes in which she is in. Bateman plays pretty much the same character that he has played in most of his recent work as the everyman that tries to make the best of the bad situation and Miller is pretty much recycling the same character he plays on Silicon Valley. That being said, there are plenty of laughs if you do not mind the very bawdy humor and Directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck keep things moving at a steady pace with laughs throughout the film.

While it is likely not going to be a holiday classic, “Office Christmas Party”, is a very fun and enjoyable diversion.

http://sknr.net/2016/12/09/office-christmas-party/
  
The town of Frog’s Ledge, Connecticut, is celebrating the start of the holiday season with their big tree lighting, and Stan is doubly excited since her new pet patisserie is opening the next day. However, things take an unexpected turn when Santa dies on his way to light the tree. Meanwhile, two other men are missing. Is there a connection?

I was hooked from the start with this book. Even though I figured out one thread early on, I still wanted to know how it was all going to play out. I did feel the climax was rushed, but that is my only complaint about this book. I love these characters and the relationships that have grown over the course of the series, and getting to spend time with them helped add to the Christmas spirit in this book for me.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/12/book-review-purring-around-christmas.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Divergent
Divergent
Veronica Roth | 2012 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.1 (140 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was a great novel. I really enjoyed the characters and I found that I could relate to many of them. For those of you who are worried that it's going to be "Hunger Games," it's not. It's the same genre but it is definitely different.

I am a little upset that it took me this long to read this novel. I read too many reviews stating that it was Hunger Games 2.0 but it isn't. I'm a fan of dystopian lit. This is definitely dyshtopian. It will have the same feel as Hunger Games but it is different.

I really liked this book. It was fast paced, well written for a young adult novel, and truly entertaining. I wish I had more time over the Christmas holiday to read more. This is easily a novel I could have finished within a day where I didn't have familial obligations.

If you're hesitant to read this novel, I suggest that you pick it up.
  
MH
More Holmes for the Holidays
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
[a:Martin H. Greenberg|6436872|Martin H. Greenberg|http://www.goodreads.com/assets/nophoto/nophoto-M-50x66.jpg] and company have provided a fine collection of Sherlockian holiday stories that fit in quite well with the traditional set.

"The Christmas Gift" by Anne Perry is a nice little piece about a stolen Stradivarius and a couple who want to marry against the wishes of the young lady's father. There is an excellent red herring, one of the few in this anthology.

In "The Four Wise Men" by Peter Lovesey, Watson must answer a call to duty from his former commanding officer in the Army, in order to help guard a medieval treasure in a Christmas pageant. The game is soon afoot, and Sherlock's powers of observation are as keen as ever.

Barbara Paul's "Eleemosynary, My Dear Watson" gives Holmes a jewel theft and a kidnapping to solve, which he does in his inimitable way. One clue seemed slightly too obvious to me, but it may not to other readers.

In "The Adventure of the Greatest Gift" by Loren D. Estleman, Holmes receives a wax cylinder containing a recording of a song popular in America. He takes it as a warning of a crime which could lead to war between Britain and France, and of course he leaps into action. This is Mycroft Holmes' only appearance in the volume.

There's plenty of misdirection in "The Case of the Rajah's Emerald" by Carolyn Wheat. Somehow, though, I suspected one of the great revelations in this one from the beginning, but I couldn't tell you exactly why. It didn't ruin the story for me, and there was still a surprise at the end.

On the other hand, Edward D. Hoch's "The Christmas Conspiracy" managed to take me completely unawares. I couldn't fathom why the crime would be committed or by whom, despite having a major clue dropped by one character. Very well done!

"The Music of Christmas" by L.B. Greenwood telegraphed the identity of the criminal from the start, but was well worth reading. One of the characters also tugged at the heartstrings.

Bill Crider's "The Adventure of the Christmas Bear" is largely memorable because of the appearance of Oscar Wilde as a character.

"The Adventure of the Naturalist's Stock Pin" by Jon L. Breen gives us Charles Darwin as Holmes' client. The mystery is less Sherlockian than some of the others, but I didn't mind reading it.

Daniel Stashower's "The Adventure of the Second Violet" was an interesting twist on a well-known Christmas story. I cannot say more without spoiling it, but he has a nice touch.

"The Human Mystery" by Tanith Lee is as dark as I expect from her, and was a depressing ending to the collection. It was, however, very well-written.

The anthology left me hungry for more Holmes, and wishing that I weren't between seasons of BBC's Sherlock or that I had another collection of stories on hand. That's the sign of a success, I think.
  
New Year&#039;s Eve (2011)
New Year's Eve (2011)
2011 | Comedy, Romance
8
7.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
If you ask me, holiday movies have lost their way over the past few years. Not that there haven’t been any good holiday movies recently, but let’s face it… “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” is no “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I think that New Year’s Eve brings us back to the feel good holiday movies that the film industry has been missing.

The cast in this is huge. Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Seth Meyers, Carla Gugino, Katherine Heigl, Jon Bon Jovi, Sofia Vergara, Ashton Kutcher, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Abigail Breslin, Hilary Swank and Josh Duhamel are all players in this film. This is only the tip of the ice berg too as there are many smaller roles with cameos from big names.

New Year’s Eve follows several different story lines that are all connected in some way, whether small or big, the stories do intertwine. Michelle Pfieffer plays a meek, timid office worker who finally has had it with her miserable job. She enlists the help of bike messenger Zac Efron to help her complete all the tasks on her “bucket list” type resolution list. Robert De Niro plays a dying cancer patient whose wish is to see the ball drop one last time, and Halle Berry is the nurse that is attending him. Seth Meyers and Jessica Biel play an expectant couple who are in a race with another couple to have the first baby of the New Year in order to win the Hospital’s contest and receive $25,000.

Katherine Heigl plays a chef for a catering company that has landed a huge gig at one of the largest parties in New York. Sofia Vergara is her sous chef who is humorously fanatic over Jon Bon Jovi. Jon Bon Jovi plays a version of himself (a musician) who happens to be Katherine Heigl’s ex-boyfriend. Ashton Kutcher is very anti-New Year’s and during his protest of the holiday ends up becoming stuck in an elevator with Lea Michele, a new tenant in his building who is on her way to a new job as a backup singer.

Sarah Jessica Parker is a single mother who gets to spend the New Year with her daughter, played by Abigail Breslin. But Abigail has her sights set on spending New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Hilary Swank plays the newly appointed Vice President of the Times Square Alliance, which for the intents of this movie means that she’s in charge of the Times Square ball dropping and runs into a few problems along the way. Josh Duhamel is desperately trying to make it from his cousin’s wedding to New York City in time to give an important speech at his company’s party, as well as make another very important meeting.

I found this movie to be a great date movie. It’s cute and funny, but without being overly obnoxious as some holiday movies try to be. It is very clever in its story telling, and makes great use of the stellar cast. Though I personally could have done without the Robert De Niro story line, I really enjoyed the film overall. It is great to see a wholesome Holiday movie that does not have to rely on gags and clichés (not too much anyway).
  
Office Christmas Party (2016)
Office Christmas Party (2016)
2016 | Comedy
7
6.9 (12 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Fun Holiday Film
A Branch Manager of a struggling tech company looks to throw the mother of all parties to help recruit a major client. He has to do it under the nose of his jerk sister who is the CEO of the company.

Acting: 10
Stellar cast all around, each of them bringing a different type of hilarity to the film. Kate McKinnon is my personal favorite, playing the role of Office Manager Mary Winetoss. Her against-the-grain role makes you cringe and laugh at the same time.

Jennifer Aniston plays Carol Vanstone, the CEO you love to hate. Aniston, typically an innocent good girl, is actually quite good at being bad. One scene in particular has her squaring up with a little girl in a lounge and it’s easily one of the best parts of the film.

Beginning: 7
Pretty plain lift-off as you are introduced to the majority of the players in the film. It’s not the greatest start, but it still has its moments. Ten minutes was enough to make me want to see more.

Characters: 10
Office Christmas Party would fall short without hilarious characters like Vanstone and Winetoss. They keep the narrative interesting and the party entertaining. There’s random cameos, a crazy black DJ, and a nutty pimp. This film has it all!

Cinematography/Visuals: 10

Conflict: 4
Easily one of the film’s weak spots. The film’s goal is to throw a huge party for a potential client and hope the CEO doesn’t find out. When you think about it, there’s not too much room for conflict here, at least not enough to raise concern. If you go into the film with that in mind, you’ll have a much better time.

Genre: 8

Memorability: 6
There are quite a few fun moments that ultimately save the film. They don’t hit you like machine gun fire, rather they are more sporadic hence the lower score. I did walk away with some good quotable lines that cracked me up (“Something’s happening in my diaper"!).

Pace: 5

Plot: 8

Resolution: 6

Overall: 74
As I’m sitting here watching Olivia Munn and Jason Bateman do their dance routine in giant snowman costumes, I can’t help but think that a few tweaks here and there could have really made this film a classic. I enjoyed Office Christmas Party and have no problem adding it to my holiday rotation. If you’re looking to expand out of the feel good, innocent Christmas films of the year, this definitely one to check out.
  
The Twelve Dice of Christmas
The Twelve Dice of Christmas
Gail Oust | 2018 | Mystery, Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I adore a new book, and if it’s part of a series, that's great, as it means more books for me to read!

Welcome to Serenity Cove, a peaceful Southern community where the residents like to play dice, and when there is a dark mystery, play detective.

With Christmas fast approaching, Kate McCall and her retired friends get into the holiday spirit by agreeing to help the elderly Eula Mae Snow decorate her home, even when it means sorting through many of the older woman’s belongings. Intent on doing a good deed and uncovering a bright collection of seasonal decorations, Kate is stopped dead in her tracks when instead she discovers the skeleton of a man showing clear signs of foul play.

Many in Serenity Cove thought that Waylon Snow had run off and left town and his wife, Eula Mae, more than two decades earlier. But with the appearance of his skeleton and a whole host of clues pointing to Eula Mae as the murderer, Kate will have to put her sleuthing skills to work to figure out who could have committed the evil deed.

Kate and her retired friends, known as The Bunco Babes, are feeling festive and they are planning a cookie exchange and ugly sweater contest for their last dice game session of the season. As they plan their holidays, they decide to help their friend decorate her house for the annual charity Christmas Home Tour. The Bunco Babes get cracking, and in the process of hunting for the Christmas decorations, Kate discovers the skeleton in the root cellar. Kate now has a twenty-five-year-old mystery to contend with. Can she solve it?

This is my first novel by Gail Oust and I really enjoyed it. I love that it is an old mystery set in Christmastime. Although this is the fourth book in a mystery series, you do not need to have read the previous books in sequence to be able to follow the story properly.

I found many of the characters very funny and easy to relate to, particularly Kate herself, but also Eula Mae's granddaughter, Tammy Lynn and Bill Lewis, Kate's "significant other". Many of the other characters in the book were extremely amusing and unusual. Kate and the Town Sheriff, Sheriff Wiggins have history, Although he is not in Kate's fan club, can she use her powers of persuasion on him to allow the Bunco Babes into the house in time for it to be decorated for the Christmas Home Tour?
 
You’ll treasure this sweet Christmas mystery, as I did!

Thanks to Netgalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for a copy of this book.
  
Marcy shows up at the hospital ready to play elf for some sick children only to find that Santa, being played by her friend Captain Moe, is suspected of murdering a hospital administrator. Sure that the two detectives in charge of the case aren’t going to worry about finding another suspect since they have Moe, Marcy and friends decide to investigate on their own.

I was surprised to find out after I finished this book that it was #10 in the series. On the one hand, I should have guessed because the characters and their relationships with each other were all so well developed. I didn’t feel like I was missing a lot of background though, so I assumed it was a newer series. Whether you’ve been with this one from the beginning or are just jumping in now, you’ll want to catch this installment. Better Off Thread is the perfect cozy to get you in the mood for a little holiday music and some Christmas shopping!
  
White Christmas Pie
White Christmas Pie
Wanda E. Brunstetter | 2008 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
8
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This story is about Will Henderson and his troubled past. What happen to Will that he feels like he could not feel loved. Will he find answers about what happen to him. We also meet a young woman that is Amish. Will their be a romance between Karen and Will?

We also have a desperate father looking for his son. Who this father and is search for his son. Was ever happen that created Will feel abandonment. The couple that Will is living with seem to have decided to adopt him.

Karen is looking for answers but what kind of answers. When she starts looking it seems to have her run into Will Henderson life. What will Karen decide and Will Henderson decide to do? Will Henderson become Amish or will they not.

This sweet story is lovely and done well. Their seem that the White Christmas Pie recipe has a message and the key to this lovely mystery Will Henderson past. This recipe seem to help Karen as well. This is wonderful for the holiday season and how it ends.
  
Slay Ride
Slay Ride
Diane Vallere | 2019 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Why Is Kyle Missing Trends?
In the couple of weeks before Christmas, Samantha Kidd has taken a temporary job as a social media influencer. Her friend Kyle Trent helped her get the job and is acting as her mentor. But when he misses a planned morning photo shoot, Samantha begins to worry. As she starts to get contradictory information about her friend, she knows something is wrong. Can she figure out what really happened?

This holiday entry, billed as a novella, is shorter than a typical novel in the series, but fans will hardly notice. There are still plenty of twists and turns that lead Samantha and us to the logical climax. Okay, so it was a bit rushed, but everything is explained. The characters, new and returning, are great, and we see more growth in Samantha. Along with that, we get some shenanigans from Samantha and plenty of humor. If you haven’t found this light, fun series yet, you’ll definitely enjoy it. And if you are a fan who hasn’t read this entry yet, you are in for a treat.