A Light in the Forest

This is a sweet little family holiday film that will appeal mostly to people looking for some undemanding and wholesome entertainment. The story mixes a long ago fantasy world with a modern day Southern California that goes a long way in trying to instill the holiday spirit in a lovely but lonely young lady nicely played by Danielle Nicolet. Of special note here is the appearance by Carol Lynley as the young lady's sweet and caring grandmother (another good performance).

A poor told fairy tale. Its virtues - Lindsay Wagner and costumes of evil characters. The sins - first the connection of Christmas with a Holly Boy, some elf, some teenager . Second - the old people with commercial purpose against the school and patrimony location. Not the last, the final solution. A good point - Christian Oliver honorable job and, sure, the acrobatic moments.

In the medieval world, evil King Otto (Edward Albert) and his sidekick, Witch Hazel, constantly stirred up trouble. The fairies and elves were in danger quite a bit. Now in twentieth century California, he is still reeking havoc. He inhabits the body of a school administrator and is bent on destroying a beautiful park. At the academy, new student Britta (Danielle Nicolet) is having a very difficult time accepting her parents' death and making new friends. Only handsome Gabe (Christian Oliver) seems to extend a welcome. It is near Christmas and the school is planning a talent show and the winner will receive a $75,000 scholarship. Trouble is, the event has already been rigged by the new King Otto, the champion already chosen. Gabe wants to sing but loses his voice, Otto at work again, and the young man encourages Britta to perform, for she is an extremely talented gymnast. Her grandmother (Carol Lynley) thinks its a good idea, too. But, Britta is most reluctant. Suddenly, an elf from the middle ages helps her gain courage. Will Britta upset Otto's plans? This is a good film for families with older children. It has a nice story and some appealing fantasy elements. That said, Otto and Hazel have ties to witchcraft, something some parents may not like. So, be careful folks. Nicolet is a beautiful and talented star and so is Oliver. How amazing, too, to see Albert, Lynley, and the lovely Lindsay Wagner, who plays a caring teacher at the school. Special effects are really quite nice, as are the costumes, settings, and direction. Therefore, families are encouraged to seek this one out at holiday times, if members have no objections to the darker twists.

I wonder if Chris Lee couldn't decide to be a Scot from week to week. His accent wavers. It's not bad when it's there. Edward Albert is wonderfully cheesily evil. Christian Oliver is beautiful to behold, but don't judge a book by it's cover. Lindsay Wagner is good and wholesome and the kind of lady who revels in bringing out the best in people.

Basically, this is a Hallmark type production with all it's trappings - a sweet, well-intentioned story with a message. It's cute, watchable, and fun in that cheesy heart-felt kind of way.

Be sure you're in the mood before attempting to watch this all the way through. if your kids like the Power Rangers, they may like this one.

I rented this movie thinking it would be the worst I'd ever seen (okay, not the worst, "Ankle Biters" took that prize). I was (mostly) wrong.

It certainly wasn't picture of the year, but it was actually quite entertaining. Several of the actors were a little cheesy and over dramatic, but I think I'll let it go since they were playing evil faerie tale witches and kings. The plot is laughable, but even so I couldn't help but *like* it. A few of the actors were actually not too bad, especially for newcomers, and the movie in it's entirety is something that both kids and adults (and even teenagers) can enjoy.

In a nutshell...cute, cheesy, fun. This is a movie that you can laugh at and still be entranced by.