Twice Upon a Christmas

I didn't think I was going to like this sequel since I was so down on the first one, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The story is quite original. It is still a bit preachy about faith and hope and trust, but the extremes of "Once Upon a Christmas" are toned down quite a bit.

The acting is better, although it still isn't real good. I reckon most of that to the fact that this movie appears to be aimed more at children. That means that the bad guys play a little meaner and the good guys a little more sweet and pure.

Kathy Ireland is undoubtedly a beautiful woman who can appear almost angelic, but she just tries to hard and it shows. Every line seems like she is trying too hard to sell what she is saying. The kids are good again. John Dye is better as the dad and boyfriend.

Some of the humor comes through better because it is less exaggerated.

Much of what I have found lacking is probably just what a kid audience needs, so I expect kids will enjoy far more than I did.

After seeing Once Upon A Christmas I wondered about what would happen if a sequel was made the answer came when Twice Upon A Christmas showed up on screen last Christmas. Kathy Ireland and the rest of the cast return in an all new adventure, this time around Christmas is in jeopardy once again. John Dye's performance in the first film was top notch proving himself to be a dedicated actor,It's a nice family film to watch on Christmas eve and Christmas day. A year has passed since Kristen Claus (Ireland) moved in as the nanny to the Morgan children Kyle (Kirk) & Brittany (Prout) since then she's become a beloved member of the family. But she can't remember that she was Santa's daughter or her old life, meanwhile Bill (Dye) asks her to marry him causing more confusion so the family decides to help out by finding clues into her past. Back at the north pole her scheming older sister Rudolfa, (Haskell) creates a plan to sell bits and pieces of the north pole and build a casino in it's place.

When things are on the brink of disaster Kristen suddenly remembers everything and takes the kids with her back to the north pole to save Christmas, foil Rudolfa's plan and make it back on time for her wedding on Christmas day.

A nice story with tons of adventure, magic and romance 8/10

To be honest, the first movie is a little bit better than the second one, but it still is a very nice movie to see on Christmas Eve. The story is predictable, Kirsten her memory is gone in the first part (Ones upon a Christmas) , and her sister will distroy Chrismas for the second time. Kirsten will get back her memory after some time. I must say, is stays very nice to see Katy Ireland on the screen.

A Christmas movie must not be a difficult story in the first place. I hope they will make a third one with this crew.

Model Kathy Ireland returns as Kristen Claus, the daughter of Santa Claus, is this sequel to Once Upon a Christmas, where she has to deal with her sister, Rudolfa, who is secretly selling pieces of the North Pole. She also wants to replace Santa's workshop with a casino.

The corning acting continues in this movie, with Ireland and John Dye, who plays Bill Morgan, not giving any acting performances that blew me away. Mary Donnelly-Haskell as Rudolfa Claus couldn't pull off a very convincing or conniving villain. And, you get those two annoying kids again along for the ride.

The plot of an actual villain though and Kristin Claus forgetting that she is the daughter of Santa were the only tidbits of intrigue in the movie. The rest of the movie contained happy-go-lucky stuff and unlikable characters. Overall, it's OK to overlook this movie as well.

Grade D

A sequel to the equally facile and stomach-turning "Once Upon A Christmas," "Twice Upon A Christmas" ranks with "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" and "Superman II" as one of those sequels that's preferable to the original - but it still isn't a world-beater. Fans of the still-lovely Kathy Ireland should seek it out, however, what with it being her last movie to date.

One year on from the events of the previous movie, Kristin (Kathy) has settled into life with the Morgans apart from her inability to remember who she was before she got there (she gave up her life as Santa's daughter to live with the family, and thus has no memory of who she is), and Rodolfa - her sister, and the Christina to her Britney - is still seeking to wreck Christmas as she nearly did last time, by selling off the North Pole a piece at a time. Writer Steven H. Berman puts a bit more emphasis on her shenanigans this time, and the movie's all the better for it; the humour makes it easier to get through, and the acting and FX are less inept here, which also helps.

But towards the end it gets sappy enough to have Michael Landon turning over in his grave, and Kathy's climactic speech to the world (don't ask) does remind you that an AFI Lifetime Achievement Award is not in her immediate future - and neither is "Thrice Upon A Christmas." Nonetheless, there are still worse seasonal TV movies around. (Like, say, "Once Upon A Christmas.") And the woman is still a dish.