planktonrules

Whenever I have seen lists of the supposed worst films ever made, many small movies with limited releases never have a chance of making it simply because no one ever got much of a chance to see it in the first place. In other words, it's dreck that slipped between the cracks...a good way to describe "Magic Christmas Tree" actually.

The story is VERY slow and the plot unfolds at glacial speed. A kid helps and old witch and she gives him a reward...some magic tree that grants wishes. But the kid is a bit of a sociopath and he wishes for some bad things...but the worst is his kidnapping Santa...or at least a mall Santa from a very run down and shady neighborhood. Can Santa shed himself of the kid? And, does anyone really care? And, does anyone notice that the movie seems like a really bad ripoff of "The Wizard of Oz"-especially at the end?

The movie appears to have been made with a Super 8 movie camera and all the actors were non-professionals. Their performances are so bad...but you can't blame them since they aren't actors and the script writer was probably a lemur. I'm actually being kind, as I am not sure if they even had a writer.

By the way, one of the very worst Christmas films of all time (aside from this one) also came out in 1964, the incredibly wretched "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians". After watching both, I'd say "Magic Christmas Tree" is less annoying but a much worse film overall. The only film that approaches (and perhaps surpasses) the awfulness of "The Magic Christmas Tree" is 1972's "Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny".

Chico is a cute little mutt...and he was such a good boy I guess they decided to name the episode after him!

The IM Force is tasked with getting a list of agents who have infiltrated two narcotics rings. The list is in two parts and if the two rings could put aside their differences, they can work together to liquidate these undercover folks. This means, of course, the team needs to get the lists and make a substitution...and that's where Agent Chico comes to the rescue. How? See the show.

While I generally don't like the organized crime episodes, this one is very good. First, Chico is adorable and quite the addition to the team...the brains of the operation. Second, the reason for the team to do what they did made sense...whereas in many organized crime episodes it would have made more sense just to assassinate the criminals and be done with it!

Rosealeen is a woman who has been married twice. Her first husband was lost in Africa and while his body was never found, he was pronounced dead. So, Rosaleen then married Mr. Choade...and he soon was blown up in a gas explosion. As for Rosaleen, she came out a bit charred but otherwise okay. Now, because of his death, she's a very rich woman. But she also seems to be a lady with no mind of her own and her brother controls everything she says or does. This includes NOT giving any money to the rest of the Choades, as they are a motley crew and would LOVE to get a hold of the fortune.

Poirot is brought into the case by the family, as they want him to prove that Rosaleen's first husand is still alive. However, the family ALSO isn't to be trusted and they have their own agenda...as does Rosaleen's brother. Can Poirot manage to figure out the truth while both sides seem to be trying their best to manipulate Poirot?

This is a good episode and never is dull. My only complaint is minor...as Poirot's solution to all the problems is a bit hard to prove. Still, it is pretty exciting and well worth seeing.

By the way, I found the show a bit confusing at first, as Rosaleen and another character look very similar...so much so that you really need to pay attention.