The Mistletoe Secret premiered on Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas on November 10th and stars Kellie Pickler (Aria) and Tyler Hynes (Alex). Supporting cast includes Patrick Duffy as Aria's dad and Christopher Russell as Sterling Masters.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Aria is the owner of the Mistletoe Diner in Midway, Utah and also the chairperson of the local Christmas council. This year's holiday season is an important one in Midway because the local businesses have been losing business to the new fancy ski resort that opened nearby. Aria has nominated their town to be featured as the holiday adventure locale to be featured on the website of Sterling Masters, host of the travel show Masters of Travel. What she doesn't know is that Sterling Masters has a ghost writer (his best friend Alex who is also a novelist) who handles the website for him. Alex is less than thrilled to be spending 3 weeks in a small town for the holiday because they are all the same. Alex is pleasantly surprised and finds keeping his cover story straight is pretty easy until THE Sterling Masters arrives in town and tries to steal the spotlight and the girl.
Meet Cute Moment: Alex enters the closed diner and follows Aria's singing and catches her off guard while she is hanging ornaments in the banquet room. He luckily catches the glass mistletoe ornament (it's a thing that will come up again) and prevents it from shattering. Unfortunately, he then accidentally blows a fuse while trying to "help" with the lights. Aria takes pity on him and hooks him up with some coffee and pie. She gives him the scoop on the town while he kind of talks down about small towns at Christmas but he really does like her pie.
Notable Knitwear Alert: Alex is sporting a cozy blue cabled sweater with a shawl collar at the very end of the movie. I think that I might have to do some pattern searching because I think that sweater would be a great project and a warm sweater to have for this cold winter.
Giant Nutcracker Sighting: There is a giant Nutcracker that can be seen in the background during the snowman building scavenger hunt.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: I love the idea of the town's Christmas passport that you can get stamped at each event you attend - breakfast with Santa, tree lighting, yule log, snowman scavenger hunt and so many more. I appreciate that they allude to Aria being a transplant from North Carolina because her accent does stand out and is a bit off compared to the other characters. In general, while I like the premise I feel it fell flat. I didn't really feel like there was real chemistry or a connection between the main characters. They seemed friendly but nothing really special. I also know that you aren't really supposed to "like" Sterling Masters but since he's Alex's best friend I kind of expected him to be less superficial and more likable. He redeems himself in the end but he still doesn't improve on the likability meter. Sterling also seems very stupid and/or clueless about maintaining both of their cover stories. While I know that the movie plot has to plant the seeds to uncovering the deception for the other characters, this seemed too contrived and abundantly obvious. The magical view in the background landscape really looks like a painted set piece and the shooting star was an almost comical lighting effect. Just saying that should have spent a few more $$ on getting this look more realistic.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Kellie Pickler was previously in the Graceland series (Christmas (2018) and Wedding at Graceland (2019)) with Wes Brown. She is primarily a singer but this movie is her third movie with Hallmark. Tyler Hynes was in It's Christmas, Eve (2018) with LeAnn Rimes, another singer who dips her toe in the acting pool.
Feel free to share your thoughts on the movie and whether it lived up to your expectations.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Picture A Perfect Christmas - Premiere #9
Picture A Perfect Christmas premiered on Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas on November 9th and stars Merritt Patterson (Sophie) and John Cor (David).
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Sophie, a workaholic photographer living in San Francisco realizes she has some time off over the holidays. The timing is perfect because her grandmother (Mrs. Griffith) is recovering from a fractured foot and could use the help. So Sophie heads to Bainbridge Island in Washington to enjoy the holiday with family. It just so happens that David, Mrs. Griffith's neighbor, could use some help minding his nephew, Troy, over the holiday break. Sophie and Mrs. Griffith volunteer to be co-nannies to Troy to help David out. The message the viewer is left with is that genuine kindness never needs to be repaid.
Meet Cute Moment: After Sophie arrives at her grandmother's, Mrs. Griffith sees an opportunity to do a bit of matchmaking and sends Sophie over to David's to return the hat that Troy left at her house. David thinks that she's the nanny candidate he's waiting for that the agency sent over for an interview. He proceeds to interview her for the position and she starts wondering about this new neighbor but then the truth comes out about who she is and he's left feeling quite embarrassed.
Notable Knitwear Alert: Troy wears a fabulous gray knit hat with a white fairisle band and braided ties. He wears it several times during the movie.
Giant Nutcracker Alert: There are several giant Nutcracker sightings in this movie. The most untraditional is the golden gilded Nutcracker on Mrs. Griffith's porch. This is the first sighting that I can recall where the Nutcracker is not the traditional color scheme. Other more traditional sighting are in the toy store and near Santa's station at the tree lot.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: This movie feels like a Hallmark film of old to me. The story is pretty good and you learn enough about the characters that you connect with them. There is chemistry between the leads. The nephew is quite good and engaging. There are insignificant others and exes that enter into the picture and they help to push the story along and not detract from the plot. The grandmother's matchmaking and the heart-to-heart reflections and hopes that she shares with Sophie add to the the familial feeling of the movie. I love that part of the conclusion is not for anyone to throw away their career but to be encouraging of their career opportunities and to vow to figuring out how to work with them. So much more realistic than chucking it all after only a few weeks! There is a Christmas pageant in the movie and these Bainbridge Island folks are smart enough to host their's on the 23rd. The pageant includes doing a dramatized reading/play of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, which is near and dear to my heart as a New Yorker and Hudson Valley native. Finally, there is a great dog who literally steals the show!
Hallmark Movie Connection: Merritt Patterson was previously in A Royal Winter (2017) with Jack Donnelly. John Cor was previously in Love On Safari (2018) with Lacey Chabert.
I was afraid that Hallmark was substituting quantity for quality this year but this one measures up for me. Does this one make you feel all the Hallmark movie feels?
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Sophie, a workaholic photographer living in San Francisco realizes she has some time off over the holidays. The timing is perfect because her grandmother (Mrs. Griffith) is recovering from a fractured foot and could use the help. So Sophie heads to Bainbridge Island in Washington to enjoy the holiday with family. It just so happens that David, Mrs. Griffith's neighbor, could use some help minding his nephew, Troy, over the holiday break. Sophie and Mrs. Griffith volunteer to be co-nannies to Troy to help David out. The message the viewer is left with is that genuine kindness never needs to be repaid.
Meet Cute Moment: After Sophie arrives at her grandmother's, Mrs. Griffith sees an opportunity to do a bit of matchmaking and sends Sophie over to David's to return the hat that Troy left at her house. David thinks that she's the nanny candidate he's waiting for that the agency sent over for an interview. He proceeds to interview her for the position and she starts wondering about this new neighbor but then the truth comes out about who she is and he's left feeling quite embarrassed.
Notable Knitwear Alert: Troy wears a fabulous gray knit hat with a white fairisle band and braided ties. He wears it several times during the movie.
Giant Nutcracker Alert: There are several giant Nutcracker sightings in this movie. The most untraditional is the golden gilded Nutcracker on Mrs. Griffith's porch. This is the first sighting that I can recall where the Nutcracker is not the traditional color scheme. Other more traditional sighting are in the toy store and near Santa's station at the tree lot.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: This movie feels like a Hallmark film of old to me. The story is pretty good and you learn enough about the characters that you connect with them. There is chemistry between the leads. The nephew is quite good and engaging. There are insignificant others and exes that enter into the picture and they help to push the story along and not detract from the plot. The grandmother's matchmaking and the heart-to-heart reflections and hopes that she shares with Sophie add to the the familial feeling of the movie. I love that part of the conclusion is not for anyone to throw away their career but to be encouraging of their career opportunities and to vow to figuring out how to work with them. So much more realistic than chucking it all after only a few weeks! There is a Christmas pageant in the movie and these Bainbridge Island folks are smart enough to host their's on the 23rd. The pageant includes doing a dramatized reading/play of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, which is near and dear to my heart as a New Yorker and Hudson Valley native. Finally, there is a great dog who literally steals the show!
Hallmark Movie Connection: Merritt Patterson was previously in A Royal Winter (2017) with Jack Donnelly. John Cor was previously in Love On Safari (2018) with Lacey Chabert.
I was afraid that Hallmark was substituting quantity for quality this year but this one measures up for me. Does this one make you feel all the Hallmark movie feels?
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Holiday For Heroes - Premiere #8
Holiday For Heroes premiered on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries' Miracles of Christmas on November 8th and stars Melissa Claire Egan (Audrey) and Marc Blucas (Matt).
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Matt is in the Army and stationed in Afghanistan and receives part of a holiday care package received by Devin, who is under his command. Matt begins a letter writing pen pal relationship with the package sender, Audrey, who is Devin's sister. After about of year of corresponding, Matt gets sent stateside for his final month of his contract which happens to correspond nicely with the lead up to Christmas and the New Year. He will be working and living in the same town as Audrey. He shares all of this with her in a letter which of course gets lost in the mail. So he unknowingly surprises her at the coffee shop she co-owns in the small town of Branford, Connecticut. He helps Audrey enjoy the holiday season even though her brother and the rest of the solders from the nearby base aren't able to make it home for the holidays. When things go awry, together they, along with a very supportive community, work to continue the tradition of celebrating the heroes at home and abroad with the Holiday for Heroes party. The nugget of wisdom I took away from the movie was provided by Jade (co-owner of the cafe), "You can't live in the what-ifs, live in the what-haves." Seems like a message that we can all take to heart and embrace no matter what the season or what the reason.
Meet Cute Moment: There is something to be said for the awkwardness of finally meeting someone you know so completely. Now add to that the element of surprise when the person who should be half way around the world is in your coffee shop asking for a latte. While not really a traditional meet cute moment, I think that it still qualifies and actually seems pretty relatable to many of us.
Notable Knitwear Alert: Carlos is wearing a red Christmas sweater that has a fair isle pattern with reindeer on his chest in the scene in his restaurant. Festive knitwear is always a winning combination. No ugly sweater here.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: My husband remarked that the main cast and the extras looked like real people, not just a bunch of super pretty faces. I also noticed that there was actually some diversity in the cast which only added to the more realistic feel of the community. Kudos to Hallmark, keep doing it and push to do it with more of your movies! Let's start by saying, I am loving this town. I mean they seriously know how to do up the holidays right - tree lighting, smores making, caroling, carriage rides, eggnog competition and ending with a party. Even better, they know how to spread out the festivities over a few weeks. You're never really told when the Holiday for Heroes party was scheduled but I feel like this community knows the value of family and this wouldn't have been happening on Christmas Eve. I mean they even have Santa at the party giving out donated toys to the children of the soldiers and we all know how busy Santa would already be on Christmas Eve. There is a scene where the leads go ice skating in a completely decorated rink and this often where you have to question things because how and when did the lead make that happen. Well don't worry in this movie Matt comments about recruiting the hockey mom's (he's volunteering to help coach while in town) to do the decorating. Nice save by the goalie on that one. Hallmark has done a number of military-based plots in their movies and the setup of pen pals makes this feel non- creepy as compared to some of their prior plots (I'm glaring at you, The Christmas Card. Just because you got an invitation to visit doesn't mean being basically a stalker is any less creepy!). I like that you see Matt working through his feelings for Audrey and also trying to see where he belongs. There are some scenes with his friend and former Army colleague, Tom, where you get to see him working through his decisions so the ending isn't out of the blue or rash. There are a few extra surprises in the last few minutes and the movie ends with a kiss. Seems pretty perfectly Hallmark.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Melissa Claire Egan is making her Hallmark premiere in this movie but has been working in television for years, including 7 years on The Young and the Restless. I hope that she continues to find time for these projects because she seemed to have great chemistry with her co-star and brought a realism to her performance. Marc Blucas was previously in Operation Christmas (2016) with Tricia Helfer, in which he is also playing a military role. Marc seems to get type cast a bit in military type roles but he's also appeared in a few other Hallmark movies and looks completely at home in those too.
I wonder if Hallmark knew that there were some "lesser" films on their roster and front-loaded the schedule with some of the B team movies. I guess only time will tell and I know that the quality is very subjective but my fingers are crossed.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Matt is in the Army and stationed in Afghanistan and receives part of a holiday care package received by Devin, who is under his command. Matt begins a letter writing pen pal relationship with the package sender, Audrey, who is Devin's sister. After about of year of corresponding, Matt gets sent stateside for his final month of his contract which happens to correspond nicely with the lead up to Christmas and the New Year. He will be working and living in the same town as Audrey. He shares all of this with her in a letter which of course gets lost in the mail. So he unknowingly surprises her at the coffee shop she co-owns in the small town of Branford, Connecticut. He helps Audrey enjoy the holiday season even though her brother and the rest of the solders from the nearby base aren't able to make it home for the holidays. When things go awry, together they, along with a very supportive community, work to continue the tradition of celebrating the heroes at home and abroad with the Holiday for Heroes party. The nugget of wisdom I took away from the movie was provided by Jade (co-owner of the cafe), "You can't live in the what-ifs, live in the what-haves." Seems like a message that we can all take to heart and embrace no matter what the season or what the reason.
Meet Cute Moment: There is something to be said for the awkwardness of finally meeting someone you know so completely. Now add to that the element of surprise when the person who should be half way around the world is in your coffee shop asking for a latte. While not really a traditional meet cute moment, I think that it still qualifies and actually seems pretty relatable to many of us.
Notable Knitwear Alert: Carlos is wearing a red Christmas sweater that has a fair isle pattern with reindeer on his chest in the scene in his restaurant. Festive knitwear is always a winning combination. No ugly sweater here.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: My husband remarked that the main cast and the extras looked like real people, not just a bunch of super pretty faces. I also noticed that there was actually some diversity in the cast which only added to the more realistic feel of the community. Kudos to Hallmark, keep doing it and push to do it with more of your movies! Let's start by saying, I am loving this town. I mean they seriously know how to do up the holidays right - tree lighting, smores making, caroling, carriage rides, eggnog competition and ending with a party. Even better, they know how to spread out the festivities over a few weeks. You're never really told when the Holiday for Heroes party was scheduled but I feel like this community knows the value of family and this wouldn't have been happening on Christmas Eve. I mean they even have Santa at the party giving out donated toys to the children of the soldiers and we all know how busy Santa would already be on Christmas Eve. There is a scene where the leads go ice skating in a completely decorated rink and this often where you have to question things because how and when did the lead make that happen. Well don't worry in this movie Matt comments about recruiting the hockey mom's (he's volunteering to help coach while in town) to do the decorating. Nice save by the goalie on that one. Hallmark has done a number of military-based plots in their movies and the setup of pen pals makes this feel non- creepy as compared to some of their prior plots (I'm glaring at you, The Christmas Card. Just because you got an invitation to visit doesn't mean being basically a stalker is any less creepy!). I like that you see Matt working through his feelings for Audrey and also trying to see where he belongs. There are some scenes with his friend and former Army colleague, Tom, where you get to see him working through his decisions so the ending isn't out of the blue or rash. There are a few extra surprises in the last few minutes and the movie ends with a kiss. Seems pretty perfectly Hallmark.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Melissa Claire Egan is making her Hallmark premiere in this movie but has been working in television for years, including 7 years on The Young and the Restless. I hope that she continues to find time for these projects because she seemed to have great chemistry with her co-star and brought a realism to her performance. Marc Blucas was previously in Operation Christmas (2016) with Tricia Helfer, in which he is also playing a military role. Marc seems to get type cast a bit in military type roles but he's also appeared in a few other Hallmark movies and looks completely at home in those too.
I wonder if Hallmark knew that there were some "lesser" films on their roster and front-loaded the schedule with some of the B team movies. I guess only time will tell and I know that the quality is very subjective but my fingers are crossed.
Monday, November 11, 2019
A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas - Premiere #7
A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas premiered on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' Miracles of Christmas on November 7th and stars Rachael Leigh Cook (Willow) and Benjamin Ayres (David).
RATING (out of 5): 🎄
General Movie Details: Willow is returning to her hometown from NYC to help her sister finalize plans for her wedding in a month (2 days before Christmas). Turns out that the venue for the wedding needs to change and Willow knows the perfect place to host the wedding, the inn her family used to own. Now she just needs to convince the current owner, David, who is trying to sell the inn to let her transform the Eagle Ridge Inn back to the magical Christmas place she remembers in time for the wedding.
Meet Cute Moment: They meet in the barn at the inn. It turns out that David is the best friend (and best man) to the fiance of Willow's sister Juni. Unfortunately there really was nothing cute about this meeting.
Giant Nutcracker Sighting: There were two giant Nutcrackers outside the coffee shop in town which we see several times in passing. The coffee shop gets several mentions throughout the movie but we never really get to see the shop but if the giant Nutcrackers are any indication the Christmas force is strong with them. The diner that Willow's mom owns will need to keep up the Christmas spirit to continue to compete. The diner does have Christmas games so that is something but it seems like this Christmas decorating competitiveness is one-sided and the plot line is minimally developed. Another fun spotting is the life-size statue of a king in one of the shop windows they pass by several times while walking in town. I am calling him Henry VIII but I know that's not correct. Either way, he does stand out and looks a bit out of place.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: Sorry about this but there is going to be a lot. The title is A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas... This is a complete misnomer, there is no indication that they are in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There isn't even one of the cute "Entering Town of XXX" signs, my spouse and I were looking. Maybe I also take issue because I've been in the Blue Ridge Mountain area and know the stunning landscapes that can be seen. There was not even a wide angle mountain shot. There was a wide angle driving on a snowing road shot in the beginning but the movie was devoid of mountainous vista shots or any winding roads as they travel along. There are a few scenes in town but you don't get a lot of the small town feels you get with other movies. There is no real sense of place. The movie would have been more aptly named Christmas (Wedding) at Eagle Ridge Inn because that's what the movie was really about. So in the beginning of the movie we see Willow in NY at what appears to be an office party and we learn that she might be transferred to another office and that the company she works for is in the hotel/hospitality business. She later says that she's an assistant manager in a hotel but then she puts together a proposal for her company to invest in the inn and that she would be on-site to run it. I'm confused because an assistant manager would not be in a position to put together a proposal for investors and have it taken seriously in the very short time frame she has. Willow what exactly is your job, do you even know? You appear to work in an office and not in the hotel so I am guessing that maybe you started as an assistant manager and have worked your way up. Finally, Willow tells David that her family will pay for everything they do to the inn to decorate for the wedding and Christmas. I am curious just how much they were willing to spend on the wedding because there are a lot of purchases, rentals and some cleanup and construction. I wonder if Willow even had a budget for the project that she was trying to follow. She rents a horse drawn carriage that is going to take her sister Juni down the drive for the wedding and it gives inn visitors rides for two weeks before the big day. Based on the enormity of her mom's house, she made a lot of money with the sale of the inn, her husband had a very large life insurance policy or her diner is the only restaurant in town. By the way, is it just Willow's mom and her sister Juni living in the huge contemporary colonial? Seems like a lot of extra space and a mismatch in style from the homeyness of the inn, her small town style dinner and the few images we see of the town.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Rachael Leigh Cook was previously in Hallmark's Vineyard series (Autumn, Summer and Valentine... In The Vineyard ) with Brendan Penny. Benjamin Ayres was previously in The Chronicle Mysteries series with Alison Sweeney.
Let me know if you felt any Christmas magic with this one because it left me cold.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄
General Movie Details: Willow is returning to her hometown from NYC to help her sister finalize plans for her wedding in a month (2 days before Christmas). Turns out that the venue for the wedding needs to change and Willow knows the perfect place to host the wedding, the inn her family used to own. Now she just needs to convince the current owner, David, who is trying to sell the inn to let her transform the Eagle Ridge Inn back to the magical Christmas place she remembers in time for the wedding.
Meet Cute Moment: They meet in the barn at the inn. It turns out that David is the best friend (and best man) to the fiance of Willow's sister Juni. Unfortunately there really was nothing cute about this meeting.
Giant Nutcracker Sighting: There were two giant Nutcrackers outside the coffee shop in town which we see several times in passing. The coffee shop gets several mentions throughout the movie but we never really get to see the shop but if the giant Nutcrackers are any indication the Christmas force is strong with them. The diner that Willow's mom owns will need to keep up the Christmas spirit to continue to compete. The diner does have Christmas games so that is something but it seems like this Christmas decorating competitiveness is one-sided and the plot line is minimally developed. Another fun spotting is the life-size statue of a king in one of the shop windows they pass by several times while walking in town. I am calling him Henry VIII but I know that's not correct. Either way, he does stand out and looks a bit out of place.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: Sorry about this but there is going to be a lot. The title is A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas... This is a complete misnomer, there is no indication that they are in the Blue Ridge Mountains. There isn't even one of the cute "Entering Town of XXX" signs, my spouse and I were looking. Maybe I also take issue because I've been in the Blue Ridge Mountain area and know the stunning landscapes that can be seen. There was not even a wide angle mountain shot. There was a wide angle driving on a snowing road shot in the beginning but the movie was devoid of mountainous vista shots or any winding roads as they travel along. There are a few scenes in town but you don't get a lot of the small town feels you get with other movies. There is no real sense of place. The movie would have been more aptly named Christmas (Wedding) at Eagle Ridge Inn because that's what the movie was really about. So in the beginning of the movie we see Willow in NY at what appears to be an office party and we learn that she might be transferred to another office and that the company she works for is in the hotel/hospitality business. She later says that she's an assistant manager in a hotel but then she puts together a proposal for her company to invest in the inn and that she would be on-site to run it. I'm confused because an assistant manager would not be in a position to put together a proposal for investors and have it taken seriously in the very short time frame she has. Willow what exactly is your job, do you even know? You appear to work in an office and not in the hotel so I am guessing that maybe you started as an assistant manager and have worked your way up. Finally, Willow tells David that her family will pay for everything they do to the inn to decorate for the wedding and Christmas. I am curious just how much they were willing to spend on the wedding because there are a lot of purchases, rentals and some cleanup and construction. I wonder if Willow even had a budget for the project that she was trying to follow. She rents a horse drawn carriage that is going to take her sister Juni down the drive for the wedding and it gives inn visitors rides for two weeks before the big day. Based on the enormity of her mom's house, she made a lot of money with the sale of the inn, her husband had a very large life insurance policy or her diner is the only restaurant in town. By the way, is it just Willow's mom and her sister Juni living in the huge contemporary colonial? Seems like a lot of extra space and a mismatch in style from the homeyness of the inn, her small town style dinner and the few images we see of the town.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Rachael Leigh Cook was previously in Hallmark's Vineyard series (Autumn, Summer and Valentine... In The Vineyard ) with Brendan Penny. Benjamin Ayres was previously in The Chronicle Mysteries series with Alison Sweeney.
Let me know if you felt any Christmas magic with this one because it left me cold.
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Christmas Scavenger Hunt - Premiere #6
Christmas Scavenger Hunt premiered on Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas on November 3rd and stars Kim Shaw (Belinda) and Kevin McGarry (Dustin). Tom Arnold appears in a supporting role as Belinda's dad.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄
General Movie Details: Belinda (aka Linda and Bel) is a big city career girl with a real estate development company. She is up for a promotion if she can secure a property in her hometown for a her client. She is going home for Christmas (and a wedding apparently) for the first time in years. Dustin is small town boy who never left home even when they were supposed to go to the big city together for college. As luck would have it, Dustin runs the textile mill museum that Belinda is tasked with purchasing. We find out that the mill is in need of restoration and financial backing which means it will need a Christmas miracle to avoid being sold. Thanks to Belinda's meddling dad, she is paired up with Dustin for the town's annual Christmas scavenger hunt.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: I was completely prepared to fall head over heels for this movie and in a way I did... flat on my face. The script was terrible. I love the idea of scavenger hunt and Christmas themed is a bonus. However, there appears to be no rush to complete the 10 tasks and the winner is decided based on a karaoke competition at the party that evening. Even though Dustin is the reigning champ from the last few years, I don't see any level of hustle. I know that they supposed have until midnight but really why procrastinate. Besides since the hunt ends with karaoke and a party, I'd imagine the hunt really ends by 9pm or so. I am so disappointed at the unrealized potential here that could be enjoyed with some relatively easy and small tweaks to the story. Additionally, why is it that the Christmas miracle always comes through in the end. In this case it's all thanks to Belinda's giving nature during the hunt. I kind of would have liked it if the Christmas miracle were that they were able to come to a compromise with the future developer to save the mill building. I am guessing that the mill building would have been on the National Register of Historic Places or at least the state/town register and as such probably wouldn't have been able to be easily torn down anyway. Besides, this is a more believable outcome in my mind. Finally, I never really got the feeling that there was real chemistry between the main characters. Don't get me wrong there was plenty of familiarity but I didn't get the feeling of real passion. Belinda's breakup with her boyfriend and admission that Dustin was always the one within a few days seemed comical and entirely unrealistic to me.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Kim Shaw appears to be making her Hallmark debut with this film. She has appeared in a number of series and movies on TV but nothing that I've watched. I hope that her next Hallmark film has a better script and she has a better chemistry with her next co-star. Kevin McGarry was previously in Winter Love Story (2019) with Jen Lilley. He also is the "new" Mountie on When Calls the Heart (2019 - he gets a better offer?) with well everyone Hallmark! Interestingly in looking at their IMDB pages it appears that Kevin had a role in one episode of Kim Shaw's TV show, Saving Hope, in 2017.
You'll have to let me know if I'm being too harsh just because the movie didn't live up to my expectations based the potential I saw in the concept.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄
General Movie Details: Belinda (aka Linda and Bel) is a big city career girl with a real estate development company. She is up for a promotion if she can secure a property in her hometown for a her client. She is going home for Christmas (and a wedding apparently) for the first time in years. Dustin is small town boy who never left home even when they were supposed to go to the big city together for college. As luck would have it, Dustin runs the textile mill museum that Belinda is tasked with purchasing. We find out that the mill is in need of restoration and financial backing which means it will need a Christmas miracle to avoid being sold. Thanks to Belinda's meddling dad, she is paired up with Dustin for the town's annual Christmas scavenger hunt.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: I was completely prepared to fall head over heels for this movie and in a way I did... flat on my face. The script was terrible. I love the idea of scavenger hunt and Christmas themed is a bonus. However, there appears to be no rush to complete the 10 tasks and the winner is decided based on a karaoke competition at the party that evening. Even though Dustin is the reigning champ from the last few years, I don't see any level of hustle. I know that they supposed have until midnight but really why procrastinate. Besides since the hunt ends with karaoke and a party, I'd imagine the hunt really ends by 9pm or so. I am so disappointed at the unrealized potential here that could be enjoyed with some relatively easy and small tweaks to the story. Additionally, why is it that the Christmas miracle always comes through in the end. In this case it's all thanks to Belinda's giving nature during the hunt. I kind of would have liked it if the Christmas miracle were that they were able to come to a compromise with the future developer to save the mill building. I am guessing that the mill building would have been on the National Register of Historic Places or at least the state/town register and as such probably wouldn't have been able to be easily torn down anyway. Besides, this is a more believable outcome in my mind. Finally, I never really got the feeling that there was real chemistry between the main characters. Don't get me wrong there was plenty of familiarity but I didn't get the feeling of real passion. Belinda's breakup with her boyfriend and admission that Dustin was always the one within a few days seemed comical and entirely unrealistic to me.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Kim Shaw appears to be making her Hallmark debut with this film. She has appeared in a number of series and movies on TV but nothing that I've watched. I hope that her next Hallmark film has a better script and she has a better chemistry with her next co-star. Kevin McGarry was previously in Winter Love Story (2019) with Jen Lilley. He also is the "new" Mountie on When Calls the Heart (2019 - he gets a better offer?) with well everyone Hallmark! Interestingly in looking at their IMDB pages it appears that Kevin had a role in one episode of Kim Shaw's TV show, Saving Hope, in 2017.
You'll have to let me know if I'm being too harsh just because the movie didn't live up to my expectations based the potential I saw in the concept.
Monday, November 4, 2019
Merry & Bright - Premiere #5
Merry & Bright premiered on Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas on November 2nd and stars Jodie Sweetin (Cate) and Andrew Walker (Gabe). Sharon Lawrence appears in a supporting role as Cate's Mom.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🎄 + 1/2 tree... poor planning by me and hopefully I can figure out how to show a 1/2 tree but this is what I've got for now... It's early in the season and while I liked the movie, I don't think that it's a 4 star movie for me.
General Movie Details: The Board of Directors of the Merry & Bright Candy Cane Company have concerns for the future of the company and their new CEO (Cate) so they employ a corporate consultant (Gabe) to review and make recommendations for the future of the small candy maker. Initially, Gabe doesn't want to be there and Cate doesn't want him there either. However, over the course of working together (2 weeks... saving personal commentary for below) they realize they might not be as different as they thought and they can work together to make Merry & Bright successful again. The general theme is to hold on to who you are and your legacy but be willing to take a chance.
Meet Cute Moment: When Gabe recognizes Cate at the hotel and tries to introduce himself after arriving in town, she instantly assumes that he is the blind date her mom set her up on. She, of course, explains to him that she isn't going on a date with him only to realize who he really is and to be completely embarrassed.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: So I loved the homage to Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice when Cate overhears Gabe on the phone putting down the town, the company, the situation and Cate. I also loved that Gabe commented that with 2 weeks to Christmas that a candy cane company would be winding down. Yes, Gabe, in the real world you are absolutely correct but this serves as a reminder that time works differently in a Hallmark movie. Issue number one is with the makeup artist on the film because Jodie Sweetin's (and the actress playing her assistant to a lesser degree) fake eyelashes are just too long. I have no problem with enhancing the actresses natural lashes but this is just plain distracting. There are a few shots with her in partial profile and it looks unnatural and unnecessary to be done up to that degree. Moving on... I find it problematic that we are supposed to believe that the Merry & Bright Board of Directors is concerned enough about the future of the company to hire a consultant but then these characters are not in the film and are never referenced again. The Board does not even need to be briefed about a possible new product line or taking on another large investor. Something seems not right for an apparently engaged and concerned BOD to be completely absent from the the presentation of the findings and in the decision making process. To balance out this rant, I have to applaud the writers for their appropriate use of the flash forward in time (one year) so that we can see the happily ever after moment craved in the genre and it isn't completely unbelievable or worse creepy. Honestly, I am ok without the neat bow in the last seconds of the movie but I know that I am probably in the minority on this account. If you have to wrap it up with a bow, a well done flash forward is my personal preference. In case you are looking for a Christmas Eve event, Britewell, Ohio also has a Christmas Eve Jubilee for the town. Yep, everyone's doing it. I guess I should just embrace it already.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Jodie Sweetin also appeared in Entertaining Christmas (2018) with Brendan Fehr. Andrew Walker is a Hallmark fixture who also appeared in Debbie Macomber's Dashing Through The Snow (2015) with Meghan Ory. Did you know that apparently Andrew Walker has been two timing Hallmark with Lifetime the past few years around this season? I had no idea until I was checking out his IMDB page. Keep your eyes peeled because it appears he is not the only Hallmark stalwart who is involved with more than one network these days.
Hallmark, I'm Looking At You: It's nice when you can learn something completely useless from a movie. December 26th is National Candy Cane Day. Share this random fun and true fact with someone you love. When you are either shopping for deals or trying to return the failed Christmas gifts be sure to have one handy to celebrate and just get through the day.
Let me know your thoughts about fake eyelashes, flash forward endings and flavored candy canes.
General Movie Details: The Board of Directors of the Merry & Bright Candy Cane Company have concerns for the future of the company and their new CEO (Cate) so they employ a corporate consultant (Gabe) to review and make recommendations for the future of the small candy maker. Initially, Gabe doesn't want to be there and Cate doesn't want him there either. However, over the course of working together (2 weeks... saving personal commentary for below) they realize they might not be as different as they thought and they can work together to make Merry & Bright successful again. The general theme is to hold on to who you are and your legacy but be willing to take a chance.
Meet Cute Moment: When Gabe recognizes Cate at the hotel and tries to introduce himself after arriving in town, she instantly assumes that he is the blind date her mom set her up on. She, of course, explains to him that she isn't going on a date with him only to realize who he really is and to be completely embarrassed.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: So I loved the homage to Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice when Cate overhears Gabe on the phone putting down the town, the company, the situation and Cate. I also loved that Gabe commented that with 2 weeks to Christmas that a candy cane company would be winding down. Yes, Gabe, in the real world you are absolutely correct but this serves as a reminder that time works differently in a Hallmark movie. Issue number one is with the makeup artist on the film because Jodie Sweetin's (and the actress playing her assistant to a lesser degree) fake eyelashes are just too long. I have no problem with enhancing the actresses natural lashes but this is just plain distracting. There are a few shots with her in partial profile and it looks unnatural and unnecessary to be done up to that degree. Moving on... I find it problematic that we are supposed to believe that the Merry & Bright Board of Directors is concerned enough about the future of the company to hire a consultant but then these characters are not in the film and are never referenced again. The Board does not even need to be briefed about a possible new product line or taking on another large investor. Something seems not right for an apparently engaged and concerned BOD to be completely absent from the the presentation of the findings and in the decision making process. To balance out this rant, I have to applaud the writers for their appropriate use of the flash forward in time (one year) so that we can see the happily ever after moment craved in the genre and it isn't completely unbelievable or worse creepy. Honestly, I am ok without the neat bow in the last seconds of the movie but I know that I am probably in the minority on this account. If you have to wrap it up with a bow, a well done flash forward is my personal preference. In case you are looking for a Christmas Eve event, Britewell, Ohio also has a Christmas Eve Jubilee for the town. Yep, everyone's doing it. I guess I should just embrace it already.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Jodie Sweetin also appeared in Entertaining Christmas (2018) with Brendan Fehr. Andrew Walker is a Hallmark fixture who also appeared in Debbie Macomber's Dashing Through The Snow (2015) with Meghan Ory. Did you know that apparently Andrew Walker has been two timing Hallmark with Lifetime the past few years around this season? I had no idea until I was checking out his IMDB page. Keep your eyes peeled because it appears he is not the only Hallmark stalwart who is involved with more than one network these days.
Hallmark, I'm Looking At You: It's nice when you can learn something completely useless from a movie. December 26th is National Candy Cane Day. Share this random fun and true fact with someone you love. When you are either shopping for deals or trying to return the failed Christmas gifts be sure to have one handy to celebrate and just get through the day.
Let me know your thoughts about fake eyelashes, flash forward endings and flavored candy canes.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Two Turtle Doves - Premiere #4
Two Turtle Doves premiered on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries' Miracles of Christmas on November 1st and stars Nikki DeLoach and Michael Rady.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Single successful scientist (Dr. Sharon Hayes) returns home to her hometown to celebrate her first Christmas since the passing of the grandmother who raised her. While in town, she has to wrap up the details of her grandmother's estate with her lawyer (Sam) who happens to be a widowed (attractive) father and her next door neighbor. Her grandmother stipulated that before making any decisions about the house Sharon needs to complete 12 of their family traditions like the 12 days of Christmas heirloom ornaments. However, when the ornaments are located, the two turtle doves ornament which was always hers and was thought to bring love is missing. The hunt for the missing ornament helps both Sharon and Sam to begin to see the possibilities of what's to come and to make space for it.
Meet Cute Moment: Sharon stops into the Holly and Ivy bakery in town to pick up some cookies and Sam notices her and saves her from a group of ladies who recognize her as Vera's granddaughter and are trying to play matchmaker with their sons.
Christmas Decoration Alert: Over the years, my spouse and I have noticed that the Hallmark set decorators love some giant Nutcrackers. I too love a giant Nutcracker, although mine are only about 3' tall compared to their 6-8' at minimum statues. There was at least three giant Nutcrackers spotted at different locations in the movie. I am guessing that I probably missed a few so keep your eyes peeled.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: So the center of the film is about a set of handmade ceramic ornaments depicting the 12 days of Christmas. These were apparently passed down through the generations as they were made by Sharon's 7x great grandfather. I am all about antiques and old stuff but these ornaments do not look like ones that would be over 100 years old. They look way too contemporary in their form and colors. Also, who goes out to dinner and ice skating wearing a suit and pantsuit? I mean even for a first date this seems like a mismatch but apparently they must have discussed it beforehand because they are both improperly dressed for the evening activity.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Nikki DeLoach was previously in Christmas Land (2015) with Luke Macfarlane. Michael Rady was previously in Christmas at Pemberley Manor (2018) with Jessica Lowdes. He also was in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies for a non-Hallmark connection.
Hallmark, I'm looking at you: While writing this post, I wanted some seasonal music in the background and I noticed that Hallmark had a Yule Log recording available... so I started streaming it only to be immediately confused, the Christmas music was playing and the yule log was lit in the background... however, in the foreground was a room completely decorated for fall!!! I am so confused, this does not compute.
Let me know how many giant Nutcrackers you caught and if the autumn yule log is as problematic for you as it is for me.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Single successful scientist (Dr. Sharon Hayes) returns home to her hometown to celebrate her first Christmas since the passing of the grandmother who raised her. While in town, she has to wrap up the details of her grandmother's estate with her lawyer (Sam) who happens to be a widowed (attractive) father and her next door neighbor. Her grandmother stipulated that before making any decisions about the house Sharon needs to complete 12 of their family traditions like the 12 days of Christmas heirloom ornaments. However, when the ornaments are located, the two turtle doves ornament which was always hers and was thought to bring love is missing. The hunt for the missing ornament helps both Sharon and Sam to begin to see the possibilities of what's to come and to make space for it.
Meet Cute Moment: Sharon stops into the Holly and Ivy bakery in town to pick up some cookies and Sam notices her and saves her from a group of ladies who recognize her as Vera's granddaughter and are trying to play matchmaker with their sons.
Christmas Decoration Alert: Over the years, my spouse and I have noticed that the Hallmark set decorators love some giant Nutcrackers. I too love a giant Nutcracker, although mine are only about 3' tall compared to their 6-8' at minimum statues. There was at least three giant Nutcrackers spotted at different locations in the movie. I am guessing that I probably missed a few so keep your eyes peeled.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: So the center of the film is about a set of handmade ceramic ornaments depicting the 12 days of Christmas. These were apparently passed down through the generations as they were made by Sharon's 7x great grandfather. I am all about antiques and old stuff but these ornaments do not look like ones that would be over 100 years old. They look way too contemporary in their form and colors. Also, who goes out to dinner and ice skating wearing a suit and pantsuit? I mean even for a first date this seems like a mismatch but apparently they must have discussed it beforehand because they are both improperly dressed for the evening activity.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Nikki DeLoach was previously in Christmas Land (2015) with Luke Macfarlane. Michael Rady was previously in Christmas at Pemberley Manor (2018) with Jessica Lowdes. He also was in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies for a non-Hallmark connection.
Hallmark, I'm looking at you: While writing this post, I wanted some seasonal music in the background and I noticed that Hallmark had a Yule Log recording available... so I started streaming it only to be immediately confused, the Christmas music was playing and the yule log was lit in the background... however, in the foreground was a room completely decorated for fall!!! I am so confused, this does not compute.
Let me know how many giant Nutcrackers you caught and if the autumn yule log is as problematic for you as it is for me.
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