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Reviews
Fall Into Winter (2023)
Just bad
Let's start with the title--what does that even mean? Okay, I was never a LL fan, but curious, so I watched this and was mad at myself for days for wasting time on this. LL is terrible (I don't think she really was a good actress to begin with). She is stiff, stony, no sense of humor and has never left her town. She's 58 years old in real life, so I am assuming she's the same age in the movie and she's been in this town her entire life? JT is bland as bland can be and not believable as a brilliant investor. If he was, he wouldn't have invested in this candy shop. All LL's character talked about was how busy they were with Winterfest, and at this Winterfest, there was hardly anyone there. And someone pushing 60 shouldn't be reliving her high school days. Sadly it was just ridiculous and boring, and the end was as well.
A Christmas... Present (2022)
Really wanted to love this one
I do not get the GAC Family Network as I refuse to pay any more $$ for additional TV channels, and I'm glad I kept my $$. I was able to watch this on youtube and was so excited to see it as I had only heard it was an absolutely wonderful and faith-filled movie. In my opinion, it was not. Let's start with CCB's character--a total control freak who got mad at her busy attorney husband and teenage children because they did not want to participate in her crazy calendar of Christmas activities. If the kids were under the age of 13, sure, but not at this stage of their lives. Then, she's not even in touch with her brother who just lost his wife? Then, she somehow corrals her family into spending 10 days, unannounced, at her brother's house? It was all too much, and I felt the faith part was very forced. God bless Marc Blucas (the reason for the three stars) for staring in his because he's wasted. There was no chemistry between him and CCB, and no chemistry with CCB and the actors who portrayed her kids. The brother character, in my opinion, was taking the loss of his wife a little to well (baking cookies, and the house is decorated to the hilt). I think it got such positive reviews because of it's "faith" but that doesn't come to the end, and it's very awkward. Hopefully, the content of GAC will improve, but I watched a couple of others and they were duds. Sorry CCB and GAC!
North to Home (2022)
Finally
It's been a while since HM offered a high-quality drama, and North to Home is it. It's excellently cast, with the exception of one character (the guest house guest). Great chemistry between all the actresses who portrayed the sisters--they make you truly believe they are sisters--and Barbara Niven as their adoptive mother. Original backstory about the tragedy that brought this family together and the acting was top notch. I can actually see this as a series--are you listening HM? Highly recommend. Oh, the actor who portrayed the youngest sister's love interest--he wasn't convincing in his part, especially with his backstory, and could have been portrayed much better by any of HM's stable of supporting cast actors.
The Wedding Veil (2022)
I really wanted to love it....
How can HM miss with a series with their three most popular actresses? Well, they did in this first installment. Lacey Chabert can act--she was wonderful in The Color of Rain, but after that, all of her roles are pretty much the same, and she thinks that doe-eyed look will give her a pass. Maybe for someone in their 20s, but she's clearly approaching mid-life and it does not fly (with me at least). The scenes with all three actress were the best part. The worst part was Kevin McGarry's most horrible Boston accent I have ever heard--I'm a Bostonian and I have an accent and it sounds nothing like his. Unless you are Mark Walhberg or Ben Affleck, please do not attempt a Boston accent. His mother did not have one, nor did Avery. A reviewer mentioned the horrible wedding vows, which I agreed with, the fact that they married after only 8 months, and as it clearly took place in Boston in the spring/summer, 8 months later when they married, it was still spring/summer. They should have waited 4 more months for a year, and then it would have been believable. I have a feeling the other installments will be better, as I think Autumn and Allison are stronger actresses. We shall see.
The Winter Palace (2022)
Good for a Winter Sunday
I found this on Prime as I do not have GAC, and I must admit I do like Danica, although she portrays the same type of characters in all her HM and now GAC movies. That said, it was enjoyable, beautiful scenery and good supporting cast. Neal Bledsoe was convincing as a "British?" prince, and he and Danica did have chemistry, but I was disappointed in the dialogue between them with her trying to persuade him not to pursue the life of a royal, which he eventually did. She should have been more supportive and explained to him how he could have it both ways, but in my humble opinion, his abdicating was very unmasculine. But overall, I did enjoy it. No wokeness either.
My Christmas Family Tree (2021)
Almost Perfect
I watched this on New Year's day as the weather was horrible where I live and I was putting my Christmas decorations away. That said, this one grabbed me as it was on the more unusual side of HM featuring an illegitimate birth. The premise was excellent, but there are a few flaws: The DNA testing company, as mentioned by numerous reviewers, a long-buried photo, and I feel the reactions of family members. The wife was extraordinarily accepting. I'm not sure how I would feel if a young woman appeared on my doorstep claiming to be my husband's daughter, but it didn't seem to bother the wife. I would also think that the father's reaction would have been, "OMG, you look just like your mother!" but he had to search through old boxes to find a photograph he kept of her, which I also found strange since he seemed to have created a very happy family life with his wife. The dubbing of the little girl's voice while singing Away in a Manger was absolutely horrible. This actress, I'm sure, could have sung it herself. Supporting cast was okay, but I felt that Andrew Walker was wasted in this one. He's a major HM fan favorite, and his role was more supporting than main. Happy 2022 everyone!
Open by Christmas (2021)
Open what by Christmas
If it's the card the title is referring to, it was opened by Christmas. I felt that the subplot was the true plot--that of the best friend and her fiance, son and Christmas surprise, and what was supposed to be the main plot, secondary. I felt that Brennan Elliot was hardly in it, and he and Allison Sweeney did lack chemistry. It seems like HM is throwing actors together without testing their chemistry. I'm not sure how they decide casting, but they need to rethink this. That said, not exciting or interesting who wrote the mystery Christmas card. BE played a similar role in A Christmas Melody a few years back--a quiet type whose high school crush as no recollection of him at all in adulthood. I think he's pretty unforgettable and deserves better roles. Watch him in Cedar Cove and you'll see what I mean.
Christmas Sail (2021)
Christmas Snail
I haven't tuned in to many HM movies this Christmas season because the quality has tremendously dropped, especially with originality and lack of casting chemistry. That said, I was flipping around and decided to give HM another try and came upon Christmas Sail. I thought this might be the exception, but I was wrong, at least for me. There was absolutely no chemistry between the leads, and I felt as if they were sleepwalking through their scenes. As someone else mentioned, their kiss on the dance floor was unwatchable--it was as if she didn't want to kiss him at all. The little girl was, of course, in HM fashion, adorable, but I am also getting tired of all these obviously well-to-do people living in these gorgeous houses, and their "problems." There's a gem from a few years ago, The Christmas Secret, which really showcases the needs of a single mom and her own Christmas miracle. The boat parade was very pretty, but why do all the leads have to win? Nothing is wrong with 2nd or 3rd place, and that can teach even more of a lesson. And the photos on the sail were pathetic. Sorry, HM, you've lost me.
Merry & Bright (2019)
Not Very Sweet(in)
Andrew Walker is a long-time fave of mine; however, interestingly, in my opinion, his last two very good moves were Lifetime productions (Snowed Inn Christmas and A Christmas in Tennessee). Maybe if there was a different leading lady cast other than Jody Sweetin, it could have been better, but this one was hard to watch. Andrew played his charming self and he's hard not to like (or look at); however, Ms. Sweetin just cannot carry a lead, and I'm wondering if she's getting these roles because of her Full House sis, HM Queen of Christmas, CCB. The storyline was on the lame side, and the talented Sharon Lawrence was a waste. SHE should have been the lead. The subplot with the co-worker/friend was awful because whoever the actress was, was just horrible as well, and her love interest was a goof and not in a good way. I also found the ending impossible, as Jody's character was just not a warm and caring person and I really don't think many men, especially of Andrew Walker's caliber, would be interested in her. HM--please do not waste the talents of AW or Sharon Lawrence again by pairing them with Jody Sweetin. As a matter of fact, don't cast Sweetin in any leads, as her acting (in)abilities just make a medicore movie really bad.
Over the Moon in Love (2019)
One of the bad ones
And very unfortunately for Hallmark Channel, there have been a lot lately. I think the worst part of this movie was the marketing. It was listed as a Fall Harvest movie and you can see from the movie poster it was doctored with some very pretty autumn leaves. However, the main shinding in this was a SUMMER soirée! I'm afraid HMC is taking its viewers for granted and feeling that they can just throw anything at us and we will watch.
This was pretty unwatchable for me from the beginning when Wes Brown was dressed as a high school dweeb and Jessica Lownes (who actually wrote this!) as his BFF. Wes Brown looked very uncomfortable in this and my only thought was that he was under contract and had to star in this dribble. The always wonderful Miranda Frigon was so miscast. She's a great actress and needs a lead instead of a secondary character. She should have been "Brooklyn" (a ridiculous name--Hallmark tries to be name trendy and it doesn't work, especially if an actor is over a certain age and a certain name is only popular with those who are teenagers). And as for Jessica Lownes, she has never been my favorite and in my opinion has no range or depth. She plays the same character all the time. Boring. The duet at the end was very contrived and it did not work here as it did with Wes and Kelly Pickler in the Graceland series.
Oh well. I think Hallmark is focusing on the 10th anniversary of Countdown to Christmas and to heck with anything else, which is sad, as Thanksgiving is totally forgotten about. I digress, but Over the Moon in Love was,for me, over the moon a dud.
Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe (2018)
Even Lacy Couldn't Save This
Wow. Hallmark seems to be on this corporate woman kick redeeming herself with a Christmas charity/function/party that is starting to get very tired. This was no Christmas story. It could have been about anything but insert Christmas trees and decorations and ta da the dribble becomes a Christmas movie.
Lacey C. Is the queen of Hallmark Christmas (sorry CCB), with her best being A Royal Christmas. I also think that Brendan Penney is great as well, but these two just did not have the chemistry at all. Gorgeous leads, but that's about it. We all know what's going to happen in a HM movie, but it's fun to see the characters get there, but if there's no story, it's sheer boredom. The HM kisses have become very chaste as well. There's no passion in them at all and they last, if we the viewers are lucky, 5 seconds?
Oh well. There's still another month to go. Maybe there are some real Christmas movies still left, but this one definitely was not one of them.
Christmas Joy (2018)
Small Town Dull
As I've said before I am a sucker for Hallmark movies, especially at Christmas. But this one was just plain silly. Where to start? I don't think I've seen this actress in other HM movies and if she doesn't make any more appearances, it's no loss. Her "acting" was very wooden and emotionless in her lines. She had silly facial expressions and for me was just not believable. I did like Matt Long and he deserved a far better lead actress. He was adorable, however, a little young to be a hospital administrator (I work in a hospital and none are that young :) ). Also, I had a couple of problems with the sets. Speaking of the hospital, the exterior looked more like a motor lodge. I couldn't understand the lay out of the aunt's house either. It seemed too huge for one person to live there never mind hosting the town cookie crawl with several large Christmas trees inside of the house. Also, HM needs to do better with their plotlines with the older woman falling down so the younger one can come help. This was done in Pumpkin Pie Wars and others, which if I thought hard enough I could name, but c'mon, HM. Young people trip and fall, too. I did like the end where the green star shone in the sky. That was a nice ode to one of the beloved characters.
So far, HM hasn't had a great start, but there's over 20 of them, some will be better than others. Right now, this one is on my naughty list.
The Beach House (2018)
Tybee Island Treat
I really did like this movie a lot, so much so that I read the book after watching the movie about three times. Andie McDowell is very well cast as Lovie who, I think, the book is truly about. I am not a Minka Kellly fan and in all honesty, I did not find her right for the part of Cara. I hadn't even read the book yet, and I just found something offputting about her--I believe she was miscast. She was very superficial--I didn't believe she was able to channel any depth for this important character. I thought Chad Michael Murray was outstanding as Brett as was Mackenzie Vega as Toy. But I think the actor who really portrayed his character well was Donny Boaz as Palmer. Well cast in my opinion with the exception of Minka Kelly. There were a couple of scenes that I did not think play out very well but all in all a very good Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. Plus, it's a little close to my heart as I was in Savannah in April when this movie premiered and what a beautiful area of the United States it is.
A Summer to Remember (2018)
10 Stars for Great Casting
Finally, a HM worth raving about, all due to the fantastic casting, especially with the leads Catherine Bell and Cameron Mathison. It is so nice to see mature actors in HM movies, but I think these two were exceptional. No acting like they were younger, as has been done before, the Jessica character was very believable as a physician as is many times with the younger HM actresses is not the case. The teenage daughter was adorable. While it was formulaic, I totally believed something like this could happen. Great all around cast and the Fijian scenery was beyond breathtaking. Well worth seeing even for a second time as I plan to do this summer evening.
Love on Safari (2018)
Gorgeous Scenery but That's It
I would have given the movie one star but felt it deserved two as it was shot in South Africa and the wildlife and the scenery are breathtaking. But anything redeeming about this movie stops right there. Lacey Chabert seems to be playing the same character over and over again on these Hallmark movies and she can do so much better (one of her standout HM is The Color of Rain--check it out), but lately she seems to be phoning it in and I guess I can't blame her as there are no acting challenges in her movies of late. The storyline is insipid--an old forgotten uncle leaves his only surviving relative--a niece he barely knows, his life's work of a wildlife refuge.
The Hallmark formula ensues--girl meets boy, girl has a boyfriend but falls in love with boy, confusion of feelings, girl leaves boyfriend and falls into the arms of boy. I think all Hallmark fans get the picture.
The dialog was awful. Lacey's character said "wow" at least a dozen times in the first hour and toward the end I felt like I was watching an old Rooney/Garland "let's put on a show" movies where the farm is saved (in this case a wildlife refuge) and all ends with a kiss.
I did like the lead actor John Cor. Never heard or saw him before but he does have HM potential. The second female banana played by Brittany Bristow was annoying. She had a silly smile plastered across her face most of the movie and then out of the blue tells the lead male actor he's in love with the Lacey Chabert character. All this after about three days in the wild.
As I have said in my other HM reviews, I really do love HM channel movies, but they are starting to get very long in the tooth and they truly need to mix it up somehow. This was pretty much the same story we've seen in their famous Countdown to Christmas, Valentine's, Spring and June weddings, just a with a few lions, giraffes, and rhinos thrown in.
Very, Very, Valentine (2018)
Very, Very Likeable
As a Hallmark fan, I'm very familiar with Danica McKellar and Cameron Mathison (whose best Hallmark role was in the Murder She Baked series, sadly no longer). This was a great pairing and I believed in their friendship from years ago that sustained until the present. However, as one reviewer noted, these leads are in the 40's and I did feel as if they each were trying (not too convincingly) to play their parts at least 10 to 15 years younger than they really are. While I think it worked for this film, it would have been even better if they portrayed their characters as their own true age and discovered love after decades of friendship. That would have been more believeable. I love Ms. McKellar in Hallmark, however, she needs to stop playing the wide-eyed innocent girl in her 20's. Although Ms. McKellar looks fantastic, we all know she is in her 40's and viewer her age would love to see her characters played to her true age. Not to mention she is a brilliant mathematician in real life and I think that alone has great potential for a future Hallmark movie. A very, very good movie that I actually did end up watching again because of its sweetness.
The Perfect Christmas Present (2017)
A Bit Strange....
The only redeeming thing I can think of with this movie is that a male is the lead character, not a female, so when I first saw this advertised, I was glad to see a different POV, hence my 2 rating instead of 1. However, within the first half hour I was just getting a creepy feeling about this one. First of all, I find it absurd that someone would hire a perfect stranger to buy a loved one a gift. Second, if this is feasible, I don't understand how anyone could make a living out of it, and third, I was feeling this character was more of a stalker than anything else. He followed the female character to her house and had a provocative photo of her on his wall with little post it notes about her likes and dislikes. I don't know. Maybe it was just me but I even watched it again, hoping I had an off night, but no, I felt he was a creepy stalker. I like Sam Page but felt there was no chemistry at all with the female lead. I've enjoyed all the new movies so far on both Hallmark channels, but this one, well, not so much.
All of My Heart: Inn Love (2017)
Not All of My Heart (this time)
All of My Heart is a Hallmark favorite for everyone and I'm no exception. I cannot count how many times I have seen it so needless to say, after two years when the news of the sequel broke, I was ecstatic--I was going to be a guest at Emily's Country Inn with Jenny and Brian as my hosts. However, when I got there, there were some very big changes . The most obvious one was the house. It was not the rambling green farm house with the pretty front porch. This was a small blue one that looked like, from the outside, it could barely fit a family of four. The next big change was the kitchen. It was so homey in the first movie and now it was "renovated," and lost a lot of its charm. Third was Gabby and her kids--they were different goats all together. Ed Asher was barely in it, and as much as I adore Brennen Elliot and his character Brian, I felt Mr. Elliot did too much ad libbing. Lacey was as charming as ever, however, she did get a big sulky, which was a bit of out character. The romance subplots were okay, but not believable, especially the blogger one. It was nice to see our old All of My Heart Friends, however, that's the risk you make with a sequel--the first one is so loved it's hard sometimes to continue on with the story. I think Jenny and Brian's story can continue, but Hallmark will need to get better writers and please, if that does happen, go back to the original farmhouse. That was truly the "heart" in All of My Heart.
Harvest Love (2017)
Far from "Pear" fect
Oh, Hallmark. As much as I love you, you are disappointing me. Again. I was excited to see Jen Lilly and Ryan Peavey "peared"(sorry!!) for this movie, as as they two very attractive leads (especially Ryan). However, attractiveness does not equal chemistry and there is none between "Luna" (maybe a reference to the ever present full moon?) and Will. The plot line of course is girl meets boy, they dislike each other, meet again and fall in love. Totally Hallmark formula, not to mention big career city girl (sometimes a widow, as in this one) with a child(red). You know the rest. Something things that bothered me:
The school-age son (who was adorable and very sweet) gets a fall break. Now, the majority of schools go back in the fall and there is no week-long break right after school starts. Luna is young enough to be barely out of residency, never mind all the fellowships that surgeons need to complete before being able to perform on their own. But Luna is up for a huge promotion, something that in the real world comes to those who are probably in their 40s and/or 50s; not someone just out of residency. She also performed 7 surgeries in one day--that's extreme--I work in a major medical center and that is highly unusual. Ms. Lilley's character smiled and giggled way too much as well.
Maybe I am being over critical with the above, but c'mon, Hallmark. Make an effort to be even the tiniest bit realistic. In all honesty, I watched the whole thing because I find Mr. Peavey very attractive and even watched most of it again on Sunday, hoping that I missed something redeemable the night before. Sadly I did not. I know we have to suspend reality while watching these movies; however, an added dose of reality will make these movies much more enjoyable and the implausible endings a bit more believable.
Falling for Vermont (2017)
Falling, but not for Vermont
I usually don't review movies, but I felt compelled to about this one. Now, I am a Hallmark addict--I will watch anything on Hallmark and pretty much love it. Needless to say after some lackluster Summer Nights flicks I was looking forward to my favorite Hallmark genre, Fall Harvest. Falling for Vermont is a direct rip off of one of the other Hallmark Channel's channel, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. It was a Christmas movie from last year entitled A Christmas to Remember and Hallmark Channel didn't even try to disguise the fact that they were stealing the plot line of the Christmas movie. In Falling for Vermont the lead characters are a famous writer and a small town doctor. A Christmas to Remember's leads were a famous TV host and a small town veterinarian. AND for each movie, the doctor-vet was a widow with small children (I think in the Christmas movie there were three kids as opposed to two in Falling for Vermont). AND both lead females got into car accidents on lonely country roads which caused amnesia. With the exception of the actors and scenery, I felt like I was watching the exact same movie. I am giving it five stars because I did enjoy the lead actors, but I think they did lack chemistry. The kids were cute and not obnoxious as they can sometimes be. Also, I was quite mystified by the fact that this author was extraordinarily famous--her books had just become a movie and she was making TV appearances --but not one person in this Vermont town recognized her although they were all reading her books!
I think Hallmark needs to start to elicit their movie plot lines from other sources (I'd be happy to help!!). I am looking forward to Countdown to Christmas (which starts a bit too early in my opinion--end of October--Thanksgiving is totally overlooked) but I already have concerns about one movie whose theme is ice sculpting because about two years ago Hallmark produced a Christmas movie entitled Ice Scuplture Christmas. We shall see.
Yes, Hallmark, as much as I love you, I did not Fall (ing) for Vermont. Hopefully next week's movie about a pear farm is not a xeroxed version of a prior film