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Reviews
Jolly Good Christmas (2022)
How did I miss this gem?!
I likely missed this film's release last year because of its sad title,"Jolly Good Christmas." Seriously, it should have been called:
"Happy Christmas David Burnside."
This film has elements of a longtime fave of mine, Neil Simons, "The Out-of-Towners," especially the pace. All the calamitous things that can befall and derail one person or a couple from a mission, takes place in just over a day or two. The twice random meet with one large stuffed bear, sets the trajectory and we settle in to see how big of a train wreck things become, before the leads admit to themselves, what we all can know will happen with these two. And while this is a Christmas film from Hallmark, I (mercifully) don't recall the words 'hot cocoa' said once.
Despite the enduring and sweet love displayed by Anji's parents for each other, it seemed impossible that Anji somehow doesn't see herself as a committed partner. But in true screwball comedy and less than 12 hours after meeting David, she becomes his willing advocate, sidekick and helper. Love this one Hallmark!
Christmas on Cherry Lane (2023)
You may need to watch this one twice
I didn't pay enough attention to the trailer that preceded this film's
release during the week. This is one Hallmark film where the ending doesn't matter as much as what happens in each of the three stories. This film has sweet and relatable stories, and as is the way with Hallmark, love still takes center stage. Note: If you're a bit drowsy or are overly distracted, perhaps wait till you're not to watch, otherwise you'll likely miss the smattering of clues to help you understand what's going on with each of the three stories. With a large stellar cast, this film is not your typical Hallmark movie. Love that Hallmark is working hard to ensure ensure representation in story lines as well in casting.
Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone (2021)
Among my top 5 from Hallmark
I grew to love Hallmark movies for the initial thing I first hated about them; they were so doggedly formulaic. Sometime during the pandemic, I stumbled upon them again and found while some are obsessively sappy and truly unbelievable at times, they were a small panacea for the times--a suspension from what was going on, on Earth 1. This RSB Stone, is the one-in-25 from the Hallmark stable, that pierces through to a new level wrt story-telling and acting; especially the two actors portraying Gemma and Benedict. Ella as Gemma is truly indelible in this role. I cannot believe the grousing about her acting or the character. Have some of you never met someone that just bucked everything? That had an uncanny ability to perceive accurately what was going on even at an early age? That lived life in crayola colors every day with a bright precocious nature that matched? While most teens aren't similar to this Gemma character, the story is about the magic of this girl. Ella is the perfect actor to bring her to life. Would love to see these actors in another installation of RSBS or another project.
A Summer to Remember (2018)
Was it really a summer?
Liked Catherine Bells' performance and that of a winning cast. Impossible to not love the idyllic setting. One thing that grated is the title. Weren't they only there a vacation of 1 - 2 weeks? Good to see diversity and depiction of strong, credible single family units.