Movie #1600 ........................" A Veteran's Christmas"

Movie #1600 " A Veteran's Christmas" was one of the better Hallmark offerings that I have ever seen --- In some ways it followed a formula, but in other ways it covered new ground.  I can't remember seeing another Hallmark xmas offering with a female military personnel as a main character.  I liked watching her trying to fit back into society, esp. after missing her dog that she had trained and worked with for several years.  Also, the guy main character is a job in a small town, so I liked to be in his shoes part of the time in the film --- and think about what it takes to do that kind of job, and if you are offered one in a city, the pros and cons in making the decision to take it or not.  The actors are winning (esp. the girl) and the story moves along quite smoothly, and it showed a slower growth of relationships instead of quick, abrupt ones that are hard to believe.  I give it 4.8 and I highly recommend it.

"A VETERAN'S CHRISTMAS"   (2018)

• Captain Grace Garland, a decorated US veteran, returns home after two tours of Search and Rescue in Afghanistan. After being separated from her beloved K9 partner, Grace must rediscover the magic of Christmas. When Grace finds herself stranded in the town of River's Crossing a couple weeks before Christmas, the local judge Joe Peterson, offers her a place to stay on his property and takes it upon himself to show Grace everything she has been missing; Christmas, family, community, and love.
  
  
  
  

  Director:

   Mark Jean

  Writer:

   Mark Jean

  Stars:

   Sean Faris, Eloise Mumford, Mary Long

 

Movie #1599 ........................."Christmas in Love"

Movie #1599 "Christmas in Love" --- dumb title, isn't it?  Girl is good (most of the time) but guy is pretty and shows very little facial expressions.... so kind of dull.  He comes across smarmy and conceited through most of the film with a lot of come-backs to her very passionate, honest comments about how important the community of people are who help bake these Kringles.  It has a successful ending scene, but depends on "looking at his computer" for its start of the high point.  Used a lot.  Anyway, I don't really recommend this one --- seemed formulaic, and not much new here.  I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars.

"CHRISTMAS IN LOVE"

• Ellie Hartman (D'Orsay) is an aspiring crafter working in her small town's bakery making famous Christmas Kringles. When the new, big-city CEO Nick Carlingson (Lissing) visits the bakery, he arrives filled with modernization ideas destined to lay off many employees. During his visit, Ellie is to teach Nick how to make a Kringle, and determined to show him it's the people who make the business a success, not machines. Nick meets more of the employees and townspeople, visits the food bank and begins to see all the kindness that is shared, and he begins to soften - though not convinced automation isn't better. Struggling with chasing her own entrepreneurial dreams, Ellie begins to fall for Nick but not before feeling betrayed when she inadvertently sees Nick's laptop filled with automation plans. When Nick finally tells the employees his future ideas for the company, Ellie must decide if she should trust him, but more importantly, whether to take a leap of faith in making her own dreams come true.
  
  

  Director:

   Don McBrearty

  Writers:

   Stephen A. Stewart (screenplay by), Stephen A. Stewart(story by)  | 1 more credit »

  Stars:

   Carolina Bartczak, Telysa Chandler, Brooke D'Orsay

Movie #1598 ........................."Christmas on the Bayou"

Movie #1598 "Christmas on the Bayou" -- I enjoyed this one -- first, it was a different setting (bayou) and second the characters were interesting ---the film had  the great Ed Asner as the mentor for the little boy, the relationship between mom and son, and the relationship between the conflicted woman with an old boyfriend who still cares about her.  They had good chemistry ,....as friends..... and I found it intriguing how that relationship grows slowly to something far more than friends, now that they are adults who don't want to screw up the friendship that they have.  There is a lot of heart here, some good southern humor, too, along with beautiful scenery.    I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.

"CHRISTMAS ON THE BAYOU"

When successful New York marketing executive Katherine discovers her workaholic ways are taking a toll on her eight-year-old son, Zac, she decides to spend Christmas with him and her mother, Lilly in her home town on the bayou. When Caleb tries to rekindle a childhood romance and convince her to move back home, Katherine is torn between the bright lights of the big city and the quiet, gentler rhythms of her Southern roots. Only a Christmas miracle orchestrated by Papa Noel can steer her heart to her true home.

Director:

 Leslie Hope

Writers:

 Marcy Holland, Brian D. Young

Stars:

 Hilarie Burton, Tyler Hilton, Randy Travis 

Movie #1597 ........................."Christmas at Holly Lodge"

Movie #1597 "Christmas at Holly Lodge" --- here we go again --- it's that fun time (well, maybe not for you reading this) it's hallmark Christmas movie  time --- unfortunately for you, but many of my blogs to finish out the year will be a mixture of academy award possibilities (Yey!) and Hallmark Christmas movies (boo!)  Here's the first Hallmark  this year --- "Christmas at Holly Lodge" -- duh!  what is new here --- well, not the plot , but that isn't fair when judging a Hallmark movie because there are really only a few plots they follow.  How about capability of the cast?  Well, the woman was strong, but the guy was dull, conceited, manipulative, and by the end, he still seemed that way.  The secondary people should have intriguing stories to help propel the film forward, but those were missing here --- and how about the big argument and then pay off (getting together) -- both pretty dull.  But it had a strong theme --- the community that the lead female has developed with her lodge --- that was the feel good message here, so I would give it a 3 out of 5.  You might like it, but very little chemistry between the two leads....due to him, I thought.

"CHRISTMAS AT HOLLY LODGE"

Sophie Bennett, the owner, tries to convince a developer that the lodge would be a bad investment.

Director:

 Jem Garrard

Writer:

 Melissa Salmons

Stars:

 Alison Sweeney, Jordan Bridges, Sheryl Lee Ralph

Movie #1596 ........................."Widows" (2018)

Movie #1596 "Widows" was not a movie I would necessarily seek out, but the script was written by Steve McQueen (12 years a slave) and Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), and the cast had Viola Davis, and many other prominent african american actors that I knew would make the acting parts shine in this film, and besides the other three people I was going to the theatre wanted to see it so that's the movie I saw today.  I found it violent (but I knew it would be considering the subject matter), very well acted, dark with very few colors and 1 person smiling through the entire film, and a script that needed more work --- there were scenes that weren't really needed and whole characters were introduced and couldn't figure out a big reason why they were introduced (Like Lucas Haas) -- there are lots of why questions when it's over and I just found it weak, except for Viola Davis' performance.   Bottom line is that I really didn't like anyone in the film, and I left feeling very depressed about how our politics might be running.  Everything is done under the table and both sides of this election is in it for the money and power --- very little integrity shown at all.  Father swears at son, son swears at father.  Betrayal.  Murder.  There's intrigue but if you don't care about the people in it, who cares?  I never felt emotionally pulled in.  I do recognize that there are worthwhile reasons behind some scenes; for example, a white cop shooting a black driver in a car who doesn't comply right away to what he is saying, how middle and lower class people with very little money can't seem to open a business like a beauty shop in the neighborhood without getting help from the mob, female empowerment is strong here and several times you notice that these women get away with stuff because no one believes they could pull it off --- with these scenes, the film has worthwhile things to say about our society, and that makes it more worthwhile for us to see.  However, it is a heist film and I like he ones where the audience is in on most of the plan so we can see it wittily play out, and that's missing here --- I also prefer heist films that when they are done, you can look back and say:  Wow, that took a lot of thinking through and it was very creative --- it showed skill.  I felt neither in this film.  I would give it 3 out of 5.

Widows (2018)

R | 2h 9min | Crime , Drama , Romance | 16 November 2018 (USA)

Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands' criminal activities, take fate into their own hands, and conspire to forge a future on their own terms.

Director:

 Steve McQueen

Writers:

 Gillian Flynn (screenplay by), Steve McQueen(screenplay by)  | 1 more credit »

Stars:

 Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki

Movie #1595 ........................."A Star is Born" (2018)

Movie #1595 "A Star is Born" (2018) -- after reviewing the 1976 version, I can say now that this was more enjoyable.  However, my first reaction after seeing this, I felt a little let down because people have been raving about it.  And yes, I would rave about Bradley Cooper in this (for directing, acting and singing, AND conveying a rather complex character).  I think he made Lady GaGa better by the way he looked at her and listened to her.  This is the first time I really felt sorry for the guy in this story, so in that way, he was successful, and that gave a good reason to redo the film yet again.  The story was easier to follow and there seemed to be meaning to all the scenes, contrary to the earlier one.  But, I'm sorry, but Lady Gaga is no Barbra Streisand.  I kept waiting for her to do more with her scenes, but I felt most of them were about the same --- she has this naturalness about her, but very few highs and lows.  She pretty much let him run each of the scenes, instead of being an even partner in them.  When she is alone and singing, that's where she soars, though --- but still, to me, the voice isn't as rich as Streisand's.  But that's probably just me.  But I can say I reacted more emotionally to this story and these two people, and that's what makes it all around better than the 1976 one.  I will have to re-watch the Judy Garland one, but since James Mason doesn't sing, it would be a very different film.  But I'll have to wait and see on that one. This one gets 3.8 stars out of 5 from me.  And I think most people will enjoy it, if they give it a chance.

A Star Is Born

 2018 R 

• Overview
• Details
• Cast

In a role previously played by Janet Gaynor, Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga has big shoes to fill in this third remake of the classic tale about a rising star whose career eclipses that of her famous mentor.

Cast 

Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott, Dave Chappelle, Andrew Dice Clay, Eddie Griffin, Bonnie Somerville, Greg Grunberg, Michael Harney, Willam Belli, Rafi Gavron, Rebecca Field, Michael D. Roberts, Gabe Fazio

Director 

Bradley Cooper

Genres 

Drama, Showbiz Dramas, Musicals

Moods 

Romance 

Movie #1594 ........................."A Star Is Born" (1976)

Movie #1594 "A Star is Born" (1976)

I recently saw yet  another remake of this story recently, and I waited until I saw this one before I wrote my blog on the Gaga one.  This one was not good.   It is rated as the worst of the 4 remakes, and it's the story's fault.  Each of the films has its own ending, its own emphasis, its own music...... this should be better than it is because of Barbra Streisand.  She's actually the best actress of the 4, probably, but the dialogue is so lame and the story is so disjointed, it's hard to like the film, and it is extremely difficult to like Kris Kristofferson.  In this one, he has a one-night stand with another girl, and that doesn't make him endearing to audience at all!  And when he sings, he sounds like he is croaking....he has very little charisma and depends all on his looks, with his shirts usually open to his waist.  He does goofy, exaggerated things in the film and Barbra tries to make it look natural, but she has trouble with that, so the scenes fall flat (like mud fighting).  She does a slam bang job of her monologue song at the end where she first sings of her grief (to a tune that she wrote, and he wrote the lyrics to) and then moves into his songs and uses them to let him know she will be okay.  Now, if you compare it to the recent one, I feel Bradley Cooper does a slam bang job of getting this alcoholic across better --- he's a better actor, a better singer,  has more charisma and his character sacrifices himself because he loves her so much.  The story hung better together, but I'll talk about that in the next blog.  This one I would give 2.8 out of 5 stars --- it's for the Barbra Streisand concert that we had the opportunity to experience if we watch this film --- the rest is not good.  P.S.  "Evergreen" is almost worth sitting through the whole film again ---- almost!

A Star Is Born

 1976 R 2h 20m 

• Overview
• Details
• Cast

This Academy Award-winning remake of a heartbreaking 1954 musical features Barbra Streisand in the role immortalized by Judy Garland. Esther Hoffman (Streisand) is on the brink of stardom, thanks to her monumental singing talent and her nurturing mentor, John Norman Howard (Kris Kristofferson), a veteran rocker who's also her lover. Unfortunately, his once-bright luster is on the wane, and her rise bristles against his impending decline.

Cast 

Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, Gary Busey, Oliver Clark, Venetta Fields, Clydie King, Marta Heflin, M.G. Kelly, Sally Kirkland, Joanne Linville

Director 

Frank Pierson

Genres 

Drama, Showbiz Dramas, Romantic Dramas, Contemporary Movie Musicals, Musicals, Blockbusters

Moods 

Emotional, Romantic

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