Movie #2032 "Christmas with the Darlings: (Hallmark) had a different story line for these hallmark films --- the brothers of a company have recently gotten guardianship of the three kids whose father recently died in a car accident. The oldest one is too busy to deal with a transfer of these kids to a boarding school, so the younger one, who seems up until now was a screw up, steps in to help the secretary to the older brother who has been assigned to drop them off at the school. Both the secretary and the younger brother decide together that the kids shouldn't be going to a boarding school for the xmas season, so they take them out and do all the christmasy things with them as they fall in love. It's a nice heartfelt story, and although I felt the two leads had very little chemistry and not huge acting chops, by the end of the film I was rooting for them and the kids to make one happy family together. The kids are cute but it was a bit amazing that they bonded with the lead couple in such a short time. They put a puzzle together --- Huzzah! and what actually turned out to be a good idea, they decorated trees outside with birdseed ornaments so the birds would be happy during the xmas season, as well. I'd give this a 4 and recommend it.
Monday, November 23, 2020
Movie #2032 ........................."Christmas with the Darlings" (Hallmark)
Monday, November 16, 2020
Movie #2031 ........................."Never Kiss A Man in a Christmas Sweater" (Hallmark)
Movie #2031 "Never Kiss A Man in a Christmas Sweater" (Hallmark) -- I love the movies that have the weird titles, and this one stands out in energy and humor. I liked the characters and the story a lot! I favor the two leads and try to watch all that they do, esp. the female lead. It had a different plot line --- the female lead is saying goodbye to her little girl because she will spend her Christmas with her dad, the lead's ex hubby. While trying to get done with decorating before her daughter leaves, with tree in hand, she knocks over the lead guy and sends him to the hospital. What a way to meet, huh? I really didn't know where this story was going because it was dealing with different stuff than Hallmark usually deals with. And there's a tie in to the servicemen and women , and I liked that about this film, too. In fact, this movie was going to be a 5 out of 5 except for one thing --- for being so creative in the rest of the story line and dialogue, the conflicting moment depended on a stereotypical move in many of these hallmark movies --- female lead OVERHEARS male lead saying he is going to get on a plane --- she doesn't hear why and assumes he is leaving her to go back to being a workaholic. Silly girl. and it made it a silly move on the film's part to depend on that. Otherwise, the film is one of my favorites so far this year. 4.5 out of 5.
"NEVER KISS A MAN IN A CHRISTMAS SWEATER (Hallmark) 1 hr, 24 mins 2020
Director:
Allan HarmonMovie #2030 ........................."Debbie Macomber's Call Me Mrs. Miracle: (Hallmark)
Movie #2030 "Debbie Macomber's Call Me Mrs. Miracle" (Hallmark) This one, like all the Debbie Macomber films, is cute. Of course, it all depends on a story full of coincidences, so if you don't want to see a movie that hinges on "miracles," this one is not for you. In my opinion, this has everything going for it ---an adorable little boy whose dad has been deployed and he is now staying with his aunt . If that isn't enough stress on her, she has a dress designer boss who refuses to listen to her advice and try to sell to the majority of the women in the world who wear bigger sizes than 8's. Meanwhile, she has met the good looking and congenial son of the owner of a big department store who may lose his job if he can't sell out all the toys in the toy department by xmas eve. There's a lot going on in here, but it moves very seamlessly from one story to the next --- the glue that is holding this all together is Doris Roberts --- and she is revisiting the character Mrs. Miracle which she played a year before this. I must admit this film brought a tear to my eyes when a soldier surprises his kid, and to me that makes it a wonderful movie for the season (heck, for this year, actually) because it enables us to feel along with the situations and the characters. It allows us to examine our humanity. That's one of the big things these Hallmark movies should be doing, I feel --- to get us into the spirit of the season. I give this 4.5 out of 5.
"DEBBIE MACOMBER'S CALL ME MRS. MIRACLE" OR "MIRACLE IN HANHATTAN"
2010 1 hour and 30 minutes 4.5 out of 5
No one celebrates the holidays like Emily Merkle - or Mrs. Miracle as she is known by some - who is back to ensure that this Christmas is the most magical and meaningful of all. When Mrs. Miracle appears as a seasonal employee in the toy department at the financially troubled Finley's Department Store, neither the store's owners, nor the customers, have any idea of the events that are about to unfold. Just when it seemed Christmas might not come at all this year, Finley's favorite employee proves they don't call her Mrs. Miracle for nothing!
Director:
Michael M. ScottStars:
Doris Roberts, Jewel Staite, Eric JohnsonMovie #2029 ........................."A Family Christmas Gift" (Hallmark)
Movie #2029 "A Family Christmas Gift" (Hallmark) --- was not a Hallmark movie I would recommend. I found it pretty boring. The big saving grace is Patti LaBelle, but if you want to see her, turn this movie on about 15 minutes before the end because she sing "O Holy Night" at the very end (before the kiss). Her non-singing stuff in this film was pretty stiff, so for my money, they could have asked her to sing more. The whole movie was painting sets and prepping for this one night. It didn't even follow a formula of making a snowman, or decorating a tree, or participating in a snowball fight, etc. Just prepping for this night and showing most of it. The one thing I liked about the film was that the lead girl was someone I got to know watching "Mike & Molly" because she was Carl's girlfriend for a couple of seasons. I'd give this one a weak 3 and not recommended that you need to see this one.
"A FAMILY CHRISTMAS GIFT" 2019 1 hour and 20 mins 3 out of 5 stars
Director:
Kevin FairMovie #2028 .........................."The Christmas Bow" (Hallmark)
Movie #2028 "The Christmas Bow" (Hallmark) - I watched the end of this film first and wasn't impressed until the very end when I watched the big performance finale --- The female lead was such a good violinist that I wondered if she was faking it or what -- found out she wasn't and that I had liked her earlier in the t.v. show "Treme:" where she played music a lot in that show. Anyway, I really liked the music and her and the guy lead seemed nice and sensitive, that I made sure I dvr'ed this film so I could watch the opening. And I was glad I did because I appreciated the movie a bit more. The music continued to be good in the film --- the two leads wore on me ( But I still thought they mumbled a lot --- "quiet talking," that is.) But they seemed to have chemistry . So even though the story moved slowly along, the music and the leads helped to make it watchable. I'd give it a 3.5 and mildly recommend, esp. if you like christmas music and the violin.
"THE CHRISTMAS BOW" (Hallmark) 2020 1 hour and 23 mins
Director:
Clare NiederpruemMovie #2027 ........................."The Queen's Gambit" (netflix streaming)
Movie #2027 "The Queen's Gambit (netflix streaming) I was pretty surprised that we enjoyed this show so much, considering the lack of knowledge both of us have of the game of chess, which this whole show centers around. What kept us watching was the way it was filmed, and the characters that were developed. Add to both of those, music and editing are strong in this miniseries, as well. We have seen other shows about an orphan's life during and after leaving an orphanage, but this showed the orphanage in a tad better light ---- oh, they still showed the strict life the orphans live, the drugs dispensed to them, the child labor. But within the confines of these "prison" walls, Beth is able to come out of it with the love of her life (chess) and two lifelong friends. Her backstory is intriguing because it take turns along the way that surprised us at times. . And there is camaraderie among the chess players that was fun to watch, as well. I have always been interested in what makes prodigies tick, and so this was a captivating show to me. I recommend it with 4 stars out of 5 --- but not to people that get bored easily. There are a LOT of thinking moments in this show. And the main character is a huge introvert, who says very little.
PS: it was fun to see the little boy from Nanny McPhee show up as Bennie Watts here!
"THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT" 7 episodes, 1 season, 6 hours & 33 mins 2020
Movie #2026 ........................."This Much I Know Is Sure" (miniseries - hulu, HBO
Movie #2026 "This Much I Know Is True" (miniseries - hulu, HBO Max) I have to say, I didn't binge all the episodes one after another in a week or less. I watched 3 episodes when I had HBO in Arizona, and then just recently watched the last three when I had HBO free for a promotion. That might have affected my rating a bit. But I found this show very sad, but enlightening into how it must feel to be the caretaker of a brother or sister for you whole life, which is what Dominic takes on in this story. I have the utmost respect for Wallace Lamb's writing, and he did not disappoint me in this story. The two guys are played both by Mark Ruffalo, and I found that amazing what they could do --- esp. when one had a beard and the other didn't. The matching of the shots was impeccable. Another focus in the film is on how native americans are treated generally in this country --- But mental illness is on the main menu here and it's a topic that isn't usually tackled with so much gusto as in this one --- it's a heavy subject, and it's embarrassing how little we know about how to deal with the prevailing mental illnesses in our society. It could be the root of all of our problems. Thomas, Dom's brother, is paranoic, schizophrenic, and probably many other medical adjectives. Through the whole miniseries, there is a mystery hanging ----was it genes or what that is the blame or root of the mental illness malady? Dom thinks it is his fault, and then there are other suggestions pursued until there was somewhat of a possible answer. I really got involved with the story of the two brothers and also Dessa and Dom;s relationship. i recommend with 4 out of 5 stars.
'THIS MUCH I KNOW IS TRUE" miniseries, 1 season, 6 episodes (6 hrs, 18 mins) 2020