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Reviews
When Calls the Heart (2014)
Change of Locale?
Did Hope Valley pack up and move south to Montana from Southern Alberta?
Why would a Governor of the Montana Territory be awarding a medal for heroism to an RCMP Constable? Montana joined the Union in1889. The US- Canadian border was established in 1846. Why would Lucas seem to agree to work with the Governor about the water issues, only to turn around and urge the residents of Hope Valley to support and vote for the Governor's opponents, unless they were in the US? All the references to Philadelphia seem strange as well as do the mentions of Hamilton, ( a town in Montana) (also a town in Eastern Canada).
Apologies if I missed the memo.
Francesca Quinn, PI (2022)
TEASERS and PARALLELS !!! ??
First, this movie is SUCH an improvement over"Cut, Color, Murder", and "The Curious Caterer "!!!
I think that it is a teaser for the solving of Travis and Amy's cliffhanger, and I'll bet a lot of Mystery 101 fans do as well.
The script's author has authored the 101 series too.
There's a strong father-daughter bond, a solid friendship between the father of the female lead, and the detective, and now a dead fiance.
Mallory Jansen and Dylan Bruce play their characters well enough, but the chemistry is not as strong as it is between Travis and Amy in Mystery 101.
Mallory's emotions and Dylan's don't seem to click as well. Maybe it's the line delivery.
This is an ok movie to watch more than once. There are lots of twists and nuances to revisit, although the way the background story is told tends to be a bit confusing.
Overall, while there are obvious teasers and parallels to Mystery 101, it can not vie as a replacement for, or take the place of, Mystery 101 as the top HMM Signature Movie Series/Franchise.
Hope Hallmark figures that out!
Rip in Time (2022)
YES, YES, YES!!
So many positives! As someone who was born and raised in a New England town that was founded in 1659, I thoroughly enjoyed the references to the early history of the area, and the use of the clothing, speech patterns and customs of the Revolutionary War era.
A reviewer questioned the use of the quill pen and tiny ink bottle, but that would have been part of what was in Rip's pouch which was with him when the Majors family found him.
There was a bit of poetic license taken with some of " who knew who when", but this is a movie, not a documentary. It all plays well.
Niall Matter's portrayal of Rip was SO good! He really got into his character, comporting himself as an adult from the 18th century would, especially in social interactions. There is a good balance of self- confidence and timidity throughout. There is a nice combination of fascination with this new world, and a longing for the comfort of what he'd left behind.
Overall, Niall Matter shows how well he can handle different types of roles.
Torey Devitto does well in her portrayal of Sarah. Eric Keenleyside, and Joshua Black do well in their parts as well.
There are two footnotes that I found worth mentioning-
1)- I noticed that Sandy, the waitress from the Flying Otter Oyster Bar, in "It Was Always You" decided to leave the oysters and the bar, go to school and become a doctor who tends to Rip in the hospital. Good for her!
2)- Loved that during the dance at the fair/festival when Rip asked for a slower song to dance to, the DJ's choice was Patsy Cline's Crazy!
The weakest character is Ted, the deputy /sheriff who keeps trying to get Rip out of town and away from Sarah. There is no real passion in his attempts, just an effort to shame Rip into leaving. Even when he cuts in on the dance at the fair between Rip and Sarah, he doesn't talk with her, just keeps dancing.
This is well worth a sequel, if only to show how much Rip has adjusted, along with how the town has accepted/ adjusted to his his being part of the community.
A Tail of Love (2022)
A Little Inconsistency
Since I'm a real animal lover, I truly enjoyed the general presentation of the story. They did seem to jump the track a bit in the scene where JR wants to take Indie to be an ambassador, and Bella balks at first, saying that Indie hasn't been well enough socialized, then turns around and says Indie needs to be adopted as soon as possible. HUH??
I also enjoyed having a real villain who had to be put in her place. I wish they'd had a scene showing her stomping off, and squealing her tires as she roared away!
Curious Caterer: Dying for Chocolate (2022)
Okay, Not Great
This is a few cuts above "Cut, Color, Murder ", (pun intended) but doesn't come close to "Mystery 101".
Nikki Deloach and Andrew Walker are very good together in their other Hallmark productions, but this one misses the mark. Andrew Walker's character appears gaunt and distracted. He seems to be straining to make a connection with Nikki 's character, Goldy. On the other hand, Nikki's character appears irritated with the progress of the case most of the time. Not sure if it was the director holding everything back or what, but the chemistry just didn't seem to be there this time. If Hallmark is trying to build a relationship slowly, over time, they're starting at rock bottom.
I'd just as soon have Hallmark give us several more "Mystery 101" , " Crossword Mysteries ",and "Martha's Vineyard Mysteries ". How about a happy ending for Hannah and Mike in "Hannah Swenson Mysteries "? Just a thought.
Winter Love Story (2019)
Please, Please, Please!!
To Hallmark-PLEASE give Jen Lilley a role beyond one where the character is a "I'm fragile, please don't hurt me. I'm too shy to put up with criticism, and I'll run away." The self depreciation gets old quickly!
Surely Jen Lilley can portray a mature, confident woman who doesn't collapse in tears, or runs away when someone throws her a curve.
The award dinnner scene is a great example of a character overreacting to the situation. Here's to allowing Jen to show what she can do beyond this type of role.
The Perfect Pairing (2022)
Not Perfect
Now that I've watched this story, and her other Hallmark movies a few times, I can't shake the feeling that Nazeen Contracter would be more comfortable doing live theater rather than film. She trained for, and did, live performances before moving in to film.
She's the female lead, and it shows, as it would on stage.
The script in "Perfect Pairing" calls for her charecter to be a strong, unfiltered, although anonymous, critic of the wines she judges and writes about. She followed the script well enough that the transformation from harridan to a truly nice person is a bit suspect. Can amnesia really affect a major personality change?
Brennan Elliot's character is pretty well absorbed by Ms Contracter's, and kind of fades into the shadows. I was quite disappointed with his character's weak reaction to discovering her true identity, when she had all but ruined everything he and his family had worked for. Brennan Elliot has a lot of very strong roles to his credit. Unfortunately, this is not one of them!
I think the writers and director can share the blame here.
For a memory loss story, this can't come close to the one with Mia Sorvino and Cameron Mathis!
Mystery 101: Deadly History (2021)
Don't Drop the Ball!!!
All seven episodes of Mystery 101 show the relationship between Travis Burke and Amy Winslow as it evolves over time.
Now that all seven have been shown in a marathon session, winding up with Deadly History, I hope that's indicative of a positive resolution in the next installment, despite the squirrely "preview " tacked onto Deadly History.
I realize that there's been change of command at Hallmark recently, but I hope there won't be a dropping of the ball here. Mystery 101 is too solid a series to mess up!!!
The Presence of Love (2022)
Joss's Techicolor Coat Closet
The college professor ( Joss) leaves on a surprise gifted trip for 10 days to England, where she will reconnect with some family roots and history.
Did she really need to pack FOUR (blue, pink, tweed, red) coats, and a green reversible jacket?
Samantha Bond gives the strongest performance of all cast members. She presents her character well, and in my opinion, carries the show.
The storyline is ok, but needs strengthening in a few places.
Feeling Butterflies (2022)
The Weakest Spot
The weakest spot in this story is the lack of conversation about Amanda's feelings concerning her schooling, and where she might want to live. She plays a pretty big role in the film, but until one of the last scenes we don't hear that her heart is in the town she's been living in with her father, even though she's been pretty vocal in other situations in the film.
How does an ex-girlfiend of the dad swoop in after an apparent two year absence and try to take over the lives of these two people without a peep from the child involved? I think the script writers get to take the blame for that.
The acting was well done, particularly the natural chemistry between the leads. It's too bad they didn't have a stronger script.
Cut, Color, Murder (2022)
Not The Best
This is definitely not the best Signature Mystery Movie Hallmark has produced.
#1-TV stations in the west (Idaho included )have call letters starting with K, not W, as was shown in the shot of the weatherman.
#2-The animosity between the leads apparently ended pretty abruptly. It went from a $50 charge for a haircut to drinking coffee to gether, and sharing tips on the murder.
#3- Fred Henderson seems rather uncomfortable in the role of police chief. He was much more at ease as the town doctor in the "Christmas Doctor"., and did a great job in that role.
#4- Too much time and attention given to the pageant moms and the extraneous rehashing of old wounds.
#5- Overall, too much "noise" in many of the scenes -too much going on, too much confusion.
If the beauty salon is going to be espionage central, I think I'll pass.