Movies/TV Archives – Page 8 of 10

Movie Review: Mix Up in the Mediterranean

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/mix-up-in-the-mediterranean

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Twin switch movies have held a place in my heart since It Takes Two and The Parent Trap were family night movies in my family den in the 90’s . Some of my favorite quotes come from these movies! I fell in love with Diane’s description of love, “…that can’t–eat, can’t–sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over- the-fence, World Series kind of stuff.” Maybe that’s where my love of romance movies started…?

As an adult, I was begging for Hallmark to do a twin switch movie. In 2017, I was lucky to catch Switched for Christmas with Candace Cameron Bure and I LOVED IT! So, I had high hopes for this movie too.

Let’s do a quick overview, then I’ll give you my two cents.

Julian is a French trained NYC chef, who is scheduled to compete in a culinary competition. He invites his twin chef brother Josh to the competition. While getting ready for the competition, Julian goes to Josh’s luggage and tries to pick it up, but accidentally throws his previously injured back out.

Josh decides to go sign in for Julian in hopes that will give Julian’s back some extra time to recover. However, upon signing in, Meg Wescott puts a bracelet on his wrist that will cause disqualification if it’s removed. Now Josh is trapped pretending to be Julian for the length of the competition.

Will Josh and Julian be able to pull off the twin switch? What will happen with Meg and Josh? Watch to find out! In the mean time, here’s my two cents 🙂

I struggled with this movie from the beginning. I think I’ve mentioned before that I have an issue with jerks and Julian the jerk meets Meg in a restaurant and treats her like something he scraped off his shoe until he finds out who she is. How rude! But I suppose, we need brothers who are slightly opposites in order to make the movie more interesting.

It’s these opposite personalities that out Julian and Josh to their friend, Chester. By the way, I loved Chester! He was probably my favorite character in the whole movie. I especially loved when Chester helps Meg and Josh procure some black diamond truffles. He makes it sound like a super secretive black market drug deal.

Random fact…did you know they use pigs to locate truffles?! I saw it on a TV show once. It was awesome.

My second favorite character was Julian’s husband, Henri. He was supportive and sweet and everything anyone would want in a significant other. Yay for Henri! But if my two favorite characters were side line characters, what does that say about this movie? Hmmm…

Anyhow, after getting caught by Chester and some standard twin switch issues, came the big turning point where Julian realizes he hasn’t been the supportive brother he thought he is. Julian runs into Etienne – or “Frenchie” as I nicknamed him – who points out how Julian keeps pushing Josh to be like him instead of supporting him on his journey. This was Frenchie’s best moment. Other than that, he was a jerk too.

The inevitable happens and Meg finds out Josh is Julian and Julian is Josh. She storms off without letting Josh explain. Ugh! Impulsive woman! What does Josh do? Obviously he stands stock still and yells, “Meg! Wait! Wait!” Really Josh? You’re just going to stand by while your girl runs off hurt and confused? Weak, man. Just weak.

But this is Hallmark and we get our happily ever after for everyone, which was a nice way to end the movie, but it wasn’t good enough for me to raise the star count.

This is a solid romance movie, but it isn’t anything special. I’d rather watch Switched for Christmas again than this, but if it’s on and you’re bored, maybe you’ll want to watch it. One thing is for sure, it’s not making my favorites list. Happy movie watching y’all!

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Movie Review: Playing Cupid

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/playing-cupid

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tré harsh to break-up with your boyfriend while celebrating your one year anniversary, but that’s what Kerri does! She realized her relationship with Adam wasn’t what it once was and she cut ties.

After doing so, she poured her heart out to David. Little did she know, David is the father of a student (Clara), the head of the PTO, and owner of the restaurant Kerri was in when she broke up with Adam. Feeling like she can’t get rid of David, what else does she do? She winds up trading services with him so he assists with a student project and she assists with a PTO project.

Two single adults spending a lot of time together while David’s daughter is playing Cupid…what do you think will happen? Watch and see!

Here’s my two cents on it. Warning there are a few minor spoilers.

I love strong women and Kerri definitely has a strong center. Sure, she’s a little unsure about herself due to circumstances in her life recently, but deep down, she has an inner strength.

I also really enjoyed a lot of the raw emotions in this movie. Kerri questions her previous choices and David questions his parenting. There’s a lot of realistic feelings we witness. Especially when they both start questioning if they’re ready for a new relationship.

Beyond all the mushy gooshy stuff was the CANDYGRAMS!! We had these as a kid. I remember getting them in middle school. It was great when your crush sent you one. It was equally great seeing the role they played in this movie. 😊

I can almost hear you asking. All this good stuff, why did I only give it 4 stars? It’s always the little things.

Kerri wakes up in bed with a full face of obvious make-up.
They cut to a commercial on a scene with Eva showing up and return to a completely new scene.
Clara’s date for the dance. I don’t care if this was explained later, I still wasn’t happy that happened.
The awkward scene at David’s house with Kerri announcing the finalists for the ABC award. I mean why is Eva staying at the same house? They’re divorced!
and many more…

Don’t let my little things stop you from watching this great movie! It’s still worth watching and enjoying. Especially the beautiful ending. I loved all the lights!! Happy watching y’all!

Movie Review: Beverly Hills Wedding

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/beverly-hills-wedding

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lost loves/second chances. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before…I have a thing for lost loves and second chances. I didn’t know this was going to be one of these movies! What a happy surprise!

Childhood sweethearts galore! Jordan + Sofia and Cory + Molly were all childhood sweethearts, but Cory and Molly grew apart as they grew older. Over the years, Jordan and Sofia grew closer and become engaged in the beginning of the movie. Molly, a photographer and Sofia’s sister, offers to be their wedding planner.

Molly knows Sofia and Jordan are on a budget, so she enters them into a free wedding contest in Beverly Hills, and she wins! This earns a free planning trip to Beverly Hills for the foursome. The catch? The wedding is pre-scheduled to be on Valentine’s day, which is only 6 weeks away. Will the shortened engagement pull Jordan and Sofia apart? Or will being in close quarters bring Cory and Molly together? Watch and see!

Here’s my two cents. Fair warning, there will probably be a few spoilers.

First, lets talk about the leads.

Brandan Penny isn’t one of the leads that typically makes me drool or fantasize about being stranded on a deserted island with (sorry Brandan!), but dang – I could get lost in those blue eyes! Do they do extra touch-ups on his eyes during his movies or are they that beautiful? I could lose myself in them for days.

Equally as impressive as Brandan’s eyes was Brooke’s hair. I wish I had her stylist! In the era of COVID hair, Brooke is my idol! Plus, her outfits were adorable. She always looks so classy!

I think we’ve established that both leads are beautiful in their own right, but together, they’re fantastic. This was a great Hallmark pairing. They had beauty, chemistry, and bantered very well. Plus, you found yourself wanting them to be together. I think I actually moaned at one point when they almost kissed, but at the last minute, Molly pulled away shouting, “Seating charts!” Ugh! Molly!

Don’t worry though folks, because this is Hallmark. And in being Hallmark, of course there are happy endings for everyone. BUT…I did need a few tissues. Maybe I’m just hormonal or maybe the ending was that good. You can be the judge. Either way, I definitely had tears during the speeches at the end of the movie. They were so sweet and perfect.

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Movie Review: Snowkissed

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/a-winter-getaway

Rating

I was really excited to watch this movie from the first preview I saw a few weeks ago. I adore Jen Lilley. Although I need to say that I prefer her with darker hair instead of blonde. But regardless of hair color, she made this movie something special.

I love quirky women and Jen’s character, Kate – or as I call her – always play it safe Kate is definitely quirky. See, Kate is scared of living, so she stays in New York and never ventures outside city limits. In fact, she doesn’t like being country quiet, being outside, and her version of rock climbing is in a temperature controlled building with ropes and safety precautions abound.

However, Kate needs to travel to Canada to visit with an Author for an article she’s writing. While there, she makes plans to stay at Noah’s B&B. Unfortunately, Noah’s business isn’t doing well, so he’s decided to expand into giving tours. He asks Kate and Jen to take a 3 day adventure tour and provide feedback on his tour giving abilities.

Boy oh boy does Kate give Noah feedback! She’s ruthless. LOL. Now granted, Noah did need some serious help. He was horrible, but with Kate’s help, he finds his stride in being a tour guide and Kate finds her stride in living life.

I loved this movie for several reasons. If you want to analyze this movie, it had many life lessons. One of the biggest being not to waste life. Don’t be afraid to experience life and don’t be closed off to new opportunities. Sometimes we put blinders on and forget to take them off to see what else is out there. GIVE NEW EXPERIENCES A TRY! You never know what you might end up liking.

Another reason I loved this movie was that it made me laugh…A LOT. Noah’s ridiculous jokes even had my husband laughing (shhhh…don’t tell him I told you all that he was watching this with me or that he ENJOYED IT!).

I was just reminiscing about the beautiful herb garden I had when I was growing up. Good thymes.

Why do melons have weddings? Because they cantaloupe!

What do sprinters eat before a race? Nothing, they fast!

I only picked 3, but if you click them, they’ll take you to another 100+ jokes I found on bestoflife.com. Hehe. Check them out! Also, check out this movie! It was definitely worth watching. For those of you who like sales, you’ll love this! It’s like a two for one, because Kate’s photographer also has a little romance going on. Happy movie watching y’all!!

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Movie Review: A Winter Getaway

_{Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/a-winter-getaway}

Rating:

Do you have kids? If so, I think you’ll appreciate this. I’m not quite sure why, how, or even when, but somehow I wound up with two kids and a dog in my bed Friday night. The dog is expected, but the kids…not so much. Luckily, my wonderful husband took each child back to their bed and I was able to go back to sleep quickly. Unfortunately, when your sleep is disrupted, it can leave you dragging the next day.

Combine the middle of the night wake-up with my two on-call wake-ups this week and I was really dragging by Saturday night. I really really wanted to watching this movie though!

So, I stayed up just for this movie and boy am I glad! This movie had so many wonderful scenes!

Have you ever traveled on a private jet? If not, I hope you get a chance some day! The first time I was on one, I was just like Joe! Actually, I was worse. I moved the chair every direction it could go, opened every cupboard, grabbed the free drinks and snacks, and took pictures of myself (and the plane) every 5 minutes. It’s a fantastic experience and Joe’s reaction was perfect. The helicopter ride though? No thanks! I’d pass on that experience.

After the helicopter ride, the outdoor lunch looked amazing. Did anyone else notice the beautiful charcuterie board Courtney and Joe didn’t touch?! Oh man, I wanted to eat that whole board!

What about Joe’s reaction to the squab? LOL. This cemented my love for his personality. He gave it a try and when he didn’t care for it, he covered his distaste, because he knew Courtney went through the trouble of organizing the special meal.

I really enjoyed Joe’s reactions to everything. Olga was scary, but Joe gave her a try and loved the experience. We could all learn a little from him. It was wonderful watching Courtney loosen up and learn from Joe.

Overall, this movie was soooo cute! I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry at the end. It was ridiculously sweet. Give this one a try folks. Happy movie watching y’all!

Movie Review: Two for the Win

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/two-for-the-win

Rating:

Confession time…I wasn’t looking forward to this movie. I’m not a huge fan of either lead in this movie. Also, I struggled to understand the plot from the commercials, but after the first 30 minutes, I was pretty hooked.

In case you struggled with the plot too…this movie is about Justin, a male skier, who is failing to come back from a knee injury. Sound familiar? It should, we saw a similar movie, Taking a Shot at Love, a few weeks ago about a hockey player who had an ankle injury.

That’s okay though, there are only so many romance plots. It’s the content that counts. Did you see the auction scene? I couldn’t help laughing! Kayla was a fantastic auctioneer. And the lady who bid against herself? Yup, that would be me. Totally excited and in the moment and forgetting what you’re doing.

Could you imagine if they auctioned off a day with our favorite Hallmark leads? I know many women who would drop money on Andrew Walker, Ryan Paevey, Luke Macfarlane, or Chad Michael Murray. I would actually consider dropping a few thousand on Ryan myself! I mean, if the money goes to charity, where’s the harm??

There definitely wasn’t any harm in the interview Kayla and Justin did together. How did Kayla not swoon when Justin softly gazed into her eyes, held her hand, and said, “I got you.” Be still my heart! I live for those Hallmark moments.

With all the sweet words, lingering gazes, and past history, it wasn’t surprising when there was a kiss just over an hour into the movie. These two had some serious chemistry brewing 🙂

Of course, shortly after the kiss was our climax where our two leads must decide which direction they want their lives to take. Unexpectedly, this is where we also get our second kiss! Did you hear that folks? Two kisses before the end of the movie. Hallmark, are you feeling okay? We’re getting a little riskaaayyy here.

I’m sure you’re now asking, is there a third kiss?? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out. I know, I’m mean. I’m told that almost every single day by at least one of my kiddos. Such is the life of a parent.

However, in between all the moments where I’m called mean are also the moments where I’m considered awesome, and this movie left me with an idea that will have them calling me awesome. Why? Because it left me wanting to run to the nearest ski hill! What’s more awesome than playing in snow?! Luckily being in Wisconsin, there are a few around here. I think we’ll be scheduling a trip really soon.

Before I leave on that trip, I want to encourage you to watch this movie. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. It was a lot better than I expected. Plus, there are previews for Snowkissed. They were really cute!! Woot woot! Something to look forward to 🙂 Happy movie watching y’all!

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Movie Review: A New Year’s Resolution

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/a-new-years-resolution

Rating:

 3.5/5

Well, right off the bat, I LOVED that this movie took place in Milwaukee!! It had all my favorite Wisconsin things…discussing Packers (GO PACK GO!), polar plunges, and discussions about favorite brat toppings (I’m a ketchup girl). But should you say YES to watching this movie?? Let’s talk about it!

Kelly is a producer who works for “‘Wake Up Milwaukee.” As a new year’s resolution, she decides she won’t say No to any social requests, because she felt she’s said no too often in the past year and isn’t happy about it.

Tom works for the marketing department of a popular bank. He is at the same restaurant as Kelly, when he makes a bet that he can pick anyone’s resolutions. He picks Kelly’s table and guesses everyone’s resolution except Kelly’s.

This is the start to a series of godwinks (without the annoying winking noise – THANKFULLY), Kelly and Tom wind up at many of the same activities over the next few weeks while Kelly is saying yes to social requests.

Then, Kelly is brought a story about accounts being opened for customers without their permission at Tom’s bank. Kelly decides to bring the story to Tom and the rest you’ll need to see 🙂

This movie is cute and sweet and everything you want to watch in a Hallmark movie. There was good chemistry between the two leads and lots of wonderful quotes. My favorite – “You’re worth making time for,” from Tom to Kelly. Awww!!! Swoon. Tom was adorable!

Plus there was an extra kiss! Yay Hallmark! I was super happy for this, because it was in line with these two characters. Tom seemed like a hugging, happy-go-lucky guy, which naturally extends to wanting to kiss a woman he’s falling in love with. And even though Kelly is closed off in the beginning, she was receptive by that point, so it was perfect.

With all this good, why did I only rate it a 3.5? Well, for me, the biggest issue was that it lacked the IT factor that I talk about. It was a solid movie and if it’s on, it makes good background movie watching, but it’s not a movie I’ll seek to watch again and again. In fact, it’s been 20 minutes since it finished and I’m already forgetting it.

Also, there were a lot of little things that irritated me. Someone said “Go Pack!” I hardly ever hear anyone say that. Real Wisconsinites yell with passion “GO PACK GO!” I’ll give them a little credit for not saying “Go Packers,” because I really never hear that.

Speaking of the Packers…have you heard about Wisconsin’s Frozen Tundra? Doesn’t that just sound cold?! Wisconsin in January/February could very easily be near 0 degrees. Unless I missed some serious clues, it didn’t look like anyone was actually cold at the polar plunge or in some of the other events. Sure, they were all fake shivering/trying to warm up, but in Wisconsin people actually shiver! And people “turtle” their heads into their coats to stay warm.

Beyond the shivering, I didn’t hear any midwestern accents. No one ended their sentences with “Hey?” or “…or no?” This would be like watching Steel Magnolias without Southern accents, but it’s easy to be nit-picky when a movie takes place somewhere you’ve lived.

Despite these issues, this was still a solid movie. You’ll have lots of opportunities to laugh or say “Awwwww…” So, don’t take the 3.5 as a negative. Sometimes these types of movies surprise me and over time they become movies you unexpectedly look forward to watching. Country Wedding (which was on after this movie) is one of those.

Give this a try and let me know what you think! Did you enjoy it? What was your favorite part? The game playing evenings? The chili cook off? Curling? I hope you enjoy it! Happy movie watching y’all!

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Movie Review: Taking a Shot at Love

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/taking-a-shot-at-love

Rating:

 5/5

It’s the first Hallmark movie of 2021!! Woot woot!! Who else was excited to see this one?! Not only is it our first movie of the new year, but it also has two of my Hallmark favs…Alexa PanaVega and Luke Macfarlane!! These two couldn’t have been cuter together!

Ryan is a hockey player who had an injury that wouldn’t heal. He tried everything the doctors requested, but his injury persisted. Enter Jenna. Jenna had the same injury and overcame it with a ballet protocol. So, Jenna becomes Ryan’s therapist.

I had several flashbacks to The Game Plan and watching Dwayne Johnson play a football player who did some ballet with his daughter. There’s a great scene in that movie where Dwayne is drowning in sweat and can barely breathe, but the ballet instructor is calmly sipping water and explaining the next move. Haha! I have a thing for buff/macho men doing ballet and yoga and watching them fall apart. Never mess with a ballerina!

Ryan had a similar moment where he wonders why he can’t walk after spending an hour with 5 year olds doing ballet. Watching him walk like he just got off a horse was hilarious!

Sadly, it was missing a half naked ripped body, but luckily it was missing the sweat dripping off his brow. Missing sweat is probably just my personal preference; I’m sure plenty of women would be lining up to wipe it off 😃

Really though, besides my obvious Luke ogling, there were so many wonderful moments in this movie…

Storm Snacks – I will be keeping these in my house!
An adult sleep over – Was this a Hallmark first? I can’t actually remember seeing this one before.
Power Outage Game Night – we do a form of this with the dogs and bring out treats during thunder and fireworks. It helps make them less worried. This was a good idea of something to do with the kids!
Watch the movie to see more!

Beyond the cute moments, there were so many quotes I wrote down. These were some of my favorites…

“You’ll find a flannel man someday” – Jenna’s friend. Side note: I giggled a little when Ryan wore flannel! I love flannel! Always have.
“Backup plans are for people who expect to fail” – Ryan
- “Backup plans are for people who do everything right but sometimes things happen that are outside of their control” – Jenna
- I tend to agree with Jenna on this. I always have backup plans. Sometimes I have backup plans for my backup plans! Haha!
“There’s always a million reasons to say no, but if you can find the courage to say yes, great things can happen” – Ryan. This was so encouraging and true! Focus on the positive!

After talking about all the positives, I want to take one second to talk about the negative in this movie. There wasn’t much. The ONLY negative I found was at the very end. I wanted to know what happens with the ballet studio. I can imagine what happens, but I really wanted to see it. You know? Maybe they’ll do a sequel? I wouldn’t mind seeing these two together again! I’ll cross my fingers and hope for that. I’m not taking away any stars for this, because I feel like that’s some of my type A personality coming out. They didn’t tie up the loose ends! Ahhhh! **Jamie slaps herself** Feeling better now…Moving on…

I’m really glad this was the first movie of the year. It delivered on many levels. Comedy, heart, growth, and more. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you give this movie a try! Happy movie watching y’all!

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Movie Review: Cross Country Christmas

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/cross-country-christmas

Rating:

 4/5

From the opening credits to the ridiculous Chuck’s Deluxe Dog Grooming truck, enjoy this movie for what it is a funny/corny Christmas movie.

Max Cooper and Lina Gordon both grew up in the same small town. They knew each other, but never dated. Now, they both live in the same city and were on the same flight home when the flight is cancelled and diverted to a nearby city due to a storm. They both need to make it home by Christmas Eve to be with their families, but when fate seems against them, will they make it in time?

Enjoy their travels by train, tractor, and of course, Chuck’s Grooming truck. Meet the many friends Max, but really, Lina makes and discover how important it is to be nice to people and treat others the way you want to be treated. If we all tried to be a little more like Lina, the world would be a little better.

And in case you couldn’t already tell, I absolutely loved Lina’s outlook on life. She’s a Creative Solutions Specialist. If you find yourself asking, “What in the world is that?!” You aren’t alone, Max was confused as well. Basically, take it for what it sounds like. When life hands you lemons, Lina makes lemonade, lemon curd, and lemon bars. Her upbeat attitude can lift anyone’s spirits! Even Max finds himself enjoying her company and never ending ideas.

If corny comedy isn’t your thing, then you might like A Christmas Detour more. If corny comedy is right up your alley, then give this movie a shot. Happy movie watching y’all!

Movie Review: Swept Up by Christmas

Image via: https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/swept-up-by-christmas

Rating:

 2/5

Sometimes you sit down to watch a movie and no matter what happens, you just can’t watch it. You try and try, but it doesn’t capture your attention. That “spark” is missing. This was one of those movies.

I can tell you that it’s basically about a woman, Gwen, who works for an auction house. She is hired to auction items from The Hawthorne House she use to visit as a child. Along with the auction, Reed’s company, Clean Force One (super cute name since it’s a veteran owned company!) is hired to clean the house.

Aside from that, the movie fell completely flat for me. It’s an enemies to lovers movie with a cute side romance for the best friend, but I wasn’t feeling the hate or love in the main romance. Nothing stood out and I struggled to even watch it.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think! Maybe you’ll enjoy it more than me and you can point out some of your favorite moments in the movie. Happy movie watching y’all!

Movie Review: A Christmas Carousel

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/a-christmas-carousel

Rating:

 4/5

A man with an accent, horses, and trying to make a better community, what more can you ask for in a Hallmark movie?! Seriously! This simple, funny movie is so cute and will unexpectedly hit you in the feels!

Lila (Rachel Boston) and Roy head to Ancadia to restore Grandpa’s carousel. While there, they each find interests more fulfilling than restoring the carousel.

The meet-cute was so adorable! Lila visits the carousel to see what kind of shape it’s in and she bumps into the ladder Whitaker is on. Paint brushes fly and some witty words are exchanged while Lila asks Whitaker (Neal Bledsoe) if he knows the Prince. Of course, Whitaker says he knows him quite well. The whole scene is adorable and funny.

Later Lila is introduced to Whitaker during tea. She’s a little miffed he didn’t tell her who he was, but she quickly gets over it and they become closer while they both work on the carousel.

Whitaker has been raised to believe that in order to be King, you must act in a professional manner and you can’t be a painter. Basically, you have to be a bore. Since that’s not who he is at heart, he’s abstained from entering any serious relationships, because if he found someone he wanted to marry, he would need to ascend the thrown. Lila helps him discover that he can be himself and be a king the people will still admire and love.

I loved how Lila gave Whitaker the courage to be himself. There isn’t a once size fits all mold for King behavior. The teacher in her wanted to help make him be the best person he could be.

Have I said before this movie was cute? It helped that Rachel Boston is one of my Hallmark favs. She has a sweet/honest quality about her that really lent well to this role. I also loved her pairing with Neal Bledsoe. He had great facial expressions and was so sweet and funny! This was exactly the right pairing you wanted to see. No Christmas She Wrote drama here. I would love to see this pair together a few more times!!

This is Hallmark, so we all know how this ends 😀 I won’t spoil the exact ending, but I love the Wishing Horse! Make sure you pay attention to the story of it!

If you can take this movie at face value, you’ll most likely enjoy the abundant cute jokes and sweet romance. If you try to hold this movie to a higher regard, then you’ll be disappointed. Happy movie watching y’all! Let me know what you think!!

Movie Review: Unlocking Christmas

Image via: https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/unlocking-christmas

Rating:

 2.5/5

Oh man! I really wanted to like this movie! I just couldn’t get into it. I gave it the 3 strikes and you’re out try, which makes me sad, because there are some cute moments in it. They just never built into anything better than a few cute moments.

Kate and Kevin meet because Kevin’s mom makes him go to the doctor about his leg. This scene was actually very cute and I’m pretty sure Kevin’s mom purposefully sent him to see Kate. She’s quite the meddlesome woman 😉

Shortly after meeting, Kate and Kevin are each sent a clue and key. They figure out the clue’s meaning, arrive at the same place at the same time, and wind up on a scavenger hunt of sorts. Through the process they learn more about each other and start falling in love.

I figured out who was behind the keys almost immediately and the clue tasks didn’t really keep me interested. Also, Steve Lund’s long hair was really distracting. I didn’t feel like it fit with his former military life, because it always looked messy and greasy-ish.

If you give it a try, let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy it more than I did. If you’re looking for another scavenger hunt type movie, I think Christmas Scavenger Hunt was a lot better. Happy movie watching y’all!

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Movie Review: A Glenbrooke Christmas

Image via https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/a-glenbrooke-christmas

Rating:

 3.5/5

Oh Autumn Reeser! You’re one of my Hallmark favs, but this movie didn’t do it for me. I know this is kind of cliche, but it’s not you, it’s…Antonio Cupo (Kyle). Haha! I bet you thought I was going to say “me,” but nope. I wasn’t a fan of Kyle.

Autumn plays Jessica “Emerson” Morgan, a soon-to-be CEO of a large real estate company. Her parents died when she was young and her Grandfather raised her. She decides to go to Glenbrooke where her mom lived when she was younger. She’s even able to rent the house her mom lived in, but she’s using the name Jessica Emerson instead of her famous Morgan last name to try and stay under the radar.

Upon arriving in Glenbrooke, Jessica almost runs over Kyle, Glenbrooke Fire Chief, while he’s carrying a whole stack of ginger bread men. Kyle’s coworker, Ruthie dubs this the Gingerpocalypse 😂 This was possibly the funniest part of the movie! It’s also the part where I started losing interest.

Kyle is such a jerk to Jessica over the cookies breaking that it was an immediate turn off for me. She even offered to pay for the cookies, but he blames her and starts accusing her of texting while driving and not paying attention. Jerk alert!! It doesn’t make sense that he can be a total jerk over something so small and a Fire Chief. I would think that position requires more political common sense and friendliness.

Kyle’s coworker, Ruthie was actually my favorite person in the movie. Besides the gingerpocalypse, she also guides Jessica to a “VIP” section of a tree lot. It’s the VIP section, because Kyle is there. She totally set-up Kyle and Jessica on that one! Jessica’s face when she figured it out was priceless. LOL.

Once in Glenbrooke, Jessica discovers the chimes – a local cherished landmark – are broken and they need $10,000 to save them. Jessica helps create a fundraiser to save them.

I also struggled with this. Jessica is a multi-millionaire. $10,000 is a drop in the hat. Why not just anonymously donate the money and be done? Don’t get me wrong, she really helped a lot of people in the community while organizing the fundraiser and they kind of explain why she doesn’t write a check for it a little later in the movie, but it didn’t sit right with me.

Kyle somewhat redeems himself and shows his nice/caring side during other parts of the movie when him and Jessica decorate a Christmas tree together, go to a party together, and read The Night Before Christmas to some children. But even in the end, Kyle is upset and jerky when he learns the truth about who Jessica really is.

I don’t know if it’s Antonio or Kyle, but I wasn’t digging him. Watch the movie and let me know what you think! While you’re watching, be sure to catch the sweet story about how the bells came to be such an important part of the town. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but it’s really sweet.

If you’re an Autumn Reeser fan too, check out one of her other great movies! I highly recommend A Country Wedding, Christmas Under the Stars, or All Summer Long. These were all much better than this one! Happy movie watching y’all!

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Movie Review: Christmas Comes Twice

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/christmas-comes-twice/

Rating:

 3.5/5

Fate, time travel, enemies to lovers, this movie hits 3 of my favorite themes! On top of that, Tamara and Michael were super cute together! Unfortunately, this movie failed to keep my interest and I had issues with too many parts of it.

The beginning of the movie has Cheryl coming home to Wellsboro and going to the town fair. While there, she makes a wish that she could go back in time for a week to not take a job Dr. Phillips offers her five years ago.

I’ve made similar wishes in my life. I often wonder what could have been from time to time. So, I fully support this concept!

Shortly after the wish, Cheryl sees a carousal and hops on. The carousal takes her for a ride to the past, where she’s presented with the opportunity to change her future.

This is where things went downhill for me. I’ve always liked these movies when the character goes back to the past at night when they’re asleep to change something they feel they did wrong the first time around, but this was a little too corny for me.

When Cheryl got off the carousal she almost immediately starts seeing significant clues she’s not in 2020 anymore Toto, but she REFUSES to believe it. She sees a poster with a 2015 date and talks to someone about a date she has on Friday, but still refuses to believe. She finally passes out when she runs into someone who’s dead.

She’s suppose to be a smart woman with her doctorate! I just didn’t buy that she would resist the truth so strongly.

While passed out, George carries Cheryl to a first aide tent, where she wakes up and tells him what’s happening. George laughs, but becomes her confidant. Cheryl and George wind up spending the week together teaching a kids science club and Cheryl discovers her love of teaching (and George).

Honestly for most of this movie, I struggled staying awake. It was a solid 3 stars through out, but the carousal time travel concept only gets a 2 from me.

Don’t get me wrong, it was good seeing Cheryl and George grow together. They really are a cute couple and the relationship growth was well done. It was just missing that something extra that some movies give.

I also enjoyed all the discussions of fate and living in the present, but I kept hoping for things to go different. Hallmark could have taken the date with Terrance and had it go worse than the original date. It would have been a great opportunity to infuse some extra humor. Instead, it was used to prove how Terrance was more into himself than Cheryl. If we were proving that you can’t really change the future, I feel like the date should have gone worse than the original.

In fact, there were several parts where the movie seemingly contradicted itself. Don’t tell the dead person she’s going to die, but tell Mom and Dad to not leave the cat alone with the Christmas tree. The inconsistencies made me crazy.

I know I told you this movie was mostly a 3, but you’ll see I’m giving it a 3.5. Why? Well, the ending is honestly a 5. If you don’t watch anything else in the movie, just watch the last 15 minutes. You’ll get all the feels and skip all the blah. Happy movie watching y’all!

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Movie Review: Love, Lights, Hanukkah!

Rating:

 4.5/5

There is little to kvetch about here folks! My Jewish heart was filled with this movie! Ben Savage, who I will always remember as Cory Matthews from Boy Meets World, makes a perfect match with Mia Kirshner.

Mia plays Christina, a woman who’s adopted mother recently died, so she decides to take a DNA test and discovers she’s 50% Jewish.

Through the test, she also finds she has a close relative. The relative, Becky, and her exchange messages and she agrees to meet Becky and her brother Scott at their restaurant.

While at the restaurant, Christina meets David Singer, a restaurant critic who rated her lasagna as forgetful and predictable. Christina gives him a hard time for the review, but Becky tells her he’s a good guy.

While at the restaurant Becky invites Christina to dinner to meet their mother, Ruth. At dinner, we all find out Ruth is Christina’s mother.

Ruth was briefly married to an Italian, Giorgio but had the marriage annulled and discovered she was pregnant when she returned home. Unable to care for the infant, she gave her up for adoption.

You’ll have to watch the movie to find out what happens after that, but let’s cover my two cents 😉

I initially struggled with the DNA testing results. Christina finds out she’s 50% Jewish and her first concern is how she’ll celebrate Jewish holidays? I didn’t understand this reaction. I’m not sure what my first thought or concern would be, but focusing on the Jewish holidays was odd to me.

However, I majorly applauded her for wanting to reach out to Becky and discover that relationship. I also loved how open and welcoming Becky and Scott were to Christina. They didn’t know her that well, but they welcomed her into the family immediately.

Even Ruth welcomed Christina before she realized who she was. I think they even invited Christina to join them in celebrating Hanukkah with them prior to them realizing who she was.

Speaking of Hanukkah…Lets talk about the Hanukkah traditions! Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel I made you out of clay…Did you see all the dreidels in the movie!! OMG! They were so beautiful! From the opening scenes, to seeing Ruth’s whole collection, they were mesmerizing. I’ve never thought about having a dreidel collection, but I might need to start one. You can see some of them in the picture below.

Beyond the dreidels, I loved how they explained the miracle of Hanukkah, what each candle’s purpose was, and taught Christina the candle lighting prayer. It was hilarious hearing her trying to say “Baruch,” and David saying she needed to do it with more phlegm. I had to tell my kids the same thing this year! My husband is a lost cause. I think he’ll always say “Baruck.” LOL. It’s okay, he tries!

The kids love lighting the candles and saying the prayer. They also love eating potato latkes! I added some pictures of our latkes and menorahs below.

I got a kick out of Scott’s 8 crazy latkes. His recipes were so creative! I’m not so sure chocolate latkes would have been a good idea, but I would have tried them 😀 Plus Christina learning to cook them with her mom. Awww…so sweet!

All this talk of Hanukkah and I totally forgot to talk about Christina and David! They were adorable. Christina’s animosity over the lasagna review was short lived, but funny, because everyone talked about it. Plus, Christina’s mom was such a nudnik and kept prying and poking at the two of them to get together. It reminded me of every Jewish mom I’ve seen portrayed in movies/tv.

Overall, this was a cute and funny movie. I appreciated the Jewish traditions they kept alive plus the addition of the Christmas party and angel statue at the end to honor Christina’s adoptive mother. That statue was seriously beautfiul!

I hope you watch this so you can hear the 1-2 dozen different ways David says goodbye. Arrivederci, ciao, aloha, sayonara, adiós, au revior! Happy movie watching y’all! Hasta la vista 😂