Tag: #katiefindlay

Hallmark Movie Review: The 5-Year Christmas Party

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/the-christmas-charade

Rating: ⭐⭐

Oh man, I’m really bummed about this movie!! I loved Katie Findlay in Love Strikes Twice and was hoping this movie would be just as good. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the right fit for me. Here’s a quick recap and my two cents. 😉

Quick Recap

Career oriented Alice has planned out her future and that doesn’t include a boyfriend…yet. But she has a crush on Max and they keep running into each other each year during Christmas at a catering job.

My Two Cents

This movie is setup where we have a glimpse of Alice and Max’s life – mostly during Christmas – over a five year span. I really struggled through the first three years (and certain parts of the other years too). So basically, I had lots of issues throughout the movie.

The biggest issue I kept coming back to was that I couldn’t relate to Alice. If I like someone, I go for them. I don’t hold back. I had a plan for my life, but when I met my husband, I knew he would be mine and I just added him into my plans. But when Alice met Max, she liked him and wouldn’t go for him because of her plan.

Then each year, they would come together for a short time during Christmas and would enjoy each other’s company. Only to go back to their normal lives and ghost each other. With their lives on opposite sides of the US, they realized this wouldn’t work for them long term.

It felt like they repeatedly broke each other’s hearts. The timing of their love never being quite right. But when it’s really love, don’t you try to make it work prior to five years of torture? I feel like you do. Isn’t that the whole point of love? Once you find it, you keep it and don’t let go.

I don’t think this is a movie I’ll be adding to my favorite list. I almost turned it off after the first thirty minutes. Hubby almost immediately left the room. But I found myself invested after an hour and a half of forcing myself to watch it and I enjoyed the ending. So, if you can make it through to the ending, you may enjoy it 😊

If you give this movie a chance, let me know what you thought! Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movie Review: Sealed with a List

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

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I greatly admire Carley’s courage and commitment! It takes a lot to end your current career and go for your childhood dreams. If I had gone for my childhood dreams, I probably would have been a veterinarian or jockey. While my dreams have changed over time, Carley’s haven’t. Here’s a quick recap and my two cents 😉

Quick Recap

Carley is passed over for a promotion and asked to support her boss’s son, Wyatt, while he learns the position she coveted. A year later and Carley is unhappy with her life, so she volunteers to take the fall when Wyatt makes a critical mistake and is fired. Wyatt knows she was the best employee at the company, and when Carley asks Wyatt to make sure she completes her New Years resolution list, he agrees. But nothing comes for free and she must help him be a better employee.

My Two Cents

This was such a classic Hallmark movie! It had all the right feels in all the right places. It was relatable, funny, and sweet. It’s one of those movies I could (and will) watch at anytime. Let’s talk about all the things I loved!

I loved the scene where Carley and Wyatt officially become friends. It reminded me of how we teach our kids to make friends. Why don’t adults do this more often? Wouldn’t that make life easier? I’ve gotta tell you, it’s difficult making friends as an adult! Maybe we should give it a try.

I loved how this movie made me feel better for always wanting to bake my Grandma’s kolache recipe, but never actually doing it because it takes too much time and attention. There is so much I do during the holidays and I’m usually barely holding it together, so the cookies are one of the first things I cut. But I will often beg my mother to make and send them.

I loved when Jamie and Carley were sitting around after the caroling and Jamie noticed how much happier Carley was. It’s amazing what going for your dreams will do for someone’s emotional state. I think it’s Mark Anthony who said, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Find your dreams and go for them!

I love Katie Findlay! There’s something about her and her voice that suck me in. If you like her too, be sure to check her out in Love Strikes Twice. It’s an alternate future movie that I always take a moment to watch when it’s on.

Finally, I loved the heartfelt moments at the end of the movie. I won’t list them all, because I don’t want to give away too much, but here are a couple…As a parent, we always want our children to be fulfilled and inspired. Carley’s mom’s speech when she sees the dress Carley has been working on is pure gold. Add in the love and support from Wyatt and I bet she feels like she can walk on water. These are the moments us Hallmarkers live for and this movie does them really well!

If you have a chance, try this movie! Let me know what you thought! Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movie Review: Love Strikes Twice

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/love-strikes-twice

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Save the Clock Tower!! I couldn’t shake the Back to the Future vibe of this movie. Instead of saving a clock tower, this movie centers around saving a library. Well, it’s about a lot more than a library, but that’s the surface theme of the movie. Here’s a quick re-cap and my full two cents 🙂

Quick Re-Cap

Maggie and Josh have been married for 15 years, but their marriage isn’t living up to Josh’s expectations and he questions if they should stay together. After hearing about Josh’s concerns, Maggie winds up near a fountain where she makes a wish, bumps her head, and wakes up 15 years in the past. She realizes she has a second chance to make different decisions. Will she take this opportunity to change her life?

My Two Cents

I have a thing for stories with magic; shifters, wizards, and Gods/Goddesses are often high on my magical wish list. While not quite as cool as that sort of magic, this is still fun magic! It’s the time travel/do over/romance type. There’s something incredibly alluring about exploring alternate realities (Hello Dr. Strange!) and it’s the main reason I enjoyed this movie.

I really liked how Maggie embraces returning to the past. Sure, she has a quick freak out moment and tries to (unsuccessfully) return to the future, but then she fully embraces this opportunity. She uses her knowledge of the future to prevent and fix things gone wrong.

One of the nicest things Maggie does is help her brother, Ash. Funny story, I’m reading a book and the lead male is Ash. But you’ll read about that in a future book review…back to the movie. I really loved how Maggie talks about her Dad boasting about Ash’s confidence in order to help him develop his confidence. She also brings him in on her back from the future paradox.

Besides helping Ash, Maggie also helps her Dad and by proxy, her mother. This made me so happy! I swear I almost cried at the end of the movie between Dad and Ash.

Maybe I’m extra sentimental tonight, because this movie hit me right in the feels multiple times.

Maggie and her mom had a conversation about “the one.” Maggie’s Mom said that when people are hung up on “the one,” and things get rough, which they always do, people are more likely to bail. Further, love is a choice we make on a continual basis. I really liked her point of view. I agree that love is a choice we make.

There was so much of this movie that resonated with me. I worried throughout the movie how they would create a Hallmark ending, but they did it! Everyone got the happily ever after they deserved and I swooned. I highly recommend watching this one if it sounds like something you would like.

If these types of movies are up your alley, you should also try and watch The Birthday Wish or A Timeless Christmas

Have you seen it? What did you think? What are your favorite time travel movies? Leave a comment!

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