While not being my favorite genre of mysteries - I prefer puzzles such as those Agatha Christie's "Hercule Poirot" solves - cozies have their own, intense fan group.
A "cozy" mystery is typified by a nice setting, no grit, no gore - or not much gore. It's evenly paced, with few car chases and no walks down the seamier side of life.
The "Mystery Woman" series typifies just this genre, and does it mostly well. In this particular undertaking, there is a lot to squeeze into a two-hour (minus commercials) timeframe.
Samantha Kinsey tries to find her birth mother, finds her, gets embroiled in a murder investigation and ties it all up neatly. Perfect "cozy" material. What was done well? They found an actress to play Sam's half-sister, Christine Lakin, who does bear a resemblance, especially around the eyes, to Kellie Martin. They're almost the same height, size, and have similar hair. Good job on that!
There is a sub-plot pairing Clarence Williams' "Philby" with Michael Cole's "Desmond" as two old compadres from that mysterious past of "Philby's". We suspect a secret squirrel spy past, but we don't really know. For the middle-aged crowd, for whom these "Mystery Woman" films seem to be aimed, it's a fun little ride back to our younger days watching "The Mod Squad."
This is Miss Martin's 3rd directing job, and it's not a bad one. The scenes are set up neatly, but there are few surprises.
"Mystery Woman: At First Sight" won't win many awards, but it's a pleasant way to spend two hours. It is a LOT better than watching endless re-runs of movies we've seen hundreds of times.
It's a pure pleasure to have something to watch that isn't muddled, befuddled or a stupid reality show. The Hallmark Channel does me very well with their "Crime-Time Sunday" line-up, and I'm enjoying every minute of it.
A "cozy" mystery is typified by a nice setting, no grit, no gore - or not much gore. It's evenly paced, with few car chases and no walks down the seamier side of life.
The "Mystery Woman" series typifies just this genre, and does it mostly well. In this particular undertaking, there is a lot to squeeze into a two-hour (minus commercials) timeframe.
Samantha Kinsey tries to find her birth mother, finds her, gets embroiled in a murder investigation and ties it all up neatly. Perfect "cozy" material. What was done well? They found an actress to play Sam's half-sister, Christine Lakin, who does bear a resemblance, especially around the eyes, to Kellie Martin. They're almost the same height, size, and have similar hair. Good job on that!
There is a sub-plot pairing Clarence Williams' "Philby" with Michael Cole's "Desmond" as two old compadres from that mysterious past of "Philby's". We suspect a secret squirrel spy past, but we don't really know. For the middle-aged crowd, for whom these "Mystery Woman" films seem to be aimed, it's a fun little ride back to our younger days watching "The Mod Squad."
This is Miss Martin's 3rd directing job, and it's not a bad one. The scenes are set up neatly, but there are few surprises.
"Mystery Woman: At First Sight" won't win many awards, but it's a pleasant way to spend two hours. It is a LOT better than watching endless re-runs of movies we've seen hundreds of times.
It's a pure pleasure to have something to watch that isn't muddled, befuddled or a stupid reality show. The Hallmark Channel does me very well with their "Crime-Time Sunday" line-up, and I'm enjoying every minute of it.