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A Biltmore Christmas (2023)
Perfectly written and acted.
Kristoffer Polaha and Bethany Joy Lenz star in a perfect homage to the movies of the 40s. This is destined to be a holiday Classic for a long time. The real shock to me were the performances of A. K. Benninghofen as
Margaret and Annabelle Borke was Ava. These two knock it out of the park with Ms. Borke especially becoming the epitome of 40s style and grace. Great holiday getaway. With a story like this the endings can sometimes be suspect but the writers have some up with a perfect way to end this wonderful film. The scenery is spectacular and the Biltmore is just stunning. The only wish I have is they make a sequel next year.
Mystery on Mistletoe Lane (2023)
Christmas Mystery? Yes please.
So glad to see a family mystery Christmas movie. The plot is simple with a new family moving into an old house with a treasure hunt to keep the house older and weirder. The new new folks in town are the new boss of the historical society and her two kids. Erica Cerra is such a great addition to the Hallmark family and her chemistry with Victor Webster is perfect. The kids are great and the mystery is fun for all. Taking it a step at a time with history of the town as a backdrop the feeling is of a true Christmas tale without the usual "take a shot" items which normally make up the Hallmark Christmas movies. All in all it is just fun.
Christmas Bedtime Stories (2022)
Stay away!
Steve Lund and Erin Cahill should have made for one of the best movies of the season. What do we get instead? A horrendous train wreck of a movie with clearly the worst writing and research ever done on the Hallmark channel. It is an affront to service people and veterans and instead of being happy at the ending it was like watching a train wreck. You couldn't believe this was happening on every level. The acting with these two was as always good. The actors were well cast and the direction ok. The script though should have been rewritten from the halfway point on. Who signed off on this and thought yeah this is a good hallmark movie?
The Rookie: Feds (2022)
Good actors but why ruin it with crappy writing.
The show is good, the actors fine and the premise strained but ok. Niecy Nash is a force and inhabits this character like someone she has known forever. The supporting cast is all first rate and the characters all mesh well. My biggest gripe is the ultimate trope of all tropes... the big boss not liking the underling and blackmailing and extorting a subordinate to rat on his boss. A) it is just not going to happen especially in the FBI, B) it's been done way better and still ruins the show C) most importantly is turns a 7 or 8 star show into a 2 or 3 star. I would bet money on early cancellation or non-renewal.
Hidden Gems (2022)
Great leads in a so so story
The leads are very likable and have a nice chemistry. The supporting cast was good and all likable. The scenery was nice and made me want to be there. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. First, I wish the creep wasn't rewarded and that the lead sister was, by that I mean it kind of pissed me off that she left school and gave up her dream to start the company and work with her sister (along with her parents investing money) and the bride sister acts like it's her company alone and since she isn't working there she deserves nothing until she comes back to work for her again. Just made me irrationally angry.
In from the Cold (2022)
Bad writing but watchable in spite of that.
The story of Anya/Jenny was good and the acting by both women was outstanding. The detailed writing and dialogue was some of the worst I've seen in this genre. The writers and showrunner seemed to want to come up with the most twists possible without thinking about whether the twist worked or not. The actors saved this as well as some nicely choreographed action sequences. I watched it all but thought a little less of myself after. Kind of like a walk of shame.
Christmas at Castle Hart (2021)
A nice Irish party
Sisters hit bottom in NYC and head out to Ireland to find lost family. Innocent mixups and a little fraud and voila, a Hallmark movie is born. The leads Lacey Chabert and Stuart Townsend are good but the real reason to watch is Ali Hardiman as the sister and Kate O'Toole as the Duchess steal the show. Overall a nice getaway.
Funny Games (2007)
This film explores the very nature of our morality...
CRAP! Violence as art, killers as seductive geniuses who wax poetic and explore philosophy in all that is needless and gory. Why anyone would make this film is beyond me. Moreover, why actors the stature of those who appear in this film would think that this is anything other than the self indulgent meanderings of a writer/director is quite puzzling. There is acting here... high quality acting. But it cannot overcome a self indulgent, artificial story which has nothing to do with the "reality" it portrays. Is our society violent? Yes, but the violence in life is much more mundane than shown here and much less philosophical. It is generally faster and more impersonal. I could care less if the bad guy wins, in real life they often do. What really bothers me is the almost sympathetic view of the bad guy... that society created him and it is all of our fault. I say again... CRAP!! Watch it for the acting but don't be afraid to hate the film.