MatchMaker Mysteries: The Art of the Kill

5/10 - the conclusion to Hallmark Movie and Mysteries' Matchmaker Mysteries trilogy gives you more of the same-fine enough entertainment for one watch, but quite frankly nothing to write home about.

It's the third movie in Hallmark's Matchmaker Mysteries series. There is a series of thefts at the museum and Nick Columba (Bruce Boxleitner) is hired to solve the case. Matchmaker Angie Dove (Danica McKellar) is with her father Nick when they find a dead body. Angie smells poisoning and Nick calls in Kyle Carter (Victor Webster) for the homicide.

I want this to be a father-daughter crime solving team series. This starts with the father-daughter team but it's them stumbling upon a murder. This reminds me of the conspiracy theory that Murder, She Wrote is actually about Jessica Fletcher as a serial killer. How does one stumble upon murders over and over and over again? Paige's cry "Again?" is a fun meta-scream but it doesn't actually solve the problem. Is she going to keep stumbling upon murders for every movie? This is Hallmark stuck with its standard operating procedure and it's losing any potential for original thinking. The father and daughter don't really work together. It would be so much easier for them to team up and solve his old cases.

Angie and Kyle try to build chemistry but still struggles in this movie. They're not really teaming up anyways. In fact, nobody is teaming up with anybody. More often than not, these three are investigating on their own and randomly run into each other. That's this show's common move where the characters keep bumping into each other. If people get paired up, they get an opportunity to build better chemistry. Surely, Angie and Kyle need to build chemistry. Finally, Angie's TV show looks boring. There must be some imaginative way to spice it up. This franchise is relying more and more on the mysteries. The series is working less and less.

Museum director Lucia Ricci (Aliyah O'Brien) discovers her colleague's body just before the opening of their new exhibit, Mythical Etruscan Lovers. The good doctor was instrumental in bringing the ancient statues to the museum and was continuing his research when he was felled by the cyanide-laced commemorative cookies. Television matchmaker Angie Dove ends up in the middle of the investigation, having accompanied her dad, retired police detective Nick Columba, to the museum for an unrelated matter that same day.

Decent Hallmark mystery, if a little formulaic but that's expected. It's a light fun mystery with a lively performance by Danica, who sort of lights up the proceedings. Victor Webster is a grounded foil, who keeps asking what's she doing at the crime scene.

I enjoy watching this series. I can't wait for episode 4! I think angie dove and det. Carter are really cute together and have great chemistry.

This movie series is great. I love seeing Bruce Boxleitner (Scarecrow and Mrs. King). He is the best mystery solver ever. Danika McKellar (Wonder Years) and Victor Webster (Continuum) make a great team.