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Christmas in My Heart (2021)
Slight Correction to jensenholmesPA
Enjoyed the film for many of the reasons already listed here, but I wanted to add that MacFarlane *is* actually a singer. I just looked this up myself, because I thought his acting while singing was ... rough. He doesn't play the guitar as well as the professional who provided the audio, but does his own singing, and the audio was recorded live.
Boyfriends of Christmas Past (2021)
Raymond Ablack Should Have Been The Lead
I'm watching this now and it's ... okay at best. It barely tips over the line into "watchable". I applaud Hallmark for widening the pool of actors they constantly recycle, but that's one of only two good points.
The second being Raymond Ablack. I'll get this out of the way, the man is gorgeous with a capital G. To the person who, in another review, said the actor needed a shave ... what does that tell viewers about the actual film? (And in my *opinion*, no, he doesn't.) The actor is very babyfaced, and without the scruff, it would've only made the age gap between the actors would have looked far bigger.
Which is weird because they're actually only four years apart, but Catherine Haena Kim looks much older. Perhaps it was wardrobe and makeup? In the flashbacks the "younger" Lauren looks like a 45 year old woman in a bad wig.
Speaking of awkward, lord is Kim bad in this. Perhaps she's fantastic in other roles, but here every word that comes out of her mouth feels wooden. Whether she's talking to her parents or Nate, she almost always reads as stiff and out of place. I wish they'd made Ryamond Ablack the lead instead. He has a charm and kindness that is the saving grace of this film.
I'll update this if things change by the end of the film, but as it stands, unless you're a fan of Ablack, or are desperate for two Asian leads in Christmas film (which is cool), this one is skippable.
Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone (2021)
Bossy Children and Bad Acting
I did not get very far into this movie. I just couldn't get past the character of Gemma. I can put up with a lot of convenient plot, bad acting, and general "cheese" from Hallmark stuff, but bratty children plot devices are my line in the sand. Gemma is, quite possibly, the most annoying adolescent character I've ever come across in a Hallmark film. Not even Mary from The Secret Garden (1987) is this annoying and she's *supposed* be a snot at the beginning. Gemma just shows up out of nowhere, claiming she's Benedict's niece. The next thing you know she's living with him, managing his diet, and telling him how to run *his* business! Now, she might be right about the client not wanting the more traditional ring, but there's a time and a place, and that was neither. This might be a perfectly fine, straight down the middle Hallmark film, but the annoying lead girl irritated me enough to turn it off. I don't understand how this is getting so many 9 and 10 reviews.
4/10 Because I liked the actors who played Benedict and Emilia, and that beautiful, beautiful location.
Swiri (1999)
Updated 17 Years Later
I recently (November 2021) rewatched Swiri/Shiri and was surprised at how little I like it now. It tries *so hard* to be this masterful action movie, and it's simply not. Firstly, despite (apparently) loving it years ago, I found it to be a snorefest this time around. I was counting the minutes until the end because the whole thing just dragged. I like slow, thoughtful movies, so I'm not against such pacing. But this is supposed to be an action movie, and most of the action happens in the last thirty minutes. Where they crammed in at least three major shootouts and two standoffs. I actually lost count. I think there were three of each? Despite the awful camera work which was supposed to be, well, "actiony" it just made things far messier and I felt very little tension through it all.
While I understand, as an American I might not understand all the political subtext, I wish the film had dug deeper into that. For the most part it felt surface level, as an excuse to have big villains and even bigger explosions. Yet, I cared very little about any of the characters. We learn very little about why Shiri is motivated to do what she does, besides a montage in the beginning. I honestly found Yu to be a boring lead, and would've rather watched the story of how Lee came to own a fish shop and how/why she chose to target Yu. The movie was far more focused on Yu and Park. Shiri is really only there to provide a plot device and a roadblock for Yu. So much so, that the current theatrical poster shown on Wikipedia doesn't even have her on it.
I know it's unfair, because Canada/America likely has a larger movie industry, but The Matrix and Fight Club came out the same year, and this doesn't even come close. The Iron Giant, an animated family film that also came out in 1999, tackles The Cold War with more depth then the *still continuing* separation of Korea. Personally, if you want something in a similar vein, I recommend The Interpreter with Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn instead.
Leaving my old review from 2004 up, because *hoo boy** do I sound like a little brat in it. It's good to see my own development as a writer and reviewer.
***
I really enjoyed this movie. I admit it's not Shakespear or anything, but if you want a great entertaining movie, that maybe opens your eyes to some of the things that are happening in other parts of the world - make some popcorn, plunk down on the couch and put this one in. A lot of people complained about this movie, that the effects weren't that great, the love story was pointless etc. Well I'm here to say I disagree. I think this movie was awesome! Yes, it has it's familar "good guy \ nation against bad guy\ nation", and somethings blowing up, and lots of guns; but I think it had more then that. I think the under-lying love story was wonderfully executed, it gave the film just enough twist, especially at the end when things are coming to a head between the two lovers. The information that Ryu finds out about Hyun\Hee at the end really shocked me, I hadn't expected that. I loved it all. As far as the special effects, I have no true complaints; I think the shots of the minature building blowing up were pretty good, but when they showed the "cars" on the sidwalk I could tell it was a minature and it pulled me out of the story for a bit, but I was pulled back in as the movie continued. And if you watch the special features the director himself said he wasn't pleased with that effect, but I think he did a great job with the money he had. Speaking of the special features, I highly recommend watching them; I was so excited that it had english subtitles (I've rarely seen that) and it really helps you learn the ins and outs of the movie. I think this movie proves two things (1) Korea can produce excellent movies, (2) Hollywood is crazy because South Korea put out a great movie on a very small budget compared to some expensive american films (Triple X is a great example of how lots of money and a supposedly hot-to-trot actor don't make a movie). Shiri had great action, plot, romance, actors, the whole crew was amazing. In short, ignore the critics and watch it! If you really hate it that much, email and I'll apologize or something...