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Reviews
My Christmas Family Tree (2021)
Very nicely done
I had originally skipped over this one, but I caught up to it later. It was very good. It's nice to have a movie hilight the family aspect of Christmas, and I also appreciate the presence of the story of our Lord's birth. That's gone by the wayside in recent years.
I noticed Tyler Hynes had a walk-through role in this, and Paul Walker (one of the stars of this movie) had a walk-through in Hynes' movie, An Unexpected Christmas. That was amusing.
Aimee Teagarden is cute as a button, and I think her acting has improved in the last couple years.
This is a nice, heartwarming Hallmark movie, in the tradition of nice, heartwarming Hallmark movies.
Enjoy.
An Unexpected Christmas (2021)
Didn't quite work
I like Tyler Hines, and I like Joy Lenz, but I'm not sure I like them together.
It's not that this movie was bad. It wasn't. It just seemed a little off.
It had a little bit of a screwball comedy element to it. Hines and Lenz are both capable of knocking this out of the park. But they didn't.
The story was fine, supporting cast all good.
It was...just ok.
A Dickens of a Holiday! (2021)
I gave this an 8
I like the leads in this movie.
Kris Polaha always seems to be enjoying himself. Here he has a chance to go way over the top, but he doesn't lose his way in the process.
Brooke D'Orsay is always gorgeous and sweet, and she displays some fine acting here.
The chemistry, while not perfect, is certainly adequate, and they play off each other nicely.
Good supporting cast, although I thought the long-simmering feud was resolved a little too easily.
All in all one of the more enjoyable movies this year.
A Royal Queens Christmas (2021)
Well...
I'm trying to find something positive to say about this movie.
I like the family situation (I know no more about Queens than I do the fictional Exeter). It was a typical Hallmark rom-com I suppose.
I couldn't get past the fact that the prince's uniform was a US Marine dress blue top with some tinsel on the shoulders. Is the budget really so low?
At the risk of being unkind, I'm not sure Megan Park is really leading lady material.
Guess I'll get some thumbs down, but I can't recommend this movie.
My Christmas Love (2016)
This is ok
The story is mildly amusing, and the supporting performances are fine, but I can't imagine a more irritating woman than the Meredith Hagner character.
I'd become a priest too, and I'm not even Catholic.
There is no chemistry between her and Bobby Campo. If you've seen any of his other Christmas movies you know he's terrific.
He deserves better than he got here.
Subplots give this a four, but there are much better choices.
One December Night (2021)
I was hoping this would be good
It was better than that. This might be the best Christmas movie Hallmark has ever produced.
At the center are two phenomenal, multi-layered performances by Campbell and Gallagher. The supporting cast is excellent and the story of two aging, feuding rock stars trying to find their way through painful memories back to healing is at times contentious, humorous, and touching.
It's directed by Clare Niederpruem, who also directed Holiday for Heroes and The Christmas Bow.
I've never given a ten before, but I can't recommend this enough.
Excellent movie.
Next Stop, Christmas (2021)
Excellent!
How cool that two of the stars of Back to the Future (Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson) would appear in a movie about a girl who goes back in time!
Lloyd is excellent as a magical train conductor who escorts Lyndsy Fonseca on a magical trip to Christmas ten years prior, where she must right some wrongs in order to return.
Fonseca is a very talented actress, with great comic timing and a quirky personality. Initially, she's supposed tobe a stuck-up surgeon, but that doesn't really ring true.
Lots of twists and turns along the way, so enjoy the ride. This is a Hallmark movie the way they used to be.
The Christmas Promise (2021)
I have to say...
...Torrey DeVitto is perfect for Hallmark Christmas movies. Sweet, fun and drop dead gorgeous.
This was probably not as good as her previous effort, Write Before Christmas, but she is not to blame: she is excellent in this too.
The chemistry between leads, while not terrible, is not that strong. The plot was totally predictable, but it's a Hallmark movie, so that's not unusual. Strong performances by supporting cast, and some genuinely fun moments.
If you like Hallmark Christmas movies, you'll probably like this one too.
Boyfriends of Christmas Past (2021)
First of the 2021 season...
...was pretty much a dud.
I've dated a few Korean girls. They're great. I like the culture, the food...but I didn't like this.
The acting was so-so, but that may have been due to the lack of chemistry between the leads. It never really felt like they belonged together.
I also found the attempts to inject the Korean culture into the film awkward and clumsy, but that's on the writer.
It seemed a deliberate thing rather than just letting it occur naturally.
All in all, not my favorite.
Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
Disappointed
I really enjoyed the original Dr. Phibes: the music, the toys, the imaginative ways he carried out his revenge, and the enchanting Vulnavia. He was a man of very few words, he let his face do the talking.
Here, all that is gone: he practically narrates the entire film, the plots are less imaginative, even Vulnavia is different.
I could watch the original over and over, but I have no desire to see this again.
Ju-on 2 (2003)
I finally got around to watching this...
I read some of the reviews first. Some think this was even better than the first one (or third one technically). Others think this falls short. One guy hated it so much he decided to ruin it for everyone else (don't be that guy).
Personally, I thought the previous one was scarier. It seemed like every time a gost appeared, something was about to happen. Not so here. If you've never seen the first one, though, this would be very scary indeed.
I hate to say it, but I actually laughed out loud at one point. Pretty sure that wasn't the reaction they were going for.
I still love horror, and I still love the Ju-on movies, so I give it an 8.
Peeping Tom (1960)
Brilliant
I don't see anything to get this film banned, but we are 60 years on from that time.
It's not a comfortable subject, but it is supremely well-executed.
Nothing for the squeamish to worry about, not overtly violent. Psychological horror fans will love it.
The Forgotten (2014)
I enjoyed this movie
The slasher people won't like it, the jiggly bimbo people won't like it, but the psychological horror people will probably enjoy it.
It is a rather slow-moving film, not a lot of yacking, and you have to pay attention to impressions because they're doling out facts with an eye-dropper.
The protagonists, though, are sympathetic, and the acting is good, and there are some genuine chills along the way, especially toward the climax.
I admit, I'm still chewing on the ending to make sense of it, but still recommend.
Swing Low (2019)
I agree, ending ruined a decent movie
It's not like it was supposed to be Shakespeare anyway, but for a woman hell bent on revenge film, it was doing ok. Some cliches, yes; some inexplicable decisions too, but when it all should have come together, it all fell apart.
I gave it a four for the lead actress effort, but on the whole, I'd rather have my two hours back.
Vanishing Point (1971)
If you get it, it's a 10
If you don't, it's nonsense.
This movie is entirely allegorical. It should not be reviewed...only experienced. It means something different to everyone.
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes (1965)
I will always love this movie
I saw it the first time in a theater in Southern California, and three of the planes used in the film were actually on display in the lobby. It made a lasting impression.
I bought it when it came out on VHS, and again when it came out on DVD. I still watch it every couple years, and my brothers and I laugh like pre-teens because for those two hours, we are.
Great cast, great stunt flying, great movie.
Snowkissed (2021)
Ugh
At about the 28 minute mark, Lucia Micarelli appears and plays the violin for about 90 seconds... so there is about a minute and a half that's worth watching.
Two stars for the Loosh.
Christmas by Starlight (2020)
I was more curious...
...than anything else. Apparently Hallmark is letting the actors take a role in production on occasion, and Paul Campbell wrote the screenplay from a story that he and his co-star came up with.
I'd say they did alright. It is, as other reviewers suggested, short on suspense, but that's not what Hallmark movies are.
Kimberly Sustad seems to play the same part in every movie, but she has her charm.
The story was a little light on sub-plots, but it's a good enough way to spend a couple hours escaping from the world during the Christmas season.
One Royal Holiday (2020)
I didn't think I would like this
I just got around to watching it. I have some leftover movies from the season and I've been watching them when there's nothing else to do.
I was wrong about this, I enjoyed it.
The characters were not unusual: the stiff as starch royal slowly melted by a rough around the edges civilian. The acting, however, was excellent as was the chemistry. I understand they've worked together on Broadway, so that may explain it, but they were great together. The part of the queen was excellent as well, and the subplots added flavor to what turned out to be a rather nice holiday film. 8+
The Mistletoe Promise (2016)
This is one of the best
Hallmark movies are pretty cookie cutter. This one is different. Two strangers meet and commiserate with each other's dislike of Christmas and realize they could each be of great help to another in their personal and business lives, so they agree to navigate the season together.
Good acting from the leads and a supporting cast of characters that ranges from straight-laced professionals to devious ex-husbands and zany co-workers.
Another reviewer said they watched this over and over. I concur. This is that kind of movie. If I could only watch one Hallmark Christmas movie, this would probably be the one.
Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas (2018)
I gave it an 8
I enjoyed this even though it's an over-used plot. I liked the chemistry between the actors and the subplots are heartwarming and/or fun.
I didn't like the song at the end at all, but it's not bad enough to sink the movie.
Check Inn to Christmas (2019)
Yes, it's typical
We've all seen this a few dozen times under different titles. Sometimes whether we like a Hallmark movie depends more on whether we like the people in the cast than any plot (or lack of plot).
This must've caught me in the right mood, cuz I liked it.
Wes Brown plays Wes Brown in every movie, so no surprise there, and Rachel Boston brought a bit less sugar than usual, which helped a lot.
Supporting cast was mostly good (I did get tired of the mayor making speeches), and in the end, Everybody's happy.
If only real life could be a Hallmark movie just once.
I gave it a 7.
Swept Up by Christmas (2019)
Sentimental Hallmark
Sentiment is what Hallmark is all about, so it's no surprise when they make a sentimental movie.
This film about an estate seller and a man who runs a veteran-staffed housecleaning service is just that.
Lindy Booth is always one of my favorites, so I was glad to see she made a Christmas movie this year. I did not find the chemistry between the leads to be strong, but it didn't effect things much.
Good supporting cast, especially the crotchety Alan, who I thought was great.
I would rate this slightly above average.
A Timeless Christmas (2020)
A nice diversion...
... from the usual Hallmark formula.
This movie had an actual plot, and some nice acting as well, especially Ryan Paevey. He inhabited the 1903 transplant very well. If this were real life I'd say he adapted a little too quickly, but it's not real life, and they've only got two hours after all.
Supporting performances were good all around, although I did find the married actors to be one of the oddest couples I've ever seen.
All in all though, I really did enjoy this movie.
Unlocking Christmas (2020)
I have to agree...
...with some of the other reviewers: this was nothing special. The plot barely kept the movie moving forward until it staggered to a Hallmark end.
Steve Lund and Taylor Cole, two old hands at these things, were the only thing that made this worth watching, although the actress who played Liz, the female sidekick, was a bright spot.
It's ok, I certainly wouldn't recommend against watching it, but it's not great.