Christmas in Connecticut (1992) Rated NR

Posted on April 13, 2024 by laurarachel4

A host of a popular television cooking show is planning to do a live Christmas show – the catch is that she can’t cook. Starring Dyan Cannon, Kris Kristofferson, and Tony Curtis.

This film is a remake of the 1945 film Christmas in Connecticut. It isn’t as good as the original. Each of the films’ premise is how media manipulates the truth. In the original, it’s the star behind the manipulation, but in this film, it’s the producer. Thus, there are more opportunities for the star to tell the truth. She never does, and the rehearsal goes off without the guest knowing that she’s faking it. Then, of course, when she does the show she goes crazy. Why? I don’t know. Its ending just falls apart. It doesn’t make sense, and I’m still wondering how the romance even happened other than you know that it will.  This film misses all the points the original has that make it good. It’s not a comedy, and nothing funny happens. It doesn’t bring the warmth of family, friends, and the reason for the season. This film is not worth the watch. 

Posted in 1992, Christmas Films, Comedy, films, Movie reviews, movies, Rated NR, reviews, Romance | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Rated NR

Posted on April 12, 2024 by laurarachel4

A widowed lawyer in 1930s Alabama defends a black man accused of rape. Based on the book by Harper Lee. Starring Gregory Peck, John Megna, and Frank Overton.

This is a classic film. It’s held up over time due to the faithful portrayal of the book. The cinematography is a brilliant black and white, and the actors are brilliant as well. Their performances are what make the film stand the test of time. It also showcases the reality of the prejudices of the time. As with the book, the film takes on the realities of prejudice through the eyes of a child. There are times when the pacing is a little on the slow side, but it does pick up as the film moves along. It’s a film that everyone should watch in their lifetime. It’s worth the watch.

Posted in 1962, Based on a Novel, Crime, Drama, films, Movie reviews, movies, Rated NR, reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New This Week in Theaters, April 11, 2024

Posted on April 11, 2024 by laurarachel4

 

Civil War (2024) - IMDb Civil War (R)
Opens on Friday, April 12
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny

In the near future, a group of war journalists attempt to survive while reporting the truth as the United States stands on the brink of civil war.

Arcadian (2024) - IMDb Arcadian (R)
Opens on Friday, April 12
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jaeden Martell, Maxwell Jenkins

A father and his twin sons must survive an attack on their remote farmhouse.

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (2024 film) - Wikipedia Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (R)
Opens on Friday, April 12
Starring: Simone Joy Jones, Patricia Williams, Jermaine Fowler

17 year old Tanya’s plans for a carefree summer are derailed when her stressed-to-the-limit mom takes off for a wellness retreat and puts Tanya and her three siblings in the charge of a crotchety (and racist) old babysitter. The babysitter’s sudden death leaves the kids short on cash and reluctant to pull mom prematurely out of her much-needed R&R, so Tanya is forced to get a job. Posing as an adult, she gets a gig as the executive assistant at a fashion company and overnight is thrust into the world of adulthood and parenting.

Sting (2024) - IMDb Sting (R)
Opens on Friday, April 12
Starring: Ryan Corr, Alyla Browne, Penelope Mitchell

After raising an unnervingly talented spider in secret, 12-year-old Charlotte must face the truth about her pet and fight for her family’s survival.

The Long Game (2024) - IMDb The Long Game (PG)
Opens on Friday, April 12
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Dennis Quaid, Cheech Marin

In a segregated Texas, five Mexican-American teenage caddies were prohibited from playing at the country club where they worked. Against all odds, they formed their own team, built a one-hole course in the fields, and won the 1957 Texas State championship. Based on a true story.

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Christmas at the Opry (2023) Rated NR

Posted on April 11, 2024 by laurarachel4

Country Artists perform holiday hits at the Grand Old Opry. Starring Trace Adkins, Lauren Alaina, and Breland.

This is one of the many concerts on TV during the holiday season. It’s traditional in every way. The artists sing their favorite holiday songs, and they talk about their favorite Christmas memories. It’s one of the better shows as the musicians sound beautiful and sharing their memories and favorite things about the holiday just makes them seem as normal as the rest of us. If you are one for holiday music and the joy of the season, this special is worth the watch. 

Posted in 2023, Music, Rated NR, reviews, Tv Shows, TV Special | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Manhunt (Discovery) Rated TV-14

Posted on April 10, 2024 by laurarachel4

An in-depth look at the FBI’s tracking down of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. Starring Sam Worthington, Jeremy Bobb, and Desmond Harrington.

This miniseries is intriguing and interesting as the FBI tries to figure out who the Unabomber is. This miniseries is more like a fictional take on a true story. I’m not sure how much of the story is true, but it is amazing how they finally figured out that Ted Kaczynski was the Unabomber. I did question some of the casting of characters: some are hits and some are misses. It is interesting to look at the start of criminal profiling and how they worked out who it might be, making the series worth the watch.

Posted in 2017, Biography, Crime, Discovery, Rated TV-14, reviews, Tv Shows | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christmas at the Chateau (2019) Rated TV-PG

Posted on April 9, 2024 by laurarachel4

 Three sisters try to save their beloved home from the bank before Christmas. Starring Kinsey Leigh Redmond, Justen Jones, and Jeffrey Staab. 

This film has a lot of the basic Christmas movie themes. We have the big bad bank coming to take the family home that has been in the family for years. Then you have a You’ve Got Mail romance happening between the loan shark and the librarian sister, who’s working hard at trying to keep the family home. The storyline isn’t bad, but this film is terrible. It’s the worst I’ve seen in filmmaking in a long time. It might be a first film, and if it is – keep trying. The editing is bad; there were scenes cut into other scenes that hadn’t happened yet. I actually had to rewind the film multiple times to understand what I was seeing since it made no sense with the scene that was playing. In addition to a bad script, there are multiple times when the songs don’t match the tone of the scene. To top it off, there are bad camera angles and bad lighting. In fact, the poor lighting always took me for a loop – I was like, “Is my TV dying?” Then I realized that it only happened on one angle. Oops.

To bring it back to the bad writing, I’ll mention the father character. I could never understand anything about him. It’s crazy: he’s there and then not. It was like he died, but yet, there’s no mention of the death – and then he’s there. When we finally get to one of the last scenes, the father tries to lead his daughter to God. I loved it, but since there was no mention of God before in the film, it felt out of place. I loved the scene, but it was just another jarring point in the film.

The film is like a person learning how to drive a manual car.  It’s weird. There are more problems with the writing, especially with the loan manager. I could never figure out his character – is he sweet or a loan shark? He’s introduced as a sweet guy that loves his son, but as he goes to work, he doesn’t know anyone’s name and is fine with forcing people out of their businesses. No wonder the librarian can’t figure out his character. I will say, I did like the moral of the story – that none of us are perfect, but we still love each other just the way we are. Overall, however, this film is not worth the watch. 

Posted in 2019, Christmas Films, Comedy, Drama, films, Movie reviews, movies, Rated TV-PG, reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

New This Week on DVD, April 9, 2024

Posted on April 9, 2024 by laurarachel4

 

 Night Swim (PG-13)

Forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness, former baseball player Ray Waller moves into a new house with his wife and two children. He hopes that the backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids and provide physical therapy for himself. However, a dark secret from the home’s past soon unleashes a malevolent force that drags the family into the depths of inescapable terror. Starring Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amelie Hoeferle

 Lisa Frankenstein (PG-13)

In 1989, a misunderstood teenager has a high school crush — who just happens to be a handsome corpse! After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness…and a few missing body parts along the way. Starring Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano

 It’s a Wonderful Knife (R)

Winnie’s life is less than wonderful one year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve. When she wishes she was never born, she finds herself magically transported to a nightmarish parallel universe. With the murderous maniac now back, she must team up with a misfit to identify the culprit and get back to her own reality. Starring Jane Widdop, Jess McLeod, Joel McHale

 Doom Patrol: The Complete Fourth Season (NR)

Doom Patrol focuses on elite heroes such as Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-girl, and Crazy Jane. The team is led by scientist Dr. Niles Caulder, also known as The Chief. Each member encountered terrifying incidents in their lives that led to their superhuman capabilities. These powers came with a price, however, as they are now disabled in some form. The Chief shines light into their otherwise dark worlds and provides them with a deeper purpose after discovering a great threat to the Earth. Starring Diane Guerrero, April Bowlby, Joivan Wade

 Fallen Leaves (UR)

In modern-day Helsinki, two lonely souls in search of love meet by chance in a karaoke bar. However, their path to happiness is beset by obstacles – from lost phone numbers to mistaken addresses, alcoholism, and a charming stray dog. Starring Alma Poysti, Jussi Vatanen, Janne Hyytiainen

 Finestkind (R)

Two brothers from opposite sides of the tracks are reunited as adults. Desperate circumstances force them into a deal with an organized crime syndicate in Boston, and a young women gets caught in the middle. Starring Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega
Tommy Lee Jones, Tim Daly

 SkyMed – Season Two (TV-14)

Skymed is a Canadian medical drama television series created by Julie Puckrin. The series follows the lives of budding nurses and pilots flying air ambulances in remote Northern Canada. The series explores the high-stakes medical rescues, heartbreaks, and tribulations of these young professionals as they learn to work together under pressure. Starring Natasha Calis, Morgan Holmstrom, Praneet Akilla

 Which Brings Me to You (NC-17)

Two romantic burnouts, Jane and Will, are immediately drawn to each other at a mutual friend’s wedding. After a disastrous hookup in the coatroom, the two spend the next 24 hours together, trading candid confessions of messy histories and heartbreak, on the off chance that this fling might be the real thing. Starring Lucy Hale, Nat Wolff, John Gallagher Jr.

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Loaded (AMC) Rated NR

Posted on April 8, 2024 by laurarachel4

Four friends become millionaires when they sell their video game company. Starring Jim Howick, Samuel Anderson, and Nick Helm.

This show is like Halt and Catch Fire, but it’s the British version. However, I wasn’t as impressed with this show; I just wasn’t intrigued with the characters. I couldn’t care less what happened to them. Most of the storylines aren’t strong enough to carry the show. Overall, it just didn’t have enough heart to really make the characters worth caring about, and the writing wasn’t enough to make the storylines worth pursuing. The show is basically watching a group of grown men goofing off, and it’s not worth the watch for that.

Posted in 2017, AMC, British Films, Comedy, Drama, Rated NR, reviews, Tv Shows | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christmas at Dollywood (2019) Rated TV-G

Posted on April 7, 2024 by laurarachel4

 An event planner travels home for Christmas and ends up doing an event for Dollywood. Starring Danica McKellar, Niall Matter, and Zoë Noelle Baker. 

This film is a wonderful commercial for Dollywood and all things Dolly Parton. The writing isn’t the best; although, the chemistry between McKellar and Matter is wonderful. McKellar is the charm of Hallmark. She is the perfect girl-next-door, which is ideal for the Hallmark films. While McKellar is also wonderful, the film is lacking in the storyline. It’s just too traditionally Hallmark with the overzealous Dolly. Not that I have anything against Dolly, it just stuck out like a sore thumb. It was like a third lead that just didn’t belong. This is one that’s not worth the watch. 

Posted in 2019, Christmas Films, Drama, Family, films, Hallmark Movies, Movie reviews, movies, Rated TV-G, reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bird of Paradise (1951) Rated NR

Posted on April 6, 2024 by laurarachel4

An island princess falls in love with a Frenchman against her family’s wishes. Starring Debra Paget, Louis Jourdan, and Jeff Chandler. 

This is a beautiful film. However, it’s not perfect; the script has some issues with consistency. It starts with a slow pace, but as the story unfolds, we see thet it’s a love story with many complexities. A man from the modern world falls for  a lady from the simple life with traditions that go back generations. He tries to learn those traditions in order to win his bride. This film made me enjoy Jourdan all the more, watching his character’s love for the woman and how he tries to learn their ways while at times struggling with the decisions that are made about his life. It’s a wonderful story of two worlds colliding together to see if it is possible to blend the two. It’s worth the watch. 

Posted in 1951, Adventure, Drama, films, Movie reviews, movies, Rated NR, reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment