d-robold Reviews

Family Practice Mysteries: Coming Home (2024 TV Movie)

Better Than Some

[6/10 · 19 May 2024]

I really looked forward to this movie. The premise was interesting and, frankly, several of Hallmark's latest entries were really bad. One of my problems here was the female lead who was "staying strong" for her children but projected emotionless concern. She was so in control that even when she fostered a patient's dog, it was cold and cautious. Her 2 children want a dog-high schoolers-but she keeps saying it's a big responsibility over and over. No response to the possibility that perhaps they need the pet to help them heal. She has to assess and reassess everything by what she thinks. Bringing home a puppy without involving the children at the end? I guess it keeps her in control. She pushes for an autopsy of a patient who died suddenly, again it all seems intellectual. When she and the detective, obviously, go beyond just looking at the case, it felt forced. Why move forward on the personal level when just solving the case would suffice? She's widowed, served in Afghanistan and has 2 children. Adjustment time, please. This series shows promise but needs warmth. Lastly-why are offices and homes so poorly lighted! I don't sit in a dark doctor's office.

A Biltmore Christmas (2023 TV Movie)

Throughly Enjoyable

[9/10 · 27 November 2023]

A really lovely movie. Beautifully filmed and acted. The pace was perfection, the costumes were wonderful. The leads had great chemistry, indeed, the whole cast was amazing. Hallmark seems to do very well with time related and/or historic venue movies. The settings and ambience add something very special. A Timeless Christmas, Christmas at the Ritz, and Jolly Good Christmas are some of my favorites. These movies have a sense of magic and beauty that a lot of the silly, semi-romantic comedies seem to gloss over. Even if moments are predictable., I still wanted to see them acted out. Thank you, Hallmark, for Christmas Magic.

Mystery Island (2023 TV Movie)

Blah

[4/10 · 8 October 2023]

I usually enjoy watching Elizabeth Henstridge. Agents of Shield was good. Her Christmas movie, Christmas at the Ritz on Hallmark, was lovely. This movie was a mess. Boring, no tension, no real character development, and the giggling by the two female leads was like nails on a chalkboard. Appropriate for teens and 20 something's but not grown women. Ridiculous chases, unbelievable switches in "who did it", weak plot, lack of real connection to anyone. Frankly, this movie put me to sleep. A lovely deep sleep. Beautiful scenery and the house was wonderful. I slept through the middle but watched the end and do not feel that I missed anything. I went back and ran it again just to be certain, but sleeping was a better idea. Hallmark clunker.

The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango (2023 TV Movie)

Flatline

[4/10 · 7 June 2023]

Stale story, stale dialogue, mediocre acting, drab costumes, bad hair and make-up. Beautiful scenery. I picked out the murderer as soon as they were introduced.

It's hard to make Lacey Chabert look bad, but this movie managed to do that. The storyline was poor, the dialogue tedious, and the costumes and hairstyles aged her. I usually love her movies but this one was a huge disappointment. So predictable. Sadly lacking in connection among the characters, especially the lead characters. No spark, no magic. No need for another in this series. The Crossword Mysteries were so much better. Will Kemp was entertaining as a dancer and teacher, but the storyline did him no favors. Second banana character instead of a lead. His performance in Jolly Good Christmas was delightful and much more memorable. He deserves better, we all do.

Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (2023 TV Movie)

A very dry cake

[4/10 · 25 May 2023]

I really looked forward to this movie. It's been an enjoyable series. Been. This movie made me dislike Hannah. She was obsessed with solving the mystery to the point that she ignored her fiancé's advice, job, and feelings. The reason for her involvement and need to find the murderer was oddly out of character. It was also obvious she did not want to move forward with her wedding . The chemistry between Hannah and Her fiancée was lacking, felt forced. "Let's just enjoy being engaged for a while" was odd considering the previous connection they had. There was no joy or optimism in their interactions. The wry humor Hannah projects was also missing. Thi This was dry carrot cake that needed the cream cheese frosting of good writing and connections.

Curious Caterer: Grilling Season (2023 TV Movie)

Blah

[4/10 · 12 February 2023]

I miss the Hailey Dean series. While I like the actors in this new series, so far they just fail to make this new mystery stand out. There is no connection to the audience and the pacing is so deliberate, and slow, that it's borderline boring. Also annoying. Too many stupid plot holes and mistakes. When the detective is told by the caterer that her ex "wouldn't do that, you have to listen to me", it's just dumb. She is not a trained investigator, keeps inserting herself into the investigation, and actually removes what might be important evidence by herself, without informing anyone (much less the police), and sits in her car to look over the papers! The Murder Board the two women concoct faces the windows and glass door where everyone enters her home? The murderer, easily identified in the first 20 minutes, injects the heroine not once but twice in a short time, twice and she's wide awake when the detective arrives to save her? The bumbling sidekick to the detective who allows potential evidence to be carried into the police station by civilians, and didn't even escort them? Come on! Tighten up the plots, give the characters more personality, and put some life and believability into this series.

NCIS: Big Rig (2023) Season 20, Episode 12

Simply dreadful

[2/10 · 27 January 2023]

Flat, flimsy, fruitless, flavorless, flawed. Building the episode around Torres was a waste. Neither the plot nor Wilmer Valderrama were believable. The acting never had the depth needed, even if the writing had been more than mediocre. The entire cast seemed to be just going through the motions for this entry. Tired plot, tired acting. No intensity, no tension, nothing to see here. And, for crying out loud, how many times did we have to hear the bartender call Torres "Handsome"! What happened to NCIS cases? The subplot of McGee going on a game show was only good for the ending scene. Kasie quizzing him using game show format in the middle of a murder investigation? No! Don't know where the so called writers came up with this clunker but someone at CBS needs to trade them in on some new models.

Christina in the Country (2023– )

Too much

[4/10 · 20 January 2023]

Too much of everything. Too much Christina, too cutesy, too much money when people are struggling to pay rent. Way over the top. Everyone SMILES about everything, even when they seem to be overruled on ideas and budget. Huge budgets. From what I've seen after two episodes, although Christina enthuses about being in Tennessee, it's all California Coastal inside. Very expensive redesigning. Talking country and wearing boots has nothing to do with designs, but she repeats "country chic" over and over, perhaps assuming the viewers will believe it. White is the primary color. White walls, blindingly white smiles, white boots. Boring.

So Help Me Todd (2022–2024)

Irritating

[2/10 · 8 January 2023]

Would love to see some grownups in this show. Seems like a 15 year old's version of idiotic, immature adults. Todd is a self absorbed, childish, whiny, and generally unlikable. He has moments in each episode when he pulls pieces of the case together and is trying hard, but then the writers always seem to send him back to the level of a teenager. He doesn't pay bills, he freeloads off his sister and mother, he expects everything to be his, even his sister's cereal. The whining about everything is atrocious.

While I like the actress playing the mother, her character is another overdone, irritating mess. Selfish, cold most of the time, domineering, oblivious, and entitled. Her moments of reality are more frequent and she seems to be thawing. Maybe there's hope?

The doctor daughter seems the most grounded and more human, but f her brother is living in her garage, how can she ban Todd from her house to use use the bathroom? Too many odd problems in this series to be really enjoyable so far.

My Southern Family Christmas (2022 TV Movie)

Wonderful

[9/10 · 3 December 2022]

This was a wonderful movie. All the characters worked well together and there was just the right mix of heart, hope, hurt, and happiness. Not the traditional Santa-heartbroken hero or heroine-go back to your teen or college crush movie. Jaicy Elliot and Bruce Campbell are such talented actors and played their roles perfectly. We laughed and cried. The ending was great. Every Christmas movie that Bruce Campbell is in seems to be out of the ordinary and delightful. This is the second movie with Jaicy Elliot I have seen this year on Hallmark, and I hope there are many more. She is outstanding. This movie is one I will watch several times and look forward to seeing in years to come.

A Magical Christmas Village (2022 TV Movie)

Missed the mark

[4/10 · 18 November 2022]

Allison Sweeney and Luke Macfarlane are better than this forced and fairly empty mess. Too easy to solve issues, too sappy and sugary and disgustingly sweet. Hallmark took an outline and filled it in with fluff and nonsense, but no heart. Why does the network feel it necessary to churn out mediocre junk in great numbers rather than make fewer but much better movies? The magic Christmas village was a wasted element that was tossed into the story to provide Christmas Magic? It didn't. I found Marlo Thomas's dated hippy philosophy and preachy tendencies distracting and annoying. (As was her plastic surgery face, especially as I am old enough to remember That Girl). I couldn't wait for the movie to end. It won't be on many Do Not Miss lists next year.

Mid-Love Crisis (2022 TV Movie)

Meh

[3/10 · 16 October 2022]

Irritating. Teri Hatcher moaning incessantly about turning 50, her 23 year old daughter's relationship, life choices made and un-made, moan, groan, sigh. Her ex-husband is exactly the same. Her high school boyfriend (naturally, this is Hallmark) is back and lived the carefree adventurous life and then slid easily in to single parenting his teen niece, but thinks Teri Hatcher is beautiful and wonderful, except when she's trying to stop her daughter and his niece's proposal. Shocking. Ex-husband suddenly wants her back and she's caught between 2 men. Oh my-who will she choose (that's sarcasm)? The ex-husband overplayed his reactions to his daughter's plans. The daughter and niece are 23! They were the most likable characters. This movie missed connection, empathy, reality, and a sense of sweetness. Another big miss by Hallmark.

Fire Country (2022– )

Too much

[4/10 · 16 October 2022]

This seems to be more soap opera than drama. Too much interpersonal story, too many personal stories, two fathers who need to grow up and get over themselves, and just too much of everything. I don't hold out much hope for this show after 2 episodes. I would rather see stories about fires, fire camps, firefighters, and their training than soap opera lives of the self important, egotistical, idiotic characters. Another item in my agenda is that only the women seem to mature enough to be likable. Diane Farr has the best character so far, with Jules Latimer the other character that might keep me watching at least one more episode. Their acting is convincing and far surpasses the male leads.

Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths (2022 TV Movie)

S. L O W

[4/10 · 7 October 2022]

This (obvious) series might have made a good 1 hour Murser She Wrote, but it did not need 2 hours. I picked out the guilty person in the first 30 minutes. The obnoxious, self-important police detective was such a cliche and an irritant. The absolutely predictable relationship between the sisters gave no surprises, and their "Oh, you left me here alone" and "Oh, I couldn't stay, it was too painful", was overdone and repetitive. Stop beating the viewers over the head with things. Some warmth between characters before the ending moments would be welcome. Really hoping the next installment will be better.

Francesca Quinn, PI (2022 TV Movie)

Flat

[4/10 · 28 September 2022]

We had high hopes for this new mystery, but somehow it just never quite got past Ho-hum. The actors all seemed to be reciting their lines, without putting life in to their characters. The pace and story were oddly put together, the background music reminded me of B movies from the 1950's, and I'm not certain my husband and I would watch another movie in this series. Compared to the ones that are no longer produced, such as Hailey Dean, The Gourmet Detective, or McBride, this lacked warmth, charm, and a sense of connection to the audience. My husband picked out the killer fairly early. I stopped caring fairly early.

Rosemary & Thyme: The Gooseberry Bush (2006) Season 3, Episode 6

Abysmal

[1/10 · 30 August 2022]

Do not watch this episode unless you really want to tear out your hair, release any thoughts of even a hint of reality, and be unhappy that ANYONE thought this should be on the air. The writers, if there were any, should be forced to watch this for an entire 24 hours, nonstop. The actors should have gone on strike rather than be involved in something so worthless and stupid. Our gardening detectives should have been arrested, along with most of the characters in the story. The treatment of the baby was stupid, idiotic, and criminal. An insult to the viewers. As a former police officer, Laura Thyme certainly knew better than to handle the weapon or leave a found baby alone in a car after he was discovered on the ground. Rosemary Boxer exclaiming that 20 miles was too far to take the baby to the police station was incredibly stupid. Then neither of them told the police about the baby after a murder takes place!!! Then Laura left the baby in an unlocked room to get a package? Someone who was a police officer AND a mother would not do this. Bad episode.

Romance in Style (2022 TV Movie)

Full of Life

[9/10 · 14 August 2022]

Instead of a typical, stale plot, this movie made statements without preaching, and the romance was secondary. The chemistry between the leads was not forced or cringeworthy, but easy and believable. The lead actors were so natural and really likable that the story was a pleasure to watch. The movie flowed beautifully and I sincerely hope Hallmark makes more of these types of movies.

Almost Paradise (2020– )

Fun

[9/10 · 2 July 2022]

Easy to watch. Great cast. Wish there were more episodes; my husband and I enjoy watching this. Humor, and crimes, what's not to like? If you liked Leverage or Burn Notice, this will appeal.

Feeling Butterflies (2022 TV Movie)

Too Much

[4/10 · 18 April 2022]

Too much CGI. Too much juvenile competing between the supposedly grown women running butterfly businesses. Emily's father and best guy friend are too invested in her finding a husband. Garrett's father wants him to find a wife. The ex-girlfriend is too intent on her vision of reuniting and living the life she wants. The leads are too busy letting past lives keep them from moving forward, or being just too cute for words. The information about butterflies was the best part of the movie.

A Second Chance at Love (2022 TV Movie)

Good, but..

[6/10 · 16 April 2022]

I liked everyone in this movie except the daughter. Gloria Ruben and Eric LaSalle were excellent. Jarod Joseph, BJ Harrison, and Latonya Williams added great performances but the daughter's character, played with annoying mediocrity by Alvina August, was a very sour note. To be fair, I think the writing for her character was annoying, superficial, and far too focused on seeing her world as dependent on her ideas and decisions. I wish the story had been more focused on the parents; theirs was a much better plot.

Presence of Love (2022 TV Movie)

Lovely

[8/10 · 26 March 2022]

What a wonderful change of pace! This movie had depth, understanding, a steady pace and excellent acting. Such a relief from the annoyingly formulaic movies usually presented. No old boyfriend, no high heels, no saving the old bakery, festival, tree... here we had a lovely background, intertwining stories and themes, well developed characters, and a movie that was complex yet simple. It stays with me and I'll think about this one for a long time.

The Wedding Veil Legacy (2022 TV Movie)

Lost the magic

[4/10 · 6 March 2022]

Good cast but overlong, overdone, and repetitive. I grew to hate the phrase "Now do you believe in the veil/magic/legend?" I really enjoyed the supporting cast, and the completion of the story of the veil. A lot of the restaurant business, inaccuracies about food, and cutsie girl stuff was a jarring note. It felt like a lot of filler to finish the story off, and the subtle magic of the veil was on the back burner. I would rather have seen more about the sister, mother and grandmother than getting restaurants up and running, apartment redecorating, and meals. I hope there is more to follow this trilogy, but don't forget the magic next time.

Cut, Color, Murder (2022 TV Movie)

Flatline

[5/10 · 15 February 2022]

Give me back Hailey Dean, Hannah Swenson, or The Chronicles. This was just a flatline movie. First it's so cutesy, then it becomes harder and harder to like either of the leads, too many people look alike, and it's just a trite and very tired attempt to bring in a new series. I did not feel any chemistry among the cast. It's not hard to predict revelations coming in the second installment, her photos at the end were a dead giveaway. We are watching more and more Brit Box and Acorn these days.

The Winter Palace (2022 TV Movie)

Ho-hum

[3/10 · 20 January 2022]

If this is what to expect, I'm very disappointed. Tired, trite, boring, predictable, phony, and just plain dumb. I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't. Juvenile at best. Not worth watching again.

Where Your Heart Belongs (2022 TV Movie)

Run, do not walk, away from this drivel

[2/10 · 3 January 2022]

Unlikable. Horrible. Ghastly mess. If it isn't bad enough that Hallmark decided Christmas started before Halloween, the first new non-Christmas movie shown in 2022 is dreadful. Unbelievable plot. Other than the bride and groom, basically unlikable characters. I had seen the same preview for this movie countless times earlier, and should have followed my instincts and ignored this irritating offering. Hallmark really needs to make their executives and writers watch the older movies that were made with heart, intelligence, and a desire to present the very best. Quality over quantity.