CHTO76 Reviews

Fellow Travelers (2023)

A mixed bag

[6/10 · 23 January 2024]

As a historical drama featuring two male leads, Hawk (Hawkins) and Tim, I have to admit that Fellow Travelers is a much needed show in 2023 given how little the younger generations know of the struggles and persecutions faced by LGBTQIA persons born before the 80s.

However, as much as I wanted to enjoy this show, I find myself cringing every so often with my partner of over 20 years over some of the most vulgar sex scenes on tv, some venturing well into BDSM. I get that Hawkins and Tim were very much in love, and given how difficult it was for gay men to get together at that time, every opportunity for them to be together was condensed into these fierce, pornographic encounters. But, with the short 8-hour run of this limited series, I wonder if more poignant scenes between the two men were unnecessarily sacrificed in order to make room for the gratuitous nudity and sex, just to satisfy Showtime's TV-MA rating.

The show didn't bother spending time developing Hawk and Tim's relationship, or tried to convince anyone just how two men who are such polar opposites could be together. Therefore, all their encounters seem forced and artificial. There was just too much sex and politics, but too little time actually spent on developing them as people. Oddly enough, the story of the other couple, Marcus and Frankie, was so much better written, believable and fleshed out.

When the credits for the last episode started to roll, all I felt was pity for Tim, in that his entire character was basically written as a submissive to Hawk's predatory nature, and to fill in the gaps of Hawk's life (between the man's 30-year marriage to his wife and two children), nothing more. It's almost as if he didn't exist without Hawk.

Fit for Christmas (2022 TV Movie)

Feels good but overly formulaic

[4/10 · 7 December 2022]

While I've enjoyed countless Christmas movies featuring Paul Greene, I'm afraid this one has got to be one of the watch-and-forget Christmas movies of 2022. I find Griffin (Paul's character) to be very off-putting and sometimes downright condescending toward Audrey (Amanda Kloots), and despite all the charm from Paul and bubbly energy coming from Amanda, watching the two of them getting together just felt off to me. The story sends an usual message to impressionable people out there: that it is totally OK for men to bully and mansplain things to women as long as they are charming and women would still fall for them. The fact that the best friend kept hinting just how good looking Griffin was (we get it) the whole time only made the romantic direction of the movie felt even more forced and unnatural. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Hallmark Christmas movies and all the actors and actresses that have tirelessly put out hundreds of feel-good movies for us year after year, but this one really should've been shelved or at least rewritten before it was green-lit in the first place.

Seduction & Snacks (2021)

A good enough addition to Passioflix

[5/10 · 6 January 2022]

This little flick deserves a 5 out of 10. I've never read the book, but there are plenty of likeable characters to carry you through the film. Sadly, the lead Claire was probably one of the less likable characters in the movie. The casting of Clair's best friend Liz was on-point, but Carter's friend Drew should've been taken out of the movie or rewritten completely. I couldn't tell if it's because the actor who played him was so bad or just that this character was so cliched that it was hard to watch everytime he showed up in the movie.

Claire, the obvious strong woman that she is, is neatly complemented by the beta-ish Carter. I suppose some people might find issues with that but opposites do attract, and not all women dream of getting down and dirty with those alpha-type, chauvinistic males.

My only other beef with the movie is the fact that after awhile, the sex seems to get in the way of the storytelling. Granted both leads are easy on the eye (with and without their clothes on), but with a book an author can take her time to explore the nuances of the characters, and when everything is condensed down to 90 minutes, there is only so much sex you can have before you run out of time to tell the actual story.

Plenty of curses throughout make this movie unsuitable for young children (especially since nearly all of them were uttered by a minor in the film), while there's no actual nudity, there's plenty of humping and self pleasuring to make this not safe for work.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020–2021)

Was this a show about Zombies?

[2/10 · 21 June 2021]

Like so many zombie shows on TV, this is not a show about zombies. Rather, it is a show about 4 teenagers with hoards of cartoon zombies thrown-in. While I've got nothing against shows written specifically for the younger audience, the cheesy dialogues, the snail-paced scripts and the overused teen angst drama made it almost impossible for me to sit through the entire season. The acting was OK considering the material, but none of the characters are remotely interesting given how flat and two-dimensional their backstories are.

I highly doubt any zombie lovers (or anyone who appreciates quality scripted tv) managed to sit through even the pilot episode, but I was on a binge and was able to gulp up the entire Season 1 in 2 days. In case you somehow managed to get past the first 3 episodes, there are post credit scenes at the end of Episodes 4, 6, and 9.

If you have something else better to do, like laundry, please give this a miss. You have been warned.

United States of Al (2021–2022)

Pleasantly surprised

[9/10 · 5 April 2021]

I wasn't exactly sure what kind of show the network intended United States of Al to be, but was glad that I gave the pilot a chance. Compared to so many new comedies that piloted this year, United is a 22-minute of fresh air. There are plenty of likeable characters, and the writers clearly put a lot of heart into the show. Granted some of the jokes are really old, but necessary. There are so many ways the show could've gone wrong - like getting all preachy with all the social issues associated with shows like this, but the writers keep the narrative light while manage to slip in a few lessons for those who are completely clueless without insulting them.

It's disheartening to see that so many of today's comedies rely so much on being loud, crass and stupid to be funny. I'm glad that shows like United still gets made, and hope that it lasts at least a good season.

A California Christmas (2020)

Slow-moving in the beginning but better than most

[6/10 · 15 December 2020]

If you by some miracle have binge-watched every TV Christmas movie made for the year 2020, you will undoubtedly stumble upon A California Christmas.

While the cheesy title and cover-art suggest that it shouldn't be anything more than your typical Hallmark / Lifetime affair, this movie nevertheless managed to hold my attention throughout it's entire 2-hour run.

The story itself is nothing new (rich bad boy falls in love with farm girl etc.), but there is a substantial budget thrown into the production of this movie, so it is very visually pleasing. It is a little too long for my taste, and there were a few cringe-worthy montages to remind us that this movie may have been targeted for a much younger audience.

The best part of the movie is without a doubt the story between the mother and the daughters, but the movie took too long to get there. Netflix obviously tried to bank on the natural good looks of the two leads (there are plenty of suggestive, drawn out scenes in the beginning of the movie to convince the audience just how attractive the actors are), but I personally don't find either of them particularly memorable.

As a warning to parents hoping to add this movie to their viewing list this coming Christmas: this movie is not intended for children. On top of the suggestive scenes already mentioned above, there are also a handful of love scenes with one in particular that are best saved for after the children have gone to bed.

The Christmas Setup (2020 TV Movie)

Finally

[8/10 · 14 December 2020]

While Lifetime in recent years have put many LGBTQ characters in their movies, The Christmas Setup is their first attempt to put a gay couple front and centre. Although the title of the movie is as forgettable as any Hallmark/Lifetime Christmas movies that get churned out faster than superhero reboots, the movie itself is anything but.

Meticulously written, directed, well acted with pleasing visuals and incredible chemistry between the two leads, The Christmas Setup allows its viewers to take a peek into the lives of two people who in most parts of world are still not legally allowed to marry. This movie manages to normalise their relationship so beautifully while at the same time show the world just how loving a relationship between any two people can be, regardless of their orientation or whichever gender they identify with.

Ben Lewis and Blake Lee lit up the screen with every interaction, and Fran Drescher is as adorable as ever. Every gay guy should be so lucky to have a mom like Fran/Kate, much like Sharon Gless as the supermom for Mikey in QAF. Ellen Wong provided the much needed best friend / confidant without being overbearing, and Chad Connell played the straight brother who every gay person out there could only dream of having.

Although this movie was never intended to redefine any particular genre, it didn't need to. The fact that it got greenlit and produced to such high standards indicates a slow but positive steady shift of the world's point-of-view of what love is. Hopefully, more of the same will be made in the future.

Santa's Squad (2020 TV Movie)

Bad soundtrack

[5/10 · 8 December 2020]

Rebecca Dalton shines as Allie, a good-natured teacher laid off due to budget cuts and ended up employed by a wealthy family to decorate their home for Christmas. While there was the obvious potential for the story to go full-on Hallmark after they introduced Allie to Gordon, the overworked single dad (played by the awesome Aaron Ashmore) who neglected his two daughters, there wasn't enough screen time between the two to flesh out their employer-employee relationship, much less anything beyond. Gordon's two daughters, Allie's best friend Tony, Gordon's butler Daniel plus the old couple at the community centre left very little time for any kind of budding Christmas romance.

While the movie adds nothing new to the genre, it was at least warm from start to finish.

The one thing that really bugged me though about this movie was how bad the soundtrack was. While I get that most of these movies don't get enough budget for proper soundtracks, this one sounded cheap and hollow and clashed more than a few times with the pacing and editing, and ruined many pivotal scenes.

I hate to say this but had this movie been a Hallmark production, it would've easily gotten at least 7 stars from me.

Double Holiday (2019 TV Movie)

Not great

[5/10 · 4 December 2020]

Compared to "Mistletoe & Menorahs", this movie is weak. While it's great that Hallmark tries to be inclusive but they need a way better script and more likeable leads. While the scenes with Carly's family are wonderful it was unbelievable that Carly would change her mind about Kris so quickly. They were after all rivals who had to work together and were gunning for the same promotion, and it was obvious from the get-go that they didn't get along and their personalities clashed. I was left scratching my head as the movie wrapped up in the most "Hallmark" way possible.

I guess in a way it's my fault that I decided to watch both movies back to back, but 'Mistletoe & Menorah" is just way better compared to this.

A Royal Christmas Engagement (2020 TV Movie)

Falls flat

[3/10 · 4 December 2020]

Overused storyline made worse by having the lead narrate and give away the ending right at the beginning. It's not like as if anyone watching this don't already know how it's going to end (man gets woman / woman gets man), but the writers for some reason just had to confirm 2 minutes into the movie that we're getting that predictable ending.

There were some passable scenes throughout (when the dialogues were not awful), and the acting was actually ok, but the movie just felt too long at nearly 90 minutes. And some of the secondary characters were redundant and badly written.

This is one Christmas movie you should avoid for 2020. If you're bored and have nothing else to do, please call or facetime someone you haven't spoken to this year, feed your pet or spend that time looking up something better to watch. Do anything else but waste your time with this dud.

A Cheerful Christmas (2019 TV Movie)

Could've been so much more

[5/10 · 18 November 2020]

While I generally know what I'm getting myself into with Hallmark movies, there is just something really off about A Cheerful Christmas that bothered me. Throughout its entire 80-plus minute run, the movie kept reminding us just how different the two leading characters James and Lauren were, and that they had zero chemistry. Yet from out of the blue, James decided to strike up a conversation with Lauren, and they decided to get all cozy with each other after that. Even if one can get over the fact just how bizarre Lauren's character was, James is so stiff that no women like Lauren will continue to pursue him after they got over his looks. And it is even more unbelievable that James would find Lauren attractive, considering her over-the-top behavior was driving him up the wall. The movie gave us no plausible reason for James and Lauren to get together despite their differences. While I understand that a lot of these movies are written and produced very quickly, shouldn't one of the test groups hired by the studio have at least seen this movie in its entirety before it is released? The year 2020 is depressing enough as it is, so If you're planning to binge watch a bunch of Hallmark movies this Christmas, this is the one you should avoid.