dsklodginski Reviews

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

More Will Kemp

[7/10 · 12 June 2023]

Maybe it's the British accent and dancer's.confidence but I really like Will Kemp in Hallmark movies. I also like Lacey Chabert a lot and generally like the movies in which she stars.

But they were not well served by this mystery - if you can call it that. I did like really cute clever bit of calling him names of other detectives which added to the their banter as well the beautiful black and white dancing sequence. However I fail to see how a Dancing Detective can really continue to be a thing. It really was a waste of the lovely Malta setting. So to meet the IMDB required characters I will say that that I loved the characters but the mystery not so much but will continue to watch Hallmark movies with Will Kemp and Lacey Chabert.

At Midnight (2023)

Just go with it

[7/10 · 25 February 2023]

If you're looking for a pleasant way to spend an hour and half and not tax your brain try this movie. It's definitely in the Hallmark mode and even has believable chemistry between the main leads. I especially like Monica Barbaro who has had roles on 2 shows I liked that were cancelled Splitting Up Together and Stumptown as well as some others. The supporting cast was good although I thought the agent was a bit cringeworthy. I liked the Spanish/English dialogue but I would've like subtitles in the English speaking parts. The setting was also quite lovely. However it felt Paramount definitely made a low budget movie compared to Netflix or Prime. Still as a whole I liked this movie and rated as a tv movie.

Moriah's Lighthouse (2022 TV Movie)

Worth watching

[7/10 · 19 June 2022]

Could've been an 8 if Rachelle Lefvre's accent hadn't been so bothersome and inconsistent. The secondary characters were French and it showed in the dialogue. Otherwise I liked the leads a lot enjoyed the story well enough and loved the beautiful scenery. So nice to see a movie that reflects the actual location.

Hidden Gems (2022 TV Movie)

Wonderful scenery

[8/10 · 5 June 2022]

Nice job, Hallmark. Loved the Hawaii setting and enjoyed the story. It was great to see some new actors that seemed natural and believable. I did think the main male character seemed to make a quick turnaround with his attitude but it was a minor point. It is a Hallmark movie after all.

Christmas Takes Flight (2021 TV Movie)

Say yes to Katie Lowes

[7/10 · 29 December 2021]

Generally a pleasant movie. Of course it had the antagonistic leads and the build up to a crisis but the story was enjoyable enough. It was well served by the actors who were very natural esp the wonderful Katie Lowes.

Making Spirits Bright (2021 TV Movie)

Pleasant way to pass time

[8/10 · 18 December 2021]

I almost didn't watch this based on the negative reviews but it was pleasant enough to watch. I liked the seemingly easy compatibility of the leads and the other family members seems genuine, The tech lighting guy was annoying as he was meant to be - I'm glad I don't have lights like that in my neighborhood. I don't really pay any attention to the snow situation that seems to bother others. I would agree that the subplot with the business partner seemed unnecessary.

A Christmas Together with You (2021 TV Movie)

7.5

[8/10 · 29 November 2021]

Sweet, easy movie. Some people thought this was boring but I enjoyed the low key story that was a bit different. Also I thought all the actors were spot on.

Gingerbread Miracle (2021 TV Movie)

7.5

[8/10 · 27 November 2021]

Enjoyable movie with an ethnic twist. I actually liked the fact that there was a romance without any of the usual 'misunderstanding' that adds fake tension. The actors were believable although I didn't care much for the 'French' baker. The Hispanic bakery was a nice change. Probably not quite an 8 but I liked it better than the inoffensive ones I give a 7 to.

Sealed with a Kiss: Wedding March 6 (2021 TV Movie)

What else can happen?

[6/10 · 4 September 2021]

I haven't watched any of the other movies so there's that. So I didn't know about all the missing characters and previous situations. I actually liked all the couples well enough but the multiple wedding disasters coupled with the ever escalating 'celebrity' wedding was definitely over the top. I think the artsy cake guy was supposed to be funny but fell flat. Everyone deserved a better story.

Robin Hood (2018)

Oh my

[4/10 · 20 May 2020]

I honestly didn't think this movie could be as bad as most of the reviews I read but I was wrong. What a disappointment and waste of talented actors. There are so many things wrong starting with the very strange costuming and setting. I tried to watch it once before and made it about 30 minutes but this time I forced myself to watch the entire movie to give it a fair chance. Big mistake.

Like a Boss (2020)

Watch on tv

[5/10 · 25 April 2020]

Honestly it wasn't that bad, it just wasn't very funny. There were a few moments deserving of a smile but that was about it. Basically I had it on while I was checking out emails. It was my free redbox movie so I guess it was 90 cents and a fair enough price. It was quite short so at least it didn't drag on.

The Christmas Club (2019 TV Movie)

Blugh

[5/10 · 1 January 2020]

I have slogged thru a few lame Hallmark movies this season but this one was just plain irritating. I wanted to like it because of Elizabeth Mitchell and Cameron Mathison but not only was the story too far fetched even for Hallmark it was way out there. And Elizabeth Mitchell oh my I guess she was so wimpy because she was supposed to be a 'dreamy' dance teacher but she was hard to watch. Give me Jill Wagner any time.

Little Women (2019)

Greta does it again

[8/10 · 12 December 2019]

I saw Little Women tonight courtesy of a preview at my local theater. It was cleverly written by Greta Gerwig especially her use of flashbacks to tell the traditional story interspersed with a later one instead of a strictly linear retelling. The entire cast was outstanding with Saoirse Ronan leading the way. Definitely worth paying for!

Sailing Into Love (2019 TV Movie)

Probably too generous

[6/10 · 26 May 2019]

I did enjoy the scenery and setting a lot which is why I gave it a 6 and stuck with it. The story seemed somewhat more unbelievable than most hallmark movies. I liked the lead actor although he seemed a bit too casual to be former military. The lead actress's voice almost did me in but I managed to ignore it after a while. It wasn't a total waste of time but there are better movies on this channel.

The Patriarch (2016)

Heartfelt

[7/10 · 29 March 2018]

This was a mostly entertaining, enjoyable movie. The story revolves around a curmudgeonly old man who after being kicked out of his retirement home goes to live with his youngest son in his somewhat unconventional home. After adjustments are made by everyone involved, conflicts are solved and satisfactory ending results. It certainly wasn't groundbreaking but a pleasant way to pass some time.

Enchanted (2007)

somewhat confused by some ratings

[8/10 · 4 December 2007]

Ye gads! Some people must have seen a different movie than I did. I found Enchanted to be a great deal of fun, the music captivating, the actors sublime....yet a number of voters chose to rate it a 1. It's understandable that someone may not have loved it as much as I did but to rate it that poorly? All I can say is that if you are trying to decide if you want to see this movie, you are in for a treat. The movie pokes gentle fun at the princess looking for her prince while a man who has been wounded in love is willing to settle for steady and stable. Of course they find that things are not always as they seem on the surface. The blending of animation and live action with a wink to setting the animated characters in reality was perfect due in part to the excellent casting. Kudos to all who made this work so well.

Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000)

excellent, but...

[8/10 · 24 April 2005]

I liked this movie a lot - the characters were engrossing & the music wonderful. But.. and it's a big one, the DVD version that I saw is horribly subtitled. The sentence structure is garbled, words are misspelled and worst of all the subtitles flash by on the screen and sometimes cannot be read even with the speed set at slow plus often times they are way behind the action on the screen. It's really a shame because it is a contemporary & culturally interesting adaptation of Sense & Sensibilty if you can see your way clear of the subtitles. This is actually one time I would have preferred a dubbed version. Perhaps with the success of Bride and Prejudice someone will see fit to release this movie with the subtitles it deserves.

The Pallbearer (1996)

i liked it

[6/10 · 9 July 2003]

I wasn't sure what to expect about this movie. I remembered that it was a "bomb" when it appeared in theatres so I kept passing it by at the video store. It's often out but I'm glad that I took the time to watch it. I thought the characters were appealing & the situations they found themselves in rang true. A 25 year old floundering around, messing up with his friends was fitting. David Schwimmer isn't my favorite but the movie played to his strengths, and you can see that Gwyneth is due to break out as a star plus the rest of the cast is solid. I am especially glad that I didn't read the comments until I saw the movie. I see the negative points but if you approach the movie as a quirky romantic comedy with a dark twist you will be entertained & laugh & smile some too.

When Brendan Met Trudy (2000)

nostalgic

[8/10 · 22 February 2003]

I saw this movie a while back and was thinking about it again the other day. It took me a minute to remember the title - I had forgotten that the great,witty Irish writer Roddy Doyle penned the script. It was a clever, well-acted romance with a wonderful score. What's the problem? Well, you can't rent it in the US & it's not for sale anywhere around here (except Amazon-Germany). The soundtrack never was for sale. All of this is too bad because this movie was one-up on a number of the romantic comedies around now. So should the opportunity arise that you can view this delightful movie, by all means, do so.

Princess Mononoke (1997)

what did they do?

[8/10 · 24 January 2003]

It was a lovely movie, but many of the voices seemed jarringly out of place. This seemed to be reinforced by the dialogue that sounded too contemporary. To me, this is a strong case against dubbed movies. I also didn't realize until after I read some other comments that the spirit of the story was better served by the English (not hearing impaired) captions. I had tried to watch part of the movie with those but it was too distracting that the spoken & written didn't match - a problem I don't have when the spoken language is not English. I still would highly recommend it - it does merit viewing even with the negative dialogue factor.

Tadpole (2002)

short

[7/10 · 22 January 2003]

This was an amusing, witty film with great acting. Sure it's pretentious and presents the perfect view of NYC as does Woody Allen but it's certainly worth a rental & 1 1/2 hour of your time. So just relax and go for it.

Birthday Girl (2001)

why so critical

[8/10 · 14 August 2002]

I rented this movie with some apprehension because of the number of negative comments. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The acting was great and the story was entertaining. If you go into the movie expecting to be amused and not totally swept away you will enjoy this movie. Be sure and watch the music video of Nicole and Robbie Williams singing "Something Stupid"-it's fun.

Gabriela (2001)

not overwhelmed

[6/10 · 26 June 2002]

I was certainly not overwhelmed by this movie. I rented the video without knowing anything about Gabriela, and honestly wish I had waited until it was on the favorites shelf. In its defense I did find the actors very appealing, and the story line was decent but I thought the lighting was terrible & distracting. Also as there were no subtitles for the Spanish dialogue (even when they were in Mexico) I can only guess what the mother? said to Gabriela. All in all it was only a step above fair at best.

Death to Smoochy (2002)

I liked it.

[8/10 · 9 April 2002]

Saw this movie in spite of the bad reviews because of some of the comments here. The humor was certainly dark but mostly funny. The songs written for the movie were hilarious as were Robin Williams and Edward Norton. It's not the best movie ever but I'm glad I threw caution to wind - it was certainly worth the cost of a matinee. Go see it.