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Happy to Be Home with the Benkos (2023)
NO. Ill conceived, amateurish, and a waste of time.
WHY were the Benko's given their own design/reno show? WHERE does Magnolia/HGTV find these people?? The Benko's have zero experience or talent in this field and it's obvious. The couple is annoying and the wife is a loon, and even admits she has no experience in the design/reno field, as if we couldn't already see that for ourselves. They take these beautiful old, historic southern homes and instead of bringing them back to their previous glory, they RUIN them with awful, garish colors and horrendous design that have nothing to do with the period of the homes. The Benko's and this show are absolutely terrible and are a waste of my time, as so many of the more recent design/reno shows on Magnolia Network and HGTV have been. I find myself watching these networks less and less because there is little to nothing on anymore that is of any interest to me. Enough already.
Ride (2023)
Could be so much more.
I tuned in to this because I saw that Nancy Travis was headlining it, and I've always liked her. That said, I just cannot get interested in this series. I've tried, but it just doesn't grab me. I think the story is flat, and there's just not a lot of character development going on. I keep hoping that there will be more to inspire me to watch and to engage me a bit more, but so far that hasn't happened. I agree with others that this appears to be a "Heartland" wanna be, and it's not making it. Really hoping that the storylines improve. Haven't decided yet whether I'm going to hang in there with it or not. This has potential, but so far it's falling short.
Down Home Fab (2023)
Bad. Really, really bad.
This is a cheap knock off of Fixer Upper. It's obvious that the DeBoers are Chip and Joanna Gaines wanna-be's. They are both dull and painful to watch, particularly the wife. She comes across as the Kim Kardashian of home renovating. She's annoying in the extreme and often sounds and behaves like a teenager. The husband is barely noticeable and half the time I forget he's even there.
Her "design style," for lack of a better term, is absolutely awful. It's amateurish, uninspired and atrocious. This couple has no real talent at all for or experience or training in this field, and it's glaringly obvious. They and the show could not be worse. Hoping that HGTV pulls the plug on this mess and replaces it with a show with others who have real talent and experience in the field, and that is worth one's time.
Love on Safari (2018)
Stunningly beautiful location...Mediocre story.
I'm a big fan of Hallmark movies and Lacey Chabert is one of my favorites, but this film just didn't grab me. The best aspect of Love on Safari is the absolutely gorgeous location and scenery, and I appreciate the underlying messages about conservation, honoring the past, and being a part of something that is bigger than ourselves. The overall story however is mediocre and not terribly compelling. Lacey is worth watching, and the other actors are competent, but the romance between the lead characters lacks chemistry and just isn't convincing. I gave it 7 stars only because of the beautiful location and photography. Worth the time for the stunning scenery, but not much else.
Royal New Year's Eve (2017)
A couple of issues but overall a charming and enjoyable story
I'm a big fan of the Hallmark movies and enjoyed this one as well, but I agree with some other reviewers here that the accents in this needed work (Sam Page and Hayley Sales). It is of course a challenge when actors/actresses are required to use an accent not native to them, but if that's going to be done, it should be done well. That said, Sam Page and Jessy Schram were very attractive and appealing together, the story and acting were generally engaging, and there were some charming and humorous moments. Overall, A Royal New Year's Eve was enjoyable.
All of My Heart: Inn Love (2017)
I really enjoyed it, but it falls just a tad short
Like many others, I love the first All of My Heart movie. It is one of the best films that Hallmark has ever done. So, again like many others, I was eagerly awaiting the sequel and had high hopes that it would be as good as the first film. Though I did really enjoy All of My Heart: Inn Love, it falls just a tad short.
Surprisingly, though both Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliott again did really great jobs here, the fantastically charming chemistry that we saw between them in the first film, seemed just a little "off" this time, and the writing itself was also somewhat flat. The "Jenny" character was a bit whiny this time, which is completely contrary to how she was in the first film. The "Brian" character seemed about the same, though there was a bit too much improvisation with him early in the film this go around, and it seemed a little forced at times.
It was very good to see the rest of the original cast return. However, I really did miss the original house in the sequel, which was pretty much almost a character itself in the first film. And though I understand why different goats were used, it would have been nice if they had more closely resembled the original Gabby and her babies.
Lastly, I did expect/had hoped for Jenny and Brian's wedding somewhere along the way in the sequel, but that was not to be. Hopefully, if there is another film, there will be a wedding. I do hope there will be another sequel so as to tie up loose ends, and continue and/or finish the story. The final scene gives the impression that the story does continue. I hope so. Stay tuned.