Because I was participating in Easter festivities, I didn’t get around to reviewing Easter Under Wraps over the weekend. However, I was able to watch the movie on the Monday after Easter. When I discovered that Hallmark was creating their first Easter movie, I was so excited! I even talked about the film in a Word in the Street story last month. As I shared the movie’s official synopsis in that post, I expressed my feelings of disappointment about how it sounded. To me, the premise felt like it would focus more on the corporate side of Easter than the holiday itself. But I still chose to watch the movie with an open mind and give it a fair chance. Did Easter Under Wraps disappoint or triumph? I’m glad you hopped on over to this review, as we’re now about to find out!
The acting: The cast of Easter Under Wraps is, so far, the strongest I’ve seen in any Hallmark movie this year! Every actor and actress did such a great job at portraying their characters, making them feel like real-life individuals. From the lead stars to even the only prominent child actor in the cast, all of the performances seemed so natural and genuine. This helped the characters maintain a sense of likability. It also helped me stay invested in what was happening to the characters. The acting was one of the things that made my movie-viewing experience so enjoyable!
The on-screen chemistry between the characters: In most Hallmark films, the on-screen chemistry between the lead characters is emphasized. This is partly the case with Easter Under Wraps. Fiona Gubelmann and Brendan Penny’s on-screen chemistry was really good! What helped make this on-screen relationship feel so genuine was the quality of Fiona and Brendan’s performances. A pleasant surprise in Easter Under Wraps was the on-screen chemistry between all of the characters. The various relationships in this film were not only portrayed well by the actors, but they were also well-written. This component helped make the story that much more interesting.
The writing: In Easter Under Wraps, the writing was such a great element to this narrative! Through the movie, conversations amongst the characters felt like real-life conversations. The comedic timing in this film was perfect, making the funnier moments feel effective. All of the sub-plots blended in really well with the main plot. Easter Under Wraps was an engaging movie because of how good the writing was. This component elevated the story into a truly memorable narrative!
The messages and themes: Like any Hallmark movie, Easter Under Wraps was filled with good messages and themes! These pieces of the story added to the relatability of the movie. Characters learning about personal growth, incorporating important traditions, and effective problem solving can be found in this film. Something that I found interesting was how chocolate was included in Easter Under Wraps. While the main plot revolved around a chocolate factory, the characters found ways to attach interesting messages to the candy itself. It, honestly, made me think about chocolate in a different way.
Lack of Easter specific messages and themes: Because this is Hallmark’s first Easter movie, I kind of figured this would be an issue. While Easter Under Wraps had good messages and themes, they really didn’t correlate directly with the Easter holiday. A few of these messages and themes were sprinkled into the story, but they weren’t explored as thoroughly as I had hoped. If Hallmark continues to create Easter themed movies (which I hope they do), I hope they take the time to explore the messages and themes that the Easter holiday has to offer.
For their first Easter themed movie, Hallmark did a really good job with Easter Under Wraps! While there were a few “Hallmark movie clichés” in this film, the overall quality of the other components made me overlook them. There was so much about this movie that I liked, from the acting to even the festive decorations. This is, so far, the best Hallmark movie I’ve seen this year! I really hope that Hallmark continues to make Easter themed movies, as there are some interesting stories that can be told. I also wouldn’t mind if this movie got a sequel, since it definitely has the potential for another chapter. There’s no doubt that I had an egg-cellent time watching Easter Under Wraps!
Overall score: 8.6 out of 10
Which 2019 “Spring Fever” movie was your favorite? Would you like to see more Easter themed movies from Hallmark? Let me know in the comment section!
Hi there! The time has come for the arrival of the Gold Sally Awards’ Best Supporting Actor division! For these set of polls, you will decide which actor will receive the title of Best Supporting Actor in a Hallmark Channel Movie and Best Supporting Actor in a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Movie. Like the previous polls, you will be able to vote for more than one nominee. However, you can only vote once per person. All votes can be left in the comment section of this post. Voting for the Best Supporting Actor division will end on April 29th.
Hi everyone! I just wanted to remind everyone that the last day to vote for the Gold Sally Awards’ Best Supporting Actress from a Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie is on April 18th. The next round of polls will begin on April 19th. Have fun voting!
Here at 18 Cinema Lane, I talk about Hallmark films quite a bit. So, it makes sense that I would choose to review Bottled with Love! This is not the first time I have talked about this film, as I reported on this movie in a Word on the Street story two months ago. I also shared my thoughts on the film’s synopsis in another Word on the Street story from last month. There are two reasons why I wanted to see this movie; 1.) Because, for some reason, Hallmark decided to over-hype this movie by claiming that it’s “the best movie you’ll see all year”, so I wanted to see if this movie could live up to Hallmark’s hype and 2.) In the When Calls the Heart Behind-the-Scenes featurette that I talked about in this month’s Word on the Street story, Erin Krakow said she would be making an announcement during the film. Did Bottled with Love meet Hallmark’s expectations? What was Erin’s announcement about? Find out the answer to both of these questions by reading this review!
The acting: For the most part, the acting performances in this film were good! As usual, Andrew Walker delivers a performance that appears natural and believable. No matter if he’s given a starring role or a supporting character, Andrew always finds a way to shine in every project he’s cast in! I also liked Bethany Brown’s performance! Her portrayal of Abbey’s friend, Elaine, was such a joy to watch, as her on-screen personality helped make this character likable. This is also the same way I felt about Frances Flanagan’s performance as Aunt Frances. The acting within Bottled with Love was entertaining to watch!
The cinematography: I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of Bottled with Love’s cinematography! There were a few scenes where the sun reflected off objects, such as the bottle that Abbey’s message was placed in. I thought the incorporation of the scene’s natural light was very interesting. The use of close-ups in this film was interesting as well. This is something that Hallmark doesn’t often do in their films, so the close-ups of some of the actors’ faces was something that I wasn’t expecting. While watching Bottled with Love, I felt like I watching a feature film!
Some of the film’s unique touches: When I first shared the synopsis for this film a month ago, I talked about how I thought the story sounded interesting because of the amount of creativity that was being presented. As I watched Bottled with Love, I found a few unique touches in the movie that I really liked! The aspect of the message in a bottle is something that Hallmark doesn’t often include in their films, so it was nice to see some creativity incorporated into this story. I also liked seeing an apple orchard during the spring season instead of the fall season. I’ve never seen a “Spring Fever” movie feature an apple orchard, so I thought that was a unique approach to this particular story!
Weak on-screen chemistry: While both Bethany Joy Lenz and Andrew Walker gave a good acting performance, I did not think their on-screen chemistry was very strong. Sure, it was ok. But I’ve seen stronger on-screen chemistry from other on-screen couples in recent Hallmark films. During Bottled with Love, I never sensed an on-screen spark between Bethany and Andrew. This made the romantic aspect of the story seem a little less believable.
An inconsistent pace: Throughout Bottled with Love, I found the overall pace to be inconsistent. Some scenes felt more drawn-out than others, which caused them to feel a little bit boring. I noticed this happened in the scenes that took place at the office, whenever Abbey and Nick were at work.
Lack of mystery: In Bottled with Love, the audience knew the entire time who found Abbey’s message in a bottle. This is the same problem that My Secret Valentine had, where the identity of the protagonist’s secret admirer should have been kept a secret until the last few minutes of the film. Had Bottled with Love kept the identity of Abbey’s pen pal a mystery for not only the protagonist, but also for the audience, I feel that it would have made this story more intriguing.
For a short while now, Hallmark has been over-hyping Bottled with Love. They claimed that it will be “the best movie you’ll see all year” and had one of the stars of the movie say that critics are describing the film as an “instant classic”. After looking past all of the hype, I discovered that the film was just decent. Bottled with Love felt no different from any other Hallmark movie. In fact, it almost felt like a repeat of My Secret Valentine. By Hallmark choosing to over-hype this movie, I think, to a certain extent, it hurt the credibility of the film. Now, on to Erin’s announcement, the moment Hearties have been waiting for! It was nice to hear Erin Krakow say that When Calls the Heart will be receiving a seventh season! While I’m not surprised by this news, I am glad that the show will continue.
Overall score: 7.2 out of 10
Have you seen Bottled with Love? How do you feel about this news relating to When Calls the Heart? Share your thoughts in the comment section!
If you’ve looked at the movies that I reviewed in March, you would notice that I’ve been in a movie reviewing slump. Out of the four movies that I reviewed, I thought only one of them was good. The rest were ok. So, since it’s been a month since I last talked about a Hallmark Channel movie, I decided to review A Brush with Love! Out of all the movies that are included in the “Spring Fever” line-up, this movie was not one of my most anticipated. While I was curious about the art aspect of the film, the story itself didn’t sound as intriguing as some of the other movies. However, I was happy to see that Arielle Kebbel had been cast in a Hallmark production. The last movie that Arielle starred in was 2015’s Bridal Wave. Was her return to Hallmark a triumphant one? Put on your art smock and get your paint palette ready, it’s time to review A Brush with Love!
The acting: I really enjoyed seeing the various acting performances throughout this film! Everyone did a good job portraying their respective characters. Nick Bateman gave such a strong performance in A Brush with Love, especially since this was his first starring role in any Hallmark movie! He definitely added enough charisma to make his character as likable as he was. It was also nice to see Arielle Kebbel return to the Hallmark community as one of the lead protagonists in this movie. Her performance came across very naturally, which helped her character appear relatable. The acting was absolutely one of the strengths of this film!
The incorporation of Spring-time: The season of Spring was incorporated into this story very well. From the scenery to the props, everything looked and felt like it was an appropriate fit for this particular time of year. I also liked the overall color palette that was found throughout this film. Almost everything was bright and cheery, helping to keep this story upbeat during the more light-hearted moments. It’s interesting to point out that this color palette complimented the season that was found within this movie. This added to the consistency of the over-arcing theme.
The idea of a “vision board”: A “vision board” is a concept that has rarely been seen in a Hallmark production. Because of that, I think this idea was a very interesting choice for the creative team behind this movie to incorporate in this specific story. Not only that, but the “vision board” itself was tailored to compliment the main protagonist’s passion; art. I found this detail to be creative and something that I hadn’t thought of until I saw A Brush with Love. Yes, I was aware of what “vision boards” were. But I wasn’t aware of the different ways that a “vision board” could be created. This movie showed that there is no set way on what a “vision board” should look like.
The “vision board” in a small role: When I read the synopsis for A Brush with Love, I was led to believe that the protagonist’s “vision board” would play a large role in this story. But, in the overall context of the film, it felt like the “vision board” was just a component to a subplot. To me, it seemed like the story focused more on Jamie and Max’s growing relationship. When it came to the “vision board’s” inclusion, it was very disappointing.
The art school expansion subplot: In A Brush with Love, Jamie was planning on expanding her art school to more than one location. Within the overall story, this subplot didn’t make as big of an impact as the other subplots. While it made sense in the grand scheme of things, it kind of seemed like it was there for the sake of filling up the film’s run-time. It also seemed like this subplot just provided a reason for the protagonist’s parents to be featured in the narrative. I ended up not being impressed with this particular subplot.
A slower pace: Throughout this film, I found the pace to be on the slower side. This pace did effect the quality of the movie, causing some scenes to feel longer than they might have been intended. While the pace wasn’t as slow as in other movies I’ve seen, it could have been faster.
The conflict: I won’t spoil anything if you haven’t seen this movie yet. But I was not a fan of the conflict that happened toward the end of the movie. It seemed like that part of the story was incorporated into the overall narrative just to give the main characters a reason to get upset. Because of this conflict, it caused one of the protagonists to make a decision that felt very egotistical. This appeared so out-of-character for that particular protagonist, especially since they had never displayed any behaviors or actions that came across as self-centered. I understand that the creative team behind this film was trying to do something that other Hallmark projects don’t often do. However, I don’t think that creative decision worked in this story’s favor.
Despite the flaws, I think that A Brush with Love was a good, sweet film. Overall, this story was better than I thought it would be. There were several strengths that this movie had, such as the acting performances. This whole cast was really good, from the lead stars to all the child actors. That aspect of the film added to my enjoyment of the movie! Even though my favorite film from Hallmark Channel’s “Spring Fever” line-up, so far, is Flip That Romance, A Brush with Love is still a solid movie. I would recommend it not only to people who like Hallmark projects, but also to people who like the inclusion of art in their stories.
Overall score: 7.7 out of 10
Have you seen A Brush with Love? What is your favorite “Spring Fever” movie so far? Tell me in the comment section!
I know that I’ve been talking a lot about movie news relating to Hallmark. However, there’s been a lot of Hallmark movie updates that need to be talked about. One of these things is the next Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. When Hallmark’s Winter TCA Event took place last month, I was so disappointed when there were no announcements about an upcoming Hallmark Hall of Fame film. As the weeks went by, I wondered if we were going to get a Hallmark Hall of Fame project outside of the Christmas line-up at all. According to a synopsis I found on Hallmark Channel’s website, we are indeed going to receive another Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. Besides the new Hallmark Hall of Fame film, I found confirmations for other projects that have been confirmed as Hallmark productions. I even found some tidbits that could lead to a Hallmark Christmas movie! Since you’ve been patiently waiting, let’s start sharing these pieces of movie news!
Yesterday, I came across a title on Hallmark Channel’s website called Love Takes Flight. While reading the film’s synopsis, I discovered that it was the next production from Hallmark Hall of Fame. When I found this piece of movie news, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. The title itself, Love Takes Flight, does not sound or feel like a Hallmark Hall of Fame title. If anything, it feels like a title from a generic Hallmark Channel movie. I was also disappointed in the synopsis, which you can read here:
“In the Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation, single-mom Lizzie Beauman is encouraging when her young daughter unexpectedly befriends a widower named Walter as part of her Mission: Find a Friend”. – From Hallmark Channel’s website
As I’ve pointed out in my Hallmark Hall of Fame Reading Challenge, a good amount of Hallmark Hall of Fame movies have been based on pre-existing novels. While it’s unknown, at this time, if Love Takes Flight is based on a book, this story just sounds and feels like a generic Hallmark Channel movie. However, I am curious about what “Mission: Find a Friend” is. Maybe it’s a program to help military veterans or an anti-bullying initiative?
The last thing that I am disappointed about is the starring cast. While Nikki DeLoach is a really good actress and while I’ve enjoyed her performances in Truly, Madly, Sweetly and The Perfect Catch, I was hoping that the creative team behind Love Takes Flight would have cast an actress that has never starred in a Hallmark movie before. In last year’s film, Christmas Everlasting, Tatyana Ali starred in not only her first Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, but also her first Hallmark movie ever. Rebecca Romijn made her debut in the Hallmark community through her appearance in the film, Love Locks. The casting for Love Takes Flight does remind me of the casting for The Christmas Train. The two lead actors in The Christmas Train were Kimberley Williams-Paisley (who is a Hallmark Hall of Fame alumni) and Dermot Mulroney (who had been cast in Northpole: Open for Christmas prior to starring in The Christmas Train). Nikki DeLoach (who has starred in several Hallmark Channel films) and Jeff Hephner (who starred in the Hallmark Hall of Fame film, The Water Is Wide, back in 2006) will be the leads in Love Takes Flight. However, because Hallmark’s audience is used to seeing Nikki appear in more light-hearted and romantic focused movies from Hallmark Channel, this Hallmark Hall of Fame movie feels no different from a typical Hallmark Channel project. As of March 2019, Love Takes Flight is scheduled for an April 27th release.
Another title that I discovered yesterday was Easter Under Wraps. On the website, Creative BC, I saw a title on the “In Production” page listed as “Undercover Easter”. This project will be in production until March 20th. According to Hallmark Channel’s website, “Undercover Easter” changed its name to Easter Under Wraps. The official synopsis for the film has also been posted on Hallmark Channel’s website, which you can read here:
“Erika goes undercover at her family’s chocolate plant to see why sales are down when she meets head chocolatier, Bryan, who has new ideas on how to update the Easter product line” – From Hallmark Channel’s website
While I’m happy that Hallmark is finally making an Easter themed movie, I’m disappointed by the sound of this synopsis. No matter how many Christmas movies they make, Hallmark always focuses on the Christmas holiday with a sense of reverence and respect. For Easter Under Wraps, however, it seems like the corporate side of Easter will be focused on more than the holiday itself. The lead actors that have been attached to this film are Brendan Penny and Fiona Gubelmann. I have enjoyed watching Brendan’s and Fiona’s performances in Hallmark productions in the past, so it will be interesting to see if they have any on-screen chemistry. As of March 2019, Easter Under Wraps is scheduled for an April 20th release.
Here is the link to the synopsis of Easter Under Wraps:
In a Word on the Street story last month, I announced an upcoming Hallmark movie called “Message In A Bottle”. Within this post, I shared that Bethany Joy Lenz and Andrew Walker would star in the film and that the film would premiere during Hallmark Channel’s “Spring Fever” line-up. Recently, Hallmark Channel posted the official synopsis of the film, which can be read here:
“After being stood up, Abbey gets inspired to open her heart in a letter, put it in a bottle and toss it out to sea. Months later, a man fishing discovers it and opts to reach out” – From Hallmark Channel’s website
Even though there are probably going to be some “Hallmark movie clichés” within this story, I think this movie sounds interesting. From what I can remember, Hallmark has never really told a story like this before. I’m really liking the creativity that could be incorporated into this film! This would possibly explain how the winery in one of the photos from the Instagram account, joylenznews, is included in the overall narrative. It’s also important to note that the film has changed its name to Bottled with Love. I like this title more than “Message In A Bottle”, as it sounds more creative. As of March 2019, Bottled with Love is scheduled for an April 13th release.
Here is the link to the synopsis of Bottled with Love:
While looking on Instagram to find any information about upcoming Hallmark projects, I came across the hashtag, #aringforchristmas. When I clicked on this hashtag, Hallmark was referenced in the descriptions of a few of these photos. Also, on Instagram, I found a post from a business called Clipper Family Chiropractic. In this post, it is announced that “Hallmark is filming scenes for “A Ring for Christmas” in our building this weekend”. Even though these posts on Instagram mentioned Hallmark in their descriptions, Hallmark has not confirmed that “A Ring for Christmas” is their movie. However, a potential Hallmark film that I have talked about has been confirmed to be a Hallmark film! Two months ago, I reported that a Hallmark Christmas movie was filming in Stonington, Connecticut. An article from The Day has recently revealed that the movie is a Hallmark Channel movie called “Holiday for Heroes”! If this title sounds familiar, that’s because this project was announced as an official Hallmark Christmas film in an article from Entertainment Weekly! None of these films currently have a release date.
If you want to check out the references that I incorporated in this Word on the Street story, you can visit the Instagram account of Clipper Family Chiropractic (@clipperfamilychiro), visit the photos on Instagram with the hashtag #aringforchristmas (type #aringforchristmas into Instagram’s search bar), or visit these links:
Before February has officially ended, I wanted to publish one more Word on the Street post for the month. February has been a very busy month for me on 18 Cinema Lane. From participating in two blogathons to achieving 75 followers, I’ve had quite a bit of blog related content on my plate. Fortunately, I’ve found the time to publish the material that I wanted to publish before the month was over. Some of that material is the four movie news stories that are related to Hallmark and Lifetime. While three of these stories are speculation, one of them has been confirmed as a Hallmark movie. Like I’ve done with other Word on the Street stories, I will talk about each of these stories and share as much information as I could find. I will also share some of my insight about these stories. Now that’s start discussing these pieces of movie news!
Last month, in a Word on the Street post, I listed several movie titles that had not yet been attached to any networks. One of those titles was “Puppy Party Romance”. At the time, the project was about to go into production in early February. According to an article from Soap Opera News, it looks like this movie might be a Hallmark production! In the article, it is said that Jen Lilley has been attached to the project. Other cast members have also been announced; they are Christopher Russell, Lindsay Maxwell, Mark Brandon, and Bailey Skodje. Christie Will Wolf has been attached to this movie as the director and Navid Soofi is the film’s producer. When I visited Jen Lilley’s IMDB filmography page, this movie was listed as “For the Love of Dogs”. As of February and early March 2019, Hallmark has not confirmed or denied that “Puppy Party Romance” is their movie. But, it wouldn’t be surprising if this ended up being a Hallmark film. Two years ago, Jen starred in Eat, Play, Love, a Hallmark movie where dogs played a key role in the story. No matter which network airs this movie, I think we’ll hear an announcement about it sooner or later.
If you want to check out the references that I mentioned, visit Jen Lilley’s IMDB page or this link:
In that same Word on the Street post from last month, another movie that I mentioned was “Web of Dreams”. At the time, the film was in production until February 11th. Recently, I found this project listed on Max Lloyd-Jones’ IMDB filmography page. Not only has Max been attached to “Web of Dreams”, but there are other Hallmark stars that have been cast in this film, such as Keenan Tracey and Cindy Busby. While looking at the IMDB page for this movie, I noticed that the film’s official writer is Virginia C. Andrews. When I visited her IMDB page, I discovered that she is known as V.C. Andrews, the author whose claim to fame was Flowers in the Attic. With this acquired knowledge, I did some research on Goodreads to learn more about “Web of Dreams”. It turns out that Web of Dreams is, indeed, one of V. C. Andrews’ novels and it is the fifth book in the Casteel series. I’ve never heard of this series until I learned more about this movie. However, I am familiar with V. C. Andrews. Even though I have never read her books, I have seen Lifetime’s adaptations of the Flowers in the Attic series and My Sweet Audrina. Let’s just say that those films are not “Hallmark appropriate”. Based on all the information I shared, it looks like “Web of Dreams”, as well as the Casteel series, could be a Lifetime presentation.
If you want to visit the reference that I mentioned, visit the IMDB page for “Web of Dreams”.
Speaking of Cindy Busby, I discovered on her IMDB filmography page that she has been cast in the movie, “Letter from My Mother”. This movie was another title that I shared in a Word on the Street post last month. Besides Cindy, the other cast members that have been attached to this project are Jordyn Ashley Olsen, Karen Holness, Jaime M. Callica, Heather-Claire Nortey, and Emma Oliver. While this film has not been given an official synopsis yet, Michael Scott has been listed as the film’s director. Michael has directed several movies for various networks, so it’s unclear, right now, which network “Letter from My Mother” could premiere on. When I first heard of this title, I thought that, maybe, it was a Hallmark Hall of Fame project. Because this movie doesn’t appear to be associated with Hallmark Hall of Fame, I’m wondering if “Letter from My Mother” could be a Mother’s Day themed story? I also wonder when we’ll hear any news about the next Hallmark Hall of Fame project.
If you want to visit the reference that I mentioned, visit the IMDB page for “Letter from My Mother”.
Two weeks ago, an Instagram account called joylenznews attached the hashtags #MessageInABottle, #hallmarkchannel, #hallmarkmovies, and #hallmark to a photo and video of Hallmark star, Bethany Joy Lenz. In the photo, there is a caption that says “Meet Abbey”, which implies that Bethany’s character could be named Abbey. In the video, not only does Bethany appear to be visiting a winery, the photo on the video says “The absolute best set! Nothing like the smell of oak barrels and wine in the air…oh, and hey @joylenz!” This means that a winery could play a role in this film’s narrative. When I clicked on the hashtag #MessageInABottle, two particular photos caught my attention. The first one was of Bethany at Hallmark’s Winter TCA Event. In this photo’s caption, which appears to come from Bethany’s official Instagram account, Bethany not only confirms that “Message In A Bottle” is a Hallmark Channel movie, but she also says that it will premiere during the “Spring Fever” line-up and that Andrew Walker will also be starring in the film. Andrew Walker, in a photo from his Instagram account, also confirmed that he and Bethany were going to star in “Message In A Bottle”. Hallmark has not yet announced this film’s release date.
If you want to visit the reference that I mentioned, visit the official Instagram account of joylenznews (at joylenznews).
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