Hallmark Valentine Movies

The channel has lots of films, some of them enjoyable on various levels. Checked parts of some yesterday. Lacey Chabet (very good in Color of Rain, which impressed me though it tacked on a made up complication that was somewhat forced) was fun in All of My Heart (Ed Asner still is playing crusty old guys), the new one. A bit too cheery early, including having the means just to up and leave her job as a young assistant chef, but the duo had good chemistry and the plot was fairly well paced. Chabet is now a pro in these films, but the guy is good too as are a few supporting roles.

Cloudy With A Chance of Love was decent -- it was a bit weird (though I saw her in a hearing role before -- in real life, she has some of her hearing) to see the "deaf" actress from Switched At Birth (like The Fosters, liked this show for a while, but grew tired of its ABC Family style melodrama) in the lead. She plays a doctrinal candidate who fills in as a "weather girl" and has to find the confidence to be herself. The plotting was more boring -- seemed to drag especially with commercials -- and I turned it off before some expected plot developments.  But, the lead was appealing and there were parts of the film that were enjoyable.  Mid-range effort. Nice to see Gregory Harrison (first saw him on the Trapper John t.v. show years back) again -- he was a supporting cast member in another Hallmark movie too.

Away & Back is somewhat a take-off of Fly Away Home, the 1990s Jeff Daniels help save the birds film (a fictionalization of a core of truth; the whole family story that is -- the young girl grew up to be on True Blood). Given past roles (down to being the lead human in the chipmunk movie), seeing Jason Lee as a serious widow of three is a bit strange, but he handles it well.  The brainy sexy one from FNL playing the ornithologist works a bit less but she's okay.  I shut it off when the "vegetarian" decides to have a corn-dog since you know "not much meat in it." Seriously? 

The late nite feature (well, old-time style -- ten to midnight)  was thanks to Svengoolie, an amusing throwback host of horror films with a comic touch. The film this week was Captive Wild Woman, which sounds like the literal translation of some foreign movie or something. I caught most of it (the throwback channel shows Wonder Woman too and last night Debra Winger, looking quite young, plays her baby sister) and it was fun. A problem is that you see too little of the actress who plays the ape transformed into a woman, Acquanetta, who spends most of her screen time staring at things (she doesn't speak). Query why a transformed ape mesmerizes lions and tigers.  The film only has about an hour running time, a significant part stock animal footage.  Ends on a somewhat lackluster note.  

Acquanetta later was later well now to the Phoenicians.  While that movie was on, the "old" film of the usual Saturday night duo on PBS (at 9, you'd have a Clark Gable film or something; at 11, some indie or fairly new foreign film) was Broadcast News, which I checked out during commercials and such.  Might have actually seen it in the theaters; if not saw it some time back. Darn Holly Hunter was cute there. A reference to "date rape" as a "new" story idea suggests it is not too recent -- late '80s, which is probably "classic" for some people these days.

Finally, Crazy/Beautiful, on one of the pay channels, after the amusing Dick (as in Nixon) was over.  I checked out the beginning of the film before going to sleep.  Starts out well with a great dramatic role for Kirsten Dunst (also in the film before), but one rating guide notes that it drops off later.  Don't recall myself -- do remember mostly liking it.  Spoiler -- looking at the plot at Wikipedia, the reviewer might have not liked how -- after a fairly dark and honest beginning -- the film ends up with a sort of happy ending. Well, it has a good edgy feel early one, both for the troubled girl and the from the other side of tracks but having a serious plan for a future male love interest.

A good end for Valentine Day's viewing.

Acquanetta

Acquanetta