The Secrets of Bella Vista

There are many Hallmark Channel movies, especially with multiple Hallmark channels (one is focused on "cozy" type mysteries), but I do not like many of them. Certain actors are good bets. 

I liked a couple films (at least) with Julie Gonzalo so the one on last night (with a ghost) seemed promising. It was okay but it was kinda boring and I turned it off about halfway. The younger actress (20s) who played the ghost was interesting. Never saw her before though she was in a few things. 

Don't recall this film when it was first on in 2022. It was on yesterday afternoon, more films on the channel over the weekend (but not usually all night long). The guy seems familiar but not the lead actress though she has a diverse number of credits, including the Twilight films. 

The film was overall good with a somewhat different twist than many Hallmark movies. A woman finds out she inherited a half interest in an orchard after her grandfather died. She has no relationship with that side of the family after her father apparently abandoned her and her mother even before she was born. Maybe they should have aired it today, Grandmother's Day, since the grandmothers also have a role in the film.  

[ETA: It is amusing as well as somewhat annoying that the editing software highlights the "maybe" and "apparently." The very point there is that I am trying to say the fact is not totally clear.]

Of course, things are all a bit more complicated. She finds out she has a half-sister (no one reads this, but I won't add more) and falls in love (basically a given in these films). The love story, however, is a minor part of the film, which is more about her family and trying to find a way to save the farm. A lesbian couple is also gently inserted (they are her friends).

I liked the film as a whole. Well acted. The guy is a tad bland but still interesting. A very female-friendly film, with women playing a range of roles, and the supporting cast (important for film enjoyment) is again generally very good. The film is also generally well paced with enough going on that it kept my interest. That is an important aspect of these films.

The elite angle (banker flying his own plane, a solution allowing each sister's dream positions, etc.) is a bit much in this film. These films often have a fantasy element in that respect but at times it was a bit too much for me here. If this film ever pops up on the rotation, check it out.

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Bonnie Somerville, who plays "Mona" (very funny) on Friends, was in Holiday Engagement. This is an old Hallmark film that I found in the library.  It also has various other familiar television faces, including another character from Friends (Chandler's sexist boss).  

The film has some charms but gets a bit tiresome. I turned it off when it was about to have its second-half dramatic twist. 

ETA: Sometimes a nice, if somewhat less elaborate and/or polished final product, Hallmark-like film pops up on Up TV. 

Sweet As Maple Syrup was on Sunday night. It was a pleasant film that even might be said to be liberal-minded (after all the woman was open to new techniques from the science guy) even if the same small-town feeling is promoted. A few films do not highlight the small town vibe but bluntly having these films in cities at times is as striking as divorcees or the like.