Top 5 Winter Hallmark Movies Reviewed

It's January at the Hallmark Channel and after a generous helping of  Hallmark Christmas movie in November and December - now what! January brings the coldest and snowy weather in many parts and a perfect time to enjoy the infamous Hallmark hot cocoa and Hallmark movies with a winter theme.

Of course Hallmark will debut a few new winter movies and Valentine's Day movies every year, but sprinkled in between will be a few Hallmark winter favorites from prior years. 

Add a little snow, romance, comedy and colder temps and bookmark the Top 5 Winter Hallmark Movies to watch for this winter.

Winter In Vail 2020

Bring on the Hallmark A team of Lacey Chabert and Tyler Hynes along with a gorgeous winter setting and believable chemistry to keep Winter In Vail on the Hallmark repeat list. Big town girl with a life crisis lands in small town town that needs help to survive and well, you know the rest. Great rom com chemistry, snowy charming village and of course Strudel make this a movie worth repeat viewing annually.

Love On Ice 2017

Starring Hallmark A team actor Andrew Walker and Julie Berman this film definitely give an Ice Castles vibe (Ice Castles is a favorite ice skating movie from 1978!. Ice skating and romance fans streaming alert)

Walker plays a young  ice skating coach who lands at a local rink to train the next ice skating talent by the stereotypical ice skating parent. And who might also be at the rink... a former very promising ice skater who retired early and you might just guess the storyline from there. The main characters of coach, promising star, overbearing parent and former promising skater turned local teacher all work with a chemistry between all four. A must see when this movie repeats.

Frozen In Love 2018

It's hockey time again in the land of Hallmark winter movies. Niall Matter and Rachael Leigh Cook share the storyline of small town bookstore owner assigned the bad boy of hockey for community service hours. This duo loves to tease each other, poke fun at their different lives and succeed in making a very enjoyable film that celebrates how opposites attract. Totally Hallmark and totally fun.

A Christmas Detour 2015

One of the all time favorite Hallmark Christmas movies must also make an appearance on the winter Hallmark movie list. Starring Candace Cameron Bure and Paul Greene two of the A team actors who combine romantic chemistry on an unexpected cross country trip and after snowy weather grounds their plane. The two strangers pair with a married couple (Sarah Strange and David Lewis)and the four try to make it across country in the snowy hours before Christmas. 

The chemistry between the wanna be couple, the married couple and all 4 together make this a fun loving frolicking Hallmark movie with madcap rom com romance along with the way. Always a must see repeat during the holiday season and anytime of the year.

Taking A Shot At Love 2021

Ice skating teacher is called upon to assist the recovery of an ice hockey player is the backstory, but the real gem of this movie is the chemistry. Alexa Penavag and Luke Macfarlane have a great rom com chemistry which helps propel the storyline along with alot of smiles and winks and of course the budding romance. Always worth a rewatch during the winter Hallmark season.

Hallmark Now offers streaming 24/7 and its' never too early or late in the year to revisit Hallmark Christmas movies.

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2023 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2022 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2021 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2020 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

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A Brush With Christmas (2022) - Great American Family Movie Review

If you are looking for an easy Christmas movie to sit back and watch, I recommend "A Brush With Christmas".  It doesn't require intense concentration or a great deal of emotional investment, it is simply pure entertainment that provides a welcome distraction from the holiday stresses in your own life.

This is the first movie I have seen starring Jillian Murray or Joseph Cannata, and I found them both adorably endearing.  Murray is the perfect choice to play the part of a sweet, devoted & self-sacrificing daughter and Joseph Cannata makes an excellent concerned friend/boyfriend who tries to be helpful.

___

I watched "A Brush With Christmas" on PureFlix.com.  My husband gave me an early Christmas gift this year as soon as we discovered the site.  We signed up to the streaming service and he gave me a 1 year subscription.  It was the perfect gift for me!  Great American Pure Flix is dedicated to offering "the best in quality faith, family, and hometown-values entertainment".  I have already watched several movies on PureFlix and I love it!   

A Brush With Christmas Synopsis

Charlotte (Jillian Murray) is an artist, a painter to be more precise, but she works alongside her mother in the restaurant that was her father's dream.  She loves the family legacy and embraces being head chef, but her heart is really in painting.  

It is not unusual for an artist to work to pay the bills and "create" in their off time.  However, Charlotte's mother requires more of Charlotte in the restaurant than a normal job would demand.  That responsibility is even greater during the holidays when business is booming.

A Brush with Christmas

Charlotte is torn between the restaurant and her own desire to paint a Christmas picture to submit for the local art festival.  Time is limited, which makes it impossible for her to do both things well.  Under additional pressure from her mother, Charlotte makes the difficult decision to literally trash her half finished Christmas picture and focus on the extra seasonal demands at the restaurant.

______

Wyatt Graham (Joseph Cannata) is very successful and well known in the art world, but he is taking a much needed break from his job.  While business offers him a way to use his artistic ability, computer generated art is not as fulfilling for him as holding a pencil and drawing.  He is happy to be visiting his friend, David, who just moved to Bayside and he hopes to spend time back with his "drawing board".  

When David enters him in the city Christmas art festival, Wyatt is pretty excited to gather supplies and start creating, but finding the subject to draw proves to be a little more challenging.  Plus, he finds himself distracted by a lovely local artist.

 

More Great American Family Movie Reviews

Twas the Text Before Christmas (2023)

A Dash of Christmas (2023)

From Chicago With Love (2023) 

Accidentally Engaged (2016)

Check Out More Movie Reviews at
ReviewThisMovies.com

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Hallmark Haul Out The Holly: Lit Up Review

Hallmark Christmas movie Haul Out The Holly: Lit Up has premiered with Hallmark A team stars Lacey Chabert and Wes Brown. This movie is a sequel to the 2022 movie Haul Out The Holly wth the same cast and location. As in the original movie, the chemistry between the stars and cast remains strong as this Hallmark movie changes up the traditional Hallmark movie formula.

The holiday competition in the Home Owners Assocation (HOA) remain the storyline which is shaken up by new homeowners with a passion for winning holiday contests. Game on.

What Is Missing From Haul Out The Holly: Lit Up?

The Hallmark romance recipe... which may or may not be necessarily a welcome change of pace. In the first movie, Haul Out The Holly, the couple met and fell in the love the Hallmark way. In this movie the couple has already been established and spend much of the movie apart so while the chemistry exists it is long distance.

Positive, negative or neutral the long distance between the main characters/couple allows many more characters as an ensemble into the movie. The supporting characters are entertaining and I had memories of Clark Griswold movies in a small screen arena.

Recommendation

If mindless, silly, slapstick comedy with a holiday theme is the goal then Haul Up The Holly: Lit Up will be amusing. Madcap, fun, enteraining, Hallmark but not Hallmark is the holiday feeling for this movie. Reminiscent of physical slapstick comedy between neighbors, families, the main characters with a holiday theme.

While I actually found Hallmark changing it up a little during the holiday season a nice change of pace (carried off by a strong cast with chemistry); however, Hallmark traditionalists will most likely prefer the original Haul Up The Holly movie.

More Hallmark Christmas Movies Reviewed

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2023 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2022 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2021 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

You, Me & The Christmas Trees by The Savvy Age

Christmas Tree Lane by The Savvy Age

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Twas the Text Before Christmas (2023) - Great American Family Movie

A romantic Christmas movie review & recommendation, just in time for Christmas!

Have you ever dialed a wrong phone number and unexpectedly ended up talking to a nice person you don't personally know?  

These days, phone calls are often replaced by emails or text messaging. Sending a text to the wrong person is not unheard of.  Usually we send text messages to someone on our saved contact list, but it would certainly be possible to send a text message to the wrong person if you are trying to remember a phone number off the top of your head.  Especially if you have a new phone without your contacts added.

Thus is the premise of the movie, "Twas the Text Before Christmas". 

When a grandmother inadvertently sends a text message meant for her granddaughter to a stranger, she ends up making friends with the kindhearted woman who replies to the text.  This is just the beginning of what ends up being a chance for fun, family, and romance.

 

Twas the Text Before Christmas Movie Synopsis 

Twas the Text Before Christmas

Addie (Merritt Patterson) has a good job, a loving father and brother, and an ex-boyfriend.  Christmas this year is expected to be a rather lonely time for her because her father will be spending Christmas in Australia with her brother.  Even though she is invited to join friends in Florida, that trip would be too expensive since she is trying to save for her own vacation in Australia.

When Addie receives a text message from an unknown person, she decides to respond to let them know that they have the wrong number.  After exchanging a few messages with a sweet grandmother who meant to be texting her granddaughter, she receives a phone call from "Nana" who opts to call her instead of continuing the texting.  After talking a few times, Nana invites Addie to join her family for Christmas.  Since it would only be a 4 hour drive to Vermont, she decides to accept and makes a reservation for 1 night at the local Inn.

When she arrives for Christmas dinner, she is introduced to Nana's family which includes the granddaughter Nana originally intended to text, as well as her son, James.

After 3 years, Addie, Nana, and the whole family are close friends and Christmas together has become a new tradition.  It is not really surprising when Addie & James discover a they have deeper feelings for each other.

 

Where to Watch "Twas the Text Before Christmas"

I watched "Twas the Text Before Christmas" on Frndly TV, however the Great American Channel now has their own streaming service available at PureFlix.com which thrills me!  When I told my husband about the new streaming service, he happily gifted me with an annual subscription to PureFlix for Christmas.  I am guaranteed a year's worth of wonderful movies and I am pretty excited to start watching them.

You can also subscribe to PureFlix through Amazon or directly at Pureflix.com.

More Great American Family Movie Reviews

A Dash of Christmas (2023)

From Chicago With Love (2023) 

Accidentally Engaged (2016)

Check Out More Movie Reviews at
ReviewThisMovies.com

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Netflix Series Review - All the Light We Cannot See

 

A couple of weeks ago, Fran was looking for something to watch on Netflix and came upon this Netflix limited series, "All the Light We Cannot See"

If you love historical fiction, like I do, you will love this limited series. We were hooked from the very first episode and binged the whole series in one night.

All the Light We Cannot See is based on the critically acclaimed novel by Anthony Doerr. 

The book was published in 2014 and was a New York Times Best Seller, and also won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. 

Netflix released the limited series on November 2, 2023. This series will have you on the edge of your seat through every episode.

Set during World War II the story follows two young individuals whose lives intersect amid the chaos of the war.

Newcomer Aria Mia Loberti as Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French teenage girl and the daughter of Daniel LeBlanc played by Mark Ruffalo. 

Aria Mia Loberti is really blind and this was her first acting experience. 

Louis Hoffmann as Werner Pfennig, a young German orphan who eventually becomes a soldier specializing in detecting and tracking radio frequencies.

Lars Eidinger as Reinhold von Rumple, an officer of the SS who certifies and evaluates art, and jewelry.

Hugh Laurie as Etienne LeBlanc, a reclusive World War I veteran suffering from PTSD and the great uncle of Marie-Laure.

The series spans from the years 1934 to 1944. When Nazi Germany invades France, Marie, and Daniel flee to Saint-Malo to take refuge in her great-uncle's house.

All the Light You Cannot See is a rollercoaster of emotions as the series balances moments of intense drama, heart-melting romance, and the harsh realities of war.

 I was emotionally invested in the journey of each character. I found myself rooting for their triumphs and feeling their heartaches as their lives intertwined. You find out early on in this series what bonds Marie and Werner, and you are eager to find out how it ends.

Watch the YouTube Official Trailer here:

You can find All the Light You Cannot See streaming on Netflix.

Now that I have seen this masterful limited series, I must read the book.

All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel

 

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Hallmark Christmas Movie Review: A Merry Scottish Christmas

A Merry Scottish Christmas is a movie Hallmark fans have been waiting for since the announcement of its' stars. Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf star in a Christmas movie as estranged brother and sister travelling to Scotland at Christmas. The movie was filmed in Ireland and Scotland.

Family mysteries, family reunions, Scottish holidays plus a few romances along the way combine to make A Merry Scottish Christmas a must see for the Hallmark holiday season. The chemistry between Chabert and Wolf is just like old friends meeting up after years apart. Watch how the siblings unravel a mystery and work towards a united family for the holidays.

Lacey Chabert And Scott Wolf

There is no doubt that Party Of Five fans are very familiar with Chabert and Wolf. Each played a member of the Salinger family in the ensemble cast family drama which ran in the mid 1990's to 2000. The show began with a small engaged audience and it took a few seasons for a larger audience to find the show. Fans of the show would love a Party of Five reunion and no doubt will enjoy a mini reunion of two of the five stars.  

Lacey Chabert is one of the most popular stars of Hallmark and this season has two Christmas movies with a sequel to  Haul Out The Holly: Lit Up. Both movies are worth repeat streaming and bookmarking to rewatch this season. The Holly sequel brings back a 2022 cast with chemistry and is plain ole fun in the realm of the Christmas romcom. 

More Hallmark Christmas Movies Reviewed

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2023 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2022 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2021 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

You, Me & The Christmas Trees by The Savvy Age

Christmas Tree Lane by The Savvy Age

Broadcasting Christmas by Cynthia

Top Ten Hallmark Christmas Movies by The Savvy Age

Debbie Macomber's Mr. Miracle Hallmark Movie Review by Cynthia

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A Dash of Christmas (2023) - Great American Family Movie Review

While preparing for the holiday season this year, I discovered the Great American Family movie, A Dash of Christmas.  A dash of Christmas is, of course, the secret ingredient to all fabulous holiday baking.  That makes "A Dash of Christmas" an awesome Christmas movie title, especially if the movie plot is centered on a bakery and cooking. 

With Laura Osnes and Christoper Russell starring as the main characters, I expected it to be a great, relaxing Christmas movie.  I was not disappointed!  As a matter of fact, this movie definitely got me in the mood to cook.  The opening scenes alone made me want to pull out my pans and start baking. 

The Great American Family channel has become my favorite movie channel.  They offer heartwarming, clean and wholesome movies, which can be somewhat predictable. Since most movies are predictable, that doesn't really bother me. It actually makes them easier to watch, especially if I am cleaning or cooking.

Streaming movies also makes watching easier.  If I miss part of the dialog, or an important scene, I can easily go back immediately and pick up where I left off.

GAF (also known as GAC Family) is available on several streaming services including Frndly TV, which is my preferred streaming service on the list.  That channel alone makes subscribing to Frndly TV worth the cost, but they are also home to television classics and more than a dozen other popular TV channels.

This is the first Christmas movie I have watched this year and it was a great place to start.  I look forward to seeing more of the Christmas movies presented this season by the Great American Family channel.

 

A Dash of Christmas Movie Synopsis

When Megan Blake accepts a severance package from the new owners of the company where she worked, she finds herself at a crossroads in life.  At 33, she is too young to retire, but she isn't sure what she will do next.  She has already contacted a recruiter, so perhaps something will present itself soon.  Going home for the holidays seems like a good start.  Plus, she will get to spend Christmas with her sister and niece.  That is something she has never been able to do before.

Megan's trip home starts with a bit of a snag when her ride doesn't show up before the train station closes.  She walks to a lighted area to wait for the car and ends up standing in front of Hometown Bakery where her "good deed" causes a problem for the owner.  He has left his delivery truck door open while he runs inside to grab the boxes to deliver.  When Megan sees the truck door standing open, but no one around, she decides to close and lock the door.  When the owner comes out with his hands full of boxes, it all becomes clear, but now he needs help getting back into his truck.

Aaron McBay owns Hometown Bakery where he bakes, offers baking classes, and makes his own deliveries.  However, trying to carry too many boxes to his delivery truck at once, can be dangerous for the baked goods, especially if his truck door is locked. 

As in many great romance movies, there is an instant attraction between two strangers.  The opportunity for further acquaintance is clearly essential and what better than one of them needing help from the other.  Needing each other's help actually happens a few times in this movie and makes for a very enjoyable show. While their final "decisions" may be expected, it is still a heartwarming and delightful movie to watch.

A Dash of Christmas

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Hallmark Christmas Movie Review; Checkin' It Twice

 Hockey and love are the main theme of this 2023 Hallmark Christmas movie Checkin' It Twice. This is one of the first movies to premier in the 2023 Hallmark Christmas season.

Kevin McGarry and Kim Matula star in this hockey themed Hallmark movie located in a small hockey loving town. 

Storyline

Struggling older hockey player is hoping to "move up" to the next level of hockey. McGarry is believable enough though admittedly he is playing a 32 year old amongst 20 + year olds. The older athlete hoping to achieve his dream of being called "up" to the next level team is one seen before ... and is predicable. However, Hallmark is predictable too which is part of its' charm (if you are a fan of course.)

McGarry of the Hallmark series When Calls The Heart has been popping up more and more in Hallmark movies. The chemistry with the Matula is believable and moves the story along. Their chemistry along with a fun loving hockey town family provides quite a few smiles.

Recommendation

Cute, enjoyable and amusing is my summary of Checkin' It Twice. If the movie comes on in the background, I wouldn't change the channel, but I would not seek the movie out either to rewatch. My Hallmark grade is a pleasant to watch B.

If you like hockey themed Hallmark movies, Taking A Shot At Love with Alexa Penavega and Luke Macfarlane and Frozen In Love with Rachael Leigh Cook and Niall Matter would be my first and second choice.

More Hallmark Christmas Movies Reviewed

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2023 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2022 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2021 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

You, Me & The Christmas Trees by The Savvy Age

A New Year's Resolution by Cynthia 

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2020 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

Finding Father Christmas by Cynthia

Christmas Tree Lane by The Savvy Age

Broadcasting Christmas by Cynthia

Top Ten Hallmark Christmas Movies by The Savvy Age

Debbie Macomber's Mr. Miracle Hallmark Movie Review by Cynthia

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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2023 Hallmark Christmas Movies Reviewed

If it is pumpkin season then Hallmark Christmas is soon to follow!  Hallmark Christmas 2023 Movies are arriving at the end of October.

Hallmark Christmas movie season includes all the movies we have loved from the past plus new Christmas movies premiering on both the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel. Hallmark Christmas Movies began Friday, October 20, 2023.

The 2023 Hallmark Christmas Movie Schedule has 42 new holiday movies being released from October 20 to December 21st: 31 on the Hallmark Channel, 2 early release on Hallmark's streamng channel and 9 on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel. A few notables of the 42 featuring the A list stars to watch for:

Never Been Chris'd

Tyler Hynes, A team Hallmark actor leads the hometown friends reuniting for a Christmas Hallmark holiday love triangle - whew! Hynes as always brings a sense of humor, wit and a wink to this holiday movie.

Christmas Island

Andrew Walker, always a Hallmark favorite and Rachel Skarsten star. Islands, Christmas, air traffic controller, pilot, snowstorm and did I mention Christmas. Have fun as the stars head for romance and holidays on a island named Christmas of course.

A Merry Scottish Christmas

Party of Five fans line up for this premiere! Lacey Chabert and Scott Wolf star as siblings on a family trip to Scotland with the holidays and family mysteries in the air. Party of Five fans have been waiting for a reunion ... this may not be five, but its' two! Enjoy.

Haul Out The Holly: Lit Up  ** Sequel to 2022 

It's a sequel, it is cute, it is Christmas, it is Hallmark and we love it. Lacey Chabert in her second Hallmark Christmas movie this year and Wes Brown reprise their roles. Nuff said... light entertainment from a cast which proved its' chemistry already in the first movie.

Best of 2022

A few favorites from the 2022 season to look for in the 2023 season.

Three Wise Men And A Baby

By far, the best Hallmark Christmas movie of 2022 was Three Wise Men and A Baby with Andrew Walker, Tyler Hynes and Paul Campbell (who also co wrote the movie.) Sure, the storyline may sound a bit familiar from the original movie, but this movie will bring smiles for the second time with a cast of Hallmark A team actors and their chemistry. 

A Cozy Christmas Inn

Jodie Sweetin (Full House) and David O'Donnell take on Alaska, Christmas, old loves reuniting and B and B's all in one charming Hallmark movie. If you love Hallmark then you can surnise the storyline and great to see O'Donnell back. He was in Christmas Under Wraps with Candace Cameron Bure, also in Alaska! 

Haul Out The Holly

It wouldn't be a Hallmark Christmas movie season without Lacey Chabert. Teaming with Hallmark favorite Wes Brown he and Lacey take on the relucatance of one to enjoy Christmas.

A Holiday Spectacular 

The Radio City Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall are featured in this journey through New York and Christmas with the Rockettes.

More Hallmark Christmas Movies Reviewed

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2022 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2021 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

You, Me & The Christmas Trees by The Savvy Age

A New Year's Resolution by Cynthia 

Hallmark Christmas Movies 2020 Reviewed by The Savvy Age

Finding Father Christmas by Cynthia

Christmas Tree Lane by The Savvy Age

Broadcasting Christmas by Cynthia

Top Ten Hallmark Christmas Movies by The Savvy Age

Debbie Macomber's Mr. Miracle Hallmark Movie Review by Cynthia

Where To Find Hallmark Christmas Movies?

If your cable subscription includes Hallmark channels then Hallmark Channel is available with the Hallmark Everywhere App. Your cable subscription username and password will be needed to log in.

 Hallmark Movies Now  is a streaming service for a monthly fee. A seven day free trial is available to give the channel a no obligation spin.

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Remember Sunday (2013) Movie Review

Most often, I watch movies in the background while I work.  I guess you could say, they keep me company.  However, Remember Sunday is not a background movie.  This is one you really want to be invested in.  It is well worth watching.

The actors are adorable and kind.  You pull for them throughout the movie because you really want them to succeed.  They both possess a positive attitude and strong determination as they face difficult times and situations.

Since I have never known anyone who survived an aneurysm, I wasn't sure how accurate the movie's presentation of it was until I did a bit of research.  I found that, in some causes, the memory loss after an aneurysm was accurately depicted in the movie.  This knowledge made me like the movie even more.  Not only was I captivated by the story, but I learned something.

I will warn you, the movie is not all sunshine and flowers.  As you can imagine, not being able to remember someone, conversations, activities, etc. would make you, and everyone that is a constant in your life, struggle for consistency or the bond of a continuous relationship.  Shared experiences are the foundation of almost any relationship, even the bad ones.  Without those memories, it would be nearly impossible to have a bound.

Synopsis of Remember Sunday

Remember Sunday

Gus Gillenwater (Zachary Levi) wakes up every morning to post-it notes!  Yes, that is correct.  He has post-it notes all over his home and a file marked "Read Me Every Morning".  The notes and file tell him where he is and what he is supposed to remember.  After he reads through the file, he calls his sister each morning and she tells him, again, why he is living in New Orleans and answers any questions he has.  He works at a jewelry shop owned by old friends.   

Gus's notes, file, and daily routine are extremely important because Gus has no short-term memory due to an aneurysm.  

He is kind, even tempered, and happy, but he is living day to day without the memories of most of his adult life.  He tries to "fill in the gaps" by recording the things he would like to remember, like appointments, things he needs to do, and whatever he thinks is important in his day.  He is surrounded by friends and neighbors who try to daily help him.

Gus meets his life-long friend, Jerry, for breakfast each morning.  On the day when we first meet Gus, he will be meeting Jerry at a new restaurant, Addie Mae's, for breakfast.  He is immediately attracted to his waitress, Molly.  Sadly, he will not remember her tomorrow.

____

Molly Branford (Alexis Bledel) is a waitress at Addie Mae's Restaurant.  She is living with her best friend since she can't afford an apartment on her own.  She is also taking a business class.  She hopes to start her own flower shop when she receives the inheritance that is currently being held up by lawyers.

Molly is adorable, sweet, and well liked although frequently underappreciated by the men she dates.

When she meets Gus, of course she likes him, but she can't understand why he would stand her up for their date. 

Fortunately for both of them, Jerry knew about the date.  When he calls to see how things are going, he finds out Gus is at home, totally oblivious to the fact that he is supposed to be out on his first date with Molly.

___

After the initial mix-up, Molly and Gus do start dating, but their dating life is fraught with misunderstandings, difficulties and distress until Molly learns more about Gus's aneurysm and why he can't remember.  

Gus, himself, questions "is it possible to fall in love with someone every single day?"

 

 

 

Remember Sunday on Prime Video

Hallmark Hall of Fame Crown Collection 2 * Christmas with Holly, The Makeover, Remember Sunday DVD

Remember Sunday on DVD

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A Review of the Movie The Tomorrow War

I recently watched a movie on Prime video called The Tomorrow War.  Being a fan of science fiction, I was totally enthralled by the scenario.  Great story!  I thought the acting was well done, in addition to the extremely realistic special effects.  Overall, I gave it a 10 out or 10!  Let me tell  you about it......

The Tomorrow War is a Amazon Original Movie that was released in 2021.  It was supposed to be released to theaters, but because of Covid, it was decided to release it straight to Prime Video.  It was the most streamed movie on Prime Video in 2021, and a sequel is in the works!

Main Cast

Chris Pratt as Dan Forester

Yvonne Strahovski as Colonel Muri Forester

J.K. Simmons as James Forester

Betty Gilpin as Emmy Forester

Sam Richardson as Charlie

Jasmine Mathews as Lt. Hart

Edwin Hodge as Dorian

Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Young Muri Forester

Short Summary 

The world is shocked when a group of soldiers, armed to the teeth, appear in the middle of the World Cup to tell the world that in 30 years the earth will be invaded by a hostile alien species.  The soldiers are from the future and have come to ask for our help to turn the tide of the war that they are badly losing against the vicious invaders.

They want to bring people from our time to the future to help fight.  A world draft is instituted and Dan Forester, an ex Green Beret is drafted to go and help save the human race.  What Dan finds in the future is stunning, but it is nothing compared to what he finds when comes back home.

The Trailer:

The below synopsis contains spoilers, please skip if you don't want to know!

Detailed Plot Synopsis

In December 2022 former Green Beret Dan Forester and his wife and daughter are having a home Christmas party.  Everyone is watching the World Cup when a disturbance happens on the field and a group of heavily armed soldiers appear out of nowhere.  They announce that in the year 2048 hostile aliens, called Whitespikes, invade Earth and start killing every living thing on the planet.  For them that was three years ago and now the population of the Earth is almost gone.  The soldiers have come back into the past to ask for help defending our world before the human race becomes extinct.

A worldwide draft is initiated and within a year Dan is drafted.  Upon arrival at the draft office he finds that the term of service is only seven days, but only 30% of people make it back.  The people drafted are sent in with weapons, but almost no training.  Another thing Dan finds strange is that they do not show the draftees a picture of the enemy.  

Dan and his fellow draftees are sent through a device called the Jumplink to the year 2051, but due to a glitch in the system, they are transported to the wrong location high above a skyscraper and the only people that survive are the ones that had the luck to land in the swimming pool on the roof.  Luckily Dan and a couple of his newly made friends do, along with a few others, and they are radioed by Colonel Forester to proceed to a laboratory downtown and to rescue a group of scientists and a toxin they are working on to kill the Whitespikes. While on the way to the lab, the draftees finally get a look at the aliens and it quickly becomes clear why they don't show anyone pictures.  The Whitespikes are the stuff of nightmares!

Image by Ken Barthelmey

Creature & Character Designer | info@theartofken.com

Upon arrival at the lab, the scientists were dead, but Dan is able to find a dozen vials of the toxin.  While trying to flee from the city, the group is besieged by Whitespikes and all but Dan and two of his friends are killed.  An explosion saves them and they wake up in the Dominican Republic in a military camp hospital.  When Dan meets the camp commander, he is shocked to find it is his grown daughter Muri.  Happy to see her, he is puzzled and hurt at her cold attitude and refusal to speak of the past.  

Muri explains that they need to capture the female Whitespike, who is like a queen bee.  After they capture the queen, and transport her to a lab on an oil rig they find that the toxin that kills the males does not work on the female, so work begins on finding a variant that will.  When they finally find a workable toxin to kill the female, the male Whitespikes flood the base to free the female.  During the fight, Muri gets wounded by a poisonous spike and just as she and Dan begin to connect, his seven day term of service comes to an end.  As he is about to transport back to the past, his daughter gives him a vial of the toxin and tells him to mass produce it in the past so they can be ready to use it in 2048.

Back in his own time, Dan tries to give the toxin to the government to produce so he can go back to the future and distribute it when he finds out that the future Jumplink was on the oil rig that was overrun with Whitespikes and damaged so it was no longer functional.  The world goes into panic thinking the loss of the Jumplink means the future war was lost.

Dan and his wife try to figure out where the Whitespikes come from, and they formulate that maybe they didn't come to earth in 2048, maybe they were already here all along.  Since they were first seen around a glacier on Komsomolets Island in Russia, Dan decides that would be the first place to look.  After drafting his two friends Charlie and Dorian from his future group, they go to see Dan's dad, James, who is a prepper and conspiracy theorist.   Of course, James knows someone with a plane who can fly them to Russia where they find the crashed space ship.  They deduce it has been there for over a thousand years.  After finding half a dozen compartments with frozen Whitespikes, they realize that this was where the "invasion" came from.  They were here all along, frozen in the ice.

They begin injecting the Whitespikes with the toxin and it quickly kills them, but also wakes up the others and the mission devolves into a vicious fight to kill the aliens before they escape and start the war early.  They plant explosives to blow up the ship which manages to kill the rest of the males, but the one female gets loose and leaves the ship running out into the snow.  Dan and his father go after her in an all out battle which they finally win and kill her.

Conclusion

I really liked this movie.  If you like science fiction, I believe you will too.  It is more than just a shoot 'em up alien war movie.  The connection between the Forester family members is quite complex with interactions I didn't include in the synopsis.  (I can't tell you everything!) I also loved that it had a happy ending!  I highly recommend this movie!

Unfortunately, this movie can only be seen on Amazon Prime, and cannot be purchased on Amazon.  I have had Prime for years and find it to be more than worth the $139 a year.  A full Movie channel and free shipping on all orders along with other perks......definitely worth it.  If you are interested in subscribing, click here:   Amazon Prime

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