Tuesday, December 26, 2017

My Christmas Prince: My Christmas Meh

Hallmark Channel may be the most well known for Christmas movies but they are not alone. Lifetime often runs Christmas movies throughout December as do some other channels. Even Netflix got in on the game this year! They’ve also repeated Hallmark’s tried-and-true girl-becomes-princess for Christmas plots. Lifetime’s offering is My Christmas Prince.


How does it hold up compared to Hallmark? Let’s take a look!


These are my Christmas SPOILERS!

Monday, December 25, 2017

A Gift to Remember: A Movie Not to Forget

Time for another Hallmark movie! Like “A Song for Christmas,” this is part of 2017’s batch of movies. And it’s not a “A Princess for Christmas” knock off! It’s a quirky girl meets guy she thinks she can’t have but starts to fall in love anyway movie. Does it work?


Let’s find out!




As always, SPOILERS!

Friday, December 15, 2017

OUAT: Beware the Coven

Last time on “Once:” Victoria convinced Rumple to let her out of prison and promised him information on the Guardian. She was determined to bring her daughter Anastasia back to life as Drizella and Gothel followed her, determined to find her as well. Rogers broke into Rumple’s evidence locker and realized he was keeping files on everyone in Hyperion Heights, growing more suspicious of the man. 

Victoria relinquished all custody claims to Lucy, which Jacinda had validated by Nick. He kissed her but she pushed him away, saying she just wanted to parent with him. Unbeknownst to them, the kiss was recorded and Victoria planned to use it for nefarious reasons as she took Lucy from ballet and told her the truth about fairy tales—and her own story. 

Besides being Lady Tremaine, Victoria was also Rapunzel! She stole some vegetables to feed her family but was caught by Gothel. Rapunzel made a deal so her family could have a better life—but she ended up trapped in a tower. After her hair grew long enough, Rapunzel finally escaped and was reunited with her family. Only her husband Marcus, believing her dead, had married Ella’s mother, Cecilia. 

Rapunzel was given a job in Marcus and Cecilia’s household and allowed to live in a cottage on the property. She tried to reconnect with her daughters but while Anastasia welcomed her back, Drizella clearly preferred Cecilia over her. And she was getting mixed signals from Marcus, who seemed to love her but also Cecilia. Gothel showed up and gave her a mushroom that would get rid of Cecilia for her, allowing Rapunzel to take her happiness back. Rapunzel refused to use it but Gothel left it behind for her…just in case. 

After Drizella once again rejected Rapunzel and prefers Cecilia, Rapunzel used the poison on Cecilia. It poisoned her heart and drove her to Wonderland. Marcus returned and took Rapunzel back as his wife, the two taking in Ella and raising her with their girls. One day, though, the girls were building a snowman on an ice-covered lake when Anastasia and Ella fell through some ice. Marcus dove in but only managed to rescue Ella. 

Rapunzel found Anastasia, barely clinging to life, and brought her to Gothel. She begged Gothel to save her daughter and Gothel locked in Anastasia’s last breath to keep her from dying. But then Gothel insisted that Anastasia needed to go into the tower and this time, Rapunzel won’t be able to break anyone out. She revealed that she was testing people to find someone who was entirely selfless, trying to find a special person. Rapunzel failed when she ultimately poisoned Cecilia but maybe Anastasia will pass. Rapunzel stole Gothel’s magic and trapped her in the tower, vowing to find a way on her own to rescue Anastasia. 

Victoria took Lucy to see Anastasia in the hospital, showed her the video of Jacinda and Nick kissing and told her that happy endings weren’t real. She traumatized the poor girl into giving up her belief and shedding a tear, which Victoria collected as Lucy ran away. 

Rogers confronted Rumple, who admitted that he had been played by Victoria. He promised to work with Rogers—just as long as he helped him find Lucy, who was missing. Lucy, though, showed up at home and Jacinda noticed how brokenhearted she was. But before Lucy could tell her why she was so upset, she collapsed as Victoria used her tear to wake Anastasia up. 

Drizella watched the reunion before walking away, looking heartbroken yet determined. 

We open as doctors rush Lucy through the hospital. Jacinda runs by the gurney’s side, holding onto her daughter’s hand. She assures Lucy that she’s there as Lucy lies there, hooked up to oxygen. 
A flashback takes us back to the Enchanted Forest. Henry introduces his newborn daughter to Wish!Hook, Tiana and Jack and they all congratulate him. Jack teases him about being a father and Henry asks where his mother is. Drizella shows up, saying that Regina got caught up with something but is unharmed. Henry warns her to stay away from his daughter but she’s not there to hurt Lucy. 


(The proud papa!)
She’s there to deliver a prophecy—a curse will come on Lucy’s eighth birthday, one that will end their lives as they know it. Wish!Hook says she needs to check the prophecy again because she overlooked the part where they defeat her and Henry tells her to look down. Drizella does so and realizes she’s standing on a rune that’s glowing. It slowly turns her into stone and she realizes it’s blood magic. She asks how they did that and Lady Tremaine shows up for some reason, saying she contributed some of her blood because she can’t let Drizella cast the curse. Before her face turns to stone, Drizella vows that she will come back and that the curse will be cast—no matter what. 


(Don't Blink)

Friday, December 8, 2017

OUAT: What a Tangled Web

Get the pun? If not, hopefully you will by the end of the recap.

Last time on “Once:” Alice believed she had found a cure for the curse that separated her from her father—Wish!Hook. However, it didn’t and Hook ended up injured. She ran away to Wonderland, pursued by Ella and Henry. Henry realized Ella was familiar with Wonderland and she revealed that her mother ran away to Wonderland, abandoning her father. Ella hoped to find her mother and get answers, entering the infinite maze to do so.

Ella found Alice as well as her mother’s locket. Alice knew Ella’s mother, Cecilia, and revealed that her mother ran away to Wonderland because she was poisoned the same way Wish!Hook was. She had to stay away from the people she loved and was looking for a cure. Unfortunately, she was killed when the Jabberwocky attacked. Ella thanked her for telling her that and seemed to make peace with the fact that her mother hadn’t just abandoned them for no reason.

Alice revealed a pretty sorceress tricked her into thinking she was cured and Ella realized it was Drizella. Meanwhile, Drizella tried to poison Henry’s heart with the same curse but Ella got there just in time to save him thanks to her Magical Lockets of True Love. She finally gave into her feelings for Henry and they shared a Big Damn Kiss, complete with 360 camera work.

They returned to camp to assure Wish!Hook that Alice was fine and that she hoped they would be reunited one day. Regina noticed they were holding hands and wished them the best. Tiana then revealed that someone claiming to be friends with Henry showed up. He introduced the man as Jack, one of his first friends in the Enchanted Forest, and Jack joined the rebellion.

Meanwhile, Hyperion Heights reeled over Victoria’s arrest. Henry recorded some footage of Drizella for his podcast and she asked if he would want to make videos with Belfrey Industries’ backing. Regina stepped in and warned Drizella away from her son but Drizella was feeling pretty in control, revealing that Eloise Gardiner was Mother Gothel. Regina certainly knew who she was and how dangerous she was.

Gothel, meanwhile, checked in with Officer Rogers and brought him a cake. Regina later threw it out when she found out Gothel made it and she encouraged Rogers to give Tilly a second chance. It certainly gave Rogers something to think about it and he later made a standing appointment with Tilly to play chess with her each week.

Lucy was put into a foster home and Sabine convinced Jacinda to enlist the help of Lucy’s bio-dad (at least according to the curse)—Nick, who is just a cursed Jack. He has become a lawyer and he agreed to help her get their daughter back, though he was probably also flirting with her—even taking her to a fancy restaurant. He met Henry and the two bonded immediately, though it was dampened on Henry’s side when he learned who Nick was. But he had to admit he was a good man and tried to get Lucy to bond with her father. She was having none of it, convinced Nick was the “Kathryn.”

Meanwhile, Regina met with Rumple and told him that she was awake. She told him that Gothel was around and that they both knew they couldn’t let her continue to be free. Rumple, though, played dumb and pretended he wasn’t awake. So Regina said she would get help from somewhere else.

Henry continued to work on the food truck but when he saw Jacinda and Nick coming back from a date, he left after giving her the keys. She chased after him and explained that she felt something for him but she needed to focus on Lucy. She confessed that she didn’t lose Lucy—she signed her parental rights over to Victoria, believing it was for the best. Now she was scared that Lucy will hate her for it. Henry reassured her that it wouldn’t happen and encouraged her to tell that to Nick so he could help her. He then said that maybe it wasn’t a good time for them to start anything and they parted ways.

He then went and drank his feelings, horrifying Regina when she found him at her bar. It only grew as he railed against love, especially since it wasn’t going to work out with Jacinda. She took the bottles from him and said that she needed to go to San Francisco to enlist the help of someone who hates Victoria Belfrey…but hates her more. She invited Henry to come along with her to get a change of scenery and he agreed, saying he had the perfect playlist for their car ride.

Jacinda and Nick got Lucy returned to her custody and Lucy happily returned home to her mother. Jacinda apologized for giving her up but promised that she would always fight for her going forward. Lucy forgave her and told her she believed in her. Jacinda then introduced Lucy formally to Nick, though she wasn’t too thrilled about that. After, Jacinda went to Roni’s to give Henry a mix tape but was told he went to San Francisco with Roni. She left, disappointed.

Drizella and Gothel continued to work together. Gothel asked Drizella to find Anastasia’s body so they could get to her magic. Drizella finally found her in one of Victoria’s other properties but when they opened the coffin, it was empty and so their search continued.

We open in the middle of a storm as a team of horses race through the night, leading a carriage. A clocked figure guides them as two small children rest in the back, caring for a sick man. The carriage comes to a stop by a gate and the man asks the driver why they have stopped, addressing the person as “Rapunzel.” We see Rapunzel in the front seat—and this time it is her, the woman whose appearance Mother Gothel stole in order to seduce Wish!Hook. She explains that she found some food for them and he apologizes that she must care for them. Rapunzel assures him—Marcus—that things will get better and all the dreams they have for their family will come true. She then tells her daughters to stay with their father and assures them that the lanterns will connect them—they will see hers and she’ll see theirs. She promises that family always finds a way to stay together before heading into the garden beyond the gate.


(It's Rapunzel--the real one!)

Saturday, December 2, 2017

A Song for Christmas: A Review for Christmas

Tis the season! Hallmark Christmas movie season, that is! They started right before Halloween and I’ve already seen “A Princess for Christmas” three times…in the same week. I think I’ve also seen “Love at the Thanksgiving Parade” twice as well.

Of course, there’s a new crop of movies this year as well. I doubt I’ll review them all, but I thought I would at least try to review this one. So, grab your guitar and light your Christmas tree…oh…and beware of…

SPOILERS!


Friday, December 1, 2017

OUAT: Tainted Love

Last time on “Once:” Rogers asked Tilly to help him find Eloise Gardiner. She met up with him again and told him that Eloise had been living on the street and going by Rain until she was killed in a car accident a couple years earlier. Rogers was shattered and almost fell off the wagon, having gone sober after being drunk on the job when Eloise was kidnapped (which is why he took her disappearance so hard). He realized that the painting Tilly had given as proof that Rain was Eloise was only made recently and knew exactly what was going on.

He stormed the evidence room and confronted Rumple, demanding to know why he made Tilly lie. Rumple told him he was trying to protect Rogers from himself, but couldn’t explain why just yet. Rogers pretty much told him to go to hell and then stormed over to Victoria’s office, getting Drizella to give him access to the GPS on her mother’s car so he could track her down.

Rogers stormed into a warehouse owned by Victoria. He found her there as she had discovered that Drizella was awake and working with the Witch. She hid the Witch but Rogers freed her, saying she was Eloise.

dun dun DUN!

Victoria was arrested while Tilly apologized for lying. Rogers told her he was disappointed in her before heading to the hospital with the Witch. Drizella gloated over her mother’s demise while Lucy had to go into foster care, leaving Jacinda vowing to get her daughter back. It was the main reason why she decided not to pursue a relationship with Henry, encouraged by Regina—who still needed to keep them from sharing True Love’s Kiss.

Our flashbacks took us to the Wish!Realm as well as the Enchanted Forest. Hook prepared his crew to leave with the Queen’s curse but she showed up to reveal that Snow and Charming took her magic, so she couldn’t cast the curse. She asked Hook to go retrieve a flower from a tower so she could use its magic to restore her own. Then they can go get his revenge on the Crocodile. Hook agreed and took Smee with him.

They found the tower and Hook scaled up it, climbing into the window. He met Rapunzel, who explained she was trapped there by a witch’s curse and told him where to get the magical flower. He promised to return so she could use it to escape and she was surprised he would do that. But Hook’s “save a damsel” side had been triggered and he was taken with her.

Hook and Smee went to the garden and Hook sang a sea shanty to find the flower but only managed to start a fight with a giant garden gnome. As Smee acted as bait, Hook started to sing a lullaby which did activate the flower. He grabbed it and it defeated the gnome. Hook ordered Smee to go back to port while he went to rescue Rapunzel. Smee warned him to be careful before heading out.

Returning to the tower, Hook gave Rapunzel the flower. She showed her gratitude by kissing him and then the camera panned away to indicate sexy times.

In the morning, Hook was surprised to learn that Rapunzel had a baby overnight. Rapunzel then revealed she was the Witch, Mother Gothel, and had used a glamor spell to trick him into sleeping with him. She said she needed someone of her bloodline to leave in the tower so she could escape, leaving behind their daughter in her place. Hook was more appalled at that rather than the fact he had been raped by deception, much like Robin was by Zelena. Once again, that was brushed over but I’m not going to start that again.

Hook went back to the port and gave the flower to the Evil Queen while also turning the Jolly Roger to Smee. He said he needed to stay behind because something more important came up. The Evil Queen asked what was more important than revenge and the answer was his daughter, who Hook named after his mother—Alice.

We open with a sword fight between Ella and Henry. It seems she is getting the upper hand, though he is holding his own. She teases him, saying she thought he was taught by a pirate. He replies he was but Hook didn’t cheat as much as did. She counters with the fact that the royal guards won’t fight fair either. They end up entangled in each other’s arms and share a moment before Ella ends it. Henry apologizes and Ella says it’s complicated. Before she can elaborate, she freezes and whispers that they are not alone.


(Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!)