Reviews

Sunday afternoon and we were looking for something to watch. I wasn't sure what this was about and when it started I thought 'Oh, no, a sappy chick movie.' Was I wrong! Visually stunning, musically delicious (and I don't care for jazz), a real treat. I loved it! As a Southern Californian there were scenes I know from real life. We'll have to make another trip to the Griffith Observatory now. And finally, maybe it was a 'chick' movie after all, a 'chick on a stick'!

Rant: when I read reviews I don't need a plot summary except as the plot point is necessary to the review itself. But...

I find it interesting to see early Columbo episodes when the character has not fully developed. This episode was well made and produced. Some of the outdoor scenes were just beautiful, more so than many other episodes that are sometimes more like stage plays. Ray Miland was excellent because he didn't come across as the 'star' and was understated even though he played a 'powerful' character. All of the actors were believable so kudos to director and the actors and the cinematographer too.

A good watch for sure and the story moved along.

I'm a bit surprised at the low rating compared to other Hallmark movies. What I liked was the variation in plot (as opposed to city person without Christmas spirit is changed by country person... sometimes magically is seems), the better chemistry between the leads, and better production values. I'll forgive the smart but goofy wife. I might note that this happens at Christmas but Christmas is not the main point, the problems of life could have happened at any time. On the down side, as others have pointed out the legal ethics portrayed stretched the boundaries some. I could imaging a tough boss but the outright meanness and lack of ethics was difficult to believe. Still, the refreshing match of the leads trumped all and hence the good rating.

Because our granddaughter is a dancer we have learned quite a bit about the effort and dedication needed to be even a decent dancer and the dancers in this movie are much more than 'decent', they are really good. So on that alone this is worth watching. However, it also had good production values, good dialog, and good acting. This is one we watched on the DVR and did not delete after watching. I'm sure we'll watch it at least once more this season.

We love the Hallmark movies but found this one a bit lacking. Sure the story was weak but that was not our objection. The dialog was very stilted and didn't at all seem real. A lack of chemistry made us wonder why a mature guy would fall for a teenager (that what she acted like). I'll blame this one on the writers. We had just finished re-watching A Christmas to Remember which we absolutely loved loved loved so maybe getting this weaker effort on the rebound didn't help. Not a complete waste of time, but switch to the other Hallmark channel if you can find something there.

I have to admit I'm a sucker for these movies. I recorded them and then we watch at our (retired) convenience. Then I delete them after watching. Not so with this one. It's actually still there and we watched it a couple more times. This is a step above the rest of the Hallmark movies. The story was simple, and only a couple of small plot holes but overall quite good. It was well acted in as much of a minimalist way as is possible with the genre. We love ALL the characters from kids to sports writer who gave us a couple of chuckles as well as face palms. It's one we wished it was to be a hour longer to expand on all the characters.

This like fine wine. It gets better with age. I first saw it on cable not too long after it came out and was in love immediately. I bought it first on VHS tape and now have it on DVD. Every now and then when I need some emotional quiet I pull the DVD out and give it a watch. I'm sure it's over 20 times and I enjoy it more each time. It's a movie with texture like my most comfortable shirt. SPOILER ALERT. I enjoy and anticipate many (well most actually) of the scenes and feel sorry for anyone who thinks the movie ends in Houston. Others have gone over the plot and commented it was weak. Well, YEAH, it's a movie about people and feelings, not plot twists and action scenes. And it asks questions that may or may not be answered, and that's the point. It asks you to ponder various things. Who is the babies father? Is Marina a mermaid or not? What was the name of the boat being renamed? Who is the biggest capitalist? Who is the most 'normal' person in the village? What is the significance of the last scene (if you didn't quit too soon)? Which scene is the defining moment showing Mac has gone native? And just who is the Local Hero? I have my answers but think it would be unfair to you to reveal them. Watch and decide for yourself. Then let's compare answers and have a great conversation. Wait! I just discovered there is a Facebook page for Local Hero. The discussion can be there!

Maybe this is not the Great American Movie, but certainly a worthy effort. It has been over 30 (maybe 40) years since I've seen it (and not for lack of trying to find it on TV or for rent) but I can still remember how hard I laughed at Harry Morgan's antics. That's funny stuff! Worth a watch and I do wish it was available on DVD. At that time I first saw this I had no idea who Blake Edwards was, but looking back I can see the influence and similarities with works like the Pink Panther series. If you liked the Pink Panther and the Return of the Pink Panther (the only two I really cared for) you probably will like this too.

Superb acting by the lead characters and nice pacing made this movie fly by. After I got past some early scenes that I felt were awkward, (fault of the director, not the actors) the movie smoothed out nicely. Meryl Streep surely should get an nod from the Academy. Flawless. To portray someone who was such a character herself, without overdoing it was marvelous. I would have to say the editing of this film was certainly the best I've seen in a long time. Nicely done there! Switching from Julia to Julie was never hard to follow and seemed natural despite the 50 odd year timing differences. Some nice laughs and some surprisingly very tender and emotional moments without it becoming a tear jerker. A bit of a chic flick to be sure, but hey it's about FOOD (well at least that was the thread that tied it all together) and us guys have to love that!

What a disappointment! Sweeping overacting and a death scene by Richard Boone out of the silent film era. It felt like the director was holding Mitchum back from a true tough guy persona. Perky 70's music just added to the trash this movie is. Read the book! These characters were not real in any sense. Unfortunately, I expected each plot twist and waited for cameos by 'stars', all distracting from the story. Everything was much too bright. This is Film Noir that isn't. Marlowe's digs were much too nice... and so were the bad guys. The bad girls were not much better. They were not flirty enough to be sexy and not half bad enough to be the evil girls they should have been. I expected Diana Rigg and Patrick McNee to pop up and announce, "Welcome to an Avengers episode".

As a longtime Tony Hillerman fan I looked forward to a better treatment of his Jim Chee novels than previous efforts. Visually Coyote Waits was very attractive but unfortunately was unable to impart the feel of the long lonely roads and the dry heat of the four corners region. The film was somewhat better at giving us a glimpse of Navajo culture, but unfortunately it was only a glimpse. In particular I missed the periods of silence and waiting we learned about in the books. Sure that's dead time in a visual medium, but that is important to the Navajo culture and the novels. The plot was very close to the novel, and the few concessions that were made were quite understandable. I hope we see more of Capt. Largo, Lt. Leaphorn and more insight into Officer Chee in future Hillerman treatments. All in all, worth a watch and certainly better than the formula mysteries we see regularly on broadcast TV.

I must have seen this shortly after it came out, certainly in the early '60s. What I remembered was Mike's apartment and what went on there... what I couldn't remember was the name of the movie... when I saw Ralph Meeker in the Dirty Dozen I used the IMDB to methodically go thru his credits until I found this. You wouldn't believe how many movie 'experts' I've queried and come up empty looking for this movie's title... Now the big task is going to find a copy to view again, 30+ years later and see if I can exorcise these memories. All the so-called experts could suggest based on my recollections was The Collector with Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar. Both good, some similarities. See them both.