| Table of Reviews |
|---|
Flowers in the Attic: The Origin – Review
Flowers in the Attic: The Origin – Lifetime – 2 hours and 0 minutes
Olivia puts on a fake belly and prepares the staff for the changes to the household. She informs them that she is pregnant, her step-mother-in-law, Alicia, is leaving for Philidelphia, and Alicia’s son, Christopher, will stay. Malcolm and Alicia get in the car and drive away but return to the East wing at night. Olivia puts Alicia in the chamber maids’ quarters with access to the attic. Alicia will have room to walk around and read books, but she can’t leave until she gives birth. After childbirth, Olivia will pretend the baby is hers, and Alicia will quietly retreat with Christopher. Olivia falsely believes this will give her control over Malcolm and the household. Unfortunately, it will take 15 years for Olivia to see she never had power in Foxworth Hall. She is a victim and perpetrator of Malcolm’s crimes and sinful nature.
Based on Garden of Shadows by V.C. Andrews, this segment continues where part one left off but jumps 15 years within the movie (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). This installment isn’t as brutal as the first, but Malcolm will make your flesh crawl. All the children grow up and suffer at Malcolm’s feet while they try to assert control over their money, love, and body. However, Olivia does the most in-depth soul searching and self-realization of any character. She sees the error of her ways and becomes defenseless to stopping it. Unlike the first, this film ends on a predictable cliffhanger.
I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars
Fear is like pain. Endure it long enough, and you’ll become numb to it – Olivia
Darling, when are you going to realize I always get what I want. No matter what – Malcolm
I know. Nothing but evil comes from this house – Nella
Just because Judas isn’t the devil doesn’t make him someone you should trust – Celia
I think you want my baby just as much as he does – Alicia
What about you – Corrine
Find, shop for, and watch Lifetime movies on Amazon TV (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer)
Click here for more information
Keeping Up With the Joneses: The Wrong Murder – Review
Keeping Up With the Joneses: The Wrong Murder – LMN – 2 hours and 0 minutes
The Jones women work on building around their water wealth while starting a charity, but Webb’s death looms over them. Robin handles business dealings while answering questions about her involvement. She wants Sheldon to work overtime and find Webb’s body. Without that body, she can’t inherit Webb’s fortune. Pam entices Stephen to look into the sabotage. Stephen knows Mother Earth didn’t do it, so he needs to find who and why. Also, Pam asks Sheldon to look into Eve’s story. Eve says she is Pam’s long-lost child, but Pam desires proof. Kayla takes a bold leap into the dating world but can’t shake off her ex-fiancé, William. She feels his presence and thinks he is watching her. Carrie works hard to get her family to accept and trust Lance. However, one person wants to take advantage of Lance’s nefarious nature. Leo did some digging and discovered Lance’s clever insider trading deal. He wants Lance and Kayla to include him, or he will expose them. Tara doesn’t believe Eve, so Tara asks Rich to seduce Eve for information. Until then, Tara works overtime to make the family see her as an adult. However, she continues to make childish mistakes. The Jones women maintain appearances while gaining control of their professional endeavors. How can they do it with the wrong murder hanging over their head and enemies encroaching from every side?
Each installment widens Jones’s world and enriches the main characters’ storylines. In the previous movie, the women focus on the nemesis they see, but they don’t know these people are pawns. Now, someone happily sacrifices them to win the game. Of course, new characters get a brief introduction, but established characters receive a more bountiful backstory. Don’t be fooled by the title. This movie won’t satisfy your morbid needs until the last 30 minutes. However, there is plenty of drama, fashion, and backstabbing to keep your interest. Have your wine ready for the next episode.
I give it 5 out of 5 stars
Try again – Pam
Anyone could sue. The question is can she win – Robin
I feel like he’s still around me – Kayla
The truth can be the simplest answer – Carrie
I’ll tell you what I need. How you get it is completely up to you – Tara
Get her to confess – Webb
Find, shop for, and watch Lifetime movies on Amazon TV (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer)
Stranger Next Door – Review
Stranger Next Door – TV One – 2 hours and 0 minutes
Rochelle moved in with her father, Ernest, after losing her job, health, and husband, Michael. She worked on a sting operation and uncovered Michael, a cop, received dirty money. Then, someone shot her while speaking to her informant, Tyler. Now, Rochelle awaits to testify against Michael for the FBI and works in financial forensics. Rochelle calls for her father but can’t find him in the house. She worries because Ernest shows signs of memory loss. Her neighbor, Keele, tells Rochelle to call the police, but they offer little to no help because they hold a grudge. Ernest resurfaces and doesn’t understand the fuss. He was with her new neighbor, Jesse. Keele and Rochelle notice the strong and attractive man in front of them, but Rochelle walks away to focus on Ernest.
Ernest admits that he worries about Rochelle. He knows the truth about her job, why she left, and that she didn’t sign the divorce papers. Rochelle opens her laptop and signs them online. Later, Jesse comes to the house with a misdelivered package and invites Rochelle to come out sometime. She says no and goes to visit Keele. Keele coyly meets Jesse at the bar with Rochelle. Jesse starts a conversation with Rochelle, and she brings him home for a one-night stand. Rochelle discovers calm in the handsome stranger, but she doesn’t know about the evil within.
First of all, Keele is on another level. She has zero filters and lets it all hang out. Any other time, this would be funny, but now it’s dangerous. Second of all, Rochelle is too trusting. You would think she could do a little more sleuthing before taking Jesse home with her computer savvy. Like Wayward, this movie gets gory. But it satisfies a bloodlust without alienating its audience. This movie follows the Lifetime format, but it’s a fun watch.
I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars
You can go now – Keele
I didn’t wander. I went next door – Ernest
That split second cost me my career – Rochelle
Looks can be deceiving – Jesse
Find, shop for, and watch TV One movies on iTunes (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer)
Click here for more information
Nightmare PTA Moms – Review
Nightmare PTA Moms – Lifetime – 2 hours and 0 minutes
Gail and her husband, Rick, moved to a new town with their daughter, Chloe, for Rick’s new job. Gail reassures Chloe that the move will be worth it, and Chloe will make new friends. When she drops Chloe off at school, Gail doesn’t notice Vanessa spying on her from the bookshelf. Vanessa comes out and introduces herself as the president of the PTA. Vanessa encourages Gail to join for Chloe’s education, the school, and fun. Then Vanessa offers a Rice Krispy Treat. Gail eats the snack in her car and spits it out. She nor Rick can believe Vanessa got that 2-ingredient recipe wrong, but Gail decides to join the PTA.
At the meeting, Gail gets to know the other parents but asks about Lexie’s memorial in the front office. Sonny tells Gail that Lexie was a member of the PTA and took her life after becoming PTA president, beating Vanessa. Vanessa got the position after Lexie’s death. Afterward, everyone loves Gail’s cookies, but no one touches Vanessa’s treats. Vanessa’s envy and jealousy boil over, and she wants Gail gone now.
It’s hard to believe that this is over a Rice Krispy Treat. If Vanessa focused on her daughter, Serena, instead of being the queen bee, Gail would be just another PTA member. But Vanessa’s meddling and insults raise Gail’s interests. It will take the last 5 minutes of the movie for you to pull Vanessa’s motives together. And it’s a doozy. Also, Vanessa’s need for power is genetic. Serena is a fruit from the poisonous tree. This film will feed your guilty pleasure.
I give it 3 out of 5 stars
Remember not a word of this to anyone. For PTA moms only – Vanessa
Interesting. We played charades – Gail
She’s a lonely, bored widow – Rick
Find, shop for, and watch Lifetime movies on Amazon TV (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer)
Click here for more information
Love on Fire – Review
Love on Fire – UPtv – 2 hours and 0 minutes
Gia drives to her new home and spots a grill for free outside the firehouse. She stops to inquire about the grill, and firefighter Jim comes out to greet her. Jim tells Gia that they are replacing the old and malfunctioning grill, but it could work with some TLC. After discussing their home’s proximity, Gia tells Jim that she can fix it, and they make a friendly $20 wager.
Gia unpacks and hears Karen knocking on her back door. Karen is married to Jim’s best friend, Mo. Gia says she moved to town for a fresh start and to build a playground. Karen mentions that she wishes it was an inclusive playground so her daughter, Julia, could play with her friends. Julia has Cerebral Palsy, and most aren’t accessible for her. Gia scraps her original plans after researching the innovative play area and presents it to her boss.
A few days later, Jim’s daughter, Lizzy, comes to Gia’s house and invites Gia to the firefighters’ BBQ. Jim impresses Gia with his grilling skills, but she bets she can do better. They make a grill-off bet, but Jim says Gia has to make her BBQ sauce from scratch and offers to teach her. Mo and Jim express their grievances about Mayor Don. The firefighters want a gym, but Don won’t allow it because he cares about money. Gia works with Don and offers to help the firefighters. As Gia and Jim work together, a romance develops, but they deny it because both suffer from deep-seated loss. Can they work through the pain and love each other?
Yes, this movie follows the format, but it sparks immense feelings while opening your eyes. As Gia and Jim open up about their grief, you will understand why they are careful to start a new relationship. This film doesn’t shy or laugh away the pain, but it leans into it and expresses each person’s emotions in believable detail. You will get misty-eyed as Karen talks about Julia wanting to play with her friends. This movie will tug on your heartstrings and won’t let go.
I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars
It seems cruel to throw a nice old lady like this to the curb – Gia
Luckier grill – Jim
Never a better time than the present – Janel
I bet she’s a good mom – Lizzy
Find, shop for, and watch UPtv movies on iTunes (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer)
My Grown-Up Christmas List – Review
My Grown-Up Christmas List – Hallmark – 2 hours and 0 minutes
Taylor gets off the bus, and Santa greets her with a candy cane and words of wisdom. He inquires about her Christmas list, but no one can fill it. She wants her mom back. She will take the next best thing, her grandfather, Frank. She heads to Frank’s store and puts on an apron. After a hard day’s work, Frank and Taylor go to Frank’s home and settle in. They get a knock on the door and Taylor answers. To her surprise, someone left a basket of candy canes.
Later, Taylor goes for a walk and sits on a bus bench. Luke approaches her and tells Taylor she is too late for the next bus. She admits she wasn’t waiting for the bus; she was thinking about her mother. Luke talks about his family but doesn’t tell her he is in the military. The two people talk more, and Luke reveals that he is the Santa she met earlier. Then, Taylor thanks him for the candy cane basket. This encounter is the first year of several. Can Taylor handle being in love with a military man on a dangerous mission?
You should watch this movie from beginning to end and give it your full attention. The romance is believable because it happens over four years. You will witness the first meeting, courtship, and engagement while their professional lives grow. Don’t forget their relationship is their story. So it differs from other romantic movies. They aren’t trying to save something, build something, or compete. They want to fall in love and succeed in their respective fields. This movie is all about their romance.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars
I’m pretty sure you’re contractually obligated to say that in that suit – Taylor
Well, I would like to take credit for that. But that wasn’t me. That was old Saint Nick – Luke
Find, shop for, and watch Hallmark movies on Amazon (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer)
Share this:
Categories: Alissa Filoramo, Brianna Cohen, Christmas in July, Devon Alexander, Evelyn Miller, Flowers in the Attic: The Origin, hallmark, Jonathan Stoddard, Kayla Wallace, Keeping Up With the Joneses: The Wrong Murder, Kevin McGarry, lifetime, lifetime movie network, lmn, Love on Fire, Love Sundays, Made for TV, movie, My Grown-Up Christmas List, Nightmare PTA Moms, Peter Bramhill, review, Skyh Black, Stranger Next Door, Tegan Moss, Tim Reid, TV One, tv review, UPtv, Vicky Jeudy, Vivica A. Fox
thatdarngirlmovie.reviews 
1 reply »