TV & Film Movie Lounge

[Lou]

we watched this also the other night and enjoyed it

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

Its now #1 on Netflix and getting good reviews. Although everyone agrees it predictable and formalistic, no one seems to care.
What seems to be getting a lot of attention but not something I even noticed is that an Asian male being cast as the main love interest

 

[KLS52]

I watched Love Hard last night, a Christmas based RomCom.

It was predictable and formalistic. Despite all that I still liked it.

One thing that stuck out was the soundtrack was really excellent.

The moral message was very explicit but it was still a very good one, and seems like one that is worth reminding people of on a regular basis. And although topical in the era of dating apps, its still universal as its also part of every Jane Austen*.

The acting was pretty good. The scenery and sets were good.

The writers did a good job of moving the story along. the story is character based and the character development (both kinds) was great. (one is where you get to understand the character, two is when the characters learns and changes).

There were a couple of gags that got a LOL from me. there were a few touching moments, too. I especially like the pop culture references.

Although the ending was apparent immediately - how they got there had a little twist and turn. Tho predictable, I really liked the ending.

*Jane Austen Understood Deception and Discovery in Love

Oh I’m going to try and watch that! It’s looks good!

 

[KLS52]

Its now #1 on Netflix and getting good reviews. Although everyone agrees it predictable and formalistic, no one seems to care.
What seems to be getting a lot of attention but not something I even noticed is that an Asian male being cast as the main love interest

There’s a big to-do on hallmark because their new movies are adding a lot of diversity…people of color in lead roles, interracial couples, gay/lesbian etc… sadly it’s causing quite the stir among ultra conservative viewers. There are wars going on in the hallmark Facebook groups.

 

[KLS52]

So I went for 3 mile walk then came inside and sat down to watch love hard while munching on some skinny pop.
I did enjoy it although I don’t think it was really well done at all. The acting was kind of bad. But I was invested wanting to see how it ended. I did like the whole moral aspect of it. And I actually got teary at the end, LOL. So mission accomplished I guess.

 

[KLS52]

Oh and the reference to the movie, “love, actually” was the best, because “love, actually” is one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies. I watch it every year.

 

[Lou]

There’s a big to-do on hallmark because their new movies are adding a lot of diversity…people of color in lead roles, interracial couples, gay/lesbian etc… sadly it’s causing quite the stir among ultra conservative viewers. There are wars going on in the hallmark Facebook groups.

I think adding diversity is usually a good thing. However I have just heard the term "forced diversity" and I agree that it is not a good thing. (I've heard it called race baiting and queer baiting, too). Although I'm not sure if when the studio chooses to add diversity Just to appeal to a larger audience is a bad thing.

It's probably worth a discussion on FaceBook. I actually noticed forced diversity on shows before I had heard of the concept. Unfortunately I can not think of any good examples. Maybe someone else can come up with one. In a general sense, when I see Black or Asian characters added to a historical piece I think that my be forced diversity. On the other hand, there were Blacks and Asians running around merry ol' England and the Wild, Wild, West. So it might be historically accurate - maybe even more accurate than the old Hollywood versions.

I think diversity on a show should look and feel natural and not forced. Orphan Black (one of my favorites - had a very diverse cast and characters.) but it never felt forced or unnatural to me.

Having an issue with diversity in Love Hard is just crazy/stupid. The story wouldn't even make sense if the main love interest wasn't Asian. And to its credit it went out of its way to not perpetuate stereotypes.

 

[KLS52]

Good point. Some of the new movies were good and others not so much. Maybe the whole forced thing is why.
Even without mixing couples racially, there needs to be a certain amount of chemistry between the actors or it doesn’t work for me. Unfortunately, on Facebook, you can’t say you didn’t like a movie that has some diversity in it without being called racist. That’s where the arguments come in.

 

[Lou]

Good point. Some of the new movies were good and others not so much. Maybe the whole forced thing is why.
Even without mixing couples racially, there needs to be a certain amount of chemistry between the actors or it doesn’t work for me. Unfortunately, on Facebook, you can’t say you didn’t like a movie that has some diversity in it without being called racist. That’s where the arguments come in.

I think the quality of the work might be a very important consideration. Perhaps it can be argued that that the studio chose an actor just for his skin tone, or perhaps they made unnecessary adjustments to the script.

I can imagine conversations in the board room of a studio.
Hey, can that guy be black? or can her sister be gay? Instead of it coming naturally from the writer.
Although maybe that isn't such a bad thing.

Has anyone ever complained of forced diversity in Hamilton?

 

[Lou]

In one sense, a Christmastime Rom-Com that prompts debate and discussion is pretty amazing.

anyway, I don't agree with the sentiments of this article but I did find one of its points noteworthy.
Strangely, this plot hole never even occurred to me. Perhaps its because all my online dating was done before video chatting. And I've never even heard of the show Catfish.

Catfish: The TV Show has been on the air for NINE YEARS and Netflix is releasing a movie where the heroin flies across the country to meet someone she met on a dating app without video chatting?​

Love Hard viewers all have the same complaint about Nina Dobrev's new film

They're not happy about a pretty major plot point

www.cosmopolitan.com

 

[KLS52]

Funny because I was surprised they ended up together. It didn’t fit for me but I think that’s why it touched me the way it did. Maybe it would have meant more if they didn’t know what each other looked like. IMO, Attraction is a big deal and yes, she was falling for him but partly because she thought she knew what he looked like.

I forgot to mention she kept reminding me of a very young Jennifer Love Hewitt.

 

[Lou]

Funny because I was surprised they ended up together.

I knew without even starting the movie that they would end up together.
Here is a question: are there any romances (they wouldn't be rom-coms) where they didn't end up together?
And although I knew the ending, I couldn't have predicted any of the steps. I expected something a lot simpler.

Maybe it would have meant more if they didn’t know what each other looked like.

Nah. that was the whole point of the movie.

Jennifer Love Hewitt! oh I couldn't think of who she reminded me of.

 

[KLS52]

I knew without even starting the movie that they would end up together.
Here is a question: are there any romances (they wouldn't be rom-coms) where they didn't end up together?

I hear ya…but this not being hallmark I wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t think they all had to follow the same formula lol.

 

[Lou]

I watched All the Bright Places on Netflix last night.
Although it has a few slow moments, it was a great movie.
Some critiques are calling it unoriginal or derivative. The best comparison said it was The Fault in the Stars meets Thirteen Reasons Why. But I see that as more of an endorsement.
There is a theme in the movie about mental illness.
I really liked the writing. It's based on a pretty popular novel.
Elle Fanning and Justice Smith do a really good job of acting. I just read in IMDB that the author of the book cast Elle before the book was published.
Amazingly, now I want to go on a vacation in Indiana. I wonder if there is an All the Bright Places tour.

 

[KLS52]

I saw that. I thought it was good.

 

[Raven]

We watched The Night House last night, a horror. I thought it was okay. 7/10.

I'm about to watch Run, another horror film starring Sarah Paulson.

 

[Raven]

Oh no. I have seen Run before. Thought I would have seen it if Sarah Paulson was in it.

About to watch The Conjuring again instead.

 

[Emma JC]

I watched All the Bright Places on Netflix last night.
Although it has a few slow moments, it was a great movie.
Some critiques are calling it unoriginal or derivative. The best comparison said it was The Fault in the Stars meets Thirteen Reasons Why. But I see that as more of an endorsement.
There is a theme in the movie about mental illness.
I really liked the writing. It's based on a pretty popular novel.
Elle Fanning and Justice Smith do a really good job of acting. I just read in IMDB that the author of the book cast Elle before the book was published.
Amazingly, now I want to go on a vacation in Indiana. I wonder if there is an All the Bright Places tour.

watched this last night - I found it very interesting, my honey found it a bit slow

good for them for tackling such a difficult subject

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[KLS52]

I saw that and liked it.

 

[Emma JC]

watched My Dad's Christmas Date last night - it was interesting and deals with loss and has some funny bits

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[PTree15]

I watched a couple of Hallmark Christmas movies: Christmas Sail and 5 More Minutes. I enjoyed both. Katie Sackhoff was in Christmas Sail and I really like her. She was great in the Battlestar Galactica reboot , 24, and Longmire. I'll be watching more Christmas movies today/tonight.