February 2025 BREAkdown
- 22 films/series total (not including Hallmark films)
- 3 foreign films/series
- 14 re-watches
- 8 classics
- 6 tv series
Biggest Disappointment: Melo Movie
Favorite Discovery: All Creatures Great and Small Season 5
Sweet Magnolias Season 4 – It’s good to see the Sweet Magnolia friends back together again and even better to see their past season’s misunderstandings and drama behind them. The writers did a good job moving the plot and character development along this season and I was thankful to see some resolution in two love lines which had been back and forth for a couple years. The strength and unity of other women in the community was a highlight as they helped the town face a budget and natural disaster crisis. There were a few surprises in the last episode for a couple members of the Townsend family and I’ll be looking forward to see how those are addressed in the future.
Father Brown Season 12 – It’s hard to believe we are twelve years in to this familiar show. Co-stars may come and go but Mark Williams continues as the anchor and title character and hasn’t lost his touch. After this many seasons, there is very little new or exciting to add and I really miss the original cast, but at this point it feels like catching up with old friends.
A Remarkable Place to Die (2024) – A new murder mystery series set in New Zealand, this one features a familiar face for me with Rebecca Gibney (from Under the Vines), playing a supporting role as the mother to our leading lady detective. There are definitely some interesting mother-daughter dynamics that seem to be tied to the death of the youngest sister and I’m also very curious to learn more about the background between the heroine and her ex who is now married to her former best friend. This series is short, but has piqued my interest for further seasons.
All Creatures Great and Small Season 5– I love this warm and cozy little show which hasn’t lost its’ luster and I was so pleased with the return of both James and Tristan to their little hamlet. After five seasons the core cast has a wonderful and natural rapport together which now includes their doting and coddling of James and Helen’s baby son. Though short-lived it was nice to see Siegfried getting a potential romantic interest and it was equally lovely to see that though Tristan has matured, he still has that mischievous twinkle in his eye. Just an absolutely flawless and charming series.
Re-watch: Gilmore Girls, The Durrells of Corfu
Foreign Television and Series
Flourished Peony (2025) – Female entrepreneurs seems to be a growing trend in Chinese dramas and this is no exception as it features a young divorcee working to build a floral business in ancient China aided by a seemingly corrupt government official. The girl power – feminist vibe comes off a bit too preachy, but is mitigated by the likable characters. I appreciated how honestly and sensitively the story lines for one of the supporting characters is depicted as it shows her struggling to break free from an abusive relationship only to return due to years of conditioned mental abuse. It’s heartbreaking but real. It’s a real treat to see Yang Zi and Li Xian starring together again after their successful pairing in Go Go Squid. They have developed a great rapport and comfortable chemistry together which shows as they portray business partners, friends and potential love interests here. Though not an exceptional series, it is memorable for it’s beautiful settings, vibrant costumes and gorgeous gardens. Although this is really only the first half of the overall story, so it may be too soon to judge until the second half is released.
Melo Movie (2025) – With a great cast, including personal favorite Park Bo Young, I really wanted to love this Netflix drama, but ended up merely liking it. It was definitely more of a melo than a comedy as it develops the characters slowly, unraveling the motivations for their actions a little bit at a time and focusing more on their inner worlds without the expository dialogue. Park Bo Young’s character was abrasive and unlikable at first, but fortunately slowly softened to the pursuit of the male lead. The second couple was frustrating to me as they were exes without closure trying to work together but tripping over their own emotional landmines. My favorite relationship is the one between the hero and his older brother who raised him. Episode seven was particularly moving as it further explores their familial relationship and shows the two finally speaking the ignored truth that is between them. I think my preconceived expectations set me up for some disappointment for this one.
Love Scout (2025) – What a lovely example of an inverse romance where the female lead is the cold, reserved boss whose male secretary is the warm, intuitive secretary who melts her heart. An added bonus is the hero’s sweet and loving relationship as a single dad to his young daughter. The love connection develops slowly and thoughtfully with healthy communication and respect between the two leads. Although the villain is a bit over the top in her rabid hatred towards the heroine, it’s nice to see the other relationships, be it the secondary and third couples, the co-workers, the neighbors/friends are all thoughtful and mature without the usual tropes. I especially loved how the hero’s young daughter connects with the female lead in a used bookshop, before they realize their shared connection. It’s so adorable to see them form their own unique friendship without the awareness of who the other one is.
Classics
Five and Ten (1931) – Marion Davies and Leslie Howard star in this story of how new wealth ruins a family. Davies is charming as the family’s daughter who pursues Howard who is the fiance of a member of the old guard. And though I generally find Howard a bit dull, starring opposite Davies adds a bit of spark to his portrayal. This film would have more impact if it had delved more into the pitfalls of sudden wealth. Even the malaise and potential suicide of the family’s son and heir lacked impact due to a lackluster performance by the actor playing that part. But as a romance, it was okay.
Rendezvous (1935) – I would expect a film starring William Powell and Rosalind Russell to be more engaging, Sadly, neither one could lift a plot about deciphering codes and capturing foreign spies in war time Washington out of the doldrums. The two stars have sibling chemistry, not romantic chemistry and Russell just doesn’t fit her role as a ditzy, man-chasing flirt.
Red Dust (1932) – Although this classic also stars Clark Gable, this is really Jean Harlow’s film, if you ask me. She is so down to earth and charming as the prostitute Vantine who falls for Gable’s rubber plantation manager out in the jungle. Even when her affections are challenged by the arrival of another woman, she remains level-headed and sensible while jealous. Her playfulness in the barrel bathing scene was so endearing. Gable plays a macho type male as usual, but he’s had better roles.
The Gay Sisters (1942) – It’s been so long since I’ve seen this Barbara Stanwyck vehicle I couldn’t remember a thing about it. She’s the oldest of three heiress sisters tasked with keeping the family and their holding together after they are orphaned. Her character is rather abrasive throughout as she refuses to compromise with her nemesis and ex George Brent with whom she shares a secret son. Her scenes with her son tugged my heart strings as she shows touches of vulnerability while striving to remain strong against the pull of her emotions. I would have liked this better if there had been a little more focus on the sisters interactions and if Stanwyck’s character wasn’t so hard-headed.
My Favorite Wife (1940) – I hadn’t seen this one in a while, but it’s always a happy thing for me to re-visit a Cary Grant and Irene Dunne romantic comedy. This one has some things in common with The Awful Truth, another one of theirs in that it is a divorce-remarriage scenario. I particularly get a kick out of their scenes in the courtroom with the judge who is perplexed and irritated by both their situation and their shenanigans.
The Keyhole (1933) – I’d forgotten this film about a woman who is being blackmailed by her first husband when her second husband hires a detective to trail her. And now I remember why. There isn’t much to the plot or characters. It’s really just a chance to shove co-stars Kay Francis and George Brent together. Their scenes together bring the only effervescence of the film. The rest just feel like clips strung together with no real purpose or meaning.
Let Us Be Gay (1930) – Creaky and out of date, although that’s to be expected due to its’ age, it is somewhat reminiscent of her role in The Divorcee, only not done nearly as well. It is a bit shocking to see the delightful Norma Shearer playing a dowdy housewife early in the film before she divorces her philandering husband and becomes a flirty socialite. As much as I love Shearer she does overact a bit in this picture although it still might have been worth watching if she hadn’t been paired with a dud of a co-star in Rod La Rocque. But Marie Dressler livens things up a bit as the crotchedy, conniving and good hearted old woman who talks Shearer into luring her ex-husband away from his new love interest.
Merrily We Go to Hell (1932) – A beautifully filmed pre-code by director Dorothy Arzner which depicts the effects of alcoholism on a marriage. Though not my favorite, Fredric March is as always a consummate actor and his co-star the oft overlooked Sylvia Sydney is luminescent as the wholly devoted and loving wife whose unconditional love for her husband is unappreciated by him. Cary Grant also pops up in an early role and brief scene and is too beautiful for words.
Post 1980’s
La Dolce Villa (2025) – It’s nice that Netflix are making mostly wholesome stories like this as they aren’t a common as they used to be. It’s also nice to see Scott Foley in a starring role as the dad who goes to Italy to help his young adult daughter renovate an Italian villa as they both work through the grieving process of losing their wife and mother. The small Italian village setting has its’ charm, especially with the three older Antonia’s who keep watch from the fountain in the center square. However, though this is a pleasant watch I wouldn’t call it memorable.
Re-watches – The Age of Adaline, Two Weeks Notice, The Count of Monte Cristo, RED
Hallmark Movies: Polar Opposites, Tis the Season to be Merry, Romance at Reindeer Lodge, Time for You to Come Home for Christmas, When Sparks Fly, An Unexpected Valentine, Away & Back, Tulips in Spring, In the Key of Love, Valentine Ever After, The Birthday Wish, Sweeter Than Chocolate, Rocky Mountain Christmas, Sand Dollar Cove, Next Stop Christmas, The Blind Date Book Club, Unexpected Grace, A Godwink Christmas
