ronbokirk Reviews

Love in Zion National: A National Park Romance (2023 TV Movie)

not for me

[3/10 · 22 May 2023]

I have been reviewing movies for over 30 years, and publishing them on various print and digital media.

The writers of this one obviously did no research. They are way off historically and legally .

The location was little more than mediocre but beautiful. The story was more of a mystery than a romance, and there was no chemistry at all between the leads. It doesn't explain why our leads have to hike 3 days to an unknown location and their nemesis can fly right to it in a helicopter. Cindy Busby turned in a really good performance, but that did not make up for the lack of chemistry with the male (mediocre) lead. The best supporting character was the grandmother.

I rate the movie one star but I gave two bonus stars because it was actually family friendly with no liberal propaganda.

Made for Each Other (2023 TV Movie)

unwatchable

[1/10 · 26 February 2023]

I really looked forward to this movie but I was super disappointed with it. It was so bad I had to stop watching it after about thirty minutes. There was absolutely NO chemistry between any of the characters and bad acting all around. The thing that was worse than the acting was the writing.

The mother was too overbearing and self centered, with no concern for the daughters feelings. The daughter did not have enough intestinal fortitude face her mother and stop her from trying to set her up. The story rambled and the fantasy was unreal. Teryl Rothery and Aaron O'Connell were the only actors I have seen before and I have seen much better work from both of them.

Butlers in Love (2022 TV Movie)

boring

[3/10 · 30 January 2022]

The casting was good. It is family friendly. It is absent of WOKE, which is an improvement for Hallmark. It has no other redeeming qualities having an over used theme of follow your dream no matter what. I found it rather boring and a waste of time to watch. 3 stars.

The Winter Palace (2022 TV Movie)

disappointing

[2/10 · 9 January 2022]

Danica and Neal both turned in good performances. They also had a little chemistry in the last half. The scenery was good but none of this was enough to rescue this movie from a bad supporting cast and extremely bad writing.

Calling for Love (2020 TV Movie)

Unikeable lead has it right

[1/10 · 20 October 2021]

There was NO chemistry between the leads at all. Ms Staples is good enough to deserve better than this. What was the casting director thinking? They not only had no chemistry, she seemed to be uncomfortable with him.

Taking the Reins (2021 TV Movie)

worst story ever

[1/10 · 26 September 2021]

Nikki is one of my favorite actresses on Hallmark, and deserves to be in movies with a better story than this one. I had to turn it off after 23 minutes it was so bad.

Love Under the Olive Tree (2020 TV Movie)

Worn out story with nothing to redeem it.

[2/10 · 22 June 2020]

The plot has been over-used, and the acting not very believable. Even the supporting cast left a lot to be desired. I saw no comedy or romance in this movie. Maybe some fresh new talent from the writers on down to the bit players would be able to salvage this wreck.

Love on Ice (2017 TV Movie)

where is the romance??

[1/10 · 20 June 2020]

The movie is supposed to be a romantic comedy but ironically someone cast Andrew Walker for the lead and he CAN'T do romance. he has no spark or chemistry with his female lead no matter how good she is. I have seen him in other romance movies with really good female leads and it is always the same..no chemistry or spark. lets face it, he just can't act.

Christmas at Dollywood (2019 TV Movie)

your kidding me

[1/10 · 22 April 2020]

No casting director would EVER cast Niall Matter in a romantic lead if they were concerned about the outcome or quality of the movie. He is a mediocre actor at best and cannot do romance. This is the reason for so many reviewers posting lack of chemistry. Dollywood or Canada made no difference to me, and Dolly's part was OK. Danica was her usual great self, but the lack of a romantic male lead spoiled the whole thing.

Just My Type (2020 TV Movie)

Great actors..Mediocre movie

[3/10 · 30 March 2020]

I guess I expected more from Bethany and Bret, because they are on my favorites list, but I was disappointed. There was no spark, no chemistry, and nothing to trigger any kind of emotion, except the big mouth best friend and all you wanted to do was tell her to shut-up. I have all of Bethany's and Bret's hallmark movies in my collection,but this one will not join them because it is not worth re-watching. Sorry!

Picture Perfect Mysteries: Picture Perfect Mysteries: Dead Over Diamonds (2020) Season 1, Episode 2

A genuine mystery

[1/10 · 17 February 2020]

The real mystery here is not who killed who, or who stole what. The mystery is how anyone in their right mind would cast Carlos in a movie. He is absolutely void of talent.

Love in Winterland (2020 TV Movie)

mediocre..could have been great.

[4/10 · 13 January 2020]

Come on Jack Turner..You are a good actor, but you have to stop doing fake accents. They are not good and cost your movie 2 stars. The story line cost another two stars with an implausible TV show subplot. The lead couple was great and I expected more from the three of them but Jacks fast speech and fake accent, and the bad subplot, not to mention bad grammar caused it to be disappointing.

Rediscovering Christmas (2019 TV Movie)

Really mismatched

[1/10 · 16 December 2019]

I have always loved Jessica's movies, but this one was unwatchable . There was absolutely no chemistry with her leading man, no fireworks, no emotions, nothing!! I watched 30 minutes of it and finally turned it off. It was really too bad to watch.

Christmas at Graceland: Home for the Holidays (2019 TV Movie)

Better than the original

[10/10 · 25 November 2019]

With a great cast, good direction, and a new story this movie surprised me. Most Hallmark sequels are a huge disappointment, but this was a stand alone movie, not a sequel. Great acting, good chemistry between the leads, and an interesting story, Lots of fireworks .

Christmas Reservations (2019 TV Movie)

Melissa Joan Hart deserves better

[1/10 · 4 November 2019]

In spite of Melissa Joan Hart staring in this one and Michael Gross co-staring, they could not save it. This has to win the prize for the most rambling script ever. The supporting cast was less than helpful, some with talent , some with less talent, and a leading man that from his performance here has no talent at all. I have never seen a worse Christmas movie. Fire Everyone except Michael and Melissa, Keep the Lodge, scrap the script, get a new writer and start from there.

A Christmas Movie Christmas (2019 TV Movie)

not a dream...a nightmare

[1/10 · 29 October 2019]

I am in no way connected or related to anyone in this film, so I am free to be truthful about it. It has all the elements for a 10 star Christmas movie except one. It has absolutely no story. In spite of great actors, great location, great directing the plot was the worst I have seen in years. No real humor, no chemistry between the stars, just cliche after cliche after cliche and no story to connect them. Definitely not worth the time.

Pride and Prejudice, Cut (2019 TV Movie)

Perfect casting....finally

[10/10 · 21 October 2019]

This was not a film about p&p but a behind the scenes look at the cast making such a film. The Casting director aced it with this one. Lexi had the chance to show the world just how talented she is, and the lead characters had chemistry from their first scene together. It's refreshing to see a male actor who can actually do romance.

Forever in My Heart (2019 TV Movie)

such a dissappointment

[4/10 · 16 September 2019]

Merritt Patterson and Jack Turner are two of my Hallmark favorites. They are both gifted and extremely talented. I think that is why this motion picture was such a disappointment to me. The first problem was Jack's fake accent (which was not good) and his high speed mumbling of his lines which made most of his dialog unintelligible. There was absolutely no spark, no chemistry, and no passion, each of which is necessary for a romance. The plot was only slightly interesting, but the supporting cast held it all together. They were good. I hope Merritt was wearing a wig for this movie, because I would hate to think some hairdresser had made her hair look so bad. When two talented stars like Merritt and Jack work together it is not unreasonable to expect more. Two stars for location and two for supporting cast.

My One & Only (2019 TV Movie)

I love you, maybe I'll see you again sometime.

[4/10 · 2 September 2019]

Start with an experienced talented cast, add the perfect location, then add a brilliant but different story. Now you have the possibility of a ten star movie. This one does not deserve ten stars because of some missing ingredients. First is chemistry between the lead characters. It was almost absent partly because the makeup department failed in their job. No woman wants to spend time getting her makeup perfect then go kiss a porcupine. Sam did not have a beard, he had a dirty face with 3 days of stubble on it, so no kissing until a mandatory kiss at the end. The most important missing element was Love. She cared more about her job than she did him, and he loved his ranch more than her. That is not Love and therefore not a ten star movie.

A Summer Romance (2019 TV Movie)

Potential for ten stars --but missed the mark

[4/10 · 22 August 2019]

I looked forward to this film with much anticipation. Erin would finally get a leading man that is good at romance (Niall Matter CANNOT ACT ROMANCE). Ryan Paevey would get to work with one of the best and most beautiful actresses to ever do romance. The scenery was great, supporting cast was great, although the story has been used to death it was good. The disappointment was with the makeup department. Ryan Paevey went thru most of the film needing a shave! A beard is a beard, but 3 day old stubble is not a beard, not sexy, and just plain grubby looking. If you are not watching in HD it looks like a dirty face. Even Tom Selleck and Clint Eastwood got a shave when they played cowboys. Erin was either tired or something else had her distracted. I suggest instead of a sequel Hallmark should remake this one.

Love Unleashed (2019 TV Movie)

I love Jen---but

[3/10 · 8 July 2019]

Once upon a time, Hallmark made a movie with a great story and fantastic director. The story was exciting, the lovers had chemistry and spark, and all the characters were interesting. Unfortunately THIS AIN'T IT !!!

Wedding March 5: My Boyfriend's Back (2019 TV Movie)

finally, Real chemistry

[9/10 · 9 June 2019]

This movie has something that has been missing from several Hallmark productions lately: A cast who can actually act and are able to do Romance. Tyler can just look at Cindy and you need no script to tell what he's feeling, and one look from Cindy can make Tyler melt. That, my friends, is real chemistry. You can call it spark, chemistry or emotions,but it has been missing from so many Hallmark movies lately,and that is the reason we watch romance movies.

From Friend to Fiancé (2019 TV Movie)

watch a rerun instead

[2/10 · 26 May 2019]

How can you call it a romance when it has absolutely no passion, no "spark", no chemistry, and is a really dumb story. The actors did good work and the girls were pretty. I prefer a rerun of a REAL Hallmark romance.

A Brush with Love (2019 TV Movie)

At least Arielle was good

[2/10 · 9 April 2019]

Nick Bateman's acting is like a 13 year old playing the part of a 10 year old, and has no place on the same screen as Arielle Kebbel. She is way out of his league. The reason there is no chemistry between the leads is his inability to act. His little kindergarten shuffle just before kissing Arielle at the end of the movie almost made me puke. Arielle Kebbel is a very talented actress and the supporting cast was great, but once again what could have been was not because of a leading man who can't act.

True Love Blooms (2019 TV Movie)

Worst Hallmark movie ever

[1/10 · 7 April 2019]

I have over 600 Hallmark movies in my collection (mostly DVR) and I can tell you this will not be one of them. Character development is slow or absent, Directing seems to be absent. Acting is fine, but the story is without a doubt the worst in Hallmark movie history. Romance is absent until the last 3 minutes of the movie. The best part is now that we have seen their worst it can only get better next time.