Monday, June 19, 2006

Hallmark Movies

We recently subscribed to Sky Angel again after a 5-year hiatus, and far more than the Christian channels, I looked forward to the Hallmark Movie Channel. I hadn't seen many Hallmark movies but I knew they had a reputation for being heartwarming and wholesome. What I wasn't prepared for was all the drama and pathos. Sheesh! Those Hallmark actors must shed more tears on camera than they do in real life. I kid you not, virtually every time we turn that channel on, someone is crying, and if they aren't crying, they are arguing. Sorry, I can't handle all the drama. On the rare occasion that I have time to watch a movie, it's an escape, a way to relax, and I'm not too inclined to relax and escape in a vale of tears. I hear about plenty of real-life tragedies every day without indulging in one somebody made up. OK, all you movie critics and thoughtful people, I admit it--I like nothing better than cheesy comedy. So to my disappointment I don't watch many Hallmark movies.

However, Blackbeard, which debuted Saturday night, is an exception. It's a great action show, fairly predictable, but still with enough unlikely turns that it keeps you guessing a little. It has the right elements of romance, danger, and treachery, with a happy ending. A few people get run through with swords and there are a couple instances of mild profanity, so it may not be for very small children, but overall I really enjoyed it. In fact, I taped it for Billy and we watched it together again last night. You must understand that I rarely watch a movie more than once. I enjoyed it just as much the second time as I did the first time.

So I'm glad to recommend this Hallmark film. It's light but entertaining, and the best part is that it's based at least partly on fact. It's a great family film.

2 comments:

Windy said...

TV... YUCK!! :) Todd and I turned our TV off when I started school last year. We have one channel, NBC, which we watch periodically. We have really gotten into our Netflix and just this weekend we looked for some old TV serious on DVD, Little House on the Prairie, etc.. We bought “I Love Lucy” and Hannah has been enjoying it right along with us. I also found a Bible game for the playstation and when we try I will have to let you know what we think. I will have to look for Blackbeard… Loved it!! Pippie Long Stocking is another great one. AAAwww… I miss those days! :)

Charity Grace said...

We've never had cable since we've been married either. We usually get a set of cheap rabbit ears to watch a little football, but after just weeks of network access those usually go too. I was raised without TV or even videos, and it was such one of the best decisions my parents made.

Sky Angel is an OK compromise. Most of the Christian programming is cheesy, but we can get some good preaching and it's nice to have HGTV and Fox News (although I'm not a news junkie either).

One other word of warning that I thought about after I posted this, Blackbeard does show some drinking...Just didn't want to leave out anything that could be potentially offensive to anyone with small children. It's not portrayed positively, only by the villians, but it's still worth noting when making a decision about letting little ones watch.