Hallmark’s princess, Lacey Chabert, brings charm and cuteness to her newest Hallmark Channel film. Lost in Paradise is somewhat predictable but also a nice little story to warm the cold winter days and nights as it bringsthe beauty of Polynesia to the screen.
Chabert stars alongside Ian Harding as two professionals who find themselves stranded on a “deserted” island. Sophia (Chabert) owns a high-end fashion brand and Max (Harding) is a chef in a fancy restaurant. They are both struggling with their situations.
To save her company, Sophia hires a private plane to take her and her latest collection to Fiji where she intends on impressing a board member. And Max happens to be on the same plane on his way to Fiji to talk with a potential investor for his new restaurant. But what neither of them count on is a plane crash.
A violent storm appear and soon the plane is plummeting into the ocean with Sophia, Max, the pilot Julian (James Trevena), and co-pilot Lance (Sean Miguel Perez). Luckily they crashed near an island, so with the raft on board they manage to get safely to shore.
Julian and Lance decide to take the raft and try to find a nearby island where they can get help, leaving Sophia and Max to fend for themselves. They actually do a great job of surviving. Thanks to each of their skills, they concoct a pretty nice situation for themselves – she weaves hats and helps build a little shelter and he spears fish and cooks the most delicious meals using only the items found around them. What a team!
As the days go by, yes, they do fall in love. This is a Hallmark film so viewers know what they are getting. What will happen to them once they are “rescued?”
With the starlit skies gone, and five-star resorts replacing their cozy little shelter, can and will they manage to maintain the feelings that blossomed when they were just a couple of stranded people on a “deserted” island?
Lost in Paradise was actually filmed on location in Fiji.
Chabert and Harding make a good pair and play off each other beautifully. This is a charming little story that is now available to stream on Hallmark Plus
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites and is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.
Lacey Chabert and Andrew Walker star in the new Christmas movie from Hallmark, She’s Making a List. Have you ever wondered how Santa gets his Naughty or Nice list? Well, he outsources the job of ascertaining which kids are in each category. And the Naughty or Nice Group is the place where the inspectors work. They are tasked with the job of traveling the world checking on kids to place them on the Naughty or Nice list.
Isabel (Chabert) is a no-nonsense, tough inspector who does not believe in coloring outside of the lines, so to speak. She prides herself on the ability to instantly decide if a kid is naughty or nice. One little slip and they are definitely on the naughty list.
But Isabel does not take into consideration outstanding circumstances, and neither does anyone else at the Naughty or Nice Group. As a matte of fact, Rudolph (Steve Bacic), the man who started the company, is even tougher than she is. If a kid is naughty, there is no wiggle room. He or she is put on the Naughty list. The end of discussion.
Isabel is assignedthe task of evaluating an 11-year-old girl, Charlie (Cadence Compton), who is a little mischievous with a knack of doing the wrong thing, but has a kind heart. Isabel does not give any kid any leeway, and Charlie is no exception, even given the fact that she lost her mother and is being raised by her widowed father.That is until she meets her father Jason (Walker). Isabel and Jason have an instant connection but besides the fact that he is the father of the child she is investigating, there are other “rules” she must follow.
The rule book is clear. She cannot make contact with a subject or a family member. And by no means is she to enter the house of a child in question.You guessed it, Isabel breaks plenty of rules, for the first time in her long and illustrious career as an investigator. And the worst is falling for the father of a kid in question.
Then Isabel starts wondering who decides what is naughty and what is nice? Who made the rules in the first place? Shouldn’t adults guide children instead of categorizing them?
Isabel ends up changing a lot of “rules” and even the Naughty and Nice lists, making Christmas happier for kids around the world.
Both Chabert and Walker are fan favorites and part of Hallmark’s stable of popular actors.
This cute little holiday film is now available to stream on Hallmark+.
<strong>About the Author</strong>
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites and is the entertainment correspondent for <em>Good Day Orange County</em>. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.
This 2019 Hallmark original movie might put some weight on viewers, cause cavities, and chocolate cravings. It definitely hits your sweet tooth. Love, Romance, and Chocolate is a cute story about Emma, a New York food photographer and baker who is dumped by her boyfriend right before they were supposed to go on a romantic trip to Belgium for Valentine’s Day. Why waste a good trip and some delicious chocolates? Emma goes on her own to Bruges where she not only wants to sample all the delicious Belgium chocolates but also intends to see the spots where her grandparents fell in love and spent their time. Armed with photos of her grandparent and letters sent between them, she heads off to Bruges.
Emma (Lacey Chabert) is wide-eyed and excited about being in the country and the city where her grandparents met. On a tour of a chocolate shop she meets chocolatier Luc (Kill Kemp) who owns the shop. When she discovers he is in a bind and needs additional assistance while his assistant is off on maternity leave so Emma immediately volunteers.
Luc and all the other chocolatiers are competing to be the official Belgium Royal Chocolatier and create the official Valentine’s chocolate. Combining their two talents, Lucy and Emma begin trying out new recipes.
While tasting the competition’s chocolates, Emma meets Max (Guillaume Dolmans) who is not only a friendly foe of Luc’s but also trying to entice him to join his own company. Luc, however, will not sell his shop. It has been in his family for generations and he loves it and loves creating special chocolates. And with Emma by his side, he is learning some new ways and ingredients that just might help him win the competition.
This being a Hallmark Channel film, viewers already know where this will lead, but along the way they are treated to some amazing images of chocolates and how the delicacies are created. Many of the scenes are absolutely mouth-watering.
Chabert and Kemp have good chemistry on screen and as the story unfolds their relationship not only grows, but viewers’ also see the beauty of Bruges and gain a respect for the chocolate industry.
Love, Romance, and Chocolate is currently streaming on Hallmark Movies Now, which will become Hallmark+ later this fall.
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.
Three of Hallmark Channel’s most popular actresses joined together to create a franchise that has been beloved by viewers young and old. The Wedding Veil movies currently consists of six films. There have been rumors that a third trilogy might be down the road as viewers have taken the three main characters to their hearts.
Lacey Chabert, Alison Sweeney, and Autumn Reeser play best friends since college – Avery, Tracy, and Emma. Avery lives in Boston, Tracy in New York, and Emma in Chicago. They meet for their annual antique shopping trips in various locations, the first being San Francisco, which kicks off the franchise with The Wedding Veil (2022).
While shopping the trio comes upon an old wedding veil with a legend. Whoever has the veil will find true love. Even if that is not true, the three decide to go in together to purchase the beautiful lace veil. Well, lo and behold, Avery, who is taking the veil back to Boston, immediately has an encounter with Peter (Kevin McGarry). They hit it off and guess what? He also lives in Boston. What a coincidence. But due to a misunderstanding, what Avery believes is the start of a beautiful relationship hits the rails. Eventually they clear up the misunderstanding and yes, they do find true love with Avery wearing the lace veil at her wedding.
Emma is next to take possession of the veil when she transports it to Italy where she is teaching an art class for the summer. TheWedding Veil Unveiled (2022) delves into the history of the veil as Emma learns more about it when she discovers the lace shop that produced it generations earlier. By sheer happenstance, Emma has already met Paolo (Paolo Bernardini), the son of the shop’s owner. Their family has been making lace for generations, and the veil was one of their creations. There is lot of history to this one item, and the legend of true love continues with Emma and Paolo who fall in love and get married. Yes, she wears the veil at her wedding, and Paolo moves to Chicago to open a lace shop.
The veil is then handed off to Tracy who takes it with her to New York to have it fixed after the women discover a snag in the garment. At the tailor she meets Nick (Victor Webster). Their first impressions of each other are not good ones. That changes when his restaurant is selected to cater a party for the auction house where she works. Tracy never believed in the legend of the veil but she changes her mind when she falls in love with Nick. Wedding number three for the trio, The Wedding Veil Legacy (2022), rounds out the initial trilogy.
That trilogy was so beloved that a second trilogy was produced. The Wedding Veil Expectations(2023) has the veil back in Boston where Avery is putting it on a lace display at the gallery where she works. Of course, the central attraction is the veil and the painting depicting it, which was discovered in the basement of the gallery a few films ago. Avery has a lot on her plate, including renovating their house, dealing with a new opinionated director at the gallery, and being pregnant. So, you might wonder, where does the legend of the veil fit in? After all, all three women found their true loves. Stay tuned! Avery’s mother-in-law is holding the veil when she runs into an old flame. Clark (Barry Levy) and Grace (Karen Kruper) have a past and they reconnect, however Grace is reluctant to get too involved due to Peter’s discomfort with his mom dating another man even though his father has been dead for many years. Peter soon comes around, thanks to Avery. It’s time for wedding number four, and the legend of the veil continues.
Emma, who had loaned the veil to Avery for her lace exhibit, now has it back in the Chicago lace shop. While she teaches art classes, Paolo and his cousin Matteo (Carlo Marks) handle the shop, but when he is called back to Italy due to a family illness, she steps up and with the help of her teaching assistant Lily (Kacey Rohl), helps Matteo organize the lace shop and displays. You guessed it, Lily becomes the next object of the legend in The Wedding Veil Inspiration (2023) as she and Matteo succumb to the legend.
Rounding out the second trilogy is The Wedding Veil Journey (2023) when Tracy and Nick finally to take their honeymoon. They select Greece where they find a little inn on a secluded island. Tracy now has possession of the veil because the women have decided she will return it to the lace shop on their way back from Greece. Learning about the legend, one of the guests continually “takes” the veil to her son Nicholas’ room hoping he will finally find love. And yes, he does find love with the owner of the inn. True love match number six.
Throughout each of these films, the career women and their husbands have additional stories threading through the films with the legend of the veil being a side story. The three women are fun to watch and they are always on hand to help each other when something goes wrong. Flying from Boston to New York or Chicago to Boston, or any combination of their locales is not a problem for them. Their friendship is what counts, and may viewers, including this one, wishes she had true friends like these.
While a third trilogy is just a rumor, Hallmark Channel has seen how much their viewers have enjoyed the unfolding stories. Instead of making the third trilogy in 2024, they have chosen to make a trilogy about three men. The Groomsmen trilogy will be out this fall. Keep your eyes open for: The Groomsmen First Look, The Groomsmen Second Chance, and The Groomsmen Last Dance this fall (2024).
In the meantime, all six Wedding Veil films are available on DVD and streaming on Hallmark Movies Now and then on Hallmark+ where The Groomsmen movies will soon premiere. Hallmark Movies Now will become Hallmark+ with special content and and additional benefits for subscribers.
About the Author
Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.
Photo credit: 2021 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Allister Foster
