Movie Reviews

 The Wrecking Crew – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2026 film The Wrecking Crew.

Story

Estranged siblings, crime syndicates, and lots of violence. It was ridiculously formulaic with little new added.

Score: 0

Characters

I think Momoa and Bautista could make any character likeable. They are naturally charismatic. I wish the movie leaned more into their humour and dynamic.

The rest of the cast was great and they all did a wonderful job making a family dynamic.

The British villain with a French name was ridiculously boring though.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The exposition was delivered in small bits between action scenes and fun quips, perfect for this type of movie. When the mains actually opened up, it was very well done.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

I found the fights focused a lot on shock instead of cool choreography but they didn’t use shaky cam.

The music was great.

Score: 0.5

Fun

The movie was fun but it’s definitely not for the faint of heart or kids. Both the 9yo and the 6yo were a little freaked out by the cheese grater incident. (We spent a lot of time talking through the stunts afterwards, which they loved.)

The adults liked it well enough but not sure we’d want to rewatch it.

Score: 1

Overall

A predictable action movie that relies solely on the charisma of its cast. Even though that charisma is massive, its still just an okay action movie.

Final Score: 3 Stars out of 5

Ghosted – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2023 film Ghosted.

Story

The story was a basic “civilian gets caught up in spy stuff” story with a few extra stupid choices.

Score: 0

Characters

Chris Evans could play anyone and be charismatic. This character was a real idiot with no concept of how relationships work. She was just as bad, but at least she had the excuse of being a secret super spy.

The villains were in desperate need of longer moustaches to twirl.

A lot of the background characters were extremely entertaining.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

They made sure to get their money’s worth with the “Taxman” jokes. The couple fighting was not quite as entertaining as it could have been, but there were some nice quips.

Did you know he wrestled in high school? If not, his dad will make sure you know.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The action scenes were extremely well shot. Stable, clean, and with a very good pacing. That last scene with the rotating restaurant was awesome.

The music was great.

Score: 1

Fun

This was a fun, if forgettable, movie. The whole family liked it, but I don’t think we’ll be rewatching anytime soon.

Score: 1

Overall

Evans and Armas are extremely charismatic leads that are working with an utterly forgettable plot. Some of the cameos and background characters are fun and the action scenes are impressive, but overall it was forgettable.

Final Score: 3 Stars out of 5

A Keller Christmas Vacation – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film A Keller Christmas Vacation.

Story

A nice fusion of European vacation movie and Christmas tropes. The family dynamic is wholesome and funny why still being believable. The story was a nice change from the usual formula.

Score: 1

Characters

Each character was flawed but lovable and despite some annoying choices everyone held their own and I never got annoyed when the movie changed focus from one sibling to another.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The dialogue was cheesy but had some hints of genuine emotion. I’m not going to be quoting this one but I’m also not going to cringe.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The visuals were okay but they managed to film on location and still make everything feel like it was shot on a sound stage.

The music was unintrusive but festive.

Score: 0.5

Fun

I’m not usually a fan of family movies that have a parent declaring they’re sick but this was handled well. It was nice that they didn’t treat it as an instant death sentence instead of a long term degenerative condition.

It was light, fluffy, and well acted. Everyone enjoyed it.

Score: 1

Overall

This is a family Christmas movie with a believable family dynamic and lots of fun moments. I think this will be in our yearly rotation.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story.

Story

A sweet take on the next door neighbour as a love interest trope. They played it very low angst and with lots of humour. The overall mystery story was okay but felt too simple. Loved the reveal of who the clerk was at the end. (Although Jen called it almost right away.)

Having worked in a store, that storeroom with all the receipts was way too small.

Score: 0.5

Characters

Lots of characters are thrown at you quickly, which makes the large family/community feel more realistic (even though it’s not that big). I like that these movies aren’t centred around the football players but instead the fans. The chemistry between the leads felt realistic and cute.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The banter and jokes were well done and most of the dialogue was great.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The visuals were basic but well done.

The music was okay.

Score: 0.5

Fun

I was thrown by the mix of accents and the idea that a store would keep receipts from decades past but overall I enjoyed this. The rest of the family liked the low angst feel and cute couple.

Score: 1

Overall

This is a Hallmark romance that celebrates both the holidays and the football fans equally. There’s love and family in both the love story and the crafting of the film.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

A Newport Christmas – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film A Newport Christmas.

Story

I like the fantasy aspects of it, and despite being utterly predictable for the time travel, it was a fun story overall. I found it interesting and a little odd that things disappeared but no one’s memories of those things disappeared.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The main character and love interest were a fun “light” version of grumpy/sunshine. I find the age and timeline a little off and a little sanitized, but they were fun and had chemistry.

I was a little annoyed that they introduced a “genre savvy” character and didn’t use him most of the movie.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The dialogue was mostly good; cheesy with some very sweet moments.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The visuals were good but felt a little too set-like. At times, everything felt like a filmed play.

The music was lovely.

Score: 0.5

Fun

Other than guessing the ending when reading the movie description, I really enjoyed the movie. The rest of the family including the 9yo also loved it. The 6yo was bored during some of the longer talking sequences.

Score: 1

Overall

A nice addition to the Christmas fantasies from Hallmark. The acting is decent and the time travel gimmick doesn’t get in the way of the love story.

Final Score: 3.5 Stars out of 5

A Christmas to Treasure – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2022 film A Christmas to Treasure.

Story

The main gimmick of the movie was the treasure hunt, and it was lackluster at best. The love story was definitely front and centre, but the drama took more time than needed.

Score: 0

Characters

I liked most of the characters but the main character felt very petty and young. The entire group felt like they should be in their mid twenties not thirties. There was an immaturity that felt out of place.

The queer romance was nice to see however.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The movie felt like it was written too quickly and the dialogue was terrible. It felt forced, and several times like a low quality high school play.

The only exceptions being the really deep heart to hearts with the love interests.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The visuals were okay. I question how that one man decorated so much without noticing the treasure hunt, but other than that it was pretty.

The music wasn’t great and the mixing was distracting multiple times.

Score: 0.5

Fun

The movie was infuriating because it could have been so much better. The entire family’s opinion seemed to be “meh”.

Score: 0.5

Overall

The movie nails one or two monologues and isn’t terrible to look at, but don’t expect a fun treasure hunt.

Final Score: 2 Stars out of 5

2025 JenEric Movie Reviews

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Hello Movie Lovers,

This year I seem to have watched, and reviewed, 52 films. Below is a list of them in descending star order. Within each category, they are in alphabetical order.

5 out of 5 Stars

4.5 out of 5 Stars

4 out of 5 Stars

3.5 out of 5 Stars

3 out of 5 Stars

2.5 out of 5 Stars

2 out of 5 Stars

1 out of 5 Star

The More the Merrier – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film The More the Merrier.

Story

The hospital setting for a Hallmark style romance was a little jarring at first. Being used to medical dramas, I had to remind myself that no one was going to die. Once I got over that, I found the story a great twist on the holiday formula.

Score: 1

Characters

For once, the female lead wasn’t the one moving in from the big city and no one had to give up their careers or lives. The two mains were played with more honest emotion than I’m used to from this genre, and the community a great addition.

The acting still felt a little rushed, like the actors hadn’t had the time to fully process the material, and there were a few odd things for a hospital staff.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The dialogue was fairly witty and I really liked the faster pace of dialogue between the leads.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The snow storm measured in “feet instead of inches” didn’t look that bad. Other than that, the sets were pretty and the camera work was solid.

The music was unremarkable but in this case that’s a good thing.

Score: 0.5

Fun

It was a lot of fun. Very festive and happy with the babies, and the whole family liked it.

Score: 1

Overall

A nice twist on the Hallmark formula that will leave you smilling.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

Christmas at the Catnip Café – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2025 film Christmas at the Catnip Café.

Story

Once of the most formulaic Christmas romances I’ve watched this year. It was extremely predictable.

Score: 0

Characters

The characters were cute. The male lead was charismatic and came off as a sweetheart. The main girl was mostly just lost and confused. Both were played well.

The animals really stole the show.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

It shows how fast it was written that the dialogue felt unpolished. Almost overly scripted.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The location was great and decorating was amazing.

The music was lovely and nicely instrumental.

Score: 1

Fun

I really enjoyed this. It’s cute cats and cute people. The whole family seemed to enjoy it. The only issues I had were technical and can be attributed to Hallmark rushing these movies instead of talking the time to do it right.

Score: 1

Overall

A cute and formulaic holiday romance but let’s be honest, we’re watching for the cats.

Final Score: 3 Stars out of 5

Mystery on Mistletoe Lane – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2023 film Mystery on Mistletoe Lane.

Story

The story had a nice combination of treasure hunt, mystery, and romance. It was a little predictable but in a good way.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The characters felt bland, and despite the actors being really good in other shows, the acting felt forced.

Score: 0

Dialogue

Most of the dialogue wasn’t very memorable but there were some nice sappy moments.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The visuals are competent and show they were filmed quickly.

The music was okay but not memorable.

Score: 0.5

Fun

The movie was okay but not very memorable. Everyone liked it enough and the treasure hunt kept us engaged, but mostly it was just okay.

Score: 1

Overall

Unmemorable and very bland. If you like mysteries, you’ll guess all the twists in advance.

Final Score: 2.5 Stars out of 5