Anya's Bell

When you think of all the movies we have grown to like, they usually involve someone being blown to pieces, or spectacular special effects, or various "four-letter words" every second word. Of course TV Movies can't meet these guidelines since they work on a relatively limited budget and reduced time frame. As a result we end up getting movies with cheesy plots (and sometimes no plots at all!) with lame acting and all we think to ourselves after two hours is "Could have gone bowlin' or something!"

Well after two hours of "Anya's Bell", I was not only impressed, but deeply moved. This is a heartwarming tale of a boy who befriends an old blind lady. Plot sound familiar? It probably does - young kid meets old man - they team up, start a wonderful friendship - man dies. Even though Anya's Bell follows this model plot, it still manages to keep the viewer interested.

The deeply emotional performances of Mason Gamble (Dennis the Menace) and Della Reese (Touched By An Angel) in the roles of Scott and Anya can't help but affect the viewer on an emotional level. The subplots I didn't care much for.

You may find it cheesy, unrealistic and way too familiar, but perhaps that's a good thing. Perhaps we need to get in touch more with our emotions. After all, this movie is a lot more realistic than "Terminator 2" or "Star Wars" (although Star Wars is one of my favourite movies of all time!).

Bottom Line - "Anya's Bell" isn't the best TV movie ever made, but it sure is a great, touching, and heartwarming film, that had my attention every step of the way. Good family entertainment stressing good moral values. It's more worth your time watching this movie than watching some ridiculous, crude sitcom. I give it an 8 out of 10 - my highest rating EVER for a TV Movie!

It's kind of odd, because movies that I can predict usually bore me. And I can honestly say that I figured what was going to happen to Anya by about half way through the movie. DESPITE this, the movie didn't cease to make me smile. And at the end, I even cried. Della Reese's performance is spectacular, with good supporting actors and actresses. A *VERY* good movie!

I thought this movie, "Anya's Bell", was amazing. Absolutely brilliant.

I was looking through the channels on my Digital, and saw that on the Hallmark channel yesterday a movie called "Anya's Bell" was showing. I thought "This sounds okay" so I began to watch it. I must admit that at the start I sighed and thought "Not another TV Movie like this" but as it went on I found it great and really hooking. I think this was due to Della Reese's acting, and the character, Anya, that she plays. She done an excellent job and I doubt the movie would be so good if Della Reese weren't in it. At times I felt myself filling up just thinking about the complete situation- Especially when Anya started screaming on the Ferris Wheel or when she crosses the road- It was so touching and sad. I almost cried at the ending- But I'll leave you to watch it and find out.

10/10 for this movie, as I loved it so much. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone of any age.

A sweet story about a boy who has dyslexia and a blind woman "Anya Hepick" Della Reese (Touched by an Angel) who was never introduced to some of the skills taught to the blind during the latter part of this last century, except for reading in Braille. She did not go outside on her own house. She meets little "Scott Rhymes" Mason Gamble (Rushmore), a delivery boy, after her mother who did everything for her died. Nothing spectacular but good solid story telling, a simple made-for TV movie. My favorite quote: Anya: "Is this a long story? I like coffee with my long stories. " My favorite scene: Anya crossing a street all by herself and her cane.

"Anya's Bell" was somewhat disappointing in how the story was quite predictable, from beginning to end, but thankfully I was very happy (or sad if you will) to discover that it still managed to do what it's supposed to: jerk around the tear canals, and it does so very well.

But then again it's hard to go wrong when you got Della Reese, one of the best African American actresses of her generation and Mason Gamble, one of the best Caucasian child actors of his generation. They make such a wonderful and touching pair I would have liked to see them in an entire mini-series exploring their unique relationship even more so, and following them through several years (all though it would probably be physically impossible with a 13 year old in one of the leads).

Very formulaic but still very beautiful, touching and heartwarming, and a TV-movie not easily forgotten.

And what a touching last scene, when Scott makes sure Anya will always be with him, flying like the wind...