Amor Rio Acima

This movie is actually worth watching, probably because it wasn't actually produced by Hallmark. Good acting. Nice witty dialog. Yeah the plot is not original like most of these movies, but the good acting / directing / writing make it very watchable as a romcom.

Of particular note is the male lead actor (Canadian) who can actually act, unlike many of the male actors in this type of movie. In fact the chemistry between the male and female lead is also very good. They do a great job playing off each other.

As what I call a "Hallmarkish" movie this is a cut above most of them.

This is pretty typical but it was also cute. Enjoyed it very much. Was pretty funny in some parts and thst was unexpected.

'Love Upstream' (2021)

Opening thoughts: 'Love Upstream' is another film, the second in a row after 'Blueprint to the Heart', that was not watched with high expectations. Not though because of the premise as was in the case of that film, though there was little special about this one too. But as someone who has a thing for relating to characters and not caring for those with overwritten character flaws, and reading the summary sounded like the film would be an example of the latter.

Luckily 'Love Upstream' was a little better than anticipated. It is wildly uneven and the second film in a row (after the aforementioned film mentioned in the previous paragraph) to have a very rough start. Actually even rougher than that film's first quarter. Stick with it though, because in my view 'Love Upstream' did get a lot better and most of it was pretty decent while never great.

Bad things: Am going to begin with the bad things first. It does not start off very well at all, very rough actually to the point of bailing being considered. The dialogue is stilted and contrived. Even worse is that the female lead character is truly unlikeable and pretty much unrootable, due to that the film really overdoes her arrogance, her know it all attitude and how quickly and easily she loses her temper.

Didn't like how the conflict was written, that came out of nowhere and came over as ridiculous to implausibility level and over-heated. It is also at this point that after doing so well with making the female protagonist grow and learn that we go back to disliking her almost as much as in the first quarter or so. It is very formulaic, not unexpected but these were all familiar tropes with familiar (overly so later on) execution.

Good things: Kimberly-Sue Murray and Steve Lund give their all in their roles and are one hundred percent committed. Lund's character was a lot easier to like and invest in and is also more subtle, so his performance is marginally better. The supporting cast support them well, especially zesty Nadine Whiteman Roden. The chemistry between Murray and Lund is quite strong.

Did on the whole find the characters not too badly written, finding them a little above Hallmark cliches, and did warm to them. The character flaws are definitely overdone but their good points are also not downplayed and they at least grow. It looks good, particularly the scenery, and is suitably scored and sympathetically directed. As said earlier in the review, 'Love Upstream' does get a lot better, with the script being wittier, more amusing and flowing a lot more naturally and the pacing tighter and more fluid. While very flawed, the story is cohesive and is on the whole light hearted, sweet and charming.

Closing thoughts: Overall, decent and worth sticking with regardless of any temptations to turn off.

6/10.

The actors were appropriate for the characters. Very down to earth, no squeaky voices. There is another with a similar theme with Christopher Russell and Cindy Busby. City girl, wilderness. Cindy not relatable and voice is grating. The actors in this film relateable and you actually feel for them and the two friends. Great movie and I watch alot of Hallmark movies which only Christmas Waltz rated a 10 for me.

Start with the unoriginal failed-relationship-author premise. Add a totally unlikeable, make that hateable, woman. She's an arrogant,, self-absorbed, know-it-all who can't see the plain reality around her. Then she throws a tantrum stuck in an elevator and tops that off insulting the guy who keeps his cool to get them out. What a great start, but stick with it. It gets slightly better.

He's a little self-absorbed and arrogant himself, but much more quiet about it although he throws an insult or two at her. And a lot of secondary characters are pretty unlikeable.

Of course the two leads' ugly personalities don't last and they change completely. Trouble is, it's hard to believe a person like Charlotte can really change that much.

The middle is mostly about Charlotte being coached in the Wilderness. Sounds like a great opportunity of some breathtaking scenery. Nope. Most of the Wilderness stuff is shot either in the same spot on a lake, or the same clearing in the woods. You don't even get much look at what she can see off the deck of her cabin.

The conflict was predictable, although it has some twists too. Trouble is the twists are ridiculous and the way the conflict blows up is ridiculous too. No one is as stupid as what Charlotte does to make everything go bad.

Kimberly-Sue Murray and Steve Lund have chemistry. The acting is spotty. At times it seems half hearted, or like the actors are uncertain. The story is clumsy especially when it goes off the rails with the silly plot lines. That's not referring to a couple of funny moments which depend a little on the ridiculous like when Rob meets Charlotte's ex, or when he's teaching her to start a fire.

Technical point - a J-stroke does not mean constantly switching sides.