Yes, the movies are pretty schlockey, but these days we're up for some romance and happy endings. You don't get to criticize. 11 1/2 months of the year it's cooking shows and bass fishing tournaments for Steve, and news and crime dramas for me plus a bunch of informational things on PBS. And of course we both watch All Creatures there this time of the year too. It's the only season they air it. In addition, since Netflix started airing West Wing, Steve's watching it through for about his 7th time. We had the CD set but that was played so often it got glitchy. For that matter, what they're showing on Netflix is a bit glitchy too.
While I enjoy some of the Hallmark movies during this season, I'm not above being critical of a very badly made one. Last night's was so bad in one way I spent some time online this morning fact checking. The movie is "Christmas Under Wraps." If you can tolerate a bunch of physical impossibilities and a predictable ending - not just the romance part - it's OK. Nobody's going for Oscars here, so just OK. It's about a woman doctor who doesn't get her first/only choice of surgical fellowships, and "settles" for an opening as the only GP in a small Alaska town, 300 miles north of Anchorage. Over Christmas.
If you've never been in cold weather, you might miss the first flaw, not having the visible breath actors exhale turn white as its moisture freezes. I do applaud the very rare movie or show that gets that part right, and of course people's faces turn a bit red along with that. Can't spoil the pretty actress's face and makeup, I guess, so almost NOBODY gets that part right.
Coming from somebody who was driving through St. Paul when Jingle All The Way was being filmed there years ago - in summer - and saw the cotton batting they laid out for snow along sidewalks to cover grass and on top of the green hedges next to the city's library, and almost had an accident from laughing about it, you might not be too critical of the part in this movie where white stuff hung in long fuzzy streamers from green branches. In fact, there was green everywhere in any outside shot, with really bad snow imitations tossed all around. I'm not talking conifers here, I'm talking fresh green leaves all over the place. However the conifers had their own problems with their coloring. While they do stay green in winter it's not such an electric green as the ones portrayed in this film, and the bark on them isn't the spitting image of a fat poplar tree either, but dark brown and irregular.
The part of the movie that really drove me nuts was when the Doc's alarm clock went off in the morning and there was full sunshine pouring in through her windows. Now she had to be in the hospital by 8 AM, and she arrived nicely dressed, spiffy clean, hair and makeup done to perfection. We'll presume she had breakfast too, and even had time to stop in at a local shop for coffee and a chat about what kind of milk she needed in hers. So the alarm went off easily more than an hour ahead of her arrival - walking - at work. Yet, full sun. In Alaska. Around winter solstice. 300 miles north of Anchorage.
So I googled the closest town to 300 miles north of Anchorage, went to Weather Underground, and looked up their list for sunrise and set times, in all of 4 categories. They're very thorough. Yes, 300 miles north of Anchorage is still below the Arctic circle where there is a period of no sun (now) and one of no dark. But today the sun would be rising some time around 11, though there would be enough light to see with, about the time this Doc walked into work.
Heck, even here in Minnesota, some few miles north of an imaginary line through the north metro's extended area, so just over 45 degrees north, we almost get a peek of sun just before 8 AM and only on days with no clouds, which incidentally would be our coldest. I'm still waiting for one of those mornings. The clouds have been relentless lately. Yes, light enough to see where the car is, but no sunshine pouring in the windows this early this time of year. Try us in March.
Meanwhile, guys, please don't make such stupid mistakes with your movies. It's put me off Hallmark movies now for a very long time. Maybe even past next holiday season.
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