Cedar
Cove - Season One/A Golden Christmas: Triple Feature
(2014/Hallmark Channel/Cinedigm DVDs)
Picture:
B-/C Sound: C/B- Extras: C/D Main Programs: A-/B+
Cedar
Cove is a small town with a big hearts. Judge Olivia Lockhart
presides over the town settling legal matters and keeps the peace.
Everything is picture perfect and all the people are treated like
family, but things start heating up for Olivia when Jack Griffith, a
former Philadelphia Reporter moves into town as Cedar Cover's new
newspaper reporter. As Jack gets used to small town life, he learns
no news that is too small and the value of family and friends.
Jack
moves into Cedar Cove to cover the town news, but what he finds is
the most exciting news seems to be the weekly bake sale, but he meets
the town Judge, Olivia Lockhart and they begin an unlikely romantic
relationship between a Judge and a reporter. Along with the pillars
of the community they strive to keep Cedar Cove beautiful and
peaceful, but town peace is constantly threatened by Warren, the
richest man/landowner/developer of Cedar Cove, also whom Olivia's
daughter is dating from time to time (and she has no idea of how
corrupt he is). Often Olivia must find the balance between their
love lives, the law and what is right for her family and their
community.
This
was a wonderful heartwarming series, but after a few episodes it
seems like no one in town is married, you either are a single adult
or wealthy divorcee (it makes you wonder if Hallmark is saying being
a single parent is now the American norm or does this course it
somehow?). And as for a small town, it seems like everyone can
'somehow' afford and is living in million dollar houses. Half the
drama in the series is about the characters not being able to make up
their minds on which person they want to date, and it gets more
complicated when their daughters/mothers gets involved and starts
gossiping and then the truth gets mixed up. Most the episodes are
resolved when someone admits their mistakes and then the couples kiss
and make up.
Extras
includes behind the scenes and trailers.
Then...
Get ready for a triple feature of Christmas dogs with all 3 Golden
Christmas as these dogs worm their way into your hearts and home. It
is a dog gone Christmas as these dogs help bring Christmas cheer and
couples together, perfect for the season holiday.
A
Golden Christmas - A young boy and girl are brought together
by a golden retriever and bury a time capsule together. Years later
when they are grown up they are reunited (unknown to each other of
course), can the golden retriever remind them of the memories they
once shared?
A
Golden Christmas 2: The Second Tail - Lisa's 3 golden
retriever puppies reunite her with her ex-boyfriend Jake just as he
proposes to another girl, but is there still hope for her or will
Lisa watch the man of her dreams be taken by another girl?
Home
For Christmas: A Golden Christmas 3 - Heather is a theater
major and Bobby is a sailor that just came back into port. 2 high
school friends that are suddenly reunited by their golden retrievers,
they are jaded by their pasts, but can these two unlikely duo end up
falling in love?
If
you like dogs and Christmas then look no further. It seems like all
romance needs are dogs to constantly have random meetings between the
lucky couple. It was a comedy romance where the golden retrievers
get to play Christmas cupids. In all it was very cute and makes you
think if you want romance for Christmas, go buy yourself a puppy and
Mr./Mrs. Right will show up soon after.
No
extras for these telefilms, but all sets have 1.78 X 1 anamorphically
enhanced images and lossy Dolby Digital sound. The telefilms are too
soft versus the TV series, but that sounds weaker in comparison to
the telefilms with their endless holiday music and need to fill out
sound where silence would have worked better.
-
Ricky Chiang
