☀️ May is Made for Movie Nights - Let's Dive In Together!

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Happy Mid-May Weekend, Movie Friends!

As the days grow warmer and the evenings stretch a little longer, there’s nothing better than sinking into the weekend with cozy movies with a splash of romance!

The three movies airing this weekend are dishing out delicious food scenes, a relaxing cruise getaway, and a special friendship that may blossom into something more!

Fun fact: Actress Nazneen Contractor (The Christmas Ring, A Perfect Pairing) is cruising through two of this weekend’s rom-coms as the leading star!

I’ve already seen two of this weekend’s premieres; keep scrolling for reviews from myself and two It's a Wonderful Movie friends!

Enjoy a cozy weekend and some sweet stories...


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Saturday, May 17, 2025:

Seasoned with Love

Storyline: Winona Applegate is on the fast track to becoming a celebrity chef, already running a very successful bistro in Pittsburgh. With nerves building, she leaves for New York to audition for her own show in front of television executives. Unfortunately, her car breaks down near New Holland, a small, quirky town where Winona rents a room at a local inn run by Adam, a widower. With the local Spring Festival coming up and the resident cook unavailable to manage the menu, Winona agrees to get her car fixed in time for her audition in exchange for her much needed help in the Inn's kitchen. As she prepares for the festival with Adam, Winona begins to fall in love with New Holland and one of its residents as well.

Seasoned with Love

Premieres Saturday, May 17, 2025

at 8pm/7c. on Great American Family

Movie Reviews:

(Below are snippets of my and Ken R's reviews; click here to see our full reviews.)

🍲 This movie was a delicious treat, very family friendly! I really enjoyed the match-up of real-life couple Peter and Julia Benson. In this movie, however, they are both single. Julia portrays a chef, Winona Applegate, who’s on her way to New York to audition for her own cooking show, and Peter portrays, Adam, the owner of a B&B in New Holland, Pennsylvania... -Net

🍲 This is certainly an unusual picture to find being run today but a curiously refreshing one. At first, I thought I’d end up falling asleep (as some might) then found the theme somehow intriguing. With married-in-real life main stars Julia and Peter Benson performing so convincingly as strangers in a regional town who, against odds, gradually get to know and respect each other being so well done and natural, that it comes as a refreshing relief from the morose nastiness that all too often masquerades as ‘entertainment’. -Ken R


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Saturday, May 17, 2025:

Love On The Danube: Love Song

Storyline: Fellow cruise passengers, Sarah and Jack, play matchmaker with their music loving widowed parents, as they cruise down the Danube visiting European cities.

Love On The Danube: Love Song

Premieres Saturday, May 17, 2025

at 8pm/7c. on the Hallmark Channel

Movie Reviews:

🚢 Hallmark +'s Love on the Danube: Love Song is... FANTASTIC!! -Maria

🚢 Love on the Danube: Love Song - This is a nice movie, but it's kind of slow, at times. Although, I like both Wes Brown and Nazneen Contractor, the connection between the two just wasn't there for me. However, this movie has such a calming vibe, and the setting is truly beautiful. It’s absolutely worth the trip. -Net


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Sunday, May 18, 2025:

The Love Club Moms: Nila

Storyline: Since her husband died three years earlier, Nila’s life has been all about her Instagram business and helicopter parenting her daughter Mara. Now a tween aching to break free, Mara creates a dating profile for her mom. Nila is horrified, but the Love Club agree it’s time Nila moved on. Nila agrees to date, but when all her dates bomb, she recruits local coffee shop owner Olly to be in a pretend relationship with her to get everyone off her case.

The Love Club Moms: Nila

Premieres Sunday, May 18, 2025

at 7pm/6c on UPtv

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I hope you enjoy the new movies this weekend! My reviews for the ones I've seen are shared above (along with Maria and Ken—thank you both!).

Just a quick note: the only movie I haven't seen, yet, is The Love Club Moms: Nila. If you've seen it and would like to share whether it’s family-friendly, please feel free to give your thoughts in the comments below.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend ahead… filled with sunshine, joy, and a little movie charm!

For those of you facing severe thunderstorms, I'm keeping you in my prayers for safety and protection. Remember, after the storm comes the rainbow. In fact, I just have to share... a couple of weeks ago, we experienced three days of light spring showers, and each day, once the rain cleared, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky. One day, we were even blessed with a double rainbow! It was such a lovely and powerful reminder of God’s promise to never flood the earth again.

Blessings to you all,

Net

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SHINING HIS LIGHT:

"Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’"

~John 6:35

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb."

~Revelation 22:1

In the scripture above, the "river of the water of life" symbolizes God's never-ending, life-giving presence. The river reminds us that God’s love keeps flowing without end.

Great American Family Adds Movie to May Schedule

Seasoned with Love, starring real-life married couple Julia and Peter Benson, will air on Great American Family this May. The couple has also starred together in Aurora Teagarden Mysteries and other Hallmark movies.

The movie, Seasoned with Love (2021), has also aired on streaming sources and BYUtv.




Premiere Date on Great American Family: May 17, 2025 at 8pm/7c

Storyline: Winona Applegate is on the fast track to becoming a celebrity chef, already running a very successful bistro in Pittsburgh. With nerves building, she leaves for New York to audition for her own show in front of television executives. Unfortunately, her car breaks down near New Holland, a small, quirky town where Winona rents a room at a local inn run by Adam, a widower. With the local Spring Festival coming up and the resident cook unavailable to manage the menu, Winona agrees to get her car fixed in time for her audition in exchange for her much needed help in the Inn's kitchen. As she prepares for the festival with Adam, Winona begins to fall in love with New Holland and one of its residents as well.




Movie Reviews:

🍲 "This movie was a delicious treat, very family friendly! I really enjoyed the match-up of real-life couple Peter and Julia Benson. In this movie, however, they are both single. Julia portrays a chef, Winona Applegate, who’s on her way to New York to audition for her own cooking show, and Peter portrays, Adam, the owner of a B&B in New Holland, Pennsylvania… where Winona finds herself stuck for a few days while her car is getting worked on. While she’s there, a spark begins to develop between she and Adam, but is Winona willing to give up her dreams or are her dreams changing when she helps Adam and his daughter cook up a feast for the town’s annual Spring festival? Overall, it was a sweet movie; however, I personally didn’t like one quick thing- near the end, Julia shares a quote from a Buddhist monk that her friend Annie would often say to inspire her. Besides that quick comment, it was lighthearted, refreshing, and like a good meal, the ending is sure to leave you feeling very satisfied." ~Net

🍲 "This is certainly an unusual picture to find being run today but a curiously refreshing one. At first, I thought I’d end up falling asleep (as some might) then found the theme somehow intriguing. With married-in-real life main stars Julia and Peter Benson performing so convincingly as strangers in a regional town who, against odds, gradually get to know and respect each other being so well done and natural, that it comes as a refreshing relief from the morose nastiness that all too often masquerades as ‘entertainment’. Their youthful co stars, Tori Barban and Kolton Stewart are equally natural and completely likeable, making this a surprisingly gentle and rather well-scripted experience. Recommended for those needing some respite from the ugly blues. Well produced and colorful." ~Ken R

🍲 My husband and I re-watched "Seasoned with Love" again last night. We had seen before, when it first aired, and were so excited to see it was going to be on TV again. :-) It is such a sweet, endearing movie. I love the characters, the storyline, the setting and all of the interactions between the actors. Julia and Peter are magic together. We enjoyed their witty banter and the way they both looked at each other just melted our hearts. There is so much love between the two of them. –Joan

🍲 I watched Seasoned with Love yesterday, and it was so sweet! I’ve always liked Peter and Julia Benson on Aurora Teagarden, especially Peter as Arthur. It would be awesome if they could be on Ainsley McGregor together! Christie

🍲 Seasoned with Love is very adorable and sweet. –Maria

If you haven't seen this sweet movie, you'll want to look for it when it premieres on May 17th at 8pm/7c!

Happy Movie-Watching!

Net

♪ James Denton and His Son, Sheppard, to Star in New Hallmark Movie "Perfect Harmony" ♪

The image above is of James Denton and his son, Sheppard, when they did press on Home & Family for their movie, "For Love & Honor," back in 2016.

Variety is reporting today that father and son will be on Hallmark acting together again in "Perfect Harmony." The film will premiere in the fall on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. James Denton's co-star is Sherri Saum ("Relative Stranger"), and the movie will also star real-life couple, Peter and Julia Benson ("Aurora Teagarden Mysteries," "Seasoned with Love").

Storyline via Variety:

"In, “Perfect Harmony,” Denton portrays Jack Chandeller while Saum plays Barrett Woodword. When thier mutual friends, Naomi (Julia Benson) and Simon (Peter Benson), are ready to tie the knot, they ask the duo to be Best Man and Maid of Honor."

“Barrett is a buttoned-up college professor. Jack on the other hand, is a laid-back, former pop star. They have been like oil and water since they met 10 years prior but, to support Naomi and Simon, they agree to set aside their differences,” the movie’s description reads. “At the engagement party, Barrett is horrified to learn Jack’s plan for party music was nothing more than a playlist. She guilts him into performing but he insists she join him on stage, much to his son Teddy’s (Sheppard Denton) dismay as Barrett also happens to be his professor. Jack and Barrett bring down the house with their duet and with that, the frost between them begins to thaw. As Jack and Barrett continue to spend time together leading up to the wedding, they surprisingly find themselves getting along. Slowly, they begin to change their perceptions of each other and find they may be more in tune than either of them would have imagined.”

Variety is also reporting that James Denton will perform an original song titled “Ooh Wee Ooh,” and a song matching the movie's title, “Perfect Harmony,” which is a duet with Sherri Saum.


My Quick Take:

It was sweet to see James acting with his son in "For Love & Honor," and I look forward to hearing and seeing more details on their new Hallmark film. Another plus... it's always nice to see music incorporated into a story. I believe James' son Sheppard also sings, so hopefully, he'll perform something, too.

Please share your take in comments below.

Blessings, Net

"Seasoned with Love" starring Julia and Peter Benson on BYUtv!

MOVIE REVIEW

Movie: Seasoned with Love

Network: BYUtv

Original Air Date: April 30, 2021

Starring: Julia and Peter Benson

This real-life married couple has starred together in "Aurora Teagarden Mysteries" and many other Hallmark movies!

Storyline: Winona Applegate is on the fast track to becoming a celebrity chef, already running a very successful bistro in Pittsburgh. With nerves building, she leaves for New York to audition for her own show in front of television executives. Unfortunately, her car breaks down near New Holland, a small, quirky town where Winona rents a room at a local inn run by Adam, a widower. With the local Spring Festival coming up and the resident cook unavailable to manage the menu, Winona agrees to get her car fixed in time for her audition in exchange for her much needed help in the Inn's kitchen. As she prepares for the festival with Adam, Winona begins to fall in love with New Holland and one of its residents as well.

Review:

🍲 "This movie was a delicious treat, very family friendly! I really enjoyed the match-up of real-life couple Peter and Julia Benson. In this movie, however, they are both single. Julia portrays a chef, Winona Applegate, who’s on her way to New York to audition for her own cooking show, and Peter portrays, Adam, the owner of a B&B in New Holland, Pennsylvania… where Winona finds herself stuck for a few days while her car is getting worked on. While she’s there, a spark begins to develop between she and Adam, but is Winona willing to give up her dreams or are her dreams changing when she helps Adam and his daughter cook up a feast for the town’s annual Spring festival? Overall, it was a sweet movie; however, I personally didn’t like one quick thing- near the end, Julia shares a quote from a Buddhist monk that her friend Annie would often say to inspire her. Besides that quick comment, it was lighthearted, refreshing, and like a good meal, the ending is sure to leave you feeling very satisfied." ~Net


🍲 "This is certainly an unusual picture to find being run today but a curiously refreshing one. At first, I thought I’d end up falling asleep (as some might) then found the theme somehow intriguing. With married-in-real life main stars Julia and Peter Benson performing so convincingly as strangers in a regional town who, against odds, gradually get to know and respect each other being so well done and natural, that it comes as a refreshing relief from the morose nastiness that all too often masquerades as ‘entertainment’. Their youthful co stars, Tori Barban and Kolton Stewart are equally natural and completely likeable, making this a surprisingly gentle and rather well-scripted experience. Recommended for those needing some respite from the ugly blues. Well produced and colorful." ~Ken R




*If you miss this showing on BYUtv, you should also be able to watch via VOD on BYU's web-site - *click here*!

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*images via: Incendo Productions