Garage Sale Mystery (2013)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

There is no doubt that Lori Loughlin is that cute, adorable mom type sort of in the same vein as TV actress Barbara Billingsley was back in 1957 when she played the perfect mom June Cleaver on the hit TV family series Leave It To Beaver.Fast forward some 60 years to the present time and we now have Lori loughlin playing wife and mother named Jennifer Shannon to two teenage children, where she not only has the time each evening to prepare a sit down five course meal for her family of four, but she also runs a successful second hand store with her business partner Danielle (Sarah Strange), spends her weekends purchasing antique treasures that no one else seems to ever find (?) and on top of all this she seems to also find the time to play cupid for her adolescent daughter Hannah (Sara Canning) and a young good looking detective named Adam Iverson (Andrew Dunbar) who Jennifer convinces that what looks like an apparent accidental death is actually a murder.So Jennifer who is cute as cute can be and even more charming than the Lucky Charms leprechaun cooks for her family, finds rare antiques, plays cupid and is determined to solve what may be the apparent murder of a wealthy friend of hers. This made for TV movie is a light hearted mystery filled with family values worthy of our time and Mrs. Shullivan nor I were disappointed in the end game.We enjoy Lori Loughlin as the amateur cutesy sleuth with more charm than Niagara Falls has water. I give this premier episode in the Garage Sale Mystery franchise film collection a decent 7 out of 10 rating.

This, the first in the Hallmark Garage Sale Mystery series, is not as good as the later Garage Sale films. However, Lori Laughlin is likable and engaging as the housewife/sleuth Jennifer Shannon. Her job as owner of an antique shop adds a nice thread tying her part-time interest as a younger, American, Miss Marple and her thrift store, collectibles enterprise. The cast of characters in this movie adds intrigue to the narrative. I have only a couple of critical comments. First, the plot was rather predictable. I figured out the murderer before midway through the show. Second, the young detective, who acts as a romantic interest for Jennifer's daughter who is recovering from a recent break-up, is completely incompetent, yet the audience is suppose to take him seriously. He is slow witted, one dimensional and utterly unbelievable as the officer in charge of the murder investigation. This detective is a mediocre actor who lacks energy and passion. Worse, he is a lousy detective who misses every clue. Jennifer, a housewife with supposedly no experience in solving crimes, figures out each detail concerning the death of her friend then delivers every new discovery to the young detective. The conclusion is preposterous when Jennifer's daughter, with a straight and serious face, thanks the doofus detective for keeping her mother safe. Then, she kisses the cop as intelligent viewers wonder what in the world the daughter finds admirable about this dense guy. The biggest irony is that Jennifer was not kept safe by the dullard detective, as she was almost shot by the killer in the last few scenes--the bumbling lead detective having apparently no idea that Jennifer was in mortal peril.

If you've read my book reviews, you'll know that I enjoy reading cozy mysteries, so it would make sense that I would enjoy watching them as well. I came across this Hallmark movie, in the previews for a different movie I was watching, and figured I would give it a watch. And I really enjoyed it.All the actors did a great job, but my favorite character would have to be Sarah Strange, who plays Dani, the main character's business partner. I loved her outfits, and she had just a bit of quirkiness to her that was adorable. You may also recognize the main character, Lori Loughlin aka Jennifer, who use to be on Full House. She must know where the fountain of youth is because she barely looks like she's aged.The mystery itself was very well written, and had me guessing until towards the end, which is always enjoyable. And I really liked the cinematography, how they would focus on an item and add a bit of filter to it, to give it an old-fashioned feeling. I also really enjoyed this when I watched The Good Witch TV series (also by Hallmark), so maybe this is their trademark camera work. Not really sure though since I've not watched many Hallmark movies before.This movie series, which there are currently six of, with a seventh in production, came from the two book series by Suzi Weinert. She wrote her first novel when she was 72, which just goes to show, it's never too late to do something you want to do. In case you want to read them they are, Garage Sale Stalker and Garage Sale Diamonds.

I don't have anything bad to say about this Hallmark murder mystery about how Lori Laughlin, who runs an antique and collectibles business, cracks a murder mystery. It seems that the details of the production, each unremarkable or perhaps even superior by themselves, somehow combine to produce a total effect that does not please this longtime mystery buff. This is obviously a matter of Your Mileage May Vary and I urge you to give this a try.... but be ready to turn it off.The acting is very good. Lori Laughlin plays her role very well. On the other hand, the camera-work soon descends into that Lifetime Network woman-at-risk lighting which raise my hackles. The details of the antiques trade are there to fill out and distract the viewer, but it's not something that interests me. I figured out most of the script's red herrings well before they were revealed.It may very properly be said that I am not the intended audience for this movie, but here am I, watching it. I suppose my real complaint is that, after reading hundreds of mysteries and watching at least as many, I show up hoping for something new or particularly interesting. There's nothing of that here, resulting in yet another decent time-waster. I hope you see more in it than I do.