Monday, March 17, 2014

When Calls the Heart: Lost & Found, plus a Giveaway


You may recall back in December I reviewed a DVD entitled WHEN CALLS THE HEART and noted that the Hallmark Channel was debuting a series of the same name.

Well, the series debuted on the Hallmark Channel to more than 3 million viewers. I recently had the opportunity to view WHEN CALLS THE HEART: LOST AND FOUND, a feature length film from the first two episodes of the series.
In addition, thanks to Elliott and the nice folks at Edify Media Inc., I have a copy of this enjoyable DVD to giveaway. Please see the end of the post for the giveaway details.  

This movie, as well as the series, is based on the bestselling books by Janette Oke. 



DVD coverAccustomed to living in high society, Elizabeth Thatcher finds life in the mining town of Coal Valley harsh and challenging. As a young teacher, Elizabeth discovers her students are not the only ones learning life’s lessons.

The town and the mining company have suffered a great loss when an explosion in the mine kills the foreman and a dozen or so men. To make matters worse, the widows will soon be evicted from the company houses to make room for new miners. Determined not to lose anything else, the widows go to work in the mine.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth tries to find another way to help the women keep their homes. She learns that with determination and the help of friends, one can overcome hardships.

The story blends a bit of romance and humor with the arrival of Constable Jack Thornton. When he learns who Elizabeth’s father is, Jack believes he has been sent to Coal Valley just to watch over her keeping him from a career path more exciting.

Based on the novel, When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke, this movie is heartwarming and inspiring. It will tug on your heartstrings and make you laugh.

The performances of the cast draws the viewer in. The main actors – Erin Krakow (Elizabeth), Daniel Lissing (Jack) and Lori Loughlin (Abigail Stanton, the foreman’s widow) – do a wonderful job in their portrayals. Director Michael Landon Jr. does a fine job bringing the story to screen and Brian Bird does a delightful job writing and producing.

WHEN CALLS THE HEART: LOST AND FOUND begins a bit different than where When Calls the Heart ended. The biggest difference is in this story Elizabeth and Jack are not friends to begin with and must come to know one another before beginning a friendship.

This is a charming movie that the entire family can enjoy together. 

When Calls The Heart: Lost & Found by Word Films (Word Entertainment, a Warner/Curb Company), Based on the book by Janette Oke, Directed by Michael Landon Jr., Run Time: 89 Minutes


FTC Full Disclosure - I received this DVD and a copy to give away from the DVD promoter in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy and giveaway copy did not influence my review.

First, let me share some information about the director, the writer/producer, and the movie company.

Michael Landon Jr. – Director:
Michael Landon Jr., son of the late television legend Michael Landon, has been in the film business for over 25 years. With two of the highest rated films in the history of the Hallmark channel, and several top ten releases targeted to the Christian market, Michael has become known for creating heartfelt, inspiring films that connect to the family. He has developed and/or produced, directed, and written screenplays for Fox, CBS, NBC, Disney, Sony, Lifetime, and others.


Brian Bird- Writer/Producer: Brian Bird is co-founder with partner Michael Landon, Jr., of Believe Pictures, a film and television production company.  He was co-executive producer and writer on the successful television series, Touched by an Angel.  Adding to Brian’s success, he had also written and produced episodes of Evening Shade, Step by Step and The Family Man.  Most recently, Bird wrote and produced Gametime, a two-hour television pilot for NBC, The Shunning, inspired by the novel by best-selling author Beverly Lewis, for the Hallmark Channel, and Not Easily Broken, adapted from the novel by T.D. Jakes and released theatrically by Sony/TriStar.

About Word Entertainment:
A leader in the music industry for over 60 years, Word Entertainment, a Warner/Curb company, is a unique, comprehensive entertainment company comprised of multi-faceted artist service departments including publishing, merchandising, booking, and online initiatives. Word Entertainment represents some of the top names and brands in music, including Meredith Andrews, Chris August, BarlowGirl, Francesca Battistelli, Big Daddy Weave, Jason Castro, Patrick Ryan Clark, Everfound, for KING & COUNTRY, Group 1 Crew, Love & The Outcome, Dara Maclean, Point Of Grace and Sidewalk Prophets and is home to 25 Entertainment, Word Distribution (representing Curb Records and Big Idea/VeggieTales among others), Word Print, Word Films, Word Music Publishing and Word Label Group’s Word Records, Word Worship and Fervent Records.


GIVEAWAY DETAILS:


This giveaway is for one DVD copy of WHEN CALLS THE HEART: LOST AND FOUND. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only. 


To enter the giveaway, click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. It make take a bit for the widget to appear, please be patient.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks so much for visiting today. What was the last DVD you watched?

23 comments:

  1. Michael Landon's son directs? Good for him!

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    1. I believe he's been directing for some time and directs mostly faith-based features from what I've seen.

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  2. Michael Landon Jr. has put out some wonderful movies. I especially enjoyed the first one in this series.
    Ann

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    1. Ann, the first one was very good as this one is. I've enjoyed everything I've seen directed by Michael Landon Jr. too.

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  3. sounds like a nice movie for weekend evening watching

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    1. It is Dez. Great for the whole family to watch too.

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  4. Mason - This series sounds as though it has a solid historical feel to it, and I like that. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Margot, I'm glad you mentioned the historical feel. That was something I should have included in my review as you really do get the feel of the era.

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  5. I've never heard of it. Set in Canada?

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    1. It is set in Canada (the western part) and I believe it's filmed in Canada as well.

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  6. Hi, Mason, my sweet friend,

    I knew that about Michael Landon's son. Michael Landon was such a great actor that his kids should be brimming over with talent.

    This sound like a great DVD.

    T

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    1. Hi my friend. I agree with you, Michael Landon was a great actor. I don't know if Jr. has tried his hand at acting or not. Seems like he may have when he was younger.

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  7. The last DVD I watched was Cinema Paradiso. Many thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Traveler, I haven't seen that one but it sounds interesting.

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  8. I hadn't heard of this, but it sounds up my alley.

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    1. It's a good feel-good movie to watch with the family.

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  9. The last DVD I watched was "Catching Fire" (second installment of the "Hunger Games" series).

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    1. Katherine, Catching Fire looks interesting. I'm sorry to say I haven't seen any of the Hunger Games movies.

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  10. Was good to see a mention of Michael Landon's son. Loved Michael in Bonanza.

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    1. Denise, I enjoyed watching Michael in Bonanza too. Miss shows like that on TV now days.

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  11. Flight was the last DVD I saw.
    CABWNANA1@bellsouth.net

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I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.