This is a Bramble Jam podcast.

Welcome to Girls Gone Hallmark, a Hallmark review podcast.

I'm Megan and I'm a longtime Hallmark fan.

I'm Wendy.

I'm a former Hallmark hater.

On Diddy's episode, we are discussing Lost in Paradise, which originally aired on the Hallmark Channel on Saturday, January third, and is currently available to stream on Hallmark Plus.

Happy New Year.

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We are Girls Gone Hallmark.

As of the airing of this episode, the bracket will be completed.

M You know, we talked a lot about that.

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Oh fantastic for that on Friday.

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Your first week is completely free to check it out.

Before we talk Lost in Paradise, I want to remind you that we do love your five star ratings and reviews, and I want to read a recent one from listener Kyle, Who's a Girl's Gone.

Hallmark is funny, smart, and surprisingly thoughtful.

The host breakdown all things Hallmark with the perfect mix of humor, honesty, and genuine love for the channel.

It feels like watching cheesy comfort movies with your funniest friends.

Highly recommends.

You know, I feel like that's a reoccurring comment.

Hanging out with your friends.

That's the goal here, folks.

Yeah, yeah, no, that makes me feel good, like that's the vibe we're trying to create.

So I'm glad that it's coming through for listeners.

Let's hear a movie synopsis for Loston Paradise.

When the founder of a high end fashion company gets marooned on a deserted island with a chef.

Romance blossoms as they work together to survive.

Now what you didn't see I air quoted deserted.

It all comes together.

But when I read this synopsis headed into this movie like I didn't kite.

Oh ye can read the synopsis ahead of time?

I catch you know?

That was part of the stick.

Until I viewed it got it.

Lost in Paradise was directed by Dustin Breeker.

He's no stranger to Hallmark, having directed some of the biggest movies on the network, including A Newport Christmas and Holiday touchdown of Bill's Love Story.

He is tapped to direct the forthcoming sequel to A Biltmore Christmas.

Stephanie Jackson and Zach Lewis share screenwriting credit.

They have collaborated before on films like Christmas and Tahoe and Sweet Pecan Summer.

Lacey Shabert stars as Sophia.

Lacey has one hundred eighty seven acting credits, including She's Making a List, haulaw The Halloween and an unexpected Valentine All from twenty twenty five.

She recently made Hallmark headlines with the announcement that she'll star in the first ever Hallmark Disney collaboration, set to premiere during the twenty twenty six Countdown to Christmas season.

Ian Harding stars as Max with thirty seven acting credits.

He's currently co starring in the Netflix series Ripple and recently made headlines for an upcoming reunion with his Pretty Little Liar's co star Lucy Hale in the Twelve Dates of Christmas, a project not for Hallmark.

James Trevenna appears as pilot and friend Julian.

This is his first Hallmark role, but he has been in other projects like Friends Like Her and Sacrifice.

And everybody's talking about him as being like Hemsworth adjacent.

Yeah, Hallmark Helmsworth.

Oh I like that name.

Thank you.

Paul Hughes appears as ex husband Mario.

Paul is an Australian actor and with his thirty two acting credits, this is his first time on Hallmark.

Side note, it would have been really funny if they would have made like Brennan Elliott her ex husband.

Yep, yep, would have been great.

Lauren Gibson plays Miranda.

This is just her fourth acting credit and her first time on Hallmark.

Sean Miguel Perez appears as co pilot Lance with fifteen acting credits cist his first time on Hallmark.

Keith Nielsen is the costume designer and this movie was filmed on location in Fiji.

Let's take a quick break and we will come right back with our first impressions of Lost in Paradise.

Hey, Wendy, what was your first impression of Lost in Paradise?

Like the many who left their own first impressions on our Instagram, this is a really solid start to the new year.

And I say, yes, Chef.

My first impression is, who knew what I was missing in my life?

Was the nice version of Miranda Priestley.

Oh interesting, you're right, You're right.

She's like the very sweet, wholesome Miranda Priestley.

Yeah.

They had an opportunity to make this badass businesswoman be kind of bitchy, and she wasn't.

So that landed for you.

Yeah, I don't want to have to fight through disliking her.

Women can be strong and smart and also nice.

Yeah yeah, yeah, But to.

Your point, I thought this was an excellent start to the new year, a really nice transition out of Christmas content, out of wintery content.

My husband was like, why are they airing this tropical movie in January?

And I was like, because it's January.

Everybody wants to get away from the winter.

We want to fresh start.

Don't you want to be on a tropical island.

Well, let's talk about that for a second, because in years past it was Winterfest.

Winterfest and then New Year New.

Movies, And would those movies be surrounded with themes of like being cold Still?

We definitely did quite a few cold, snowy themed movies.

I'm just trying to think back over.

We are now in our sixth year.

Yes, so.

New Year's I can only think of like the freaking New Year's Resolution movie.

I can't remember any other January movie.

I can't even remember a January movie from last year two for the Wind.

Those were all snowy movies.

Snowy movie, taking a Shot at Love, Taking a Shot.

At Love, a wintery ice skating movie.

What were last year's Janey I think they were They were travel too, but I'm having visions of rhiannon fish on a Oh yeah.

Polar it was Winter Escape.

It was love of the Irish polar opposites, my Argentine heart and the perfect setting.

It's sort of cobbled together as like a winter getaway.

And what is the theme this year?

Winter escape Escape?

Okay, it's the same theme.

Well I'm into Look, I'm glad the holidays are over.

Send me to a tropical island.

Yeah.

I love Christmas, but honestly I was ready for I mean this.

It felt fresh, it looked fresh.

It was everything we needed in a top of the year movie.

If I may quote Mailman Steve from our Facebook group, he says, off the top my head, I cannot remember a first movie after Christmas being so well done.

We go back to Taking a Shot at Love, which I do believe was the first movie of twenty twenty one.

That was pretty well done.

But he says Lacy was her usual great self, but Ian stole his show.

His ability to deliver a comedic line is fantastic.

He was giving John Brotherton vibes from following Yonder Star.

I agree this was a strong kickoff to the year.

I liked it a lot.

Can I tell you some things I liked please?

I was genuinely impressed how they handled the plane crash.

You know me, I don't like flying because I am scared of plane crashes.

And when they started to like, have I don't distress, yeah, I was like, I don't want to watch this.

It made me feel like very anxious, and I was like, well, good job by like the movie makers here, the movie makers to make me feel this way.

And I don't know if that's just a me thing because I have like such anxiety already as it is.

Did you feel that way?

Yeah?

I don't really enjoy flying.

But did that scene make you feel nervous for them?

Yeah?

Because I don't like any form of turbulence, So when they're freaking out, yeah, take your seats.

Yeah.

It stressed me out.

The scene absolutely stressed me out.

It was funny though, because she was like, shouldn't you be doing something?

And I was like, protocols, but what really does the flight attendant do?

You?

They can't really do much when the plane is crashing.

Right, they're supposed to take cover as well.

But this is what I really liked.

I like that they didn't try to show some dramatic crash landing, which would have been not well done, not well done and they just cut straight to being marooned on the island.

I think that choice really worked here.

M hm, So I like that a lot.

I agree.

We mentioned Keith Nielsen in our news and notes.

I thought, I, I think I can share this.

Keith reached out before making this movie and he said, we have told him before that we think it's very hard to do high fashion on a Hallmark budget, and so he had kind of said, you know, I hope this delivers for you because we're critical about that.

I thought he did a really nice job of pulling this through.

I wish you were here because I would like to talk about was he the one adjusting those fashions to give them the ripped hems and the pulled together?

Who was handling all of that on the back end?

I'm sure with him.

I really loved her plain outfit.

She's in that gold skirt.

I have a lot to talk about and to this outfit me it gives Fisherman's net.

The skirt.

Yes, that skirt.

I was like, how is it comfortable to sit on?

Though it didn't look comfortable to sit on at all, but I thought it was She looked very nice.

Do you think they should have been like fishing with her skirt.

I honestly, when I can't remember what point outens, I know one point he's like, we gotta rip up your clothes to tie the But I think when they were trying to figure out what to fish with, I genuinely thought he was going to be like, he goes, we need we need something, we need some some sort of supplies to catch the foah.

He's like, we need something better than like a stick.

Yeah.

Of course he goes and gets his chef knives.

But I thought, for a second, I'm like, is it gonna be the skirt, because that would have been great?

Should have fish with a net?

I almost messaged Keith and asked him, but then I didn't want him to take a fence because I mean it in a good way, like it looks fisherman's net inspired to me.

But I really love the skirt.

We're gonna talk about it in my wishes, So just put a pin in these outfits, yeah, and we will talk about it and wishes.

Okay, let's talk about the characters of Sophia and Max.

Yeah.

I was fully embracing for them.

No, I was fully bracing for them to be enemies to lovers here.

Yeah, and instead we got two adults who are like kind and respectful.

To each other.

Let's make the most out of our shipwreck situation.

Communicating Like I it was like a breath of fresh air.

Bantering bantering.

Their banter was so good it felt natural, realistic, not Cutesye, like two people talking like humans.

Would loved it.

So when it comes to Ian and Lacy, great choice to start off the year with them because they both do the very best with everything they're given.

So I knew it was going to be an enjoyable experience, but I actually thought this was while silly.

It was silly in a good way.

It was silly in an escapist Yeah, there's no real stakes here.

I'm not worried about the smoke monster on the island in loss, I'm not worried about even with the pirates.

Again in air quotes, there's never any fear.

That anything's gonna happen.

They just get to kind of be silly and ridiculous, and you know they're not going to start to death, and they don't even really get sunburned while they're out there.

I was watching Survivor concurrently with this movie, so I have like visions of being miserable on an island.

Yeah, I don't think you could hang Cairyl.

Oh no no, no, no, no no, no, absolutely could not.

Could not.

I would just be like, take me down.

Couldn't do it.

I mean, if I had chef ee in there preparing these beautiful meals.

Sure, perhaps, sure.

My point is they were going to be enjoyable no matter what.

But I thought they were exceptionally enjoyable.

And you and I are currently reviewing Ripple here on Girls on Homwark on Wednesdays and watching this while watching Ian Harding, and that the man has range.

I know, do you want to talk about my shirt for a second only?

I do you want to talk about your shirt?

Can you please explain the shirt I'm wearing?

Her hand you to see it again?

I mean, I just want to see it again.

So last week Wendy sends me a I got the weirdest Christmas gift text.

All love to Wendy's husband.

He thinks he's a real funny.

You've seen this shirt before.

It is Ian Harding, many faces.

Of Ian Harding.

I mean, it is a fans shirt.

It is a seeing Ian Harding in the wild.

And he turns and runs the other direction.

Kind of sure.

I'm a little embarrassed to even admit that I'm wearing it.

Right, she's wearing it under a sweatshirt, like she's not in public with it.

It's walking a line because we're talking about it.

But I'm like, I should we take a picture with it?

Probably not right, Like wearing it is funny, but posting about.

It is a bridge too far, exactly, but it is really funny.

But the thing that makes me laugh is how many times would you've had to mention this man?

Or was your husband just like I gotta come up with a Christmas gift idea?

She said, Ian Harding.

And s that's probably what it was, because I was talking Ian Harding up because because of Ripple and he watches Ripple.

To my husband watched Ripple and enjoyed it, So I think he just thought, oh, my wife's a super fan.

But you know I'm not a stalker fan.

No, I think it's funny.

It's like I wanted his work totally, and I wanted to wear it here today because it's like we're doing two een Harding projects.

Yes so, but otherwise it's never gonna see the light of day.

It's gonna be like a pajama shirt.

Can I talk about one scene that I really liked and it and it kind of was a short little scene, but it was right after they land on the beach and Max is basically ragging on Lacey's character for being an overpacker, and I love.

That she just like shut his shit.

Down and was like.

Didn't apologize for like who.

She was, Like she didn't need to be humbled.

Like this is just a great character moment.

I thought, like she's still a boss, Like he wasn't going to like make fun of her for her job or what she was into or whatever.

It was so quite powerful scene.

I thought, Yeah, I'm pausing because my next leg is the dog.

Okay, I love Gianni the dog.

I guess I have lots of questions, but it's in my Did you see that about the dog?

I mean like he would conveniently disappear in moments that stressed me out, but he was there enough to make me think, Yeah, if I'm shipwrecked, I really would like my puppy with me, Like I would like my dog to be sleeping with me in my makeshift beach tent.

It feels realistic that a person would bring their dog with them on this trip.

Right.

But now with that being said, are there rules here like international?

Yeah?

Do you have to like quarantine animals sometimes?

You know, you have traveled with her cats.

So I don't know.

I don't know how all of that worked.

I thought he was an adorable dog.

Yeah, you're into like the small, white, fluffy dog.

I mean, I like a small dog.

I like a lapdog.

What can I say?

Yeah, he was a particular q one and the fact that he was named Gianny.

I really appreciated that.

Yeah, that's a nice nod to the fashion world.

Yeah.

I liked the pirate's twist actually for me, you know, it's kind of a fine line of like, okay, ha, how HYJIINXY are we going to write here?

I believe that they were pirates, so did I.

And then when it turns out they are part of like a resort cosplay situation.

I like that even more.

Thought that was very clever.

I also enjoyed the twist that they were on an inhabited island this whole time, did you I did?

I thought it was really funny.

I think it's funny cue, but is it realistic?

That they didn't realize, Like they climbed to the top of this island and they didn't realize there was.

Could they not see like a beautiful resort.

I don't know.

Yeah, I don't know.

When the helicopter is landing on the golf course, I just thought that was so funny.

He's like, oh, yeah, this is a yeah.

I'm running out.

Yeah, hilarious.

It is pretty funny.

Look, I laughed.

I enjoyed it.

I was thoroughly entertained.

I have a couple more likes.

Yeah, good kisses, really good kisses.

Yeah.

And you know, sometimes I find Lacey to be like real, prim and proper.

Yeah.

I liked her so much in this.

I really liked her and haul out the Halloween too, like where she really leans into like the comedy stuff, and she did it with this movie too, And I think back to she's making a list.

She was good in that.

She's a solid actress obviously, but I like when she leans more comedy too.

I think it suits her.

I find it more believable.

That kiss at the end where they have that kiss and he's like about that funding like when they're like talking, there's mouths.

It's real cute, and she just yeah, I liked it a lot.

My two final things, I was pleasantly surprised at the rescue.

Wasn't the end of the movie that we still had a little bit of time to like work through their story, huh.

I appreciated that.

And also I just wanted to note I thought the real filming conditions looked a little rough, like when they were on the beach, it's windy, it's loud.

It felt very authentic, and I was like, this could not have been a super easy shoot.

Hmmm, just because like you're dealing with the element, you're dealing with so many elements.

Let us know what it was really like being on Fiji.

Then I wondered as I was watching this, because don't they they filmed Survivor on Fiji?

Right?

And Love Island?

Yes?

Could can you hear these productions happening?

I know there are stories that like Love Island and Survivor.

Can hear each other's productions happening on the island land?

Yeah?

Can the movie if they're making this movie, can either like we're either of those productions happening?

Curious?

This is an archipelago of over three hundred and thirty islands and oh okay, so it's not just like one actual island that they're all working on.

One hundred and ten of these islands are permanently inhabited, with most of the population living on the two main islands, Vitu Levu and Vanua Levu.

Got it.

So there's room to groove here, got it?

Got it?

Do you have any other likes?

Let's tuck wishes.

Here is where I want to talk about, circling back to the outfits.

Yeah, let's talk about plane crashes.

Everyone crashes into the ocean.

They're somehow perfectly looking dry and clean and styled.

Yep, on the sand, Yeah, they still.

Look pretty good.

They don't look like soaking wet.

Did they float in like.

On the raft you tell me?

I don't know.

Yeah, that part I was like, wait a minute, because we cut from the crash mid crash in air still to her being asleep on the beach, right, So that's yeah, there's a little bit of like, are we to assume because she's in their little life raft sleeping, so are we to assume.

They crashed in such a way that they were able to deploy the raft?

But the the plane itself is at the bottom of the sea.

Yeah, lazy as Sophia is wearing high heels still on the sand.

On the sand, it's a block hill, but it's still.

Yeah, I'm like, take your shoes off.

If you're okay, we'll talk me through this.

If you're if you crash land, right, do not slip your heels off before you before you try.

To swim or run or.

Because it's not like they jumped out of the airplane in the raft, right.

I don't know how that works.

I don't know.

She should have been barefoot in this scene.

Yeah, that is all I'm saying.

And like her perfectly, you know, fitted skirt, everything is.

She's wearing a cream color fitted top.

Nothing's like disheveled nothing.

No, I would look like Albert Einstein coming out of the ocean.

Scar running face.

She still got like a lip and an eyeliner and all this stuff that Ian's character.

He's perfectly their shirts a little bit.

Yeah, then look a little real pilots.

No, nobody has like burn marks on their face or like no.

Nothing nothing, that's all.

Give me, give me a little bit of it.

We've all seen lost, we've all seen soley, we've all seen some TV mini series of a Yeah, and solely landed this point didn't land, it crashed, right, And I just watched the river and those people are dirty.

Right, let's talk about the airport green screen Wolf.

I don't understand.

I loved production company.

It's synthetic cinema.

Synthetic cinemas.

They make great movies, but.

For some reasons sometimes their green screen stuff is not great.

Yeah, And I wonder what the discussion there is because I'm thinking of a Newport Christmas.

Right is the discussion, Well, we need to have this scene and we don't have access to a location, so we're gonna have to see gi green screen whatever.

I mean, it's got to come down to budget.

Right, It's cheaper to do it, I'm sure than doing it on location, which I'm sure that's the only reason.

Right, it just comes down to budget.

Yeah, it takes me out of the moment, you know, my wish just say lol to shark.

I mean, what in the shark scene was that like, let's just be nuanced about it.

Show me a fin out the out of the water, but going underwater and showing the shark charging at you.

I was like, what's what is?

What are we doing does sharks had like two baby sharks with it?

Did you notice that I was too busy laughing, Like the the fin would have been enough.

But when they do the underwater shot of the shark, like I was like, come on, so that would be good.

They didn't need that.

Just show us a fin.

That's scary enough, because I feel like the fin.

If they had just showed the fin, it could have been anything.

It could have been like they imagined the fin.

It could have been a dolphin fin.

It could have been a total number of things that they ran out of the water.

But to do to double down on it being a great white shark in this moment, it just felt silly.

And then they're like, oh no, that was a little bit scary.

Yeah, I love the idea of it being like a dolphin instead.

Yeah, just leave some question out there about what's going on.

One hundred percent.

My next wish is the palm frond woven hats.

I mean they were beautiful.

I have questions about who did those.

I'm dying.

I'm like, did Keith Nielsen make these?

Like, well, did they employ a Fijian?

I mean, even imagine that there's like a tourist trap in town where there's so these things.

Yeah, well, poor Ian look like Gill again when he put his on, and then Lazy's didn't fit her head.

And kudos to making those because I saw them using a similar.

For bowls and plates too.

Yeah.

They their hut was quite nice too, I know.

But I just was like, that's so interesting, Like I wonder where these hats actually came from.

The chase scenes felt a little too choreographed to me, so fun not super realistic, especially when they're on the like jet, the seed wave jet what are those called.

Yeah, it went on forever to that scene.

You know, they're like.

Having a full conversation, like it was funny, Like it wasn't enough to be like this is ridiculous.

It was funny for me, but she's like, hold on, I'm gonna lose them.

I'm like, you're on the ocean, You're not gonna lose I know.

I know.

I did enjoy it.

It's all like a this is this is all a whiff of a wish list.

I totally it was fun and silly.

My final wishes and you had talked about ripple.

I had a hard time separating Ian Harding as Nate on Ripple and being Max in this movie too, because I'm like, your life is hard, Nate, you have a lot going on, right, yeah, right, yeah, that's an US thing.

That is an US thing.

Do you have any wishes?

No that I didn't cover We covered them all.

Let's talk to you to see that.

I loved these Survivor shout out, yeah, did you catch it?

Did?

As I'm watching this when he's like, we got to build shelter, I was like, yeah, any boso who's watched Survivor knows you got it.

Fire and shelter are your two number ones.

And then he's like, I've watched enough Survivor.

I was like, yes, I feel seen.

I loved it.

I loved it.

This might have been a me thing.

But at one point the captions, because I watch with captions, yes it's she's Lacey's character is talking about her Loue Batons, her shoes.

Yes, I saw this and it said Louis Baton on TV.

How crazy you saw it too?

I notice that that is so funny, And I just figured, like the person who's ever writing the like closed caption was like close enough, yep, I want to talk about the dog.

Yeah, you know such a dog lover.

Yeah, and they hop on that seed and leave them behind.

Well, that's one of my biggest what is the dog eating?

Oh no, no, no, they addressed that because when when when the Hallmark Comsworth was like, don't worry, we have provisions, she's like oh and she runs over.

And she's like, oh, I have Gianni's food will be good.

Oh okay.

So they did address that, okay, but then they just let him run off into the well.

That worried me as a person who has never been comfortable with an awf leash dog.

Yeah.

But also when they escape on the sea doo, she doesn't even for a moment go oh no Gianni.

Like we haven't we have he lost in that moment and she leaving him behind.

I know because when I was when they hop on that CD, I wasn't thinking they're just gonna circle around to another part of the island.

I was thinking they were going to escape.

They were gonna hit some other island, go for somewhere.

Yeah, circling back on an island seems like a bad idea when you're trying to get.

Away from the pirates, right, She's just like every man for himself.

Then, I'll look out for number one.

You know, and Ian's character is like, Oh, he's out living his best life.

I was like, what this is a this is a dog that doesn't know how to fin for himself out in the wild.

Can you imagine Bailey on an island.

No, he would be snake food.

Snake food, You're right, Oh, can we talk about the snake for a second.

Yeah?

Was that cgi?

Oh?

I don't know.

It looked good to me.

It looked that looked good to me.

Yeah, that looked good to me too.

I ll close to Ian Harding's face when he turned around.

Thank you, no, thank.

You my final Did you see that?

And we talked about it briefly.

I did the water scenes we're gonna reference to a New Pork Christmas again.

The water scenes in that movie were not good, Like when they were in the boat.

I remembering specifically of like the pilot and the co pilot out that looked real when they're in the raft and they're trying.

To have Oh.

I thought it looked a little light.

Oh really, But then I wondered, I was like, where would Baby filming this?

If not in the actual water in some resort pool, I guess out of dark.

I thought it looked good.

Yeah, I thought that looked good.

I thought this is growth from a Newport grass.

We all nice, right before they go spearfishing.

From one angle the knife late is facing towards Lacy's face, and from the other angle it's facing away.

Oh really, she's holding her spear on the ground.

And then we talked about a few of my other ones.

But her friend and assistant who I believe her name is Miranda.

Mm mmmm oh that's funny.

Oh yeah, that is funny.

She has a kim Matula vibe to her in some lights, like just like a brief like, oh that looks no, it doesn't.

Oh like I just my brain going, oh that looks like but it doesn't.

That's all.

What did you rate last in Paradise?

I gave you four stars to great start.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Girls Gone Hallmark a Bramble Gym podcast.

If you love this podcast, start the new year off right and leave us a five star rating and a review on Apple Podcasts, and we'll be back next time with more Hallmark reviews.

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