Rueben's Ramblings

On September 20, the Hallmark Channel movie The Watsons Go To Birmingham will debut at 8 PM.

Set in the Summer of 1963 in Flint, Michigan, the Watsons are a close knit “All American Family” made up of Daniel and Wilona Watson, (Wood Harris and Anika Noni Rose) and their three kids, 15 year-old juvenile delinquent Byron (Harrison Knight), nerdy 11 year-old Kenny (Bryce Jenkins) and eight year-old adorable sister Joetta (Skai Jackson). When Byron’s antics go over the top, his parents realize enough is enough and they decide the family needs a dose of Grandma Sands (LaTanya Richardson) no nonsense approach in Birmingham, Alabama.

So the Watsons load up the 1948 Plymouth Brown Bomber outfitted with a true tone Ultra-Glide turntable and head South with plenty of comedy en route. When they finally make it to Birmingham, they meet Grandma Sands and her friend, Mr. Robert (David Alan Grier), who show them around town and the Watsons discover that life is very different there than in Flint – and not necessarily for the better. During that historic summer, the Watsons find themselves caught up in something far bigger than Byron’s antics. Something that will change their lives and country forever.

Here is a trailer and behind the scenes look at The Watsons Go To Birmingham.

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The three-part Masterpiece Mystery movie Foyle’s War will debut on PBS on September 15 at 9 PM.

The three-part movie follows Foyle (Michael Kitchen) and loyal friend Sam (Honeysuckle Weeks) in a new post-war era as their worlds shift into those of MI5. With many stories based on real life cases, Foyle will focus his attention on the world of espionage as he gathers secret intelligence in support of Britain’s security, defense and the Government’s foreign and economic policies. In his new role as a Senior Intelligence Officer, Foyle discovers that the British establishment is rife with communist sympathizers and traitors. In this delicately balanced period in history, 1946-47, Foyle will use all his intelligence, guile and intuition to keep the country safe. Meanwhile, Sam is happily married to local MP Adam and finding her feet as a wife with a daunting role in local politics. Reunited with Foyle, she is also offered a surprising new working role.

NOTE: The remaining parts of Foyle’s War will air on the next two Sundays (September 15 and September 29) at the same time.

Here is a trailer for Foyle’s War.

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The Hallmark Channel movie Garage Sale Mystery will debut on September 14 at 9 PM.

Jennifer Shannon (Lori Loughlin) can always find a diamond in the rough – when it comes to garage sales, that is! Whether it’s a new antique to sell at her consignment shop, an Atari game for her son or a piece of furniture for her handy husband Jason (Rick Ravanello) to refurbish, she has made a career out of her treasure hunting prowess. When a string of burglaries hits her town, Jennifer’s keen eye for detail and her natural problem solving instincts even help her see the connection between these burglaries and local garage sales! Jennifer works with Detective Adam Iverson (Andrew Dunbar) to investigate her theory that the perpetrators of the burglaries are fellow garage sale regulars. The case escalates to dangerous levels when Jennifer discovers the dead body of her friend. Even though the deceased’s husband, Ben Douglas (Cameron Bancroft), finds nothing missing in their house, and the police label the death as accidental, Jennifer suspects that the death may be related to the burglaries.

Here is a trailer for Garage Sale Mystery.

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On September 8, the six-part mini-series Last Tango in Halifax will debut on PBS at 8 PM.

This is an uplifting comedy/drama about romance and second chances. Full of zesty humor, great characters and glorious dialogue, it’s about timeless love in a modern setting. Childhood sweethearts Alan and Celia, both widowed and in their 70s, fall for each other all over again when they are reunited over the internet after nearly 60 years. As their lives collide for a second time, the couple laments what might have been as they take audiences on a life-affirming journey together. While their relationship is a celebratory tale of the power of love at any age, it is also a story about family and the complications the relationship causes, especially for their grown daughters.

The mini-series stars Derek Jacobi (The King’s Speech) and Anne Reid (Upstairs, Downstairs) [among others].

Here is a trailer for Last Tango in Halifax.

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The Hallmark Channel movie Dear Dumb Diary will debut on September 6 at 8 PM.

Jamie (Emily Alyn Lind) marches to the beat of her own music video. As an artistic and energetic glitter-loving diva in the making, the 11-year old’s vivid daydreams about how life should be are often played out as full-blown musical productions. In her mind, Hudson Rivers (David Mazouz), the eighth cutest boy in Mackerel Middle School, returns her affections and Angeline (Sterling Griffith), the prettiest and most popular girl in school, and other perfect people like her, are banished so that average folk get their due. Real life, however, is somewhat different and as a result, Jamie pours out her innermost thoughts in her cherished diary and shares some of her feelings with her beloved Aunt Carol (Laura Bell Bundy) as well as her shrewd best friend Isabella (Mary-Charles Jones), who may not be the best influence on her. When Mackerel Middle School’s arts program is threatened because of budget cuts, Assistant Principal Devon (James Waterston) announces the district’s first-ever Jump-a-thon fundraiser. Jamie sees her winning participation as an opportunity to not only save the arts program but also to impress Hudson, and by beating Angeline, bring justice to ordinary people of the world.

Here is a trailer for Dear Dumb Diary.

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On August 25, the Masterpiece Mystery 3-part mini-series Silk will debut on PBS at 9 PM.

Silk revolves around a group of barristers in the highly-competitive, high-stakes games of their careers.

For rival barristers Martha Costello (Maxine Peake from Shameless)and Clive Reader (Rupert Penry-Jones from MI-5), that means winning cases in their pursuit of both justice and “taking silk” — being the sole barrister from their chamber to be appointed a Queen’s Counsel (QC) and thereby earning the right to wear the coveted silk robes that QCs wear in Court.

For competing barrister-in training pupils Nick Slade (Tom Hughes from Page Eight)and Niamh Cranitch (Natalie Dormer from The Tudors),it means proving they have what it takes to be both a full-fledged barrister and the lone pupil selected as a member of chambers.

The cast includes Alex Jennings (The State Within) and Neil Stuke (Reggie Perrin).

Here is a teaser trailer for Silk.

NOTE: This mini-series will run straight through until September 8.

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The Masterpiece Mystery movie The Lady Vanishes will debut on PBS on August 18 at 9 PM.

The film packs in the suspense and style when Iris Carr (Tuppence Middleton from Inspector Lewis), a beautiful young socialite traveling alone, who befriends a kindly English middle-aged woman but wakes from a nap to find her missing – and all the strangers surrounding her denying that the woman was ever there at all.

This closed-door mystery classic investigates the question of madness and isolation set among increasingly sinister passengers and a train barreling through Europe toward a dangerous and dizzying final destination: the truth.

The cast includes Tom Hughes (Page Eight), Keeley Hawes (Upstairs Downstairs), Gemma Jones (The Duchess of Duke Street), and Alex Jennings (Cranford).

Here is a trailer for The Lady Vanishes (via its original airing earlier this year on BBC One).

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