ABC Family Movies

(This post is dedicated to K-10)

Ever since Saturday morning tv turned into Japanese robot anime hell on earth and primetime tv turned into 'Who Can Produce the Worst Reality Show,' I have lost my taste for most everything on television (except when it comes to Scrubs, the best written show on tv. And even though NBC treats it like the red-headed stepchild of all of its mediocre, poorly-written shows, I will continue to watch no matter how many times it changes time slots or days. I love me some Zach Braff).

BUT...

It's nice to know that ABC Family has some amazing made-for-tv movies that you do NOT want to miss. Here are several of the most recent ones:

This Time Around
Basically, anything starring a former cast member from 90210 gets an 'A' from this reviewer... no matter how badly acted it may be. Bad acting it is not, however. Carly Pope plays Mel, an advertising guru in Chicago. She had a mad crush on Drew, played by Mr. Brian A. Green (that's Brian Austin Green to most of the world who remembers him as David Silver) when they attended junior high together, but a mean prank by his then, and current, bitch of a girlfriend forced Mel and her best friend, Gabby, to switch to a different high school. As Drew struggles to open his restaurant on time, which advertising agency does he choose? Mel's, of course! But he has absolutely no clue who she is... Will they fall in love, even though she was a major nerd in middle school?

Lucky 7
Starring everyone's favorite bride, Kimberly Williams and the always delicious Patrick Dempsey (oh how I love Can't Buy Me Love), this is a wonderful tale for those of us who think that they can plan everything - even the way that our lives will end up. Amy is only seven years old when her mother dies, but not without concocting a "timeline" for her young daughter to follow. Amy follows it religiously, from running for student office, going to summer camp, and becoming a lawyer. But she runs into a snag when it's about time for her to meet Lucky Number Seven - the man that she should marry. Will it be Daniel, Mr. Perfect, or Peter, Mr. Mysterious?

Celeste in the City
Borrowing a former Buffy cast member and making him extremely gay, this film teaches us to be the person we are inside - but with a little help from our New York cousin and his FABULOUS friends. Celeste moves to NYC from Podunk, Middle America and soon comes to realize that people aren't as friendly in NYC. Imagine that! And adhering to gay stereotypes is not the way to learn about the cute boy who lives in your building above the kareoke club.

I Want to Marry Ryan Banks
This one takes the cake mostly because we have a 90210 cast-off as well as a Buffy cast-off. Ryan Banks (Mr. Brandon Walsh himself, plus a few lbs.) is a C-list celebrity who makes good movies but can't help finding himself in the tabloids. Charlie is a gorgeous bartender/bookshop owner in Boston who ends up an unwilling pawn in a new Bachelor-esque reality show which is meant to find Ryan a wife. But don't forget about Ryan's best friend/manager, Todd (the super-cute Bradley Cooper). He's sacrificed everything to make Ryan a star. Will he ever be happy? A hilarious take on reality tv, for those of you who have ever been forced to watch The Bachelor/ette (which I refuse to link to because it's horrific).

If I had to choose, I would have to say that This Time Around is the winner. Brian A. (seriously, who is he kidding?) Green has gotten HOT and it's a sweet, believeable storyline. But Lucky 7 runs a close second. Check them out!