Tag: Hidden Orchard Mysteries: The Case of the Air B & B Robbery

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Movie Review

Interview with Ja’ness Tate

Interview with Ja’ness Tate

We were lucky enough to be able to talk to one of the stars of Hidden Orchard Mysteries: The Case of the Air B & B Robbery Ja’ness Tate. I want to send out a personal thank you for giving us the time to discuss the upcoming movie.

Without further ado, here is the interview.

Q1) What drew you to want to star in Hidden Orchard Mysteries and how much of Lulu do you see in yourself?

A1) When I first saw the casting call and read the description I thought the storyline was overall awesome! Then I began to read the character description for LuLu and I felt like I could relate to her. I felt like we were a lot alike. I wanted to tell her story, so I worked on my self-tape with my sister and when I got the part I was so excited!

Q2) You have excellent chemistry with Gabriella, how natural did the friendship come between the two of you?

A2) I feel like the moment we met we instantly became friends. It’s so funny how we are so alike! We just clicked. Playing her best friend in the movie was easy. I felt like it was normal like we did this for years! 

Q3) Do you have any favorite sleuth detectives you looked to for inspiration in the role? 

A3) I absolutely loved Nancy Drew and Scooby Doo growing up! I’ve always been a big fan of mystery and adventure movies. Even now I am rewatching The Sherlock Holmes Series. I absolutely love these kinds of movies and I am so grateful that I got to do my own!

Q4) You got to show off your musical talent early on in Hidden Orchard Mysteries, how big of a part of your life is music?

A4) I love music! I grew up around music as my whole family is musically inclined. We are all artists and pursue our art. Music has always been apart of me since I was very little. If I am not on set and reading a script, I am singing and performing!

Q5) If you could appear in a musical either on the stage or on film, which ones would you like to perform in?

A5) I always dreamed of being in a TV musical like Glee so if that ever comes back or some kind of spin-off comes on I will be the first to audition!  If I were to do a musical play, I would absolutely love to do Wicked. I love the music! And it’s a fun story I would love to play!

Q6) Which genres of movie would you most like to star in next? 

A6) Honestly, I want to do it all! But the genres I’m really interested in is drama, horror or even a coming of age story! I love all genres, but those would be really awesome to work in! 

Q7) Who are the people you look to as inspiration in the world of acting?

A7) I really look up to Viola Davis, Jada Pinkett Smith and Taraji P. Henson. Growing up I just admired their careers and how they made a name for themselves. They are so incredibly inspiring. I pray to inspire people just like they inspire me!

Q8) One of the key locations in Hidden Orchard Mysteries, is the cupcake shop, which leads to the important question, what is your favorite flavored cupcake?

A8) I love CHOCOLATE!!! with Sprinkles !!! 

If you would like to see more of Ja’ness Tate’s work, check out there IMDB.

I would like to thank Ja’ness Tate one more time for giving us the time to talk about Hidden Orchard Mysteries: The Case of the Air B & B Robbery. Read the review here.

Categories
Movie Review

Hidden Orchard Mysteries: The Case of the Air B & B Robbery (2020) Movie Review

Director: Brian Shackelford

Writer: Brian Shackelford (Screenplay) Joyce Fitzpatrick (Story)

Starring: Gabriella Pastore, Ja’ness Tate, Carlos Coleman, Diane D Carter, Kim Akia, Donovan Williams, Orlando Cortez, Tim Davidson, Davey Moore

Plot: Two teenage girls of color named Gabby and Lulu, become amateur detectives in their small town of Hidden Orchard, when a new Air B and B in their neighborhood gets robbed. Everyone in town is a suspect, and these young sleuths are determined to find out who did it and why.


Runtime: 1 Hour 25 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Fun Family Film

Story: Hidden Orchard Mysteries: The Case of the Air B & B Robbery starts as we meet the two best friends, Gabby (Pastore) and Lulu (Tate) who know their neighbourhood like the back of their hands, which sees them getting an increased number of Air B & B properties in the area.

The two girls decide to start their own investigation into the robberies in the neighbourhood, involving the number of Air B & Bs, this will see them talking to everyone in the neighbourhood and learning more about the residents, things they didn’t know before.

Thoughts on Hidden Orchard Mysteries: The Case of the Air B & B Robbery

Characters – Gabby is dealing with adapting with a new stepmom in her life, she has a photographic memory which helps in how the two are investigating the case. Lulu is the best friend of Gabby, she wants to lead the investigation into the robberies, pushing Gabby into using her skills more often than not. The two best friends have excellent chemistry and have worked together for most of their young lives. We do meet a host of residents of Hidden Orchards, everyone is a potential suspect, with the girls knowing details about them all, needing to get to know more as they look to solve the crime.

Performances – Ja’ness Tate and Gabriella Pastore are great together, they make us believe they are best friends, with every interaction between the two feeling natural. The rest of the cast are strong through the film, bringing their characters to life with ease.

Story – The story here follows two girls that decides to work together to solve a spring of robberies in the area, which sees them putting together the clues, looking into the suspects from their neighbourhood. This does play into the amateur sleuth detective movies, with kids wanting to solve the crimes in the neighbourhood, we rely on the chemistry of the two leads to carry the story, with their determination being the reason everything could get solved. We might not get too involved with the crimes happening, but we are also focusing on friendship over anything else here.

Settings – The film uses the setting to show us how the neighbourhood is close and still manages to have secrets.


Scene of the Movie – Tanisha and Tyrique Watson are scene stealers in the film.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – We could have seen more of the crimes.

Final Thoughts – This is an enjoyable family film that shows the importance of friends, while trying to solve a neighbourhood crime, with excellent chemistry from the two leads.

Overall: Enjoyable Family Film.