A big improvement over Volume 1! Lionsgate has released the second volume of Alliance Atlantis telemovies, brought under the Harlequin Collection banner, and entitled Harlequin Valentine's Day Triple Feature, Vol. 2 - and they're head-and-shoulders more entertaining than the films in the first collection. The films included are 1994's Treacherous Beauties, starring Emma Sands and Bruce Greenwood; 1998's Hard to Forget, starring Polly Shannon and Tim Dutton; and 1998's Recipe for Revenge, starring Kim Huffman and Alex Carter. All of these films have been released before on DVD, and there are no additional extras or bonus features for this collection, so anyone already owning these titles needn't double-dip. Let's look at the individual films.

TREACHEROUS BEAUTIES

International photojournalist Anne Marie Kerr (Emma Samms) learns that her brother, who worked at a tony horse farm in the U.S., has been killed in a supposed hunting accident. Assuming a false identity, Anne travels to Devil's Gorge and to the Hollister Farm, where her brother was employed. There, she meets the kind, sensitive Brent Hollister (Mark Humphrey), his shopaholic, beautiful wife Simone (Catherine Oxenberg), the family matriarch Lettie Hollister (Tippi Hedren), and the man who runs the family business, Brent's older brother Jason (Bruce Greenwood), who is as attractive to Anne as he is secretive and enigmatic.

Selling the family on the idea that they need a catalogue for their upcoming auction of champion stud breeding stock, Anne, through her snooping, quickly realizes that there are big financial problems at the Hollister Farm, and that her brother may have stumbled on to something he shouldn't have found out. But her confused feelings for Jason, who many believed killed her brother, only serve to put her in harm's way, when someone decides to target Anne next.

Swiftly paced by that old pro Charles Jarrott (who can really swing wide with his projects), Treacherous Beauties (that title makes no sense here) is a surprisingly entertaining little mystery, enhanced by a better-than-average cast for such a film. Samms, probably best known for her foray as Fallon on Dynasty, has this kind of genre acting down pat. Bold just enough to make the dramatics outsized, Samms with her Renaissance curls and pouty mouth brings the romance novel aspects of the story cleanly into focus. Greenwood, who's had a terrific career in both film and television, is certainly a heavyweight actor for such a trifle, but he takes his role seriously here, and underplays the sinister aspects of his character with admirable restraint. It's always good to see underappreciated Hedren in a role, and Oxenberg provides the outré camp values (along with a brief glimpse of nudity, although I suspect a body double) we come to expect in such a film. Far superior to most of these Canadian tax shelter telemovies.

HARD TO FORGET

Private detective Max Warner (Tim Dutton), a la Laura, has become obsessed with a dead woman: beautiful heiress Nicky Applewhite (Polly Shannon), who was blown up on a boat with her shady fiancé, John Gilman (Michael McManus). He survived, but her body was never found. Her mother, Helen Applewhite (Lois Maxwell), never gave up hope, and hired Max and his partner Doug Hart (Nicholas Campbell) to find her. A chance sighting a year and a half later of a poster from South Africa convinces Max that Nicky is still alive; he jets off to Johannesburg, and tracks down dead-ringer Sandra Dawson (Polly Shannon in a dual role), a guide for her father Charles' (Chad Everett) safari business.

Posing as an insurance salesman, Max joins one of Sandra's safaris, and quickly finds himself compromised as he falls hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Sandra. Or is she Nicky? Soon, he'll have to decide which because Doug arrives in South Africa with Helen in a bid to trick Doug into admitting he set off the bomb on the boat. Will Max solve the riddle, and stay with Sandra/Nicky?

Hard to Forget is a pleasant little diversion, well directed by Vic Sarin, that benefits from some nice on-location lensing in Africa, as well as from some good acting from the accomplished cast. Its mystery is never much of a mystery, but its safari setting is unusual for this kind of genre picture, and a welcome respite from the standard foreboding Gothic mansion, complete with lightning storms. Dutton and Shannon (a total knockout) have an intriguing, yet relaxed chemistry together, and they're able to take their stock characters and bring a bit of life to them. Da Vinci's Inquest's Nicholas Campbell doubles nicely as the film's comedic relief and hero's sidekick, and it's always a pleasure to see Medical Center's resident heartthrob, Chad Everett, still looking great. A better-than-expected cast in a concise, small-scale mystery with lots of careful atmosphere and character development.

RECIPE FOR REVENGE

Harried caterer Carly Hunter (Kim Huffman) is hoping to move her starter business up to the next level, when quite by accident, she witnesses her friend Sophie (Lori Hallier) killed by Dr. Chester Winnifield (Corbin Bernsen) in cold blood. Willing to cooperate, Carly's testimony meets with a less-than-impressed D.A., particularly after the noted sex therapist Dr. Winnifield starts playing the media to his favor, questioning Carly's honesty about the event, going so far to muddy the truth as to suggest, untruthfully, Carly was having a lesbian affair with Sophie.

But a series of attempts on her life, along with threatening phone calls, convinces the D.A. to give her protective custody, in the form of handsome, gruff Detective Jack Brannigan (Alex Carter). Carly is immediately attracted to Jack, but commitment shy Jack keeps his distance. Jack's repressive security concerns threaten the economic viability of Carly's business, so she employs him to help her with her catering, drawing the two closer together. Only when Dr. Winnifield - and another mysterious threat - start to close in on Carly, does the fooling around stop for Carly and Jack.

I was quite impressed with the lightness of tone for Recipe for Revenge. Directed by Stacey Stewart Curits, and written by Jennifer Black and Peter Lauterman (based on the novel by Kristin Gabriel), the film manages to be fun and breezy despite the nature of the plot, never taking itself too seriously, and creating quite a bit of charm and romance along the way. Huffman, entirely edible as the girl-next-door/babe caterer, and handsome, nicely low-key Carter, make a terrific on-screen couple. They really have the "light romantic comedy" timing down pat, and they look and sound good together, as well, which is extremely difficult to get right. Some of the whimsy found with Carly's intrusive, deliberately "whacky" neighbors is well...intrusive, but ultimately, it doesn't detract from the attractive, accomplished leads, and the admirably restrained, cheerful, offhand mood of the piece. A very nice surprise, coming from this genre.

The DVD:

The Video:
The full frame, 1.33:1 transfers for the films in the Harlequin Valentine's Day Triple Feature, Vol. 2 collection, are a little bit better than the first volume. Grain and some signs of faded or muted colors still remains, but the video noise and compression issues seem a bit more under control here.

The Audio:
The English mono audio tracks accurately reflects the original broadcast presentations. Spanish mono tracks are also available. No subtitles or close-captions are available.

The Extras:
There are zero extras on the Harlequin Valentine's Day Triple Feature, Vol. 2 collection.

Final Thoughts:
I wasn't expecting much from Harlequin Valentine's Day Triple Feature, Vol. 2, particularly after the less-than-impressive offerings from Vol. 1. But Treacherous Beauties, Hard to Forget, and especially Recipe for Revenge were quite entertaining and speedy, and should be perfect viewing on Valentine's Day, ladies (and come on, guys - you know she's making you watch them, too!). I recommend Harlequin Valentine's Day Triple Feature, Vol. 2 .