Kaoteek

Funnily enough, despite the low production values (no budget for ADR, I guess !), and the fact that I was prepared to hate it (ION movies are often miss and rarely hit), I ended up somewhat enjoying Christmas Cupid's Arrow, mostly because the cast worked well together (and i've got a soft spot for Sasha Jackson). It was still a low-budget, low-key riff on Cyrano, with a not-so-well-written female lead, and Christmas was totally irrelevant to the entire endeavour, but it was okay for what it was. (also, it had some relevant pop culture references, which is always surprising, considering the "timeless" quality most Hallmark/Lifetime movies aim for)

Didn't care much for UpTV's A Christmas Switch. Partly because i've seen the exact same movie half a dozen times already (and this one didn't have a really memorable cast nor enough rhythm to make up for the sense of déjà vu), but also because they made the choice of having the "body swap" portrayed by having both actresses simply act differently (I prefer when such movies use the Quantum Leap technique of having the actresses switch places on screen while "magically" looking like their regular selves to other people), which led to some crazy eyes overacting here and there. All in all, very bland and so-so, despite Cleary Herzlinger - the daughter of the director - being simply adorable.

Man, Lifetime's Every Other Holiday, with Schuyler Fisk, really did feel like a ION, INSP or UpTV movie, with its country/religious vibe, its focus on the family melodrama, and its weird stunt casting of Jimmy Wayne as the potential love interest of Fisk's character (a casting choice that really didn't work ^^). Weird thing is, despite the movie ticking a lot of the boxes I usually try to avoid in Christmas movies (Preachiness ! Bitchy, nosy mother-in-law ! Struggling country artist ! Deadbeat dad ! Cow-boy !), I didn't hate it. The acting was solid, it wasn't the cheapest of productions, and it felt somewhat sincere, without falling into too much tropiness. So... nothing I'd go out of my way to watch again, but not a bust.

I was gonna say the same thing about A Twist of Christmas. It was light-hearted, didn't take itself too seriously, the kids were adorable, and it wasn't too tropey, so it was a nice surprise, especially since I tend to be indifferent to Brendon Zub, and to West Coast & Palm trees Christmases.

Catching up on non-Hallmark Christmas movies : - Really disliked Lifetime's Poinsettias for Christmas. Even putting aside the drastic lack of plausibility of everything poinsettia-related there (those are probably the worst, most clueless poinsettia farmers i've ever seen), the movie was trope-central, with a main relationship that felt forced (10 minutes into the movie, and there's already the let's-work-together-having-fun-and-learn-to-like-each-other montage), a real lack of subtlety (I facepalmed at the "he unvolontarily shows off his abs, while she barely manages not to bite her lip watching him" moment), and cheap, cheap production values (the snow, ouch). Too bad, cos I liked most of the cast. - Netflix's Holiday Calendar. Okayish for what it was, despite having seen the exact same story, beat for beat, a couple of times already on Hallmark or Lifetime. Very predictable, very forgettable. - Netflix's Princess Switch. Eh, I liked it way less than some people did, mostly because the script felt like a hodge-podge of various half-baked storylines - the cooking competition & rivalry felt tacked on -, because it seemed to run on fumes after a while, and because I didn't care much for the romances (both guys just left me cold) despite Hudgens trying her best. - The less said about Netflix's A Christmas Prince II, the better. Rose McIver deserves better. (so far, Netflix's Christmas output rivals Hallmark's in its mediocrity. Hopefully Kurt Russell's movie will be a nice surprise when i'll come to it.)

Somewhat happily surprised by Shoe Addict's Christmas, despite having long-standing reservations re: CCB. A bigger budget, a lighter tone, an enthusiastic and likeable cast (if one of these days, Hallmark decides to give Vanessa Matsui a more prominent part, I wouldn't be against it), and although it wasn't necessarily the most original concept (or necessarily anything must-see), it was dynamic & light-hearted enough to work.

I really wish I had liked A Godwink Christmas more than I did : I enjoy both leads, they had chemistry, the snow was nice, production values were there, and all in all, it was a decent movie, but... man it was so low-key and understated that it bordered on being flat and boring. Too bad. (also, the bland boyfriend drama wasn't necessary)

Tbh, I'd be hard-pressed to say if Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane was particularly good or bad. It felt like was your typical HMM movie (ie heavier, not particularly original and with a predictable "mystery") with added touches of awkward, lighter misunderstandings, an unmemorable supporting cast, pointless ex-boyfriend angst... but it seemed watchable. Except for the fact that these days, I struggle so much with Witt's acting choices, expressions & affectations (especially the "look into the distance with a vacant, vaguely sad/concerned look on your face" moments) that overall it annoyed me more than anything. Thankfully, Colin Ferguson was there. (also, i'm starting to get tired of the "children get together one last time in the family home before selling it" trope)

Didn't like Christmas in Evergreen II as much as some of you here, despite enjoying the first one for what it was : here, the continuity was nice, the diversity was a nice touch, the production side of things wasn't cheap (once again, they seem to have blown the entire snow budget of the network on this one, having left nothing for the other movies ^^), and overall it was perfectly fine (albeit über-predictable), but something bugged me in the way everybody, including the leads, just felt a little too intense and enthusiastic in their reactions (The pipes ! THE PIPES !!! ^^). It didn't make or break the movie for me, but still, every now and then, the overall lack of subtlety was distracting.

Christmas at the Palace : someone upthread mentioned being annoyed by the lead entering a heavily decorated palace room, and seriously complaining it wasn't decorated enough - I had the exact same reaction (annoyance with the Patterson's character, not with the supposed lack of decorations), along with thinking there was some sort of miscommunication between the set decorator and the writer : that's the only way I can explain how "the King is a grinch, he doesn't celebrate Christmas anymore, yadda yadda yadda" translates into a palace with an amount of decorations that you can only find in Hallmark movies. Then again, the writing was all over the place : very derivative, it felt like a mashup of various Hallmark movies, from any of the Crown/Royals movies, to the usual Christmas pageant theme, to the ice skating ones... and although I liked the lead couple, it was played way too straight and bland, especially compared to Britt Bristow's romance with the King's BFF (sadly, Bristow goes back to New Jersey around the 60 minutes mark...). Also : über rushed ending.

Quick catch-up round : - I really liked Last Vermont Christmas' lead couple. Despite Bruening's iffy style. The rest of it ? Not so much. It was very low-key and serious, kinda cheaply made (that fake snow, ouch), and it just... it was there. The supporting cast didn't leave much of an impression, and I ended up thinking I'd have like to see Bruening & Cahill in something more light-hearted. - Initially, Reunited at Christmas kinda felt the same, very Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, but this one mostly worked for me in the end. Nikki DeLoach is always likeable, the lead couple was believable, the supporting cast had some character development... I probably wouldn't go out of my way to rewatch it, but as far as those more serious, family-drama based movies go, it was above average. - Supposedly, Pride, Prejudice & Mistletoe was, according to the adapted novel's author, some sort of gender-switched Pride & Prejudice. Too bad the movie barely had anything to do with that : it was just your standard Hallmark cliché-ridden romance, with a touch of fanservicy names, and way too much business & investment talk. A huge meh, despite the fact that I like Brendan Penny as a leading man, and that I'm fine with Chabert, despite her overexposure.

Return to Christmas Creek was fine for what it was. The usual tropes, the usual less fluffy, more serious tone that most HM&M movies have, but to be perfectly frank, I was way more invested in Steven Weber & Kari Matchett's relationship than I was with the leads'.

Catching up with some of this season's Hallmark/Christmas movies, before the Thanksgiving week starts, and dozens of new movies air : - Christmas Joy. Meh. Not particularly good, not particularly bad. Just there, really, and utterly unmemorable. Obvious product placement, though. - Christmas in Love. I like Brooke D'Orsay, but overall, the movie felt way too "been there, seen that half a dozen times already". Also, I don't care much for Daniel Lissing as a lead. Kind of a bland movie, really, and the writing was so-so. - Road to Christmas. This one I enjoyed, despite Jessy Schram looking kinda tired. The rhythm was fine, the brothers had personnality (Gays ! In a Hallmark movie ! Who'd have thunk ?), more Teryl Rothery is always a good thing in my book, and overall, it stayed light, fluffy and enjoyable enough not to bore me.

(so, just to be sure, and because every year, it gets kind of messy as Christmas draws near and the movies multiply - are we keeping all Hallmark talk, including Christmas movies, here, and the rest/other networks in the Holiday thread, or are we spreading the discussion over both topics ? What's the consensus ?)

Not a big fan of Jessica Lowndes (and the plot of her movie is very "been there seen that"), so i'll probably skip this week's Hallmark outing. Also, it's not even Halloween yet, so Hallmark will have to wait.

Man, that tumblr list of Christmas movies... on one hand, i'm already burned out on those just by looking at it, and on the other, i'm glad it exists. Now I just have to drastically cut down the number of movies i'll watch this year, which shouldnt be too hard to do, given some of the "stars" and pitches Hallmark has on its calendar. (also, i'm glad there are more ethnicities represented... even though the movies all seem blandly similar, just like their caucasian counterparts !) (kinda surprised by the small numbers of UpTV/ION movies, especially since, every now and then, those end up more fun than the usual HM or LT outings. That said, both Up & Ion have a tendancy to pick up the scraps of HM & co, and to air those movies that didn't fit the strict HM specs or budget, so I'm expecting both networks to announce them later on, once the bigger networks have filled their schedule)

Same writer for all three, if i'm not mistaken.

Gotta say I didn't care much for the first one, I cared even less for the second one, so I didn't expect much from episode 3, especially since wedding-related plots usually don't do it for me. But surprisingly enough, I liked it more than ep 2, and maybe even than 1. Less angst, less forced drama, more light-heartedness, more mini-goats, more banter, more complicity, more family stuff... it was a very generic plot, but it kinda worked for me. Now I'm guessing they'll have a baby in episode 4...

Ugh. More politics, more meta winks to the audience, a new, stupider Mandy (or at the very least, she's - very broadly - played that way)... I think i'll sit this season out.

Late to the party, but I just finished Love In Design. Eh. Nothing particularly annoying, I don't mind McKellar, I like Walker, the house was nice, but it was so generic that I just never particularly cared for it, and felt it was going through the motions. Maybe I'm burned out on McKellar as a lead, just like I was with Chabert. Oh well.

Then again, any other title would be better than what Hallmark's random title generator usually comes up with on a weekly basis...

Yeah, I didn't even mind it, really. It's just that i'm really bored with the "small town competition that the lead ends up winning, while finding love with one of the competitors, a handsome rival she knew beforehand" formula. When it's at Christmas time, I can deal with it... but otherwise, meh.

I swear, I like Autumn Reeser & Marc Blucas, and they had fine chemistry... but Season for Love was as generic as its title, if not even more (if that's possible) and I just got bored, as I felt I'd already seen this one half a dozen times, whether with a different location, a different type of competition, or a different time of year.

Re: Love at Sea, I don't mind the Penavegas, I kinda have a spot for Love Boaty cruise ship shenanigans, I like the Caribbean, but... *sigh* there just was nothing there worth the time. It wasn't a disaster, but still, autopilot all the way.

Funnily enough, I really liked Walter's Ginger General 2.0 in all its goofiness and weird shapes. That said, his other two characters didn't work at all for me, so, that's that. None of Jordan's creations particularly worked for me either, and as far as Matt's concerned, I much prefered his Jester 1.0 to the overdesigned 2.0 version. I'll miss this show, but this season, not so much...