MissyPoo
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Posts posted by MissyPoo
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I'm probably the only one here who was looking forward to and eventually enjoyed Caribbean Summer but it's cool because I hadn't enjoyed a Hallmark movie in a long time so I was glad to see something that brought a smile to my face. Loved Heather's dresses so much that I added some to my "To Make" design pile for the summer. The added twist was nice to see for a change from the normal boy meets girl, gets mad and then gets back together again. I wouldn't mind a sequel since I'd love to see how things worked out between the lead couple and their friends. And Hughes's voice was so melt-worthy. I could listen to him read a phone book and still be dreamy eyed. Will watch this one on my future summer watch list.
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17 hours ago, Veronica said:
Very nice to see Heather Hemmens back with a new movie and Rachelle Lefevre on my screen again. I haven't watched Hallmark since last xmas since their latest movies looked so bland and uninteresting. I'm excited to finally see some that peak my interest! Adding these to my watchlist. The Caribbean and a french seaside town. I'm so there.
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On 4/24/2022 at 12:04 PM, Scarlett45 said:
I liked Kat Graham’s movie! It was set in Seattle. I cannot remember the name though.
Fashionably Yours! I loved Kat Graham in that but I wish they had a better script to move the story along as it was muddled a bit along the way. Sheryl Lee Ralph was fabulous in that one also. KG is supposed to be having a new Netflix romcom with the fella from Umbrella Academy but they keep moving the date. Last I saw, it had a Sept release. Still waiting eagerly for that one. I really liked her Holiday Calendar movie with Gregory Peck's grandson.
I'd love to see Christina Milian leading more movies but she's staying booked and busy for other brands lately. Hallmark seems pretty low on her radar.
On 4/19/2022 at 8:22 PM, Bronx Babe said:"These mashed potatoes are so creamy!"
11 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:"Who told???"
11 hours ago, Cetacean said:"I love black underwears."
Haha my mom and I quote this movie all the time. I'm dying hearing the character's voices in my head. Such a classic movie.
Not so fun fact: there was a gender swapped version of this WYWS on Uptv about a year or so ago. I can't remember the name but I dipped out of that one so fast because it was cringey and never got better from the opening. Just...ugh.
On 4/25/2022 at 6:43 PM, Bronx Babe said:I'd be interested to know what kind of movies the posters here are fond of, with stories that are similiar in spirit to what an ideal, revamped, refreshed, etc. Hallmark production would or should be like. I mentioned that one of my favorites is While You Were Sleeping and was delighted to discover that many of you like that one.
I'm a huge fan of the 90s/early 00s romcoms (and coms) and would love to see a resurgence of those types of movies on streaming/tv with new stories since we lost its theatrical appearances. Some of my faves are:
Romy & Michele's High School Reunion
Ever After
French Kiss
You've Got Mail
Only You
Sabrina '95
The Truth About Cats and Dogs
Kate & Leopold
Under the Tuscan Sun
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Dinner With Friends (not a romcom but a GREAT drama)
Loser
Someone Like You
Green Card (I was obsessed with this movie as a kid!)
Three Men and Little Lady
One Fine Day
The Mirror Has Two Faces
Before Sunrise/Sunset
P.S. I Love You
The Lake House
Monster-in-Law
I'm probably leaving some faves off but this is the gist of the ones that were on repeat for me. What stands out is how many were written with an original premise in mind and were often done on a low but creative budget. If Hallmark is to follow the way of these types of movies, they definitely have to get away from the Hallmark tenderizer a bit to make some better written content. Early Hallmark movies used to do knock-offs of big theatrical releases (A Crush On You, Eve's Christmas, Wedding Daze, etc.) so they are capable of doing more than just the big city bad/small town good story tropes. They just need to let the writers breathe a bit.
Speaking of, I miss some of those oldie Hallmark movies, too. They had different types of stories from disaster movies, to epic mythological adaptations, mysteries, dramas, and romances. I find myself watching my tapings/DVDs of those more than their newer movies. (i.e. Finding a Family, The Edge of the Garden, Elevator Girl, Flower Girl, Little John, Firelight, Wedding Daze, Just Desserts-this is a little smexy for a Hallmark entry today) Straight From the Heart, The Last Cowboy, Smooch, Ordinary Miracles, etc.)
On 4/26/2022 at 9:36 PM, MerBearHou said:Love that idea! Michael Rispoli is excellent in everything I’ve seen him tackle. Oh, and love the Joe Jr. character — he adds so, so much to WYWS.
I was so surprised to see him in another role around that time where he played Michael Vartan's (yum) best friend in It Had to Be You and he was serious while still being funny. Hallmark used to show this on rotation in the early days before they made their own movies and I thought it was a bit slow back in the day but have come to really appreciate the humor and slow burn romance between the leads. I also liked the chemistry between the secondary (with Rispoli and Olivia d'Abo). It's free to watch on YT if anyone is interested.
See Jane Date is another cute one that I believe is free on rotation on the Roku Channel.
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My introduction to Ashley Williams is the complete opposite of Hallmark. Lifetime and Nora Roberts's Montana Sky. She was mostly serious and barely smiled, so when I saw her in October Kiss, it was a bit of a shock since I was so used to her cowgirl character.
If anyone is curious to see a different side of her, definitely check out MS also for a good suspenseful story with some romancey and dramatic familial elements.
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I'm not DanaMB and I hope they don't mind interjecting here, but Christmas on 5th Avenue is based on Sarah Morgan's contemporary romance book Miracle on 5th Avenue.
I happened to catch It Happened on 5th Avenue some years ago while scrolling through TCM around this time and I enjoyed it. I don't have TCM this year but I'm happy to see it's on HBOMax. I'm definitely giving it a rewatch. Thanks for the heads up!
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7 hours ago, Starry-Eyed said:
It was the guy who turned me off in that one, though. He was so obnoxious I didn't get why she would ever fall for him.
Yeah, I felt the same way. I normally like Paul Campbell but his character was a bit too obnoxious and jerky in this one. I liked the movie upon first watch but I don't think it will be a repeat viewing for me.
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For the Holiday in Handcuffs fans, the movie just popped up over at Hulu.
The Mistletones, Christmas Cupid, Christmas Perfection & The Truth about Christmas are also available. 12 Dates of Christmas is over at Prime.
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15 hours ago, norcalgal said:
I didn't know The Christmas Secret was based on a book.
As for your last paragraph, OMG - I would love that sooooo much! But who would she choose? As for Bitten, I thought Paul's character was merely a pretty boy, while I preferred Greyston because he brought the smolder like I hadn't seen in a looooon time. Another Bitten alum who has been doing these Hallmark movies is Michael Xavier who played Logan.
P.S. I understand the US airing of Bitten sanitized the nude bits, so if nude Paul Greene or nude Greyston Holt floats your boat, try to watch the Canadian version (streaming or DVD).
Disclaimer: I don't know if that's really the actors or if they used body doubles.
Yup the author is Donna VanLiere in case you're wondering. Same title as the movie. :-D
Why, she'd choose both because she'd have a movie for each hehe. At least that's what I'd like to see. :-D I guess I lean more toward the pretty boys at times lol. But not too pretty (someone mentioned Trevor Donovan upthread and although he appealed to me years ago, I can't get the overgrown elf thing out of my head now).
I totally forgot Michael Xavier was in there, but you're right! And I keep seeing him everywhere, especially this year when he has like 3 xmas movies across the networks.
Ha! I saw the US version which did strategically cut that part but I'll have to check out the Canadian version... for science, of course! ;-)
11 hours ago, norcalgal said:Sorry, didn't mean to get you all hot and bothered. It's not full frontal, but there's definitely alot of the "backside"... 😉
Again, it may or may not actually be Paul/Greyston/Laura. I don't know if body doubles were used.
Lol no worries! More reminiscing. The version I saw had a bit of bum viewage from what I remember but he had a nice presence and I was sad to see him slowly pushed out.
14 hours ago, kirinan said:They're starting to put out info for the post-Christmas movies. I like some of the actors they're using, and will definitely watch at least a couple of these movies.
Nazneen Contractor is the queen of Hallmark Winter movies! I've only seen her in last year's winter movie but I like her as a lead. May tune in to her and Autumn's movie.
Another Degrassi Next Gen alum joins Hallmarkland!
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5 hours ago, norcalgal said:
My problem with The Christmas Secret (only saw it once so excuse me if I might be wrong), was the unbelievability of how BJL's mom never told her who her father was, nor did the dad tell HIS mom about BJL's mom. Why all the secret?
And of course the cafe owner turned out to be BJL's grandma!
I think this is also the first time I saw Greyston Holt (he played the scary, jerk ex-husband). It wasn't until I saw him in the show Bitten that I realized he did a great job as "horrible ex", given how much I loved him on Bitten. [And I'm gonna bang that drum again: Laura Vandervoort and Greyston need to do one of these holiday movies - on whatever network. I wanna see if their Bitten chemistry transfers over to another project]
I got the impression everybody died before the main character could know what's what and who's who. The father died before he could tell his mother. The mother seemed to die sometime after. I'm curious to see if (and/or how) the book does better in explaining why the secret was prevalent so long.
I think this was around the time I first saw Greyston Holt also. Either this one or All of My Heart. He plays the jerky ex too well haha. I have to say I'm still smitten (Bitten?) by my first appearance of Paul Greene on that show and couldn't grasp why the main character threw him aside for GH. PG is just too yummy, especially after that first bare scene of him ;-). It would be cute if she had them as co-leads in two different movies though.
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3 hours ago, Dani said:
Kyle Selig looked so young compared to Laura Osnes. I would have believed she was his former babysitter not that they were the same age. The more movies I see Laura Osnes in the less likeable I find her. She plays the same character everytime.
Right? When I saw the poster and previews, I immediately thought that was her younger brother or something. Some of the casting this year has me a bit confoozled. Stuart Townsend looks like Lacey's dad and I'm still in shock in how much time has passed since his hot vampire self from 'Queen' to today. And from the poster of Andrew's movie this year, I'm still not sure if they were trying to tell us if the lead gal was potentially dating her brother (haven't seen the movie so...yeah).
I agree about Laura Osnes. She was rather boring in the Key of Love movie and she was one of my least favorite things about last year's royal movie.
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I'm really digging all the new approaches to the movies this season to go with their new and unique posters.
Loved An Unexpected Christmas. I was going to skip it until I saw a preview and it looked funny. Plus, I'm with the unpopular opinion of liking Bethany Joy Lenz. I have a soft spot for her since The Christmas Secret and love that she can do drama there and has good comedic timing in her later entries. I tend to like her movies as of late.
The movie was funny in all the right parts, has that quippy Paul Campbellness, and everyone seemed like they had fun with their respective roles, even if the family seemed over the top. It kind of reminds me of old school xmas movies like Will You Merry Me? that just went for it and ran off with the fun. No cocoa (there was booze!), a passionate end kiss, some realistic plot lines, fun characters, and an ending that had me on the floor rolling made this one of my new faves.
Thanks @Irlandesa for summarizing Christmas CEO. I watched it after Unexpected Christmas and it was indeed regressive in more ways than one. I tapped out after half an hour and for some reason I couldn't shake why it was bugging me until your post. Love me some Paul Greene (and the more shirtless scenes of him, the merrier) but this was a bust after such an enjoyable movie.
Based on @NYGirl's description, I'll have to check out Making Spirits Bright if it's another one against the grain. Off to the DVR!
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On 11/25/2021 at 5:34 AM, Cetacean said:
Hallmark used to have a couple of Thanksgiving movies. Couldn't be bothered to pull them out of the vault?
Yeah I'm surprised they aren't showing more of them. A Family Thanksgiving still shows up yearly via Hallmark's On Demand listings (I love that one). The Thanksgiving House is showing at Pixl under Legal Tender but hasn't been on the network for ages. I wonder if it has to do with licensing issues. Would be nice if they filmed and showed more of them. They can still still air Xmas movies around it but have the featured movies sprinkled in for Thanksgiving movie week.
17 hours ago, SusannahM said:Same! I'm not sure what I like best, the story itself or the lead's vintage wardrobe! This one with the Mrs Miracle movies are ones that I will sit down and watch anywhere, anytime. Oh and one called Oh Christmas Tree (an older one from around 2012-13 time frame) that never seems to get shown anymore. Luckily I have that one on DVD and it's probably my favourite.
That one is a classic! It's aired on Hallmark Channel a few times under the title Fir Crazy, I believe. I feel like that movie set the tone for "heroine gets fired and goes back home to save the farm" movies but OCT/FR did it best and with charm! Plus, we need more Eric Johnson co-leads. Loved him in that movie and Call Me Mrs. Miracle, but since moving into theatrical films, he probably doesn't want to go backwards to his tv movie roots.
I finally found another recent new one I liked. Uptv's Christmas on 5th Avenue was really enjoyable. The lead was a bit over the top at times, especially in the beginning, and it was kind of funny when the love interest called it out. It seemed self-aware which was refreshing, and as it went on, it held a bit of tone that felt more genuine than most movies like this. Hard to explain, but I really liked how the leads played their respective roles and grew closer to one another. It wasn't just "the script says we have to get together" and they acted accordingly. It felt like there was more there. I'll probably re-watch it again with the hubs later on.
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I remember the more recent Hallmark Hall of Fame movies were kind of a let down to some of the long time fans that were used to stirring dramas rather than more romance focused ones like Remember Sunday and Just in Time for Christmas. (Though there was The Beach House that premiered that one summer). I enjoyed those a lot, but I wonder if they stopped doing them because of the complaints? I'm curious to see which way they'd lean if they do return.
The commercials in between the movies were everything, though. They always had me reaching for the Kleenex.
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1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:
Lifetime has actually been laying an egg for me this year. They used to have more variety in their plot details but so far they've been more limited. I don't think I've liked any of theirs yet. Maybe one.
Omgsh yes! This! I always looked forward to Lifetime movies but this year I haven't been interested in any of them so far and the ones I did see just didn't hit the spot for me. Hallmark started out hitting it out the gate but petered out after that and now I don't have anything much to look forward to on my list. I'll have to check out some UP movies. Otherwise, my movie list has been mostly faves of the past so far this year.
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22 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:
Thanks! I missed the second half (switched over to CNN's Princess Di min-doc) but the first part was indeed a refreshing change. I agree about the realistic holiday decor in Mama Belle's Harlem apartment/townhouse.
When they went for dinner at the neighborhood restaurant, I at first thought the owner was celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson. Looked just like him, lol. But of course it wasn't, lol.
In the opening scene, her boss says "So, are you catching a flight to London or taking the A train home?"
Oh wow, you're right. they do favor each other. Could have been a nod if the director couldn't get the real deal.
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19 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:
I am sure A Holiday in Harlem will adher to all the Hallmark tropes -- dead parent(s), hot cocoa, Xmas decor overkill, workaholic female lead having to choose between her "We're a team" similiarly overachieving current boyfriend in marketing and the high-school sweetheart doing non-profit work in their old neighborhood, etc.
It's comforting to know that the channel's (welcome) inclusivity can be just as hollow and boring as their "regular" characters and storylines. True democracy!
Happy to report only one trope of these was featured in Holiday in Harlem if you switch out high school sweetheart for best friend. No dead parents (in fact there's a divorce/reuniting subplot instead), barely any cocoa, xmas decor was tasteful and not over the top in a realistic home. It was glorious. Plus the lead wasn't stick thin! Just found out she is Denzel Washington's daughter, too, so that was a nice surprise.
Overall, I enjoyed it though I wish the ending wasn't so rushed (but hey, it's Hallmark's forte). The Mr. even enjoyed the refreshing change and he can spot tropes/predictable plots a mile away because of how many of these things I've subjected him to.
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11 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:
I'm half watching Christmas Sail (I think that's what it's called lol) right now and I think I have to rethink my hate for Katee Sackhoff. She's quite charming in this. Maybe I just hated the 2 characters I've seen her play and just assumed that meant I hated her lol.
I think I know which characters and I concur lol. If you like this side of her, check out How I Married My High School Crush, back when Lifetime did rom coms. It's a cute time travel story with some humor to it and she was charming in that one.
On 11/13/2021 at 1:21 AM, GussieK said:Has anyone seen Christmas Comes Twice? I just watched it. It’s another time travel story. I don’t understand why they didn’t save the life of the teacher who had hidden heart disease.
I really liked this one, too, and I agree they should have added a way to save the teacher. But something tells me with time constraints and possibly limited screenplay/storytelling mojo, they skipped past it instead of stepping on the butterfly.
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I'm missing some of my faves this year. No Vanessa Lachey, Tiya Sircar, or Kat Graham movies. Not even an Alicia Witt one! I guess everyone has a tv series they're busy doing instead.
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4 hours ago, quickjessie said:
I really liked The Santa Stakeout. As someone else said, I agree this would have been epic with Kimberly Sustand. Oh my gosh, that I would have rewatched 100 times.
I personally will not miss Danica. I don't think she's a very good actress and if it wasn't for playing Winnie I don't think she'd still be working.
That's funny. If she were the lead, it wouldn't have made it to my watchlist. She works better as a side character than a lead for me. Loved her in A Bride for Christmas and All Things Valentine, but she can't seem to carry my interest as a lead. I'm definitely in the minority with that I'm sure though!
26 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:I don't know how I missed the first airing of Christmas In My Heart but I'm recording a repeat of it.
Speaking of doing diversity in a non-Hallmark way, that's how I felt watching tonight's Christmas In Harmony. It was actually written by a black woman and directed by a black man. You aren't normally going to get lead characters in Hallmark movies talking about being "booed up" or being yelled at because they don't know the difference between a bop and a banger.
Reading the been there/done that plot description, I didn't think I'd be as engaged in the movie as I ended up being but I ended up really enjoying it. Execution matters so much and the above average script, actors and music made this movie work for me.
I do think it was a Hallmark pickup and not produced in house but I'm glad they selected it. It goes to show you how much execution can matter.
All of this. I was wondering who was behind the scenes because it felt culturally accurate. I'm curious who was behind Christmas in My Heart because the dialogue with representation and black hairstyles being seen as unprofessional was so accurate as well. Both had enough whimsy with a dose of cultural relevancy. A nice balance.
It's funny because Christmas in Harmony didn't grab my attention from the previews, but I'm really glad I tuned in.
Hallmark really needs to do something about its previews and clips. They seem to pick the dullest parts of the movies instead of encompassing some intrigue to entice viewers to tune in.
Btw, is anyone here playing the Hallmark Countdown to Christmas movie game? I'm enjoying it more this year than past years when you had to guess the viewer numbers of their premieres. I like playing the trivia and earning badges.
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On 10/26/2021 at 11:05 AM, EyewatchTV211 said:
Has anyone seen Christmas in My Heart? I don't think I've seen it mentioned with the other new movies. I liked it more than I was expecting to.
I really enjoyed this one. One of my new faves of the year so far.
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Lol, it's funny too. The movie after ND's is the same story as the Christmas one she did with Andrew Walker some years ago. I'd skip it, but I'm pretending it is an unofficial sequel to The Bridge since it stars the younger folk from that movie.
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^^^ Yeah, they have 6 new movies but only the October ones have my interest (including one with the scrumptious William Levy whom I hope Hallmark doesn't de-hotinize in the process. I'm side-eyeing the last fall movie and why perhaps they put that one last but I digress.
https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/fall-harvest/fall-harvest-2021-movies
They must have hired a new graphic artist for their posters because they aren't the generic pose for the camera with fake smiles ones they usually do.
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And again in Falling For Vermont.
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On 3/27/2021 at 7:13 AM, aradia22 said:
When is that Hair Love show premiering?
No time frame yet but it looks to be premiering on HBO Max. Kinda sucks because I don't subscribe to that but I may to support this show.
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Holiday TV Movies & (Non-Rankin Bass) Holiday Specials - General Discussion
in Holiday TV Movies & (Non-Rankin Bass) Holiday Specials
TBF, it seems like this was pretty close to the book it was based on. Minus a mention of abuse which they may have left out/changed so it didn't become super somber and, of course, the main character's writing genre). I haven't read the book yet, but I plan to soon to see how what was changed from the book to adaptation.
The book blurb: