Holiday TV Movies & (Non-Rankin Bass) Holiday Specials - General Discussion

[irisheyes]

On 12/3/2019 at 5:23 PM, roseslg said:

I wanted to live A Christmas Princess, but lord was it bad.   Her business is failing,  but she doesn't want business? The queen's accent was horrible.  The acting all around was bad.  

Preach!  The directing was terrible too. The two leads spent most of the movie facing each other and talking. I love a cheesy Christmas movie (can't wait for The Christmas Prince #3!), but this was ridiculous.

[Irlandesa]

On 12/3/2019 at 8:09 PM, MissyPoo said:

I caught a movie on Showtime called A Very British Christmas. I was a bit iffy going in but it grew on me. The lead actress is likeable the lead guy is hot and can act and his family is adorable. I thought it would have a magical element considering the town buildup and it seems a bit low budget considering there's hardly anyone in the town but them, but it's a pleasant movie with enjoyable leads that don't feel like they're phoning it in. Plus the scenery is gorgeous.

Whoo boy.  Because of your recommendation, I threw this on in the background when I had to work. (I focus better with something on in the background.)  I concede the dude is hot but I found it kind of awful. But luckily not Hallmark blandly awful but delightfully awful.  Mockably awful. The kind of awful I'm mildly obsessed with.

I mean right off the bat the movie makes no sense.  This is a woman on an international flight that was diverted....for reasons?  Yet it's diverted into the middle of nowhere. Some place where there's no restaurant.  No hotels.  No nothing except an airport (apparently) and a train stop.

I gather to get anywhere, you need to take a train yet she's the only one waiting for a train.  There are no other passengers, no flight attendants, no pilots and no entourage.  Just her.  I thought perhaps this means she was on a private plane and did an emergency landing at an airstrip but through the movie they refer to catching another flight--another international flight to NY or Vienna--as if they happen all the time.  So basically, there's not only an airport in the middle of Nowhere England but there's an international airport in the middle of Nowhere, England.

She takes the train, falls asleep and ends up in another town in a bakery with another American.  She ends up going to stay at the most charmless B&B, owned by the male lead, that didn't even look like it was in England.  She admires the lead's art work which look as original as any ole print you'd see in Walmart.  Later, she writes in her diary the quote that actually made me gasp in delight. 

"The inn is cozy, cute and warm, just like its owner."

How greatly cheesy is that quote?  Someone actually thought that was good dialogue and I am here for it. 

Meanwhile, the male lead's mother, who has not met the female lead, Googles her name.  The lead's name is Jessica Bailey, which feels pretty common, yet somehow the mom automatically knew it was this famous opera singer.  Barely 15-30 minutes into the movie, everyone is acting like these two should be in love and together.

The daughter of the male lead has this weird affect where she calls the female lead "sweetheart" all the time.  Things like "you'll be back, sweetheart."  "It'll be okay, sweetheart."  The kid is like five years old but the words coming out of her mouth sound like they're from an 80 year condescending man. 

The male lead lists off all the places he has been "Los Angeles, New York, Austin, TX" but his delivery makes it seem like Austin and Texas are as completely separate as LA and NYC. 

The main couple goes for a rowboat ride even though they're all decked out in winter gear on land.  They acknowledge it's colder on the river but....really?

I think the budget is so low that they only rented one car for the movie.  The male lead looks to be driving the silver car that was her taxi.

I think the budget is so low #2 in that sometimes the movie had the feel of a low budget horror.  In fact, there were a few times the camera angle would hit the male lead's mom and made it seem like she was going to stab everyone.

The female lead is a singer who travels a lot.  Distance isn't a barrier for visiting.  But of course when she leaves, everyone acts like she's dead...as if going to a Christmas Eve concert meant she could never return ever.  As if the town were Brigadoon and would disappear at the stroke of midnight.

Speaking of dead, the male lead is a widower.  He has a neighbor he fights with a lot.  I thought for a while that the neighbor was going to be his ex-father-in-law.  But not, he's just a cantankerous old coot that eventually decides against selling so his kids and grandkids can pick berries. (yes, there's a real estate plot that I won't go into.)

Finally, at the end, everyone gets up to sing a Christmas carol and I think we're going to finally hear the beautiful female lead's voice.  Nope, she blends in the background of the other singers.  I'm beginning to think she really couldn't sing.

[MissyPoo]

12 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Whoo boy.  Because of your recommendation, I threw this on in the background when I had to work. (I focus better with something on in the background.)  I concede the dude is hot but I found it kind of awful. But luckily not Hallmark blandly awful but delightfully awful.  Mockably awful. The kind of awful I'm mildly obsessed with.

I mean right off the bat the movie makes no sense.  This is a woman on an international flight that was diverted....for reasons?  Yet it's diverted into the middle of nowhere. Some place where there's no restaurant.  No hotels.  No nothing except an airport (apparently) and a train stop.

I gather to get anywhere, you need to take a train yet she's the only one waiting for a train.  There are no other passengers, no flight attendants, no pilots and no entourage.  Just her.  I thought perhaps this means she was on a private plane and did an emergency landing at an airstrip but through the movie they refer to catching another flight--another international flight to NY or Vienna--as if they happen all the time.  So basically, there's not only an airport in the middle of Nowhere England but there's an international airport in the middle of Nowhere, England.

She takes the train, falls asleep and ends up in another town in a bakery with another American.  She ends up going to stay at the most charmless B&B, owned by the male lead, that didn't even look like it was in England.  She admires the lead's art work which look as original as any ole print you'd see in Walmart.  Later, she writes in her diary the quote that actually made me gasp in delight. 

"The inn is cozy, cute and warm, just like its owner."

How greatly cheesy is that quote?  Someone actually thought that was good dialogue and I am here for it. 

Meanwhile, the male lead's mother, who has not met the female lead, Googles her name.  The lead's name is Jessica Bailey, which feels pretty common, yet somehow the mom automatically knew it was this famous opera singer.  Barely 15-30 minutes into the movie, everyone is acting like these two should be in love and together.

The male lead lists off all the places he has been "Los Angeles, New York, Austin, TX" but his delivery makes it seem like Austin and Texas are as completely separate as LA and NYC. 

The main couple goes for a rowboat ride even though they're all decked out in winter gear on land.  They acknowledge it's colder on the river but....really?

I think the budget is so low that they only rented one car for the movie.  The male lead looks to be driving the silver car that was her taxi.

I think the budget is so low #2 in that sometimes the movie had the feel of a low budget horror.  In fact, there were a few times the camera angle would hit the male lead's mom and made it seem like she was going to stab everyone.

The female lead is a singer who travels a lot.  Distance isn't a barrier for visiting.  But of course when she leaves, everyone acts like she's dead...as if going to a Christmas Eve concert meant she could never return ever.  As if the town were Brigadoon and would disappear at the stroke of midnight.

Speaking of dead, the male lead is a widower.  He has a neighbor he fights with a lot.  I thought for a while that the neighbor was going to be his ex-father-in-law.  But not, he's just a cantankerous old coot that eventually decides against selling so his kids and grandkids can pick berries. (yes, there's a real estate plot that I won't go into.)

Finally, at the end, everyone gets up to sing a Christmas carol and I think we're going to finally hear the beautiful female lead's voice.  Nope, she blends in the background of the other singers.  I'm beginning to think she really couldn't sing.

I was hesitant to go full rec on it because of corntastic and nonsensical reasons. The budget was like $2 but I didn't hate it strangely enough. It was a nice break from the cookie cutter Hallmark movies but it's one of those I'll be watching for its setting and the hot guy than anything else. Haha your summary though is, in a word, awesome. It was completely bonkers (though not as bonkers as say Holiday Wishes) yet sentimental at the same time. And tbh I think the other American was European. An accent kept slipping out here and there. 

Now I'm tempted to see one of those alternate cut videos where they film this as if it were a horror. Ha.

And yeah, I thought it was going to be a big reveal at the end when she would sing like Christmas Duet or something but the group totally drowned her out. I had strain to hear what I think was her somewhere in the group.

21 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

The daughter of the male lead has this weird affect where she calls the female lead "sweetheart" all the time.  Things like "you'll be back, sweetheart."  "It'll be okay, sweetheart."  The kid is like five years old but the words coming out of her mouth sound like they're from an 80 year condescending man. 

That freakin' killed me. I have no idea why I bowled over laughing during that, but it tickled me for some reason.  Maybe because before that the whole time she was totally a little six year old or whatever and then suddenly she became an old woman in that scene. 

24 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

he's just a cantankerous old coot that eventually decides against selling so his kids and grandkids can pick berries. (yes, there's a real estate plot that I won't go into.)

So, call me crazy, but in this scene when he's holding what is supposed to be a baby...was that a stuffed animal? I don't know if it was but from certain angles it looked like he was holding a covered Snoopy doll.

I'm so watching this movie again for so many reasons.

One of which: 

Spoiler

[Irlandesa]

13 minutes ago, MissyPoo said:

I was hesitant to go full rec on it because of corntastic and nonsensical reasons. 

That is mainly the reason to go full rec.  There are many of us who recognize our Hallmark addiction is due to something other than our high standards for quality. Those who see that in themselves might fully embrace A Very British Christmas. Man, if this were on Netflix, it'd be the talk of the town.

16 minutes ago, MissyPoo said:

I think the other American was European. An accent kept slipping out here and there. 

Here's the crazy part.  I looked on IMDb and the other American is American (and I think something else) while the lead is actually English.  Ha.

17 minutes ago, MissyPoo said:

Maybe because before that the whole time she was totally a little six year old or whatever and then suddenly she became an old woman in that scene. 

Right.  It's like she suddenly became possessed.  Hey, maybe the filmmakers got together and couldn't decide what movie they were making--a holiday romcom or a holiday horror and it ended up being a mishmash of both.

[MissyPoo]

^^Rofl you have a point there. Full rec ahead!

I kinda wish it was released on Netflix now. The social media commentary would be epic.

2 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Here's the crazy part.  I looked on IMDb and the other American is American (and I think something else) while the lead is actually English.  Ha.

This seriously blew my mind. I would've never pegged that one!

[hookedontv]

First time poster in the holiday movie forum! A few comments:

I’ve already watched A Gift Wrapped Christmas a couple times. I don’t know what it is about this movie but it immediately puts me in a festive mood. Maybe it’s Gwen, she is so freaking perky and that is SO opposite of me that I’m a little jealous of her sunny personality. 
 

Christmas 9 to 5 is not a favorite of mine. The story doesn’t make sense and there is zero chemistry between the leads. Doesn’t help that the male lead comes off as gay-not that there’s anything wrong with it but he needs a dude, not the fake temp help chick. 
 

Christmas in Louisiana was charming. And shout out to Moira Kelly, I admit I have NEVER been a fan of hers. She typically speaks with a ridiculously snotty affect which grated on my nerves (I’m talking about The Cutting Edge, The West  Wing, etc.) However, she’s been lovely and toned down on this one, and well as a recent guest spot on The Resident. It’s also refreshing to see an actress who hasn’t fallen down the plastic surgery well, although by the same token, I’m an couple years older than her but look about 10 years younger (or so I’ve been told.) 

More comments as I watch more movies! 

[twoods]

Christmas in Rome was lovely. I’m always a fan of Sam Page and Lacey wasn’t as annoying as usual, but I absolutely loved the scenery. Rome is so gorgeous during Christmas. I also liked that there were no exes and they kissed before the ending. 

Edited December 5, 2019 by twoods

[AnnaRose]

14 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Whoo boy.  Because of your recommendation, I threw this on in the background when I had to work. (I focus better with something on in the background.)  I concede the dude is hot but I found it kind of awful. But luckily not Hallmark blandly awful but delightfully awful.  Mockably awful. The kind of awful I'm mildly obsessed with.

I mean right off the bat the movie makes no sense.  This is a woman on an international flight that was diverted....for reasons?  Yet it's diverted into the middle of nowhere. Some place where there's no restaurant.  No hotels.  No nothing except an airport (apparently) and a train stop.

I gather to get anywhere, you need to take a train yet she's the only one waiting for a train.  There are no other passengers, no flight attendants, no pilots and no entourage.  Just her.  I thought perhaps this means she was on a private plane and did an emergency landing at an airstrip but through the movie they refer to catching another flight--another international flight to NY or Vienna--as if they happen all the time.  So basically, there's not only an airport in the middle of Nowhere England but there's an international airport in the middle of Nowhere, England.

She takes the train, falls asleep and ends up in another town in a bakery with another American.  She ends up going to stay at the most charmless B&B, owned by the male lead, that didn't even look like it was in England.  She admires the lead's art work which look as original as any ole print you'd see in Walmart.  Later, she writes in her diary the quote that actually made me gasp in delight. 

"The inn is cozy, cute and warm, just like its owner."

How greatly cheesy is that quote?  Someone actually thought that was good dialogue and I am here for it. 

Meanwhile, the male lead's mother, who has not met the female lead, Googles her name.  The lead's name is Jessica Bailey, which feels pretty common, yet somehow the mom automatically knew it was this famous opera singer.  Barely 15-30 minutes into the movie, everyone is acting like these two should be in love and together.

The daughter of the male lead has this weird affect where she calls the female lead "sweetheart" all the time.  Things like "you'll be back, sweetheart."  "It'll be okay, sweetheart."  The kid is like five years old but the words coming out of her mouth sound like they're from an 80 year condescending man. 

The male lead lists off all the places he has been "Los Angeles, New York, Austin, TX" but his delivery makes it seem like Austin and Texas are as completely separate as LA and NYC. 

The main couple goes for a rowboat ride even though they're all decked out in winter gear on land.  They acknowledge it's colder on the river but....really?

I think the budget is so low that they only rented one car for the movie.  The male lead looks to be driving the silver car that was her taxi.

I think the budget is so low #2 in that sometimes the movie had the feel of a low budget horror.  In fact, there were a few times the camera angle would hit the male lead's mom and made it seem like she was going to stab everyone.

The female lead is a singer who travels a lot.  Distance isn't a barrier for visiting.  But of course when she leaves, everyone acts like she's dead...as if going to a Christmas Eve concert meant she could never return ever.  As if the town were Brigadoon and would disappear at the stroke of midnight.

Speaking of dead, the male lead is a widower.  He has a neighbor he fights with a lot.  I thought for a while that the neighbor was going to be his ex-father-in-law.  But not, he's just a cantankerous old coot that eventually decides against selling so his kids and grandkids can pick berries. (yes, there's a real estate plot that I won't go into.)

Finally, at the end, everyone gets up to sing a Christmas carol and I think we're going to finally hear the beautiful female lead's voice.  Nope, she blends in the background of the other singers.  I'm beginning to think she really couldn't sing.

I don't have Showtime, so I'll probably never see A Very British Christmas... but your epic post was more entertaining than a number of Christmas movies I've watched this year. (Or at least tried to watch before giving up.)  Thanks for your hilarious recap! :)

[bmoore4026]

Watching A Charlie Brown Christmas makes me realize why Peppermint Patty and Marcy were created.  Lucy is bad enough, but those other girls (save Sally) are absolutely unlikable.  Charles Schultz had to create at least two girls that didn't treat Charlie like crap.  Indeed, maybe the two girls could actually be friends with the poor boy.  Thankfully, Violet and the others we phased out.  I mean, yes, they were in the first full length movie, but didn't have much to do or say, thank God.

Edited December 7, 2019 by bmoore4026
Didn't not did

[hookedontv]

Merry Liddle Christmas. Oh what an annoying liddle movie! Everything was so contrived and predictable, which made me very stabby. 

[Was-MArsenault]

I wonder why the listings for A Charlie Brown Christmas said 2001.

[sistersledge]

I watched Christmas Getaway tonight and I really liked it but mostly bc the lead male was so hot. That's mostly why I like Crown for Christmas too... bc that's how I roll! 
 

[seasons]

Hey guys, not sure where to post this but i really enjoyed "same time next Christmas" on abc tonight with lea Michele . Filmed in hawaii. On again weds dec 11 8pm eastern on freeform tv which is the old abc family channel. 

https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/12/same-time-next-christmas/

Edited December 6, 2019 by seasons

[Scarlett45]

I enjoyed Same Time Next Christmas, I love Lea Michele (I bought her Christmas album) and Charles Michael Davis, however we could’ve had the characters spend more time together to believe in the romance. 
 

I have to comment that I don’t think any of the black actors were LIT properly! I know they filmed outdoors a lot but they still used lighting. There were shadows and we could barely see their facial expressions in some scenes. 

[Misslindsey]

3 hours ago, hookedontv said:

Merry Liddle Christmas. Oh what an annoying liddle movie! Everything was so contrived and predictable, which made me very stabby.

Can I ask what was the reasoning for the "liddle"? I did not watch it because the "liddle" in the title annoyed me, but I assumed that there is a logical explanation that makes sense with the movie of their use of liddle, not little. I just hate that I typed the word liddle that much.

I enjoyed Same Time Next Christmas. It was cheesy, but it was better than Hallmark cheese for me. I have liked Lea Michele ever since I saw her in Spring Awakening many years ago. I also enjoyed that they used her version of I'll be Home for Christmas with Jonathan Groff (Groffsauce!) in the movie. I would have liked more interactions with Lea and Charles Michael Davis as well, but I liked that they have know each other since they were younger. Also, Lea's other love interest was not made to be a bad guy, but just not right for her. I really liked the whole cast in this movie.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Misslindsey

[hookedontv]

16 minutes ago, Misslindsey said:

Can I ask what was the reasoning for the "liddle"? I did not watch it because of "liddle" in the title annoyed me, but I assumed that there is a logical explanation that makes sense with the movie of their use of liddle, not little. I just hate that I typed the word liddle that much.

The family’s last name was Liddle. 

I love that you didn’t watch because of the use of “Liddle” and that you even hating typing it. We could be good friends! 
 

Also, the little girl in this movie I believe is in a TV ad that I absolutely loathe-not sure of the brand but it’s for snack size bags of chips. The little girl is on the soccer team and is showing her mom what kind of dance she would do if she got a goal and she keeps repeating “oh yeh, ah ha” or some such nonsense.” Hate it, the little girl grates on my nerves. 

[KWalkerInc]

7 hours ago, MikaelaArsenault said:

I wonder why the listings for A Charlie Brown Christmas said 2001.

I was guessing that 2001 might have been when they started showing the special in combination with the "Charlie Brown Christmas Tales"?  But I just Googled that, and it said those didn't start until the following year, so it is weird.

[Dr.OO7]

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" was on last night. No matter how much time passes, it's always lovely.

And the 1999 version of "A Christmas Carol". I really enjoy this one--the effects are well done, and it includes some things often left out of other versions--the Ghost Of Christmas Present aging as the day goes on, him taking Scrooge around the world to see how others are celebrating.

Which version do you think had the scariest version of the Ghost Of Christmas Future? Even the Muppet one is terrifying.

[In2You]

11 hours ago, hookedontv said:

Merry Liddle Christmas. Oh what an annoying liddle movie! Everything was so contrived and predictable, which made me very stabby. 

Her family annoyed me so much. Nkt even sure who my least favorite was. Probably her mom who was old enough to know everything needes to be a certain way for the magazine shoot but was too busy forcing her daughter adapt her traditions instead of create her own.

[Kaoteek]

Christmas on the Range. If you like your Christmas movies with little to no Christmas, but with plenty of cows, ranch and business talk, with a cow giving birth, VERY uneven accents, cancer, horse riding, family rivalries, heavy-handed characterization, a hint of cheap action, and a handsome-but-bland male love interest, that's the movie for you. Otherwise, hard pass (I fell asleep 30 min in).

Edited December 6, 2019 by Kaoteek

[MerBearHou]

I'm usually sort-of OK with Lacey but in Christmas in Rome (which I watched for the scenery and Sam Page), she really bugged me -- her mouth barely moved, she fluttered her eyelids even more than usual and her face makeup was plastered on.  

[PennyPlain]

Just watched A Song for Christmas.  To my surprise I really liked this one.  I wasn't expecting to to be honest.  But it worked for me.

One question - has there ever been a Hallmark Christmas movie where NO ONE had hot chocolate?  Or at least one person HATES hot chocolate??

Edited December 6, 2019 by PennyPlain

[scenicbyway]

I feel like the Hallmark Christmas movies are especially bad this year.  Where's a Crown for Christmas or Christmas in Homestead, quality movie?  Granted, I haven't seen all of them but I kind of hated Christmas Under the Stars, Sense Sensibility and Snowmen, and Christmas in Rome wasn't great, we could tell it was summer!  Candace's movie was a little too much to believe.  The only ones I've liked so far are the Jodie Sweetin Candy Cane one and Christmas in Evergreen because I like the leads and the advent calendar idea.  I hope this weekend's movies are better.

[In2You]

I liked A Christmas Princess and thought the leads had great chemistry together.

[bmoore4026]

On 12/5/2019 at 8:53 PM, MikaelaArsenault said:

I wonder why the listings for A Charlie Brown Christmas said 2001.

There was an additional special tacked on to the original back in 2001.

[twoods]

Has anyone seen the Ghosting movie on Freeform? Don’t know if it’s worth finding it to DVR since I missed the premiere. In other Freeform news, The Mistletones is on this Tuesday! 

[Mittengirl]

If you have access to Hoopla through your library, they have a lot of Christmas movies, including “A Very Corgi Christmas”. 

Roku has a “Hoopla” channel, or whatever they call them, so you aren’t limited to watching on a phone or tablet.

[crimsongrl]

5 hours ago, twoods said:

Has anyone seen the Ghosting movie on Freeform? Don’t know if it’s worth finding it to DVR since I missed the premiere. In other Freeform news, The Mistletones is on this Tuesday! 

I was still mad at Freeform after that annoying Turkey Drop movie but I went and found Ghosting: The Spirit of Christmas online (commercial free! 😀) and really enjoyed it. Its cute and sweet and just a little bit sad. The lead was good and it was nice to see her in something upbeat after watching her in a SyFy horror series.

I'm waiting to watch The Mistletones closer to Christmas.

I appreciate that Freeform has humor in their movies. I'll never understand why Hallmark is afraid of funny.

Edited December 7, 2019 by crimsongrl

[kirinan]

3 hours ago, crimsongrl said:

I appreciate that Freeform has humor in their movies. I'll never understand why Hallmark is afraid of funny.

Because the pearl-clutchers that are the Hallmark Hausfraus of Social Media have no senses of humor.

I'm so happy I'll finally get to the see The Mistletones! Set to record.

And speaking of record, I've finally watched Two Turtle Doves, which I recorded on its premiere, and love it. There is nothing better than Nikki DeLoach and Michael Rady together. Their chemistry is magic, and overcomes any weaknesses in the plot or presentation (not that I noticed many).

I was impressed that they dealt with the very adult subject of grief (it actually made the Christmas cliches not so cloying). I even cried a few times, because as an older adult grief has unfortunately become a part of my life these days and will become more so as I get older, so I identified.

I'm kind of surprised this wasn't their Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation this year, but I'm just glad it was made. 

Oh, and P.S. All right, so one thing REALLY bothered me--those beautiful antique 12-days ornaments dangling over that always-crackling, roaring fireplace. Wouldn't being even that close to the flames risk damage? I fixate on weird things sometimes. 

Edited December 7, 2019 by kirinan

[DanaMB]

On 11/24/2019 at 9:52 PM, Dani said:

I’m not enjoying Christmas 9 to 5. The leads have zero chemistry and to paraphrase the movie, the writer clearly doesn’t know the first thing about retail. I don’t expect these movies to particularly realistic but this is worse than normal. 

I’m watching this right now, and you are so right. The male lead pings my gaydar so that may be why I’m not finding the couple believable. 
 

HM&M Our Christmas Love Song- I enjoyed this one way more than I thought I would. I especially liked the lead actor. The kiss and aftermath at the 1.5 hour mark was really cute. Even Alicia Witt’s acting worked for me and she can be hit or miss (the low point being that movie where it seemed like she was drunk through the whole thing). 
 

Ion’s A Christmas Princess - Was thinking I’d love it, but not so much. It wasn’t bad, I just had higher expectations. The lead make was very good-looking at least. Liked he and the lead female together, but just wanted more. At least the beginning of my recording caught the end of A Cinderella Christmas, which I absolutely love, so I searched for a future airing and set my DVR. 

Edited December 8, 2019 by DanaMB

[Irlandesa]

I'm a little disappointed in Lifetime.  They buried Mistletoe & Menorahs, a movie with a legit Hanukah aspect, at the 6 p.m. Eastern slot on a Saturday instead of a prime time slot.  I love Ali Liebert but her movie (coincidentally also starring Jake Epstein, who is the male lead in M&M too) was nowhere as good and it got the prime time slot on Friday. M&M was charming and at least felt different since the traditions they were highlighting were different.

[Unraveled]

I'm starting to watch A Very Vintage Christmas and the first thing (besides the hat!) is the name of the store, "Very Vintage Antiques." What an odd name.

An "antique" generally means an item that is over 100 years old. I think there's some debate about the term "vintage." Personally, I think it's anything over 20 years old. But most definitions say that vintage is definitely anything under 100 years old.  So having a very vintage antique can't exist. How can an item that is over 100 years old (clear definition of antique) be called vintage or very vintage?

[EyewatchTV211]

Just now, Irlandesa said:

I'm a little disappointed in Lifetime.  They buried Mistletoe & Menorahs, a movie with a legit Hanukah aspect, at the 6 p.m. Eastern slot on a Saturday instead of a prime time slot.  I love Ali Liebert but her movie (coincidentally also starring Jake Epstein, who is the male lead in M&M too) was nowhere as good and it got the prime time slot on Friday. M&M was charming and at least felt different since the traditions they were highlighting were different.

I was thinking the exact same thing. I'm watching now on my DVR, but when I saw it was scheduled for 6 PM I was disappointed. No other movie has premiered at that time. So they start making movies referencing Hanukkah but discourage people from watching. 

[Guest]

25 minutes ago, VMepicgrl said:

30 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I'm a little disappointed in Lifetime.  They buried Mistletoe & Menorahs, a movie with a legit Hanukah aspect, at the 6 p.m. Eastern slot on a Saturday instead of a prime time slot.  I love Ali Liebert but her movie (coincidentally also starring Jake Epstein, who is the male lead in M&M too) was nowhere as good and it got the prime time slot on Friday. M&M was charming and at least felt different since the traditions they were highlighting were different.

I was thinking the exact same thing. I'm watching now on my DVR, but when I saw it was scheduled for 6 PM I was disappointed. No other movie has premiered at that time. So they start making movies referencing Hanukkah but discourage people from watching. 

I think it was a bad decision to not give M&M the prime time slot. There were a lot of other movies that they could have switched it with. 

Looks like back to back new movies at 6 and 8 is Lifetime plan for Saturday’s until Christmas. 

[twoods]

@DanaMB are you my clone? I immediately went to DVR an upcoming viewing of Cinderella Christmas since I saw the ending before the Princess movie came on. That is still my favorite ION Christmas movie. 
 

Thanks @crimsongrl for your thoughts on the Ghosting movie- will definitely check it out. I also need to watch Disney Plus’s Noelle. It looks really cute!

Edited December 8, 2019 by twoods

[DanaMB]

8 hours ago, twoods said:

@DanaMB are you my clone? I immediately went to DVR an upcoming viewing of Cinderella Christmas since I saw the ending before the Princess movie came on. That is still my favorite ION Christmas movie. 

Hah! It’s the best!
 

—

If it weren’t for to is forum, I wouldn’t even know about Mistletoe & Menorahs. That is so disappointing.

 

Edited December 8, 2019 by DanaMB

[Kohola3]

10 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

M&M was charming and at least felt different since the traditions they were highlighting were different.

I agree. I stumbled upon it and it was so much better than I expected and have come to expect with the usual formulaic stories.  No hot chocolate or ice skating which was, in itself, a pleasant change.  Although both of the toy ideas were ridiculous.

Christmas Unleashed was also pleasant.  While you knew the end right at the beginning the performances were nice and, again, not the mandatory hot chocolate, cookie baking, and skating scenes.

[Kohola3]

Officially abandoning Hallmark and heading over to Lifetime where two movies in a row eschewed ice skating, cookie baking, and hot chocolate.  What a refreshing change! 

Mistletoe and Menorahs, while on at a ridiculous time, was really very pleasant and also dared to educate viewers on Hanukka (gasps from the pearl-clutchers). And Christmas Unleashed was equally as pleasant - no hideously awful boyfriends/girlfriends in sight.

And here's a lowdown that those without pearls to clutch will appreciate.

Edited December 8, 2019 by Kohola3

[Jillybean]

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Officially abandoning Hallmark and heading over to Lifetime where two movies in a row eschewed ice skating, cookie baking, and hot chocolate.  What a refreshing change! 

And all of this year's Lifetime movies I've seen so far have referenced "Winter Storm Megan," which lends a fun sense of continuity that all of these stories are happening in different towns but at the same time.

[DanaMB]

On 11/30/2019 at 11:18 PM, Ashforth said:

I liked Hip Hop Holiday on BET, the cast was great, especially the leads (but Jesus save us from the awful pink wigs sported by Leesa J - even though they were eventually kind of a character in the story). The script was fairly formulaic (successful woman gets put in her place for being ambitious instead of needing a man), but was set in today's modern world instead of the 'it's 2019 but really 1950'  vibe I get from most of the Hallmark offerings. There was a lesbian couple that was presented as totally usual, no big deal. That was nice.

I think Hallmark may have bitten itself in the ass with its onslaught of carbon-copy Christmas movies.

I tried to like this one, but I just never warmed up to the female lead. I thought of not finishing it, but did hang in there until the end. I liked the secondary characters more. 

[hookedontv]

I was pleasantly surprised by Mistletoe & Menorahs but a couple things bugged me. First, like someone already pointed out - both toy ideas were so bad! Second, they were really pushing it by having the guy (sorry, bad with names) hanging PARSLEY instead of mistletoe. As if anyone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas wouldn’t know that mistletoe is different than parsley. I mean, I can understand not knowing exactly what mistletoe looks like, but shit, thinking an herb would be the same thing? Clearly by my rant, that bothered me!! 
 

Oh, also, another pesky thing that bothered me: the show acted like the guy has NEVER wrapped a gift. In his life. The woman was SO excited When she mentioned wrapping Xmas presents. The dude had never wrapped a present? Never went to a birthday party, wedding, engagement, housewarming? Surely he must have noticed at some point in his 30 years or so on earth when he walks into a CVS or Hallmark (for goodness sake) the rolls of paper that are Xmas themed? Never saw people carrying red/green wrapped gifts? laughed out loud when she made such a point of wrapping. They made him seem like he lived under a rock lol lol. 

Edited December 9, 2019 by hookedontv
Added gift wrapping snark.

[Kaoteek]

Didn't expect to, but I quite enjoyed Christmas in Rome, despite the forced parts (the "i just got promoted, i've got to leave this instant" bit was annoying, and i'm still laughing at the Christmas tree - huge in the tree lot, barely the size of a rolled carpet once brought in : that's not how Christmas trees work, Hallmark...).

It was more laid-back and dynamic than most other HM movies, this season, Page & Chabert made for a likeable couple, the Rome vistas were lovely and good ole Franco Nero was there ! Not necessarily an instant classic, but at least i wasn't bored senseless, which place it in the upper tier of the 2019 HM movies (granted, it doesn't amount to much, but still).

--

On the opposite side, you've got Christmas at the Plaza. I expected to like it (the cast is solid, I still have fond memories of Eloise at the Plaza/at Christmastime), but then, it ended up being a pile of clichés & predictable contrivances (the boyfriend, the ex-girlfriend, the "hey, let's start researching our big Christmas historical exhibition three weeks before Christmas" situation, the Christmas lights at the end, yadda yadda yadda), stilted writing, so-so ADR here and there, and an unreliable, annoying, pedant & somewhat charmless lead character.

Meh.

[Bliss]

We've watched several Christmas movies and they're all starting to squish (moosh?) together in my mind... boy/girl meets girl/boy, something goes wrong, they fix it, boy kisses girl, the end. Tossed in throughout the recipe: cookie making, snowman building, snowball throwing, skating and/or walking in the fake snow, and the evergreen tree lighting.

A few stood out for some reason - perhaps they deviated from the standard just enough, or the acting was better than below average - and maybe, just maybe, there was a message that filtered through like fine drip coffee rather than like a concrete block on the head.

We enjoyed:

Debbie Macomber's Dashing Through the Snow (2015), Two Turtle Doves, Our Christmas Love Song

There's more... those are the only ones I remember by title.

[hookedontv]

Ok, so I need a little help here, I’m currently watching Christmas a la Mode. 
 

I know that the farm is going under and they need $. But, isn’t the farm owned half and half by the sisters? If they have equal ownership, how can the evil sister sell the farm without the farm sister’s agreement? 
 

I’m still watching it and I’m sure all will work out in the end and yes, now people are donating $$$. 

[scenicbyway]

Hallmark has a PDA problem.  Just watched A Recipe for the Perfect Christmas on UP.  The leads kiss 45 minutes in, then they actually cuddle on the couch in the next 30 minutes while facing all the usual Christmas movie tropes (can they save the inn, will he leave)?  
Even looking at Hallmark movies from 2016 there was far more affection.  This year, everyone is awkward and waits till the last minute for a peck on the lips.  Really?  Whatever happened to holding hands or an arm around the shoulders?  Perhaps even standing less than 2 feet away from each other.

[DanaMB]

On 12/1/2019 at 2:43 AM, twoods said:

I absolutely loved Check Inn To Christmas. It had pretty much everything that makes me love these movies:

-Great chemistry between leads who can act! Wes Brown and Rachel Boston were so flirty and cute together that I couldn’t stop smiling. They were nice to each other and not rude and snippy despite their families feuding.

-No stupid misunderstanding. 
 -I liked the supporting cast.

-No silly ex or current bf/gf drama.Both were single and drama free (and both sets of parents were alive!).

- There was a kiss in the middle of the movie! I couldn’t believe it because I was expecting an interrupted kiss but they went for it and it was super cute.

I didn’t mind that she stayed in the town instead of going back to the city because she didn’t end up running the inn and was still a lawyer. I would have been mad if she gave up everything to go into the family business. It has been my favorite movie so far and one of the few that have not been deleted from the DVR. I hope that Wes and Rachel do another movie together because they sparkled together.

I feel like I could have written this post word for word. I adored this one for all the reasons you listed. Most shockingly, I was rooting for her not to return to NY and usually I’m rolling my eyes and irritated at the heroine who gives up a great career in a big city to return home. I wanted them together so badly I didn’t even care. I loved their looks and especially every time he smiled at her. And a kiss in the middle that seemed like real people kissing and not some Hallmark mandated sanitized kiss. 

This is the only one so far this season I want to rewatch and kept on my DVR. 

[dubstepford wife]

I liked Christmas Inheritance on Netflix.  Yes, it's complete Christmas TV Movie Bingo: small town good, big city bad!  Rich fiancé is a jerk, but luckily there's this handsome and absurdly perfect guy who is somehow still single in the town just waiting to fall in love with you!  Cookies!  Hot chocolate!  Snow storms!  A cute, folksy, cozy inn!  (But no ice skating.  Sorry.)

But somehow, it didn't annoy me at all.  I liked the heroine.  I like that she's kind of a boozy party girl and yet that isn't treated like a bad thing in general, it's just bad that she does a little too much of it.  And really, not having anyone get drunk at Christmas is a little unrealistic.  The main guy is super cute and occasionally even funny.  And oh, hello there Andie MacDowell!  Fancy seeing you and your amazing hair here!

Yeah.  I recommend it.  Hallmark-esque but with just a teaspoon more realism.  

[EyewatchTV211]

I finished watching Mistletoe and Menorahs. It had some issues, but I enjoyed it overall. It was nice getting to see a little bit of my culture/religion in one of these movies. I think this is a good summary of the good and bad in the movie https://jwa.org/blog/review-lifetimes-mistletoes-and-menorahs. Still, I suspect this will be way better than the Hallmark attempts at including Hanukkah, based on what I've read.

[Dr.OO7]

I caught the 1938 version of "A Christmas Carol" today. It was okay, but I don't think I liked all the "extra" things they kept adding in that didn't happen the book, as well as the things they took out.

[susannot]

I liked A Christmas Love Story with Kristin Chenoweth well enough.  She was very good and of course there was music and singing.  I didn't think that the young kid had a great voice, as the story tried to sell us, but their final duet together was fine.  The twist near the end of the movie got me though and was a heartstring puller for sure.

Scott Wolf is a nice enough guy but I don't really get him as a romantic led, even in a Hallmark movie.