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

[Irlandesa]

4 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

Crown for Christmas so I may have to take a peek at it and see if I can stand the royal-ness of it.

Crown for Christmas holds a special place in my heart for a few reasons, it was probably before the big royal explosion.  It was early Hallmark Danica. She wasn't quite a regular yet, I don't think.  And it co-stars Rupert Penry-Jones:  Actual Brit and good actor who kissed her in a very non-Hallmarky way at the end.

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Irlandesa

[Chippings]

You guys, I hadn't looked at this page for a day or so, and you have happily mentioned the royal movies that I also like a lot.   Much of it is from their having different actors as the princes or kings ..  Rupert Penry-Jones, Aaron Tveit, and Will Kemp in the first one he did.  They all have really strong resumes outside of the Hallmark realm ( ! ) ,,  

That 'Carousel' thing was embarrassing, but when the story is a little different and the lead guy is strong, a royal story can be much more palatable than the 'Heroine returns to small town to save her father's (whatever) farm or inn.   Thanks for mentioning my several faves!

p.s.   I just realized we're on the Non Rankin-Bass / Holiday page, and got into reminiscing about Hallmark movies.  There may be Hallmark-y people who share our opinions on that.  Hope they come over here to discuss.  😏

Edited December 30, 2020 by Chippings

[bankerchick]

Oh, to see a non-Hallmarky kiss.   Am I the only one that thinks that they should kiss during the 'almost kiss' at the midway point?  It just seems so unlikely that a couple would not have kissed by that point if there really was as much chemistry as we are led to believe.  They can still have their misunderstanding with 15-30 minutes to go, which would be even more dramatic because 'hey, we kissed then you said hello to another woman, who I didn't learn until later was actually your aunt.'  But then, we are talking about couples who say 'I love you' before kissing so what am I talking about?

[Ashforth]

52 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

Oh, to see a non-Hallmarky kiss.   Am I the only one that thinks that they should kiss during the 'almost kiss' at the midway point?  It just seems so unlikely that a couple would not have kissed by that point if there really was as much chemistry as we are led to believe.  They can still have their misunderstanding with 15-30 minutes to go, which would be even more dramatic because 'hey, we kissed then you said hello to another woman, who I didn't learn until later was actually your aunt.'  But then, we are talking about couples who say 'I love you' before kissing so what am I talking about?

The Hallmark kiss is a visual euphemism for doing the nasty, which is why it's the climax of every movie (and why it's really creepy when the kiss happens in front of a applauding crowd). 

But it strains credulity that all of these people in their mid-thirties or beyond, who have dead spouses or failed relationships behind them, and who have usually done what it takes to spawn offspring, are so straight-laced that kissing someone they're attracted to is forbidden fruit. I wish Hallmark would let a kiss be a kiss and a poke be a poke.

[twoods]

I loved that the first kiss in Five Star Christmas on Hallmark was not at the end of the movie. I thought that there would be the typical “almost kiss but then get interrupted” but they went there and I was very happy. The Hanukkah movie also had three kisses in the movie, although one of them was around a bunch of applauding people (though not the first one). 
I don’t mind royal movies as long as they are done well, and the ones you guys mentioned are some of my favorites. Christmas Carousel wasn’t the worst one I’ve seen, but it wasn’t in the top five. It was still tolerable because I like both actors and thought their chemistry was decent.

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, bankerchick said:

Am I the only one that thinks that they should kiss during the 'almost kiss' at the midway point?  It just seems so unlikely that a couple would not have kissed by that point if there really was as much chemistry as we are led to believe.

I think some of the movies have been doing that a bit more lately--not waiting until the very end for the kiss. 

[dalek]

Count me as liking The Christmas Setup more than Dashing in December.  I found the first one charming, and the guys annoyed me so much in the latter movie that I couldn't finish it.  Of the Lifetime movies, The Christmas Setup and Sugar and Spice Holiday were my favorites.  I'm bummed they didn't show the one where Ally Walker is visited by her childhood self.  I guess if you're cranking out 20-40 holiday movies a year, you don't have room for the classics.  Enjoyed the Hilarie Burton Lifetime Christmas movies.

I was not super impressed with Hallmark's offerings this year.  I'm sure there's some drop in quality when you're mass-producing movies, but I'm willing to concede that this dumpster fire of a year has made me super judgmental and cranky about my entertainment this year.  OTOH, they did show A Season for Miracles on Hallmark Drama, so I got my yearly fix.  I thought Love, Lights, Hanukkah was okay, but I preferred last year's Double Holiday.  I think my favorite was Christmas by Starlight, because Kimberly Sustad and Paul Campbell are great together.  Didn't think much of this year's Godwink movie; of the three, I think my favorite is the second one, despite the first one starring Kimberly Sustad and Paul Campbell.

Was bummed they didn't show Naughty or Nice this year.  That one's always fun.

Got my A Christmas Carol fix, although they didn't show all the versions I like.  Avoided the FX version like the plague, but happily watched the Alastair Sim, Reginald Owen, and Albert Finney versions.

I miss the Christmas specials of my youth.  Missing Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas; Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol; The Worst Christmas Pageant Ever; Olive the Other Reindeer; Box of Delights; and The House Without a Christmas Tree (yes, I'm old).

I wish Nickelodeon had shown Rugrats Chanukah, the Hey Arnold Christmas episode (when Helga gives up her boots it always hits me right in the feels), and the Rocko's Modern Life Christmas episode.

 

 

 

 

[WinnieWinkle]

1 minute ago, dalek said:

The House Without a Christmas Tree (yes, I'm old).

My mother loved that movie so much and we were able to find it for her on DVD.  I'm going to have to go through her boxes (stored in my basement) and see if I can find it.  I remember liking it too 😃!  Did you ever read the book it was based on?  It's good too.

[Callietwo]

2 hours ago, dalek said:

  I'm bummed they didn't show the one where Ally Walker is visited by her childhood self.

It was in the Drama channel, I believe.. I’d never seen it before this year.   

[Sara2009]

2 hours ago, dalek said:

Count me as liking The Christmas Setup more than Dashing in December.  I found the first one charming, and the guys annoyed me so much in the latter movie that I couldn't finish it.  Of the Lifetime movies, The Christmas Setup and Sugar and Spice Holiday were my favorites.  I'm bummed they didn't show the one where Ally Walker is visited by her childhood self.  I guess if you're cranking out 20-40 holiday movies a year, you don't have room for the classics.  Enjoyed the Hilarie Burton Lifetime Christmas movies.

I was not super impressed with Hallmark's offerings this year.  I'm sure there's some drop in quality when you're mass-producing movies, but I'm willing to concede that this dumpster fire of a year has made me super judgmental and cranky about my entertainment this year.  OTOH, they did show A Season for Miracles on Hallmark Drama, so I got my yearly fix.  I thought Love, Lights, Hanukkah was okay, but I preferred last year's Double Holiday.  I think my favorite was Christmas by Starlight, because Kimberly Sustad and Paul Campbell are great together.  Didn't think much of this year's Godwink movie; of the three, I think my favorite is the second one, despite the first one starring Kimberly Sustad and Paul Campbell.

Was bummed they didn't show Naughty or Nice this year.  That one's always fun.

Got my A Christmas Carol fix, although they didn't show all the versions I like.  Avoided the FX version like the plague, but happily watched the Alastair Sim, Reginald Owen, and Albert Finney versions.

I miss the Christmas specials of my youth.  Missing Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas; Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol; The Worst Christmas Pageant Ever; Olive the Other Reindeer; Box of Delights; and The House Without a Christmas Tree (yes, I'm old).

I wish Nickelodeon had shown Rugrats Chanukah, the Hey Arnold Christmas episode (when Helga gives up her boots it always hits me right in the feels), and the Rocko's Modern Life Christmas episode.

 

 

 

 

One of the Nickelodeon channels aired all of those this year.

[Vermicious Knid]

If any of you get Starz Kids, they are continuing to show Christmas movies through the first week of January at least. Including something I didn't know existed, Felix the Cat Saves Christmas. Sadly not a vintage cartoon from the '20s but a 2004 direct to video movie. I might have to dvr it just to see how terrible it can be, because it stars Dave Coulier and Tom Bosley.

Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol used to show on one of the local NYC stations, I think channel 5, when I was little and they almost always cut out the framing device at the beginning which established this was a stage play. But they left in opening and closing the curtains around the commercial breaks which meant it made no sense. Finally they showed the whole thing uncut one year and I was like, oh that's why. And of course it has this. The teeth, man. The teeth.

[Valentine]

12 hours ago, dalek said:

I'm bummed they didn't show the one where Ally Walker is visited by her childhood self

If You Believe! I have it on DVD. The one I miss is The Christmas List with Mimi Rogers. 

[luvthepros]

On 11/27/2018 at 6:57 PM, anniebird said:

This ends at #13 --- I wonder what numbers 1-12 were?

Look again. The ranking goes all the way to #1. There are movies that didn't make the list that are my absolute favorites. "A Christmas Detour", " Shoe Addict's Christmas", "A Dream of Christmas", and "Switched For Christmas". Then there is the movie with William Schatner as the coachman which I have not seen offered at all this season, "Just in Time for Christmas". I guess my taste in Hallmark Christmas movies doesn't line up with  others.

[bankerchick]

Regardless of how many people gather to sing carols around the piano, drink eggnog/hot cocoa and drape Christmas over every surface in the house, do you know how many people are around to un-decorate and haul all that crap back to the basement? One.

[WinnieWinkle]

2 hours ago, bankerchick said:

Regardless of how many people gather to sing carols around the piano, drink eggnog/hot cocoa and drape Christmas over every surface in the house, do you know how many people are around to un-decorate and haul all that crap back to the basement? One.

I had a similar thought when I was watching one of those movies last night and they kept showing this ridiculously (IMO) over decorated house - literally every surface and most wall space had some Xmas themed thing or another on it and I couldn't help thinking how long is it going to take whoever owns that house to take down every damn Christmas themed item and pack it all away!  Do people in the real world overdecorate like this?  No one I know that's for sure and I know some Christmas fanatics!

[Ashforth]

I didn't get into many of the holiday movies this season. I think part of it is because of the shitshow that 2020 was, and part of it is that the movies (especially Hallmark) are so formulaic that there is just about no point in watching them. I have some ideas specifically for Hallmark:

• Make some movies that are flat out comedies. There can still be romance. But let it be funny! Not constant angst over the fate of the family business or the town. Acknowledge how ridiculous some family relationships are. In this context, worries about careers, the villainous bosses, and some of the silly misunderstandings would actually work.
• Make some movies from the perspective of the kids. Give some depth to the limitless supply of children who have a parent who died instead of having it be solely a plot device to explain why the surviving parent is available for a relationship. Mom or Dad getting into a relationship with a new partner could be seen through the kid's eyes with the natural stress and trepidation that would be going on instead of the instant connection these shows always portray.
• Let adults be adults. Most of the actors in these movies are well into their 30's or 40's. Their characters are usually written with the emotional maturity of teenagers. Stop that! People who have been married and in serious relationships should not be agonizing over whether to kiss someone they're attracted to.
• You took some steps with diversity in casting. It's a start. Keep it up, make it bigger and broader and better. Include diverse hiring in behind-the-scenes roles.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Ashforth

[Kohola3]

52 minutes ago, WinnieWinkle said:

Do people in the real world overdecorate like this?

Well, my sister is the Christmas Queen and decorates every room but does not come even close to the Balsam Hill Vomited in Each Room look.  Good grief, it would take an hour to unplug all of the strings of lights in those movie bedrooms just to be able to sleep!  And who has room in every room for a full sized tree?

[gutbuster]

While I still give most if not all of the HM movies at least a one-time viewing, I really hope Hallmark changes something. Because with the glut of no/minimum-effort movies they now release every year, it's more and more likely that in coming years there will be little to no replay of the occasional new good ones or old favorites as they endlessly rerun those clunkers in addition to Christmas Detour and Christmas Under Wraps (neither of which I particularly dislike but have been played so much that  I really never, ever, never...need to to ever see them again). Which will still be okay, but not as fun as watching Hallmark in the past has been.

I don't even mind CCB, but the ridiculous over-replaying of all of her movies is grating, while some movies seem to get zero, one, or two showings tops. I've seen Switched at Christmas in the rotation at least 7 or 8 times since October, while I had to deep dive for a single showing of movies that I remembered from only a year or two ago. HM must have hundreds of Christmas movies to choose from by now, correct?

I get it but don't, why they stick with their formula, but they need to reevaluate that big time. Or at least stop being so GD lazy, and start developing and taking chances on different formulas and actors that will still appeal to the people they feel they need to appeal to.

Or maybe add another channel or streaming service "Hallmark After Dark" where we can watch middle aged people in the leading roles that act their age and develop romantic attachments that involve making out before marriage. Where nobody's loved ones died and a single parent got divorced or adopted or just had a kid, instead of the bodies of the dead parents and spouses littering their current movie catalog. Where a slightly inebriated heroine gets fed up and screams "To Hell with Christmas!" after being pressured into organizing the town's Christmas pageant despite, get this, having a normal realistic time frame to prepare and doesn't take place on Christmas Eve. Where grown ups drink coffee instead of hot cocoa. Where the movies with brown leading characters don't have ANY R&B background music or R&B versions of the Christmas classics. Where romance can happen after people start 'officially' dating or get married. I need to stop. I feel scandalized and dirty even typing this.

We don't need to see bare asses or people making walks of shame, but it's unrealistically limiting and tedious to ignore so many everyday normal things and instead remake 40 not-so-different versions of the same movie year after year. 

 

[Ashforth]

13 hours ago, gutbuster said:

I get it but don't, why they stick with their formula, but they need to reevaluate that big time. Or at least stop being so GD lazy, and start developing and taking chances on different formulas and actors that will still appeal to the people they feel they need to appeal to.

Or maybe add another channel or streaming service "Hallmark After Dark" where we can watch middle aged people in the leading roles that act their age and develop romantic attachments that involve making out before marriage. Where nobody's loved ones died and a single parent got divorced or adopted or just had a kid, instead of the bodies of the dead parents and spouses littering their current movie catalog. Where a slightly inebriated heroine gets fed up and screams "To Hell with Christmas!" after being pressured into organizing the town's Christmas pageant despite, get this, having a normal realistic time frame to prepare and doesn't take place on Christmas Eve. Where grown ups drink coffee instead of hot cocoa. Where the movies with brown leading characters don't have ANY R&B background music or R&B versions of the Christmas classics. Where romance can happen after people start 'officially' dating or get married. I need to stop. I feel scandalized and dirty even typing this.

We don't need to see bare asses or people making walks of shame, but it's unrealistically limiting and tedious to ignore so many everyday normal things and instead remake 40 not-so-different versions of the same movie year after year. 

"Hallmark After Dark"! I love it. Escandaloso!

Depending on the actor, I might not mind seeing a bare ass.🧐

[DanaMB]

On 12/7/2020 at 3:02 AM, Irlandesa said:

I was curious about Christmas Together on UP but I stopped after five minutes.  The acting was bad.  There was a ton of poorly delivered exposition.  And it looked like the glasses they put the lead in didn't have any glass in them.  I think they decided they'd make him wear glasses because he's a professor so glasses means smart, I guess? 

Still slogging through my DVR... 

 

This one was so, so bad. There was no plot, nothing that made me see why these two ended up together besides the fact they’re both single. 90 minutes I could have spent on a better movie. 

[DanaMB]

On 12/13/2020 at 12:05 PM, EyewatchTV211 said:

I watched The Christmas Setup. I liked it a good amount, and it was definitely one of the better Lifetime movies this holiday season. 

I just finished this one and absolutely loved it. The humor was great. I was 3/4ths through the movie when I looked up the cast and found out the leads were married in real life. Love it. 

[bankerchick]

OK, the Forum thread is called, 'Holiday Movies' so I'm posting this here.  W Network has moved on from Christmas movies and is now playing Easter Under Wraps.  I know covid has made days run into one another but did we skip right over Winterfest and Valentines Day?  Anyway, the owner's daughter is undercover at the factory and of course has had a run-in with the eventual love interest.  In what world does this brand new employee go to HR and ask them to move the existing employee (who everyone loves, by the way) to another department because she doesn't think they work well together?  Top it off with her phone ringing constantly, and her actually taking a call while sitting in the HR office complaining about the other employee!

[norcalgal]

On 12/29/2020 at 9:50 AM, Irlandesa said:

That was delightful.  Paul's movies tend to be funnier so that helps.  But the fact that the woman was the royal instead of the man was at least a twist on the standard.

Royal Matchmaker was also better than most of these. Lenz and Kemp were good together.

But the only movie that escapes my royal movie disdain--in that I'll watch it every year--is Crown For Christmas.  I'll give the royal movies a shot but I'm much faster to hit delete than I am most of the time.

 

 

 

 

On 12/29/2020 at 10:07 AM, Irlandesa said:

Crown for Christmas holds a special place in my heart for a few reasons, it was probably before the big royal explosion.  It was early Hallmark Danica. She wasn't quite a regular yet, I don't think.  And it co-stars Rupert Penry-Jones:  Actual Brit and good actor who kissed her in a very non-Hallmarky way at the end.

 

Chiming in with my love for Crown for Christmas.  This is the only one I will re-watch (and have done so) over and over. RPJ plays his role so well, and I first encountered him in a British tv series called MI-5  (but in Britain, I think it was called Spooks).

On 12/30/2020 at 2:55 PM, dalek said:

 Didn't think much of this year's Godwink movie; of the three, I think my favorite is the second one, despite the first one starring Kimberly Sustad and Paul Campbell. 

The second Godwink  - that's the one with Cindy Busby and Benjamin (Something)....?  Yes, that's the only one I care for and have watched more than once. I just felt there was such lovely chemistry between the two leads (I could watcha hundred times over the scene where he mistakenly attends the wrong holiday party - so funny and cute!).

On 1/1/2021 at 4:13 PM, Ashforth said:

I didn't get into many of the holiday movies this season. I think part of it is because of the shitshow that 2020 was, and part of it is that the movies (especially Hallmark) are so formulaic that there is just about no point in watching them. I have some ideas specifically for Hallmark:

• Make some movies that are flat out comedies. There can still be romance. But let it be funny! Not constant angst over the fate of the family business or the town. Acknowledge how ridiculous some family relationships are. In this context, worries about careers, the villainous bosses, and some of the silly misunderstandings would actually work.
• Make some movies from the perspective of the kids. Give some depth to the limitless supply of children who have a parent who died instead of having it be solely a plot device to explain why the surviving parent is available for a relationship. Mom or Dad getting into a relationship with a new partner could be seen through the kid's eyes with the natural stress and trepidation that would be going on instead of the instant connection these shows always portray.
• Let adults be adults. Most of the actors in these movies are well into their 30's or 40's. Their characters are usually written with the emotional maturity of teenagers. Stop that! People who have been married and in serious relationships should not be agonizing over whether to kiss someone they're attracted to.
• You took some steps with diversity in casting. It's a start. Keep it up, make it bigger and broader and better. Include diverse hiring in behind-the-scenes roles.

ITA to all this!  As for what I bolded, I think Hallmark made a deliberate policy to explain the surviving parent was available for a new romance because the spouse died, rather than availability through divorce. Things may change with the new regime, but I very definitely got the feeling Hallmark pushed the divorce = bad/is a sin  agenda.

[In2You]

There were way too many holidays movies between Lifetime and Hallmark for me to keep track off in 2020 and most that I did see were lackluster.

[anniebird]

On 12/31/2020 at 6:55 AM, Valentine said:

If You Believe! I have it on DVD. The one I miss is The Christmas List with Mimi Rogers. 

I bought this one also - not only does it have mature adults as leads (and it's implied that they have sex Christmas morning) but it also stars an insanely talented 7 year-old Hayden Panettiere. I watch it every year, sometimes more than once.

[Vermicious Knid]

Got around to watching Satan Claus that was sitting on the DVR. I was actually pretty amused by this. Don't think I ever need to see it again but they were clearly having great fun parodying all the Christmas cliches. Even if the setups were pretty obvious, like they were saying: Here's a cliche. Now we're making fun of it. Also included drinking, swearing, and sexual situations. Definitely not your average Hallmark movie, or for the kiddies. The town being full of hot, single guys that the main character either threw herself at, or were throwing themselves at her was a nice touch. All that said, it was probably a half hour longer than it could really sustain the overall gag, and I was disappointed the solution to getting rid of Satan was by developing true Christmas spirit. So about 10-15 minutes of a real holiday movie broke out near the end. But this actually could be counted in the handful of seasonal movies that included same-sex couples, along with making one a sendup of the all the royalty romcoms. The protagonist decides she doesn't want to go off with her high school sweetheart and become a wife and mother, and just hooks up with the only Jewish guy in town and a lesbian couple. Collectively.

[EyewatchTV211]

On 1/7/2021 at 4:38 PM, norcalgal said:

ITA to all this!  As for what I bolded, I think Hallmark made a deliberate policy to explain the surviving parent was available for a new romance because the spouse died, rather than availability through divorce. Things may change with the new regime, but I very definitely got the feeling Hallmark pushed the divorce = bad/is a sin  agenda.

I think this was likely their policy in the past. However, more recently they've had divorced main characters more often. I think it started this year, so it may have been introduced by the new boss woman. 

I don't know what's with all of my superficial comments recently, and this is a somewhat older movie that I'm going to comment on - I was flipping through Netflix and had to pause and do something else, so it started playing the trailer for the movie I randomly had stopped at at the time, A Christmas Prince. I watched this back closer to when it first came out and was unfamiliar with the main actor at the time, and I thought he was pretty unattractive. I've since seen Ben Lamb in other things and thought he was very attractive and had to keep looking up why he looked somewhat familiar. WTH did the makeup/hair people and whoever else do to him in A Christmas Prince to make him look so blah? I don't think that's what they were going for. Is it just me?

[Ashforth]

2 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

Got around to watching Satan Claus that was sitting on the DVR. I was actually pretty amused by this. Don't think I ever need to see it again but they were clearly having great fun parodying all the Christmas cliches. Even if the setups were pretty obvious, like they were saying: Here's a cliche. Now we're making fun of it. Also included drinking, swearing, and sexual situations. Definitely not your average Hallmark movie, or for the kiddies. The town being full of hot, single guys that the main character either threw herself at, or were throwing themselves at her was a nice touch. All that said, it was probably a half hour longer than it could really sustain the overall gag, and I was disappointed the solution to getting rid of Satan was by developing true Christmas spirit. So about 10-15 minutes of a real holiday movie broke out near the end. But this actually could be counted in the handful of seasonal movies that included same-sex couples, along with making one a sendup of the all the royalty romcoms. The protagonist decides she doesn't want to go off with her high school sweetheart and become a wife and mother, and just hooks up with the only Jewish guy in town and a lesbian couple. Collectively.

Well whoa, I'm going to have to look that one up!

1 hour ago, EyewatchTV211 said:

I don't know what's with all of my superficial comments recently, and this is a somewhat older movie that I'm going to comment on - I was flipping through Netflix and had to pause and do something else, so it started playing the trailer for the movie I randomly had stopped at at the time, A Christmas Prince. I watched this back closer to when it first came out and was unfamiliar with the main actor at the time, and I thought he was pretty unattractive. I've since seen Ben Lamb in other things and thought he was very attractive and had to keep looking up why he looked somewhat familiar. WTH did the makeup/hair people and whoever else do to him in A Christmas Prince to make him look so blah? I don't think that's what they were going for. Is it just me?

Hallmark managed to make the flaming hot Adrian Grenier look bland and boring. It's their superpower, apparently.

[EyewatchTV211]

But A Christmas Prince was Netflix. 😭

[Ashforth]

12 hours ago, EyewatchTV211 said:

But A Christmas Prince was Netflix. 😭

It's a conspiracy! 🤣

[anniebird]

The only two movies I liked this year were One Royal Holiday and New Year's Resolution, both because of the casts.

 

[MerBearHou]

7 minutes ago, anniebird said:

The only two movies I liked this year were One Royal Holiday and New Year's Resolution, both because of the casts.

 

Those are both on my short list of “really enjoyed” as well — along with Christmas by Starlight, Cranberry Christmas, The Christmas Waltz and On The 12th Date of Christmas.  All because of the cast and their chemistry and unique stories.  I liked USS Christmas and A Little Christmas Charm but they weren’t at the top of my list.

Edited January 15, 2021 by MerBearHou

[Jaded]

I didn't watch any of the Xmas movies at the end of last year. I kind of kept up with this thread and the Hallmark ones though. Did Up! show any Xmas movies last year? I remember they had a few decent ones the year before last mixed in with the really low quality ones they aired then. 

Edited January 16, 2021 by Jaded

[Vermicious Knid]

If you don't watch, or maybe watch sporadically, next week on Drag Race the queens are challenged to act in cheesy holiday movies on the RuPaulmark Channel.

[Dr.OO7]

Since ABC usually airs "The Sound Of Music" around Christmas time, is this the proper place to mention that Christopher Plummer has passed away?

[Callietwo]

8 minutes ago, Dr.OO7 said:

Since ABC usually airs "The Sound Of Music" around Christmas time, is this the proper place to mention that Christopher Plummer has passed away?

It's being discussed over in the Celebrity Deaths forum: In Memoriam: Celebrity Deaths.  

 

 

[Dr.OO7]

AMC is apparently ripping off Hallmark's "Christmas In July" marathon with a "Halfway To Halloween" marathon of their own. I'm currently "enjoying" Halloween 5.

(I'm using quotation marks because that movie is the epitome of "So Bad, It's Good")

[Dejana]

 

Quote

Netflix announced the news on Monday in a tweet, sharing a photo of the 34-year-old actress and revealing she would star in an upcoming romantic comedy for the streamer.

"Lindsay Lohan will star in a new romantic comedy about a newly engaged and spoiled hotel heiress who finds herself in the care of a handsome, blue-collar lodge owner and his precocious daughter after getting total amnesia in a skiing accident," Netflix's tweet read. 

The movie, which does not have a title yet, will be a holiday rom-com. 

Overboard with a Christmas twist? I guess there have been worse holiday movie premises...

Edited May 24, 2021 by Dejana

[Cetacean]

3 hours ago, Dejana said:

Overboard with a Christmas twist? I guess there have been worse holiday movie premises...

Wow, can they stoop any lower?  They aren't even trying to come up with anything new anymore.

[bankerchick]

Hell, Hallmark already did this movie in 2016, A Christmas To Remember, with Mira Sorvino and Cameron Mathison.

[MissyPoo]

And again in Falling For Vermont.

[Dr.OO7]

Hallmark's Christmas In July schedule. They're actually trying to be imaginative and group the movies by theme--music, military, soap stars:

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/hallmark-christmas-july-movie-schedule-113233121.html

[Cetacean]

"Candy Coated Christmas tells the story of a woman (Molly McCook) who returns to her hometown of Peppermint Hollow. When her plans to start a business are put on hold, she befriends a local bakery owner (Drummond). As Variety points out, Drummond's role was written specifically for her."

The Food Network seems to be taking a crack at writing pure crap a la Hallmark.  Peppermint Hollow?  Cheesy much?  

FN needs to stay in its own lane.

[chitowngirl]

UpTV is starting their Christmas movies on 11/5, with premieres on Saturdays and Sundays. I didn’t delve into whether it will be movies 24/7 or if they will have regular shows on during the day or only movies at night…

[Dr.OO7]

AMC will be starting off with the "Halloween" movies October 1. 

Edited September 27, 2021 by Dr.OO7

[ctlady]

On 8/28/2021 at 11:20 AM, Cetacean said:

Candy Coated Christmas tells the story of a woman (Molly McCook) who returns to her hometown of Peppermint Hollow. When her plans to start a business are put on hold, she befriends a local bakery owner (Drummond).

I really want to be a fly on the wall in the writer's room as they wrack their brain trying to come up with the most cutesy and palatable fictional small town names.  As soon as I read Peppermint Hollow, I thought of Stars Hollow on Gilmore Girls (FYI, I'm from CT and from what I remember, Stars Hollow was based in Hartford County)

Anyhoo, this sounds gaggingly smarmy, even by Hallmark standards

[Guest]

Lifetime’s Christmas schedule  is out. I appreciate the diversity but this may be the most boring Christmas movie list I have seen and that’s a really low bar. I know the joke is that these movies are put together like mad lips but an anonymous Santa crawl and a window shopping wedding registry leading to a fake fiancé feels like a new low. Also Hot Chocolate Holiday where the entire plot is actually hot chocolate. We’re finally there.

Once I got to the plot description for Maps and Mistletoe I realized there truly is no difference between this list and an late night sketch mocking these movies. A cartographer of school maps (redundant) and a North Pole explorer making up a last minute novelty treasure map. WTF!!

Edited September 29, 2021 by Guest

[Cetacean]

7 hours ago, Dani said:

Once I got to the plot description for Maps and Mistletoe I realized there truly is no difference between this list and an late night sketch mocking these movies.

Holy cow, are we being punked?

[LexieLily]

21 hours ago, Dani said:

Lifetime’s Christmas schedule  is out. I appreciate the diversity but this may be the most boring Christmas movie list I have seen and that’s a really low bar. I know the joke is that these movies are put together like mad lips but an anonymous Santa crawl and a window shopping wedding registry leading to a fake fiancé feels like a new low. Also Hot Chocolate Holiday where the entire plot is actually hot chocolate. We’re finally there.

Once I got to the plot description for Maps and Mistletoe I realized there truly is no difference between this list and an late night sketch mocking these movies. A cartographer of school maps (redundant) and a North Pole explorer making up a last minute novelty treasure map. WTF!!

TBH, the only thing that stood out to me about any of those was the one with a grown-up Chad and Taylor from High School Musical. Ha.

Edited September 30, 2021 by LexieLily

[twoods]

I’m also excited about the High School Musical reunion. I also saw in one of the movies the lead being Indian, and the male lead in the one with Melissa Joan Heart is Duane Henry whom I enjoyed in NCIS. Since there are so many movies will do the usual 15 minute trial and if there is no interest in the storyline or leads, dvr delete.