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

[TVFan17]

2 hours ago, twoods said:

These movies seem similar to the ones in the past, and lots of fake boyfriends, exes, and pretend families. Didn't we have like three movies with the title "A Family For Christmas"? And there has to be the obligatory prince movie. That being said, I will probably still attempt to watch every single one of them.

Oh yes.  There's always a royal movie of some sort at Christmas time.  I didn't exactly envision Jaime Pressly as the leading lady in a royal movie, but we'll see...

Unless I have gotten confused somewhere along the line, it looks like we are actually getting 2 prince movies on Hallmark this year -- one of them is a Summer Nights movie and the other is the Christmas movie.

They will have to change the Family for Christmas title, because they used that title for one of Lacey's movies last year.  I think that this year's Family for Christmas is probably going to be the one with George Stults that I recently found -- Christmas in the Red.  I didn't think it would be a Hallmark movie, but it looks like it could be.

They will probably also change the Prince for Christmas title, because ION just used it last year.

And they will have to change the A Wish for Christmas title, as Lifetime's movie of the same name is premiering this year too.  There's no way both channels with let each other keep the title and potentially draw viewers over to the enemy camp out of confusion.  Someone will have to change a title, and it will probably be Hallmark.

[Chas411]

I'm early but anybody heard anything about what the new holiday movies will be this year? And who will be featuring in them?

[twoods]

41 minutes ago, Chas411 said:

I'm early but anybody heard anything about what the new holiday movies will be this year? And who will be featuring in them?

There are some posts on the regular Hallmark movie thread.

[TVFan17]

4 hours ago, Chas411 said:

I'm early but anybody heard anything about what the new holiday movies will be this year? And who will be featuring in them?

 

There is already a lot of info out there, so it's not too early for info!  Not everything is known, but a lot of it is known.

 

On the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel, there are supposed to be 7 new movies -- only 5 of which are known right now:

 

--Each Precious Heartbeat (w/ Crystal Lowe, Emilie Ullerup, Kristoffer Polaha, Kimberly Sustad and Sharon Lawrence)

--Love Always, Santa (w/ Marguerite Moreau and Mike Faiola)

--Finding Father Christmas (w/ Erin Krakow and Niall Matter)

--Operation Christmas (w/ Tricia Helfer and Marc Blucas)

--Pair of Jacks (w/ Mena Suvari, John Reardon and James Brolin)

 

I am guessing that the other 2 titles will be announced in the next few days.

 

 

The main Hallmark Channel has 19 movies coming up, with the last one being a New Year-themed movie airing on January 1, 2017:

 

--When Calls the Heart Christmas movie (w/ usual WCTH cast)

--A Wish for Christmas (w/ Lacey Chabert and Paul Greene)

--My Christmas Dream a.k.a. Suddenly Santa (w/ Danica McKellar and David Haydn-Jones)

--A December Bride (w/ Jessica Lowndes and Daniel Lissing)

--Mistletoe Promise (w/ Jaime King and Luke Macfarlane)

--Christmas Cookies (w/ Jill Wagner and Wes Brown)

--Christmas Makeover (w/ Lori Loughlin and Colin Ferguson)

 

--Rose Parade New Year (w/ Rachel Boston)

--Christmas Bucket List (w/ Alicia Witt)

--Joy to the World (w/ Brooke Shields)

--A Prince for Christmas (w/ Jaime Pressly)

 

--Angel in Training a.k.a. Christmas Angel in Training (a Hall of Fame movie -- cast unknown)

--Nutcracker (cast unknown)

--Christmas Expectations (cast unknown)

--A Christmas Broadcast (cast unknown)

--Runaway Sleigh (cast unknown)

--A Worthwhile Life (cast unknown)

--A Curveball Christmas (cast unknown)

--The Sound of Christmas (cast unknown)

 

Candace Cameron Bure is going to be in one of the above movies, but she has not yet announced the title.

 

They will also "officially" premiere the movie that aired only once in July, "A Perfect Christmas," with Susie Abromeit and Dillon Casey.

 

Movies that were supposed to go to Hallmark at one point in time, and now might not end up there this year:

 

--A Snow Capped Christmas (w/ Leah Renee and Niall Matter)

--A Family for Christmas (cast unknown -- now scheduled for 2017)

--Sleigh Bell Sweethearts (author Teri Wilson said they are trying to get it done by the holidays of this year, but it might be held off until 2017)

--Christmas Villa (w/ the same cast from Summer Villa -- probably coming in 2017)

 

I'll do a separate post with the titles I know from the other networks (not the complete lists, but some of what's out there).

Edited September 9, 2016 by Sherry67

[twoods]

Christmas Villa? Hope the chemistry doesn't change from Summer Villa. Excited for that one, even if it's airing  next year.

[TVFan17]

7 minutes ago, twoods said:

Christmas Villa? Hope the chemistry doesn't change from Summer Villa. Excited for that one, even if it's airing  next year.

It looked as though, right after Summer Villa premiered, the talk of Christmas Villa came up on Twitter.  When it did, I remembered seeing a Christmas Villa tag or reference in an Instagram post, during the Summer Villa filming.  I thought the person was joking.  I didn't take it seriously.  But then someone -- a reporter, I think, at a One Tree Hill panel discussion -- got confirmation from Hilarie Burton that there would be a Christmas Villa.   It doesn't seem like there is enough time to get it done this year, so it would have to be 2017, I hope.

I really liked Summer Villa, so I agree -- I hope the chemistry and overall vibe of the movie doesn't change!

Edited September 9, 2016 by Sherry67

[TVFan17]

7 hours ago, Chas411 said:

I'm early but anybody heard anything about what the new holiday movies will be this year? And who will be featuring in them?

 

Okay, I listed off all of the Hallmark stuff above -- Hallmark is really the dominant force in the Christmas TV movie world, so it was worthy of its own post.

 

Now to what I know of the other networks, which is not as much...

 

The Christmas press releases for Lifetime, ION and UPtv's movies should probably come out in October -- I think that's when they came out last year. 

 

Freeform has a new holiday movie with a working title of "Different Folks," starring Bailee Madison, but I think I saw that it would be getting a title change to something a little more holiday-ish.

 

Probably going to Disney (or maybe one of them will go to Freeform):

--Christmas All Over Again (w/ Christy Romano)

--Dashing Through the Snow (cast unknown)

--I'll be Next Door for Christmas (with Laura Marano)

 

Some of UPtv's new movies include:

--Season's Greetings (w/ Laura Bell Bundy)

--A Puppy for Christmas (w/ Cindy Busby, Greyston Holt and Christopher Russell) -- This was originally supposed to be a Hallmark movie

--Rooftop Christmas Tree (w/ Michelle Morgan & Tim Reid)

--Merry Christmas, Baby (w/ same cast from the 'Marry Me for Christmas'/Chandler family line of movies)

--Married by Christmas a.k.a. The Engagement Clause (w/ Jes Macallan, April Bowlby, Coby Ryan McLaughlin, James Eckhouse)

 

 

ION's movies include:

--The Christmas Apprentice (w/ Abigail Hawk, Zack Ward, David O' Donnell and Chevy Chase)

(There have got to be more than just this one, though!)

 

 

Lifetime's movies include:

-- A Wish for Christmas (w/ Joey Lawrence, Leigh-Allyn Baker, Anna Fricks and Jeff Schroeder)

--Christmas in the Red (w/ George Stults and Christy Romano)

--A Firehouse Christmas (w/ Anna Hutchison, Marcus Rosner, Ben Watson Jr, Anita Brown, and Jaeda Lily Miller)

 

And then there are titles that seem like they could either go to ION or Lifetime:

--Girlfriends of Christmas Past a.k.a. Merry Exes (w/ Tammin Sursok, Brent Bailey, Lindsey McKeon, Abigail Klein, John Brotherton, Meagan Holder, Chris Salvatore & Bryce Durfee)

--Fight Before Christmas

 

And then Lisa Whelchel filmed a Christmas movie earlier this year, but I have no clue what the title is or to which channel it is headed.  I would have assumed it was Hallmark, but maybe not (unless it fills one of the remaining 2 spots on HMM).

 

There are several other titles listed in this blog -- http://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2016/01/christmas-movie-news-for-2016-and-beyond.html -- but, as you will see, a lot of them have not been officially announced as belonging to specific channels.  So I mainly wanted to post what is known or a little more clear for now.

Edited September 9, 2016 by Sherry67

[Chas411]

Quote

--A December Bride (w/ Jessica Lowndes and Daniel Lissing)

I'm looking forward to this. Last year Lowndres Christmas movie was wasted due to the lame costar so it'll be nice to see her act opposite someone who she might hopefully have chemistry with. 

[TVFan17]

Just a few minutes after I posted all of the info above, I discovered that Meredith Hagner (who starred in Lifetime's popular "Gift Wrapped Christmas" last year) and Megan Park (who starred in "A Wish Come True" on Hallmark, in early 2015) are in a Christmas movie together, which is shooting right now (in Utah).  They're playing sisters.  Neither one has mentioned the title yet.  If I had to hazard a guess, I would say that they are probably either shooting "Christmas Expectations" or "A Worthwhile Life."  When I find out exactly which one they're doing, I'll edit my Hallmark movie post above to include their names next to the title.

I forgot to mention above that another possible, suspected Christmas movie actress this year is Kimberly Williams-Paisley.  She has not said that she was doing a movie.  However, she was at Hallmark's TCA event back in January, and she was supposed to be working with Hallmark on a new series, or movie, called "Darrow & Darrow."  I have no clue what happened to D&D, but I would have to imagine that Hallmark might want to put her in a movie until D&D gets made.  Also, Kimberly's sister Ashley has now made 2 Hallmark movies (Ashley was heavily involved in this most recent one, even beyond just acting in it), so KWP might be inspired to jump in and do one too (she hasn't done a Hallmark movie in a long, long time).

My hunch about KWP doing a Hallmark Christmas movie could be completely wrong, but her ice skating lessons in August made me suspicious!  Lol.  (We know how Hallmark loves an ice skating scene in their Christmas movies!)

There is supposed to be an announcement about the Countdown to Christmas on Tuesday's (9/13) Home & Family show.  Most of what they reveal will probably be what we already know, but I hope that they fill in the blanks with the names of some of the cast that we don't know.

[twoods]

For people who missed some of the decent Hallmark Christmas movies in the past, Hallmark is running them this weekend. On Sunday is "Snow Bride", Nine Lives, Hitched For the Holidays, and Crown For Christmas. 

Never got around to watching Cookie Cutter Christmas which was on tonight, and that movie was tedious. Two women being catty and acting like teenagers ruined decent chemistry between the leads. I couldn't get through the movie.

Edited October 29, 2016 by twoods

[emjohnson03]

Oh it's Christmas movie time!

I'm not going to watch ALL of them but def going to watch "Finding Father Christmas" with Erin Krakow and Niall Matter. It looks good and I think the both of them are going to have good chemistry.

And of course "A December Bride" which I'm probably going to snark on since I don't like Jessica and Dan is so-so with other actress (see Erin Krakow :)) I just think he's so pretty (I know vein but I own it, lol!)

Can you see I'm a When Calls the Heart fan! :)

[beadgirl]

I'm not ready to watch these.  For one thing, I'm still enjoying the fall, and for another I'm Catholic so my Christmas season extends past New Year's and Three Kings Day (don't wanna front-load!).  I will start recording the new ones and my favorites, though.  Like the 12 Dates one and the 9 Lives one -- both are fun and cut above the usual, and Christmas Angel (2009) which I sing the praises of every year.

So, any POC protagonists this year?  Hallmark movies and shows are my guilty pleasure, but I am getting disheartened over how freaking white they all are.

[In2You]

2 hours ago, beadgirl said:

I'm not ready to watch these.  For one thing, I'm still enjoying the fall, and for another I'm Catholic so my Christmas season extends past New Year's and Three Kings Day (don't wanna front-load!).  I will start recording the new ones and my favorites, though.  Like the 12 Dates one and the 9 Lives one -- both are fun and cut above the usual, and Christmas Angel (2009) which I sing the praises of every year.

So, any POC protagonists this year?  Hallmark movies and shows are my guilty pleasure, but I am getting disheartened over how freaking white they all are.

In recent years I've been skipping alot of the Hallmark ones due to lack of diversity. ION, UP TV, sometimes Lifetime usually offer selections  with POC leads. Here's one premiering on ION this year

"A Husband for Christmas" - Sunday, Dec. 11, at 9/8c PM
Cast: Vivica A. Fox, Ricco Ross, Dominique Swain, Michael Bergin, Helene Udy, Eric Roberts, Jackée Harry
Synopsis: Brooke and Roger, two graphic designers in a soon-to-be-merged company, help one another by agreeing to a loveless marriage of convenience, suggested by their new boss. In the process, Brooke gets to upstage the sister who just announced her engagement to Brooke's ex-boyfriend during the holidays. But, with their "marriage" in question, will Brooke and Roger find a spark they didn't know existed?
Produced by: Hybrid Films

[In2You]

Trailer for Christmas with the Andersons which is currently on Demand and will premiere on ION Saturday December 10th at 9pm

 

[StaceyNotStacie]

I enjoyed A Wish for Christmas. It had a pretty good cast and a nice story. It was nice to not have a triangle or a major villain. It was also amusing watching how many ways they could hide Lacey's baby bump. 

[twoods]

2 hours ago, Stacey1014 said:

I enjoyed A Wish for Christmas. It had a pretty good cast and a nice story. It was nice to not have a triangle or a major villain. It was also amusing watching how many ways they could hide Lacey's baby bump. 

I agree that the chemistry was good but the story got a little tedious towards the middle of the movie. It's as if they ran out of storytelling so there was the twist of the lead being from the town so there could be family drama to fill the time. I do wish that we got to see him and his dad reconcile instead of seeing the after part of it.

Does every single Hallmark movie have one of the leads lose a parent? I'm trying to think which movie  had both leads who had living parents but I can't remember any.

I also caught a bit of Tis the Season for Love again and realized that the lead and his best friend (her ex) are brothers on Chesapeake Shores. Crazy!

Edited October 30, 2016 by twoods

[Chas411]

Christmas with the Andersons looks cute.

[kirinan]

11 hours ago, twoods said:

I agree that the chemistry was good but the story got a little tedious towards the middle of the movie. It's as if they ran out of storytelling so there was the twist of the lead being from the town so there could be family drama to fill the time. I do wish that we got to see him and his dad reconcile instead of seeing the after part of it.

Totally agree with this, twoods. But I have to admit, I'll forgive some story weakness if Paul Greene is in the movie. He's an automatic must-watch for me. I'm kind of neutral on Lacey Chabert; I've only ever seen her in this movie, and in that Hallmark movie with Brennan Elliot where she inherits half their house, which I also enjoyed. I think she was good in both movies. And she did have an easy, sweet chemistry with Paul Greene. It wasn't a stretch to see it turning romantic. 

But yes, it would have been nice to see the actual reconciliation of father and son. That was a waste of what could have been a good heartwarming/weepy/(insert your emotion of choice) scene.

Stacey1014's mention of her baby bump explains why in some scenes I thought Lacey's face looked the slightest bit fuller than in others. It wasn't anything terribly obvious; I just figured it was probably different camera angles. But they evidently did a good job of hiding the baby bump, because it never occurred to me that she was pregnant.

So, one for one on the Christmas movies, Hallmark. I know I'll enjoy the movie on Saturday 11/12, no matter how cheesy it might be, because it's Colin Ferguson and I love that man in absolutely everything (I even watched the horrendous Lake Placid 3 for him, so there's your proof). Hopefully the other movies will be on the level of A Wish for Christmas, although I'm guessing there will be at least a couple of clunkers.

[StaceyNotStacie]

Lacey is in a movie called Matchmaker Santa that was made a few years ago. It's a cute movie. Her costar was Adam Mayfield, who briefly played Scott Chandler on All My Children a few years before it was cancelled. It also had Florence Henderson and the guy who played Cliff on Cheers. 

She was also the lead in the movie with Mariah Carey last year (also with Brennan Elliott). I remember her also doing a movie on Up, but I don't remember the name. 

[In2You]

A Wish for Christmas was so boring to me. I barley paid attention. I still too am enjoying fall and they're were any great fall movies this year to give me my fill.  I think I need a movie a little more upbeat and fun to kick off the Christmas season.

[StaceyNotStacie]

I wish they had a few more Halloween and Thanksgiving themed movies. While the fall ones were okay, they really aren't Halloween themed. They easily could have thrown a new one in this weekend. I'm not a fan of the Good Witch series, so I'm not sure if they were Halloween themed. 

Outside of the parade movie and the Thanksgiving House, I don't remember any other Thanksgiving movies. With all of the different stories, it can't be too difficult to show another movie; if they want to include Christmas, they can do a movie that includes both holidays. 

[In2You]

1 hour ago, Stacey1014 said:

I wish they had a few more Halloween and Thanksgiving themed movies. While the fall ones were okay, they really aren't Halloween themed. They easily could have thrown a new one in this weekend. I'm not a fan of the Good Witch series, so I'm not sure if they were Halloween themed. 

Outside of the parade movie and the Thanksgiving House, I don't remember any other Thanksgiving movies. With all of the different stories, it can't be too difficult to show another movie; if they want to include Christmas, they can do a movie that includes both holidays. 

You think Hallmark would do more Thanksgiving theme movies if only to push the sales of their Thanksgiving cards and decor.  

[twoods]

I enjoyed Thanksgiving House and also wish there were more Thanksgiving themed ones. I remember Harvest Moon last year that was decent but wasn't actually about Thanksgiving. There could be so many possibilities- estranged family trying to mend fences, turkey cook off (like the pumpkin pie one), etc. I would rather see that than a Christmas movie the Saturday before Halloween.

[Irlandesa]

13 hours ago, kirinan said:

I've only ever seen her in this movie, and in that Hallmark movie with Brennan Elliot where she inherits half their house, which I also enjoyed. I think she was good in both movies. And she did have an easy, sweet chemistry with Paul Greene. It wasn't a stretch to see it turning romantic. 

I think my favorite Lacey Chabert movie was The Color of Rain with Warren Christie.  It was based on the true story of a man and woman who lost their spouses to cancer and got together.  Good chemistry with mature angst. 

A Wish for Christmas was okay.  Nice chemistry.  And a wish to be more assertive that didn't turn into her being horribly mean was a nice twist.  But yeah, there were a couple of issues.  First, I am not ready for Christmas.  I have trees outside with gorgeous leaves and I'm in that mood...not snow bunner mood.  Having the town they visited be the boss's hometown could have been interesting if it went anywhere but all it ended up being was an excuse to vomit Christmas activities to get someone in the spirit of the holiday.

We didn't get to see the reconciliation between the son and his father.  But hey, that story was pretty weird anyway.  Did he say that the fallout happened two years ago?  In that he decided to drop out of law school and open his own business two years ago?  I find it hard to believe that his father let him not be in law school throughout his 20s and 30s but dropping out in his late 30s was when he threw a fit?

Another thing that was kind of getting to me and I couldn't let go was that this was her boss with all the power differential that implies. 

Speaking of Thanksgiving, if you know me, you know my love for Love At The Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It airs early Thursday morning.  I can finally put it on my new DVR.

[kirinan]

7 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Having the town they visited be the boss's hometown could have been interesting if it went anywhere but all it ended up being was an excuse to vomit Christmas activities to get someone in the spirit of the holiday.

We didn't get to see the reconciliation between the son and his father.  But hey, that story was pretty weird anyway.  Did he say that the fallout happened two years ago?  In that he decided to drop out of law school and open his own business two years ago?  I find it hard to believe that his father let him not be in law school throughout his 20s and 30s but dropping out in his late 30s was when he threw a fit?

Another thing that was kind of getting to me and I couldn't let go was that this was her boss with all the power differential that implies. 

Speaking of Thanksgiving, if you know me, you know my love for Love At The Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It airs early Thursday morning.  I can finally put it on my new DVR.

I was so sure (wrongly, as it turned out) that the billionaire would turn out to be his father. Which, I suppose, is really not much weirder an idea than what you cite above. Yeah, that whole part of the story wasn't well thought through.

Yes, a couple of times I thought, okay, in real life we'd have an HR nightmare in the making here, right? But of course, in Hallmark-land that could never be an issue.

And thanks for the heads-up on Love At The Thanksgiving Day Parade, Irlandesa! My DVR is set and I know what I'll be watching this weekend! 

Edited October 31, 2016 by kirinan

[In2You]

8 hours ago, twoods said:

I enjoyed Thanksgiving House and also wish there were more Thanksgiving themed ones. I remember Harvest Moon last year that was decent but wasn't actually about Thanksgiving. There could be so many possibilities- estranged family trying to mend fences, turkey cook off (like the pumpkin pie one), etc. I would rather see that than a Christmas movie the Saturday before Halloween.

Hallmark also had An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving which did well enough for them to make a Christmas sequel. 

The pumpkin pie one could've been set for Thanksgiving.  That's mainly when people are eating pumpkin pie.  I just read a cozy mystery set during Thanksgiving time about a pre Thanksgiving pancake eating contest. So there are things that could be done with the Thanksgiving theme and they can  still fit their two day romances into those stories.

I understand Hallmarks wants to capture as many holiday viewers as possible but starting prior to Halloween when people still really enjoy Halloween is a bit much.  Especially when there Christmas offerings are so redundant. 

[In2You]

A Cinderella Christmas. Currently on VOD and premiering on ION

"A Cinderella Christmas" - Sunday, Dec. 4, at 9/8c PM
Cast: Emma Rigby, Peter Porte, Sarah Stouffer, Leland B. Martin, Lesley-Anne Down, Mindy Cohn, Lucy DeVito
Synopsis: At a holiday masquerade ball, fledgling event planner Angie Wells and wealthy playboy Nicholas Karmichael, who needs to marry to retain his inheritance, meet and fall for each other anonymously. While Nicholas tries to locate the girl of his dreams, Angie must choose between pursuing her lifelong dream of running a business or following her heart.

[Irlandesa]

A Misteltoe Promise had promise based on the description but I just couldn't get into it. I don't know if it's because I'm all nervous about this election season, if it's because it was almost 80 yesterday which is just wrong where I live or if it was just blah but....blah.  And it's the second movie with questionable HR situations.  Last week it's the boss/owner getting together with a subordinate.  Sure, it happens but it was pretty much glossed over in the movie.  And here it's giving priority to people with families.  Again, that kind of thing happens because of bias but still, it's not entirely kosher.

I'm glad Hallmark's movie this week is the one from July.  It's getting to the point where it gets hard to keep up with regular TV and these movies.

[In2You]

I liked UP's Married by Christmas. It was funny and a nice twist on the usual fake fiance route Christmas movies take.

[Irlandesa]

I liked it too, although their grandmother made me mad. What kind of ridiculousness?  And if I were the sister, I would have tried to find a way to share with my sister considering she has experience with it.  And I'd feel guilty about that if I hadn't even been working there. Did they ever say why they the grandmother didn't pass it down to their father?  It seems odd that she'd skip a generation. 

[In2You]

15 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I liked it too, although their grandmother made me mad. What kind of ridiculousness?  And if I were the sister, I would have tried to find a way to share with my sister considering she has experience with it.  And I'd feel guilty about that if I hadn't even been working there. Did they ever say why they the grandmother didn't pass it down to their father?  It seems odd that she'd skip a generation. 

I liked that they pointed out that the grandmother's stipulation was a crock of sexist bs.  And they didn't push the romance above having a career crap either. Cuz it's 2016 women are capable of both. 

The sister and her fiance annoyed me withow their sudden interest in the company. Carrie had every right to feel angry about Paul being ready to move in on her territory. 

[Irlandesa]

40 minutes ago, In2You said:

Carrie had every right to feel angry about Paul being ready to move in on her territory. 

Paul was the gay guy.  I think the fiance's name was Ethan.  But yeah, even if Carrie acted badly, I completely understood where her anger came from. Except with Paul.  That "sports" crack was uncalled for and stereotypical.

I'm surprised they didn't talk about having the future hubby sign a pre-nup agreement that would give the sister the company in the event of a divorce. 

[In2You]

20 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Paul was the gay guy.  I think the fiance's name was Ethan.  But yeah, even if Carrie acted badly, I completely understood where her anger came from. Except with Paul.  That "sports" crack was uncalled for and stereotypical.

I'm surprised they didn't talk about having the future hubby sign a pre-nup agreement that would give the sister the company in the event of a divorce. 

Whoops got their names mixed up. Yeah her sports Crack was mean but she was having a drunken meltdown and did regret it.

Ethan came off greedy the way he immediately wanted the company. I didn't like him.  

[EyewatchTV211]

Did anyone see Love Always, Santa on HMM? I actually liked it a good deal overall, although it was another movie where I wish the leads got to interact a bit more. However, they had good chemistry when they WERE together. 

[Aliconehead]

I actually enjoyed both the Mistletoe Promise and Love Always, Santa.  Both were cliche but the leads made it work.  Mistletoe Promise starred my favorite eye candy Luke MacFarlane so that might be my bias.  But both characters were GOOD people, didn't hate Christmas (just had bad experiences) and were stuck in a bad situation.  They didn't get in a fight, the obstacle was the reveal to his boss about not being a couple, but LM was not mad or upset. I just wish that she did not lose her business to her asshole ex.

Love Always, Santa was also good.  No main villain unless you count the sister and the tool she kept pushing her sister towards. While there was not much interaction between the two characters you could see them feelings during the correspondence scenes.  All in all a good start for me.  

[EyewatchTV211]

7 hours ago, Aliconehead said:

I actually enjoyed both the Mistletoe Promise and Love Always, Santa.  Both were cliche but the leads made it work.  Mistletoe Promise starred my favorite eye candy Luke MacFarlane so that might be my bias.  But both characters were GOOD people, didn't hate Christmas (just had bad experiences) and were stuck in a bad situation.  They didn't get in a fight, the obstacle was the reveal to his boss about not being a couple, but LM was not mad or upset. I just wish that she did not lose her business to her asshole ex.

Love Always, Santa was also good.  No main villain unless you count the sister and the tool she kept pushing her sister towards. While there was not much interaction between the two characters you could see them feelings during the correspondence scenes.  All in all a good start for me.  

Yes, I actually liked both. Forgot to mention the first. I also liked the Up movie Married by Christmas, so this was a strong weekend for me. Will keep some on the dvr for now while I have room.

[StaceyNotStacie]

On 11/7/2016 at 1:39 PM, VMepicgrl said:

Did anyone see Love Always, Santa on HMM? I actually liked it a good deal overall, although it was another movie where I wish the leads got to interact a bit more. However, they had good chemistry when they WERE together. 

I was surprised that I enjoyed this one so much. I'm enjoying more of the HM&M movies more than the Hallmark Channel movies this year. The only one I'm not looking forward to is the military one with Tricia Helfer. The commercials for that one annoyed me. 

[twoods]

Bummed I don't have HMM. Seems like all the movies on there are better than on Hallmark. Still have to watch Mistletoe Promise- glad some of you enjoyed it.

[Chas411]

Kicking off Hone for Chrismtas with Shantel Van Santen. I think it's a continuation of A Golden Christmas - it's all abou dogs playing matchmaker.

Its awful. Really unfunny. Even the actors look embarrassed.

Also it's probably because im Irish and used to a cold Christmas but I find it hard to get into holiday films where it looks like theYre on summer vacation.

[twoods]

Mistletoe Promise was disappointing. I love both leads but the storyline was so clunky. They hung out and stuff but I didn't see them fall in love if that makes sense. The ending was also choppy because she ran away from the luncheon then everything is okay at the end. I do wish she didn't give her company to that douche ex husband- I wanted him to get thrown out. At least they kissed at the end and didn't get engaged.

[In2You]

1 hour ago, twoods said:

Mistletoe Promise was disappointing. I love both leads but the storyline was so clunky. They hung out and stuff but I didn't see them fall in love if that makes sense. The ending was also choppy because she ran away from the luncheon then everything is okay at the end. I do wish she didn't give her company to that douche ex husband- I wanted him to get thrown out. At least they kissed at the end and didn't get engaged.

It was based off a book. I didn't watch but I heard people who read it say they cut out the good backstories of the characters

[EyewatchTV211]

Entertainment Weekly's website posted descriptions of 40 new Christmas movies. The following three descriptions sound a bit different:

THE ROOFTOP CHRISTMAS TREE
Premieres: Nov. 27, 7 p.m., UP 
Starring: Michelle Morgan (Heartland), Tim Reid (Sister, Sister)
Official logline: “Every Christmas for 15 years, Dale Landis fastens a tree to his roof and decorates it for the season; and every year he’s arrested for it. Determined to keep Dale out of jail this year, a judge orders idealistic attorney Sarah Wright and aggressive prosecutor John Riviera to work together to defend Dale and figure out the mystery behind the rooftop Christmas tree. Inspired by a true story.”

JOURNEY BACK TO CHRISTMAS
Premieres: Nov. 27, 8 p.m., Hallmark Channel
Starring: Candace Cameron Bure (Fuller House), Oliver Hudson (Nashville), Tom Skerritt (Picket Fences) 
Official logline: “Hannah (Cameron Bure), a WWII-era nurse, is transported in time to 2016 and meets Jake (Hudson), a man who helps her discover the bonds of family and that the true meaning of Christmas is timeless.”

A NUTCRACKER CHRISTMAS
Premieres: Dec. 10, 8 p.m., Hallmark Channel
Starring: Amy Acker (Person of Interest), Sascha Radetsky (Flesh and Bone), Sophia Lucia (Dance Moms)
Official logline: “Rising star Lilly James (Acker) lives and breathes ballet. Her sister, Beth, is not only her biggest fan but often forgoes her own needs to make sure Lilly has every opportunity possible. Lilly’s devotion pays off when she is accepted into the New York City Ballet. Her biggest dream comes true when she lands the lead role of Clara in The Nutcracker and will make her debut on Christmas Eve. As she prepares for her big night, she receives the tragic news that her sister has died.  She is removed from the show by none other than Mark (Sascha), her boyfriend and dance partner. Betrayed and heartbroken, she vows never to dance again. Years later, Lilly’s niece (Lucia) receives the same Christmas wish, the role of Clara in the prestigious Philadelphia Nutcracker Ballet, only to find that the Ballet Director is Mark, who betrayed Lilly years ago. Will Lilly see the truth about her past, and allow herself a second chance to dance and another chance to find love?”

Edited November 11, 2016 by VMepicgrl

[ehall1052]

I, too, was disappointed in A Mistletoe Promise, however, after reading here that it was based on a book, I checked it out. The book was great.

[Aliconehead]

I have rarely NOT be disappoint with a movie after reading a book. 

[Irlandesa]

20 minutes ago, Aliconehead said:

I have rarely NOT be disappoint with a movie after reading a book. 

But the problem is the movie being disappointing even before reading the book.  It's one thing to have an idea of how things should go based on a book and being disappointed by your own expectations.  It's another  when the movie doesn't stand very well on its own even without the book expectations. 

It's irksome to have a book that is interesting (as apparently this one is), which has potential to create one of the better Hallmark movies because of the good source material, be turned into something bland as this movie was.

[twoods]

Watched The Most Wonderful Time Of the Year tonight and I always love that movie. Good storyline, great chemistry between the leads. This is the quality I miss after Hallmark started pumping out an obscene amount of movies without caring about the quality. 

[In2You]

9 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

But the problem is the movie being disappointing even before reading the book.  It's one thing to have an idea of how things should go based on a book and being disappointed by your own expectations.  It's another  when the movie doesn't stand very well on its own even without the book expectations. 

It's irksome to have a book that is interesting (as apparently this one is), which has potential to create one of the better Hallmark movies because of the good source material, be turned into something bland as this movie was.

I don't think Hallmark does well with book adaptations.  They've been taking good source material and making bland movies. And who are they dumbing this material down for? Their audience is mainly adults and their movies premiere at night.  Are they that afraid of offending the family friendly brigade?

I heard some members of the family friendly brigade complain about Married by Christmas.  They said they couldn't watch the movie because of the drinking scenes and mention of a gay man and those who enjoyed the movie needed Jesus.  Nevermind Jesus turned water into wine and plenty of Christians drink. 

[In2You]

22 hours ago, VMepicgrl said:

Entertainment Weekly's website posted descriptions of 40 new Christmas movies. The following three descriptions sound a bit different:

THE ROOFTOP CHRISTMAS TREE
Premieres: Nov. 27, 7 p.m., UP 
Starring: Michelle Morgan (Heartland), Tim Reid (Sister, Sister)
Official logline: “Every Christmas for 15 years, Dale Landis fastens a tree to his roof and decorates it for the season; and every year he’s arrested for it. Determined to keep Dale out of jail this year, a judge orders idealistic attorney Sarah Wright and aggressive prosecutor John Riviera to work together to defend Dale and figure out the mystery behind the rooftop Christmas tree. Inspired by a true story.”

 

I put the trailer for this one in the UP movie thread. Its based on a book with the same name. After watching a sneak peek on Up's website it looks like it will be a tear jerker

Edited November 12, 2016 by In2You

[EyewatchTV211]

3 hours ago, In2You said:

I put the trailer for this one in the UP movie thread. Its based on a book with the same name. After watching a sneak peek on Up's website it looks like it will be a tear jerker

Thanks for that, @IN2YOU. 

Meanwhile, I'm kind of disappointed that Candace Cameron Bure is the one in the time travel movie. I'd be able to enjoy more with someone else right now.

[Irlandesa]

32 minutes ago, VMepicgrl said:

Meanwhile, I'm kind of disappointed that Candace Cameron Bure is the one in the time travel movie. I'd be able to enjoy more with someone else right now.

She's okay but I kind of agree.  Maybe Danica. But I really like Oliver Hudson and am excited to see him in one of these.  On Nashville, he had chemistry with his co-stars even if they weren't romantic.