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

[TVFan17]

I saw this over the weekend and I enjoyed it.  I like Sarah Lancaster from her SBTB days and the male lead was cute, much better looking than her ex.  Yes, I'm very shallow when watching movies.  I like my leads to be attractive.

 

How picture perfect was that town?  And the people - not a cranky person in sight.  Though I did find it hard to believe that her mom wouldn't have mentioned to Beth that her ex was remarried.  At least once Beth got into town, she should've given her a heads up.  Yeah, the chemistry wasn't off the charts between Beth and Dean, but I didn't get any gay vibes from the actor.    I think his character was just such a nice and proper guy that maybe that had something to do with it?   FWIW, I think he's married.

 

It certainly doesn't hurt in any way if the leads are attractive!   I have not yet had a chance to watch Charming Christmas (it's still on the DVR), but one of the reasons I was looking forward to it was because I find David Sutcliffe attractive!

 

Likewise, one of the reasons I am more interested in Northpole 2 than I was in the first Northpole is because I like Dermot Mulroney.

 

Andrew Walker is a big reason why I am looking forward to Dashing Through the Snow (on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel), as is Cameron Mathison in Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery (also on HMM).

 

Paul Campbell's sense of humor and comedic timing goes a long way in these kinds of movies, so he is the main reason why I am looking forward to Once Upon a Holiday!

 

Yep -- I have my priorities in order when watching made-for-TV holiday movies!

 

 

I think that the level of attractiveness between the two leads should be fairly even or comparable.  They need to be likeable, pleasant and seem like a good match for each other.   If one of the people in the 'couple' is much, much, much more attractive than the other one, it just looks silly.  That was another issue/problem with last year's new movie, The Christmas Parade.  A lot of people just flat out hated the lead actress (AnnaLynne McCord).  I thought that she was fine for the kind of role she was asked to play -- a vain, uppity, high maintenance TV news woman.  However, the man that she was partnered up with -- whose name escapes me -- was not an even match.  There was nothing wrong with him -- he was an attractive enough guy -- but because AnnaLynne looked as though she stepped off the pages of Playboy Magazine and he looked like a Regular Joe (with not much of a strong personality compared to hers), they seemed almost too mismatched.  A bit of an opposites attract kind of thing is fine, but this just didn't even seem feasible to me.   I could have pictured him with someone who had a more 'down to earth' beauty, but it didn't feel believable to me that this bombshell TV anchorwoman would not have had a parade of hot men chasing after her.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Sherry67

[EyewatchTV211]

How picture perfect was that town?  And the people - not a cranky person in sight.  Though I did find it hard to believe that her mom wouldn't have mentioned to Beth that her ex was remarried.  At least once Beth got into town, she should've given her a heads up.  Yeah, the chemistry wasn't off the charts between Beth and Dean, but I didn't get any gay vibes from the actor.    I think his character was just such a nice and proper guy that maybe that had something to do with it?   FWIW, I think he's married.

I wonder if it was his voice. Maybe some people thought it sounded like the stereotypical flamboyant speech pattern that some gay men have. I didn't hear it that way. He sounded more like California surfer boy/pretty boy jock voice to me. Agree that chemistry still wasn't off the charts, but he was easy on the eyes. Including his pretty eyes. :-)

[DkNNy79]

I wonder if it was his voice. Maybe some people thought it sounded like the stereotypical flamboyant speech pattern that some gay men have. I didn't hear it that way. He sounded more like California surfer boy/pretty boy jock voice to me. Agree that chemistry still wasn't off the charts, but he was easy on the eyes. Including his pretty eyes. :-)

I'm a sucker for pretty eyes!  I think the actor is Canadian. 

 

Looking back I really liked that there were no villains in this movie.

[EyewatchTV211]

I looked. He is Canadian. I wasn't necessarily guessing that he is from CA. He just had a way of speaking that sounded like some from that area. Maybe it was my other theory - maybe he was some sort of pretty boy jock. :-) I noticed his speech patterns at first, but I got over it and wasn't bothered by it. However, I did wonder if that's what influenced some people's opinions.

[Valentine]

It looks like ABC Family isn't showing The Christmas List at all this year. I'm sad about that. It was the first in the cheesy Christmas movie genre that I ever watched and remains one of my favorites. I'm glad I bought If You Believe on DVD because I think that's been off the schedule for the past few years. I like the new ones, too, as my full DVR shows, but I wish they'd include some of the older ones for even a few showings.

[Luckylyn]

I haven't been able to find The Christmas List on DVD. It sucks that it's not in the TV rotation this year. It wasn't last year. I ended up watching it on Youtube.

[TVFan17]

I seem to recall stumbling across The Christmas List on a random channel -- probably some obscure, local, independent channel or something -- either last year or in 2013.  It wasn't that long ago.  I remember unexpectedly seeing it and a couple of other movies in the cable menu (very close to December 25th) and thinking, "Oh, I didn't know there were Christmas movies on this channel."  I remembered seeing the movie years ago on another channel -- which I thought was Lifetime, but I guess was ABC Family.

 

Anyway, I finally had the chance to watch Charming Christmas all the way through.  Here was my main issue with it:  Not enough Nick (David Sutcliffe) and Meredith (Julie Benz) together.  I liked the movie any time they were onscreen together, or separately.  I even liked Meredith's parents. 

 

What I found distracting was all of the peripheral stuff -- the subplots involving the other characters.  There was too much of that.  I didn't care about those people, for the most part (although the little boy was adorable).  In fact, the single mom (the one who hid the toy in the bedding department) was flat out annoying to me.

 

I thought that all of the stuff about the other characters took away from the development of the Nick-Meredith romance.  I felt that Nick/David and Meredith/Julie had good chemistry together.  I felt that they would be attracted to each other in real life.  I wanted to see more of them -- or a scene involving Nick's mysterious life away from the department store would have been appreciated as well.  As it is, they didn't even kiss until, literally, the last minute of the movie.

 

Also, at first, I thought that it was being hinted that Nick was the son of Santa Claus.  He mentioned his "family" up north.  Later on it seemed like it was being implied that he was actually Santa.

 

I would like to see Julie and David reteamed in something else for Hallmark (something with more focus on them and less focus on other characters), but neither one of them is exactly a Hallmark regular so I doubt it will happen any time soon.

[Irlandesa]

What I found distracting was all of the peripheral stuff -- the subplots involving the other characters. 

 

I thought that all of the stuff about the other characters took away from the development of the Nick-Meredith romance.  I felt that Nick/David and Meredith/Julie had good chemistry together. 

I do think they made a good pairing, although I wasn't as into the whole "Is he St. Nick?  Is he his son?"  But then again, that's one very common Christmas plot that just doesn't do it for me.  So I would definitely like to see them do another movie together.

 

At first I thought this was going to be like "The Wedding Dress" with the Mrs. Santa outfit.  It may have been a better movie had they gone that route.  At least the Nick and Meredith story would have been more focused...and I could have fast forwarded through the rest.

[ABay]

Does anyone have dates for when the animated Grinch will air this year? All I can find are articles about it changing networks.

 

Ovation's Battle of the Nutcrackers starts 11/28.

Charlie Brown and the CB anniversary special are 11/30 at 8 and 9 respectively on ABC.

[twoods]

Watched I'm Not Ready For Christmas and it was pretty decent. The chemistry with the leads was nice and her telling the truth was pretty funny. It bothered me that " I love you " was said before they kissed but I guess that's how Hallmark movies work.

Also, was the shady designer Maxwell Caulfield? It looked like him but he wasn't on the IMDB page. He's aged pretty well.

I still haven't made it through Charming Christmas. I like the leads but the single mom was annoying me, as was the dancer.

[Marathonrunner]

Might be a party of one here - I haven't really enjoyed any of the new productions this year - probably because I like the older non-love story movies instead - The Christmas Visitor, A Dog Named Christmas, Silver Bells, The Christmas Choir, etc. - not that the stories or acting are all that great but because there are no contrived love stories with the usual misunderstanding in the middle & the new lovers finding themselves at the altar a week after meeting

[emjohnson03]

 I always thought they did a good job of the Mrs. Miracle ones. I want another! I like Doris Roberts, as she was the perfect main and so adorable and sweet. I liked the 2 leads in "Call Me Mrs. Miracle".

 

I haven't loved this years films as much but there's a few more so maybe one will really grab me.

 

I always like "Mistletoe Over Manhattan". I think I liked the two leads and thought they had great chemistry.

Edited November 15, 2015 by emjohnson03

[Aquarius]

i watched I'm Not Ready For Christmas.  It was cute.  I like Alicia Witt and I also like the actress who played her sister, whose name escapes me.  My only quibble is that the title has absolutely nothing to do with the movie.  I will never remember this movie by its title.

[TVFan17]

I watched I'm Not Ready for Christmas and I was so relieved that it was good!  I was afraid it was going to be bad.    I really liked it a lot.  I thought that Alicia Witt looked particularly pretty in this movie -- the camera seems to love her (as it also loves Candace Cameron Bure).  Alicia's song is still stuck in my head, and it is very catchy.

 

I liked the whole story of telling the truth vs. lying, all due to a bit of Christmas magic.   Some of the stuff that "Holly" was blurting out was very funny.  The little girl who played "Anna" -- Mia Bagley -- was adorable and not annoying (as some kids in these movies can be).   I thought that Maxwell Caulfield was perfectly cast as the debonair (and, it turns out, deceptive) client.  I liked the supporting cast, but Alicia was really the one carrying the movie.

 

The main weakness -- if I had to choose a weakness -- is that George Stults was so low key and laid back.  I guess he was supposed to be that way, but I wondered if another actor might have played off of Alicia a bit better.

 

In any case, a thumbs up from me!

 

Watched I'm Not Ready For Christmas and it was pretty decent. The chemistry with the leads was nice and her telling the truth was pretty funny. It bothered me that " I love you " was said before they kissed but I guess that's how Hallmark movies work.

Also, was the shady designer Maxwell Caulfield? It looked like him but he wasn't on the IMDB page. He's aged pretty well.

I still haven't made it through Charming Christmas. I like the leads but the single mom was annoying me, as was the dancer.

 

Yes, it was Maxwell.

 

So I am not the only one who was annoyed by the single mom in Charming Christmas!  I was so sick of her.  The dancer didn't bother me, but her story was very unnecessary to the movie.  I just wanted more focus on Julie Benz/Meredith and David Sutcliffe/Nick.

 

Might be a party of one here - I haven't really enjoyed any of the new productions this year - probably because I like the older non-love story movies instead - The Christmas Visitor, A Dog Named Christmas, Silver Bells, The Christmas Choir, etc. - not that the stories or acting are all that great but because there are no contrived love stories with the usual misunderstanding in the middle & the new lovers finding themselves at the altar a week after meeting

 

It's not that all of the contrived romances are great.  Some of them are really enjoyable and others fall very flat.  But, from what I have observed, most people seem to fall in one camp or the other -- they either gravitate more towards the light, frothy romances on the regular Hallmark Channel, or they gravitate towards the other movies you mentioned (which are on the Movies & Mysteries Channel).  While I like several of the movies on the Movies & Mysteries Channel, I definitely gravitate more towards the lighter fare on the Hallmark Channel.  There is a very clear "tone" present on each channel, and some people prefer the more serious, substantial tone on HMM. 

 

So, to that end, the movies that have premiered this year on the regular Hallmark Channel would probably not be to your liking, but I wonder if the ones that are coming up on HMM might be.  

 

i watched I'm Not Ready For Christmas.  It was cute.  I like Alicia Witt and I also like the actress who played her sister, whose name escapes me.  My only quibble is that the title has absolutely nothing to do with the movie.  I will never remember this movie by its title.

 

The movie was originally titled The Honesty Trip (when it was filming).  Then Hallmark changed it to The Truth About Christmas (which would have been a better choice).  And then, I guess Hallmark decided to name the movie after Alicia Witt's song since it was so prominent in the movie early on -- but you're right.  Even though I find the song to be very catchy, I'm Not Ready for Christmas doesn't really have to do with the movie.

 

Brigid Brannagh played the sister.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Sherry67

[emjohnson03]

 

 

The movie was originally titled The Honesty Trip (when it was filming).  Then Hallmark changed it to The Truth About Christmas (which would have been a better choice).  And then, I guess Hallmark decided to name the movie after Alicia Witt's song since it was so prominent in the movie early on -- but you're right.  Even though I find the song to be very catchy, I'm Not Ready for Christmas doesn't really have to do with the movie.

 

Brigid Brannagh played the sister.

Thanks for the insight! Most of the time, the title gives some insight to the move. This one not much! That second title is perfect. 

[EyewatchTV211]

Marathonrunner - Up seems to have those types of movies each year. I saw at least one description of a movie this year that doesn't focus on romance. There's a movie I loved from last year or a few years ago that I just saw will be repeating tomorrow at 9PM called Angel in the House. It's really a regular movie that has events that go through Christmas, but they keep playing it as a Christmas movie. It has big name actors in it. 

[Irlandesa]

Even there was a romance in I'm Not Ready For Christmas, I really didn't feel like that was the focus of the movie.  The romance didn't do much for me, and I love (or at least want to love) the Hallmark romances.  But the twist on how having to tell the truth ended up working well for was fun.  And I liked how much focus the family got.  There was part of me that wanted Maxwell Caulfield's character to end up with the sister whose husband is TX engaged to someone else but that's only because I found him handsome and I don't like when handsome is evil. 
 

Brigid Brannagh played the sister.

I loved her on A Crush On You.

[twoods]

Christmas Incorporated any good? I loved the actor in Best Christmas Party Ever so I want to give it a try. Poor guy seems to be in all the badly named movies. I don't like the actress because she was super annoying in 90210, but will give it a try.

[Enero]

I didn't like Christmas Incorporated. The leads were nice looking, but had no chemistry.

I didn't like how they propped up Riley as being so smart, when all of her ideas were either something anyone with half a brain would've come up with or were silly and uninspired. I know this is Hallmark so when dealing with business storylines it's not going to be terribly realistic. However, the idea surrounding the Christmas Wish bear was downright silly. I didnt see why Riley thought (and William bought into this) changing the bear from saying it was hungry or sleepy to 'granting' Christmas Wishes would inspire kids and parent to want and buy it. It's still just a talking bear which now is making promises that will never be kept.

Also, I couldn't suspend disbelief enough to believe that William would be making such a critical trip to the business and his position as CEO and wouldn't have any handlers with him, just Riley as his assistant. Riley who was not only doing assistant duties, but PR duties and top executive duties considering she was allowed to make important business decisions as if she'd been with the company for years and knew it's intricacies in and out.

I turned it off well before the conclusion so I have no idea how it ended. But I can't imagine it got much better with how dull and unrealistic the story started off.

Edited November 16, 2015 by Enero

[Marathonrunner]

Marathonrunner - Up seems to have those types of movies each year. I saw at least one description of a movie this year that doesn't focus on romance. There's a movie I loved from last year or a few years ago that I just saw will be repeating tomorrow at 9PM called Angel in the House. It's really a regular movie that has events that go through Christmas, but they keep playing it as a Christmas movie. It has big name actors in it. 

Thanks for the heads up! I saw the ad for it & it does look interesting - I like the actress (not sure of her name) - she was the mother in the About a Boy movie

[Irlandesa]

However, the idea surrounding the Christmas Wish bear was downright silly. I didnt see why Riley thought (and William bought into this) changing the bear from saying it was hungry or sleepy to 'granting' Christmas Wishes would inspire kids and parent to want and buy it. It's still just a talking bear which now is making promises that will never be kept.

Oh I can believe it'd sell if marketed correctly.  People go gaga for Christmas.  The big issue is that the solution of selling off old inventory wasn't sustainable to keeping the factory open.  And to repackage and sell everything within two weeks of Christmas was not smart.

 

And the angst of Riley V being the wrong Riley V was a silly bit of plot.  It's not like William hired her because of her CV.  He didn't see it.  He hired her because of what she said in the meeting. 

 

That said, I thought both of the leads were likable and I enjoyed the movie up until the point of angst happened.  It felt like the movie petered out after that.  (Or maybe it was I who was petering out as I watched it late last night.) 

 

None of the movies next weekend are those that I'm looking forward to but they may surprise me.  I am looking forward to several from the Thanksgiving weekend where we get one every night.

[TVFan17]

I watched Christmas Incorporated this morning.  It was okay.   It was pleasant.  It was acceptable.  It had a lot of elements that I like in my Hallmark Christmas movies, i.e., a small town, tons of Christmas decorations all over the place, kindly townsfolk who have infinite wisdom to share, a lead character who has to regain the Christmas spirit, etc.    And, let's face it -- as a red-blooded American female I will acknowledge that Steve Lund is attractive.  Hopefully he will be in more movies.

 

But, at the end of the day, it was just okay.  My immediate reaction was, "That was cute.  I don't know if I will want to watch it again, though."

 

I like strong romances at the core of these stories -- even if they start off in a comedic or combative way.  We all know that the couple -- whoever they are -- will get together by the end of the movie, but I want to enjoy their scenes together during the build-up.  I want to see chemistry and a genuine attraction.

 

I did not feel this was a strong romance.   For the bulk of this movie I did not see any chemistry between the 2 leads.  Only in the last 10 minutes did I start to see any spark, and at that point the movie was about to end.    If there had been more scenes with just the two of them interacting with each other -- not with the other townspeople -- I might have bought into the romance a bit more.  I have no idea why there was a scene of him not having his license and having to go down to the station.  That really served very little purpose.  There should have been a scene with the 2 of them driving (road trip) to the town and bickering or bonding on the way there.  There should have been some random whimsical scene of Riley challenging William to a snowball fight, or to a snow angel competition -- something to show him rediscovering the magic of Christmas.  Something other than what we saw -- which was not all that remarkable.

 

Take, for example, the movie Let It Snow, with Candace Cameron Bure and Jesse Hutch.  Neither one of them (their characters) has the Christmas spirit in the movie -- she because her dad is a grump, and he for whatever the reason (just to be surly, I guess).  However, through the course of the movie, they spend enough time together and we can see her coming around -- we can see her gleefully excited over ice fishing, and singing carols in front of a beautiful Christmas tree, and of participating in charming traditions at the lodge.  We can see him rediscovering his love of the season because he sees the joy in her face, and it's infectious, and because he is falling for her. 

 

There was none of that pure, unadulterated joy in Christmas Incorporated.  Steve Lund played a hot guy who couldn't stand Christmas because it reminded him of his grandmother.    By the end of the movie I didn't feel that he was really sold on Christmas again, but was merely tolerating it because he liked "Riley."  He went from hating Christmas merriment to being okay with it, but that was about it. 

 

I think my 2 favorites of the new Hallmark movies, so far, are  I'm Not Ready for Christmas and Ice Sculpture Christmas.

 

I don't know how I would rank the other 3 movies -- 'Tis the Season for Love, Charming Christmas and Christmas Incorporated -- at this early stage, but maybe after the remaining 12 movies have aired I will have a better idea.  There will also be 4 new movies on the Movies & Mysteries Channel too, so there are more possibilities.

[Qoass]

Calling all old people:  anybody else here remember The Gathering?  It came to TV back in the 70s.  Divorced couple Ed Asner and Maureen Stapleton reconcile for one last Christmas with all their grown children and unwrap all the parent/child issues that have kept them apart.  Made me cry like a river.

[Marathonrunner]

I'm one

 

 

Calling all old people:  anybody else here remember The Gathering?  It came to TV back in the 70s.  Divorced couple Ed Asner and Maureen Stapleton reconcile for one last Christmas with all their grown children and unwrap all the parent/child issues that have kept them apart.  Made me cry like a river.

 

 I'm one of those oldies who remember that movie - loved it

 

Also - Angel in the House that we talked about a few posts ago - what a nice movie - sort of like another one (but don't know the name) - Jennifer Garner was the mom & an interesting little boy came into the lives of her & her husband - not a Christmas movie but a good story

[Aliconehead]

Also - Angel in the House that we talked about a few posts ago - what a nice movie - sort of like another one (but don't know the name) - Jennifer Garner was the mom & an interesting little boy came into the lives of her & her husband - not a Christmas movie but a good story

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1462769/ The Odd Life of Timothy Green

[Maizie131]

Calling all old people:  anybody else here remember The Gathering?  It came to TV back in the 70s.  Divorced couple Ed Asner and Maureen Stapleton reconcile for one last Christmas with all their grown children and unwrap all the parent/child issues that have kept them apart.  Made me cry like a river.

Qoass - I'm old & I don't recall ever seeing this movie; however, after your recommendation (and Marathonrunner's) I went on Amazon and ordered it.  Wow...it really got rave reviews & I can't wait to see it!  Thanks so much. 

[StaceyNotStacie]

I wish they would spread out the movies a bit more.  I'm enjoying most of them, but it seems like the same movies are playing over and over again a few days in a row or 3-4 times during the week.  At this rate, I'm going to be sick of the last two year's movies by Thanksgiving.

[Megan]

Did anyone else watch Turkey Hollow? Kind of cute.

 

The mean farmer reminded me of the mean farmer from Tale of the Bunnies Picnic. Ludacris' narration was completely unnecessary.

[Mecca]

Did anyone else watch Turkey Hollow? Kind of cute.

 

The mean farmer reminded me of the mean farmer from Tale of the Bunnies Picnic. Ludacris' narration was completely unnecessary.

 

Maybe it's because I'm not a kid anymore, but I thought it was kind of boring.  I expected it to be more about the little monsters and instead it was all about a family bonding after a recent divorce.  It was around 45 minutes before we even got to see the creatures.  Growing up watching Henson movies like "Labyrinth", I expected more from this.  I should have known better.  This is Lifetime after all.  A channel that shows movies about rape and murder 11 months out of the year.

 

I do agree that Ludacris added nothing to the story.  Not nearly as funny as I think they were going for with him.

[twoods]

Finally watched Christmas Incorporated and actually liked it. I liked the leads, but it would have been much better if the editing wasn't so abrupt. All their cute, bonding scenes ended suddenly, and some of the scenes didn't flow at all. There should have been more romantic moments, or even singing, during the caroling scene, but it was a quick 10 second scene of the guy talking about his past while Riley was staring at him. And the scene with him visiting her family was way too quick.

I think this is when too many Hallmark movies decreases the quality of the movie- I would rather see a few great movies than 15 mediocre ones.

Was the Northpole movie any good?

[TVFan17]

I wish they would spread out the movies a bit more.  I'm enjoying most of them, but it seems like the same movies are playing over and over again a few days in a row or 3-4 times during the week.  At this rate, I'm going to be sick of the last two year's movies by Thanksgiving.

 

I see the "playing the same movies over and over" complaint come up all the time on the Hallmark Facebook pages.  Honestly, the repeats don't bother me.  In fact, they actually come in handy for me, because I cannot always watch something when it airs the first couple of times, and I don't have enough room on the DVR to record everything I want to see -- including some of the older ones from quite a while back (Eve's Christmas, for example).  If not for the repeats I would probably not be able to catch much of anything.  If something comes on that I don't want to see again, I just don't watch it.  For everything that I have seen, I know there are probably many other people who haven't seen it.

 

However, I do agree that there should be a better cycle/rotation for the movies.  There are actually a lot of movies in the line-ups on both Hallmark channels, but because certain ones get repeated in a cluster -- as you said a few days in a row -- or always at the same times of the day, it makes it seem like nothing else is airing.  Other movies somehow get relegated to middle-of-the-night status only, and people never realize they were on. 

 

So I have no problem with the number of repeats, as I think they are necessary for a marathon of this length -- with viewers entering into it at all different points -- but I think it would be good if all of the movies were repeated the exact same number of times (let's say 10 times each or whatever the number is) in 2 months, and if each movie in the line-up had a chance to air in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, in the late night hours, in the middle of the night and on a weekend.  Maybe each movie could be on a 'show this two times every 10 days' cycle or something.  There must be some way to keep the same number of repeats but level the playing field and balance it all out a bit better, so that it doesn't seem like the only movies showing are Meet the Santas and Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus!  Lol.

[emjohnson03]

I really enjoyed "The Christmas Shepard." It came out last year, the one with the German Shepard, with Teri Polo and Martin Cummings. Very enjoyable.

 

And I do agree some movies I like on repeats but they play the same rotation in a few days. They play the same ones early in the morning from the night before. There's so many that they can do more of a rotation. Some I'm like, wasn't this JUST on!

 

I have to catch NorthPole. I'm a huge When Calls the Heart fan so they were promoting it like crazy!

[StaceyNotStacie]

I loved The Christmas Shepherd. One of my favorites from last year. I didn't watch North Pole last night, but recorded it. I ended up watching The Christmas Ornament. I'm finding that I prefer the Hallmark Movie and Mysteries movies more than the Hallmark channel, especially during the week.

[TVFan17]

 I watched Northpole 2: Open for Business.  It was pretty much what I expected.   I liked it better than the first Northpole, which was not one of my favorites at all, but a little of Clementine the Elf goes a long way for me,  I think that Bailee Madison is pretty and charming -- she definitely has that glow about her and I think she will end up becoming the romantic lead in future Hallmark movies -- but there is only so much I can handle of "snow-my-gosh" and the other lingo, along with the extra, extra perky demeanor.  I would have rather had the movie maintain focus on Lori Loughlin and her aunt's inn, as well as her budding relationship with Dermot Mulroney -- with just a cameo from Clementine the Elf.   I know the movie is largely supposed to be about the Elf, but it's too much elf for me.  Plus... I don't need special effects in my Hallmark movies.  I am fine with the simple stories and just a teeny bit of Christmas magic.

 

As far as non-Hallmark holiday movies, I tried to get through 2 of UP's new movies -- Rodeo & Juliet and Christmas Trade.  To be fair, Christmas Trade was not made for UP, but I guess UP acquired it.  It was just so-so... and I found myself worrying about Denise Richards because she seemed gaunt.

 

Rodeo & Juliet is barely a Christmas movie.  You can see some extremely generic, bland garland in the background here and there, and a few other decorations, but those seemed like an afterthought.    Krista Allen is in the movie, and she used to be the bombshell "It" girl many years ago.  When I saw her I instantly thought, "She used to date George Clooney and David Spade."   But beyond that, the movie was a snoozefest for me.  Other people may like it -- especially if they like horses and cowboys and all of that -- but I was bored to tears.

 

I really enjoyed "The Christmas Shepard." It came out last year, the one with the German Shepard, with Teri Polo and Martin Cummings. Very enjoyable.

 

And I do agree some movies I like on repeats but they play the same rotation in a few days. They play the same ones early in the morning from the night before. There's so many that they can do more of a rotation. Some I'm like, wasn't this JUST on!

 

I have to catch NorthPole. I'm a huge When Calls the Heart fan so they were promoting it like crazy!

 

The Christmas Shepherd was great! That was one that I didn't expect to like, but it surprised me and surpassed my expectations.

 

I don't think it's a bad idea to repeat something once in the morning that aired the night before.  Not everyone is going to catch it when it airs the first time, nor be able to record.  At this moment, I just barely have enough room on the DVR to record The Walking Dead and Talking Dead tonight, let alone multiple movie premieres.   That's why I think every movie should be repeated the exact same number of times (even the lesser known movies, or the ones that we may not personally like), and maybe shown on a 'twice every X number of days' kind of schedule.  The problem is when the same movie seems to pop up at the same time of day for several days in a row, or just several days in a row in general, it seems like there are no other movies.  I think there could be a better balance and distribution of the repeats so they are not all clustered together in a short time span.

 

 

 

I loved The Christmas Shepherd. One of my favorites from last year. I didn't watch North Pole last night, but recorded it. I ended up watching The Christmas Ornament. I'm finding that I prefer the Hallmark Movie and Mysteries movies more than the Hallmark channel, especially during the week.

 

I love The Christmas Ornament -- it's definitely in my top 5 all-time favorite Hallmark Christmas movies.

[Irlandesa]

I think this is when too many Hallmark movies decreases the quality of the movie- I would rather see a few great movies than 15 mediocre ones.

Was the Northpole movie any good?

How many great Hallmark movies are made?  I think the last great ones were Hallmark Hall of Fame movies but even amongst those, there are only a few I watch over and over again...and those were made eons ago. 

 

As for Northpole, like Sherry, I liked this year better than last year but overall I was disappointed.  This is just not a property that speaks to me.  I think it's because one of my least favorite plot points is "Santa is real."  I can handle a hint or a wink but but anything about a real Santa (or Santa's family) or elves downgrades a movie for me if it's too significant. It's a shame because it was a waste of Lori and Dermot.

[TVFan17]

How many great Hallmark movies are made?  I think the last great ones were Hallmark Hall of Fame movies but even amongst those, there are only a few I watch over and over again...and those were made eons ago. 

 

As for Northpole, like Sherry, I liked this year better than last year but overall I was disappointed.  This is just not a property that speaks to me.  I think it's because one of my least favorite plot points is "Santa is real."  I can handle a hint or a wink but but anything about a real Santa (or Santa's family) or elves downgrades a movie for me if it's too significant. It's a shame because it was a waste of Lori and Dermot.

 

That's a very good way of putting it, Irlandesa -- Northpole is not a property that speaks to you.  That about sums it up.  It doesn't speak to me either, and I usually don't even mind most of the "Santa is real" kinds of stories (with some exceptions)!  Lol.   Even when it comes to Santa's role in Northpole, I found myself wondering, "WelI, why is this year's Santa different than last year's Santa?  There should only be one Santa in this world, and now it's a different actor so I don't buy him as Santa."  Lol.

 

I just can't get into the Northpole stories in general, even though this sequel was definitely better than the original.  Again, a quick cameo by Clementine the Elf would have been fine, but too much of her in the movie detracted from the Lori Loughin and Dermot Mulroney romance.  As you said, it was a waste of Lori and Dermot, just as the prime pairing of Julie Benz and David Sutcliffe was wasted in Charming Christmas by other sub-stories that were not interesting.

 

I suspect we have probably seen the last of Northpole for a while, even though it likely got good ratings.  I have not read anything about a 3rd movie, and the second one was already in the works before the first movie aired.   I may be wrong about no more sequels for right now, but because Bailee Madison is growing so fast she won't be able to play a young teen elf for much longer.  Maybe Hallmark will revisit Northpole in the future with Clementine being a grown adult elf, falling in love.

 

We're now 6 movies into this year's Hallmark Christmas-palooza, and after tonight's new movie (Merry Matrimony) there will still be 10 more new movies to go, 5 of which are coming up in just this next week alone (nightly, from Wed., 11/25 - Sun., 11/29).

 

Usually by this point in the Countdown to Christmas of previous years there has been something that really jumped out at me... a movie that I instantly loved, if not more than one movie.  Last year by this time, Nine Lives of Christmas had already aired, and so I greeted the remaining new movies with hope and anticipation because that one movie was so good.  Two years ago at this time, I had already discovered the charming Snow Bride, so I was much more receptive to whatever was coming up (and it turned out that 2013 was a strong year for the new movies) because I loved it so much.

 

However, this year, so far, while I quite enjoyed Ice Sculpture Christmas and I'm Not Ready for Christmas, nothing has jumped out at me and made me instantly say, without hesitation, I LOVE that movie!"  In each case I have had to think about it and assess how much I really liked the movie after it was over -- or try to establish what I liked and didn't like about it.  There have not been any true 'breakout movies' in the bunch just yet -- for me.   This is not a good sign of things to come.   There have also not been any that I flat out disliked upon first viewing (like last year's Mr. Miracle).   Everything is just sort of so-so, or good but not that memorable.   I am hoping that this cluster of 5 new movies from Wednesday through next Sunday will yield some treasures.  I am hoping that the Paul Campbell movie and the Katrina Law movie will be good.

 

Otherwise... at least a few of the new Lifetime Christmas movies look like they could be good.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Sherry67

[Chas411]

How was merry matrimony? I liked the female lead from her days in 90210.

[Irlandesa]

I suspect we have probably seen the last of Northpole for a while, even though it likely got good ratings.

You may be right but given how gung ho Hallmark was about this series last year (like you said, having a sequel in the works and even advertising it after the first movie) it seemed like they really wanted to make this an annual event. I'm surprised if it's not.

Usually by this point in the Countdown to Christmas of previous years there has been something that really jumped out at me... a movie that I instantly loved, if not more than one movie.  Last year by this time, Nine Lives of Christmas had already aired, and so I greeted the remaining new movies with hope and anticipation because that one movie was so good.  Two years ago at this time, I had already discovered the charming Snow Bride, so I was much more receptive to whatever was coming up (and it turned out that 2013 was a strong year for the new movies) because I loved it so much.

Maybe I'm a curmudgeon because that's not usually the case with me.  I do remember Nine Lives of Christmas but that's about the only one from last year, I think.  I also think I need to rewatch Snow Bride. I should look for it.  I remember watching it but not loving it quite to the extent that you do.  And Linda Holmes (a.k.a. Miss Alli from TWoP) name checked it recently as well.  I think I should give it another shot. 

 

I do think I liked Ice Sculpture Christmas more than others.  It's a movie I would sit and watch again if circumstances happened where it was prudent.

 

I am hoping that this cluster of 5 new movies from Wednesday through next Sunday will yield some treasures.  I am hoping that the Paul Campbell movie and the Katrina Law movie will be good.

 

 I do think Hallmark has a few good movies each year, even if they don't become favorites.  And then there are some good ways to pass the time movies.  I don't think reducine the number of movies would mean we'd get more great movies. I just think we'd have the few good movies, at best, and not the good-ways-to-pass-the-time.  Honestly, even if a movie is forgettable, I will take good-ways-to-pass-the-time movies because they are comfort food.

 

And I honestly think Hallmark tries to strategically schedule some of its best movies.  The kick off movie, like Nine Lives, can sometimes be where they put their best movie of the season.  Or it can happen later on, after Thanksgiving, as the holidays ramp up.

But I really suspect we're going to get some good ones over Thanksgiving weekend.  They're bringing out some of their heavy hitting regulars, like Candace Cameron Bure, and a continuation of their "royal" movies, which I always enjoy more than I anticipate.  It looks like they want to make this a thing.

 

How was merry matrimony? I liked the female lead from her days in 90210.

It airs tonight, along with Murder She Baked on HMM.  I likely won't get to see either tonight so I look forward to hearing what people think.

[TVFan17]

You may be right but given how gung ho Hallmark was about this series last year (like you said, having a sequel in the works and even advertising it after the first movie) it seemed like they really wanted to make this an annual event. I'm surprised if it's not.

Maybe I'm a curmudgeon because that's not usually the case with me.  I do remember Nine Lives of Christmas but that's about the only one from last year, I think.  I also think I need to rewatch Snow Bride. I should look for it.  I remember watching it but not loving it quite to the extent that you do.  And Linda Holmes (a.k.a. Miss Alli from TWoP) name checked it recently as well.  I think I should give it another shot. 

 

I do think I liked Ice Sculpture Christmas more than others.  It's a movie I would sit and watch again if circumstances happened where it was prudent.

 

 I do think Hallmark has a few good movies each year, even if they don't become favorites.  And then there are some good ways to pass the time movies.  I don't think reducine the number of movies would mean we'd get more great movies. I just think we'd have the few good movies, at best, and not the good-ways-to-pass-the-time.  Honestly, even if a movie is forgettable, I will take good-ways-to-pass-the-time movies because they are comfort food.

 

And I honestly think Hallmark tries to strategically schedule some of its best movies.  The kick off movie, like Nine Lives, can sometimes be where they put their best movie of the season.  Or it can happen later on, after Thanksgiving, as the holidays ramp up.

But I really suspect we're going to get some good ones over Thanksgiving weekend.  They're bringing out some of their heavy hitting regulars, like Candace Cameron Bure, and a continuation of their "royal" movies, which I always enjoy more than I anticipate.  It looks like they want to make this a thing.

 

It airs tonight, along with Murder She Baked on HMM.  I likely won't get to see either tonight so I look forward to hearing what people think.

 

I hope they give Northpole a break for a while.  I know that Hallmark had a higher budget for the Northpole movies, which is probably how they could afford Dermot Mulroney.  Not that Dermot is Brad Pitt or Bradley Cooper in terms of major A-List star power, but I suspect that whatever Hallmark usually pays for their regular movies would probably not be sufficient for most established, longtime film and TV actors.  Same thing with the Hallmark Hall of Fame movies -- they can afford more well-known actors for those roles.

 

It's funny that you mentioned that Hallmark was bringing out some of the heavy hitters during their 5-night movie premiere extravaganza this week.   I thought the same thing.  I wonder how many people will actually tune in on Thanksgiving night, or even the night before.  I would expect most people to be busy.

 

I, too, don't think that fewer movies would necessarily mean better scripts.  I think we would just end up with a few mediocre movies instead of a lot of them.  I don't want Hallmark to get to the point where the number of new movies each year ends up pushing out the older favorites, but I also don't think they can't go backwards now that they have raised the bar for themselves by airing 17 new movies.  Now that they have gone up to 17, they can't suddenly go back to 12 new movies, I fear.

 

Yes -- as you say, these movies are like comfort food.  They're not complex, plot-twisting, Emmy award-caliber endeavors.  Some of them are much better than others, but they basically provide a nice, running backdrop for the holiday season, and a good way to pass the time to stay in holiday mode.

[Irlandesa]

It's funny that you mentioned that Hallmark was bringing out some of the heavy hitters during their 5-night movie premiere extravaganza this week.   I thought the same thing.  I wonder how many people will actually tune in on Thanksgiving night, or even the night before.  I would expect most people to be busy.

It'll be interesting to see the ratings.  The movies are family friendly so I could see it landing on the TV that isn't showing football.  And what could be better after black Friday shopping?

 

I know I'll be watching.

[twoods]

I couldn't even last 20 minutes of Merry Matrimony- it was terrible. The leads and storyline didn't interest me. Maybe others enjoyed it?

[Qoass]

I can't believe I watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas last night.  It's not even Thanksgiving!

[ABay]

It will be on again at least once: 12/2. 

[TVFan17]

I couldn't even last 20 minutes of Merry Matrimony- it was terrible. The leads and storyline didn't interest me. Maybe others enjoyed it?

 I had read comments from people on the Hallmark Channel Facebook page prior to watching Merry Matrimony myself.  Some people said that it was really good, and others said it was bad, with bad acting.  Sometimes I discount the grumpy people on Facebook when they complain, because it often seems like people on that page love to complain about every little thing, as though they are expecting a different kind of movie than what should be expected from Hallmark  -- and sometimes it may mean that they complain about a movie I love.  For example, if Snow Bride, The Christmas Ornament, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, A Very Merry Mix-Up, Let It Snow or any of my other favorites were to debut this year, I'm pretty sure that the Facebook complainers would be out in full force.

 

On the flip side, other people seem to love certain Hallmark movies that I don't care that much about, so I can't necessarily trust the good reviews either.

 

To that end, I went into Merry Matrimony unsure of what to expect.  And even now, after I have seen it, I am not sure what I think of it.  I know that I didn't love it, but I can't tell if this is a movie I will enjoy more with future viewings or not.  And I'm not sure if I liked it.  I think I liked it a little bit.  I didn't hate it.

 

Here's what I liked about the movie -- I liked the very end, with the montage of photos.  I thought that was clever, as the lead guy ("Eddie") was a photographer.  I also liked that the photos showed everyone interacting, including "Brie's" assistant and the guy that Brie was originally supposed to be dating ("Jared"), apparently chatting and possibly making a love connection (which was nice, as they were both good people).

 

I thought that the guy who played Eddie (Christopher Russell) was acceptable.  He had also been in Midnight Masquerade, so he delivered what I expected from him.  I would fully expect him to pop up in more Hallmark movies down the road.

 

 

Here's what I didn't like about the movie -- Brie (as played by Jessica Lowndes) was supposed to be "The Christmas Queen" (2 different people called her that) and yet I never sensed a true excitement for the season coming from her.  Many times the characters in these movies have lost their Christmas spirit and need to get it back.  She was supposedly already there -- in full Christmas mode -- and while there were decorations here and there, and she admitted to listening to Christmas music, I didn't sense that the character really loved Christmas enough to be called The Christmas Queen.

 

Jessica, at times, seemed to not be enunciating or something, as many of her sentences got mushed up and I couldn't make out the words at times.  She has a soft voice, so that could be part of the issue.  One person on Facebook criticized her acting.  I don't think her acting is the best, of course, but it didn't seem so far off base and bad that it couldn't be honed with a few more TV movies.  She has a very laid back delivery -- she is not overly perky, nor particularly sullen -- so it's hard to tell if she is happy or sad.

 

I think the chemistry between the 2 leads was merely okay, but not up to the level of chemistry that has been seen in a couple of other Hallmark movies in recent years.  Needless to say, the "big misunderstanding" that pops up towards the end is a typical plot device in TV shows and movies -- one which could easily be remedied by a simple question and answer -- but I guess I expect that too.

 

In any case, this movie did not have any Christmas magic or mischievous Santas -- it was a pretty simple plot (other than the implausibility of being able to pull off photo shoots and weddings at the drop of a hat) -- but it had to rely on the charisma of the two leads and their connection/chemistry, and I'm not sure if the charisma or the connection were all that strong.

 

Nitpicky things -- In these Hallmark movies, I always get a kick out of it when someone brings someone else a cup of coffee that they just bought (like from Starbucks or wherever) and the cup is so obviously empty.  You can tell by the weight of the cups when they are being handed off that there is nothing in them, not to mention the fact that the actor doesn't swallow after taking a supposed sip from the cup.  And I enjoy it when there is an eating scene, and it's obvious that an actor is not really chewing or eating, but simply pretending to take a bite or just moving a tiny bite around in his or her mouth without swallowing.  Sometimes the actors are actually eating, but sometimes they are clearly not.

 

Also, that pizza that they eat in the carriage ride looks terrible -- like cardboard.

 

The next new Hallmark movie is Wednesday -- Once Upon a Holiday -- and if Paul Campbell is once again being the funny guy (usually a character who is creative, struggling financially, and is very endearing), then that will be at least one good thing about the movie.  But hopefully there will be more good things about the movie too.

[KLovestoShop]

Did not like Christmas Incorporated at all, not because of the story, but because of the actress playing Reilly. Her little girl voice and vocal fry just grated on my last nerve. But I guess I need to get used to it because this younger generation of women seem to all have that vocal inflection. But it still drives me nuts.

[Dirtybubble]

sorry wrong thread

 

Edited November 24, 2015 by Dirtybubble

[TVFan17]

Here is an interesting article from today's Los Angeles Times, all about the success of holiday movies, specials and other programming across various channels -- including Hallmark (look at the chart with the graphic of Hallmark's viewership during non-holiday times as opposed to holiday times) -- http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-holiday-tv-movies-20151124-story.html.

 

So it sounds like Hallmark is aiming for a whopping 28 new movies by 2018.  I think that means 28 new movies between the 2 Hallmark Channels, and not just concentrated on one channel.  This year there are 21 new movies between the 2 Hallmark Channels, and really there are 22 new movies if you count the When Calls the Heart New Year's special/segue into Season 3 that airs on December 26th.  I wonder if that means that next year they will go up to, perhaps, 23 new movies distributed between the 2 channels, and then in 2017 they might hit 25??

 

While 2018 is really not that far away (especially given how quickly time seems to fly), it is far enough away that I wonder if 28 new movies might be too lofty of a goal.  I think there can and will eventually be a saturation point for some loyal viewers -- a point at which they say, "This is too much.  I'm bored."  There are already thousands of complainers about the Countdown to Christmas in its current format.   

 

Plus, the fact that there are 2 Hallmark Channels to deal with means that more of the "older" movies from the Hallmark Channel will movie over to HMM, and more new movies will be created for HMM that people who only have the regular Hallmark Channel will not be able to see.  That HMM exclusivity will lure some new viewers in, but will also turn some off.

 

Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens after this year, and how much the other channels step up their Christmas movie game.  The article didn't even acknowledge ION, and ION has definitely stepped up its Christmas movie game in the last 2 or 3 years.

Edited November 24, 2015 by Sherry67

[Irlandesa]

I know there are people who don't like the marathons but as long as there are people to replace them and watch the marathon, those whiners are just shouting into an echo chamber.  I looked at the Sunday/weekend cable ratings and the new movies are now hitting over 3 million viewers. Many of the others also appeared on the ratings list and beat out some original programming on other channels.

 

I saw Merry Christmas while I was doing other things.  It felt like a two hour commercial.  What I mean by that is there are a lot of commercials on these days that try to tell a story in 30 to 60 seconds.  One acknowledges that's what they're doing but one is likely not moved very much by the story in the commercials. (Unlike the Nescafe ads from years back.)  This movie felt like a two hour version of a commercial where the story was so very slight.  Basically, it was so boring that I can't even care enough about it to hate it.

 

Murder She Baked, on the other hand, may be my favorite movie of the lot (hee-a pun related to the movie) so far. It looked like Christmas.  Those cookies were appealing.  And while the mystery was a bit Murder She Wrote-ish in how the movie doesn't reveal the full motive until towards the end, it was still fun to investigate with Hannah. Plus, there's real romantic chemistry in this movie.  While I prefer the chemistry she has with Mike, it's not exactly non-existant with Norman.  Maybe it's because both Alison and Cameron made their careers in soaps where chemistry with co-stars is usually the difference between sinking and swimming.   Or maybe it's just the luxury of letting the romances breathe because there are multiple movies over which to tell the story.  The Signed, Sealed, Delivered and even The Gourmet Detective movies have better than average chemistry between love interests.

[TVFan17]

Irlandesa -- I gave my main commentary on Merry Matrimony on the previous page, but the more I think about it the less I need to see it again.  It was kind of boring, as you said, except for the photo montage at the end, which I liked.  I forgot to mention in my comments from yesterday that "Jared" was never a formidable rival for "Brie's" affection.  She treated him as a platonic friend from beginning.  He was never going to give "Eddie" any competition.

 

I also forgot to mention that the same person who wrote Merry Matrimony also wrote or co-wrote Christmas Land, which is the final new movie on Hallmark on December 20th.  I don't know what that tells us, but I'm just puttin' it out there!  Lol.

[twoods]

I liked Once Upon A Holiday the best out of the batch this year (maybe tied with Ice Sculpture), probably solely on how awesome Paul Campbell is. The actress took a bit to get used to but I liked her in the end. I liked the way the movie flowed, but thought their three day love thing was a bit too quick. It felt rushed by the end like all Hallmark movies, but I will watch it again.

I may skip a Christmas Detour this year. I just don't find the tired trope about someone leaving their fiancé for a stranger they've connected to for a few days very appealing. My favorite movies have been two leads who are single and end up liking each other. I don't like to see significant others screwed over.