Hallmark Movies: Small Town Royalty Magically Celebrating Rekindled Love! - General Discussion

[kirinan]

I finally watched Love by Chance. Other than the manufactured drama over telling the daughter the meeting was instigated by the mother, and the mother's extremely over-the-top meddling, I really enjoyed it. Liked the dad (who I recognize from Stargate SG-1), the bakery partner, and I really liked both leads. I thought they had a lot of chemistry.

And it confirms for me that I like the slightly older hero and heroines. Beau Garrett is 34 and Benjamin Ayres is 39. I honestly think this is a reason that some of the movies fall flat for me--I just can't identify with the younger actors anymore. I've found the same thing with books. 

<sob> I'm old. Next thing you know, I'll be writing to Hallmark demanding romances with Angela Lansbury and Betty White as the leads. :) (Although I do love both ladies.)

ETA: I'm 2 for 2! I discovered two weeks ago that we now have Hallmark Mysteries & Movies (and best of all, we don't have to pay extra for it). I'll be able to see and hopefully catch up on my Signed, Sealed & Delivered, yay! Anyway, I just watched a movie I DVR'd last week, Hello, It's Me, with Kellie Martin and Kavan Smith (who I loved in Eureka). I really liked this movie! The two of them were so good together, and the kids didn't annoy me. So two good movies in one day. Thank you, Hallmark. Keep it up!

Edited May 7, 2016 by kirinan

[TVFan17]

10 hours ago, kirinan said:

I finally watched Love by Chance. Other than the manufactured drama over telling the daughter the meeting was instigated by the mother, and the mother's extremely over-the-top meddling, I really enjoyed it. Liked the dad (who I recognize from Stargate SG-1), the bakery partner, and I really liked both leads. I thought they had a lot of chemistry.

And it confirms for me that I like the slightly older hero and heroines. Beau Garrett is 34 and Benjamin Ayres is 39. I honestly think this is a reason that some of the movies fall flat for me--I just can't identify with the younger actors anymore. I've found the same thing with books. 

<sob> I'm old. Next thing you know, I'll be writing to Hallmark demanding romances with Angela Lansbury and Betty White as the leads. :) (Although I do love both ladies.)

ETA: I'm 2 for 2! I discovered two weeks ago that we now have Hallmark Mysteries & Movies (and best of all, we don't have to pay extra for it). I'll be able to see and hopefully catch up on my Signed, Sealed & Delivered, yay! Anyway, I just watched a movie I DVR'd last week, Hello, It's Me, with Kellie Martin and Kavan Smith (who I loved in Eureka). I really liked this movie! The two of them were so good together, and the kids didn't annoy me. So two good movies in one day. Thank you, Hallmark. Keep it up!

 

Lol.  I love me some Betty White, so if she wants to pair up with Jonathan Scarfe or Paul Greene in a breezy rom-com, I might be okay with it!

Hello, It's Me is a very good movie.  I like Kellie in these Hallmark movies anyway, and she and Kavan (who will next be seen in Wedding Bells) were believable and enjoyable together.  Her movie The Christmas Ornament is one of my all-time favorite Hallmark movies, so I thought that Hello, It's Me was kind of like a cross between that one and the feature film Frequency (with Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel).

Next Saturday begins our 7-week stretch of new Saturday night movies on the main Hallmark Channel (maybe 8 weeks, if Christmas in July gets going early).  It has been a dead zone without new movies.   Next Sunday is the Jennie Garth/Dan Payne movie on HMM, A Time to Dance.

I am really looking forward to The Convenient Groom, with Vanessa Marcil and David Sutcliffe, in June.  I love David Sutcliffe anyway, and just as was the case with David and Julie Benz in Charming Christmas, I think that he and Vanessa have the potential for good chemistry.

 

Charming Christmas went awry in some places (too many other stories distracting from David and Julie Benz together), and I hope that this one with Vanessa Marcil won't be the same type of thing.  Vanessa -- who was at one time connected to Prince -- was shooting the movie when Prince passed away.  That couldn't have been easy to hear about right in the middle of trying to shoot a happy, upbeat romantic comedy.

Meanwhile... Lacey Chabert is doing everything she can to hide her belly for the upcoming Christmas movie...

Edited May 8, 2016 by Sherry67
Typo... as always...

[Jaded]

Today on HMM they aired Beverly Lewis's The Confession and The Reckoning. I hadn't seen either and have never seen the first movie The Shunning so I won't comment on it.

The Confession wasn't too bad even though I found the ending confusing about how exactly the Mom finally realized who her daughter actually was. I wish I could say the same for The Reckoning which barely kept my attention to the point I found myself looking online to see if anyone else found it to be as bad I did. The same actress who played Katie in the 2nd movie came back for The Reckoning but just about everyone else had been recast and the two male leads didn't seem like they were trying that much. They also recast the house and the new one for this movie was smaller and looked completely different from the one shown previously. I missed a bit of The Reckoning near the beginning so I'm not sure if the different house was explained at all or if we were supposed to believe it was the house from before. The last movie just seemed like one of the Hallmark movies that are shown now that aren't based on any book and just have a general storyline.

I meant to comment not long after it aired but completely forgot until coming back to this thread today. I didn't like the second Flower Shop Mystery movie as much as I did the first one. 

[Jaded]

On 5/7/2016 at 0:37 PM, kirinan said:

Anyway, I just watched a movie I DVR'd last week, Hello, It's Me, with Kellie Martin and Kavan Smith (who I loved in Eureka). I really liked this movie! The two of them were so good together, and the kids didn't annoy me. So two good movies in one day. Thank you, Hallmark. Keep it up!

I just got done watching this one on HMM and really liked it too. I thought another Hallmark movie might come on after it but it was yet another airing of Cast Away. They must still get decent ratings each time it's shown because it seems like it's on a lot.

[TVFan17]

They don't mention the specific dates (I don't see why it wouldn't be July 1st through July 10th, which would be the usual sort of schedule), but... it's coming!

http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/christmas-keepsake/videos

[kirinan]

Speaking of Betty White (as I did a few posts ago), on Sunday May 15 at 3 p.m. eastern, The Lost Valentine is on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. If you haven't seen it, it's a lovely movie that made me cry for something like half an hour afterward. A reporter, played by Jennifer Love Hewitt, investigates what happened to Betty's husband, a WWII pilot who never came back from the war. A lot of well-done flashbacks to Betty and her husband, and as a big surprise to someone who is NOT a Jennifer Love Hewitt fan (aka me), I even liked her in it. Highly, highly recommended if you feel like going through a couple of hankies next weekend.  

[Irlandesa]

Hello, It's Me was surprisingly good. I remember when it first came out and didn't have high hopes for it because it was clearly a PS I Love You knockoff but the chem between the leads worked.

And OMG, The Lost Valentine really got me at the end.  I don't cry but I was teary. 

[TVFan17]

I am really beginning to wonder what is going on with Hallmark (behind the scenes) that they change things (schedules, dates, titles) sooooo often.  I mean, I'm not talking about one random title or one random date changing after it has been announced.  That would  be a fluke.    These types of changes are happening all the time now, after they have been announced, promoted, publicized, etc.  They will say "4 new movies in April," which suddenly turns into 3.  They will say "such and such movie is premiering on the Hallmark Channel," and it actually ends up premiering on HMM.

We were supposed to be getting 7 new movies over 7 consecutive Saturdays starting on May 14th.  Hallmark apparently decided that May 28th (part of Memorial Day weekend) was not a good day to premiere anything.  So, Ms. Matched has been moved to the following Saturday, and Wedding Bells has been moved to a Friday.

 

This is the new line-up for the movie premieres on the Hallmark Channel:

 

Saturday, May 14th -- Tulips in Spring (Lucas Bryant, Fiona Gubelmann, Giles Panton)

Saturday, May 21st - Date with Love (Andrew Walker, Shenae Grimes-Beech, Bailee Madison)

 

Friday, June 3rd - Wedding Bells (Danica McKellar, Kavan Smith, Christopher Russell, Tammy Gillis)

Saturday, June 4th - Ms. Matched (Alexa PenaVega, Shawn Roberts)

Saturday, June 11th - Stop the Wedding (Rachel Boston, Niall Matter, Alan Thicke, Teryl Rothery)

Saturday, June 18th -- The Convenient Groom (Vanessa Marcil and David Sutcliffe)

Saturday, June 25th -- The Wedding March (Jack Wagner and Josie Bissett)

 

Here is more info -- http://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2016/05/programming-change-alert-june-weddings-2016-hallmark-channel.html

 

Upcoming new movies on the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel (always subject to change!):

 

Sunday, May 15th -- Karen Kingsbury's A Time to Dance (Jennie Garth and Dan Payne)

 

Sunday, June 5th -- Garage Sale Mystery: The Novel Murders (Lori Loughlin)

Sunday, June 12th -- An Aurora Teagarden Mystery: Three Bedrooms, One Corpse (Candace Cameron Bure)

Sunday, June 19th -- Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe (Alison Sweeney)

Sunday, June 26th -- Flower Shop Mystery: Dearly Depotted (Brooke Shields)

Edited May 10, 2016 by Sherry67

[In2You]

Alexa VegaPena is looking so rough in those new Ms. Matched promo pics. She looks  about 42 years old there I know she's still in her 20s. I watched her act since she was a little kid.

[TVFan17]

56 minutes ago, In2You said:

Alexa VegaPena is looking so rough in those new Ms. Matched promo pics. She looks  about 42 years old there I know she's still in her 20s. I watched her act since she was a little kid.

It's funny you mentioned that.  I did not look up her age, but I was thinking that in the media photos she looked a bit older than I assumed she was.  She's an attractive woman -- and based on how she came across when she was on Dancing with the Stars, she seems like a sweet, nice, positive person as well -- but I don't think those promo pics do her justice. 

[Almost 3000]

Is there a way to watch HMMC movies if you don't have the channel? Neither Amazon nor Hallmark has them for purchase and the new ones don't come up on Hulu. Does HMMC show up for free sometimes like Hallmark and some of the other premium stations do? Thx!

[TVFan17]

18 hours ago, Almost 3000 said:

Is there a way to watch HMMC movies if you don't have the channel? Neither Amazon nor Hallmark has them for purchase and the new ones don't come up on Hulu. Does HMMC show up for free sometimes like Hallmark and some of the other premium stations do? Thx!

I don't know of any official, ongoing way to watch the HMM movies without having the channel, but I have heard of a lot of people getting free previews for a limited time.  In fact, Karen Kingsbury (whose story, A Time to Dance, is premiering on HMM this weekend) suggested to people that they ask their providers for a free preview.   I don't know how well it will go over, but you can try!

[TVFan17]

It's going to take Net at It's a Wonderful Movie some time to compile her blog about this (which I suspect she is working on right this second), so I will share the news here, via The Futon Critic...

Gold Crown Christmas Week begins on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries on July 1st, and ends on July 10th.

Christmas Keepsake Week on the main Hallmark Channel begins on July 8th and ends on July 17th.

This schedule is different from what they have done the past couple of years.  Ordinarily they run the 10-day marathons simultaneously, on both channels.  This year they are staggering them.

I was totally and completely wrong in my hunch about Lacey and Paul's movie being the one to premiere during this event, but there is a new movie coming.

Here is the full press release --

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2016/05/13/crown-media-family-networks-gifts-viewers-with-an-early-christmas-97201/20160513hallmark01/#GrybZSOJbuMqorxZ.99

[twoods]

I couldn't last 30 minutes with Tulips in Spring. It was boring and the leads had no chemistry. The actress was decent and reminded me of Brittany Snow, but I kept web browsing and decided to watch some old episodes of Psych instead, which was way more entertaining. And next week's episode is the prom one? Sigh...

[TVFan17]

1 hour ago, twoods said:

I couldn't last 30 minutes with Tulips in Spring. It was boring and the leads had no chemistry. The actress was decent and reminded me of Brittany Snow, but I kept web browsing and decided to watch some old episodes of Psych instead, which was way more entertaining. And next week's episode is the prom one? Sigh...

Oh dear.  Well, normally I don't care much for weddings or wedding movies, but I am kind of looking forward to getting beyond May and on to the June Weddings movies.  I am holding out hope for the Jack Wagner-Josie Bissett movie, and the Vanessa Marcil-David Sutcliffe movie.  They had better not let me down!

I wanted to watch Tulips in Spring tonight, but am recording it instead.  I'll watch it in the morning.  I had semi-high hopes for Tulips in Spring because it was written by the same person (Tracy Andreen) who wrote Snow Bride, Ice Sculpture Christmas, and also that Spirit of Christmas movie that was on Lifetime last year (the one with the hot ghost).  I thought it might be a bit better than some others.  Also... pretty flowers!  Lol.  I didn't think I would completely love it, but I hoped I would at least think it was pretty decent.  Now I am really curious to watch it.  When the leads have no chemistry of any kind, that is a problem because it's hard to then buy into them getting together in the movie, and feel invested in it in any way.

Yep -- next Saturday is Date with Love, with Hallmark darlings Shenae Grimes-Beech, Bailee Madison and Andrew Walker.  I don't see Shenae and Andrew as having great chemistry, for some reason.  I could be wrong.  I'll keep an open mind but I won't expect much. 

[TVFan17]

I watched Tulips in Spring this morning.   I think that they should have stuck with the original title of the movie, which was Tulips for Rose -- that title is actually relevant to the story.  Tulips in Spring is an obvious attempt to make this a spring movie so that it can fit in with Spring Fling... which is funny, because Spring Fling was last month and not this month!

Fun detail I noticed -- lead actress and tulip whisperer Rose (played by Fiona Gubelmann) lives in Los Angeles, where she is working on a big project in the Tannenhill house while the Tannenhills are out of the country.  Snow Bride takes place in L.A. (or at least part of it does), where Greta (Katrina Law) is working on a tabloid story about the Tannenhill family!  The teleplays for Snow Bride and Tulips in Spring were written by Tracy Andreen.  Coincidence?  I think not.  I think we are to assume that the L.A. world in each movie is the same, and the Tannenhills are very prominent in that version of Los Angeles.

As to the story -- this was not a romantic comedy.  It was more a romantic drama, but not in a heavy, tear-jerking way.  I thought that Rose/Fiona Gubelmann was fine in the role -- she did the best she could do.  She was not bad at all.  I can assume that Hallmark will probably put her in something again, because she has that fresh-faced appeal and spunky sort of personality that works well in these movies. 

The parents were fine as well.  I liked that Rose's boyfriend in L.A. was not a jerk, or intentionally obnoxious.  They were not a good fit, but there was not really anything wrong with him, per se, and they parted on good terms (we will be seeing more of him -- Giles Panton -- in Bad Date Chronicles, sometime in the near future).

Tom, played by Lucas Bryant, was okay too.  He fulfilled his role as the handsome broker.   But I agree with twoods in that I didn't pick up on a lot of chemistry between the characters of Tom and Rose -- not in the way we have seen from the occasional Hallmark couple that really does have legitimate chemistry (Katrina Law/Jordan Belfi, Andrew Walker/Arielle Kebbel, Lacey Chabert/Brennan Elliott, Alison Sweeney/Jonathan Scarfe).  I didn't get the sense that Lucas Bryant and Fiona Gubelmann hated each other or anything, but I also just didn't get the sense that they were meant to be together and wildly attracted to each other.

One of my pet peeves in these movies is when people are holding supposedly full cups of scalding liquid (coffee or tea), and just wildly waving them around, tipping them as they move their arms, etc.  It is so obvious that these cups are empty, and then I wonder why the cups are even there.  Why do we need to see them pretending to drink coffee or tea?  There was one of those scenes in this movie, where Rose is carelessly waving her cup of supposedly hot tea all around.

The flowers did not disappoint -- they were lovely and the scenery was glorious.  The 'will the tulips be ready in time to be judged after that evil tulip saboteur tried to ruin them' story was a bit thin, but it is what it is.  I expected it.  At least we got to see the outcome and result of the competition, unlike in Ice Sculpture Christmas!

Tulips in Spring was, for the most part, okay.  A bit slow in pace.  Not bad.  Not great.  It's not anything that would make me recoil in horror if I saw it on TV, but I would not make a point to sit and watch it every time it's on.

Edited May 15, 2016 by Sherry67

[In2You]

10 hours ago, twoods said:

I couldn't last 30 minutes with Tulips in Spring. It was boring and the leads had no chemistry. The actress was decent and reminded me of Brittany Snow, but I kept web browsing and decided to watch some old episodes of Psych instead, which was way more entertaining. And next week's episode is the prom one? Sigh...

Most of the movies this year have been boring. They should probably produce less and concentrate on making good ones. They've been going for quantity over quality. 

[EyewatchTV211]

48 minutes ago, Sherry67 said:

The flowers did not disappoint -- they were lovely and the scenery was glorious.  The 'will the tulips be ready in time to be judged after that evil tulip saboteur tried to ruin them' story was a bit thin, but it is what it is.  I expected it.  At least we got to see the outcome and result of the competition, unlike in Ice Sculpture Christmas!

Tulips in Spring was, for the most part, okay.  A bit slow in pace.  Not bad.  Not great.  It's not anything that would make me recoil in horror if I saw it on TV, but I would not make a point to sit and watch it every time it's on.

The movie was slightly better than I expected, because the commercials made it look super boring and like there was no storyline. It ended up being a bit better than that, but I agree mostly just a pleasant movie. Which is too bad, because I love Lucas Bryant. Even though the story was a little thin, I appreciated that as the drama instead of some relationship misunderstanding drama. So that was actually a breath of fresh air with the movie.

[TVFan17]

26 minutes ago, VMepicgrl said:

The movie was slightly better than I expected, because the commercials made it look super boring and like there was no storyline. It ended up being a bit better than that, but I agree mostly just a pleasant movie. Which is too bad, because I love Lucas Bryant. Even though the story was a little thin, I appreciated that as the drama instead of some relationship misunderstanding drama. So that was actually a breath of fresh air with the movie.

Oh, you know, that's an excellent point.  I hadn't even thought about the fact that there was no Big Misunderstanding between the two lovebirds, until I read your post!  You're right -- it's good that they avoided that plot device for a change, as well as avoided making her original boyfriend jerky.

The big dilemma was the tulip sabotage -- I think that's a new one for these movies!

[EyewatchTV211]

8 minutes ago, Sherry67 said:

Oh, you know, that's an excellent point.  I hadn't even thought about the fact that there was no Big Misunderstanding between the two lovebirds, until I read your post!  You're right -- it's good that they avoided that plot device for a change, as well as avoided making her original boyfriend jerky.

The big dilemma was the tulip sabotage -- I think that's a new one for these movies!

They totally could have done it, too. They could have had her suspecting Tom of being the one to help with the sabotage. But they avoided that and kept him as supportive of the family's goals, and I appreciated it. I kept waiting for the misunderstanding to happen since it's in ALMOST EVERY movie. So I was happy that it never did, which added a few bonus points in the movie's favor. 

[Misslindsey]

Quote

The movie was slightly better than I expected, because the commercials made it look super boring and like there was no storyline. It ended up being a bit better than that, but I agree mostly just a pleasant movie. Which is too bad, because I love Lucas Bryant. Even though the story was a little thin, I appreciated that as the drama instead of some relationship misunderstanding drama. So that was actually a breath of fresh air with the movie.

I concur. I like Lucas Bryant so I was going to tune in (unless he was paired up with Shenae Grimes-Beech or Candace Cameron Bure. Those two are my deal breakers for Hallmark movies) I liked the movie. It is not one of my favorites nor is it some that I despise, but it was pleasant. I too liked that their was no misunderstanding between the two leads. I thought there might be one with her thinking he was in on the sabotage, but it did not happen. I am glad the major drama was about the tulip sabotage than relationship drama. I thought the leads chemistry was sort of middle of the road. 

[EyewatchTV211]

Lucas had this funny little tweet during the movie (hope it shows up right). I love his humor. https://twitter.com/TheLucasBryant/status/731674175211868160

Edited May 15, 2016 by VMepicgrl

[TVFan17]

Is anyone watching A Time to Dance on HMM tonight?  Dan Payne seems to be Hallmark's newest favorite, appearing in a few different things for them within a short span of time.  I am sort of ambivalent about him, and I wonder if he will have any kind of chemistry with Jennie Garth, but the story sounds interesting enough (though reminiscent of last year's Love, Again with Teri Polo) so I'll record it. 

[Irlandesa]

I'm recording A Time To Dance.  I thought that preview looked good and I hope is better than the Teri Polo movie ended up being. 

I usually watch most Hallmark movies but that tulip movie did not appeal to me.   And reading the reviews....ugh I need to find the strength to just skip it 

[kirinan]

I liked the tulip movie well enough. It was a pleasant way to spend two hours on a cold, rainy Saturday night while my husband puttered around in the den on his computer. I liked the leads, I liked the parents, I liked that the boyfriend wasn't a jerk. I liked the scenery. I liked, as everyone mentioned, that the drama wasn't around the relationship. So...I liked it. Not terribly memorable, but not bad at all.

Then today I decided to fire up my iTunes purchase of Love at the Thanksgiving Parade, which made all of the movies I've liked over the past few weeks fade into meh-ness in comparison. Adorableness, Antonio, Autumn, an enjoyable story, Antonio, Autumn, and chemistry from here until doomsday. And Antonio. Hallmark, can'tcha get Autumn and Antonio back together in a movie again? Pleeeeeeaaasssse? All of your other movies (IMO, of course) pale in comparison to this one. 

Edited May 15, 2016 by kirinan

[TVFan17]

4 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I'm recording A Time To Dance.  I thought that preview looked good and I hope is better than the Teri Polo movie ended up being. 

I usually watch most Hallmark movies but that tulip movie did not appeal to me.   And reading the reviews....ugh I need to find the strength to just skip it 

It's really not a bad movie -- just a so-so story with beautiful scenery.  Everyone is likable enough.  There is a villain.  I think that the romance is really secondary to the story about saving the tulips for the family.  The story is mostly about the flowers and the leading lady's realization that she belongs with the tulips and her family, but of course there has to be some love in bloom as well. 

It's definitely not one that needs to be seen right now though.  It will be repeated at some point, so you'll have more chances to see it if you ever change your mind.

I hope A Time to Dance is fairly good.  Since I don't typically record the new movies on HMM, with a few exceptions here and there, I am taking a chance on this one and hoping I will like it. 

 

2 hours ago, kirinan said:

I liked the tulip movie well enough. It was a pleasant way to spend two hours on a cold, rainy Saturday night while my husband puttered around in the den on his computer. I liked the leads, I liked the parents, I liked that the boyfriend wasn't a jerk. I liked the scenery. I liked, as everyone mentioned, that the drama wasn't around the relationship. So...I liked it. Not terribly memorable, but not bad at all.

Then today I decided to fire up my iTunes purchase of Love at the Thanksgiving Parade, which made all of the movies I've liked over the past few weeks fade into meh-ness in comparison. Adorableness, Antonio, Autumn, an enjoyable story, Antonio, Autumn, and chemistry from here until doomsday. And Antonio. Hallmark, can'tcha get Autumn and Antonio back together in a movie again? Pleeeeeeaaasssse? All of your other movies (IMO, of course) pale in comparison to this one. 

Antonio and Autumn are another prime example of when chemistry really works in a Hallmark movie.  And those kinds of couples -- the ones with actual chemistry -- seem to make the couples without chemistry really stand out... but not in a good way.  It doesn't even have to always be clear physical or romantic chemistry for me, but just chemistry in general interaction, banter, how the actors play off of each other -- that's all fine too. 

But if chemistry is not there in one of these movies, or if the story somehow doesn't allow enough scenes for the chemistry to come through, it can really make the story feel like it's kind of languishing in quicksand.

[Misslindsey]

Quote

Then today I decided to fire up my iTunes purchase of Love at the Thanksgiving Parade, which made all of the movies I've liked over the past few weeks fade into meh-ness in comparison. Adorableness, Antonio, Autumn, an enjoyable story, Antonio, Autumn, and chemistry from here until doomsday. And Antonio. Hallmark, can'tcha get Autumn and Antonio back together in a movie again? Pleeeeeeaaasssse? All of your other movies (IMO, of course) pale in comparison to this one. 

I hold the unpopular opinion of disliking Love at the Thanksgiving Parade. I will be at my table for one. Autumn is usually hit or miss with me. This one was a big miss. So I would not be looking forward to another go around with Antonio and Autumn, though a lot of other people would be. I am definitely the minority on this one.

[twoods]

14 minutes ago, Misslindsey said:

I hold the unpopular opinion of disliking Love at the Thanksgiving Parade. I will be at my table for one. Autumn is usually hit or miss with me. This one was a big miss. So I would not be looking forward to another go around with Antonio and Autumn, though a lot of other people would be. I am definitely the minority on this one.

I'm sort of there with you. It's nowhere near my favorite movies, but I didn't hate it. They had good chemistry, but the quick proposal sort of turned me off. Maybe I need to watch it again.

I did love the tulips in the other movie despite it being boring. The scenery was beautiful. 

[emjohnson03]

I'm going to bring another Lacey movie out there...loved "The Color Of Rain!" The one where she and her love interest both lose their spouses to cancer and fall in love. It was wonderful. She had the best chemistry with Warren Christie. One of my favorites by her. Will always watch it.

[TVFan17]

Arrrgghhh.  Since this website moved to a different platform, sometimes I can't get the multi-quote feature to work, which happened now.  It just would not work at all for me.

Along the lines of what Misslindsey and twoods were saying -- I will say that Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade is not particularly one of my all-time favorite Hallmark movies (though I like it much more now than I did when I first saw it).  It's better than some movies, but not up there with the ones I really look forward to seeing every year.  But I think that Autumn and Antonio are really good together.  I even liked their scenes and their interaction in I Do, I Do, I Do -- even though they did not end up together.  I think they have good chemistry, whether it plays out in a romantic way or a more comedic way.  They play off of each other well.

 

 

I watched A Time to Dance on HMM.  The reason why I usually prefer the lighter fare on the main channel as opposed to the offerings on HMM is that I just like a more upbeat mood and tone.  I like smiles and laughter and playful banter.   A Time to Dance was good.  Most of the more serious movies on HMM are good.   But everything was so downbeat and somber with the married couple for 95% of the movie -- to go along with the standard miscommunications, misunderstandings, accusations, etc. -- that I just felt dragged down by it.  If I were to watch a whole marathon of movies like that, with the heavy tone and everyone walking around moping and looking sad, I would probably want to jump off of a bridge.  I can watch one of these sorts of movies every once in a while, but I definitely gravitate to the more lighthearted fare.

The acting in ATTD was okay.  It all felt more polished and pulled together than some Hallmark movies can feel.  I liked Corbin Bernsen in the movie, as well as the sister and the "yarn arts" guy.  I didn't care about the young couple getting married at all -- no interest in them.  I thought the husband (played by Dan Payne) was being dense when he didn't seem to realize that his female "friend" was interested in him beyond friendship, which is often the case with men -- their wives and girlfriends can see what the other women are up to, but the men don't see it, let alone discourage it early on.

[twoods]

Finally watched Love By Chance, and I actually liked it. The premise was ridiculous especially with the manufactured drama, but I really liked the chemistry between the leads. They sparkled together so I enjoyed watching it. 

[Irlandesa]

7 hours ago, Sherry67 said:

.Along the lines of what Misslindsey and twoods were saying -- I will say that Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade is not particularly one of my all-time favorite Hallmark movies (though I like it much more now than I did when I first saw it).  It's better than some movies, but not up there with the ones I really look forward to seeing every year. 

I get that.  Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade is probably my number one non-Hallmark Hall of Fame romance but it's because the chemistry overtook any of the traditional negatives (like the ex randomly proposing) but "liked it better on the second view" and "is better than a lot" is how I feel about Snow Bride which I know many love.  But that isn't the one I try to record every year. 

Quote

I watched A Time to Dance on HMM.  The reason why I usually prefer the lighter fare on the main channel as opposed to the offerings on HMM is that I just like a more upbeat mood and tone.  I like smiles and laughter and playful banter.   A Time to Dance was good.  Most of the more serious movies on HMM are good.   But everything was so downbeat and somber with the married couple for 95% of the movie -- to go along with the standard miscommunications, misunderstandings, accusations, etc. -- that I just felt dragged down by it.

That's pretty accurate.  I think my problem with it is that they never really explained why this couple was estranged.  And then they never really showed, IMO, what changed between them that they felt compelled to reunite.  They had essentially been almost separated for about a year that Jenny's anger over her husband telling a friend who he had helped through her divorce seemed misplaced since she had told her sister.  All their together moments were MAD. 

So far, I think the best "estranged" married couple movie was probably "Lead With Your Heart."  At least we got to see all aspects of the couple. Or maybe it's just nostalgia and I've forgotten the negatives of that movie. Not that it was great.

But I will also admit it, if a movie's premise is "faith will keep you together" and that's pretty much it...it doesn't resonate with me.  It doesn't speak to me. 

[TVFan17]

9 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I get that.  Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade is probably my number one non-Hallmark Hall of Fame romance but it's because the chemistry overtook any of the traditional negatives (like the ex randomly proposing) but "liked it better on the second view" and "is better than a lot" is how I feel about Snow Bride which I know many love.  But that isn't the one I try to record every year. 

That's pretty accurate.  I think my problem with it is that they never really explained why this couple was estranged.  And then they never really showed, IMO, what changed between them that they felt compelled to reunite.  They had essentially been almost separated for about a year that Jenny's anger over her husband telling a friend who he had helped through her divorce seemed misplaced since she had told her sister.  All their together moments were MAD. 

So far, I think the best "estranged" married couple movie was probably "Lead With Your Heart."  At least we got to see all aspects of the couple. Or maybe it's just nostalgia and I've forgotten the negatives of that movie. Not that it was great.

But I will also admit it, if a movie's premise is "faith will keep you together" and that's pretty much it...it doesn't resonate with me.  It doesn't speak to me. 

Oh my goodness!  I'm so glad you mentioned that it wasn't explained why the couple was estranged in ATTD!  I forgot to mention that in my earlier comment.  I thought I was extra-tired or distracted or something, and that I surely must have missed hearing why and where everything fell apart.  I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't get it.   Did he just get too busy for her, or vice versa?  Was it something about not supporting her career endeavors?  I didn't understand.

When they went away for the night, to the B&B or whatever it was, it was pointless.  Nothing really changed or happened there. 

I wanted to see more of the guy who got together with Abby's sister at the end of the movie -- the one who practiced the "yarn arts."  I wouldn't have minded more of Corbin Bernsen either.  He's good.

[snarktini]

DirecTV has been offering a free trial, started Friday. Man, it took work to find even 3 movies to record! Slim pickings for me.

Half-watched the giant pumpkin one -- Growing The Big One (?) -- with Shannen Doherty and Kavan Smith (Sheriff Andy!). Eh, it was okay. He was the "hot" neighbor who needed a hair cut. She was the radio DJ who overdressed and knew nothing about farms. And yet she saves her beloved grandpa's farm by growing a record-setting pumpkin! Naturally.

Something that stuck out for me is how they made our love interest's character a Stanford-educated engineer. She chooses small-town life and love in the end (duh), yet they still reinforce his worthiness as a love interest with a back story that includes a top-flight degree and L.A. lifestyle. 

Do these kinds of movies ever have a heroine fall in love with a guy who's just what he seems -- a farmer / mechanic / artist / etc -- without giving him a back story where he left a "successful" life behind to move to (or move back) to a small town? It feels to me like clever audience targeting, trying to be relevant to all sides. 

[twoods]

You are correct- they usually have the love interest being some ex big wig job or a small town lawyer who graduated first in his class from his law school (like in Christmas Land). Even in that movie I liked where the executive mistakingly thought her boyfriend was a lawyer instead of a "lowly" nurse, that was the premise of the whole movie. The writers are so archaic. The guy has to have some big degree, but the love interest girl doesn't (especially if they are marrying a prince). The reason why I liked Nine Lives of Christmas so much was that the girl had a higher degree than the guy (vet school vs fireman), yet they didn't make a big deal out of it. 

Can anyone name any other examples where the profession of the guy and/or girl wasn't a big deal?

[TVFan17]

I'm going to take a chance on watching Date With Love tonight, or I will at least record it and watch it in the morning.  If Andrew Walker were not in it (or some Hallmark hottie of the same caliber) I might skip it, but he's there so I will tune in. 

Who else out there is taking a chance on watching it?  I know I'm not alone in this, even if some of you won't admit to watching it!  Lol.

[EyewatchTV211]

I'm watching.

[twoods]

Half in and not bad. I guess going in with low expectations will make any movie be pretty good. Shenae wasn't so bad in the movie and the actors had decent chemistry. I did not like the annoying sister.

I saw a preview for Ms Matched and it seems almost exactly like the one with Danica that came out last year with rival wedding planners. Come on Hallmark, a little originality here.

[TVFan17]

I am going to try to watch this Date with Love thing tonight so I don't have to record it.  I definitely hold out more hope for the 5 June Weddings movies -- which, to me, seem like a better crop of wedding movies, collectively, than last year's group (although I did like A Country Wedding).  I think there is more potential for at least one good one to come out of that group, and the Danica/Kavan, Vanessa/David and Josie/Jack pairings seem intriguing (on paper).  I'm not so sure about the Alexa PenaVega-Shawn Roberts combo, and very few people even know the guy that Rachel Boston is being partnered up with in her movie (Niall Matter).  But... it's 5 new movies to kill some time with, and then another new one not far behind during Christmas in July.

I wonder when the Summer Nights movie event is starting -- if it will start in late July (like let's say, maybe, 7/23 or 7/24) and carry into August or just start in August. 

[kirinan]

9 hours ago, Sherry67 said:

I am going to try to watch this Date with Love thing tonight so I don't have to record it.  I definitely hold out more hope for the 5 June Weddings movies -- which, to me, seem like a better crop of wedding movies, collectively, than last year's group (although I did like A Country Wedding).  I think there is more potential for at least one good one to come out of that group, and the Danica/Kavan, Vanessa/David and Josie/Jack pairings seem intriguing (on paper).  I'm not so sure about the Alexa PenaVega-Shawn Roberts combo, and very few people even know the guy that Rachel Boston is being partnered up with in her movie (Niall Matter).  But... it's 5 new movies to kill some time with, and then another new one not far behind during Christmas in July.

I like Niall Matter a lot; he played bad-boy genius Zane on my late, lamented, forever-beloved Syfy show Eureka (which was where I found Colin Ferguson, one of my top two TV boyfriends ever, who was on the last season of Cedar Cove. It's also where I saw Kavan Smith, and Chris Gauthier, who's been on a couple of Hallmark movies--hmm, sensing a definite pattern here). Niall's an appealing actor, IMO, so I'm looking forward to it and will be curious to see how he does in something else.

I was out of town until late last night and didn't get to see Date With Love. But I have to be honest, the premise sounds so spectacularly uninteresting to me that I didn't plan to watch it anyway. Plus I don't know the leads, which is usually what will drive me to watch a movie I wouldn't otherwise bother with.

The Tulip movie was a pleasant surprise for me, so I'll leave it on that good note until the next one that appeals to me comes along. 

Edited May 22, 2016 by kirinan

[TVFan17]

I watched Date with Love.  While this probably won't be the popular opinion... hold on to your hats...

I liked it!  I thought it was cute. 

Don't get me wrong -- it's not up there with my favorite non-holiday or favorite holiday Hallmark movies.  I don't know that I will be making a point of watching it again and again, or buying a DVD.  But it was significantly better than I expected.  It had a few funny moments.  I liked Shenae Grimes Beech much more in this movie, paired up with Andrew Walker, than I liked her in Christmas Incorporated with Steve Lund.  I don't know if she and Andrew were an ideal pairing, but they were better than the Shenae-Steve combo.

I liked the principal in this movie -- he was funny (not slapstick funny, but just kind of amusing in his scene where he meets Alex in his office).  There were a few unlikable characters, such as Alex's (Shenae's) PR person, the snobby girl at the school who was only nice to the lead kid when Alex was around, and that jealous teacher who was hot for Andrew Walker's character, Mr. Walsh (and who could blame her, really?). I also liked the sort of 'tip of the hat' to Some Kind of Wonderful (one of my favorite John Hughes movies) in the teen storyline with Bailee Madison's character and the promposal kid, David.

Yes, there was the inevitable Big Misunderstanding -- actually, there were a few of those -- and it was silly.  But... Andrew Walker is hot (especially when he lets his hair grow out like this).  He and Shenae together were not awful.  There was something in it for teens and grown-ups.  It was not horrible.

Edited May 22, 2016 by Sherry67

[TVFan17]

1 hour ago, kirinan said:

I like Niall Matter a lot; he played bad-boy genius Zane on my late, lamented, forever-beloved Syfy show Eureka (which was where I found Colin Ferguson, one of my top two TV boyfriends ever, who was on the last season of Cedar Cove. It's also where I saw Kavan Smith, and Chris Gauthier, who's been on a couple of Hallmark movies--hmm, sensing a definite pattern here). Niall's an appealing actor, IMO, so I'm looking forward to it and will be curious to see how he does in something else.

I was out of town until late last night and didn't get to see Date With Love. But I have to be honest, the premise sounds so spectacularly uninteresting to me that I didn't plan to watch it anyway. Plus I don't know the leads, which is usually what will drive me to watch a movie I wouldn't otherwise bother with.

The Tulip movie was a pleasant surprise for me, so I'll leave it on that good note until the next one that appeals to me comes along. 

Lol.  I think I was typing while you were typing, so I didn't read your post until after I posted. 

I am glad to read that Niall could be -- from what it sounds like -- a good choice for Stop the Wedding.  I was certainly not familiar with him prior to this (and he will also be in A Snow Capped Christmas later this year), but I thought I was alone.   Then I noticed some people on Facebook asking who Rachel Boston's leading man would be in STW, and I kept saying "Niall Matter," which seemed to fall on deaf ears, as though they were expecting a more notable name to pop up!  Lol.  So I'm glad to hear that he has some potential as the romantic lead.

Date with Love (or its original incarnation, The Promposal) wasn't marketed well, and the synopses of it really never did it justice, and then -- at the same time -- I can't see how it could have been handled any differently.  The plot made it sound like it would be complicated and weird.  Again, it is not up there with my favorite Hallmark rom-coms (Love on the Air, All of My Heart, Nine Lives of Christmas, etc.), by any means, but it was certainly better than I expected.  This one was definitely a rom-com, whereas the tulip movie, as you know, was more of a floral drama with a dash of romance!

Edited May 22, 2016 by Sherry67

[kirinan]

3 minutes ago, Sherry67 said:

I am glad to read that Niall could be -- from what it sounds like -- a good choice for Stop the Wedding.  I was certainly not familiar with him prior to this (and he will also be in A Snow Capped Christmas later this year), but I thought I was alone.   Then I noticed some people on Facebook asking who Rachel Boston's leading man would be in STW, and I kept saying "Niall Matter," which seemed to fall on deaf ears, as though they were expecting a more notable name to pop up!  Lol.  So I'm glad to hear that he has some potential as the romantic lead.

I'm a pretty big sci-fi fan, but I may be an anomaly in being a Hallmark watcher. I'm honestly not sure how much crossover there is between Hallmark viewers and science-fiction fans. I tend to think not a lot--although Eureka wasn't your typical sci-fi; it was definitely more family-friendly and quirky. So I guess I'm not surprised they don't know him, since his first post-Eureka work was also sci-fi. He seems to have moved more mainstream, though.

[emjohnson03]

Did everyone get the 80's movie references in Date with Love? The Hughes high school, Watts as the girl who is secretly in love with her best friend, keeping with her original shoes with her pretty dress (Duckie form Pretty Pink) and her white Keds (homage to Dirty Dancing?). I thought it was cute. I'm not a fan of Shanee so she didn't really impress and Andrew Walker is a pretty boy but that hair did him no favors. 

It is one of those feel good but pretty forgettable once it's over. It's not a knock but more of a fluff rom-rom that you enjoy but don't need to spend too much time thinking about it.

I stayed at the hotel that it was set in so that was fun to see it. Vancouver is all over the scenes with these movies but I love how they had to have a shot of the location every 5 seconds. I know we are in the high school, at the hotel and so on. 

Oh for goodness sakes though, the green screen for when she's with Mr. Walsh at "sunset" was overpowering. I would have much rather they shot at a  park in the afternoon. That was just soooo terrible!

This wasn't my favorite but it was an enjoyable 2 hours. 

Bring on the Christmas in July movies!! Still waiting for Erin and Daniel's movie(s)? announcements for Christmas! (I am a bit obsessed with When Calls the Heart but I digress!)

[TVFan17]

49 minutes ago, kirinan said:

I'm a pretty big sci-fi fan, but I may be an anomaly in being a Hallmark watcher. I'm honestly not sure how much crossover there is between Hallmark viewers and science-fiction fans. I tend to think not a lot--although Eureka wasn't your typical sci-fi; it was definitely more family-friendly and quirky. So I guess I'm not surprised they don't know him, since his first post-Eureka work was also sci-fi. He seems to have moved more mainstream, though.

I don't know about the crossover audience either, but the good thing is that if Niall is met with positive feedback and commentary after his Hallmark debut in June, and the female viewers like him, Hallmark -- as we know -- will latch on to him and put him in multiple projects over the next couple of years, as they've done with Paul Greene, Jonathan Scarfe, Andrew Walker, Christopher Russell, Dan Payne, etc.  Once they realize they have a good catch on their hands, that actor or actress is probably guaranteed at least one project every year (if not 3 or 4), if they are interested.   In fact -- and I don't know if Hallmark has always done this, but I am becoming much more aware of it this year than in previous years -- they have been doing a lot of back-to-back shoots with many of their lead and supporting actors.  I guess it saves them money and keeps the budgets low to use the same locations, crews and cast members, so a lot of actors have been jumping right out of filming one movie and into filming another this year. 

I think that's what happened with Niall -- I would assume that maybe Hallmark signed him to an initial 2-film contract, and he went right from filming A Snow Capped Christmas into filming Stop the Wedding.  But we will definitely see him in more roles if he is a hit in STW.

 

34 minutes ago, emjohnson03 said:

Did everyone get the 80's movie references in Date with Love? The Hughes high school, Watts as the girl who is secretly in love with her best friend, keeping with her original shoes with her pretty dress (Duckie form Pretty Pink) and her white Keds (homage to Dirty Dancing?). I thought it was cute. I'm not a fan of Shanee so she didn't really impress and Andrew Walker is a pretty boy but that hair did him no favors. 

It is one of those feel good but pretty forgettable once it's over. It's not a knock but more of a fluff rom-rom that you enjoy but don't need to spend too much time thinking about it.

I stayed at the hotel that it was set in so that was fun to see it. Vancouver is all over the scenes with these movies but I love how they had to have a shot of the location every 5 seconds. I know we are in the high school, at the hotel and so on. 

Oh for goodness sakes though, the green screen for when she's with Mr. Walsh at "sunset" was overpowering. I would have much rather they shot at a  park in the afternoon. That was just soooo terrible!

This wasn't my favorite but it was an enjoyable 2 hours. 

Bring on the Christmas in July movies!! Still waiting for Erin and Daniel's movie(s)? announcements for Christmas! (I am a bit obsessed with When Calls the Heart but I digress!)

I mentioned Some Kind of Wonderful above, but I didn't even think about the shoes!  Good catch!  Pretty in Pink is another favorite Hughes movie of mine, along with SKOW, so I should have caught that homage.  And I didn't even think about the Keds and Dirty Dancing either!

I have to disagree about Andrew's hair -- I like the longer length and dislike it when it is too short -- BUT I am in total agreement about the bad green screen situation during the sunset scene.  There are some scenes in these movies where the green screens are so obvious, but it seemed painfully obvious in that moment.  Yeah... that was a negative point about a movie I otherwise enjoyed.

We have 5 June Weddings movies to get through before Christmas in July, but at least we will get one new CIJ movie!

The Daniel-Erin movie situation is a mystery.  No one knows if it's one movie they are doing together, or two separate movies, or a WCTH Christmas movie.  He recently posted in his social media accounts that he would be filming his Christmas movie soon.  There is a Christmas movie for Hallmark filming right now, and I know who the female lead in the movie is (I gave the info to Net at It's a Wonderful Movie and am waiting for her to update her Christmas Movies 2016 list with the info) -- but I have no clue who the male lead is.  I wondered if it could be Daniel.  Hmmm...

[emjohnson03]

31 minutes ago, Sherry67 said:

 

I mentioned Some Kind of Wonderful above, but I didn't even think about the shoes!  Good catch!  Pretty in Pink is another favorite Hughes movie of mine, along with SKOW, so I should have caught that homage.  And I didn't even think about the Keds and Dirty Dancing either!

 

The Daniel-Erin movie situation is a mystery.  No one knows if it's one movie they are doing together, or two separate movies, or a WCTH Christmas movie.  He recently posted in his social media accounts that he would be filming his Christmas movie soon.  There is a Christmas movie for Hallmark filming right now, and I know who the female lead in the movie is (I gave the info to Net at It's a Wonderful Movie and am waiting for her to update her Christmas Movies 2016 list with the info) -- but I have no clue who the male lead is.  I wondered if it could be Daniel.  Hmmm...

Oh yes! Loved Some Kind of Wonderful. So underrated in my eyes! Did you read that John did it because he didn't get the original ending to Pretty in Pink that he wanted? So interesting!! (Did miss seeing a boombox over the head, as Say Anything is my ultimate favorite 80s movie :))

Thanks for the update on the movie situation. They both have been silent on twitter for quite some time so I'm wondering if there's some big announcement coming. I don't think it's going to be an WCTH Christmas movie since I follow the blogs and Facebook and someone would have posted if they were filming there at the set. (Though maybe they haven't started and going right from the movie into filming Season 4)

I don't know if I could get into either of them having different love interests, haha! I do like Erin's movies but it will be interesting to see Dan in a Hallmark one.I never thought he would actually do one to be honest so I'm curious to see what they give him.

[In2You]

Not really familiar with Niall . Having read the book he's not what I expected look wise I thought they'd go with someone a little more Hollywood pretty boy.  

[EyewatchTV211]

I actually had been somewhat looking forward to Date with Love. I could figure out the plot from the commercials and thought it sounded cute. Guess that's why I ended up more disappointed than others, lol. They just threw in some poorly done stuff, like the sunset scene and other things. It wasn't terrible, though. The principal amused me, especially at the end when he couldn't stop himself from dancing to the music. Other random comment - I preferred the second dress Bailee tried on that Alex liked and her PR person didn't. 

Funny that Hallmark does seem to be borrowing from Syfy. Lucas Bryant is also Syfy alum from Haven, which was how I was first introduced to him. I wouldn't mind continuing to see him in more movies either.

[twoods]

I also liked the second dress- the color was beautiful on her. I liked her finally dress though- I was sick of seeing girls in god awful prom dresses on movies so it was nice to see someone look pretty awesome in one.

I thought the end was a bit rushed. I would have liked for Alex to be the one who goes after the teacher since she yelled at him for no reason. I didn't delete it on my DVR so it may have to be watched again (ffing the sister and annoying teacher).

[kirinan]

21 hours ago, VMepicgrl said:

Funny that Hallmark does seem to be borrowing from Syfy. Lucas Bryant is also Syfy alum from Haven, which was how I was first introduced to him. I wouldn't mind continuing to see him in more movies either.

Ah! That's where I knew Lucas Bryant from! I didn't really watch Haven, except the episodes that Colin Ferguson was in, and I just hadn't had a chance to figure out where I'd seen him. Thank you, VMepicgrl!