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

[twoods]

I really liked Emily Rose in Thanksgiving House and saw that she was also on Haven. I guess Hallmark also liked borrowing from 90210 since most of the female leads have been on a movie or two. Too bad most of those movies have been pretty bad. 

[EyewatchTV211]

So is Jessica Lowndes co-starring with Daniel Lissing in a Christmas movie? https://www.instagram.com/p/BFz7VQfDolS/

[emjohnson03]

8 minutes ago, VMepicgrl said:

So is Jessica Lowndes co-starring with Daniel Lissing in a Christmas movie? https://www.instagram.com/p/BFz7VQfDolS/

I saw this! And can I just say...I'm disappointed. I didn't like the movie she did last Xmas...Merry Matrimony. It was badly acted, no chemistry and just wasn't good. Of course I will watch but she wouldn't be my pick to be his love interest.

I can't wait to hear what Erin is doing!

At least we have some information on the two of them! I was wondering when they would spill on their Xmas movies!

[TVFan17]

Yes, Jessica and Daniel are in the same movie.

I stopped revealing certain spoilers, details and clues that I uncover here in this thread because any time I posted something publicly, someone would run back to Net at It's a Wonderful Movie and tell her the info that I spent time looking for. 

This thing is, anytime I post something publicly, it means Net already has the info.  It means she either gave me the info herself and I am sharing it, or it means I uncovered the info and gave it to her before sharing it elsewhere -- but she does not always post the info in blogs right away.  She sits on some things and waits a while to post them, so she has a lot of info (that I also have) and much of it has never been posted or revealed.  She ends up getting bombarded with emails from other people about info she already knows, while she is waiting to post it on her site!  Lol.

Anyway, to that end... one week ago I found out that Jessica Lowndes was the leading lady in December Bride.  I told Net and have been waiting for her to update her Christmas Movies 2016 section with that detail and she has not yet done so.  Just today, Net and I were saying that if Daniel Lissing was in DB with Jessica (which seemed obvious, based on the timing), he might be under blood oath to keep it quiet so that Hallmark can make a "big announcement" about it in a few months.

And, not 10 minutes after I replied to one of Net's emails about Daniel possibly being in DB with Jessica, out rolled the photo of Daniel and Jessica on Instagram!

Here is another photo for you (which I shared on an Event page within a private Facebook group to which I belong) --

Also, just to give you a bit of further scoop -- more info that Net at IAWM has, and is sitting on, waiting to post...

Expect a movie for Hallmark's Summer Nights movie event called (for now) The Summer Villa, starring Victor Webster (last Hallmark project was The Magic Stocking), Hilarie Burton (last Hallmark project was Surprised by Love) and Cristina Rosato (last Hallmark project was Finding Christmas).  It is supposed to be set in France, I believe (at least partially), but was filmed in Canada, of course.

Edited May 25, 2016 by Sherry67

[emjohnson03]

6 hours ago, Sherry67 said:

Yes, Jessica and Daniel are in the same movie.

I stopped revealing certain spoilers, details and clues that I uncover here in this thread because any time I posted something publicly, someone would run back to Net at It's a Wonderful Movie and tell her the info that I spent time looking for. 

This thing is, anytime I post something publicly, it means Net already has the info.  It means she either gave me the info herself and I am sharing it, or it means I uncovered the info and gave it to her before sharing it elsewhere -- but she does not always post the info in blogs right away.  She sits on some things and waits a while to post them, so she has a lot of info (that I also have) and much of it has never been posted or revealed.  She ends up getting bombarded with emails from other people about info she already knows, while she is waiting to post it on her site!  Lol.

Anyway, to that end... one week ago I found out that Jessica Lowndes was the leading lady in December Bride.  I told Net and have been waiting for her to update her Christmas Movies 2016 section with that detail and she has not yet done so.  Just today, Net and I were saying that if Daniel Lissing was in DB with Jessica (which seemed obvious, based on the timing), he might be under blood oath to keep it quiet so that Hallmark can make a "big announcement" about it in a few months.

And, not 10 minutes after I replied to one of Net's emails about Daniel possibly being in DB with Jessica, out rolled the photo of Daniel and Jessica on Instagram!

Thanks for sharing! I think it's interesting they have been sitting on this movie and won't say anything. Hallmark, social media exists so you can't wait to sit on things, haha! I am curious to read the rundown of the movie. Like I said previous, I'm not a fan of her. She's a little wooden and stiff so it will be interesting how she does against Dan (who Hallmark is going to promote the heck out of) I wouldn't be surprised if it's one of the last ones to air in the Christmas rotation.

I am still shocked Dan decided to do a Hallmark movie since he seems more of a gritty type of actor and not so much want to stay in that "box" of fluff and predictability. I am not complaining since I get to see him in a modern film which is exciting! I hope it's decent. Please!

[kirinan]

10 hours ago, Sherry67 said:

Expect a movie for Hallmark's Summer Nights movie event called (for now) The Summer Villa, starring Victor Webster (last Hallmark project was The Magic Stocking), Hilarie Burton (last Hallmark project was Surprised by Love) and Cristina Rosato (last Hallmark project was Finding Christmas).  It is supposed to be set in France, I believe (at least partially), but was filmed in Canada, of course.

Ooh! I LOVE Victor Webster. I don't like Hilarie Burton, but I'll live with her if he's the romantic lead.

[In2You]

10 hours ago, kirinan said:

Ooh! I LOVE Victor Webster. I don't like Hilarie Burton, but I'll live with her if he's the romantic lead.

I love Victor Webster too. I remember him on Lincoln Heights.

[Irlandesa]

On 5/15/2016 at 1:07 AM, Sherry67 said:

.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. 

I thought they had very nice chemistry and when they had their argument?  Well I thought they were actually kind of hot.  It's pretty rare to get what I would call passion in Hallmark movies but I think they generated it during their confrontation over whether or not he set this all up and whether or not she was just running scared. If this were any other channel, he might've kissed her then against a wall and it would have been welcome.  Oh well...I guess only Rupert Penry-Jones can do that.

I actually really liked the movie too.  In fact, if it weren't for just a few, unnecessarily stupid things, I think it would have been a favorite of mine.  Maybe it's because it did capture some of the great teen dramas from the 80s. (And if you like those, the movie The Duff was pretty good too.)

The thing is, I liked it enough to delineate what I would have done differently if I wrote it/directed it so strap in.  One, I think I would have made Heidi (Bailee's character) more of a partner-in-crime  instead of angry jealous right after SG arrived.  I thought she and David had great chem right off the bat and would've liked to see more of that. (In fact, I was probably more interested in them than the adults.)

Another, what's with all the crap about not breaking David's heart?  This was supposed to be a mutually beneficial exchange.  It would help Shanae's character redeem herself in the press. (Sorry, she could probably get back her career but I doubt she'd be seen as a sweetheart after throwing a soda on another actress...puhleez.)   But for David, it wasn't a crush.  It was about being more popular.  So having both Heidi and the sister calling SG's character out on that was silly.

Believe it or not, the stupid obstacle that kept them apart for a bit was actually made less stupid but the writing.  SG thinking that AW would be trying to get her to option his book of poetry was pretty darn silly.  So I'm super glad he pointed out that he would never consider it because it was poetry.  And he offered another reason she was  possibly overreacting.

I liked the principle but somehow, in this day and age of appropriateness, I highly doubt he'd be dancing with a teen girl. I also think having both couples dance so awkwardly and far apart at the end was not a smart decision.

I wouldn't mind seeing Shanae and Andrew in another movie together.  I liked her better in this one too and maybe it's because she plays slightly spoiled pretty well.  But I also thought they hit it out of the park in the hiring of the teens.  Quinn Lord was a real find--although if you look at his IMDb page it appears as if he is a pretty busy actor.  And I liked Bailee in this.  In ten years, I look forward to seeing what they do as adults in Hallmark movies. 

ETA: Forgot to mention I ended up powering through Tulips in Spring.  Best thing about it?  The title. I know exactly what this movie is when I see it in the cable guide.  And no, I won't watch again. It was as boring as I expected and the pretty flowers didn't make up for it.

Edited May 29, 2016 by Irlandesa

[TVFan17]

I haven't had a chance to get back to this thread, and I know there were several things I was going to comment on last week -- most of which have now escaped me.  So I'll just have to let some of them go and only mention the things that I can recall right off the top of my head.

First of all -- yay!  Two new movies this coming Friday and Saturday (Wedding Bells and Ms. Matched)!  And then 3 more wedding films to follow throughout June!

Did anyone else here receive the Hallmark "Summer movie survey" that went out via email last Thursday-Friday-ish??  It listed synopses for 4 or 5 different "Summer movies" (some of which did not sound all that summery), and also gave us a bunch of different titles so we could choose which ones we liked best for each movie.  Some of the titles didn't seem to fit the synopses at all, but that's not new in Hallmark's world.  There were also spaces where we could type in titles we thought of.   I typed in some titles, but I could have thought of better titles if I had been able to think on it overnight.  Trying to come up with fitting, clever titles as I am doing the survey doesn't work for me.

Anyway, what was interesting was that one of the synopses was for the upcoming movie Managing Manhattan, but the survey did not mention that title at all.  MM is being filmed now -- http://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2016/05/cast-news-revealed-hallmark-movie-managing-manhattan.html

I had previously (mistakenly) thought that MM was going to be a Fall Harvest or Countdown to Christmas film, before the cast was announced.  Since it was mentioned in the Summer movie survey I am guessing it will be one of the Summer Nights films.

Another interesting thing is that, as I read the synopses for each movie in the survey, I was trying to figure out which one would be The Summer Villa, with Victor Webster and Hilarie Burton.   They shot TSV in Montreal, but at least part of the movie is supposed to be set in France, I believe.  However, none of the synopses in the Summer movie survey mentioned France... or a villa!  Lol.  I expected a title change at some point, but I couldn't even figure out which storyline matched the Victor-Hilarie movie!  The only possibility that I saw was a movie about a PR person who sends her assistant to do damage control for a difficult prince.  The prince and the PR person fall for each other, of course.   So now I wonder if Victor Webster is playing a prince, and Hilarie Burton is the PR assistant who has to deal with him??

Another plot outline mentioned in the Summer movie survey was something about a music teacher.

It looks like now that the wedding movies have all been filmed, and the Christmas movies continue to be filmed, Hallmark is in a whirlwind of Summer movie shoots.  The Summer Villa (or whatever it is going to be called) has wrapped.  Managing Manhattan (which will surely get a title change) just started shooting.  There is one other movie I am aware of which has not yet begun shooting, and I have no clue who is in it but it should be a Summer film.  Beyond that, though... I don't know what else is coming for Summer Nights.

Net at It's a Wonderful Movie finally posted a tidbit about Same Time Next Week (with Jewel Staite and Travis Milne) the other day -- http://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2016/05/upcoming-made-for-tv-movies-with-daniel.html -- a movie I mentioned here in this thread quite a while back.  I knew about it when it was filming, but Net was holding off on posting about it because it was first said to be a Lifetime film, then a PixL film, and also a Hallmark film.  We're not clear if STNW will go to Hallmark or not, and if it does go to Hallmark -- into which themed event will it fit?

 

As for Hallmark Christmas movies, in addition to the new one that is premiering on Saturday, July 16th (A Perfect Christmas, with Susie Abromeit and Dillon Casey), the only ones that we know for sure (100% sure) are going to air on Hallmark or Hallmark Movies & Mysteries in November or December are (so far):

A Snow Capped Christmas (with Niall Matter, Lochlyn Munro and Leah Renee)

The Last Christmas (with Jill Wagner, Wes Brown and Marci T. House)

A Wish for Christmas (with Lacey Chabert and Paul Greene)

-- New Candace Cameron Bure movie -- no title as of yet

Operation Christmas (with Tricia Helfer and Marc Blucas)

-- New Erin Krakow movie -- no title as of yet

December Bride (with Jessica Lowndes and Daniel Lissing)

-- New Ashley Williams movie -- no title as of yet

 

So, that's only 8 confirmed/official new Hallmark Christmas movies, or 9 if we count the one in July, out of a possible 21+ new ones spread between the two channels this year.  I don't count Part 2 of The Bridge, as that has already aired and is no longer new!

There are some others that are 98% likely to be Hallmark movies of some sort:

A Puppy for Christmas (with Cindy Busby and Greyston Holt)

The Last Love Letter a.k.a. Love Always, Santa (with Marguerite Moreau and Sara Marsh)

-- Lisa Whelchel movie with no title, likely to end up on Hallmark

 

And then there are other possibilities -- movies that have not yet been filmed, but could be Hallmark (Finding Father Christmas and The Christmas Makeover, for example).   Otherwise, it's all a guessing game as to what may or may not end up on Hallmark and what will go to Lifetime, ION, UP, INSP and even possibly PixL!  It seems like there are still quite a few more Christmas movies to film, or to be acquired, to match or exceed last year's 21 new Hallmark movies.

Edited May 30, 2016 by Sherry67

[TVFan17]

Get ready for Summer Villa, coming to the Hallmark Channel on Saturday, July 23rd (for now, until Hallmark changes it 5 more times) -- http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/summer-villa

The plot of this movie is pretty much just what I thought it would be when I first learned that it was being filmed a few weeks ago.  I wondered why the plot I envisioned in my mind (a villa mix-up) was not mentioned in the Summer Movie survey I talked about in my previous post.  So I thought that the only other plot that could have fit was the prince/PR person plot.  Thankfully, Summer Villa is not about a prince.

So it appears that Hallmark is going to jump right into the Summer Nights movie event after Christmas Keepsake Week ends.  We will have the new Christmas movie on July 16th, and then Summer Villa on 7/23. 

If all of the Summer movies that were mentioned in the survey are included in Summer Nights, then the whole event should cover at least 4 weekends, if not more.  I suspect it will cover the last 2 weekends in July and the first 2 weekends in August, ending with the 2-hour premiere of Chesapeake Shores.  That's my guess.  And hopefully Fall Harvest will start in September this year instead of October.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Sherry67

[TVFan17]

For Love and Honor -- coming up on July 30th -- http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/for-love-and-honor

Oh, and Good Witch was renewed for Season 3, including another Halloween special in October -- http://deadline.com/2016/06/good-witch-renewed-third-season-hallmark-channel-catherine-bell-james-denton-1201765954/

[twoods]

For Love and Honor seems different than the rest of the movies- finally.

The movies that seem most promising this month are The Convenient Groom and Stop The Wedding. I like the actors and the storyline sounds appealing.

[Irlandesa]

Okay, I've watched Roots every night this week.  Good production but I really need some fluff and I am happy Wedding Bells is on tomorrow. 

[twoods]

Why do decent movies have to be ruined by annoying sidekicks? I want to stop watching Wedding Bells because of the uppity friend. I do think that her fiancé would have made a better lead than the actor that was opposite Danica. He just seemed older than the rest of the cast.

Now I'm even more annoyed because she continues to be unwatchable. Are they kidding me? And I'm sure with the brat being rich she can sell some of the crap at her parents place, or maybe her crap. At least her fiancé understands. From the way this story is going, they will break up and the leads will get married instead. 

Yet, still watching. Danica really does have the charisma to make any movie watchable.

Edited June 4, 2016 by twoods

[TVFan17]

Maybe I was just in a more tolerant, more forgiving, mood when watching Wedding Bells, but I didn't find the friend to be all that unbearable or unwatchable.  I mean, yes, I guess she was a bit annoying at times and not the most interesting character, but I wasn't that put off or distracted by her.  She seemed to be a good friend to Danica's character.  She and Christopher Russell's character remained friends (or more??) after they called off the wedding.

Christopher Russell alternates between playing supporting roles and playing lead roles in these movies.  He was the lead in Midnight Masquerade (with Autumn Reeser) and in Merry Matrimony (with Jessica Lowndes), and I never felt any chemistry between him and his leading ladies.  So, I actually wonder if -- as handsome as he is -- maybe he is better in the supporting roles rather than being a leading man.   Either that, or he just hasn't been paired up with the right leading lady.

I don't watch When Calls the Heart (though am familiar enough with the main players on the show), so my primary knowledge of Kavan Smith is from the movies he has done for Hallmark, like the pumpkin movie with Shannen Doherty, and Hello, It's Me with Kellie Martin.  I think that he is good -- I don't have a problem with him.  I'm not sure if I would have thought to pair Kavan up with Danica at first, but I didn't hate them together.  He does seem older in a way (though I don't know what his actual age is), and he reminds me of the guy who played Travis Montgomery on All My Children for years, so I can't get that out of my mind.  But I thought that he and Danica had a decent chemistry -- not stellar, but decent.

I was not a big fan of the movie that Danica did with Paul Greene last year, so I didn't really buy into them as a match -- but other people liked her better with Paul than they did with Kavan.

I think that ultimately I prefer Kavan and Kellie together, and Danica and Rupert together (in Crown for Christmas).

Overall, though, while Wedding Bells was a little slow in some parts, with the expected rushed ending, I liked it.  I didn't love it, but I liked it.  It had a certain charm to it.  I thought Bruce Boxleitner was good.  I loved the inn/house, and the natural light in a lot of the scenes.  I liked the food angle, and finding the happy medium between high-end cuisine (like quail eggs on foam or whatever it was) and junk food/comfort food (pizza bites).  I liked that Danica and Kavan got to kiss before the last few seconds of the movie.  It was sweet.

Edited June 4, 2016 by Sherry67

[Irlandesa]

Wedding Bells was almost too low key for me.  And I while I like both Danica and Kavan, I didn't feel any chemistry between them.  They both have had chem with leads in the phast but it wasn't here and I don't know if it's because of them or if part of it was the writing.  The story didn't really have much spark or oomph. But since it wasn't annoying, the best thing I can say about the movie was that it was pleasant.

I did like the relationships both of them created with Bruce Boxleitner's character, though. So even if I didn't care if they got together, I was happy of the idea of them being a family at that inn.

As for the sidekick, she didn't bother me too much but her story felt odd in the otherwise pleasant movie.  Losing that kind of money should be devastating. The way it was portrayed was like "oh well, temporary setback." Not realistic.  Between the woman and her fiance, she was the most decisive of the too so that also stood out considering the movie was pretty gentle othrwise.  However, he's just as much to blame for not discussing with her what future he saw for them.  I actually side with her a little bit more for expecting that their lifestyle would resemble the lifestyle they're living now.  

I don't have a ton of hope for tonight's movie but the previews for A Convenient Groom and the movie with Rachel Boston look promising.

[Jaded]

Tonight's movie Ms. Matched comes across in the commercials like it will be similar to Perfect Match from last year. Perfect Match is coming on in about 20 minutes and Ms. Matched will follow it. Instead of two wedding planners this newer movie will have a wedding planner and a financial advisor. 

[EyewatchTV211]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

Wedding Bells was almost too low key for me.  And I while I like both Danica and Kavan, I didn't feel any chemistry between them.  They both have had chem with leads in the phast but it wasn't here and I don't know if it's because of them or if part of it was the writing.  The story didn't really have much spark or oomph. But since it wasn't annoying, the best thing I can say about the movie was that it was pleasant.

I did like the relationships both of them created with Bruce Boxleitner's character, though. So even if I didn't care if they got together, I was happy of the idea of them being a family at that inn.

As for the sidekick, she didn't bother me too much but her story felt odd in the otherwise pleasant movie.  Losing that kind of money should be devastating. The way it was portrayed was like "oh well, temporary setback." Not realistic.  Between the woman and her fiance, she was the most decisive of the too so that also stood out considering the movie was pretty gentle othrwise.  However, he's just as much to blame for not discussing with her what future he saw for them.  I actually side with her a little bit more for expecting that their lifestyle would resemble the lifestyle they're living now.  

I don't have a ton of hope for tonight's movie but the previews for A Convenient Groom and the movie with Rachel Boston look promising.

I pretty much agree with all of this. I felt like Danica and Kavan had good friendship chemistry but lacked romantic chemistry. I also agree with those who think Kavan feels older. While I know Danica is actually in her early 40s, she doesn't look or act it. Kavan does feel older to me. 

I did like the interactions with the father.

In terms of the sidekicks, I think the blame could belong to both sides. They should have communicated about their future plans a bit more before deciding to marry. I can see her wanting to keep a similar lifestyle, so I agree with sympathizing in that way. Yet she also showed no flexibility in considering other possibilities, especially considering the unexpected change in circumstances. That storyline was a bit of an annoyance.

It was another movie that rushed the ending too much. I was hoping for a "One Year Later" tag or something with the proposal and/or wedding. That was just too quick, especially when comparing it to the friends who had been together longer and broke up because they didn't know important desires for the future. 

Speaking of preferring Danica's chemistry with Rupert Penry-Jones, I am going to rewatch Crown for Christmas now. Why not? I know others felt the ending of that one was rushed as well, but I was one of the few who didn't interpret the ending as an actual proposal/engagement. I took it to mean that they were going to try being together and the people would have to accept it, especially if it headed in a more serious direction. Guess I needed to be told directly that they were getting engaged, like in Wedding Bells, to think that was the case.  

[Irlandesa]

I think the complaint about A Crown for Christmas wasn't that it was rushed but that it would have been nice if they had spent more time together.  I would love a sequel to that one.

[EyewatchTV211]

I think it was both complaints together that people had a problem with. Not enough scenes to justify what some saw as a permanent union being promised already at the end. I wouldn't have complained for more scenes of them together. They were trying to balance her growing relationship with both the King and the princess, so it made it a little more difficult. But I appreciated that they also had a bunch of moments where they learned more about each other just from observation, even if it was not always from direct interaction. Those things along with the immediate chemistry put aside the concerns for me. 

[Jaded]

I didn't like the rushed ending Wedding Bells had either. I liked the movie for what it was. I thought the sidekick couple's issues were poorly written into the storyline and things got dragged down because of that. The Bernie Madoff  money related issues just seemed to be brushed off. Since it was one of these types of Hallmark movies I guess the real effects of something like that would be too depressing to portray.

[Luckylyn]

I loved Wedding Bells.  Too many of the latest Hallmark movies have leads who have little or no chemistry and a rushed relationship where they only end up together because the script demands it because the movie didn't do a good job of building the relationship between the couple.  What I liked about Wedding Bells was the lovely spark with the leads and that the movie took the time to show the audience why they would love each other.  I also liked that in the beginning of the movie when they disagreed it wasn't handled melodramatically.  I liked the low key slow burn to romance.  My only criticism was the break up and the make up/proposal.  I would have preferred they stay together for a while as they tried to make it work through their busy schedules leading eventually to a proposal and move to the inn.  I feel like Hallmark keeps having these cliche break ups only for the leads to rush back together for the ending.  The conflict always comes off as so contrived.

[Irlandesa]

Now this felt rushed.  At least with Wedding Bells they didn't steal someone else's wedding.  It was similar to the one they planned but I got the sense that they held it later on.

But this movie literally went from Libby not sure whether or not she liked the guy to marrying him at the other couple's ceremony.  This movie had her going from hot to cold to hot to cold again from scene to scene. And I'm not sure how this "fixed" her situation. Doesn't it mean they're paying for it?  I also don't understand how she could be the talk of the wedding convention yet so desperate for work. And was that wedding expo multiple days? 

Despite those complaints, I actually liked much of this movie.  I think the leads had good chemistry and I liked the side cast of characters.

[EyewatchTV211]

6 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Now this felt rushed.  At least with Wedding Bells they didn't steal someone else's wedding.  It was similar to the one they planned but I got the sense that they held it later on.

But this movie literally went from Libby not sure whether or not she liked the guy to marrying him at the other couple's ceremony.  This movie had her going from hot to cold to hot to cold again from scene to scene. And I'm not sure how this "fixed" her situation. Doesn't it mean they're paying for it?  I also don't understand how she could be the talk of the wedding convention yet so desperate for work. And was that wedding expo multiple days? 

Despite those complaints, I actually liked much of this movie.  I think the leads had good chemistry and I liked the side cast of characters.

Funny, I had a similar reaction. I wasn't liking the movie early on but it snuck up on me, and I enjoyed it. Their chemistry grew nicely as the movie progressed. Yet I also had many issues with it. I guess them having the wedding "fixed" the situation, because you do pay for your own wedding anyway. So she isn't having to pay for someone else. And Ben must have contributed as well once he became the groom? Don't remember them mentioning parents and they did not show anyone who looked like parents. Good thing Ben worked with them on making the wedding affordable. I haven't been married myself or helped anyone with a wedding, but aren't there also protections that established wedding planners have? At least down payments on stuff for precisely this sort of reason...

I wish more of the movie focused on them working well together and finding ways to balance romance and budget and not quite so much back and forth between friend, enemy, friend, enemy, friend again.

[Misslindsey]

Quote

And I'm not sure how this "fixed" her situation. Doesn't it mean they're paying for it? 

I did not get how he fixed the situation either. I really wish they would time jump the end of these movies a bit if they are in fact going to end with a wedding.

I liked this movie more than Wedding Bells. I liked the leads chemistry. I also liked that it wasn't as focused on them working together to plan the wedding as much, because a lot of the movies have been going this route. I did wonder how long the wedding expo was going to last. It seemed like forever. I would have preferred some more scenes with Ben and Libby after the expo, but not with the wedding planning if that makes any sense at all.

What I have gleaned from Hallmark movies is that if you are getting married you and your fiancé will be complete opposites and disagree completely on what you want for your wedding. Also, if you have two people planning your wedding they will probably disagree too until they see the light to combine both of their styles!

[twoods]

I agree with you guys- I liked their chemistry but her hissy fits were annoying at the beginning. Also if she's the best wedding planner ever, why were they short on cash? I did like seeing a couple kiss without looking awkward. It's been a while since I saw a couple look so comfortable as the leads did.

Do people really use wedding planners so much? We planned a 300 people wedding and 460 people reception without one (just used the event planner at the hotel). We did everything but maybe it worked since hubby is type A and I really didn't care. I do agree weddings are a waste of money but corners can be cut to cut down the cost and still make things look good.

Sadly, another movie ruined by a quickie wedding. They didn't even show the couple dating- I agree that maybe a "two months later" thing would have worked better. 

Edited June 5, 2016 by twoods

[TVFan17]

I don't think that I have anything additional to offer on the subject of Ms. Matched as a whole movie, and my opinion of it isn't really needed, but the only thing I will say is that, somehow, the writers managed to take what was the expected rushed ending and make it into a "twist" ending -- so I guess I give them credit for that. 

And yet, by delivering the expected rushed ending with the twist element to it, it came off as feeling even more accelerated and premature than it might have without the twist.

That is all.

[In2You]

For anyone who is interested Amazon currently has the novel Stop the Wedding for $.99 in anticipation for the movie. They even added a still from the movie to the cover

https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Wedding-romantic-comedy-Stephanie-ebook/dp/B00A6BRG6E?ie=UTF8&keywords=stop the wedding&qid=1465142703&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Sherry67 said:

I don't think that I have anything additional to offer on the subject of Ms. Matched as a whole movie, and my opinion of it isn't really needed, but the only thing I will say is that, somehow, the writers managed to take what was the expected rushed ending and make it into a "twist" ending -- so I guess I give them credit for that.

I would've appreciated that twist too except that they aired a general "June Weddings" promo that pretty much showed all the leads getting married earlier in the movie. Or at least all the lead women in wedding dresses. Since we hadn't seen her in a wedding dress yet, it was pretty obvious it was going to be their wedding.

[In2You]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I would've appreciated that twist too except that they aired a general "June Weddings" promo that pretty much showed all the leads getting married earlier in the movie. Or at least all the lead women in wedding dresses. Since we hadn't seen her in a wedding dress yet, it was pretty obvious it was going to be their wedding.

That promo spoiled the ending for Stop the Wedding. I mean I know its June Weddings month and we know how the story will end but still.

[TVFan17]

3 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I would've appreciated that twist too except that they aired a general "June Weddings" promo that pretty much showed all the leads getting married earlier in the movie. Or at least all the lead women in wedding dresses. Since we hadn't seen her in a wedding dress yet, it was pretty obvious it was going to be their wedding.

I expected the wedding because of the alarming trend of these super-rushed story endings.  That event, in and of itself, I expected -- also because it's a Hallmark wedding movie, and especially because there were press photos of Alexa PenaVega in a wedding dress floating around.

I think that it was the way that expected ending was handled -- they tried to make it seem as though the 2 people were going to resolve the problem another way, or with someone else's wedding -- that I sort of appreciated.  They even had Libby talking about "the bride" as if she was not talking about herself.  So, for a moment, they had me wondering if there was some other couple -- maybe people I had seen and barely paid attention to earlier in the movie -- who were going to be married.  Maybe 2 of the people at the Wedding Expo.  Maybe the fitness people or something.

Of course, the expected rushed wedding between the leads ended up happening anyway, justifying the press photos of Alexa in the wedding dress, but I guess I appreciated that the writers at least tried to steer me slightly off course before bringing the story to the conclusion I figured would happen, if that makes any sense!  Lol.

In2You is right -- they have completely ruined the end of Stop the Wedding in photos and in TV ads by showing what is going to happen.  Even though we know it's going to happen, it would be nice to not be shown before the movie even premieres.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Sherry67

[twoods]

I like a good twist, and the last time I can think of a good Hallmark movie twist was in Snow Bride when the mother knew all along that Greta was a tabloid reporter. The ending for last night's movie was a terrible twist that just made me say WTF. We didn't see them dating and falling in love at all- just some small scenes and a lot of yelling at the longest bridal expo ever. 

This is when I feel that the endless movies decreases their quality- with 4 to 5 movies comes maybe one really good movie that is not deleted from the DVR. Wish Hallmark would get a clue.

[In2You]

Stop the Wedding is about two people trying to stop the wedding of their parents. They could've still done the wedding promos with just pics from the parent's wedding. The ending Hallmark spoiled isnt even how the book ends anyway so they could've kept the ending a surprise. 

[TVFan17]

2 hours ago, twoods said:

I like a good twist, and the last time I can think of a good Hallmark movie twist was in Snow Bride when the mother knew all along that Greta was a tabloid reporter. The ending for last night's movie was a terrible twist that just made me say WTF. We didn't see them dating and falling in love at all- just some small scenes and a lot of yelling at the longest bridal expo ever. 

This is when I feel that the endless movies decreases their quality- with 4 to 5 movies comes maybe one really good movie that is not deleted from the DVR. Wish Hallmark would get a clue.

You and I may be the only Snow Bride fans in this thread, but it's a good movie!  I had forgotten about that twist with Mrs. Tannenhill knowing about Greta, and you're right -- that was a good one.  Not a mind-blowing, knock-us-off-our-feet twist, but a nice little unexpected development.  Plus, the 2 leads had good chemistry and they got together at the end without suddenly getting married.

Speaking of Snow Bride, it has inexplicably been left off of the Christmas in July schedule.  This surprises me not only because it is popular, but Susie Abromeit is in the movie and her brand new movie is premiering on July 16th.  I would have thought that Hallmark would want to run her other movie before showing her new one, but they're not doing it.

About Ms. Matched, I should say that I actually think that Alexa PenaVega was good in the role.  I didn't have a problem with her.  I think she fits into the Hallmark family quite well -- she has a positive image in real life; she is not up to any scandalous shenanigans; she seems to be a decent, sweet person; her faith is important to her, etc.  I see no reason why Hallmark couldn't or wouldn't put her in more movies, unless she simply isn't interested in doing them.

Although I think that the chemistry and banter between Alexa and Shawn Roberts was okay, I think I might have preferred her with a different leading man.  I have no idea who, but just someone else.  I suspect that a different leading man could have really had fun with the role of the 'expensive wedding saboteur' and brought even more humor to it.

[TVFan17]

When it rains, it pours in Hallmark movie news.  I didn't expect them to reveal a big chunk of Christmas movie news today, but they did via The Futon Critic.  http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2016/06/08/hallmark-channel-announces-start-of-production-on-countdown-to-christmas-33011/20160608hallmark01/#EccjXbwUMeEMptSM.99 

The Countdown to Christmas starts on October 29th (Saturday)....

Over 1500 hours of holiday programming again (same as last year)...

18 new movies (but I think that one of them is the one that we're getting in July, so really 17 new movies during the holidays)...

Here are plot outlines and some casting info for 11 of the titles:

Quote

A CURVEBALL CHRISTMAS

After enduring a horrible break-up with the man she thought she was destined to marry, Fiona Williams takes a trip to her parents' inn for Christmas. Holiday festivities and family bonding seem to be the only thing on the menu, but then Fiona's ex checks in to the inn with a new woman on his arm. Stuck between a rock and mistletoe, Fiona saves face by making the inn's opinionated and care-free cook her new "boyfriend" in hopes of making her ex jealous.

A FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS

Several days before Christmas, a reclusive author Andrew rents an isolated cabin in order to finish his long overdue novel. Just as Andrew is settling in, a young nurse named Holly, her daughter and wisecracking mother become stranded nearby. Andrew takes in the three unwanted guests and due to a heavy snowstorm, they end up staying through Christmas. The energetic young nurse breaks down Andrew's anti-social defenses. They soon find themselves involved in a number of festive activities, including chopping down a Christmas tree, a snowball fight, playing charades and gatherings around the dinner table. But the sudden arrival of Holly's ex-husband complicates matters and threatens her blossoming romance with Andrew.

A PRINCE FOR CHRISTMAS

Stars: Jaime Pressley ("My Name is Earl")

When Maggie Marks (Pressley) faces a tough career decision, she flees to Europe for some soul searching and sightseeing with a friend over the holidays. There she encounters a handsome European playboy prince and lands herself in a world she has never known where she finds a new direction in life, while teaching him to be a better prince along the way.

A WISH FOR CHRISTMAS

Stars: Lacey Chabert ("Party of Five," "Mean Girls"), Paul Greene ("A Christmas Detour")

Sara Shaw (Chabert) is the type of woman who prefers to sit on the sidelines at work, but when her big idea for a Christmas initiative is stolen, she makes a wish to Santa that she'll finally have the courage to stand up for herself. Santa grants her wish but only gives her 48 hours. She is able to reveal to Peter Williams (Greene), the handsome owner of her company, that her boss stole her idea. When Peter selects her to present the pitch to a difficult client they end up having to drive to the White Ridge Ski Resort, which happens to be Peter's hometown. Once there, Sarah sets out to show Peter the magic of Christmas. With all this time together, they wonder if there's more to this relationship than business. But as the clock ticks down on Sara's wish, she'll have to find a way to channel the Christmas magic and speak her mind on her own... or risk losing everything.

CHRISTMAS BUCKET LIST

Isobel Gray plans a storybook Christmas with her boyfriend, including a snow-covered cottage in the Northwest, and a carefully composed bucket list of classic holiday traditions. But when the boyfriend goes AWOL, the list proves challenging and a tempting new romance turns her life upside down. Will Isobel have a White Christmas ending under the mistletoe?

CHRISTMAS MAKEOVER

Stars: Lori Loughlin ("When Calls the Heart," "Fuller House"), Colin Ferguson ("Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove," "Eureka")

When a TV personality (Loughlin) has an on-air snafu and admits she hates Christmas, she is invited to the Most Christmas-y town in the US to try and repair her image. Forced to work with her ex-boyfriend Jack (Ferguson), the show's producer, the magic of Christmas and this special town will change the way she views Christmas and her life.

DECEMBER BRIDE

Stars: Jessica Lowndes ("90210"), (Daniel Lissing ("When Calls the Heart")

Layla O'Reilly (Lowndes) is bound and determined to attend her cousin's Christmastime wedding with a man on her arm - especially since her cousin is marrying her ex-fiancé. Seth Murphy (Lissing) is the only guy available, who Layla dislikes since he introduced the bride and groom. But since Seth is able to help Layla with her interior design business she and Seth stage being a newly engaged couple. As Layla helps Seth makeover a house for a Christmas decorating contest, Layla discovers Seth is not who he seems to be and that he has had a secret crush on her for years. Is it possible the man of her dreams has been in her midst all this time? She just might get her wish of becoming a December bride. Based on the book by bestselling author Denise Hunter.

JOY TO THE WORLD

Stars: Brooke Shields ("Flower Shop Mystery")

Joy Edwards (Shields), host of a wildly successful cooking show "Joy to the World," must scramble to assemble a fake family when the network insists on doing a live Christmas episode from her house. Before long, she realizes her fake family is the Christmas gift she always wanted.

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Stars: Jill Wagner ("Wipeout"), Wes Brown ("True Blood," "Hart of Dixie")

After Aunt Sally's Christmas Cookie Company is sold to a large conglomerate, executive Hannah (Wagner) must seal the deal and shut down the factory , which is the small town of Cookie Jar's lifeblood. The residents know their beloved little hamlet will soon dry up and everyone will move away. What was supposed to be a simple assignment for Hannah becomes complicated when she meets Jake (Brown), the factory owner determined to find a way to keep the factory in town and holds her at bay. Despite not being a fan of the holiday, the Christmas spirit in this small town is infectious and she gets swept up in the joy of the season while also falling for Jake. Will love make Hannah risk her job to save Cookie Jar?

SUDDENLY SANTA

Stars: Danica McKellar ("Wonder Years")

Christina Masters (McKellar), the manager of a flagship department store, is overjoyed when she finds out her company is hiring a new manager for the Paris store and is looking to promote from within. This is a dream job and the ever-ambitious Christina sets out to impress with holiday decorations galore. Things change, though, when her heart is won over by a little boy who asks the storefront Santa for help in finding his dad a new job. As it turns out, Christina has just fired this man for being late one too many times but she now realizes he is a single parent just trying his best to take care of his son. Christina is bound and determined to make things right and, to her surprise, finds herself falling in love. When Christina wows with this year's Christmas decorations and wins the dream job, she has a tough choice to make as she learns the true meaning of happiness.

PAIR OF JACKS

Stars: James Brolin ("Hotel," "Catch Me If You Can")

Jackie Foster is smart, organized and professional. She has the perfect life...until her dad, Jack (Brolin), a retired cop who is crusty on the outside but a softy on the inside, returns home. He reluctantly agrees to stay for Christmas, and despite the baggage he brings - a dog, beat-up motorhome and some old wounds - they ultimately reconnect as a family and share a warm, love-filled holiday. Not only that, but Jack introduces her to a detective that helps Jackie avoid a potentially disastrous match with the wrong man.
 

I am trying to assess the info above and compare it with what I have already uncovered and figured out, keeping in mind certain details that they did not mention in the article, for whatever reason.  I am trying to piece it all together and figure out what's what. 

I think that some things were left out -- like certain actors' names.  For example, I have no clue which of these movies is Rachel Boston's Christmas movie, or Ashley Williams' Christmas movie, etc.

Some movies have already been filmed, and are not mentioned in the article above.  Those could, perhaps, be going to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

And some titles are certainly going to change, as they are too similar -- if not identical -- to movies from last year or recent years.

[kirinan]

Quote

CHRISTMAS MAKEOVER

Stars: Lori Loughlin ("When Calls the Heart," "Fuller House"), Colin Ferguson ("Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove," "Eureka")

When a TV personality (Loughlin) has an on-air snafu and admits she hates Christmas, she is invited to the Most Christmas-y town in the US to try and repair her image. Forced to work with her ex-boyfriend Jack (Ferguson), the show's producer, the magic of Christmas and this special town will change the way she views Christmas and her life.

As soon as I saw the words "Colin" and "Ferguson" I squealed out loud (startling my husband), and the other 17 movies went straight out of my head (okay, maybe the other 16; Paul Greene always gets an automatic watch from me; he's a cutie). I'm so happy--my #2 TV boyfriend in a Hallmark movie! I am SO there. If I could get Danny Pino (my #1 TV boyfriend) in one of these movies, and Antonio Cupo back for a new one, my life would be complete.

What were the other movies about again? :-) 

ETA: "Stuck between a rock and mistletoe?" Hallmark, who writes your press releases? Fire them immediately. 

Edited June 10, 2016 by kirinan

[TVFan17]

9 hours ago, kirinan said:

As soon as I saw the words "Colin" and "Ferguson" I squealed out loud (startling my husband), and the other 17 movies went straight out of my head (okay, maybe the other 16; Paul Greene always gets an automatic watch from me; he's a cutie). I'm so happy--my #2 TV boyfriend in a Hallmark movie! I am SO there. If I could get Danny Pino (my #1 TV boyfriend) in one of these movies, and Antonio Cupo back for a new one, my life would be complete.

What were the other movies about again? :-) 

ETA: "Stuck between a rock and mistletoe?" Hallmark, who writes your press releases? Fire them immediately. 

"Stuck between a rock and mistletoe" is pretty bad.  Lol.  I don't mind a clever holiday pun, or a Christmas-centric play on words, but that's not a good one.

You like Niall Matter too, right?  He'll be in a Hallmark Christmas movie, A Snow Capped Christmas, later this year -- though it doesn't appear to be listed in the press release.  I don't know if Niall is the actual leading man in ASCC, or if he is a supporting player, but the leading lady is Leah Renee.  This movie was filmed before Niall filmed Stop the Wedding, and there should be some actual, real snow in some of the scenes (always a nice surprise) -- a benefit of filming in late February/early March, in Vancouver.

That Futon Critic press release is a bit befuddling to me.  The way it is worded makes it sound as though those 11 movies are about to go into production, which is misleading because A Wish for Christmas and Christmas Cookies (formerly called The Last Christmas) are long finished. And they didn't mention Candace Cameron Bure at all, who is one of their star players.  She has said that she would be doing another Christmas movie this year. It hasn't been filmed, and I don't know if it is one of the ones on the list in the press release (one of the ones without an actress attached).   They also didn't mention Rachel Boston's Christmas movie (also not yet filmed), when she stars in Stop the Wedding tomorrow night.

And... the press release doesn't mention Erin Krakow, who is a big star in the Hallmark world because of When Calls the Heart.  She is filming her movie right now, which has the working title of Finding Father Christmas (at first I thought it could end up being the Pair of Jacks movie mentioned in the release, but I have since found out it's not the same movie -- or it doesn't seem like it is, based on the filming dates).

I'm surprised they didn't mention A Snow Capped Christmas, since that one is already finished.  They also didn't mention A Puppy for Christmas, which is long finished, and features Cindy Busby (who starred in their popular Unleashing Mr. Darcy).  Operation Christmas with Tricia Helfer is also finished.   So, it is interesting how they chose to focus on certain movies and act as though they were all about to go into production, and they left out some titles that were already finished.

Edited June 11, 2016 by Sherry67
Had to add in some extra info

[twoods]

I'm watching While You Were Sleeping, one of my favorite movies, and I realized that the ending proposal was a quick one that I'm usually annoyed with- they only knew each other for 3 weeks. I couldn't figure out why that ending didn't annoy me like the Hallmark quickly proposals/weddings usually do, but it must be because of the execution of the movie and the chemistry between the leads. Maybe I should keep an open mind with the upcoming movies because I'm sure we will see a rushed proposal with all of them because of the June wedding theme.

[Irlandesa]

Yeah.  For me it's not "they've only known each other three weeks."  Heck, if done correctly, they can convince me after just a day spent together.  After all, many of the best romcoms have me believing in "Happily Ever After" at the end of them even if there isn't a proposal.  If I'm questioning it at the end, it's because Hallmark hasn't convinced me the lead couple are soulmates.

[Luckylyn]

9 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Yeah.  For me it's not "they've only known each other three weeks."  Heck, if done correctly, they can convince me after just a day spent together.  After all, many of the best romcoms have me believing in "Happily Ever After" at the end of them even if there isn't a proposal.  If I'm questioning it at the end, it's because Hallmark hasn't convinced me the lead couple are soulmates.

With the right writing and chemistry a romance that gets serious quickly can work extremely well.  That's the problem with the latest Hallmark movies because the writing isn't strong enough and sometimes the leads don't have enough of a spark for me to buy the lead pair ending up together.

[Irlandesa]

1 minute ago, Luckylyn said:

With the right writing and chemistry a romance that gets serious quickly can work extremely well.  That's the problem with the latest Hallmark movies because the writing isn't strong enough and sometimes the leads don't have enough of a spark for me to buy the lead pair ending up together.

That's true.  Like this movie last week.  I actually believed these two could have a future. I believed in them.  What I didn't believe in was that they were in a "let's get married" place.  Especially after that guy had a marriage he regretted.

[kirinan]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Yeah.  For me it's not "they've only known each other three weeks."  Heck, if done correctly, they can convince me after just a day spent together.  After all, many of the best romcoms have me believing in "Happily Ever After" at the end of them even if there isn't a proposal.  If I'm questioning it at the end, it's because Hallmark hasn't convinced me the lead couple are soulmates.

Preach it, Irlandesa! My mom and dad met in late October, 1956 and got married on December 18, 1956--no, not because they had to (I'm the oldest kid, and I didn't show up until October, 1957), but because they wanted to. And they were happily married until my mom passed away in 2006. So I know by this real-life example that fast weddings can happen just because you know you've found The One.

Unfortunately, more often than not the Hallmark movies don't bother to cast with the chemistry or write the plot in a way that makes me believe these two people just HAVE to be together. Part of it, I'm sure, is budget and time constraints, but IMO, a lot of it seems to be that they want to crank these movies out ASAP and figure their audience will gobble up anything they put out regardless of quality--much like Harlequin romance readers will read every single book that comes out. And I'm not dissing HQ readers; I read their Heartwarming line, which is very much like a Hallmark movie in print. Some are great, some are good, some are kind of meh. 

I would say Heartwarmings have about a 70 to 30 ratio of good to bad. Hallmark movies (good reference list, btw), to me, are about 50/50 or maybe a little less on the good movies. Of course, you have a little more luxury to develop a romance in a book. I will say, though, when a Hallmark movie does grab me (The Love Letter, Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Love on the Air, Signed, Sealed, Delivered, and a few others where I really loved and believed the romance), I really fall hard for it and will watch it over and over again. So I know Hallmark can do it. I wish they'd go a little less for quantity and a little more for quality, so I really believe it come June wedding-movie time. 

[TVFan17]

Sometimes in these Hallmark movies I like a couple well enough together and think they have decent enough chemistry to make me think that they would absolutely be interested in each other, have feelings for each other and want to continue seeing each other at the end of the movie.  I am fine with a big, mushy reunion after a silly misunderstanding too -- the lead guy can go running after the leading lady and profess his feelings in an airport or train station or something.  That's fine.  Hey, I loved it when Richard Gere climbed up the fire escape to meet a beaming Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman -- one of my all-time favorite rom-coms and favorite movies in general -- but Richard's character, Edward, did not propose marriage to Julia's character, Vivian, and they had great chemistry.  It's the jumping to a marriage when the chemistry is just decent (as opposed to great) that is an issue.

Edited June 12, 2016 by Sherry67
No one was interested in the scoop I posted!

[In2You]

I didn't  expect it to be exactly like the novel but I didn't even understand why they changed the things they did. Anabelle was not a woman starting her own firm( she was a divorce lawyer though)who spent weekends at her aunt's in the novel and the setting wasn't Seattle or San Francisco. Her last name wasn't Colton either it was Coakley. The setting was Georgia, the woman getting married was her mother not her aunt, the movie star' boyfriend was named Martin(and I guess to make him seem like less of a playboy they figured they'd knock off the amount of marriages),  the son was a corporate raider not a doctor, and there was no aunt Susie either.  Up until Clay and  Anabelle meeting there were no similarities to the novel.

 I don't know if it was the writing or just him but Alan Thicke was terrible in this movie! And his character was really annoying. In the book it was easy to see why he was attracted to this woman. Rachel and Niall did have good chemistry though the actual plotting to stop the wedding seemed to fall by the wayside for wacky hi-jinks. Midway though the movie it felt like we were at the ending and then they threw in that cliche Vegas elopement plot sitcoms ran into the ground. Having Clay and Anabelle realize why they liked each other by watching videos instead of seeing it before their eyes  by interacting with them was just dumb!  And I didn't even understand why Anabelle wanted to stop the wedding in the first place. The failed marriage excuse was so flimsy. At least if they had kept it her mother instead of her aunt it would've been more believable for her to be against the wedding. It wasn't a boring movie but the plot was all over the place and just dragged on with no purpose to the point where I stopped caring. And then squeezing in two weddings in the last two minutes. Why?

[kirinan]

I actually liked it, although I agree it was a little all over the place. I thought Rachel Boston and Niall Matter had excellent chemistry, and although I usually don't care for Alan Thicke that much, I thought he was pretty tolerable in this. He had just enough decency to offset the blowhard celebrity. And yes, the failed marriage thing was flimsy, but I've come to expect flimsy from most of these movies, so I was able to forgive it. 

It probably doesn't hurt that I definitely like a movie better when I know at least one of the actors (in this case, I knew four). Even when the actors I know are relatively unknown, IMO not having bland generic unfamiliar leads automatically elevates it for me, and I'll give those movies a bit more leeway. The movies with the unknowns really have to bring it to win me over.

I didn't know this was based on a book. But I'm not surprised they changed it a lot; I met two very nice women last year at a writers' retreat who co-wrote one of the Hallmark Christmas movies, and if I remember correctly they said Hallmark changed it quite a bit from the script they submitted.     

Edited June 12, 2016 by kirinan

[twoods]

10 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

 

Edited June 12, 2016 by twoods
Glitch, can't edit this post. Sorry!

[twoods]

I also really liked the movie. We finally got a "one year later" wedding instead of a ridiculous quickie one. I was so afraid instead of going to Miami they were going to crash the wedding and have it be a double wedding- I would have definitely thrown something. I really loved the chemistry between the leads and felt their connection, and even though there was the cliche misunderstanding, I could understand why they were upset with each other.

I'm just happy that for the first time this year I didn't automatically delete the movie from the DVR. Hope next week's movie does not disappoint.

Edited June 12, 2016 by twoods

[emjohnson03]

I was looking forward to Stop the Wedding and def was one of my favorites. I just had a feeling the couple was gonna have chemistry and they did. I thought both Rachel and Neil were adorable. Sure it had it's silly misunderstanding but I thought they were authentic and real. It didn't hurt that Neil was easy on the eyes (more so than some of the other Hallmark men I thought). I really enjoyed this film and will watch again.

The Vegas run around was more for them to get to know each other so  I didn't mind that. The aunt and his dad were ok but I really watched for those 2.

Def one that will see again!

[TVFan17]

I injured my hand and wrist about a week and a half ago, and it hurts me to type whenever I come here to post a comment.  So I'll just say that I thought Stop the Wedding was cute -- my favorite part about it was actually Alan Thicke and his character's relationship with the aunt, and Rachel Boston is always charming -- but I can tell that I didn't like it quite as much as everyone else did.  Some movies just jump out at me more, and others are fine but not favorites.

Next week's movie I know I will like at least somewhat, because... David Sutcliffe.  Even if I dislike everything else about the movie for some reason, I still like him, and that will be a point in the movie's favor.

Edited June 12, 2016 by Sherry67

[EyewatchTV211]

An older movie that I enjoyed on Hallmark that I haven't seen discussed here at all is How To Fall In Love with Eric Mabius. While it had a little of the usual makeover of a "nerdy" character, the makeover wasn't what led to the love. I appreciated the movie as someone who is socially anxious and extremely awkward around the opposite sex myself, just like Eric's character didn't magically attract women just because he looked more handsome. He still didn't know what to do to attract women. It was really nice watching the main would-be couple learn more about each other and admire each other's skills and interests and personalities. I felt like their chemistry grew as the movie went on due to those things.