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

[sacrebleu]

Not a fan of Love on the Slopes, first off, why would someone not interested in adventure take a job at a travel pub? Then complain she's not getting opportunities to write when all she suggested are non-travel stories?  Plus why did the 'expert researcher' wear a leather jacket to go mountain biking?

She was simply too stupid for me to like-- They lost me pretty quick. 

Also, if Hallmark insists on setting movies in particular professions (publishing, pr) they should really try to learn just a little about how they work. Holding a contest to hire a new writer?? umm... no.

[mikeb]

Here's an article that ranks the 2017 Christmas movies.   I was surprised that The Mistletoe Inn was ranked behind FInding Santa.   I did not watch the top ranked one, Christmas Next Door, so can't comment on whether it deserved to be #1.

http://www.ibtimes.com/all-hallmark-channels-2017-christmas-movies-ranked-2635852

[twoods]

I didn't watch the Lacey movie, actually liked the Holly Lodge movie,  and switch Coming Home for Christmas to the next door movie and it's a decent list.

[anniebird]

Thomas Beaudoin is almost impossibly handsome. That is all.

[Irlandesa]

I liked Frozen In Love a lot.  While I'm iffy on Rachel Leigh Cook, she seemed to relax as the movie progressed.  I thought the leads had good chemistry and a good rapport.   The plot was different from many of them, although I wish it had been that they needed to pretend they were dating because that's usually how these things go.

I was worried they were going to have the team owner/manager declare that she was in love with the guy but they nicely avoided it.  To show how much I liked it, the public kiss at the end even made me smile even though it's one of my least favorite tropes.

[Misslindsey]

I enjoyed Frozen in Love as well. I liked that there was not some big misunderstanding. When the male lead had to go to his hockey event instead of the book store anniversary they talked about it rationally. They did not have Rachel Leigh Cook's character get angry at him which seems to happen a lot in these types of movies. 

[kirinan]

I liked everything about Frozen in Love except Rachael Leigh Cook's character. By the time I started liking her better, the movie was over. I will admit, though, I've lost patience over the years with the woman always having to be the uptight, pissy character. 

One particular scene that really bothered me, and I'm not sure why it did so much, but along with her brother I couldn't tell at the beginning if she was serious about not knowing the difference between hockey and football. I have to think it was supposed to be a joke, because I can't imagine an intelligent adult not at least having a general idea of the difference (hey, I hate football and have never watched more than a few minutes of a game in my life, but I know how it's played), so if it was supposed to be a joke it wasn't well relayed. And way over-played, writers. I think I could have got that she lived a sheltered life without that anvil (if it was).

Otherwise, I enjoyed it. I'm glad they didn't have the team owner go after Niall Matter's character for a triangle. The supporting players were good. And I appreciated the way Mary didn't cause a big fuss over Adam's dilemma--she just put on her big girl panties and coped with it, which to me showed so much more growth. You could see how torn Adam was, and he showed good growth, too. Not a wasted two hours at all, and it's possible on a rewatch the RLC character might not bother me as much.

Edited January 14, 2018 by kirinan

[mikeb]

Hallmark has announced new HMM mystery movies for the next 6 months.  There will 4 new Garage Sale Mysteries all airing in August, as well as at least one new each of Emma Fielding, Fixer-Upper, Hailey Dean, and Signed, Sealed, Delivered.  In addition to the new Morning Show Mystery later this month,  there will be a new "The Crossword Mystery" created by NY Times crossword editor Will Shortz and starring Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliott, as well as a new unnamed photographer mystery starring Alexa and Carlos PenaVega.  I don't see any mention of a new Aurora Teagarden, new Gourmet Detective, or Murder, She Baked.  I would not be surprised if the last two are done, but would be surprised if there is not a new Aurora Teagarden later this year.

Here is an article with the details

http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2018/01/14/Hallmark-networks-plan-90-new-movies-in-2018/stories/201801140166

[sistersledge]

I missed the first 5 minutes of Frozen In Love, but why was Adam sleeping on the couch? Because otherwise I was wondering why in a huge mansion with three people living there, why he would be sleeping on a couch. Surely there’s a guest room somewhere....

[LexieLily]

4 hours ago, mikeb said:

Hallmark has announced new HMM mystery movies for the next 6 months.  There will 4 new Garage Sale Mysteries all airing in August, as well as at least one new each of Emma Fielding, Fixer-Upper, Hailey Dean, and Signed, Sealed, Delivered.  In addition to the new Morning Show Mystery later this month,  there will be a new "The Crossword Mystery" created by NY Times crossword editor Will Shortz and starring Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliott, as well as a new unnamed photographer mystery starring Alexa and Carlos PenaVega.  I don't see any mention of a new Aurora Teagarden, new Gourmet Detective, or Murder, She Baked.  I would not be surprised if the last two are done, but would be surprised if there is not a new Aurora Teagarden later this year.

Here is an article with the details

http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2018/01/14/Hallmark-networks-plan-90-new-movies-in-2018/stories/201801140166

This makes two years in a row they have marathoned all the Garage Sale Mystery movies in one month instead of spreading them out over the year. I wonder why that is.

[Irlandesa]

23 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

This makes two years in a row they have marathoned all the Garage Sale Mystery movies in one month instead of spreading them out over the year. I wonder why that is.

There was on in Jan. last year but yes, it looks like they're repeating the event series from last year.  I gather it must have done well and this was one of the few series which produces enough movies to do a month-long event.  I surprisingly found myself enjoying having them all together more than I thought I would. 

5 hours ago, mikeb said:

I don't see any mention of a new Aurora Teagarden, new Gourmet Detective, or Murder, She Baked.

I wish they'd announce when these movies are over.  The Flower Shop mysteries just ended...which was fine because I didn't love those anyway. Murder, She Baked is most likely definitely done since we haven't heard of a new movie in any of the press releases.  We had been getting a new movie about every six months or so.  I'll wait a bit on The Gourmet Detective as the last two were in October.  If we don't hear anything in the next press release...

[LexieLily]

Flower Shop movies are definitely over? That's okay with me; I didn't like that series as well as the others and I don't know why. Maybe because it seems to me like Aurora, Jen, Hannah, and Gourmet Detective (I forgot the guy's name) often use their skills as a librarian/antique shop owner/baker/chef to help them in their mystery solving and there isn't much room to do that if you are a florist.

[Irlandesa]

18 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Flower Shop movies are definitely over?

I don't know if they're definitely over but the last one aired in June of 2016 and there has been no indication of more to come.

[beadgirl]

Quote

Maybe because it seems to me like Aurora, Jen, Hannah, and Gourmet Detective (I forgot the guy's name) often use their skills as a librarian/antique shop owner/baker/chef to help them in their mystery solving and there isn't much room to do that if you are a florist.

Brooke Shields's character was a former lawyer, though, and her love interest was a former cop? ex-military? Something like that. So between them they had the skills to investigate crime and/or take out the bad guys. That said, I didn't find that series particularly strong or memorable, and only watched because I liked the actors.

I hope there's more of the Gourmet Detective; I enjoy that one. And I'd be in favor of another Murder She Baked, as long as they kept her relationship with the detective permanent. The crossword mystery sounds intriguing. I have to hand it to Will Shortz; between this and his hand in a great Simpsons episode, he's bringing puzzles into pop culture.

[redpencil]

Haven't finished watching Frozen in Love, but had to come here to complain about another movie where the Denver suburbs are apparently quaint mountain towns. Denver is not in the mountains, people. Stop trying to portray it like it is.

[JAYJAY1979]

7 hours ago, mikeb said:

Hallmark has announced new HMM mystery movies for the next 6 months.  There will 4 new Garage Sale Mysteries all airing in August, as well as at least one new each of Emma Fielding, Fixer-Upper, Hailey Dean, and Signed, Sealed, Delivered.  In addition to the new Morning Show Mystery later this month,  there will be a new "The Crossword Mystery" created by NY Times crossword editor Will Shortz and starring Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliott, as well as a new unnamed photographer mystery starring Alexa and Carlos PenaVega.  I don't see any mention of a new Aurora Teagarden, new Gourmet Detective, or Murder, She Baked.  I would not be surprised if the last two are done, but would be surprised if there is not a new Aurora Teagarden later this year.

Here is an article with the details

http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2018/01/14/Hallmark-networks-plan-90-new-movies-in-2018/stories/201801140166

90 wouldn't be so bad if there was more variety instead of the same formula used over and over.  Back in the big 3 network era, there was probably 50 tv movies done combine per tv season, but there was variety in what was offered.

Hallmark used to have a little more variety in their earlier years, not sure what changed.

[GaT]

I've decided that the Emma Fielding movies are not that good, Courtney Thorne-Smith is a boring actress.

[JAYJAY1979]

7 hours ago, GaT said:

I've decided that the Emma Fielding movies are not that good, Courtney Thorne-Smith is a boring actress.

She was always pretty, but I do admit I used to root for Heather locklear on Melrose to wipe the floor with her. Lol

[In2You]

10 hours ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

90 wouldn't be so bad if there was more variety instead of the same formula used over and over.  Back in the big 3 network era, there was probably 50 tv movies done combine per tv season, but there was variety in what was offered.

Hallmark used to have a little more variety in their earlier years, not sure what changed.

Yes today I was watching The Watsons Go To Birmingham which originally aired on Hallmark back when they would show family movies every Friday. It was a great movie set in the Civil Rights Era. I can't see the current Hallmark airing something like it. Current Hallmark doesn't even like to deviate from cookie cutter romances.

[Jaded]

16 hours ago, In2You said:

Yes today I was watching The Watsons Go To Birmingham which originally aired on Hallmark back when they would show family movies every Friday. It was a great movie set in the Civil Rights Era. I can't see the current Hallmark airing something like it. Current Hallmark doesn't even like to deviate from cookie cutter romances.

I liked it when they showed older HHoF movies like this one called Little John. Which is another movie they wouldn't air now either......

Edited January 16, 2018 by Jaded

[Chippings]

Even though A Royal Winter isn't a new movie, they did show it several times in the last few days so I guess it's okay to talk about it now.  I couldn't find any references to it when it first appeared a year ago, so here I go.

While most of these are *really* formulaic, I thought this one was different in a few ways, and I was really struck by the Prince Adrian actor - Jack Donnelly.  He was absolutely charming and unique.  Having watched a few of the other movies this week, just to see how they went, I could barely tell those lead actors apart; they could all be catalog models for Macy's menswear.   I went and looked at Donnelly's previous work, and he did two seasons of a sword-&-sandal series called Atlantis, I think, with an entirely different look, and he was in a musical in London, very contempo & artsy.    Given that I realized he did really create a character in the Adrian guy.   I thought his acting was really very sensitive.  

Also, points to them for going to actual Romania to film this, and using a lot of beautiful exteriors there.   It must have been interesting working with Samantha Bond, who played the Queen - she has a long bio of really good roles, including Miss Moneypenny in several James Bond movies.  I thought Merritt Patterson was entirely likeable and believable, too.  Even the little girl (selling souvenirs and shy to sing) was a good little actress, with a nice couple of bits.   

There were a couple of spots where, after spending all that money to go on location, take their actors with, and so on, they cheesed out -- As, in the final scene where the children appeared at the "coronation" to sing, they were still in their ordinary duds.  I know it's only a matter of seconds, but couldn't they have given each of the kids a nice outfit to wear for their king's *coronation* ??  

But on the whole I thought this one stood out for many reasons, and most especially Donnelly, who I hope will get more work in the future.  He's good.

[TVFan17]

This isn't what I was coming here to post about, but I just wanted to throw in that this year's Winterfest is turning out to be a winner for me (so far).  I stand firm in my belief that Love on the Slopes is an entertaining, sweet movie with a solid message (plus fabulous scenery and a great final shot/scene!), and I also really enjoyed Frozen in Love.  This, of course, makes me worry about the next two movies and whether or not they will be good, but, for me, the first two are movies I will happily watch again.

 

Okay, to address the Flower Shop Mysteries (which were mentioned above), yes... that is definitely over.  Brennan Elliott said (back in the summer) that only 3 would be made.  Not only that, but Brooke Shields has disappeared from all Hallmark functions, series and movies (she was supposed to have done a Christmas movie in 2016, and it never happened).  She doesn't seem to be in the family anymore.  No one knows for sure why Flower Shop fell through (the original plan was to make a lot of movies), but I guess something didn't work out,  and Hallmark and Brooke parted ways.

As for Murder She Baked... Nothing has been mentioned about more movies since the last new MSB movie premiered in 2017.   Alison Sweeney said (a few months ago) that there were no plans for any new movies "right now" -- and she also indicated she has other projects in the works.   At least Alison is still very much involved with Hallmark and is in the family (as are Cameron Mathison and Barbara Niven), so there is always a chance MSB could be revived at a later time.

The same goes for Gourmet Detective.  Dylan Neal and Brooke Burns are also still very connected to Hallmark, so -- although nothing has been announced about more GD movies -- I wouldn't rule it out forever.  I can picture some sort of scenario in which it returns in another year or so, or Just as an occasional movie once in a blue moon.

At Hallmark's  TCA presentation and party on Saturday night, which is where all of the news about the 2018 mystery series came from, there were some other interesting bits of info that were not included in press releases, but were instead revealed on Twitter by some of the entertainment journalists/critics/media in attendance, or by actors on the red carpet or at the party.  I will name some of them:
 

• The June Weddings event is expected to consist of ALL sequels to previous Hallmark movies (I have my doubts about this 'all sequels' gimmick, IF it actually plays out that way).   These are most likely (subject to change) going to include:  The Perfect Bride 2 (w/ Kavan Smith and Pascale Hutton);   Marrying Mr. Darcy (sequel to Unleashing Mr. Darcy, w/ Ryan Paevey and Cindy Busby);  Wedding in the Vineyard (second sequel to Autumn in the Vineyard, w/ Rachael Leigh Cook and Brendan Penny); and a sequel to 2016's Summer of Dreams, starring Debbie Gibson.  (However, back in November, Autumn Reeser indicated her next Hallmark movie would have a wedding in it, so I wonder if that could be a sequel of some sort too?).
• Andrew Walker is supposedly going to do a new Spring movie, with the working title of Flip Flop.
• Country star Kix Brooks' movie, Home Sweet Home, is filming in Louisiana very soon.
• The sequel to JL Ranch (with Jon Voight, James Caan, Teri Polo and Trevor Donovan) is filming in Kentucky very soon.
• Peter Porte's and Amanda Schull's movie, which is filming now, is called Love Once and Always, and will air in early March.
• Alexa and Carlos PenaVega are going to do a cruise ship-themed movie, tentatively titled Love on the Lido Deck.
• Steven R. McQueen is going to star in a new movie
• The second sequel to The Wedding March (called Here Comes the Bride), with Josie Bissett and Jack Wagner, is premiering on February 17th, even though it is Valentine-themed.
• Bethany Joy Lenz's and Will Kemp's Romanian-filmed royal movie, Royal Matchmaker, is premiering on either March 24th or March 25th.
• Cindy Busby's and Andrew Cooper's royal movie (directed by co-star James Brolin), also filmed in Romania, is tentatively titled A Royal Romance (although I just saw a potential new title for it a couple of days ago), and it is premiering on February 24th.
• There is another Darrow and Darrow movie coming up, and at least two more Aurora Teagarden movies, but neither was mentioned on Saturday night, for some reason.
• The Beach House, a Hall of Fame movie starring Andie MacDowell, Minka Kelly and Chad Michael Murray, is premiering in either April or May.
• This was not announced by anyone on Saturday night, but it was recently suggested by director David Winning that the second sequel to Finding Father Christmas (starring Erin Krakow and Niall Matter) would be filming "next month."

And... if all of that is not enough... another bit of news that was not announced on Saturday night is that Lacey Chabert is now in South Africa... about to film a Hallmark movie.   Hallmark has branched out to a new location!

Edited January 17, 2018 by TVFan17

[Luckylyn]

I am not happy about the sequels.  A bad sequel can taint a person’s fondness for the original movie.  

Sequels can work but it has to be material that leaves room for the characters to grow and not just a rehash of the previous movie.   I know the mystery films that revisit the same characters over and over have been sucessful, but I figure those were probably based on various book series that gave Hallmark a lot of material to work with.  Also there’s a difference between sequels planned in advance as part of a series of films versus deciding to make one after the movie’s been made.  I feel like Hallmark is getting lazier and lazier on the creative side of things.  I’d like more variety in what they are making.

[TVFan17]

40 minutes ago, Luckylyn said:

I am not happy about the sequels.  A bad sequel can taint a person’s fondness for the original movie.  

Sequels can work but it has to be material that leaves room for the characters to grow and not just a rehash of the previous movie.   I know the mystery films that revisit the same characters over and over have been sucessful, but I figure those were probably based on various book series that gave Hallmark a lot of material to work with.  Also there’s a difference between sequels planned in advance as part of a series of films versus deciding to make one after the movie’s been made.  I feel like Hallmark is getting lazier and lazier on the creative side of things.  I’d like more variety in what they are making.

 

Well, one good thing (good in this specific case) is that there is still a bit of time before any June Weddings sequels are filmed.  Maybe there is still time for the plan to change!  Hallmark changes plans (even after they have been announced) so often, that I wouldn't be shocked if they strayed from the 'all sequels' plan and threw something totally new into the mix.

I agree - if sequels are not good, or even if they are OK but  just not as good as the original movies, it can really kind of ruin the first one.    It's risky to devote an entire event to only sequels.  But I am not one who asks for a lot of sequels anyway, whereas other people say they want sequels to every single movie.

And then I have to look at the specific sequels that they are likely going to make.   What if people didn't like any of the original movies?  They wouldn't have a need to sit through the sequels, and that would potentially be 4 consecutive Saturdays of not tuning in. 

I can understand making a Mr. Darcy sequel, IF that happens, because people seem to love the original movie and I have no doubt they will tune in for the sequel.

I can kind of understand the Vineyard sequel, because after Summer in the Vineyard premiered last year, people seemed to be asking for a wedding.   I don't really need to see the wedding, but I guess others do.

But... was anyone clamoring for a Summer of Dreams wedding-themed sequel?  That movie premiered in August of 2016.  Was anyone wondering what became of Debbie Gibson's character after that movie?

Now, in my opinion, what they should do is bump out the Summer of Dreams sequel and air that at some other time.  Then they should finish off the All of My Heart story (with Lacey and Brennan) this year, and have those characters finally get married during June Weddings.  I loved the first movie.    The second movie was not as good as the first, sadly.    But I know that there are All of My Heart fans who want more of those two characters and their story, and they ask for another sequel (or even a weekly series) every day on social media.    So, even though the second AOMH movie was nowhere near the level of the first, I think it would have been smart to do the AOMH wedding this year (bringing in a lot of viewers), and then put off Lacey and Brennan's new Crossword Mystery movie until 2019. 

Edited January 17, 2018 by TVFan17

[Luckylyn]

The only movie I ever wanted a sequel for was Let It Snow because they kept mentioning a brother who moved to Australia.  I keep thinking a Christmas storyline set in Australia would be a great way to liven up the annual Hallmark Christmas movie flood.  

[TVFan17]

If they insist on doing sequels, I would rather that they spread them out over the course of the year, so they fit into different events -- maybe Fall Harvest has one sequel; maybe Spring Fling has one; Summer Nights can have one; and then one or two (at most) sequels in June Weddings.  That is still sequel overkill, but piling a bunch of them into the same event in the same year is an even more curious programming choice, and I wonder how it will go over with the viewers who didn't really like any of the original movies.

Hopefully there is still a  chance for the sequel plan to change course before it's too late!

Edited January 17, 2018 by TVFan17

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Luckylyn said:

Sequels can work but it has to be material that leaves room for the characters to grow and not just a rehash of the previous movie.   I know the mystery films that revisit the same characters over and over have been successful, but I figure those were probably based on various book series that gave Hallmark a lot of material to work with.  

I think you make a lot of good points when it comes to after-the-fact sequels vs. planned sequels.  But I think the mystery sequels fare better because the main focus of the movies tend to be the mysteries.  That's new every sequel and they can add character details as they solve the mysteries without having to come up with new relationship dynamics to fuel a new movie.

I'm not interested in any of the sequels.  So far, they've all been regress-regress-regress-retell.  Wake me when it's Love At The Thanksgiving Day Parade.

On 1/15/2018 at 0:47 AM, GaT said:

I've decided that the Emma Fielding movies are not that good, Courtney Thorne-Smith is a boring actress.

I like Courtney Thorne Smith and James Tupper and wanted to love both of these movies but yeah, the second one didn't improve on the issues of the first.  I just felt like it took forever.  And I knew who did it immediately because of casting. 

Spoiler

Of course, only a Hallmark addict would know who the "big casting" would be.

[TVFan17]

Irlandesa -- It's not Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, but Antonio Cupo is apparently in the next Garage Sale Mystery movie, which won't premiere until August, I guess (when it's Garage Sale Mystery Month over on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries).  His name popped up on a casting agency's Facebook page and it was mentioned that he is in the movie that's about to film. 

[Luckylyn]

12 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I think you make a lot of good points when it comes to after-the-fact sequels vs. planned sequels.  But I think the mystery sequels fare better because the main focus of the movies tend to be the mysteries.  That's new every sequel and they can add character details as they solve the mysteries without having to come up with new relationship dynamics to fuel a new movie.

  Reveal hidden contents

Of course, only a Hallmark addict would know who the "big casting" would be.

That’s a good point about mystery sequels working better because a new mystery each time keeps things freash and provides opportunties for character development over time.

[twoods]

Why aren't  they doing a sequel to Crown for Christmas? Clearly it's a popular movie and we can have Danica's character struggling with royal life and duties. Make it happen, Hallmark! Anything to get RPJ back on my screen. 

I did not watch Summer of Dreams because Debbie Gibson seemed horrible in it- why they decided to make this a sequel boggles my mind. With so many movies they are cranking out every year, it's natural to turn to sequels because there are no original stories left. I've been liking the Winterfest movies so far because of the incorporation of hockey and skiing, which is nice to see.

[Misslindsey]

Wasn't there rumors that Summer Villa with Hilarie Burton and Victor Webster was getting a sequel? I enjoyed that movie so I would not mind one, even though I have not loved too many of the sequels. I thought they were all okay-ish.

[TVFan17]

The Summer Villa sequel rumor originated from an entertainment journalist's tweet a couple of years ago.  She was at a One Tree Hill panel discussion, and supposedly Hilarie Burton made a reference to a sequel.   And then Victor Webster asked people on Twitter if they would want a sequel to it, which generated some discussion.  But nothing ever came from it after that.  I liked that movie a lot, though, so I would much rather have a Summer Villa, Part 2 instead of Summer of Dreams, Part 2!

Hilarie is pregnant, though, so I don't think we will see a Summer Villa sequel this year either -- she doesn't seem to film a lot of TV movies anyway, but I think she will be busy with her new little one for a good chunk of the year.  

Edited January 17, 2018 by TVFan17

[LexieLily]

On ‎1‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 3:07 PM, TVFan17 said:

This was not announced by anyone on Saturday night, but it was recently suggested by director David Winning that the second sequel to Finding Father Christmas (starring Erin Krakow and Niall Matter) would be filming "next month."

I am trying to get all the Christmas movies out of my DVR, Hallmark, and now you're making me keep Finding Father Christmas/Engaging Father Christmas until winter 2018 when this new movie comes out?!

[VartanFan]

I’m on my third sitting and I’m an hour and 5 minutes into Frozen in Love.  I just can’t handle how RLC is always so uptight in her movies.  And for some reason her hair looks like a wig they put on celebrities in movies when they’re in disguise.  This movie gets better, right?

[TVFan17]

2 hours ago, LexieLily said:

I am trying to get all the Christmas movies out of my DVR, Hallmark, and now you're making me keep Finding Father Christmas/Engaging Father Christmas until winter 2018 when this new movie comes out?!

lol   It looks like it.   I wasn't even sure that there would be a 3rd movie this year.  I thought they might make one sooner or later, but I didn't know it was already on track to film.   No one seemed to mention anything about it in any info I saw coming out of the TCA the other night.   I know that the focus was not the Hallmark Christmas line-up, as they were mainly covering the programming for the first half of the year, but since the next movie is supposedly filming next month, and people will find out that it's filming, I was surprised to see the reference to the 3rd and yet see no mention of it from Erin Krakow or Niall Matter.  

Let me find that post from David Winning (who directed the second movie), where he mentions it.  I have to copy and paste his quote because sometimes he deletes posts, and then they are no longer visible after being linked or shared.  

This is David Winning's post from January 9th, on Facebook.  He throws in the bit about the 3rd movie at the very end:

"The last 3 months of 2017 gave Hallmark Channel all-time highs, including its most-watched and highest-rated day, week, month, and quarter in network history. Hallmark beat broadcast nets on Saturday nights 8p-10p, with “Countdown to Christmas” original Saturday night premieres averaging 972,000 W25-54 and 4.8 million Total Viewers. Including FINDING SANTA starring Jodie Sweetin and ENGAGING FATHER CHRISTMAS. The third movie in the series begins shooting next month."

Edited January 18, 2018 by TVFan17

[Irlandesa]

8 hours ago, Misslindsey said:

Wasn't there rumors that Summer Villa with Hilarie Burton and Victor Webster was getting a sequel? I enjoyed that movie so I would not mind one, even though I have not loved too many of the sequels. I thought they were all okay-ish.

Yes.  In fact it was the first time we heard of Hallmark thinking of doing a sequel and that is one movie that I loved and wouldn't mind seeing a sequel to--although after all the other sequels we've gotten so far, I'm probably less intrigued.

9 hours ago, twoods said:

Why aren't  they doing a sequel to Crown for Christmas?

My guess is Rupert Penry Jones.  He's not part of the Hallmark family and who knows whether or not he'd be interested in doing a sequel or more than one.

[twoods]

I liked Frozen In Love as well. Besides the juvenile bickering which was annoying, I liked that there was no ex or current love interest getting in the way and no crazy misunderstanding. Their conversation about him going to the hockey party was also nice and refreshing. 

[MissyPoo]

I'm glad you guys are enjoying the Winterfest movies so far. I'm still waffling over watching Frozen in Love which is sitting on my DVR. Not sure if I'll watch it yet because other movies keep popping up that grab my interest during the week. I'm looking forward to One Winter Weekend tonight which is funny because I wasn't really keen on Taylor Cole, but some of her stuff is actually not too bad. I didn't even realize until recently that her lead guy in OWW is the dude from My Summer Prince. I'm hoping Rukiya gets a sizable role with a character to grow on her own, but I know this is Hallmark, not Pixl so...yeah. At least she's on the poster with her guy. I'd love to see a female friendship storyline like in Can't Buy My Love in a Hallmark movie. 

I just caught The Art of Us earlier this week and it's become a new fave of mine. I'm looking forward to watching it again.

[Sandiscot]

We just watched Frozen in Love last night and didn't like it. I couldn't stand the female character. By the end of the movie, she was almost a normal person, but that's too late.

[kirinan]

One Winter Weekend was an okay way to spend a couple of hours. Not great, not bad. I very much enjoyed the amount of focus on the best friend's story and growing relationship, and I really liked that actress, Rukiya Bernard; I'd like to see her again in another movie soon. And Jack Turner, who I first saw in a guest shot on DC's Legends of Tomorrow last year as JRR Tolkien (and I think I also saw him in that Hallmark movie My Summer Prince, at least for a few minutes--I honestly can't remember if I watched the whole thing or not) is cute. He looks so much like a younger Noah Wyle to me that it was a little disorienting at times.   

I didn't like it as well as Frozen in Love, but I liked the lead actress better. So there's that.

[VartanFan]

I'd like to see the male friend from Frozen in Love, who was also the ditched boyfriend in the Christmas movie with Merritt Patterson, be the lead in one of these movies.  

[EyewatchTV211]

3 hours ago, VartanFan said:

I'd like to see the male friend from Frozen in Love, who was also the ditched boyfriend in the Christmas movie with Merritt Patterson, be the lead in one of these movies.  

I was thinking the same thing. He was also the friend in Love on the Sidelines who initially showed interest in the lead female before ending up with the male lead's sister. I've liked him and would like him as lead. 

[Irlandesa]

Frozen In Love was my favorite of the WinterFest movies.  I know there's one more next week but I'm going to skip it. I like Kristy Swanson but I can't stand Dean Cain.  While I usually try almost anything, now that there are so many of these, I'm going to try to enforce some boundaries--at least a few times a year.  The male lead felt like a spiritual twin to the male lead in The Cutting Edge--so guess what I watched this weekend? Ah delicious cheese.

Winter Weekend was fine.  The story was boring.  The leads were decent.  I liked the friends as well--maybe a bit more than the leads because there was no stupid misunderstandings with them.  I thought we were going to avoid the stupid misunderstandings when they ran into one another before he left the resort but no----we had to have one last one where he wouldn't let her explain.  Ugh. 

[Mountainair]

5 hours ago, kirinan said:

One Winter Weekend was an okay way to spend a couple of hours. Not great, not bad. I very much enjoyed the amount of focus on the best friend's story and growing relationship, and I really liked that actress, Rukiya Bernard; I'd like to see her again in another movie soon. And Jack Turner, who I first saw in a guest shot on DC's Legends of Tomorrow last year as JRR Tolkien (and I think I also saw him in that Hallmark movie My Summer Prince, at least for a few minutes--I honestly can't remember if I watched the whole thing or not) is cute. He looks so much like a younger Noah Wyle to me that it was a little disorienting at times.   

I didn't like it as well as Frozen in Love, but I liked the lead actress better. So there's that.

Funny you say that. My husband doesn't watch these movies with me but is in the same room while I do. He thought the lead actor looked a lot like Noah Wyle too! I kept mistaking him for Andrew Walker- another commonly used Hallmark actor. 

I enjoyed the movie and the friend of each of them. I didn't quite understand why the main guy was hiding out though (avoiding the press). Just because he and his girlfriend broke up right before her olympic debut? Sometimes with these movies it seems like if I blink I miss a very important part of the story. 

[In2You]

Its nice to see Holly finally get her own movie series even if they had to gender bend the lead character.

[ShelleySue]

Is there a trend for the female lead to be a journalist for a magazine?  In the past month we've seen Christmas Getaway (travel writer), and Love on the Slopes (unadventurous adventure writer), and now One Winter Weekend (relationship writer).

I have no idea why I've never noticed Jack Turner before. How have I missed those dimples? 

[twoods]

It's either writer or artist- those are the "whimsical" jobs. Mistletoe Inn were both writers, and I'm sure there were others (like Snowed Inn on Lifetime). Usually it's offset by someone with a more "workaholic" job, like the dreaded lawyer, doctor or executive. 

Some of the Valentine Day movies look promising- interested to see how Lacey and Andrew are together.

[crimsongrl]

Has Halmark always had a preview show for its monthly movies? They had one for Winterfest in January and it helped me decide that only one movie looked good (Frozen in Love). There's a Valentine's preview on Saturday @ 10pm. 

I'd like to see more movies where the couple is already established. Moving in together and figuring out a routine, even decorating could bring some PG conflict. Ooh, It'll be called 'After the Wedding'! Or what about a movie for the 7 year itch where a couple has to find their spark again? I'll take anything over boy meets girl scenarios.

Edited January 22, 2018 by crimsongrl

[GaT]

I watched the new mystery movie Morning Show Mystery: Mortal Mishaps last night. It's based on The Midnight Show Murders: A Billy Blessing Novel by Al Roker, or at least the name is since the plot from the book & the plot from the movie don't seem to have anything to do with each other. Anyway, Holly Robinson Peete seems to have more personality than Courtney Thorne Smith, so that's good, but the mystery/sleuth stuff was pretty meh. I thought it was obvious who did it & the sleuthing wasn't that great. The one thing that really bothered me is Holly's wig. Why does Hallmark keep putting bad wigs on the women in their movies? If they have to add hair, either use extensions, or a good wig. I spent half the movie staring at her bad hair.

[In2You]

37 minutes ago, GaT said:

I watched the new mystery movie Morning Show Mystery: Mortal Mishaps last night. It's based on The Midnight Show Murders: A Billy Blessing Novel by Al Roker, or at least the name is since the plot from the book & the plot from the movie don't seem to have anything to do with each other. Anyway, Holly Robinson Peete seems to have more personality than Courtney Thorne Smith, so that's good, but the mystery/sleuth stuff was pretty meh. I thought it was obvious who did it & the sleuthing wasn't that great. The one thing that really bothered me is Holly's wig. Why does Hallmark keep putting bad wigs on the women in their movies? If they have to add hair, either use extensions, or a good wig. I spent half the movie staring at her bad hair.

I easily guessed the murderer halfway through and I'm never good at guessing the murderer when I watch or read these stories.