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

[AnnaRose]

37 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

For me, for Hallmark movies to be worth my time to watch, it's all about the leads.  I get a feeling about 10 minutes in if I can spend two hours invested with these people.  The plots are fairly repetitive so that's not the deal-maker for me -- it's the leads.  The setting is a draw as well.

What is it about Erin Krakow?  I cannot warm up to her in the slightest.  I tried to watch the Father Christmas movies but she annoys me so much.  Same with Jessica Lowndes.  I tried to watch the Pemberley movie (love Pride and Prejudice, of course) and couldn't take 2 hours of Jessica. Shallow as it sounds, Jessica's "look" creeps me out.  Way too plastic, way too much makeup. 

I feel the same as you about the leads (and setting.)  They really make or break the movie.

For me, the saving grace with Jessica Lowndes is that she has non-perfect teeth.  If she had them done with veneers or whatever that would just push her over the line of looking way too perfect.  I've noticed some of these leads have teeth that are not blindingly white either, which I appreciate.  A more natural and non-perfect smile helps sell the illusion that it's a real character an not just and actress or actress pretending for money.

Edited November 6, 2018 by AnnaRose
typo

[Jenniferbug]

9 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

For me, for Hallmark movies to be worth my time to watch, it's all about the leads.  I get a feeling about 10 minutes in if I can spend two hours invested with these people.  The plots are fairly repetitive so that's not the deal-maker for me -- it's the leads.  The setting is a draw as well.

What is it about Erin Krakow?  I cannot warm up to her in the slightest.  I tried to watch the Father Christmas movies but she annoys me so much.  Same with Jessica Lowndes.  I tried to watch the Pemberley movie (love Pride and Prejudice, of course) and couldn't take 2 hours of Jessica. Shallow as it sounds, Jessica's "look" creeps me out.  Way too plastic, way too much makeup. 

I have the same issue with Erin Krakow. She's so highly praised by Hallmark that I want to like her, but I never seem to be able to warm to her like others apparently have.

5 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

Was Road to Christmas a brand new movie?  I missed it, but it sounds like it's worth looking for.

And thanks for the review of Marrying Father Christmas.  I still haven't gotten around to watching any of the movies in that series. 

I think it was on Sunday night? I watched it on demand through Sling. I assume they'll run it again at some point soon!

I work from home and listen to a lot of Hallmark as background noise, or I'm not sure I would have made it through Marrying Father Christmas!

[MerBearHou]

10 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

sticking with it for the eye-candy that is Kristoffer Polaha. 

I absolutely love Kristoffer -- he is super cute but he is also hilarious!  Ditto for Paul Campbell.  Cute, smart and subtly very funny -- best combination.  Those two are my favorite Hallmark guys.  I'm super psyched for the Martha's Vineyard/Nantucket movie coming up -- I've stayed at The Charlotte Inn and it's so wonderful and Nantucket is my happy place.  I also love Kimberley Sustad in everything she does.

Edited November 6, 2018 by MerBearHou

[JenMD]

I too adored Road to Christmas.  It's easily my favorite of the last couple of years.  I just really enjoyed all the actors, the humor, the general storyline.  I mean, it featured a literal basket of kittens, what's not to like.   I also had the impression that the third brother was running the shelter with his boyfriend, but knew they wouldn't specifically call it out.  I did want them to invite him to come along, but I guess someone had to watch the shelter.  One thing that cracked my sister and me up was the tree they got from the farm.  When they arrived at the brother's hotel it was all brown and scraggly, but when they later drove up to Jessy's parent's house it was all green and beautiful again.  The was one really special tree farm, heh.   This one seemed to have a little bigger budget than some, lots of locations, lots of characters so I'm sure that helped.  But overall, I just really liked spending time with the leads, Jessy and Chad were great together.

@annarose, yes, Road to Christmas premiered on Sunday.  I think we're at 4 movies per weekend between Hallmark and HMM going forward, one on each channel both Saturdays and Sundays, until the marathon on Thanksgiving week when we get more.

I enjoyed Christmas at Pemberley Manor way more than I thought because I really don't care for Jessica Lowndes, but I actually didn't mind her here.  I adore Michael Rady so much, he just such a lovely actor,  he always to me comes across as warm and natural.  It's not one I'd be sure to catch on repeat (hello there, Crown for Christmas), but it worked for me.  Same with Christmas Joy, I really liked the leads and the general story.

I skipped the third Father Christmas, as the second one was a trial to get through, they just don't do it for me.

So far, not a bad ratio of movies I've liked (although, we're still in single digits in November, I probably shouldn't get too excited).

Edited November 6, 2018 by JenMD

[AnnaRose]

2 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I absolutely love Kristoffer -- he is super cute but he is also hilarious!  Ditto for Paul Campbell.  Cute, smart and subtly very funny -- best combination.  Those two are my favorite Hallmark guys.  I'm super psyched for the Martha's Vineyard/Nantucket movie coming up -- I've stayed at The Charlotte Inn and it's so wonderful and Nantucket is my happy place.  I also love Kimberley Sustad in everything she does.

They're my favorites too!  (I also really like Michael Rady.)   I probably should have given Rocky Mountain Christmas more of a chance, but my DVR is just so full right now.  Maybe another time when I have more room and I'm not so burned out on that general storyline.

And I've only seen Kimberley Sustad in Nine Lives of Christmas, but I loved her in that, so I'm really looking forward to her Godwink Christmas movie too.

[mikeb]

22 minutes ago, JenMD said:

I  I think we're at 4 movies per weekend between Hallmark and HMM going forward, one on each channel both Saturdays and Sundays, until the marathon on Thanksgiving week when we get more.

I think this upcoming weekend, there still is only 1 new HMM movie (on Sunday), but after that will be 2 per weekend plus Thanksgiving week marathon.  I suspect I will not be able to keep up and end up deleting a lot of them from my DVR, especially since there are at least 3 Lifetime Christmas movies interested in this year (starring Hilarie Burton, Joy Lenz, and Rachel Boston).  Sounds like Road to Christmas is one I will want to make effort to watch.

[JenMD]

Thanks for the correction, @mikeb.  I think I was adding in Pemberley to my total; I was on vacation when it premiered and just watched it this weekend.  We're just getting started and already I can't keep track.  When we start adding movies from more channels I won't know which end is up!

[Crs97]

Just finished Holiday Calendar and loved it! Ethan Peck needs to be a regular leading man.  The two leads had lots of chemistry, and the dialogue was so natural.  Loved the grandfather (William of This is Us fame).  Nice job on that one!

[AnnaRose]

19 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

Just finished Holiday Calendar and loved it! Ethan Peck needs to be a regular leading man.  The two leads had lots of chemistry, and the dialogue was so natural.  Loved the grandfather (William of This is Us fame).  Nice job on that one!

Is that on Hallmark or Netflix?

[Crs97]

Oh, Netflix.  Sorry, wrong thread!

[EyewatchTV211]

I wanted to like Christmas Joy, because I like the lead actors a lot. But I didn't see any romantic chemistry between them at all, just friendship, so it was hard for me to get pulled in. 

Michael Rady definitely improved Christmas at Pemberley Manor. I'm a fan of his for sure.

I was doing some work during Road to Christmas, but I enjoyed the bit that I paid attention to. Will have to watch again. I also got vibes of the one brother and his business partner being in a relationship, but it definitely wasn't referenced specifically.

[dalek]

Two of my go to Hallmark Christmas movies were on tonight back to back: Nine Lives of Christmas and A Gift to Remember.  Aside from really liking the leads in both movies, Ambrose the cat is awesome.  And watching movies with happily ever after endings is way better than watching election results, which are probably going to just depress me.  

[BlossomCulp]

Crossing over from the Christmas movies thread to say I finally saw Christmas in Evergreen and it's going into my top 5 fave list.  Well at least until I get a chance to see this years crop of new Hallmarks.  But what a refreshing change of pace - pleasant leads who are just basically nice people, plausible reason for the male to want to avoid Christmas, kid actress who was cute without being annoying, excellent supporting cast - and ok I'l admit it, a gorgeous little town that made me want to move to Vermont!

[mikeb]

I wonder how big a pool of writers they are drawing from.  I stumbled on IMDB page for Marcy Holland https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3239239/?ref_=tt_ov_wr

She is credited as writer for 5 2018 Christmas movies and 2 other movies that premiered on Hallmark earlier this year (Very Very Valentine and Cooking With Love), as well as 2 other 2018 Lifetime movies.    Evidently not only are they filmed quickly, but are written quickly as well.

[MissyPoo]

On 11/6/2018 at 10:57 AM, Jenniferbug said:

I have the same issue with Erin Krakow. She's so highly praised by Hallmark that I want to like her, but I never seem to be able to warm to her like others apparently have.

I think it was on Sunday night? I watched it on demand through Sling. I assume they'll run it again at some point soon!

I work from home and listen to a lot of Hallmark as background noise, or I'm not sure I would have made it through Marrying Father Christmas!

Haha you're like my forum twin. This is me all across the board. I can't get into Erin Krakow for some reason either. I first saw her in that Cookie Cutter Christmas one and then in Chance at Romance. Not sure if it's the characters or her approach to them but they turned me off her and I could never recover. She seems like a nice enough person on twitter but I just can't get into her work.

I usually use Hallmark as background noise for working (also work at home) as well as while baking/cooking but this year instead of letting it run, I'm only watching the ones I enjoyed in the past. If they have a few in a row, even better. It just sucks when they show a good one in the middle of a couple of boring ones.

 

This past weekend was my skip weekend since none of the new premieres caught my eye, but I may catch Road to Christmas later on since it seemed get praise here. I am looking forward to Christmas in Love this Sunday since I generally like Brooke D since How to Fall in Love.

[methodwriter85]

It is seriously cracking me up that Netflix is going hard after Hallmark.

[Jenniferbug]

Road to Christmas is airing tonight at 9 central time, for those of you interested in catching it.

[JAYJAY1979]

19 hours ago, mikeb said:

I wonder how big a pool of writers they are drawing from.  I stumbled on IMDB page for Marcy Holland https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3239239/?ref_=tt_ov_wr

She is credited as writer for 5 2018 Christmas movies and 2 other movies that premiered on Hallmark earlier this year (Very Very Valentine and Cooking With Love), as well as 2 other 2018 Lifetime movies.    Evidently not only are they filmed quickly, but are written quickly as well.

The quality of the movies speak to that :)

[mikeb]

I noticed on the Hallmark website that the upcoming Danica McKellar Christmas At Grand Valley movie which I had previously seen as being listed for Hallmark Channel Thanksgiving night is now listed for HMM Channel December 15.  The Nikki Deloach Reunited At Christmas movie was moved from HMM Channel to Hallmark Channel to accommodate the switch.  I wonder what the reason was, especially since Hallmark Channel has many more subscribers.

[Unraveled]

That netflix movie looks delightfully corny, and I can't wait to watch it. It has all the ingredients: princess (though technically she's not one yet), baking, twins), but it also looks like it will be more "risque" than Hallmark (POC second male lead with shirt off for example).

[Myrrhine]

I am always so far behind on the new movies. My children really get in the way of my live television watching schedule. So far the only Christmas movies I’ve watched are Mrs. Miracle and  Crown for Christmas. Talk about the cast saving the film in the case of the latter. If not for the lead actor (and his delivery of “sewing kit”), I probably could not tolerate a passive hero who practically lets himself be strong armed  into marrying someone he has no interest in. The child actor does a good job as well, and I like the secondary characters too. 

Next I am watching Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time. So far I love the heroine’s wardrobe. And the setting. 

[Darlin]

Are the movies on HMM any "better/more prestigious" than the ones on Hallmark Channel? 

My favorite Hallmark Christmas movies are (corny as they are) My Christmas Dream, A Dream of Christmas (except the ending when the wife makes a big career change in favor of her husband's career), the Danica McKellar one about the King and his daughter, Nine Lives and Very Berry Mix-up (though on multiple re-watches, the lead male character borders on creepy/overbearing).

 

I'm not a fan of the Candace Cameron Bure or Jessica Lowndes movies.  The Lacey Chabert movies are subpar at best IMO (though I do like a Royal Christmas).

[AnnaRose]

2 hours ago, Myrrhine said:

Next I am watching Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time. So far I love the heroine’s wardrobe. And the setting. 

After reading about Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade here, I finally got to watch it... and I loved it!  It's a very cute film, and the leads were great together.  I hope you enjoy it!

57 minutes ago, Darlin said:

My favorite Hallmark Christmas movies are (corny as they are) My Christmas Dream, A Dream of Christmas (except the ending when the wife makes a big career change in favor of her husband's career), the Danica McKellar one about the King and his daughter, Nine Lives and Very Berry Mix-up (though on multiple re-watches, the lead male character borders on creepy/overbearing).

I'm not a fan of the Candace Cameron Bure or Jessica Lowndes movies.  The Lacey Chabert movies are subpar at best IMO (though I do like a Royal Christmas).

I just rewatched Nine Lives of Christmas and Very Merry Mix Up - they are two of my favorites for sure.   One of my other favorites that was rebroadcast the other day is Snow Bride. Katrina Law stars in that one as a tabloid reporter.  I like that the story takes place around Christmas time but is not particularly Christmas focused.  It has an interesting plot and Katrina and her love interest, Jordan Belfi, have great chemistry together.

I'm not a fan of Candace Cameron Bure or Lacey Chabert either, though I too like Royal Christmas in spite of her.
I have only seen one movie starring Jessica Lowndes - Christmas at Pemberley Manor - and I really enjoyed it.  I've read a lot of negative comments about Jessica though, and I wonder if I would have found her less appealing if I had seen her other movies before watching Christmas at Pemberley Manor. 

[Darlin]

15 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

 

I just rewatched Nine Lives of Christmas and Very Merry Mix Up - they are two of my favorites for sure.   One of my other favorites that was rebroadcast the other day is Snow Bride. Katrina Law stars in that one as a tabloid reporter.  I like that the story takes place around Christmas time but is not particularly Christmas focused.  It has an interesting plot and Katrina and her love interest, Jordan Belfi, have great chemistry together.

 

Snow Bride! I CANNOT believe I forgot that one.  That is definitely in my Top 2 Hallmark Christmas movies for sure!!  Hopefully Hallmark airs it again before Christmas (who am I kidding?  Of COURSE they will rerun it).

[MissyPoo]

2 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

I have only seen one movie starring Jessica Lowndes - Christmas at Pemberley Manor - and I really enjoyed it.  I've read a lot of negative comments about Jessica though, and I wonder if I would have found her less appealing if I had seen her other movies before watching Christmas at Pemberley Manor. 

Possibly. I know I felt the same way about her since I first saw her in Merry Matrimony which didn't do much to sway me. A December Bride was better than the other offerings that year so it elevated for me but it wasn't until Magical Christmas Ornaments where I warmed to her and upon reviewing ADB, liked her more in it. So it may depend on her material.

 

8 hours ago, mikeb said:

I noticed on the Hallmark website that the upcoming Danica McKellar Christmas At Grand Valley movie which I had previously seen as being listed for Hallmark Channel Thanksgiving night is now listed for HMM Channel December 15.  The Nikki Deloach Reunited At Christmas movie was moved from HMM Channel to Hallmark Channel to accommodate the switch.  I wonder what the reason was, especially since Hallmark Channel has many more subscribers.

Very curious. I'd love to know the reasoning for this. The wiki for the list is on point and is already updated to reflect the change. 

 

4 hours ago, Darlin said:

Are the movies on HMM any "better/more prestigious" than the ones on Hallmark Channel? 

They are more drama focused with a less emphasis on the flighty, (at times) OTT, fluffiness on the main channel. I liked the offerings last year because they seemed to put a little more into their productions as far as story, setting, and cinematography. The fact that they are switching movies willy nilly between the channels with the new scheduling has me concerned that may not be the case this year.

 

I just saw that one of my faves Just in Time For Christmas is shown only once this month on the 20th. Arggh. It's such a good movie, they could be filling the schedule with a few showings of it to break some of the other repeats. 

 

And speaking of scheduling, Sling is all kinds of wonky with theirs right now. One movie is shown but it's part of another and since this morning, there's like two movies per every movie listed. And nothing is showing that is listed so...yeah....

Back to Netflix or the DVR for me.

Edited November 9, 2018 by MissyPoo

[AnnaRose]

7 minutes ago, Darlin said:

Snow Bride! I CANNOT believe I forgot that one.  That is definitely in my Top 2 Hallmark Christmas movies for sure!!  Hopefully Hallmark airs it again before Christmas (who am I kidding?  Of COURSE they will rerun it).

According to TitanTV, Snow Bride is airing on the Hallmark channel Friday 8 a.m. EST.

[VartanFan]

I liked Road to Christmas ok but...to be totally catty or whatever...I thought they made Schram's hair look TERRIBLE.  It was a limp, flat mess...and it stayed that way through the whole movie.  I also definitely appreciated the gay characters, a very very small sip of diversity, and that she was the one who planted a kiss on him.  

[Jenniferbug]

I think I've caught most of my old favorites- Trading Christmas has only been on once but I have the DVD so can't complain too much, Snow Bride, Nine Lives of Christmas, Crown for Christmas.

I finally caught Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade today, and really liked it! I missed the middle because HMM was having technical issues today, but saw the majority. 

I also watched Christmas in Evergreen since @BlossomCulp recommended it (love your username, by the way- I remember reading those books), and I really don't know why I skipped it last year because it was pretty cute and pleasant. 

I've only seen Let it Snow once this year which seeks strange since it's one of the better movies. They've shown Switched for Christmas a lot, which I didn't think was very good. 

[Darlin]

1 hour ago, AnnaRose said:

According to TitanTV, Snow Bride is airing on the Hallmark channel Friday 8 a.m. EST.

Awesome!  Thank You!

[AnnaRose]

1 hour ago, Jenniferbug said:

I think I've caught most of my old favorites- Trading Christmas has only been on once but I have the DVD so can't complain too much, Snow Bride, Nine Lives of Christmas, Crown for Christmas.@BlossomCulp

 

I've seen positive mentions of Trading Christmas but haven't seen it yet.  It is scheduled a few more times in the next two weeks on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel:

Quote

Debbie Macomber's Trading Christmas (Times are Eastern Standard Time):
Sat, Nov 10, 7:00 AM   /    HALLMV

Tue, Nov 13, 1:00 AM   /    HALLMV

Sun, Nov 18, 1:00 AM   /    HALLMV

A Washington State teacher decides to surprise her daughter in Harvard by doing a house swap with a Boston professor to be able to spend Christmas with her, only to find out that she has gone to Florida to spend the holidays with her boyfriend.

[Jenniferbug]

Thanks @AnnaRose! Hopefully you can catch one of the airings. It's a pretty laid back movie, but I really like the story and cast. 

[CherryAmes]

Definitely recommend Trading Christmas!  The movies based on Debbie Macomber's Christmas books are hit or miss for me.  Hits were Trading Christmas (I actually preferred the movie to the book which is a rare thing for me!),  Mrs Miracle and Call me Mrs Miracle.  Misses were Mr Miracle (words cannot express how much I disliked this one) and Dashing Through the Snow (it was ok but the book was a lot better). 

Edited November 9, 2018 by CherryAmes

[AnnaRose]

1 minute ago, CherryAmes said:

Definitely recommend Trading Christmas!  The movies based on Debbie Macomber's Christmas books are hit or miss for me.  Hits were Trading Christmas, Mrs Miracle and Call me Mrs Miracle.  Misses were Mr Miracle (words cannot express how much I disliked this one) and Dashing Through the Snow (it was ok but the book was a lot better). 

Thanks for that.  I was wondering if I should record certain movies, and I was trying to remember if Dashing Through the Snow and Mrs. Miracle were generally liked or not.

Also, can anyone recommend Hitched for the Holidays and/or Holiday Engagement?  They seem to have a similar storyline and I'm wondering if they are worth recording.

[twoods]

I love the Mrs Miracle movies. They were so good and made back when most of the Hallmark movies were quality over quantity. Always look forward to watching them every year. Trading Christmas is another good one.

AnnaRose, I recommend both Hitched and Holiday Engagement. I think Holiday Engagement is streaming on Netflix and there is a scene in that movie (that involves singing) that always makes me cry. 12 Dates of Christmas and The Spirit of Christmas (also streaming) are also very good. Dear Santa is also great (the one with Amy Acker), and I liked the theme of the movie as much as the romantic aspect of it.

Edited November 9, 2018 by twoods

[EyewatchTV211]

2 hours ago, VartanFan said:

I liked Road to Christmas ok but...to be totally catty or whatever...I thought they made Schram's hair look TERRIBLE.  It was a limp, flat mess...and it stayed that way through the whole movie.  I also definitely appreciated the gay characters, a very very small sip of diversity, and that she was the one who planted a kiss on him.  

I didn't notice her hair so much. But I was thinking she must have been sick/getting over being sick while filming. Her voice was definitely hoarse at times and she looked paler than usual.

[AnnaRose]

1 hour ago, twoods said:

I love the Mrs Miracle movies. They were so good and made back when most of the Hallmark movies were quality over quantity. Always look forward to watching them every year. Trading Christmas is another good one.

AnnaRose, I recommend both Hitched and Holiday Engagement. I think Holiday Engagement is streaming on Netflix and there is a scene in that movie (that involves singing) that always makes me cry. 12 Dates of Christmas and The Spirit of Christmas (also streaming) are also very good. Dear Santa is also great (the one with Amy Acker), and I liked the theme of the movie as much as the romantic aspect of it.

Thank you Twoods!   I will keep an eye out for those movies.  :)

[MissyPoo]

I think you'll like them, AnnaRose. :-) They are some goodies.

If you like a little suspense/mystery with a side of romance, I think you'd like Dashing Through the Snow though it's hit or miss with some people. Whoever said Trading Christmas was better in movie form, I couldn't agree more which is rare for me also. I saw the movie first and fell in love with it so the differences in the book didn't resonate with me (especially regarding Heather's character). 

I saw It's Christmas, Carol was sent to the app (boo!) so it's no longer on the channel but it is on the tubes *ahem*. It's always been one of my faves but watching it after Carrie Fisher's passing has made it bittersweet and yet surreal. I love the nods to Star Wars  just like how Christopher Lloyd mentions time travel in Just in Time For Christmas. I also spotted a Star Wars encyclopedia book in the bookstore scene which was awesome. I love it when Hallmark gets cheeky hehe.

Watching A Nutcracker Christmas again for the umpteenth time. Two years ago when I saw it, I thought it was okay but it's become one of my faves despite some issues with the ballet production sequences. The beginning almost always has me reaching for the tissues and I love the studio dance scenes in the middle when Mark is inspired to dance after watching Lily teaching one of the dancers. Not sure what the song is but it was a good choice. I want to grab my fave version of the Nutcracker ballet (Baryshnikov) to watch afterward but I'm trying to wait until next month.

[mikeb]

11 hours ago, MissyPoo said:

 The fact that they are switching movies willy nilly between the channels with the new scheduling has me concerned that may not be the case this year.

Danica McKellar announced the switch on her twitter account yesterday and is trying to spin it as a good thing since means her movie will premiere closer to Christmas and that this will be her first time on HMM.   Counter-argument is that the premiering closer to Christmas means fewer repeat showings this year and that HMM has fewer subscribers, so fewer of her fans may get a chance to see it.

[Myrrhine]

Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade was absolutely delightful! Why didn't anyone tell me?? (Just kidding; of course everyone raves about it.) I'm not sure why I took so long to watch it. I think I thought it would be about Thanksgiving, and I wasn't sure about the leads. Anyway, they were such fun together. They had real moments of connection. And the heroine had a personality other than painfully cheerful. I will definitely watch it again. 

20 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

After reading about Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade here, I finally got to watch it... and I loved it!  It's a very cute film, and the leads were great together.  I hope you enjoy it!

I just rewatched Nine Lives of Christmas and Very Merry Mix Up - they are two of my favorites for sure.   One of my other favorites that was rebroadcast the other day is Snow Bride....

 

Obviously, I did really like it! Nine Lives and Very Merry Mix-up are other favorites of mine too. I also love Crown for Christmas and Princess for Christmas, which I am currently watching. Every year I look for The Most Wonderful Time of the Year; not sure why I enjoy that one so much. I also rewatch A Christmas to Remember (CCB and Paul Greene roadtrip one with a terrible title -- I do like CCB but disliked her time travel movie) and Dashing Through the Snow. For the last one, I thought the "mystery" element was kind of silly, but I just enjoy the ride and Andrew Walker. I always like the movies where the leads spend plenty of time together. It makes it easier to handwave the "I love you forever after 3 days" nonsense. My sole re-watch from last year is Miss Christmas, but I missed a couple last year that I will try to see this time around. 

I have seen Snow Bride, but I can't remember much about it. I will have to look for it!

[AnnaRose]

42 minutes ago, Myrrhine said:

Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade was absolutely delightful! Why didn't anyone tell me?? (Just kidding; of course everyone raves about it.) I'm not sure why I took so long to watch it. I think I thought it would be about Thanksgiving, and I wasn't sure about the leads. Anyway, they were such fun together. They had real moments of connection. And the heroine had a personality other than painfully cheerful. I will definitely watch it again. 

 

Obviously, I did really like it! Nine Lives and Very Merry Mix-up are other favorites of mine too. I also love Crown for Christmas and Princess for Christmas, which I am currently watching. Every year I look for The Most Wonderful Time of the Year; not sure why I enjoy that one so much. I also rewatch A Christmas to Remember (CCB and Paul Greene roadtrip one with a terrible title -- I do like CCB but disliked her time travel movie) and Dashing Through the Snow. For the last one, I thought the "mystery" element was kind of silly, but I just enjoy the ride and Andrew Walker. I always like the movies where the leads spend plenty of time together. It makes it easier to handwave the "I love you forever after 3 days" nonsense. My sole re-watch from last year is Miss Christmas, but I missed a couple last year that I will try to see this time around. 

I have seen Snow Bride, but I can't remember much about it. I will have to look for it!

Thanks for the recommendations!  I am planning to record A Princess for Christmas and Miss Christmas.  (And maybe Dashing Through the Snow.)

[twoods]

Best Christmas Party Ever is also very good. Worst title to a movie, but I enjoyed it. I think it’s on sometime this weekend or early next week.

[EyewatchTV211]

21 hours ago, twoods said:

I love the Mrs Miracle movies. They were so good and made back when most of the Hallmark movies were quality over quantity. Always look forward to watching them every year. Trading Christmas is another good one.

AnnaRose, I recommend both Hitched and Holiday Engagement. I think Holiday Engagement is streaming on Netflix and there is a scene in that movie (that involves singing) that always makes me cry. 12 Dates of Christmas and The Spirit of Christmas (also streaming) are also very good. Dear Santa is also great (the one with Amy Acker), and I liked the theme of the movie as much as the romantic aspect of it.

I didn't like the first Mrs. Miracle movie but love the 2nd. I forget why I disliked the first one so much at this point since I avoid watching it now, I just know that I didn't like it, lol. Something about it had bothered me a lot. But like I said, I really liked the 2nd. Not just because it introduced me to Eric Johnson, but that helped! Wish he was in a few more of these, although I don't think I cared for the 1 other (?) that he did.

[AnnaRose]

I am hoping somebody here can help me figure out the name of a movie.  I watched it last year and I'm pretty sure it was a Hallmark Christmas movie.  It was set in a city and a single mom (I think she was widowed, but I'm not sure) somehow gets involved in going out with a man who is rich and famous for publicity.  Meanwhile the nice neighbor guy is babysitting her kid and bonding with him.  And I think he works at a community center soup kitchen type place.  I know it sounds like a lot of these movies.  I keep getting little flashes of these scenes and it's driving me crazy because it's so fragmented.  Does this sound familiar to anyone?

[dcinmb]

5 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

I am hoping somebody here can help me figure out the name of a movie.  I watched it last year and I'm pretty sure it was a Hallmark Christmas movie.  It was set in a city and a single mom (I think she was widowed, but I'm not sure) somehow gets involved in going out with a man who is rich and famous for publicity.  Meanwhile the nice neighbor guy is babysitting her kid and bonding with him.  And I think he works at a community center soup kitchen type place.  I know it sounds like a lot of these movies.  I keep getting little flashes of these scenes and it's driving me crazy because it's so fragmented.  Does this sound familiar to anyone?

 

Was it "All I Want For Christmas"?

[AnnaRose]

3 hours ago, dcinmb said:

 

Was it "All I Want For Christmas"?

Oh my gosh, I think that's it!  Thank you so much!! 

[JAYJAY1979]

Love at the Thanksgiving Parade should be studied by the writers/filmmakers interested in making movies for the Hallmark channel world before they get started.  It has all the elements of a Hallmark Channel movie, yet it works in this particular movie due to the setting (Chicago resident here :), the leads, and the fact it was about the Thanksgiving parade and not Christmas.. plus it didn't have a small town is grand element seen so often in holiday movies.

Another Hallmark Channel movie I liked was The Christmas Pageant from several years ago with Melissa Gilbert as a cynical New York stage director forced to direct a play in small town USA LOL

And I kind of like the Candace Cameron Bure movies (preparing to duck).. but my fav was Journey to Christmas (time travel and she looked good in the 40s clothes and wardrobe)

[AnnaRose]

5 hours ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

Love at the Thanksgiving Parade should be studied by the writers/filmmakers interested in making movies for the Hallmark channel world before they get started.  It has all the elements of a Hallmark Channel movie, yet it works in this particular movie due to the setting (Chicago resident here :), the leads, and the fact it was about the Thanksgiving parade and not Christmas.. plus it didn't have a small town is grand element seen so often in holiday movies.

Another Hallmark Channel movie I liked was The Christmas Pageant from several years ago with Melissa Gilbert as a cynical New York stage director forced to direct a play in small town USA LOL

And I kind of like the Candace Cameron Bure movies (preparing to duck).. but my fav was Journey to Christmas (time travel and she looked good in the 40s clothes and wardrobe)

I agree with you about Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It really is exceptional.  Also, though I don't normally like Candace very much, Journey to Christmas looked very interesting.  I will probably check that one out if I come across it.  The Christmas Pageant too.

I watched Christmas Song and didn't care for it very much, although I did like Natasha Henstridge in it.

I also watched Joyous Christmas - I started out not liking it very much and almost gave up, but stuck with it and ended up kind of loving it.  It definitely had some problems though.  Natalie Knepp's character was a little too bitchy at the beginning.  She played a self-help author and the book she was promoting was all about putting oneself first... so it was not at all surprising that her lesson was learning to put others first instead.  (Also coming to terms with the loss of her parents... it's amazing how many parents and spouses bite the dust in these movies.)  The storyline was completely predictable, with the big plot twist being obvious early on, and the big event they spent the episode planning was pretty lame.

So why did I end up liking it so much?  Mainly because of Michael Rady who has become one of my favorite leading men in these movies.  And he even plays the piano and sings in this one!  I'm assuming that was him actually singing.  He sounded fantastic.  The rest of the cast was very good too, with Bonnie Bedelia giving a terrific performance as the woman who saves the heroine's life and helps her become a better person.  Extra points for a Candy Cane Relay contest that looked like loads of fun.  (You have to spin around five times to get dizzy before you start running the relay.)  That's the kind of Christmas event I can get behind.  :D

ETA: Journey Back to Christmas is scheduled for 11 a.m. tomorrow EST on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel.

Edited November 10, 2018 by AnnaRose
ETA: Journey Back to Christmas broadcast time.

[kirinan]

3 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

I agree with you about Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It really is exceptional.  

I also watched Joyous Christmas - I started out not liking it very much and almost gave up, but stuck with it and ended up kind of loving it.  It definitely had some problems though.  Natalie Knepp's character was a little too bitchy at the beginning.  She played a self-help author and the book she was promoting was all about putting oneself first... so it was not at all surprising that her lesson was learning to put others first instead.  (Also coming to terms with the loss of her parents... it's amazing how many parents and spouses bite the dust in these movies.)  The storyline was completely predictable, with the big plot twist being obvious early on, and the big event they spent the episode planning was pretty lame.

So why did I end up liking it so much?  Mainly because of Michael Rady who has become one of my favorite leading men in these movies.  And he even plays the piano and sings in this one!  I'm assuming that was him actually singing.  He sounded fantastic.  The rest of the cast was very good too, with Bonnie Bedelia giving a terrific performance as the woman who saves the heroine's life and helps her become a better person.  Extra points for a Candy Cane Relay contest that looked like loads of fun.  (You have to spin around five times to get dizzy before you start running the relay.)  That's the kind of Christmas event I can get behind.  :D

 

I watched Joyous Christmas for the first time yesterday. It's just one of the movies I've never bothered to watch, but I had it on in the background since I worked at home and it was too quiet in the house. I got caught up in it because of Bonnie Bedelia, whose acting I've enjoyed for years. I still remember her from the "Forever" episode of Bonanza, which I saw when it premiered on TV in 1972. She played the girl Little Joe married, and of course she died because marrying a Cartwright meant instant death, and I cried my eyes out. Well, she made me cry again yesterday. And AnnaRose, I did some searching afterward, and it appears Michael Rady did his own singing. He's got a beautiful voice.

And as far as Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade? IMHO, there is no Hallmark movie that's better (I'm not counting the older Hallmark Hall of Fame movies in that comparison; some of those were true classics). I could watch it a hundred times in a row and never get tired of it. It really did set a high bar for Hallmark movies that, unfortunately, they've frequently failed to meet the last few years (again, IMO). Every so often, though, one comes along that gets close.

ETA: Okay, you guys, at my age this might be slightly creepy, but I am in LOVE with Tyler Hynes. I just watched It's Christmas, Eve and it's without a doubt my favorite movie this year so far. When I heard about it originally I didn't plan to watch, because I figured it would just be another case of, "We built a cheesy movie around a famous singer's voice," and LeAnn Rimes would probably be a terrible actress. But I saw Tyler Hynes a few weeks ago in Falling for You, and as someone very rightly said, he has a very Nathan Fillion-ish way about him that I really liked. So I decided to watch this one tonight, and OMG, I couldn't believe how much I loved it! LeAnn Rimes was very likable, the story was good and not outlandish, and Tyler Hynes is exceedingly swoonable because he has the dorky dad vibe I'm a sucker for.

If Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade is a 10 on my own personal scale, I'd put this one at an 8 or 8.5, and it could even reach a 9 on subsequent viewings. Because I will definitely be watching this one again! 

Edited November 11, 2018 by kirinan
Stupid auto-correct!

[AnnaRose]

51 minutes ago, kirinan said:

I watched Joyous Christmas for the first time yesterday. It's just one of the movies I've never bothered to watch, but I had it on in the background since I worked at home and it was too quiet in the house. I got caught up in it because of Bonnie Bedelia, whose acting I've enjoyed for years. I still remember her from the "Forever" episode of Bonanza, which I saw when it premiered on TV in 1972. She played the girl Little Joe married, and of course she died because marrying a Cartwright meant instant death, and I cried my eyes out. Well, she made me cry again yesterday. And AnnaRose, I did some searching afterward, and it appears Michael Ray did his own singing. He's got a beautiful voice.

And as far as Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade? IMHO, there is no Hallmark movie that's better (I'm not counting the older Hallmark Hall of Fame movies in that comparison; some of those were true classics). I could watch it a hundred times in a row and never get tired of it. It really did set a high bar for Hallmark movies that, unfortunately, they've frequently failed to meet the last few years (again, IMO). Every so often, though, one comes along that gets close.

ETA: Okay, you guys, at my age this might be slightly creepy, but I am in LOVE with Tyler Hynes. I just watched It's Christmas, Eve and it's without a doubt my favorite movie this year so far. When I heard about it originally I didn't plan to watch, because I figured it would just be another case of, "We built a cheesy movie around a famous singer's voice," and LeAnn Rimes would probably be a terrible actress. But I saw Tyler Hynes a few weeks ago in Falling for You, and as someone very rightly said, Tyler Hynes has a very Nathan Fillion-ish way about him that I really liked. So I decided to watch this one tonight, and OMG, I couldn't believe how much I loved it! LeAnn Rimes was very likable, the story was good and not outlandish, and Tyler Hynes is exceedingly swoonable because he has the dorky dad vibe I'm a sucker for.

If Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade is a 10 on my own personal scale, I'd put this one at an 8 or 8.5, and it could even reach a 9 on subsequent viewings. Because I will definitely be watching this one again! 

Bonnie Bedelia (and Michael Rady) made me cry too!  That's so cool that it really was Michael Rady singing.  I was very impressed.  (I'm kind of smitten with him, if that makes you feel any better Kirinan.)

I've only watched Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade once so far because I am trying to sift through movies that I think I either won't finish or will watch once and delete because I have so many saved on my DVR already.  I am really looking forward to watching it again though!

I was going to record It's Christmas Eve but decided to pass because of the reasons you mentioned, plus not really liking Christmas Song which had a similar description.  After reading your review, I think I may have to check it out.

I finally watched Trading Christmas (2011) with Faith Ford and Gil Bellows getting together in Boston while her friend Gabrielle Miller got together with Tom Cavanagh's character in a small town somewhere.  I thought it was very entertaining.  I liked both couples and it was a little more interesting than some of the movies I've watched lately.  Of course one of the main protagonists had recently lost a spouse, but the big city writer wasn't forced to fall in love with the small town way of life at least.  It also earned points for featuring 40+ year old people falling in love in a pretty believable way.  I'll probably watch it again before I delete it.

[lkcraig316]

On 11/8/2018 at 7:42 PM, VartanFan said:

I liked Road to Christmas ok but...to be totally catty or whatever...I thought they made Schram's hair look TERRIBLE.  It was a limp, flat mess...and it stayed that way through the whole movie.  I also definitely appreciated the gay characters, a very very small sip of diversity, and that she was the one who planted a kiss on him.  

I am totally in agreement about the hair. I don’t know what they were trying to do with it but it was not flattering at all.