Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

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


  • Reply
  • Start Topic

Recommended Posts

Like SusanwatchingTVI watched the first few seasons and somewhat liked the show. I enjoyed the main romantic storyline and some of the storylines dealing with issues of the time. The first season, they tried a little harder to be more accurate to the time period. The women had their hair up, less makeup (if I remember right), and more accurate clothing.

whencallstheheart01.jpg

For some reason, once it was popular, they seemed to feel a need to match the look of the show to the rest of their "brand," from what I've read.  This article explained: https://www.tvinsider.com/84359/costuming-hallmark-channels-when-calls-the-heart/. So they changed up the coloring and all of those other things. The reasoning sounded really stupid to me. I continued to watch for awhile despite that stupidity, but I gave up on the show when

Spoiler

Jack was killed off.

He was one of the main reasons I still enjoyed the show, so there was no point once he left the show.

Edited by VMepicgrl
Found an article explaining the stupid style decision-making
  • Love 9
Link to comment
10 hours ago, MikaelaArsenault said:

It was nice to see McBride on the schedule just recently.

It was and I hope they will be airing the other ones soon but I won't hold my breath. And why are they circling back through the once-a-day Perry Mason movies when they just aired them all in January-February? 

  • Love 1
Link to comment
4 hours ago, LexieLily said:

It was and I hope they will be airing the other ones soon but I won't hold my breath. And why are they circling back through the once-a-day Perry Mason movies when they just aired them all in January-February? 

It's ridiculous that they are circling back through these Perry Mason movies and are constantly showing them once a day.

  • Love 2
Link to comment
4 hours ago, MikaelaArsenault said:

It's ridiculous that they are circling back through these Perry Mason movies and are constantly showing them once a day.

Hallmark seems to be similarly limiting the movies they show from 2 pm on each day. I got laid off from my job in mid-December and am still looking for a new one. As a result, I’ve been home a lot and usually have Hallmark on in the background. Since the Christmas blitz ended they’ve been showing the same movies over and over and over. If I look up to see Perfect Bride, Love at the Shore, and a few others one more time, I’ll scream. I KNOW there are so many great older movies they’re not showing, but gotta have ‘em for the app, I guess.

Edited by kirinan
  • Love 4
Link to comment
1 minute ago, kirinan said:

Hallmark seems to similarly limiting the movies they show from 2 pm on each day. I got laid off from my job in mid-December and am still looking for a new one. As a result, I’ve been home a lot, and usually have Hallmark on in the background. Since the Christmas blitz ended, they’ve been showing the same movies over and over and over. If I look up to see Perfect Bride, Love at the Shore, and a few more one more time, i’ll Scream. I KNOW there are so many older movies they’re not showing, but gotta have ‘em for the app, I guess.

It's really annoying though.

  • Love 4
Link to comment
4 hours ago, MikaelaArsenault said:

It's ridiculous that they are circling back through these Perry Mason movies and are constantly showing them once a day.

Why can't they use that time to circle through the McBride lineup? What happened to Diagnosis Murder?

  • Love 1
Link to comment
On 3/16/2019 at 12:37 AM, methodwriter85 said:

Hallmark's brand is very much about espousing small-town values, hard work, compassion for the little people, and railing against whoever the greedy Scrooge of the Week is.

As long as they are Caucasian, they say Hallmark.

There is a glaring absence of anyone of color on any of their movies except very rarely as an assistant or friend.  There are no Asian actors to be seen, no Arabic, no handicapped, nothing but lily-white thin people. 

This is America, Hallmark.  We don't all look like your stable of stars.

And put away the industrial strength curling iron and try some different hair styles!  Every one of the women looks alike.

  • Love 7
Link to comment

I enjoy the Mystery Movies on Hallmark, but TPTB really makes us work to find them.  I try to set my TIVO, so that I don't miss anything, but every movie in each series has a different title, so the TIVO doesn't recognize them.  I can fix the settings for "Wish List" for each series, but it would be so much simpler if Hallmark would just decide on a single title that work for all of the mysteries.

As it is, I often have to scroll ahead through two weeks of upcoming movies, to manually set the DVR.  That works, of course, but it is a pain in the butt.

  • Love 3
Link to comment
Quote

“Project Christmas Joy: Alabama” (working title)

The new Hallmark Drama program “will give a town in need an extreme Hallmark holiday transformation,” according to a press release. “From an extravagant Christmas tree lighting to a Main Street makeover, this series will spread holiday cheer for a town that needs it the most.”

So they’ve decided to create their own small town Christmas. What are the odds that it will just one big advertisement for Balsam Hill?

Link to comment
4 minutes ago, Dani said:

So they’ve decided to create their own small town Christmas. What are the odds that it will just one big advertisement for Balsam Hill?

I swear I heard about them doing this show a year ago. And of course they're doing in a small town down South that probably already has their own small town Christmas. Can't give a makeover to a larger town in need of a pick me up.

  • Love 2
Link to comment
On 3/19/2019 at 5:08 AM, methodwriter85 said:

I known Hallmark loves its loose, flowing hair, but seriously? As much as we made fun of Little House on the Prairie for its inaccuracies they at least recognized that adult women wore their hair up and not in soft, loosely styled curls. I know I shouldn't expect historical accuracy but wtf, Hallmark? 

This is been one of my complaints for ages about Hallmark, not specifically the anachronisms but the fact that all the damn characters look the same -- long, flowy, wavy-but-not-curly hair, heavy make-up, trendy but safe and generic clothing styles, etc. All the homes are McMansions with tasteful, bland decor, all the Christmas decorating is in red and gold, bows and glassware and greenery, with not a single homemade ornament or non-generically WASPy item in sight. Nothing wrong with any of this, of course, but when it's the only style shown it's so Stepfordy.

Anyone remember Cloudy with a Chance of Love (stupid title)? It stood out for me in part because the heroine's style was actually different, and appropriate for a grad student -- pony tail (the non-glamorous kind), nerdy glasses, more realistic clothing. There was the dreaded makeover, but if I recall correctly she didn't maintain that style.

Edited by beadgirl
  • Love 5
Link to comment
42 minutes ago, beadgirl said:

Anyone remember Cloudy with a Chance of Love (stupid title)? 

I've never heard of this movie, but they obviously stole the title from the animated film "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs". What a stupid thing to do.

Link to comment
9 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

I enjoy the Mystery Movies on Hallmark, but TPTB really makes us work to find them.  I try to set my TIVO, so that I don't miss anything, but every movie in each series has a different title, so the TIVO doesn't recognize them.  I can fix the settings for "Wish List" for each series, but it would be so much simpler if Hallmark would just decide on a single title that work for all of the mysteries.

I think they're trying that as the latest mystery series have been given episode numbers.  The Chronicle Mysteries were episodes 1, 2 and 3.   But so far, nothing captures every mystery so you'd need to set a series recording for every new series.

Love to the Rescue was 100% made of win.  I need to rewatch it but it's probably my favorite Hallmark movie in a very long time.  In the back of my head, I liked Nikki DeLoach and Michael Rady and thought they might be good together but I've thought that before only to have scripts let the leads down.  Not here, the script was charming.  The plot of dog sharing hadn't been done to death. (I think it was done once before in a Teri Polo movie but that's it.)  Their chemistry was giving me some natural sexy vibes which is a Hallmark rarity. The dog was cute.  The kids weren't too annoying.  I adored the ex-husband.  The "other" woman wasn't mean or even really betrayed as they wrapped that up before either of the leads even considered dating one another.  There were no misunderstandings and even though the obligatory pullback was obligatorily annoying, it was rooted in character rather than misunderstanding.

Given the little tag at the end where she's wearing a ring and they're all headed home, I guess this one isn't one they'd consider for a sequel.  Probably for the best but these are two I hope work together again.

  • Love 10
Link to comment
8 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Love to the Rescue was 100% made of win.  I need to rewatch it but it's probably my favorite Hallmark movie in a very long time.  In the back of my head, I liked Nikki DeLoach and Michael Rady and thought they might be good together but I've thought that before only to have scripts let the leads down.  Not here, the script was charming.  The plot of dog sharing hadn't been done to death. (I think it was done once before in a Teri Polo movie but that's it.)  Their chemistry was giving me some natural sexy vibes which is a Hallmark rarity. The dog was cute.  The kids weren't too annoying.  I adored the ex-husband.  The "other" woman wasn't mean or even really betrayed as they wrapped that up before either of the leads even considered dating one another.  There were no misunderstandings and even though the obligatory pullback was obligatorily annoying, it was rooted in character rather than misunderstanding.

Agree, agree, agree, Irlandesa! I thought Nikki and Michael's chemistry was off the charts--and not just on the Hallmark scale. I think it would have been there in any movie. I would also love to see them paired together again. 

Plus, it was the first Hallmark movie in quite a while where I've actually laughed out loud in several places, usually at Nikki's lines. I like her anyway, but she's even better when they let her run with a free-spirited vibe instead of the usual uptight-bitch persona Hallmark (and other movies, books, TV shows--it's not just HM) seems to force on so many of their female characters at the beginning of a story. Granted, free-spirited can be a stereotype, too, but I thought it seemed quite genuine here.

I also loved the adult way that this movie: a) handled Nikki's character's relationship with her ex-husband, and b) let Michael's character and Bianca end things early in a civil manner, so it never put her in the villain role.

Hallmark has definitely upped their game lately; if they're not careful, I'm going to expect this level of quality every week! Oh, and P.S. More Michael Rady, please.

Edited by kirinan
  • Love 8
Link to comment

I have yet to see Michael Rady not have chemistry with the lead in a movie, so excited to watch the one with Nikki. They both have such a carefree vibe with their acting so makes sense they would work well together. Thank you guys for the suggestion! Same with last week’s movie (I’m so behind). I always enjoy Julie and Tyler in their movies so am looking forward to that one. 

  • Love 3
Link to comment
11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I think they're trying that as the latest mystery series have been given episode numbers.  The Chronicle Mysteries were episodes 1, 2 and 3.   But so far, nothing captures every mystery so you'd need to set a series recording for every new series.

Love to the Rescue was 100% made of win.  I need to rewatch it but it's probably my favorite Hallmark movie in a very long time.  In the back of my head, I liked Nikki DeLoach and Michael Rady and thought they might be good together but I've thought that before only to have scripts let the leads down.  Not here, the script was charming.  The plot of dog sharing hadn't been done to death. (I think it was done once before in a Teri Polo movie but that's it.)  Their chemistry was giving me some natural sexy vibes which is a Hallmark rarity. The dog was cute.  The kids weren't too annoying.  I adored the ex-husband.  The "other" woman wasn't mean or even really betrayed as they wrapped that up before either of the leads even considered dating one another.  There were no misunderstandings and even though the obligatory pullback was obligatorily annoying, it was rooted in character rather than misunderstanding.

Given the little tag at the end where she's wearing a ring and they're all headed home, I guess this one isn't one they'd consider for a sequel.  Probably for the best but these are two I hope work together again.

I looked up the movie.. and it was written by a first time screen-writer.. which could explain why it was not quite by the numbers.  In no time flat, she'll probably have the Hallmark assembly style drilled into her.  

  • LOL 2
Link to comment
18 hours ago, beadgirl said:

This is been one of my complaints for ages about Hallmark, not specifically the anachronisms but the fact that all the damn characters look the same -- long, flowy, wavy-but-not-curly hair, heavy make-up, trendy but safe and generic clothing styles, etc. All the homes are McMansions with tasteful, bland decor, all the Christmas decorating is in red and gold, bows and glassware and greenery, with not a single homemade ornament or non-generically WASPy item in sight. Nothing wrong with any of this, of course, but when it's the only style shown it's so Stepfordy.

Table for two on this. Plus all of the actors look alike to me with only hair color different - and then the blonds all look alike as do the dark haired girls.  And I watched part of the wretched movie with a princess at a ski resort (what is it with Disney and royalty?) and I couldn't tell the brother and friend from home apart.

  • Love 3
Link to comment

I also loved Love to the Rescue - how refreshing not to have the same old formula!  Witty dialogue, smoking chemistry, cute story.

And may I just say, I loved Sophia's ears - she looked like a pixie!  Adorable.

Edited by treeofdreams
  • Love 4
Link to comment

Add me to the chorus of those who loved Love to the Rescue and for all the reasons mentioned.  Michael Rady and Nikki DeLoach were just fabulous together.   I feel like I spent 2 hours actually watching their characters become friends and fall in love.  The supporting characters were great (yay, no evil people), the kids were sweet and fun without being annoying and the location really added something special. I also liked that not only was Nikki's character an animator (something new!) but that they managed to incorporate the animation into the movie.  I'm guessing the budget got a boost above the norm, it certainly looked like it.

One of my favorite scenes was the outing with the kids bonding with the opposite parent.  It could have been cloying but I found it so charming.  Michael was fantastic with that little actress. I've had a crush on Michael Rady since the first Traveling Pants movie and I'm so glad he's found a home on Hallmark.  I think he exhibits such a natural warmth that comes through in pretty much everything I've seen him in.  He's always so lovely to watch.

13 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

 The plot of dog sharing hadn't been done to death. (I think it was done once before in a Teri Polo movie but that's it.) 

Oh man, that's the one where Teri's dog goes missing and the family that "adopts" it won't give it back.   I remember being so totally annoyed at the dad in that one.

1 hour ago, JAYJAY1979 said:

I looked up the movie.. and it was written by a first time screen-writer.. which could explain why it was not quite by the numbers.  In no time flat, she'll probably have the Hallmark assembly style drilled into her.  

Can we form a protection squad?  Because it really was well done.  My sister actually turned to me about halfway through, "This dialogue is much better than usual."  Heh.  The story, the treatment of all the relationships and yes, the dialogue really were  a cut above. 

  • Love 8
Link to comment

Adding to the chorus that Love to the Rescue was an enjoyable movie.  This is the first Hallmark movie of 2019 where I liked both the leads, the story, the kids and the ending.

  • Love 3
Link to comment

The initial premise of Love to the Rescue would not actually happen, and I don't know how any parent would think it would be a good idea to risk their kid losing out on a dog after getting to know the dog for an extended period. That being said, I loved everything else about the movie like everyone here. So I will ignore that aspect of the story moving forward. 🙂 I enjoyed the movie for all of the reasons already stated. It was also nice to have a movie not filmed in the usual Canadian town for once. That was an added bonus. 

  • Love 1
Link to comment
28 minutes ago, VMepicgrl said:

The initial premise of Love to the Rescue would not actually happen, and I don't know how any parent would think it would be a good idea to risk their kid losing out on a dog after getting to know the dog for an extended period. That being said, I loved everything else about the movie like everyone here. So I will ignore that aspect of the story moving forward. 🙂 I enjoyed the movie for all of the reasons already stated. It was also nice to have a movie not filmed in the usual Canadian town for once. That was an added bonus. 

I was annoyed about the same thing at the beginning of this movie, but by the time Michael Rady's character had that first chat with the single mom's daughter, I was pretty much smitten by the whole thing and no longer minded the premise.  (That happens often for me with Hallmark movies... I'll have a difficult time buying into the setup, but if the chemistry and story are good, that usually ends up being enough to melt my cold, reserved heart.)

I'm not going to repeat the positive things other posters have mentioned about this movie... but I agree with all of it.  I LOVED this movie!  I've loved Michael Rady in all the Hallmark movies I've watched with him, so it wasn't surprising that I loved him in this too... but I especially liked him paired with Nikki.  (Loved her physical comedy when she was backing out of the room, and thought she was delightful throughout.  "Stars... they're just like us!")

The setting was beautiful.  Does anyone know where this was filmed?

  • Love 4
Link to comment

Moving backward for a second, this evening I saw some bits of the "Love Romance & Chocolate" again -- and because I had also watched "Kate and Leopold" last week, I realized that Will Kemp is indeed Hugh Jackman 20 years younger!  It's amazing ..  In this movie he looked so much like, and even had similar mannerisms to, Hugh Jackman in 2001.  

It would be awesome of his career took off as Jackman's has --  It looks as if he was in a film with Jackman in the last couple of years, so he is getting cast in Hollywood too.   

  • Love 3
Link to comment
12 hours ago, kirinan said:

Granted, free-spirited can be a stereotype, too, but I thought it seemed quite genuine here.

That's another thing that I think this movie did better than Hallmark usually does.  Nikki's character was a creative free spirit but she was also a responsible adult.  And Michael Rady's character was the "serious" one but you still could see him smile and relax with people he felt comfortable with. Carefree and serious were personality traits but not caricatures. 

  • Love 6
Link to comment

Nikki is going to be back again in another Hallmark movie on April 27 titled Love Takes Flight.  It is a Hallmark Hall Of Fame movie, which usually means higher budget/production values.  Instead of playing a free spirit, she is playing a very Type-A single mother and hospital administrator who meets an EMT pilot.   Her co-star is Jeff Hephner who I think is new to Hallmark.

  • Love 3
Link to comment
On 3/21/2019 at 6:10 PM, Kohola3 said:

As long as they are Caucasian, they say Hallmark.

There is a glaring absence of anyone of color on any of their movies except very rarely as an assistant or friend.  There are no Asian actors to be seen, no Arabic, no handicapped, nothing but lily-white thin people. 

This is America, Hallmark.  We don't all look like your stable of stars.

And put away the industrial strength curling iron and try some different hair styles!  Every one of the women looks alike.

They seem to be making progress on that. There were black couples featured in a few of the 2018 Christmas movies on both Hallmark and HM&M.

Link to comment
2 hours ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

They seem to be making progress on that. There were black couples featured in a few of the 2018 Christmas movies on both Hallmark and HM&M.

Many times if you count the secondary couples, plus there was one interracial secondary

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I think I enjoy Michael Rady for the same reason that I enjoy Colin Firth. I know, what a comparison. And it isn't the obvious - good looks. We could say that about most of the leading men on Hallmark (I don't find all attractive). But there's something about how they show such warmth in their eyes when they act in these sorts of movies. The eyes are so expressive. That's how Colin was so good in Pride & Prejudice where you could see he loved Elizabeth Bennet, even when his character still acted stiff and formal. I've noticed the same with Michael in these movies. There's probably more to it, but that is something that sticks out to me. I also liked him when I watched Greek and then Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

  • Love 6
Link to comment

I felt so smart today...I was watching an Aurora Teagarden episode, and at her murder-solving club meeting, a member was presenting a mini-lecture on a murderer, and I knew who it was (thanks to my obsession with the Investigation Discovery channel)!  It was Rodney Alcala, the killer who had once been a contestant on the Dating Game.      

  • Love 1
Link to comment

You guys were right with how good Love To The Rescue was. I was blown away with how much I loved it. The dialogue was great and the chemistry was off the charts. They seemed so comfortable with one another and it was funny! Looking forward to watching this again, and please let there be a second one. 

Edited by twoods
  • Love 3
Link to comment
19 hours ago, VMepicgrl said:

I think I enjoy Michael Rady for the same reason that I enjoy Colin Firth. I know, what a comparison. And it isn't the obvious - good looks. We could say that about most of the leading men on Hallmark (I don't find all attractive). But there's something about how they show such warmth in their eyes when they act in these sorts of movies. The eyes are so expressive. That's how Colin was so good in Pride & Prejudice where you could see he loved Elizabeth Bennet, even when his character still acted stiff and formal. I've noticed the same with Michael in these movies. There's probably more to it, but that is something that sticks out to me. I also liked him when I watched Greek and then Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

It's the eyes that indicate the chemistry.  Any two characters can look at each other, but yes, there is a warmth there that shows what the character is feeling.

  • Love 4
Link to comment

I'm two minutes into the crossword mystery movie, and I'm not sure I can go on. After showing actual footage of NYC, they cut to Lacey Chabert's character leaving the "8th Avenue" subway station with the N, R, and Q lines in orange circles. There are so many things wrong with that I don't know where to start.

It sounds like I should check out Love to the Rescue, based on all your comments!

Edited by beadgirl
  • Love 4
Link to comment
21 hours ago, treeofdreams said:

It's the eyes that indicate the chemistry.  Any two characters can look at each other, but yes, there is a warmth there that shows what the character is feeling.

ITA. I love the show Republic of Doyle for exactly that reason. Allan Hawco has fabulous puppy-dog eyes and when he looks at his real love interest on the show you can just feel it. It's amazing.

Edited by SusanwatchingTV
To spell Allan properly.
Link to comment

I asked before if anyone knew why they only filmed one Wedding Planner mystery. I actually liked that one better than Emma Fielding, the Contractor one, or the Ruby one.  Does anyone know?   Don't get me started on the Morning Show Murders....

  • Love 1
Link to comment
1 hour ago, catrice2 said:

I asked before if anyone knew why they only filmed one Wedding Planner mystery. I actually liked that one better than Emma Fielding, the Contractor one, or the Ruby one.  Does anyone know?   Don't get me started on the Morning Show Murders....

I only can guess.  While there are a lot of mystery series right now, back then, there were still more one offs.  They were also more cautious about green lighting a sequel/sequels until after they saw how the movie would perform.  In fact, when Signed, Sealed, Delivered did well, they opted to create a more traditional TV series out of it.  When the first season wrapped, it was then that they decided to do a movie series over a more traditional TV series.  We'd only get movies once a year or maybe once every six months.  It's possible the ratings weren't there for the Wedding Planner movies to do another one. 

And maybe it was all timing.  Looking at Erica's Wikipedia page, it looks like she had a baby a few months after the movie came out and she probably had to make her Saving Hope schedule work with her pregnancy which might not have left much time to do a sequel in 2015 and by then, Hallmark had moved on.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I only can guess.  While there are a lot of mystery series right now, back then, there were still more one offs.  They were also more cautious about green lighting a sequel/sequels until after they saw how the movie would perform.  In fact, when Signed, Sealed, Delivered did well, they opted to create a more traditional TV series out of it.  When the first season wrapped, it was then that they decided to do a movie series over a more traditional TV series.  We'd only get movies once a year or maybe once every six months.  It's possible the ratings weren't there for the Wedding Planner movies to do another one. 

And maybe it was all timing.  Looking at Erica's Wikipedia page, it looks like she had a baby a few months after the movie came out and she probably had to make her Saving Hope schedule work with her pregnancy which might not have left much time to do a sequel in 2015 and by then, Hallmark had moved on.

Thanks!  I don't watch Hallmark that much and mostly it is the Mysteries.  I must be the only one who does not like Signed, Sealed Delivered. 

  • Love 2
Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...