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

[Kohola3]

14 hours ago, twoods said:

I hope they react to the crappy ratings appropriately and cut the movies in half and bring back the quality. 

I would sincerely love it if they would look back at their quality writing, acting, actors and stories and learn from it.  Sadly I fear they are afraid of losing their conservative evangelical base so the rest of us either put up with their tasteless pap or go elsewhere.  Which is why other companies are fairing better.  I guess it will take the demise of their franchise before they understand that the world is a very diverse place and we are not 100% white Christians.

[Koalagirl]

I don’t get Hallmark Drama channel, just the regular one and Movies & Mystery but I discovered I was able to get the Christmas Cookie Matchup which was a baking challenge featuring the cast of When Calls the Heart as helpers (Jack Wagner is the host) through my provider’s On Demand channel.  I watched 3 episodes so far and I’m so happy I found it. 

Edited December 7, 2019 by Koalagirl
Corrected name of show.

[Crs97]

I watched A Christmas Love Story and could tell it was a Hall of Fame movie.  Not nearly as good as the original HOF movies from my childhood, but it was a cut above.  I thought they did a good job with the dialogue, and cheesy lines were pointed out as cheesy.  Kristin only really sang at the end.  I love her voice, but appreciate the show not overdoing her singing and letting the kids shine instead.  Not bad at all.

[sistersledge]

I finally caught up on Christmas Town and agree, it was terrible. Though I don't mind CCB as a person, I really can never take her as an actress. I could buy that the angel would still be in the antique store, but why wasn't the wing piece with it? And clearly all it needed was some glue, so why did dad even bother to send it back? He could have just glued it and put it back on the tree. 

And why was CCB so shiny and wearing a terrible wig? She looked awful. 

My big issue was having to spend the night in this town. Like, Boston to Springfield, MA (I assume since everyone seemed to know what she was talking about) is an hour and a half. Like Amtrak wouldn't provide a bus? And where did everyone else stay in town?  I can usually suspend disbelief but c'mon. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, sistersledge said:

I finally caught up on Christmas Town and agree, it was terrible. Though I don't mind CCB as a person, I really can never take her as an actress. I could buy that the angel would still be in the antique store, but why wasn't the wing piece with it? And clearly all it needed was some glue, so why did dad even bother to send it back? He could have just glued it and put it back on the tree. 

And why was CCB so shiny and wearing a terrible wig? She looked awful. 

My big issue was having to spend the night in this town. Like, Boston to Springfield, MA (I assume since everyone seemed to know what she was talking about) is an hour and a half. Like Amtrak wouldn't provide a bus? And where did everyone else stay in town?  I can usually suspend disbelief but c'mon. 

That entire movie was me endless asking, “Wait, what?”. 

[PennyPlain]

5 hours ago, sistersledge said:

And where did everyone else stay in town?  I can usually suspend disbelief but c'mon. 

Thank you!  I'm a fan of CCB Christmas films for the most part but I only made it into maybe 20 minutes with this one.  And that was definitely one of the things that I noticed and thought "huh?"  

[susannot]

10 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I watched A Christmas Love Story and could tell it was a Hall of Fame movie.  Not nearly as good as the original HOF movies from my childhood, but it was a cut above.  I thought they did a good job with the dialogue, and cheesy lines were pointed out as cheesy.  Kristin only really sang at the end.  I love her voice, but appreciate the show not overdoing her singing and letting the kids shine instead.  Not bad at all.

Plus Kristin's wardrobe was fabulous.  That white coat--to die for!!  I think the wardrobe budget was much larger than for the typical Hallmark movie, as befitting Kristin's status as a bigger star.  Also, her New York apartment!! OMG!!

[Crs97]

I also loved that she always wore the white coat.  So many times they have 10 different coats to match each outfit, and it drives me crazy.  Kristin’s wardrobe was terrific, and she had one gorgeous coat that she wore all the time!

I loved her apartment and also thought they did a good job mentioning her Broadway success so that you would believe a teacher could afford that place.

[Guest]

I went to Hallmark’s Facebook page to see what movies are premiering this weekend and there is huge drama happening. One million moms is calling for a boycott because Hallmark aired a Zola.com commercial featuring a lesbian kiss.  
Whoever handles their social media has had a really bad year. 

[PennyPlain]

7 hours ago, Dani said:

One million moms is calling for a boycott because Hallmark aired a Zola.com commercial featuring a lesbian kiss.

Is this an actual organization?  I want to boycott them.

[seasons]

I'm sorry guys, i just can't take any more movies with Candace, Lacey or Danica. Also no more movies about bakers or royalty. 

[Guest]

Hallmark pulled the Zola.com ads. 

Quote

Asked to explain why the ads had been rejected, an employee of Hallmark’s parent company said the channel did not accept ads “that are deemed controversial,” according to an email exchange shared with The New York Times. A spokesman for Hallmark said the women’s “public displays of affection” violated the channel’s policies, but he declined to comment on why a nearly identical ad featuring a bride and groom kissing was not rejected.

[DanaMB]

1 hour ago, Dani said:

Hallmark pulled the Zola.com ads. 

Well that’s disappointing. Not surprising though. Makes me want to stop watching the channel because I feel like I’m supporting their views if I do. 

[Was-MArsenault]

6 hours ago, Dani said:

Hallmark pulled the Zola.com ads. 

I'm not surprised by that.

[Jaded]

In case anyone else is out of free NYT views in regards to the linked to article upthread...

Zola Pulls Ads From Hallmark Channel After Network Censored Same-Sex Commercials

Hallmark Faces Holiday Controversy After Rejecting Ad With Same-Sex Couple

[Spartan Girl]

Fuck the Million Moms. They're the same twats that bitched about the ABC Muppets show and probably had a hand in getting it cancelled because it wasn't "family friendly" enough.

Theres another word I'd like to call them, but in the spirit of the holiday season I'll keep it to myself.

[Guest]

#BoycottHallmark is trending on twitter. So much for avoiding controversy.
 

Hallmark changed their Facebook so people can no longer create posts. I expect that they will turn of all commenting soon. 

[In2You]

Oh no this is one of those Christmas movies where we act like Jewish people in America have never experienced Christmas before. I'm sure an actor living in the city has experienced his fair share of Christmases

I spy a alove and Hip Hop NY ad on Hallmark. The most black people I've ever seen on this channel at once.

[EyewatchTV211]

50 minutes ago, In2You said:

Oh no this is one of those Christmas movies where we act like Jewish people in America have never experienced Christmas before. I'm sure an actor living in the city has experienced his fair share of Christmases

I spy a alove and Hip Hop NY ad on Hallmark. The most black people I've ever seen on this channel at once.

This movie is SOOOOOO bad. Down there with the Kellie Pickler movies bad. Even outside of the handling of the Jewish character, which is bad, it's bad on its own. I'm not sure I can make it through the whole thing. Unfortunate since the lead guy is very cute. Guess I'm a bad Jew for not being familiar with any of these Jewish actors before now.

[Irlandesa]

I deleted both Hallmark movies. I can't be too proud of myself, though. Their stupid move coincided with an increase in holiday movie offerings with Lifetime doubling up on Saturdays and ION jumping in with their offerings. Something was going to have to give and they made it easy by pulling the ads.

I'll probably stay strong until we get past the holiday season and the mysteries start up again.

Edited December 15, 2019 by Irlandesa

[In2You]

1 hour ago, VMepicgrl said:

This movie is SOOOOOO bad. Down there with the Kellie Pickler movies bad. Even outside of the handling of the Jewish character, which is bad, it's bad on its own. I'm not sure I can make it through the whole thing. Unfortunate since the lead guy is very cute. Guess I'm a bad Jew for not being familiar with any of these Jewish actors before now.

He's from South of Nowhere and General Hospital. The acting was too cartoonish from the beginning for me. And the way they were acting like this guy who lives in NYC never experienced Christmas was ridiculous. Especially when he was practically drooling over being in a hardware store. I was in NYC this past weekend and there's plenty of Christmas spirit there. And then saying he didnt know the words to Deck the Halls because he's  Jewish. Since when does being Jewish stop you from hearing a song played internationally every year?

[shoregirl]

On 12/13/2019 at 10:16 PM, Dani said:

Hallmark pulled the Zola.com ads. 

Wow..Fuck Hallmark

I'm glad #BoycottHallmark is trending. I deleted the rest of the scheduled recordings for the rest of the season and I will not watch anymore movies from them. 

It's 2019 almost 2020 are really still doing this?

Edited December 15, 2019 by shoregirl

[Guest]

The timing of this Hallmark anti-lesbian scandal is richly ironic given that Holiday Date just premiered this weekend, starring Matt Cohen, who got his first big break on South of Nowhere, which revolves around the main character realizing she's a lesbian. He plays the on again off again boyfriend of her bisexual love interest and is in a love triangle with them the entire series. The girls end up together in the show, but Matt married the actress in real life.

[Happywatcher]

ABC Disney just did a 2 minute push piece on their Good Morning America show to force Hallmark to do gay movies. 

They really want to destroy the brand.

[Suzysite]

16 minutes ago, Happywatcher said:

ABC Disney just did a 2 minute push piece on their Good Morning America show to force Hallmark to do gay movies. 

They really want to destroy the brand.

It sounds like it.  The brand has been thriving until this latest push to try and destroy what they've built.  Guaranteed they will lose their audience if they bow to pressure.  

[In2You]

15 minutes ago, Suzysite said:

It sounds like it.  The brand has been thriving until this latest push to try and destroy what they've built.  Guaranteed they will lose their audience if they bow to pressure.  

They're losing viewers either way. Conservatives are not the only ones watching Hallmark at Christmastime.

[Kohola3]

11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Their stupid move coincided with an increase in holiday movie offerings with Lifetime doubling up on Saturdays and ION jumping in with their offerings. Something was going to have to give and they made it easy by pulling the ads.

Pulling the ads was the last straw for me.  I was already disgusted with the endless repetition of he same stories, bad acting, total lack of diversity, and (on a shallow note) the same stupid hairstyles on every female.  At least Lifetime and ION have the potential for something a little different. 

Saw A Christmas Wish the other day.  Located in the south so no fake snow strewn around with leaves on the trees.  Small, realistic houses not decorated like Balsam Hill vomited in there.  A gay couple with a child.  People of color.  A man in a wheelchair. Enjoyable all around.  And light years away from anything on Hallmark.

[Karen885]

Is Jessica Lowndes not part of the Hallmark stable of actresses anymore? She is in a Christmas movie on lifetime this year and nothing on Hallmark.  She seemed like the new Hallmark darling for a while.

[Bronx Babe]

On 12/13/2019 at 8:09 PM, seasons said:

I'm sorry guys, i just can't take any more movies with Candace, Lacey or Danica. Also no more movies about bakers or royalty. 

lol, those are my "favorites" (by default)

The one I cannot stand is that actress who NEVER stops smiling -- what is her name?  (then again, I think I'd rather forget.....)  Did a Hallmark drive-by and there she was -- the title is something with "Northern" in it -- "Northern Lights of Christmas" perhaps?...her character was flying a plane and said "I come alive in the air!"

I will not watching anything this person is in, even for snark value!

[PennyPlain]

1 hour ago, In2You said:

They're losing viewers either way. Conservatives are not the only ones watching Hallmark at Christmastime.

Absolutely true. I don't watch Hallmark channel but I do watch Hallmark movies at Christmas because they air on the W channel here.  W as in women's network which is not a channel I associate with conservative "christian" values.   They air these movies because they appeal to many women (and some men too I guess) not because they are catering to the million bigoted moms.

[PennyPlain]

56 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

and (on a shallow note) the same stupid hairstyles on every female. 

For me it's the eyelashes!  Noticed it first on the Merry and Bright movie with Jodi  Sweetin and then started noticing it in every movie.  Women with long, totally fake unrealistic eyelashes.  Whoever does the hair and makeup on these movies has zero imagination.

[Bronx Babe]

On 12/13/2019 at 8:09 PM, seasons said:

I'm sorry guys, i just can't take any more movies with Candace, Lacey or Danica. Also no more movies about bakers or royalty. 

Those three are my "favorites" (by default)

The one I truly cannot stand is the actress WHO NEVER STOPS SMILING.  Did a Hallmark drive-by and there she was again -- flying a plane ("being in the air makes me feel alive!").  I cannot watch anything this grinning annoyance is in, even for snark value.

[Direwolf]

48 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

Those three are my "favorites" (by default)

The one I truly cannot stand is the actress WHO NEVER STOPS SMILING.  Did a Hallmark drive-by and there she was again -- flying a plane ("being in the air makes me feel alive!").  I cannot watch anything this grinning annoyance is in, even for snark value.

Ashley Williams??

[Jaded]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Pulling the ads was the last straw for me.  I was already disgusted with the endless repetition of he same stories, bad acting, total lack of diversity, and (on a shallow note) the same stupid hairstyles on every female.  At least Lifetime and ION have the potential for something a little different. 

Saw A Christmas Wish the other day.  Located in the south so no fake snow strewn around with leaves on the trees.  Small, realistic houses not decorated like Balsam Hill vomited in there.  A gay couple with a child.  People of color.  A man in a wheelchair. Enjoyable all around.  And light years away from anything on Hallmark.

Pulling the ads has pretty much done it for me too. The acting like including black people as something more than friends or maybe extras in their movies was such a hard thing to do when they churn them out like toilet paper was one of the things that started my side eyeing of them. I still haven't forgotten the scheduling shit they did with Tatyana Ali's Xmas movie last year that they didn't do with their other ones. All of that along with the way they've changed their movies from what they were like just a few years ago and before that to the cookie cutter stuff they put out now. 

I might miss some of the mystery movies though. I haven't watched any of the Xmas movies on any of the channels as of yet but might try to find the one you mentioned by name and subscription. I wanted to downgrade my Uverse package to save money until my contract runs it's course and losing the Movies & Mysteries channel would happen if I did it. Now that consequence doesn't seem bad at all. If I want to see a particular mystery movie I can find it elsewhere if I'm really interested.

Edited December 15, 2019 by Jaded

[Jaded]

[kirinan]

12 hours ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

The timing of this Hallmark anti-lesbian scandal is richly ironic given that Holiday Date just premiered this weekend, starring Matt Cohen, who got his first big break on South of Nowhere, which revolves around the main character realizing she's a lesbian. He plays the on again off again boyfriend of her bisexual love interest and is in a love triangle with them the entire series. The girls end up together in the show, but Matt married the actress in real life.

You know what else I think is ironic? Several of their leading actors have been gay. Luke MacFarlane, Jonathan Bennett, Ali Liebert, and I can't think of his name, but the guy in the Debbie Gibson movies, are all out. And I'm sure there are others. Why aren't the pearl-clutchers squawking over that? And if Hallmark can practice inclusive casting, why can't they practice inclusive commercials?

[Kohola3]

30 minutes ago, Jaded said:

Brilliant!

"The true reason for Christmas is husbands",  But only if it's a heterosexual pairing.  No others need apply.

[DanaMB]

1 hour ago, kirinan said:

You know what else I think is ironic? Several of their leading actors have been gay. Luke MacFarlane, Jonathan Bennett, Ali Liebert, and I can't think of his name, but the guy in the Debbie Gibson movies, are all out. And I'm sure there are others. Why aren't the pearl-clutchers squawking over that? And if Hallmark can practice inclusive casting, why can't they practice inclusive commercials?

They probably don’t know. I didn’t know about those actors until this post. 
Now I’m wondering how these actors feel about what is going on. 

[Aliconehead]

2 hours ago, kirinan said:

You know what else I think is ironic? Several of their leading actors have been gay. Luke MacFarlane, Jonathan Bennett, Ali Liebert, and I can't think of his name, but the guy in the Debbie Gibson movies, are all out. And I'm sure there are others. Why aren't the pearl-clutchers squawking over that? And if Hallmark can practice inclusive casting, why can't they practice inclusive commercials?

I thought the same thing.  Bennett’s coming out was well published because of Mean Girls fame, but the others are a little lower visibility but all are out and profundo so it’s no secret

[mikeb]

Hilarie Burton is going after Hallmark hard in her twitter feed.  Including a tweet that says "The bigotry comes from the top and permeates the whole deal over there."

[Kaoteek]

2 hours ago, kirinan said:

You know what else I think is ironic? Several of their leading actors have been gay. Luke MacFarlane, Jonathan Bennett, Ali Liebert, and I can't think of his name, but the guy in the Debbie Gibson movies, are all out. And I'm sure there are others. Why aren't the pearl-clutchers squawking over that? And if Hallmark can practice inclusive casting, why can't they practice inclusive commercials?

As long as they're not gay on screen, that doesn't seem to bother the Hallmark crowd.

[Guest]

A few current and former Hallmark actors have responded.

Edited December 15, 2019 by Guest
Added one more

[twoods]

This is also the final straw for me with Hallmark. I’ve stopped DVRing the new movies and will stick to Lifetime, UP and ION for my holiday movie fix. I’m glad that some stars are speaking up because having this much outcry over one commercial is ridiculous. There are half clothed women in some commercials but that’s okay for the kids to watch? Blah.

[Jaded]

I think part of what's made what Hallmark has become even worse is that their movies didn't start out this way. The Hall of Fame movies were diverse with all different sorts of storytelling before they moved exclusively to the Hallmark Channel and off of the various networks they aired on. Even the original Hallmark Channel movies weren't always what they are now. It's like the channel decided to devolve as a whole while others have diversified. 

[Kaoteek]

*shrug* Call me cynical, but there will be plenty of bitching and moaning (on both sides of the fence), Hallmark will apologize, they'll promise to do better next season with a gay Christmas movie, they'll schedule it in a dead timeslot, it will bomb, and they'll use that as an excuse to can the whole experiment (or to keep it as the token gay Christmas movie sacrificed in July or something).

Same old same old.

Edited December 15, 2019 by Kaoteek

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Time to let Hallmark sponsors know we are leaving and why.  There are 300 million people in the US.  WAY more than the Million Mother bigots.  And leaving their sappy, crappy movies behind won't be much of a loss.  Same story, different day anyway.

Yes, but also Crown Media’s parent company Hallmark Cards. Bill Abbott is only the CEO for Crown Media. Hallmark Cards has been marketing to same-sex couples for years so those execs are at least smart enough to realize discrimination is bad for business. 

[Happywatcher]

7 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

Those three are my "favorites" (by default)

The one I truly cannot stand is the actress WHO NEVER STOPS SMILING.  Did a Hallmark drive-by and there she was again -- flying a plane ("being in the air makes me feel alive!").  I cannot watch anything this grinning annoyance is in, even for snark value.

Ashley Williams. I carefully watched the Lights movie because I really wanted to know why her character was wearing Navy Aviator wings. No explanation was given

[Happywatcher]

41 minutes ago, Kaoteek said:

*shrug* Call me cynical, but there will be plenty of bitching and moaning (on both sides of the fence), Hallmark will apologize, they'll promise to do better next season with a gay Christmas movie, they'll schedule it in a dead timeslot, it will bomb, and they'll use that as an excuse to can the whole experiment (or to keep it as the token gay Christmas movie sacrificed in July or something).

Same old same old.

But ABC Disney will maybe peel off some family viewers back to the train wreck ABC Family and Disney channels--which is the point of them attacking Hallmark. We ended up watching the Descendants movies with some teens. I would never allow a preteen to watch Disney now, they are really bad

[MerBearHou]

8 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

The one I truly cannot stand is the actress WHO NEVER STOPS SMILING.  Did a Hallmark drive-by and there she was again -- flying a plane ("being in the air makes me feel alive!").  I cannot watch anything this grinning annoyance is in, even for

Agreed 1000% — Ashley Williams’ manic, huge non-stop smiling is a no-go for me as well.  She is far too saccharine for me.

Edited December 15, 2019 by MerBearHou

[EyewatchTV211]

4 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

Agreed 1000% — Ashley Williams’ manic, huge non-stop smiling is a no-go for me as well.  She is far too saccharine for me.

Not just that she smiles too much. But she does that weird open mouthed smile or otherwise opens her mouth for no reason. I tried it out to see if it was natural or comfortable in any way - nope. Not sure how she developed that habit.

Like others,  I've decided to just finish out what I've already DVRed on Hallmark and then will stick to the other channels.