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

[izabella]

I liked Winter in Vail, too.  I haven't liked most of the new ones this Christmas, but that one seemed charming.

I have noticed that the 2019 batch of movies tends to focus very heavily on dialogue and interactions between the leads, and very little interactions with others.  The scripts are heavy on the leads doing things together, alone, not so much with others.  That works if the leads work well, and if the script isn't too dumb.  The best thing about it, though, is that it gives the leads time to actually develop a somewhat believable relationship and romance, which had not been the case in a lot of the movies in the past.

[twoods]

I also enjoyed Winter in Vail. I love everything that Tyler is in (but refuse to watch the one with Kelly Pickler), and he was great in this one with Lacey. They had nice chemistry and I liked that she quit her job before she went to Vail instead of angstly deciding whether to move back to LA. 

[SusanwatchingTV]

16 minutes ago, twoods said:

I also enjoyed Winter in Vail. I love everything that Tyler is in (but refuse to watch the one with Kelly Pickler), and he was great in this one with Lacey. They had nice chemistry and I liked that she quit her job before she went to Vail instead of angstly deciding whether to move back to LA. 

You should watch the one with Kelly Pickler.  I swear I saw him stifling a giggle at her a time or two.  He seemed amused with her on a different level.  I'm sure he was trying to keep a straight face at her bad acting.  It was worth it to me just to see him trying so hard.

[kirinan]

4 hours ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

You should watch the one with Kelly Pickler.  I swear I saw him stifling a giggle at her a time or two.  He seemed amused with her on a different level.  I'm sure he was trying to keep a straight face at her bad acting.  It was worth it to me just to see him trying so hard.

I second the recommendation to watch this one. She’s actually not so hard to take, and Tyler’s character is another one that’s easy to fall head over heels for. 

[twoods]

Oh shoot I should have waited to comment on Winter in Vail when I completely finished it because there was LA angst on taking her job back! I commented right before her friend came back because I thought for once that there would be a different formula to these movies. Oh Hallmark, you will never change will you? I still liked it a lot, especially with her telling him she was going back to LA instead of him overhearing the phone conversation and him being pissed off. I WILL give them that.

[ECM1231]

I am just about done viewing the Christmas ones, having deleted quite a few without watching them. I recorded a 2016 movie starring Holly Marie Coombs and Ben Bass that aired sometime in the past day or two.  It's called Love's Complicated and it was delightful. It wasn't a Christmas themed one. Did anyone else see it?

[izabella]

35 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

I am just about done viewing the Christmas ones, having deleted quite a few without watching them. I recorded a 2016 movie starring Holly Marie Coombs and Ben Bass that aired sometime in the past day or two.  It's called Love's Complicated and it was delightful. It wasn't a Christmas themed one. Did anyone else see it?

I sort of remember that one.  She ends up going to anger management class, and that made me super angry, for some reason.  Like, maybe she didn't need anger management but to actually find her anger and a backbone to tell her bf to fuck off?

[ECM1231]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

I sort of remember that one.  She ends up going to anger management class, and that made me super angry, for some reason.  Like, maybe she didn't need anger management but to actually find her anger and a backbone to tell her bf to fuck off?

It was more like conflict management or conflict resolution but  yeah, that was the one. I loved her book title at the end... My Life as a Doormat.  Too funny.  It was well-acted, I thought. 

[TVFan17]

I think that Love's Complicated is pretty good, and is probably a bit underrated as far as the general 'message' of it.  There are some some funny moments in it too.   It's not one that I go out of my way to watch when it's on because I tend to forget about it, but I actually do think that it's pretty good as a whole, with the exception of a few annoying moments.

Neither Holly Marie Combs nor Ben Bass has been back to star in another Hallmark movie since Love's Complicated premiered 4 years ago, so I wonder if they had a bad experience filming the movie, or if they just didn't resonate or connect with the viewers as leads.  I remember, when the movie premiered, I was skimming through comments on Hallmark's Facebook page, and a few people didn't seem to think Holly and Ben were good leads. 

Speaking of movies featuring DJs... I still haven't forgiven Hallmark for permanently removing the 2015 gem Love on the Air (with Alison Sweeney and Jonathan Scarfe) from all 3 linear channels and holding it hostage on the Hallmark Movies Now app.  There's not even an official DVD for it.  That's a great movie, and a lot of people will miss it because it is never shown on any of the channels anymore.

Edited January 7, 2020 by TVFan17

[twoods]

Holly Marie Combs gained some weight after the movie (people even were commenting at how big she was in Love’s Complicated and were so awful with their rude comments) so I’m guessing that is why she hasn’t done any movies since then. I liked Love’s Complicated a lot as well- it was well acted, funny and the leads had nice chemistry. 

[ECM1231]

4 hours ago, twoods said:

Holly Marie Combs gained some weight after the movie (people even were commenting at how big she was in Love’s Complicated and were so awful with their rude comments) so I’m guessing that is why she hasn’t done any movies since then. I liked Love’s Complicated a lot as well- it was well acted, funny and the leads had nice chemistry. 

People thought she was large? Heaven help us! SMH

I thought it was just a bit unusual, but refreshing,  to have older leads...Holly was early 40s at the time and Ben was late 40s.

With the ridiculously high cable bill we pay in my area I refuse to spend another dime to get Hallmark Movies Now channel. 

 

 

 

[TVFan17]

Hallmark has apparently cancelled their annual Winter TCA Press Tour event -- which would normally be taking place this month.  No reason has been given (at least not one that is known to the general public).  They never cancel or skip a TCA.  In fact, they would have had to secure their slot back in the fall, and then start planning their party, choosing the menu and decorations, theme, etc., at least one full month ago, if not more than one month.

At these TCA parties that Hallmark throws, we usually see something like 6 to 9 press releases roll out in one cluster on the same night, with lots of little programming announcements from actors in the week after the event.

At this TCA event that was supposed to happen this month, it was expected that Hallmark was going to promote the usual pet adoption-related specials (Kitten Bowl, Cat Bowl, etc.), as well as their February movie line-up, their mystery movie line-up, their returning series such as When Calls the Heart and Good Witch, etc.  Some people were hoping they were going to announce a renewal of Chesapeake Shores at the TCA, or possibly even a renewal of When Hope Calls for the Hallmark Movies Now app.  They probably would have also announced a small bit of Christmas news -- even if just to say "We're making X number of movies this year."  They would have also likely mentioned some surprise projects too -- things we have not yet heard about.

But, alas, the party was suddenly cancelled (sometime in the last 2 or 3 weeks).  I am assuming that means no flurry of press releases and announcements this month either.  They might spread out their announcements and news items instead of putting out a bunch of them at one time.

Edited January 9, 2020 by TVFan17

[kirinan]

For my fellow Tyler Hynes fangirls/fanguys, Deck the Hallmark has an hour podcast with Tyler Hynes up, as well as their Winter in Vail review. No music for kirinan at work today--it's Tyler time! 🥰

[Kohola3]

8 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

Hallmark has apparently cancelled their annual Winter TCA Press Tour event -- which would normally be taking place this month.  No reason has been given

Maybe all of the bad press is catching up with them.  Time to reassess your choices in programming and casting, folks.  It's a diverse world out there and it's coming back to bite you with your refusal to move outside of your safe Caucasian sphere.

[ECM1231]

What does TCA stand for?

[TVFan17]

3 hours ago, kirinan said:

For my fellow Tyler Hynes fangirls/fanguys, Deck the Hallmark has an hour podcast with Tyler Hynes up, as well as their Winter in Vail review. No music for kirinan at work today--it's Tyler time! 🥰

I like the idea of Tyler Time!  I'm all for more Tyler and more Kristoffer Polaha in these movies!  Tyler Time and Polaha Palooza!

45 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

What does TCA stand for?

Television Critics Association.  Every year there is a Winter TCA Press Tour (in January or February) and a Summer Press Tour (in July or August).  It lasts approximately 2 weeks -- give or take a few days -- and any network or streaming service can participate if they submit their applications and reserve their spot a few months in advance.  A lot of networks and streaming services will sit out the TCA Press Tours and choose to not participate for whatever reason (Netflix skips these tours a lot of the time), but many networks participate every year, at both the Winter and Summer events, like clockwork, as it helps to showcase their upcoming programming slates to the members of the entertainment press (the TCA). 

The weeks surrounding the TCA tours are notoriously hectic for the members of the entertainment press, as they have to view screeners, and then attend various events for each network (sometimes more than one each day), and then write about or report on the programming in record time before moving on to the next event.  They also interview actors and other talent at each event.

Hallmark is one of the networks that always participates -- and it has been beneficial to them, as they need to push their Hallmark Drama channel and their Hallmark Movies Now streaming app.  Apparently the parties they throw for these events are quite classy and nice, and everyone has a great time.  They never sit one of these events out, let alone cancel one that was already planned.

But this time they actually had the event scheduled and cancelled it.  I can only speculate as to the reasons why -- I will say that I am kind of not too surprised that it was cancelled this time -- but one of the members of the media (who would normally be attending the Hallmark event) said she didn't know why it was cancelled... just that it was cancelled.

[Miss Bones]

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2020 at 10:32 AM, Bronx Babe said:

Yep.

Although Uncle Grady's strudel didn't win first prize!  Hallmark went rogue!

I have not caught this one yet, but think this is funny because Lacey Chabert's character in the movie Mean Girls was the daughter of the inventor of Toaster Strudel.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

But this time they actually had the event scheduled and cancelled it.  I can only speculate as to the reasons why -- I will say that I am kind of not too surprised that it was cancelled this time -- but one of the members of the media (who would normally be attending the Hallmark event) said she didn't know why it was cancelled... just that it was cancelled.

Interesting. I wonder if has anything to do with the recent announcement by their parent company, Hallmark Cards, of layoffs and an upcoming “transformation”.  I would be very surprised if they don’t make changes to Hallmark Movies Now which would impact the tv channels. 
 

Plus, with the recent controversy, announcing a lineup without any real changes would probably just bring more bad press. 

Edited January 9, 2020 by Guest

[voiceover]

Past my bedtime, but here I am, rewatching All for Love for the I-don't-know-you-guys-well-enough-to-admit-that, time.

Sara Rue is just one of those actresses I'd watch in anything.  For one thing, she's got a Real Woman's Physique!  And a sweet comic vulnerability to go with it. 

And she's so well-paired with Steve Bacic here.  I love the photo session -- where she's in control -- followed by the swimming lesson.  Where he is.

And I'm not embarrassed to admit that shirtless & wet Steve makes me pound the bar table and whistle, like the Tex Avery wolf I've suddenly become.

Would adore to see these two re-teamed in a remake of Romancing the Stone -- with its story of a hopelessly romantic romance writer falling for the man's man who's inspired her latest book.

🤔

[jb002]

Anyone watching Love In Winterland? I have to say I’m surprised to see Italia Ricci & Chad Michael Murray in a Hallmark movie. However, Italia Ricci has chemistry with almost everyone, so I think it’ll be good! 
 

Chasing Life was a great TV series & I wish the other show she had been on, on NBC had been more of a success. 

[TVFan17]

Did anyone watch Love in Winterland, with Italia Ricci, Chad Michael Murray and Jack Turner?  I liked last week's Winter in Vail much better.  And if I am comparing Chad's recent Hallmark movies, I liked Write Before Christmas much more than this one.  As far as Jack's recent movies, I liked One Winter Proposal more than this one as well.

I am pretty easy to please as far as Hallmark rom coms go. I don't expect a lot.  I don't want anything deep or full of substance in my rom coms.  Just give me a couple of actors with a bit of chemistry and a few chuckles here and there.  Maybe the humor will come more from the actors' timing and delivery, and maybe it will come from the writing/editing/directing -- or a mixture of all of the above -- but I just want to laugh a couple of times in a rom com. 

I didn't think that Love in Winterland had enough humor in it for my liking.  Chad tried -- he had a couple of good lines.  Italia had a couple of good lines too.  But the whole pace and tone felt a bit low key and sluggish for something that was showcasing the behind-the-scenes goings-on of a TV dating show similar to The Bachelor. 

Any time they referred to the "reality" of making a reality show -- such as having the supposed homemade food delivered because it looked better on camera, or having Italia's character present Jack's character with a touching gift created by Production, that she supposedly toiled away on herself -- I liked it.  I like those references to how dating shows are put together, and how so much of it is not real at all.  But I just wanted a tad more levity overall.  Not slapstick or screwball comedy, but just a lighter tone.  Maybe a wee bit more chemistry too.

The snowy scenery was once again lovely, though.  I didn't hate the movie.  I'd probably leave it on as background sound.  But I just wanted a tiny bit more energy from it.

[Chippings]

I have to admit I didn't watch all of Love in Winterland, but enough to get the gist of it.   But, given what we know about required tropes for these stories (e.g. 'meet cute' before the first commercial, 'near kiss' in Act 7 or whatever it was) -  even given that, I nearly threw something at the screen when, at the predictable 13 minutes before the end, the True Love saw his lady love with Other Guy, misunderstood what he was seeing, and walked away.  

(I remember liking one earlier version of this, the chocolatiers in Brussels, when the True Love was carrying some flowers for the lady at the 13 minute mark, saw the pair, and threw the flowers in a trashcan. )

How can a screen writer even screen-write with requirements like this?  This was a departure of story line, somewhat, superimposing the Reality Show setup on the usual returning-home to small town thing.  Still.  Gag.  

[Kohola3]

17 minutes ago, Chippings said:

How can a screen writer even screen-write with requirements like this?  This was a departure of story line, somewhat, superimposing the Reality Show setup on the usual returning-home to small town thing.  Still.  Gag.  

Can we get an amen on that?  What a waste of air time.  But then they all are.

[kirinan]

45 minutes ago, Chippings said:

I have to admit I didn't watch all of Love in Winterland, but enough to get the gist of it.   But, given what we know about required tropes for these stories (e.g. 'meet cute' before the first commercial, 'near kiss' in Act 7 or whatever it was) -  even given that, I nearly threw something at the screen when, at the predictable 13 minutes before the end, the True Love saw his lady love with Other Guy, misunderstood what he was seeing, and walked away.   

I watched the whole thing, and liked it until this moment. When it happened, I rolled my eyes and groaned out loud. I’d been happy they had a civilized “You’re not the one” conversation between Jack Turner and Italia Ricci, and the rest of the movie had been fine, too. Then this ridiculous contrivance. Not unexpected, but disappointed. 

[catrice2]

Do we still post about Mystery movies in this thread, or is there a different one for that?

 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, catrice2 said:

Do we still post about Mystery movies in this thread, or is there a different one for that?

 

They have their own thread now.

 

[Was-MArsenault]

Nice to see Winter's Dream with Dean Cain! Unfortunately, I'll be missing the first airing tonight though.

 

Edited January 13, 2020 by MikaelaArsenault

[SusanwatchingTV]

I finally watched Love in Winterland last night. I love me some CMM but that girl just doesn't do it for me for some reason.  I've liked her in other things, but she just didn't suit this one, plus her whole hotel-promotion schtick was very off-putting.  It doesn't help that I hate that type of reality TV show. I never watch anything like that.  HGTV is as "reality" as I get. lol

I definitely preferred Write at Christmas.

I'm looking forward to the one set in Iceland, but my TiVo description seems to have it mixed up with something else. It says it's from 2017, which it clearly isn't. I hope it records properly.

 

[In2You]

On 1/11/2020 at 9:11 PM, jb002 said:

Anyone watching Love In Winterland? I have to say I’m surprised to see Italia Ricci & Chad Michael Murray in a Hallmark movie. However, Italia Ricci has chemistry with almost everyone, so I think it’ll be good! 
 

Chasing Life was a great TV series & I wish the other show she had been on, on NBC had been more of a success. 

I liked her movie that aired on Pixl Late Bloomer

 

[EyewatchTV211]

13 minutes ago, In2You said:

I liked her movie that aired on Pixl Late Bloomer

 

Good to know. Up is airing it soon.

[In2You]

Another Hallmark book was recommended too me and while most of their books sound as bland and boring as their recent movies this sounds somewhat interesting.

 

Jenny always dreamed of getting married at Heart’s Landing. But when she finally visits the charming small town, she’s there to make wedding arrangements for someone else: her cousin, who also happens to be her boss and a famous movie star. To keep the event secret and avoid a media circus, Jenny pretends she’s the one getting married.

Nick is intrigued by this bride-to-be who starts visiting his bakery every afternoon for sweet treats and conversation. He has to keep reminding himself that she’s already spoken for.

As Jenny deals with her cousin’s ever-changing demands, she tries to hide her attraction to Nick. Planning this wedding couldn’t be more complicated…and what will happen once the truth comes to light?

 

[Was-MArsenault]

Can't wait to see Winter's Dream tomorrow afternoon!

[KLovestoShop]

I really believe that Hallmark is trying to drive us to their extra pay channel, as they continue to show the same movies over and over again.  How many times a month will they show Love on the Sidelines, A Country Wedding (they really do love Jesse Metcalf), Chance at Romance and on and on.  I swear Sidelines has been on at least 4 times in the last three weeks—-it’s on again right now.  I refuse to sign on to any of these extra pay services, so I guess my Hallmark watching will be greatly reduced.

[kirinan]

Well, I tried, but I lasted exactly 45 minutes into Love On Iceland. It couldn't keep my attention for more than two minutes at a time. It's just...bland and blah. Maybe it's my state of mind today or something, but I'll be curious to hear what you all think of it.

[Kohola3]

33 minutes ago, kirinan said:

It couldn't keep my attention for more than two minutes at a time. It's just...bland and blah. 

I hung in for over an hour just to see the scenery.  But after the ten thousandth use of the word "amazing" and dozing off from boredom I have it up.  Where do they get these generic Stepford people? 

It's not like I didn't know how it would end. 

[Callietwo]

This just seemed like an extended travel ad.  That said, hubby & I spent a bit too long looking up those bubble hotels, so I guess it was effective?  $500. a night and no toilets?  Nope, I’m out.  
 

The redhead headed actress seemed to be more elevated than most sidekicks when they were advertising the show so we also looked her up.  She’s married to the lead actor and is a broadway actress, with parts like Anna from Frozen. Explains her exaggerated facial expressions, I guess.  
 

This was my least favorite of their new winterfest movies, gorgeous scenery notwithstanding.  

Edited January 19, 2020 by Callietwo

[TVFan17]

2 hours ago, kirinan said:

Well, I tried, but I lasted exactly 45 minutes into Love On Iceland. It couldn't keep my attention for more than two minutes at a time. It's just...bland and blah. Maybe it's my state of mind today or something, but I'll be curious to hear what you all think of it.

I watched the whole thing.  The interesting scenic locations and bits of culture here and there were amazing.  The local residents were charming.  I think that Hallmark did a good job of incorporating as much of the Iceland vibe as they could in a short rom com.  

I also loved Patti Murin's random wink-wink-nudge-nudge verbal references to Frozen thrown in, seeing as she played Anna in Frozen on Broadway.  I also liked her character's romance in this movie.

I didn't think the lead couple necessarily had the best chemistry I have ever seen in a movie -- and I was more familiar with Colin Donnell (who is married to Patti in real life) on the Showtime series The Affair, so it was different to see him in this family-friendly light.  But, in general, I didn't think it was a bad movie at all.  It had a different feel.  It's not an all-time favorite, but I didn't hate it.  I don't know how often I would watch it, but it's very captivating, visually speaking.

I also thought there were too many couples.  Although I liked all of the supporting characters, that extra couple in the movie (the other friends) weren't really necessary.  They were cute, but it would have been enough to just focus on the Kaitlin Doubleday romance, the Patti Murin romance, and the fantastic scenery and charming locals.

 

Edited January 19, 2020 by TVFan17

[Irlandesa]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJITsVRjJPg

3 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

I watched the whole thing.  The interesting scenic locations and bits of culture here and there were amazing.  The local residents were charming.  I think that Hallmark did a good job of incorporating as much of the Iceland vibe as they could in a short rom com.  

I watched the whole thing too and I was worried after reading some of the early reviews here but I found it quite enjoyable for the same reasons you say.  The main couple wasn't in the Michael Rady/Nikki DeLoach echelon in terms of chemistry but I found they were on par, or even slightly better, than most modern day Hallmark couples.

I was impressed with how well they took advantage of their location--better than I think any Hallmark movie has before.  This is all I want. If I'm not going to overly fall in love with the main couple, then all I want is to be seduced by the location and they achieved this. Plus, they employed Icelandic actors instead of flying in a Canadian to do an Icelandic accent.

3 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

Although I liked all of the supporting characters, that extra couple in the movie (the other friends) weren't really necessary. 

I think the group dynamic was actually my favorite part of the movie outside of the scenery.  They sold me on the sense of shared history and I think that's even harder to do than get a couple right sometimes.  The group scenes helped, as did the fact that Colin and Patty are married in real life.  (Preston Sadleir, the married friend, is also from the NY stage scene; although I don't know if they all knew each other.)

It had the Hallmarky tropes like the ticking time bomb job offer and the misunderstanding (although they did surprise me in that it wasn't that he saw Katilyn's character out with the Icelandic dude).  I don't think they explained why he went to the Diamond Beach at the end.  Or why the podcast was in video form. (I know podcasts do some video content sometimes but that's usually not the format offered to or consumed by listeners.)

But I think the cast actually elevated it.  Colin did little things that made his character feel full--like genuinely laughing when Patty's character stole the last pastry even though it was just a quick moment.  I loved the in pitch yodeling of the married friend. The Frozen jokes were fun but I wish they would have kept in Patty's Bacheloresque adlibs of "Can I steal her for a sec?" every time she wanted to talk to Kaitlyn's character outside.

I'd travel with these guys again.

3 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

I was more familiar with Colin Donnell

That's where I knew him from too.  I've watched his House of the Rising Sun so many times that I realized I probably should learn the actor's name.  I knew (and liked) Kaitlyn from Empire too, though.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Irlandesa

[Suzysite]

16 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

I really believe that Hallmark is trying to drive us to their extra pay channel, as they continue to show the same movies over and over again.  How many times a month will they show Love on the Sidelines, A Country Wedding (they really do love Jesse Metcalf), Chance at Romance and on and on.  I swear Sidelines has been on at least 4 times in the last three weeks—-it’s on again right now.  I refuse to sign on to any of these extra pay services, so I guess my Hallmark watching will be greatly reduced.

Not to mention Unleashing Mr Darcy.  It's on ALL the time.  There has to be something in the archives they can pull out rather than these same few over and over.  Maybe they just don't want to pay residuals to people not currently in their movie "family".

[ECM1231]

I loved the scenery in Love on Iceland, and the Icelandic tour guide was easy on the eyes. I knew Patti and Colin were married to each other but only knew them from their roles on Chicago Med. A quick IMDB search shows that they both sing as well. No idea Patti was in Frozen and I must have missed the Frozen references.   I'm pretty easy to please and enjoyed it for what it was.

[TVFan17]

Tomorrow night is the snow maze movie -- Amazing Winter Romance -- on the Hallmark Channel.  While I think the idea of a snow maze is very interesting, and I remember seeing photos posted by the director and other actors when the movie was in production, the actual previews of it fell a little flat for me.  It won't be as beautiful to look at as Love on Iceland was (though that scenery would be hard to beat), and I have a feeling it won't have the same fun banter that Winter in Vail had, but I shall keep an open mind and hope for the best!

Edited January 19, 2020 by TVFan17

[Infiltr8]

I loved the scenery in Love on Iceland and the actors were fine but I found the story itself kind of meh—— no single parents or obvious bad boyfriend/girlfriends was a nice change but the podcast subplot was boring and for going on vacation to catch up with old friends—  not much time spent with those friends..... although tons better than the ice hotel movie — 

[sistersledge]

19 hours ago, Callietwo said:

 

The redhead headed actress seemed to be more elevated than most sidekicks when they were advertising the show so we also looked her up.  She’s married to the lead actor and is a broadway actress, with parts like Anna from Frozen. Explains her exaggerated facial expressions, I guess.

Well this explains why I thought she should be the lead after her first five minutes of screen time...

[kirinan]

6 hours ago, Infiltr8 said:

I loved the scenery in Love on Iceland and the actors were fine but I found the story itself kind of meh—— no single parents or obvious bad boyfriend/girlfriends was a nice change but the podcast subplot was boring and for going on vacation to catch up with old friends—  not much time spent with those friends..... although tons better than the ice hotel movie — 

I sat down to watch it again tonight, and I made it through, but I agree--the story is still blah. However, I paid more attention to the scenery, which is gorgeous and makes me want to go to Iceland now, and the actors weren't as bad as i thought. And Colin Donnell (do I have his name right? this is the first time I've ever seen him) is really, REALLY good-looking. I doubt I'll watch it again, but I did want to mention that it got a little better on the second viewing.

[ECM1231]

5 minutes ago, kirinan said:

 And Colin Donnell (do I have his name right? this is the first time I've ever seen him) is really, REALLY good-looking. 

Yes he is! I remember thinking his wife was rather plain-looking, compared to him, when I first saw them on Chicago Med together. But apparently she's a Broadway actress and Colin sings as well. I wonder how they met. I know it's shallow of me to mention her looks but I always wonder when one half is so much better looking.

[EyewatchTV211]

5 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

Yes he is! I remember thinking his wife was rather plain-looking, compared to him, when I first saw them on Chicago Med together. But apparently she's a Broadway actress and Colin sings as well. I wonder how they met. I know it's shallow of me to mention her looks but I always wonder when one half is so much better looking.

 

[ECM1231]

3 hours ago, VMepicgrl said:

 

THANKS SO. MUCH FOR FINDING THIS!

They're very cute together!

[twoods]

Colin Donnell is so charismatic but the lead actress’s type A crap was getting annoying so I stopped watching after 30 minutes. They have a tour guide but she still has to be annoying and stick to a certain schedule, yet the relaxed photographer (and tour guide) found her endearing. I would hate to travel with someone like that. Will probably watch the rest tomorrow because the Iceland scenes were gorgeous. 

[kirinan]

9 hours ago, twoods said:

Colin Donnell is so charismatic but the lead actress’s type A crap was getting annoying so I stopped watching after 30 minutes. They have a tour guide but she still has to be annoying and stick to a certain schedule, yet the relaxed photographer (and tour guide) found her endearing. I would hate to travel with someone like that. Will probably watch the rest tomorrow because the Iceland scenes were gorgeous. 

Yeah, I did NOT like the lead character. She was the typical bland blonde Hallmark is so fond of, and I honestly found nothing charming about her character's personality (this is just a personal bugaboo, but I detest the "type A/uptight bitch-woman meets laid-back, charming, irresponsible man" story that serves as the conflict in so many stories). But this time around, I paid more attention to the other actors and found them appealing enough to make up for that.

Edited January 20, 2020 by kirinan

[Was-MArsenault]

Hallmark Drama is having a marathon of Hallmark Hall Of Fame movies today, and they're showing some really old ones as well.

They just showed a movie with Brenda Fricker from 1999, and they're showing the Sarah, Plain and Tall movies with Glenn Close later on.