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

[Artsda]

I liked the scenery in the Safari movie. 

[coffeebean]

I like Andrew Walker and Brittany Bristow together. Never thought I would so that surprised me. The scenery and the wild animals were beautiful. Hubby and I watch the zoo shows a lot so this Hallmark movie was one my husband actually watched with me.

[coffeebean]

The More Love Grows

No comments yet about the Rachael Boston and Warren Christie movie? I just finished watching. This is the first Hallmark movie I have seen that did not feature a "kiss" between the leads. I waited all the way to the end but .....no go.

[coffeebean]

I just now realized, The More Love Grows is on the Movies and Mysteries channel. Sorry.

[Ele]

6 hours ago, coffeebean said:

The More Love Grows

No comments yet about the Rachael Boston and Warren Christie movie? I just finished watching. This is the first Hallmark movie I have seen that did not feature a "kiss" between the leads. I waited all the way to the end but .....no go.

I didn't watch all of it, but it always surprises me when Boston plays a role where kids are in high school or college. She is in her early 40s, so she is old enough, but I don't find it believable. I don't really understand the point of this movie. I think it would have been more realistic if she had been recently divorced, than have her husband asking for one and then meeting Christie's character soon after. She moved on fast!

[ehall1052]

Last night’s Smoky Mountains National Park movie was the exact same plot as Pearl in Paradise. But glad to see Arielle Kebbel again.

[coffeebean]

3 hours ago, ehall1052 said:

Last night’s Smoky Mountains National Park movie was the exact same plot as Pearl in Paradise. But glad to see Arielle Kebbel again.

I was just watching Bridal Wave with Andrew Walker from 2015. That movie stays on my DVR all summer. Ariel Kebbel is looking gorgeous in the Smokey Mountains movie. So good to see her again. Looking forward to watching this new movie of hers.

[bankerchick]

29 minutes ago, coffeebean said:

I was just watching Bridal Wave with Andrew Walker from 2015. That movie stays on my DVR all summer. Ariel Kebbel is looking gorgeous in the Smokey Mountains movie.

I watch Bridal Wave pretty regularly.  I also watched A Bride For Christmas this week, but I didn't make it past the first commercial break with this one.  The actor is not at all attractive to me.

It's probably me.  Go ahead and hate me, but I'm not interested in a history lesson on the archaeology of native artifacts.  I'm also not interested in Taylor Cole haranguing the manager of the Hawaiian resort about water management in Aloha Heart.  Another movie that lost me in the first 15 minutes.

[DanaMB]

Anyone watch Love in the Great Smoky Mountains? It seems like one of dozens they’ve aired lately and not sure I should even bother. I’m sick of “park” romances. 

[Orcinus orca]

37 minutes ago, DanaMB said:

I’m sick of “park” romances. 

They are just recycled stories in different locations.  Another "ancient artifacts" retread.

Edited September 3, 2023 by Orcinus orca

[DanaMB]

2 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

They are just recycled stories in different locations.  Another "ancient artifacts" retread.

Lord. This is getting ridiculous. I don’t even care about the scenery any more. 

[coffeebean]

13 hours ago, bankerchick said:

I watch Bridal Wave pretty regularly.  I also watched A Bride For Christmas this week, but I didn't make it past the first commercial break with this one.  The actor is not at all attractive to me.

 

Is Andrew Walker the actor who you said is not all that attractive to you in A Bride for Christmas? He is the same actor in Bridal Wave and you said you watch that movie regularly. I'm a bit confused.

[Lisa418722]

16 hours ago, DanaMB said:

Anyone watch Love in the Great Smoky Mountains? It seems like one of dozens they’ve aired lately and not sure I should even bother. I’m sick of “park” romances. 

I attempted it because I love the Great Smoky Mountains (it's the closest National Park to where I live).  But when she got all excited about finding a 19th Century Indian Arrowhead, I thought, "duh, you are in a part of the country that was inhabited by Indians."  Then when they (can't remember the characters names) were walking around and the guy said something along the line of people living around Cades Cove, I screamed at the TV, "you are walking around Cades Cove RIGHT NOW!!!"  because he was making it sound like Cades Coves was somewhere else. I did enjoy the short scene at the Oconaluftee Indian Village and I loved the scenery and found out some of the water fall scenes were filmed at Fall Creek Falls (in middle TN), but even the scenery could not make me willing to watch it again.  

[Orcinus orca]

2 hours ago, Lisa418722 said:

But when she got all excited about finding a 19th Century Indian Arrowhead, I thought, "duh, you are in a part of the country that was inhabited by Indians."

And archeologists don't call them "arrowheads", they are referred to as "projectile points". 

[ShelleySue]

On 9/3/2023 at 7:52 PM, DanaMB said:

On 9/3/2023 at 5:17 PM, Orcinus orca said:

They are just recycled stories in different locations.  Another "ancient artifacts" retread.

Lord. This is getting ridiculous. I don’t even care about the scenery any more. 

It's also recycling the purpose of the h being there. Is the academic doing research replacing the small town girl who moved to the big city but has to move back to the small town plot?

 

On 9/4/2023 at 11:26 AM, Orcinus orca said:

And archeologists don't call them "arrowheads", they are referred to as "projectile points"

My undergrad degree is in anthropology and I was having a screaming match with my tv during this movie. Arrowhead? Research paper on one artifact without any other research ? A dig without surveying markers? A PhD archeologist who has to ask someone else what type of stone a PROJECTILE POINT is?

[Notabug]

35 minutes ago, ShelleySue said:

It's also recycling the purpose of the h being there. Is the academic doing research replacing the small town girl who moved to the big city but has to move back to the small town plot?

 

My undergrad degree is in anthropology and I was having a screaming match with my tv during this movie. Arrowhead? Research paper on one artifact without any other research ? A dig without surveying markers? A PhD archeologist who has to ask someone else what type of stone a PROJECTILE POINT is?

I'm not even an archaeologist, but I've watched enough PBS to know that Hallmark's version of 'research' wasn't sufficient for the high school science fair, let alone a PhD dissertation.

Also, anyone who lives in that area can tell you that finding an arrowhead (or projectile point) is hardly news and many a day hiker has found them out on the trail.  Because that area was inhabited by indigenous people who used their weapons daily to hunt for food and there are literally thousands and thousands of them out there in the countryside.

The scenery in these National Parks films is gorgeous; I wish they'd forget the plot and just show us the pretty, pretty landscape for 2 hours.

Edited September 5, 2023 by Notabug

[Pallida]

I haven’t watched this movie but I’m almost tempted so I can make clips to share with my professional archaeology friends. Is it even worth watching for the snark factor?

[Orcinus orca]

9 hours ago, Pallida said:

Is it even worth watching for the snark factor?

Maybe in small doses.  Give it 15 minutes and if your eyes don't roll all the way to the back of your head, give it another 15.  It's pretty bad.

[Notabug]

7 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

Maybe in small doses.  Give it 15 minutes and if your eyes don't roll all the way to the back of your head, give it another 15.  It's pretty bad.

I second this.  Within the first 10 minutes, you will see faux archeologic activities that will make your head spin.  You'll want to watch in small doses to avoid throwing something at the TV.

[voiceover]

C’mon Hallmark.  Throw us Boomer women a bone & make Steve Bacic the love interest again — not the brother, not the buddy, not the agent, not the backstory subplot!!  Enjoyed his All for Love with Sara Rue and I’d actually be down for a re-team.

[Guest]

I enjoyed Fourth Down and Love, even if a lot of the secondary characters were more caricatures than characters (protective mom, greasy agent, snotty fundraiser organizer). The central core of characters were likable (and neither of the leads came off as obnoxious at the beginning) and it was fun overall. Had a nice "small town sports in fall" vibe as well, which takes me back to going to high school football games (I had to, I was in marching band...but I still remember it fondly)

[Irlandesa]

I do not like Ryan Paevy but for some reason, I wasn't too bothered by him in the Fourth Down movie.

But I was very irritated by their depiction of professional football.  Football is too well-known for them to make the mistakes they made.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I do not like Ryan Paevy but for some reason, I wasn't too bothered by him in the Fourth Down movie.

But I was very irritated by their depiction of professional football.  Football is too well-known for them to make the mistakes they made.

I've given up on them getting stuff like that right, so it didn't really bother me. In fact, I found some of the supposed camera angles whenever they were watching the game on TV to be quite amusing.

Another thing I liked about it, in comparison to the Smoky Mountains movie last week, was that, while there was some awkwardness and hurt feelings between the exes when they first encountered each other, they acted a lot more mature about it then the two last week who, in a professional situation, couldn't stop bickering like 10-year-olds to the point where the dig supervisor had to tell them to knock it off.

[KLovestoShop]

10 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I do not like Ryan Paevy but for some reason, I wasn't too bothered by him in the Fourth Down movie.

But I was very irritated by their depiction of professional football.  Football is too well-known for them to make the mistakes they made.

Hallmark, and all the other networks, are hamstrung by the NFL and their total control of their product. Heck, even places like QVC or many TV commercials, they have to refer to the Super Bowl as “the big game”.  The NFL even controls things like uniforms and all that.  The Canadian Football League controls their product like the NFL does.  I suspect it’s why the uniforms looked so fake with their iron on numbers instead of the sewn on ones. 

[Irlandesa]

35 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

Hallmark, and all the other networks, are hamstrung by the NFL and their total control of their product.

It's not that they can't refer to real teams.  It's just silly things they didn't need to do like send him away for a rib injury.  Guys usually stay with their teams for an injury like that. 

[bankerchick]

On 9/4/2023 at 1:18 AM, coffeebean said:

Is Andrew Walker the actor who you said is not all that attractive to you in A Bride for Christmas? He is the same actor in Bridal Wave and you said you watch that movie regularly. I'm a bit confused.

Sorry, I wasn't clear.  I was not at all attracted to the actor in the Smoky Mountains movie.  I am very attracted to Andrew Walker, hence the Bridal Wave love, despite the questionable choice of a buzz cut hairstyle.

[coffeebean]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

Sorry, I wasn't clear.  I was not at all attracted to the actor in the Smoky Mountains movie.  I am very attracted to Andrew Walker, hence the Bridal Wave love, despite the questionable choice of a buzz cut hairstyle.

I think you said A Bride for Christmas in your previous post (about not being attracted to the leading man) instead of the Rocky Mountain movie. I've seen A Bride for Christmas and I love Andrew Walker as the leading man to Arielle Kebbel in that movie.

Regarding the leading man in the Rocky Mountain movie with Arielle Kebbel, I agree with you that I didn't find him very attractive. His shaved  hair on the sides kept going from clearly visible hair to shaved hair throughout the movie. That was so distracting to me. Having said that, I really liked Kebbel in the movie.

 

[bankerchick]

Not sure why exactly you're being such a pedant with my posts.  What I said, as you know because you not only read it, you quoted it, was, 'I watch Bridal Wave pretty regularly.  I also watched A Bride For Christmas this week, but I didn't make it past the first commercial break with this one.  The actor is not at all attractive to me.'  This was in response to your post!! where you referred specifically to Arielle Kebbel and Andrew Walker, both of whom are in both Bridal Wave and A Bride For Christmas, then you went on to mention the new movie.  While I have already acknowledged and apologized for not being clear, I mentioned A Bride For Christmas specifically to point out that my issue is not with Arielle Kebbel and when I said, 'this one' I meant the Smoky Mountain movie, whose name I am not going to look up.

There are no extra points for belabouring the point, but I guess if it makes you feel better, have at it.  I don't really watch much new Hallmark any more so have very little reason to come to this forum any more anyway.

[coffeebean]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

Not sure why exactly you're being such a pedant with my posts.  What I said, as you know because you not only read it, you quoted it, was, 'I watch Bridal Wave pretty regularly.  I also watched A Bride For Christmas this week, but I didn't make it past the first commercial break with this one.  The actor is not at all attractive to me.'  This was in response to your post!! where you referred specifically to Arielle Kebbel and Andrew Walker, both of whom are in both Bridal Wave and A Bride For Christmas, then you went on to mention the new movie.  While I have already acknowledged and apologized for not being clear, I mentioned A Bride For Christmas specifically to point out that my issue is not with Arielle Kebbel and when I said, 'this one' I meant the Smoky Mountain movie, whose name I am not going to look up.

There are no extra points for belabouring the point, but I guess if it makes you feel better, have at it.  I don't really watch much new Hallmark any more so have very little reason to come to this forum any more anyway.

No worries. My apologies for my lack of understanding.   

[Daff]

I liked Notes of Autumn. Writer’s block, performance block, the joke of the book’s characters. Nice pedestrian change from the typical romantic angst. 

[chitowngirl]

I know Ashley Williams is sometimes not well liked here, but I find her charming and I liked this one, especially the historical book characters!

[beadgirl]

Notes of Autumn was far better than I expected. I even laughed out loud at a couple of the jokes!

[DanaMB]

I enjoyed Notes of Autumn too. And Peter Porto’s love interest’s name was Leo (Luke McFarland) just like his character’s love interest on Days of Our Lives. 😂

This Leo is much better. 

[Snow Child]

I liked Notes of Autumn as well.  Ashley Williams still gets a little too manic at times for my taste, but she (and Luke) had many genuinely funny parts.  And I appreciated the pretty steamy Luke/Peter kiss at the end.  I enjoyed their love story more than Ashley and Marcus's.  I felt it was more naturally developed.

[Irlandesa]

10 hours ago, Snow Child said:

I enjoyed their love story more than Ashley and Marcus's.

I actually felt they got more screen time than Ashley and Marcus which surprised me. I thought it'd be more evenly split.  (Maybe it was and I'm reading it wrong.)

But...umm...was it just me or did anyone else kind of wish Marcus was Luke's love interest as opposed to Peter? 

[Orcinus orca]

The fake piano playing was SO BAD.

[Crs97]

As was her short stint of conducting.

[kirinan]

Well, it's here: the Official 2023 Hallmark Christmas Overload Schedule. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, but hopefully there will be more good ones this year than in 2022 (IMO, of course).

[Orcinus orca]

"Hijinks ensue".  OMG, they actually use that phrase.

[Ele]

7 hours ago, kirinan said:

Well, it's here: the Official 2023 Hallmark Christmas Overload Schedule. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, but hopefully there will be more good ones this year than in 2022 (IMO, of course).

Looking at the line-up and the actors, we have the regulars, actors we haven't seen in a while, and newcomers. The Movies and Mysteries movies look promising and so do several on Hallmark. Also, there are several actor pairings that look good. I don't see myself watching too many of the movies though.

[Nacos for Rufus]

On 9/19/2023 at 10:41 AM, kirinan said:

Well, it's here: the Official 2023 Hallmark Christmas Overload Schedule. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, but hopefully there will be more good ones this year than in 2022 (IMO, of course).

Wow…there is a considerable lack of diversity in this year’s lineup. Last year seemed better on that front. 🤨

[Orcinus orca]

On 9/21/2023 at 11:02 PM, Nacos for Rufus said:

Wow…there is a considerable lack of diversity in this year’s lineup. Last year seemed better on that front. 🤨

Population of US - 70% White.  Number of Hallmark movies without POC - 99%.

Going backwards.

[DanaMB]

I almost turned off Retreat to You when it started because I thought it was going to be another stupid fish out of water nature movie. I decided to stick with it and ended up really enjoying it. It was one of the more mature ones. A kiss within the first 30 minutes. When the couple goes missing, the friend actually checks the bedroom to see if they spent the night together. There was also a lot of humor. 
 

I thought the actors had good chemistry also. 

[KaveDweller]

Looks like Lacey Chabert has two movies this year, one a sequel to last years. I don't remember it, but I do know I liked it.

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, KaveDweller said:

Looks like Lacey Chabert has two movies this year, one a sequel to last years. I don't remember it, but I do know I liked it.

It’s a sequel to Haul Out the Holly which I so enjoyed.  Wes Brown, Lacey and the supporting cast had a blast on that one.  

[BuckeyeLou]

I watched "A Very Venice Romance" tonite & enjoyed it.  I had never seen the 2 Leads before but they were both very attractive & charming.  I Googled the actor & he had done mostly Italian movies & TV: I really enjoyed his sexy accent.  And I enjoyed the scenes of Venice: I was there years ago as a College student & it truly is a magical city.

[greekmom]

On 9/19/2023 at 1:41 PM, kirinan said:

Well, it's here: the Official 2023 Hallmark Christmas Overload Schedule. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, but hopefully there will be more good ones this year than in 2022 (IMO, of course).

Super surprised for a Biltmore Christmas they had not 1 but 2 Star Trek alumni ( Jonathan Frakes and Robert Picardo).

Currently watching A Paris Proposal.  Typical Hallmark. In one scene the Jewelers tell the marketing team "You have 2 days to complete this." in a voice that means they have tons of time. But in the next scene when they marketing team comes up with the campaign "You only have 2 days to complete this. Will be done on time?" Seriously. They had 2 days. What's the difference?

Hopefully A Very Venice Romance (which is up next) is better. 

[giovannif7]

14 hours ago, BuckeyeLou said:

I watched "A Very Venice Romance" tonite & enjoyed it.  I had never seen the 2 Leads before but they were both very attractive & charming.  I Googled the actor & he had done mostly Italian movies & TV: I really enjoyed his sexy accent.  And I enjoyed the scenes of Venice: I was there years ago as a College student & it truly is a magical city.

I enjoyed A Very Venice Romance a lot as well, especially the male lead Marcello, played by Raniero Monaco Di Lapio. I haven't seen any of his previous work, so this was a very nice introduction to his talents. In addition to being attractive (and looking especially good wet after falling in the canal), it was the combination of his accent and the timbre of his voice that really did it for me. He and co-star Stephanie Leonidas as Amy sold the romance aspect very well, helped along beautifully by the Venice scenery and the supporting characters. I especially enjoyed his work in scenes with the older couple playing his parents, where his body language and demeanor clearly conveyed the character's long history of trying to please and gain approval from his mamma and papa while making his own mark. This is one I'll definitely watch again, and I hope Hallmark has the actor return for future films.

Edited October 1, 2023 by giovannif7

[Irlandesa]

I liked the leads but didn't really feel the romance beyond it being a gorgeous travelogue.

But then I was tired some that might have affected things and I wish they would have thought up a better premise than him being the only chef a food and supplement delivery service wanted. 

[Guest]

I thought 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost was kind of cute. It's nice when they try something different. Typical last-minute crisis, but the ending was pretty sweet.