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

[SusanwatchingTV]

28 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Salon explores the politics of Hallmark movie tropes:

https://www.salon.com/2019/12/25/hallmark-christmas-movies-fascist-propaganda/?fbclid=IwAR237w4ILlPtRvhX_7V2Vl4tPTLPIKv3Cczo6uxgNhCp2RKvps5yUKPRv8w

I read those articles. I found them really offensive. I'm pretty sure the writers have never even seen a Hallmark movie or lived anywhere but some big city.

I think we probably better not discuss them here or we'll break all kinds of rules.

Edited December 27, 2019 by SusanwatchingTV

[SusanwatchingTV]

22 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

January 5th, at 8 p.m. instead of 9 p.m.    I've posted updates over in the dedicated Hallmark Mystery thread here and there.

Right now, there are new mysteries scheduled for the first 3 Sundays in January but not the 4th.

I'm so excited about the return of the mysteries!  I almost wish they made them all as just TV shows.  I can't get enough.

[Guest]

26 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

While I don't agree with everything the author said, I think the article contains at least a grain of truth and it gave me pause to think about why I watch the movies and what message they might be sending.

I’m asking myself those same questions after the Hallmark controversy and the all insightful analysis of these movies. It makes me question how much I want to support Hallmark Channel by watching the movies even though I really do enjoy them. 

Edited December 28, 2019 by Guest

[SusanwatchingTV]

Well, I'll continue to support Hallmark.  We all get to choose what we're willing to watch and Hallmark suits me fine.  I love the small town feel-good stuff. I come from a small town in Louisiana and it's a lot like that.  Sweet people, cute stores, very little bad stuff going on.  

We even have an annual Christmas Festival and elect a Miss Merry Christmas every year.

There are several other shows I need to quit watching, though.  I'm pretty sick of a lot of stuff that gets pushed at me. I need to purge my TiVo OnePasses for the new year.

 

Back on topic: 

I finally finished watching the last two Christmas movies on my TiVo:

I liked It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas a lot better than I thought I would. I'm not a huge fan of Eric Mabius, but he wasn't bad.  The concept of the split town was silly, but kind of fun.

A Family Christmas Gift was pretty good. Holly Robinson Peete was great as usual and the kid was really cute, though I wasn't as fond of Dion Johnstone.  Patti LaBelle still is a little rough in the acting department, but her singing makes it worth the awkward acting.  It was a nice one to end the Christmas Movie season.

[AnnaRose]

On 12/16/2019 at 4:31 AM, IWantCandy71 said:

I don't have a problem with Hallmark removing the ad, and I wish they would have stuck with the decision. It's far more disturbing to me that they now look wishy washy all because of a group that bullied them because they didn't like what they did.

Bottom line, people have different morals. If you don't like what a channel does, turn it off. But they have equal rights to express those beliefs and shouldn't be bullied, and they don't owe anyone on the face of the earth, an explanation as to why they do what they do. Bullying someone on social media and spewing hate just because they don't agree with you, just makes YOU look like....a whiny bully throwing a fit because you didn't get your way.

That's how I feel about the whole thing.  I prefer to have a diversity of opinions, and people should be allowed to have their beliefs and preferences and not be attacked for them or bullied until they "get in line" with the dominant belief/opinion.  The hypocrisy astounds me.  

Remember when we used to respect other people's opinions, beliefs, religious views and preferences?  Now if any of those are counter to what a certain vocal group (especially the media) deems acceptable, it has to be stomped out by any means possible (including financial retribution) and the people stomping on the stompees get to feel all self-righteous about it.

Just wait until the mob-rule thought police turns against the current bullies some day.  Karma can be a bitch.

[Guest]

28 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

That's how I feel about the whole thing.  I prefer to have a diversity of opinions, and people should be allowed to have their beliefs and preferences and not be attacked for them or bullied until they "get in line" with the dominant belief/opinion.  The hypocrisy astounds me.  

Remember when we used to respect other people's opinions, beliefs, religious views and preferences?  Now if any of those are counter to what a certain vocal group (especially the media) deems acceptable, it has to be stomped out by any means possible (including financial retribution) and the people stomping on the stompees get to feel all self-righteous about it.

Just wait until the mob-rule thought police turns against the current bullies some day.  Karma can be a bitch.

But Hallmark’s initial decision was to air the ad. Their preference was to appeal to a larger audience and they only caved when one million moms threatened to boycott. I’ve seen the sentiment several times that reinstating the ad is Hallmark caving on their own beliefs but thats not supported by the sequence of events. 

Edited December 28, 2019 by Guest

[Irlandesa]

4 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

I prefer to have a diversity of opinions, and people should be allowed to have their beliefs and preferences and not be attacked for them or bullied until they "get in line" with the dominant belief/opinion. 

Their official position is that they value and are committed to diversity so I think it's fair to ask them to live up to their official position. It's likely a commercially driven position but it's what they espouse. 

 

[AnnaRose]

15 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Their official position is that they value and are committed to diversity so I think it's fair to ask them to live up to their official position. It's likely a commercially driven position but it's what they espouse. 

 

But if pretty much all the other hundreds of channels feature same sex relationships, then wouldn't Hallmark expressly avoiding them increase diversity in the types of channels and content available?  Otherwise they're all the same.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

But if pretty much all the other hundreds of channels feature same sex relationships, then wouldn't Hallmark expressly avoiding them increase diversity in the types of channels and content available?  Otherwise they're all the same.

I don’t think that’s how diversity works but they don’t care about having a wide variety of choices for viewers. They only care about appealing to a diverse audience which brings in more money through advertising. They were trying to find away to maintain all of their existing audience and expand to new areas which is impossible on such divisive issues. 

[Irlandesa]

1 minute ago, AnnaRose said:

But if pretty much all the other hundreds of channels feature same sex relationships, then wouldn't Hallmark expressly avoiding them increase diversity in the types of channels and content available?  Otherwise they're all the same.

But not every program on these other channels has same sex couples.  And this isn't a program on Hallmark, it's one ad.  

I don't think I can eloquently express why I don't think embracing diversity means we should open the door to homophobia, racism, antisemitism, sexism...etc. because they continue to have power to do real damage.

All I will say is that publicly yanking the ad feels like erasure to me in a time where it's still legal to discriminate against the LGBTQ community in jobs and housing. It feels a little more pointed than their previous "avoidance" homophobia. As in, it's okay to pretend they don't exist in our world.

[DanaMB]

11 hours ago, Dani said:

But Hallmark’s initial decision was to air the ad. Their preference was to appeal to a larger audience and they only caved when one million moms threatened to boycott. I’ve seen the sentiment several times that reinstating the ad is Hallmark caving on their own beliefs but thats not supported by the sequence of events. 

Exactly! I don’t understand why the so called bullies are the ones who protested removing the ad and not One Million Moms who demanded the ad be removed in the first place. Aren’t they shoving their values on people?

[TVFan17]

20 hours ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

I'm so excited about the return of the mysteries!  I almost wish they made them all as just TV shows.  I can't get enough.

I was thinking about that very thing just recently, and I wonder if they ever will get to a point where they make a weekly, one-hour mystery series and leave the others as just the occasional 2-hour movies.  They show so many older, non-Hallmark mystery series' episodes (Murder, She Wrote, Hart to Hart, Columbo, etc.) to begin with, and it seems like making their own 1-hour weekly mystery series would be a natural progression.  I don't see why they can't do both formats -- the movie series made up of multiple 2-hour installments, and the weekly 1-hour episodic series.

They need more original content (including more weekly series) for all 3 of their linear channels and for their streaming app.

[Kohola3]

19 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Their official position is that they value and are committed to diversity so I think it's fair to ask them to live up to their official position.

All evidence to the contrary.  They couldn't be less diverse if they tried.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

All evidence to the contrary.  They couldn't be less diverse if they tried.

I’ve seen similar statements a lot from people critical of Hallmark and the make be cringe every time. Not because I don’t agree with the sentiment but because I know what the responses will be. Names like Christmas Everlasting, Christmas Duet, Holly Robinson Pette and Tia Mowry get trotted out as though proving that there are black people on Hallmark or that they could do worse is a viable defense. 

Sorry Kohola. I really didn’t mean for that to sound critical of you. Your post just reminded me of something that I’ve noticed it happening in a lot of the recent articles critical of Hallmark and it’s been driving me crazy. Just once I want to see someone at Hallmark respond to the actually numbers instead of complaint that overstates the problem a tiny little bit so they can use that small percentage of diversity as a defense. 

Edited December 29, 2019 by Guest

[SusanwatchingTV]

4 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

I was thinking about that very thing just recently, and I wonder if they ever will get to a point where they make a weekly, one-hour mystery series and leave the others as just the occasional 2-hour movies.  They show so many older, non-Hallmark mystery series' episodes (Murder, She Wrote, Hart to Hart, Columbo, etc.) to begin with, and it seems like making their own 1-hour weekly mystery series would be a natural progression.  I don't see why they can't do both formats -- the movie series made up of multiple 2-hour installments, and the weekly 1-hour episodic series.

They need more original content (including more weekly series) for all 3 of their linear channels and for their streaming app.

I agree.  I think they need to do more scripted shows. I enjoyed Cedar Cove and I like (though it isn't the best) When Calls the Heart.  I've recently decided to go ahead and watch Good Witch (catching up on Netflix) and will watch Chesapeake Shores when I can find them.

I think most of Hallmark needs more scripted TV shows and fewer movies. That way they wouldn't have to replay so many of the movies over and over.  Plus they could do more character development and move the romances along a little more.  I just don't know if the current roster of actors wants to go the TV show route or do they like the lighter commitment of the occasional movie series.

My problem is that I hate reruns and rarely will watch one, so I'm always looking for content I haven't seen before.

[catrice2]

21 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Their official position is that they value and are committed to diversity so I think it's fair to ask them to live up to their official position. It's likely a commercially driven position but it's what they espouse. 

 

Exactly.  All I want for people to do is choose whatever and OWN it.  I am tired of people saying one thing and doing another, or doing something different when it is financially or otherwise rewarding to them,not because it is what they really believe. 

If "family values" or whatever words they/people use means no interracial or homosexual representation, or Latino or black leads then just say that instead of "family values" and own your position. Everyone doesn't have to like it.  Just as some people who do no like those things hide behind just wanting, "traditional values," or some other buzz words....just say who you are and be honest.   Just say I am more comfortable with people who look like me, act like me and think like me.  

Clearly if they did just come right out and say that there are plenty of people who will still watch. I prefer to know who I am dealing with than be around people who "hide" behind things...

[IWantCandy71]

On 12/27/2019 at 9:16 PM, AnnaRose said:

That's how I feel about the whole thing.  I prefer to have a diversity of opinions, and people should be allowed to have their beliefs and preferences and not be attacked for them or bullied until they "get in line" with the dominant belief/opinion.  The hypocrisy astounds me.  

Remember when we used to respect other people's opinions, beliefs, religious views and preferences?  Now if any of those are counter to what a certain vocal group (especially the media) deems acceptable, it has to be stomped out by any means possible (including financial retribution) and the people stomping on the stompees get to feel all self-righteous about it.

I do remember those days, they were nice. I do think social media and the internet in general tries to drown out any voices except those that line up with their own.  I really don't care though, because I'm going to express my opinion and say what I believe and how I feel. It may not make me "popular," but popularity is overrated. 

Back on topic  I've read that some are sick of Lacey Chabert being in so many Hallmark movies, but I do love "Inn Love". It's silly and sweet and corny and unrealistic and all around sappy. But it has Ed Asner in it and it is charming in it's own way. 

Win/win.

Edited December 29, 2019 by IWantCandy71

[Guest]

It’s interesting that Hallmark’s social media has returned to business as usual. I really hope Hallmark takes this as a wake us call and seriously reevaluates their management and the direction they are heading in. Even without the controversy over the commercial it has seemed like they were already moving in the direction of bleeding viewers just on the basis of declining quality alone. 

It’s sad that I find the movies and series suggestions in this thread more exciting than anything Hallmark has on it’s slate. 

[twoods]

I like her in the All My Heart series as well, and she’s in some of my favorite movies that I’ve watched multiple times (Elevator Girl, The Color of Rain and Royal Christmas). She’s just done so many Hallmark movies recently that it’s hard to keep them all straight.

[Jaded]

I caught The Color of Rain a few years ago when it was on late one night. I was surprised it had been a regular Hallmark movie and not a Hall of Fame one. Even though it originally aired as new in 2014 I can't imagine something with that much depth in regards to subject matter making it as a Hallmark Channel movie now.

Edited December 29, 2019 by Jaded

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Jaded said:

I caught The Color of Rain a few years ago when it was on late one night. I was surprised it had been a regular Hallmark movie and not a Hall of Fame one. Even though it originally aired as new in 2014 I can't imagine something with that much depth in regards to subject matter making it a Hallmark Channel movie now.

Very true. I’ve noticed the change really began to happen somewhere around 2016. I was really confused about how the movies could change so much in such a short time until I read the New Yorker story from a couple of weeks ago. Apparently Crown Media started their production company in 2015 so they could take total control of the movies. They started out slow but for the last couple of years most of the movies have been produced in-house. 

One other thing that surprised me from that story was that the CEO said he wanted watching the movies to feel like you walked into a Gold Crown store. That seemed like a really weird goal. Are other Gold Crown stores way more interesting than the ones by me? 

[Kohola3]

15 hours ago, catrice2 said:

If "family values" or whatever words they/people use means no interracial or homosexual representation, or Latino or black leads then just say that instead of "family values" and own your position.

Well said.  Don't pretend to be something that you are not. 

My family values include "do unto others" and not exclude everyone that doesn't look like me in the mirror.  If' I'n not mistaken, that's something that the bible seems to say but that conservative evangelicals conveniently ignore.  Hallmark just needs to post "no non-white, non-christians need apply" and be done with it.  At least be honest.

5 hours ago, Dani said:

Are other Gold Crown stores way more interesting than the ones by me? 

They all seem to follow the same formula and tons of them are closing up so you'd think they'd take a hard look at their current state and think outside the box.  Their movies are going rapidly downhill and losing viewers and their stores are losing customers.  Time to take stock, folks.

[Ashforth]

On 12/27/2019 at 9:16 PM, AnnaRose said:

Remember when we used to respect other people's opinions, beliefs, religious views and preferences?

Not really. Social media has put a magnifying glass on the sexism, bigotry, prejudice, intolerance of religions other than one's own, and irrational fear and hatred of LBGTQ+ people that have always existed, sometimes more openly than others.

I'm not saying that Hallmark needs to try its hand at searing social dramas (the way it used to with Hallmark Hall of Fame movies), but its apparent desire to keep its self-produced content overwhelmingly White, Christian-lite, straight, and populated with women whose only true life goal (and the goal for her of every friend and family member she has) is to get married doesn't seem to me to be a good long-term plan for success. 

You can't put the genie back in the bottle. Refusing to acknowledge the rich tapestry of the diverse population of America won't make it go away. I hope Hallmark will make good on what it claims to want to do with inclusion in its product, instead of perpetuating the formula that made so many of this season's holiday movies not just unbearably dull, but at times downright offensive.

[KLovestoShop]

In terms of diversity, Hallmark fails.  While there are a "few" African Americans in their movies, I still don't see my people, Latino, in their films.  We're all not glued to Telemundo, Univision and any other Hispanic network, so why not have more Latinos in their movies?  And for that matter, it seems that Asians only pop up as background actors.

As for this season of the holiday movies, Hallmark failed again.  In their rush to put out so many new shows, the content of these movies, and the bad acting in many of them, just don't attract me to watch anymore.  And the fact that they chose to constantly repeat the same movies over and over again caused my viewership to drop by probably 60% this year.  There are some older Hallmark Christmas movies, and many of them are really good with interesting stories and a lot better acting, that they seemed to put on a shelf and not show at all.  Either that or they put those movies on between 1am and 6am, which is not prime viewing time.  Hallmark's success is going to eventually be their downfall.  They need to stop churning out bad shows and bring back some of the oldies that I think many of us have missed this year.

[Kemper]

Maybe the answer to the rerun-rerun-rerun of the Christmas movies is to not start showing them around Halloween.  With other networks now in the mix of 24/7 holiday movies, why not wait and debut the Hallmark moves a week or two after the other networks.  That way you can make more of a splash, get more publicity, etc.  You wouldn't have months to fill with programming so you wouldn't have to resort to reruns to fill the time.   

[IWantCandy71]

12 hours ago, twoods said:

I like her in the All My Heart series as well, and she’s in some of my favorite movies that I’ve watched multiple times (Elevator Girl, The Color of Rain and Royal Christmas). She’s just done so many Hallmark movies recently that it’s hard to keep them all straight.

I don't think I've seen the All My Heart series, I will have to check that out, thank you !  :)

[renatae]

On 12/27/2019 at 5:04 PM, SusanwatchingTV said:

I read those articles. I found them really offensive. I'm pretty sure the writers have never even seen a Hallmark movie or lived anywhere but some big city.

I think we probably better not discuss them here or we'll break all kinds of rules.

I agree with you, the articles are offensive. I think Salon is a huge rag.

Won't say more because you are probably right about the rules, except, Leni Riefenstahl? They are seriously deluded.

[SusanwatchingTV]

22 minutes ago, renatae said:

I agree with you, the articles are offensive. I think Salon is a huge rag.

Won't say more because you are probably right about the rules, except, Leni Riefenstahl? They are seriously deluded.

Thanks. I'm glad to know I'm not alone.

I went back and read the rules, and I guess it wouldn't be against the rules for people to get into it here, but I'm done with it. I love Hallmark and will keep watching as long as they continue to provide basically wholesome entertainment that I can enjoy without embarrassment. I'll see how it goes for the next few years.  If a time comes that I need to turn it off I'll just do it.

 

[BlackberryJam]

On 12/27/2019 at 10:16 PM, AnnaRose said:

Remember when we used to respect other people's opinions, beliefs, religious views and preferences? 

I'm really old and I don't remember that time....likely because it never existed. Denying that there has always been racism, sexism, antisemitism and homophobia and that racial and ethnic groups, non-Christian religions and non-heterosexuals have always suffered from a lack of respect seems to be a big part of Hallmark's problem. There was never this magical time when all races, religions, genders and sexualities were respected. 

The viewing audience that is interested in Hallmark's programming is shrinking because monochrome stories are boring. Top that with an oversaturating the remaining audience with Christmas dreck and Hallmark is doing to lose viewers. I'd love to see Hallmark throw down with some Crazy Rich Asian, Jewish Mother Guilt, and Bollywood stories.

[renatae]

On 12/16/2019 at 8:34 AM, absnow54 said:

The Hallmark Channel is a business, and they depend on viewers to succeed. That's why they listen to responses on social media, because that publicity negatively impacts their business. They make decisions not because the internet hurt their feelings, they're making decisions because negative press hurts their bottom line. Telling people to "ban" something isn't bullying, it's using your buying power to influence a company to change course. That's how supply and demand works. They pulled the adds because they feared they were upsetting their primary viewership, but in catering to them, they realized there was a much larger viewership that they were losing.

Actually, banning something means to forbid it from being or happening. Boycotting, on the other hand, is to refuse to support or purchase from an entity or brand which promotes something with which one disagrees.

While it's fine to boycott a business, it is beyond bullying to try to force them to shut down because one disagrees with their point of view. Everyone does not have to march in lockstep with one particular point of view. (Not saying that's what you think or said, just making a point.) That's what freedom of religion and freedom of expression are all about.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, renatae said:

Actually, banning something means to forbid it from being or happening. Boycotting, on the other hand, is to refuse to support or purchase from an entity or brand which promotes something with which one disagrees.

While it's fine to boycott a business, it is beyond bullying to try to force them to shut down because one disagrees with their point of view. Everyone does not have to march in lockstep with one particular point of view. (Not saying that's what you think or said, just making a point.) That's what freedom of religion and freedom of expression are all about.

Good point. There was one poster that incorrectly wrote that the protesters were using #BanHallmark when it actually was #BoycottHallmark. I didn’t see anyone on either side calling for a ban. 

[izabella]

On 12/23/2019 at 9:20 PM, Bronx Babe said:

Christmas On My Mind

Heroine has "retrograde amnesia"

Finds out she lives in a gorgeous house with a bedroom closet of Kardashian proportions.  Has a devoted female assistant who never seems to leave her side.

Assistant:  "I know all about you.  You love hot chocolate"

Stay away from this one.  Trust me.

I should have heeded your warning!

8 hours ago, Ashforth said:

Not really. Social media has put a magnifying glass on the sexism, bigotry, prejudice, intolerance of religions other than one's own, and irrational fear and hatred of LBGTQ+ people that have always existed, sometimes more openly than others.

I'm not saying that Hallmark needs to try its hand at searing social dramas (the way it used to with Hallmark Hall of Fame movies), but its apparent desire to keep its self-produced content overwhelmingly White, Christian-lite, straight, and populated with women whose only true life goal (and the goal for her of every friend and family member she has) is to get married doesn't seem to me to be a good long-term plan for success. 

You can't put the genie back in the bottle. Refusing to acknowledge the rich tapestry of the diverse population of America won't make it go away. I hope Hallmark will make good on what it claims to want to do with inclusion in its product, instead of perpetuating the formula that made so many of this season's holiday movies not just unbearably dull, but at times downright offensive.

I used to look forward to Hallmark Christmas movie season, but I've been watching fewer on Hallmark in the last couple of years than on other channels.  The plots have become devoid of emotion, humor and energy.  It's weird because many of the actors are the same as before, and some are good actors, but their acting is horrible in these unwatchable plots.  By going all-in on their formula, they've diluted it to the point there's nothing left but bland ornaments.  Maybe the dull plots and interchangeable, plastic characters are why I have more time to notice the offensive nature of some of their themes.

[renatae]

8 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

In terms of diversity, Hallmark fails.  While there are a "few" African Americans in their movies, I still don't see my people, Latino, in their films.  We're all not glued to Telemundo, Univision and any other Hispanic network, so why not have more Latinos in their movies?  And for that matter, it seems that Asians only pop up as background actors.

As for this season of the holiday movies, Hallmark failed again.  In their rush to put out so many new shows, the content of these movies, and the bad acting in many of them, just don't attract me to watch anymore.  And the fact that they chose to constantly repeat the same movies over and over again caused my viewership to drop by probably 60% this year.  There are some older Hallmark Christmas movies, and many of them are really good with interesting stories and a lot better acting, that they seemed to put on a shelf and not show at all.  Either that or they put those movies on between 1am and 6am, which is not prime viewing time.  Hallmark's success is going to eventually be their downfall.  They need to stop churning out bad shows and bring back some of the oldies that I think many of us have missed this year.

I feel the same, especially about all the reruns, and lack of POC, and despite that, a lot of old favorites seem to be missing. I'm not paying much attention, because of the boredom, but I get the feeling a lot of the better ones have been moved to Hallmark Now, so that they can charge for them.

One I really missed this year was "Gift of the Magi" with Marla Sokoloff. Old, yes, but quality endures.

[Irlandesa]

Just now, renatae said:

One I really missed this year was "Gift of the Magi" with Marla Sokoloff. Old, yes, but quality endures.

That aired because I remember recording it.  I can't remember on which channel it was though.  Maybe Lifetime?

[renatae]

9 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

That aired because I remember recording it.  I can't remember on which channel it was though.  Maybe Lifetime?

Rats! Sorry I missed it! Thanks for letting me know it was on so I can make a point of watching for it next year.

[Guest]

31 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

33 minutes ago, renatae said:

One I really missed this year was "Gift of the Magi" with Marla Sokoloff. Old, yes, but quality endures.

That aired because I remember recording it.  I can't remember on which channel it was though.  Maybe Lifetime?

It was on Hallmark Drama. 

 

29 minutes ago, renatae said:

Rats! Sorry I missed it! Thanks for letting me know it was on so I can make a point of watching for it next year.

If your local library is part of Hoopla you can stream it for free if you have a library card. 
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12368252

[Dr.OO7]

Hallmark's "WinterFest" will start this weekend.

AKA, "Christmas movies without Christmas".

Frankly, that can apply to all their movies.

[KLovestoShop]

When you think about it, so many of their stories are all the same.  The leads are either in advertising, party planners, or some other high rise office building workers.  They seem to be from well-to-do families who live in expensive houses or top floor condos in the big city.  But then, for some reason, they’re called away from the big city and travel to some small town with a Christmas theme.  There, they either meet a former boyfriend/girlfriend or some adorable widow with a precocious child.  It’s like the writers have a group of wheels that they spin and wherever the arrow lands on every wheel determines the story. 

And then we have the handsome prince stories where the plots are always similar.  

Edited December 31, 2019 by KLovestoShop

[statsgirl]

On 12/29/2019 at 8:57 PM, izabella said:

I used to look forward to Hallmark Christmas movie season, but I've been watching fewer on Hallmark in the last couple of years than on other channels.  The plots have become devoid of emotion, humor and energy.  It's weird because many of the actors are the same as before, and some are good actors, but their acting is horrible in these unwatchable plots.  By going all-in on their formula, they've diluted it to the point there's nothing left but bland ornaments.  Maybe the dull plots and interchangeable, plastic characters are why I have more time to notice the offensive nature of some of their themes.

I think the writing has really gone downhill, and so have the production values. 

Everything is so over-decorated. I was looking forward to one with Kellie Martin and Colin Ferguson because I like both actors but I found it unwatchable.  My first clue was when she was walking down a snowy sidewalk in her stiletto-heel Louboutins, courting a broken ankle. She also wore the shoes to tour the beef ranch that was her job to save (watch out for those cow patties, lady). Then they went into the horse barn and it was so decorated that no one could have squeezed even another garland or string of lights in "because the horses like it".  Here's a thought, guys, since you're out of money and applying for a second mortgage, how about cutting back on the decorations and the electricity at least while the loan officer is here.

There are still a few good ones (I think Candace Cameron Bure delivers a better quality film) but it's like they are making so many movies now, both cast and behind-the-scenes people have given up quality and just gone to churn out the sausage.

49 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

And then we have the handsome prince stories where the plots are always similar.  

I just avoid them completely because it seems as if no one cares enough to even google basic information.  The heroine doesn't know basic etiquette or geography but she has her mother's cookie recipe so everyone loves her. She's a shoo-in to be the future queen.

I checked out of a movie early on this month when I was told that the hero is a second cousin to the English queen and third in line to the throne.  You know who is really third in line to the throne? Six-year-old Prince George. Even Harry is now 6th in line. The second cousins are in the upper 20s in line.  Even in Crown for Christmas, which is generally not too bad, the waltz at the Christmas ball is the exaggerated ballroom competition waltz, not the one people actually dance.

[Dr.OO7]

1 hour ago, statsgirl said:

Even in Crown for Christmas, which is generally not too bad, the waltz at the Christmas ball is the exaggerated ballroom competition waltz, not the one people actually dance.

And that had to be the absolute worst example of the Fourth Date Marriage trope that always comes up. The woman herself seems to lampshade this when she assures his girlfriend that she isn't competition because she's only known the king for about five days, but indeed, he's proposing to her a day or two after that. 

I think it's my least favorite thing about these movies--how ridiculously fast these people fall in love. One of the reasons I like "Christmas In The Air'' and think it's one of the better offerings is that even though the protagonists become attracted to each other, we're not being told that they're madly in love within two weeks. The guy outright tells the woman, "Twelve days is not enough time to spend with you, but I'd like to."

[Jenniferbug]

Since they're not doing the 3rd One Winter movie this year, my interest in Winterfest has seriously declined. Are they not advertising much? I haven't been watching the channel lately, but usually they're announcing and promoting on social media. 

[Kohola3]

47 minutes ago, Jenniferbug said:

Are they not advertising much?

What is there to advertise?  Same tired movie plots with the same bland Caucasian actors with the same predictable ending - a kiss somewhere in the last 3 minutes of the movie?  Nothing new to see here folks, move on.

[Dr.OO7]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

What is there to advertise?  Same tired movie plots with the same bland Caucasian actors with the same predictable ending - a kiss somewhere in the last 3 minutes of the movie?  Nothing new to see here folks, move on.

Indeed. The only thing that changes is the holiday--Christmas, Valentine's--and the time of the year--winter, spring, summer, fall.

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, Camille said:

Indeed. The only thing that changes is the holiday--Christmas, Valentine's--and the time of the year--winter, spring, summer, fall.

Plus they are so lazy (or cheap) that they recycle music from one movie to the next.

Make fewer crappy movies and switch to making a few good ones.  Quality, not quantity. 

But, wait, this is Hallmark.  No can do.  Gotta keep all those robotic lily white actors employed and shill for Balsam Hill.

[TVFan17]

8 hours ago, Jenniferbug said:

Since they're not doing the 3rd One Winter movie this year, my interest in Winterfest has seriously declined. Are they not advertising much? I haven't been watching the channel lately, but usually they're announcing and promoting on social media. 

I think it looks like a fairly strong Winterfest event.  I'm looking forward to it.  I love Tyler Hynes, and his movie with Lacey Chabert (Winter in Vail) was filmed in two places -- Calgary and Colorado.  I liked Jill Wagner and Victor Webster together in their Fall Harvest movie a couple of years back, so Hearts of Winter has potential for me.  The Love on Iceland scenery (particularly the ice caves and glaciers) looked spectacular when the movie was in production.  I love the idea of the snow maze in Amazing Winter Romance.  And I always enjoy seeing Jack Turner and Chad Michael Murray in movies, though I can't get a sense of whether either or both of them will have chemistry with Italia Ricci. in Love in Winterland.

I, too, wish that One Winter Wedding was happening this year because I loved One Winter Proposal so much, but Taylor Cole indicated that the script is not ready.  So I don't know if that means that it will be re-themed to something that is not wintry, or if it will just be delayed until January 2021.  It was not officially announced (by Taylor) until July, so maybe the script hadn't even been started at that point.  From what I have heard, some scripts (not all) can go through a lot of changes and notes, and all sorts of different versions, and can be in the works for a long time.

Hallmark drastically reduced their social media presence for a week or two, after the Zola ad controversy.  But they have picked it back up again and seem to be pretty much almost back to normal, with maybe only a bit of a slowdown due to the dwindling holiday season.  I've also seen their Winterfest commercial a few times. 

And they showed the Winterfest Preview (hosted by Lacey Chabert & Ryan Paevey) of all 5 new movies on Saturday, December 28th -- but it was folded into a repeat of Christmas in Rome, so if you didn't watch that movie you would have missed the Winterfest segments that were shown during commercial breaks.

If they had not removed A New Year's Resolution (with Michael Rady and Aimee Teegarden) from the December 28th slot, I think they would have aired the Winterfest Preview as a separate, standalone special immediately after it ended (which was the original plan).  It's only when they remove a totally new movie from a Saturday night slot that they fold in a preview special to a previously aired movie -- because they want to trick people into watching that previously aired movie by inserting the new preview segments in it. 

 

Edited December 31, 2019 by TVFan17

[twoods]

They have a ton of previews for Winterfest but the scenes are so quick that I can’t pick up most of the actors, except for Lacey. They look promising and I’m looking forward to the Iceland scenes.

[catrice2]

4 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Plus they are so lazy (or cheap) that they recycle music from one movie to the next.

Make fewer crappy movies and switch to making a few good ones.  Quality, not quantity. 

But, wait, this is Hallmark.  No can do.  Gotta keep all those robotic lily white actors employed and shill for Balsam Hill.

Well it is better than they way they recycle the same wigs from movie to movie....every time I see Holly Robinson Peete in one of the Aurora wigs....I just shake my head...... (ok, so I am exaggerating just a LITTLE, but you know what I mean!) 

Edited December 31, 2019 by catrice2

[TVFan17]

6 minutes ago, twoods said:

They have a ton of previews for Winterfest but the scenes are so quick that I can’t pick up most of the actors, except for Lacey. They look promising and I’m looking forward to the Iceland scenes.

Even if the Iceland movie turns out to be less than stellar, for whatever reason, I hope they took advantage of the fantastic scenery and got enough of it in the movie to give the viewers a sense of the location.  I know that the photos posted online by the production company and cast members throughout filming were amazing.  Iceland looks unique, magical and mystical.  I just hope that even a tiny bit of that translates on camera.

[Dr.OO7]

5 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Make fewer crappy movies and switch to making a few good ones.  Quality, not quantity. 

But, wait, this is Hallmark.  No can do.  Gotta keep all those robotic lily white actors employed and shill for Balsam Hill.

It's almost sad. If they weren't so hell bent on churning out so many of these, they could take the time and make them unique--and dare I say it--GOOD.

Hallmark has ended up like Lifetime--a once decent quality network reduced to a laughing stock because of the nature of its programming.

 

19 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

And then we have the handsome prince stories where the plots are always similar.  

Saturday Night Live nailed this when they described the guy as "The Prince Of Caucasia".

[Bronx Babe]

Female lead sits in the ubiquitous Main Street café with her niece and nephew.  They order three milkshakes but never drink; their lips do not even touch the straws.