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

[Angel pie]

20 hours ago, gutbuster said:

She started the company, it was hers. When they got married, she of course thought she was in love and he became her partner/co-owner. He cheated on her during their marriage (can't remember if it was with the woman he was currently with or someone else), so that partially explains why he was a toxic ass.

She was reluctant to move on from the company despite the issues with the ex because it was hers, it was successful, and also because she loved the work she was able to do with underprivileged kids. The business was profitable so he'd been trying to buy her out of the company (so he could run it with his new lady, presumably). I think he was a toxic ass by nature but turned it up to eleven to try to force her out.

I like this movie a lot and even I've tuned out the details on the ex after watching it several times. He is the worst.

The book by Richard Paul Evans was even darker and explain her situation further. She and the ex-husband had a child together, which she had accidently left in her car at work and the child died. 

[Chippings]

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

3 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Okay I’m watching One Royal Holiday, and I admit I didn’t give it my full attention but what’s with all the emotion over Anna being the dead king’s nurse. Nurses taking care of their patients, I’m not making light of the job Anna had (far from it, it’s a wonderful profession), but I don’t see how this connects her to the prince emotionally.....”I knew it was you.” So you are more in love with her because she was your Dad’s nurse??

 

Well, to take a stab at that -- I figured he already knew he liked her because she was a positive person, and wanted to help other people, and didn't take him as seriously as most people did &c .. and the having been the father's nurse added the element of how she behaves at her job, which was also positive and affected his father specifically.

When my mom was in ICU for many days, all the nurses were wonderful but one was especially gracious, and afterwards we wanted to remember her particularly and bought her a present for her upcoming wedding.  Some nurses really mean even more to you, on a personal level.

 

[Bronx Babe]

Love, Lights, Hanukkah! or The Return of Dracula on Sven?

Edited December 13, 2020 by Bronx Babe

[Scarlett45]

@Chippings thanks for explaining. 

[luvthepros]

On 11/29/2020 at 9:11 PM, bankerchick said:

Just watched The Angel Tree.  It left me cold.  I really dislike the lead actress and the lead actor didn't appeal to me enough to make me care.  Plus, the storyline was stupid.  A generous philanthropist wishes to remain anonymous but too bad, she's going to find out who it is and write an article about it because she's a reporter.

I also really hate the jeans she wears.  I was almost thinking the show took place in the 90s.

Jill Wagner is one of my favorite Hallmark movie leading ladies. Just wondering what it is you dislike about her.

[EyewatchTV211]

For some reason, I can't quote Chippings' post. But I agree and would also add that the James might have seen it as "fate" or "destiny." That this woman that he is falling for also happens to be the amazing nurse who helped his father and took such great care of him. And it was meant to be. 

[bankerchick]

Honestly, I dislike everything about her (Jill Wagner.)  I know it's the script and not her, but I just want to shake my head at every movie as I don't see her as someone that would be worth the trouble.  She's brittle.  Even when she's having fun, which doesn't seem to be very often, she doesn't make me smile.  YMMV of course.  (I hope she's not your sister.)

[Bronx Babe]

I just couldn't take Love, Lights, Hanukkah.  Held on for about 30 minutes but had to switch over to Svengoolie,  That lead actress, ugh.  Mia Kirshner's pudding face and buck teeth -- obnoxious. (Interesting that she is known, according to the imdb board, for playing "sinister lesbians".  We can't get away from the tropes of dead parents, hot cocoa, Italian restaurants, etc.  Typical lead-footed Hallmark treatment all-around.  They just can never get anything right or fresh.

I think I'm done with this channel.

[Scarlett45]

I really liked Love, Lights, Hanukkah- I thought Mia Kushner’a outfits were so cute and her hair looked so nice! I bought the emotions she had about being an only child of a single parent who recently passed away. Her first holiday season without her mom was brutal. Marilu Henner was my fav actor of the cast, she did a great job with the material and the development between bio daughter and bio mom (although rushed for tv time) was nuanced. The nostalgia for Ben Savage is so great he was a bit wooden. 
 

My Mom was hoping the Italian Bio Dad’s wife would be deceased and the bio parents would reconnect,  but that’s SO tropey (even for Hallmark) and having him in Italy kept the scene small. 
 

I could tell it was a Covid-19 tv film (small cast size, no extras etc), but I will rewatch this one next year most likely. 

[Veronica]

9 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I really liked Love, Lights, Hanukkah- I thought Mia Kushner’a outfits were so cute and her hair looked so nice! I bought the emotions she had about being an only child of a single parent who recently passed away. Her first holiday season without her mom was brutal. Marilu Henner was my fav actor of the cast, she did a great job with the material and the development between bio daughter and bio mom (although rushed for tv time) was nuanced. The nostalgia for Ben Savage is so great he was a bit wooden. 
 

My Mom was hoping the Italian Bio Dad’s wife would be deceased and the bio parents would reconnect,  but that’s SO tropey (even for Hallmark) and having him in Italy kept the scene small. 
 

I could tell it was a Covid-19 tv film (small cast size, no extras etc), but I will rewatch this one next year most likely. 

I loved it! It’s in my top 5 for the Hallmark holiday movies that I’ve seen so far this year.  

[Kohola3]

11 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

I just couldn't take Love, Lights, Hanukkah. .  We can't get away from the tropes of dead parents, hot cocoa, Italian restaurants, etc.  Typical lead-footed Hallmark treatment all-around.  They just can never get anything right or fresh.

Preach.  That was just horrid, never even made it through the first half. Yuck.

[rwlevin]

Why did Mia Kirshner do that to her face? Does she actually think she looks better? Seriously, she looks like I did when I had my wisdom teeth removed.  Fillers need to be made illegal for actors, they always come out looking ridiculous. 

[Bronx Babe]

6 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Preach.  That was just horrid, never even made it through the first half. Yuck.

I stuck with it as long as I could.  I really do want to like these Hallmark things but they are frankly just....so bad, and not a good-bad. I don't even want to hate watch or snark on them because, well, what's the use?  To quote Christopher Lee in HORROR HOTEL:  "The basis of reality is fairy tales and the basis of fairy tales is reality" but these stories and characters, to me, exist in some disturbingly super-corporate nether region where human emotions are not honestly felt but replicated in the most artificial, charmless, and manipulative ways.  Hallmark leaves me depressed.   

[shapeshifter]

At 7 CST this evening one of my many Chicagoland affiliate stations, The U, will be showing the 2012 Hallmark movie, "The March Sisters at Christmas." 
I guess I'll give it a go. 
 

ETA: Missed it this time. 

Edited December 14, 2020 by shapeshifter

[Fostersmom]

18 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I really liked Love, Lights, Hanukkah- I thought Mia Kushner’a outfits were so cute and her hair looked so nice! I bought the emotions she had about being an only child of a single parent who recently passed away. Her first holiday season without her mom was brutal. Marilu Henner was my fav actor of the cast, she did a great job with the material and the development between bio daughter and bio mom (although rushed for tv time) was nuanced. The nostalgia for Ben Savage is so great he was a bit wooden. 
 

My Mom was hoping the Italian Bio Dad’s wife would be deceased and the bio parents would reconnect,  but that’s SO tropey (even for Hallmark) and having him in Italy kept the scene small. 
 

I could tell it was a Covid-19 tv film (small cast size, no extras etc), but I will rewatch this one next year most likely. 

I liked it too. The cast actually knew how to act, which isn't a given with Hallmark movies, the storyline was slightly different from the normal Hallmark stuff, I mean where's the ex-boyfriend trying to get her back, but familiar enough I didn't have to pay too much attention to follow along. I might have liked it more than most because it was supposedly set in Cleveland and I've lived 15 minutes from Cleveland my entire life and Shaker Heights is a well known Cleveland suburb. What really caught my attention, and I'm feeling like this wasn't a coincidence, was there's a long time Cleveland favorite Jewish Deli, Corky & Lenny's. Oh, and when bio mom asked what the lead's birthday was and she said November 24, I instantly thought Thanksgiving. That was my grandma's birthday and sometimes it was Thanksgiving.... ironically my grandpa's birthday was April 15 and that was sometimes Easter! Now I'm wondering if there was ever a year both of their birthdays fell on the holidays. LOL!

[EyewatchTV211]

i apologize in advance, but I need to complain about two minor things repeated in these movies that drive me crazy. 1. The super fake snowmen. I really hate the styrofoam-looking, overly round bodies of the fake snowmen in so many of these movies. Or really, it's the same one or two. I appreciate the few movies that have ones that look real. If I remember right, Christmas With the Darlings had better snowmen. 2. People holding and eating food out of gloved hands. Is this one just me? I imagine my gloves are covered in dirt and germs in between washings, whereas at least my bare hands are washed frequently and more easily before eating. Yet they do it so much in these movies, and it makes me cringe every time. 

[AAEBoiler]

Tonight's episode of the Simpson's was called "A Springfield Summer Christmas for Christmas". It was about how the "Heartmark Channel" descended on the town to film a Christmas movie.  It was a fun jab at the Hallmark movies.

[bankerchick]

Quote

1. The super fake snowmen. 

I love when they bend over and pick up a giant boulder of snow and carry it 10'.  Snow might be fluffy coming down but it's pretty heavy to pick up.

[Kaoteek]

Lights, love, Hannukah was okayish for me : it did change a bit the formula and wasn't bad per se (though the writing struggled here and there, whether through awkward exposition and explanations of the traditions, or unlikely setup of the whole adoption angle), but it had a Movies & Mysteries vibe more than anything, and the male side of the casting felt a bit bland.

Also, I'm fine with actors getting older, gaining/losing weight, getting pregnant, and so on, but having a soft focus on nobody but Mia Kirshner and covering her up from head to toe like she's 8 months pregnant (was she ?) only made it really noticeable and artificial when, in a couple of (pickup ?) scenes, esp. towards the end of the movie, she suddenly seemed to lose her rounder cheeks and silhouette.

Also, "Château Jean-Marc", really ?

[Just Carol]

On 12/12/2020 at 10:18 PM, Bronx Babe said:

I just couldn't take Love, Lights, Hanukkah.  Held on for about 30 minutes but had to switch over to Svengoolie,  That lead actress, ugh.  Mia Kirshner's pudding face and buck teeth -- obnoxious. (Interesting that she is known, according to the imdb board, for playing "sinister lesbians".  We can't get away from the tropes of dead parents, hot cocoa, Italian restaurants, etc.  Typical lead-footed Hallmark treatment all-around.  They just can never get anything right or fresh.

As a Jewish person, here is my take on Love, Lights, Hanukkah. There are several ways to write Jewish characters into a Hallmark movie. The first way is to stereotype them.  The second way is to force Christmas tropes onto Hanukkah so as to demonstrate Jewish characters engaging in activities that are relatable to non-Jews, such as building snowmen and drinking hot chocolate.  No cookies to bake, but we grate potatoes for latkes!  It's a family tradition!  No Christmas festival, but, hey, there is a giant menorah-lighting in town!  Bending the tropes leads to mistakes, of course.  Attention Hallmark set designers: Hanukkah decorations, if any, generally do not include wreaths or lights on the house.  

A third thing to do is to hit the audience over the head with Jewish stuff.  That little robot boy, oy.  

On a separate topic, Christina seems to have tons of money.  The restaurant must be doing very well despite the lukewarm review of her lasagne.  She has that gorgeous house, and can afford the very expensive gifts she bought her bio family.  So what happened at the end?  Is she closing down the restaurant for six weeks to accompany David to the Mediterranean?  

[EyewatchTV211]

10 minutes ago, Just Carol said:

As a Jewish person, here is my take on Love, Lights, Hanukkah. There are several ways to write Jewish characters into a Hallmark movie. The first way is to stereotype them.  The second way is to force Christmas tropes onto Hanukkah so as to demonstrate Jewish characters engaging in activities that are relatable to non-Jews, such as building snowmen and drinking hot chocolate.  No cookies to bake, but we grate potatoes for latkes!  It's a family tradition!  No Christmas festival, but, hey, there is a giant menorah-lighting in town!  Bending the tropes leads to mistakes, of course.  Attention Hallmark set designers: Hanukkah decorations, if any, generally do not include wreaths or lights on the house.  

A third thing to do is to hit the audience over the head with Jewish stuff.  That little robot boy, oy.  

On a separate topic, Christina seems to have tons of money.  The restaurant must be doing very well despite the lukewarm review of her lasagne.  She has that gorgeous house, and can afford the very expensive gifts she bought her bio family.  So what happened at the end?  Is she closing down the restaurant for six weeks to accompany David to the Mediterranean?  

I'm also Jewish, although I jokingly say now that I'm a "bad Jew." Growing up, we were reform at most, and at this point my family would probably consider ourselves secular Jews. I agree with some of this but disagree with some, though I could be wrong about my thoughts since I didn't grow up sticking rigidly to traditions. I don't see building snowmen and drinking hot chocolate as Christmas-specific activities, but more winter activities that we see a lot in Christmas movies because people like them and wintery/cold/snowy associations with Christmas make people feel good. As a chocoholic who comes from a line of chocoholics, I have always loved hot chocolate. I grew up in an area with a good-sized Jewish population, so I don't think I would attribute it to just being pulled into the Christmas world around me. I definitely don't remember a large menorah-lighting, like you mention. I've seen large menorahs in towns I've lived in as an adult, but I never attended any sort of event and don't remember seeing events publicized. And the mother's decorations were definitely Christmas decorations with Hanukkah colors. I think companies are trying to get Jewish customers more recently, as I have seen some lights targeting Hanukkah that look Christmas-y. My mom has some hanging outside of my parents' house currently. I forget if it's just blue/white lights or if they have little menorahs or Jewish stars hanging off. The decorations definitely are not traditional Jewish, though.

With Christina, I assume the restaurant is doing well. It was her mother's and now hers, so it has obviously been in business a long time and has been successful. David's lukewarm review was relatively recent, so its business probably wouldn't have been tied much to it, and we find out her cooking wasn't as good around that time because her grandmother had just passed and she was off of her game. Other references suggest that she normally was an excellent chef. So I can buy the success, though she definitely still seemed to have a lot of money and I don't know what her plan is for the restaurant while she's away if she's the head chef. 

[Just Carol]

@EyewatchTV211. I agree with everything you said.  Making snowmen and drinking hot chocolate are "winter" activities, not Christmas ones, but they are among the tropes (like ice skating) that are cast in Hallmark Christmas movies. And, hey, Jews participate!  

Forgot to mention the ginormous Christmas tree in the restaurant which Christina said was to make people feel like home.  Hahahah, it was about 30 feet tall.

BTW, minor quibble, the jury is out on whether latkes can be fried in olive oil.  I heard the smoke point of olive oil was too low to fry potatoes. If true, I would expect a chef to know.

Edited December 14, 2020 by Just Carol

[Bronx Babe]

Great posts, @Just Carol and @EyewatchTV211.  I'm Jewish too.  We had a small menorah and that was the extent of our "decoration".

For authenticity I think Hallmark should show us enjoying Peking Duck in a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day.  

 

[bankerchick]

Interesting comments on the Jewish takes.  As a Christian who celebrates Christmas as the birth of Christ, I understand why they keep the movies secular but would it kill one of them to comment on 'going to the Christmas service' even if we don't follow them there?  I also don't think of snowmen or cocoa as Christmas activities, but winter.  The thing I find so ridiculous about all this is their acting as if certain traditions not only signal Christmas, but all must be done in the same order without deviation, or it's not Christmas.  On the movie last night (A Godwink Christmas) Grandma says, 'well if we're decorating the tree tomorrow we have to bake the cookies tonight.'  When the long-lost girlfriend comes over to help with the tree, she says to the kids, 'if you're doing the tree today, you must have baked cookies last night.'  Or the daughter who needs to do things exactly the same as her late mother did them.  Firstly, for someone whose mother died 'a long time ago' they seem to have an encyclopedic memory of how things happened.  Secondly, are we to believe that if your mother was still alive, everything would be exactly the same for 20 years?

[Ashforth]

9 hours ago, Just Carol said:

@EyewatchTV211. I agree with everything you said.  Making snowmen and drinking hot chocolate are "winter" activities, not Christmas ones, but they are among the tropes (like ice skating) that are cast in Hallmark Christmas movies. And, hey, Jews participate!  

Forgot to mention the ginormous Christmas tree in the restaurant which Christina said was to make people feel like home.  Hahahah, it was about 30 feet tall.

BTW, minor quibble, the jury is out on whether latkes can be fried in olive oil.  I heard the smoke point of olive oil was too low to fry potatoes. If true, I would expect a chef to know.

I haven't even watched that many of this season's Christmas/holiday movies, but it drives me nuts that in most of them, there are one - or MORE - Christmas trees, along with miles of garland and lights, in every room of every house and office and quaint little inn - including garages! And barns! Of course, the barn will soon be the site for the party that will save the town.

The worst is that every one of the small towns has a tree lighting ceremony, and the trees are all 30 feet tall. Ridiculous.

You are correct that olive oil is not good for frying. The smoke point is too low and any benefit of olive oil flavor is lost. Peanut or corn or canola or grapeseed oil are good for frying. Or Crisco. 

@Bronx Babe there is never a bad time for Peking Duck! But especially on Christmas, whether you're Jewish or just don't want to do the exhausting over the top cooking that "tradition" demands.

[Scarlett45]

11 hours ago, Just Carol said:

As a Jewish person, here is my take on Love, Lights, Hanukkah. There are several ways to write Jewish characters into a Hallmark movie. The first way is to stereotype them.  The second way is to force Christmas tropes onto Hanukkah so as to demonstrate Jewish characters engaging in activities that are relatable to non-Jews, such as building snowmen and drinking hot chocolate.  No cookies to bake, but we grate potatoes for latkes!  It's a family tradition!  No Christmas festival, but, hey, there is a giant menorah-lighting in town!  Bending the tropes leads to mistakes, of course.  Attention Hallmark set designers: Hanukkah decorations, if any, generally do not include wreaths or lights on the house.  

A third thing to do is to hit the audience over the head with Jewish stuff.  That little robot boy, oy.  

On a separate topic, Christina seems to have tons of money.  The restaurant must be doing very well despite the lukewarm review of her lasagne.  She has that gorgeous house, and can afford the very expensive gifts she bought her bio family.  So what happened at the end?  Is she closing down the restaurant for six weeks to accompany David to the Mediterranean?  

Thank you for sharing your take on the film, I appreciate it.

I wouldn't say Christina has "tons of money"- she's a single person who was an only child who inherited her business from her mother, and she looks to be in her mid-30s, she seemed to live a pretty typical middle class life to me. When its "just you" to support you have a lot more disposable income, and being an only child likely her Mom left her everything (and her Mom didnt live well into her 80s/90s and need it for senior care). 

No no I dont think she was closing the restaurant down, I think David was going to take his trip to write his book, and he was coming back to be with her. They will probably just video chat/email during those 6 weeks, or she may visit him for a week or two.

7 minutes ago, Ashforth said:

BTW, minor quibble, the jury is out on whether latkes can be fried in olive oil.  I heard the smoke point of olive oil was too low to fry potatoes. If true, I would expect a chef to know.

Yes even I know that! Olive oil is awful for frying and you lose the flavor. 

 

8 minutes ago, Ashforth said:

You are correct that olive oil is not good for frying. The smoke point is too low and any benefit of olive oil flavor is lost. Peanut or corn or canola or grapeseed oil are good for frying. Or Crisco. 

Yes yes, glad to know I wasnt imagining things.

[Just Carol]

8 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

Great posts, @Just Carol and @EyewatchTV211.  I'm Jewish too.  We had a small menorah and that was the extent of our "decoration".

For authenticity I think Hallmark should show us enjoying Peking Duck in a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day.  

Well, David *did* take her out for dumplings...

21 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

I wouldn't say Christina has "tons of money"- she's a single person who was an only child who inherited her business from her mother, and she looks to be in her mid-30s, 

Yes even I know that! Olive oil is awful for frying and you lose the flavor. 

The Botox and fillers worked, in that case.  I was bothered by the fact that Christina did not look appreciably older than her half-sister, so I looked it up.  Mia Kirshner was born in 1976, making her 44 years old.  The half-sister, played by Avdah Soudka was born in 1984, making her 38.  As a poster upthread said, there were some scenes at the end of the movie where Christina suddenly looked really old, crows feet and saggy, like you might expect for a 44year-old.

Regarding the error about olive oil, yikes.  Will that be the main takeaway?   That Jews are ignorant about the properties of olive oil?

[Scarlett45]

2 minutes ago, Just Carol said:

The Botox and fillers worked, in that case.  I was bothered by the fact that Christina did not look appreciably older than her half-sister, so I looked it up.  Mia Kirshner was born in 1976, making her 44 years old.  The half-sister, played by Avdah Soudka was born in 1984, making her 38.  As a poster upthread said, there were some scenes at the end of the movie where Christina suddenly looked really old, crows feet and saggy, like you might expect for a 44year-old.

Hahaha yup! I think Mia Kirshner is pretty, but yes I can tell she has done stuff to her face. I remember her from the L-Word almost 20yrs ago and she does look like her self, but not quite, you know what I mean?

Her hair stylist though- her hair looked so nice! My mom commented on why did her eyebrow often look higher than the other one! LMAO

5 minutes ago, Just Carol said:

Regarding the error about olive oil, yikes.  Will that be the main takeaway?   That Jews are ignorant about the properties of olive oil?

No I thought that the writers didn't know how to cook.

[Just Carol]

9 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Hahaha yup! I think Mia Kirshner is pretty, but yes I can tell she has done stuff to her face. I remember her from the L-Word almost 20yrs ago and she does look like her self, but not quite, you know what I mean?

Her hair stylist though- her hair looked so nice! My mom commented on why did her eyebrow often look higher than the other one! LMAO

Yes!  Her eyebrows were hilarious.  They kind of looked glued on badly.  There was a scene towards the end when she was taliking to David and her right eyebrow went completely off-script.   My daughter and I had a good laugh about that. 

[Kohola3]

9 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

For authenticity I think Hallmark should show us enjoying Peking Duck in a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day.  

 

"But it's, it's............smiling at me". WHACK.

[Kemper]

This year Netflix has added Christmas movies to it's network; a lot of them are Hallmark-y...some are more "adult" themed, but quite a few of them are boy/girl/lots of decorations, red and white/couple ends up together.  I have to wonder if they have cut into Hallmark's ratings? Or is there room for all?  One of the advantages at Neflix as they don't have to rely on so many reruns.  Maybe because they started later?

[doodlebug]

3 hours ago, Kemper said:

This year Netflix has added Christmas movies to it's network; a lot of them are Hallmark-y...some are more "adult" themed, but quite a few of them are boy/girl/lots of decorations, red and white/couple ends up together.  I have to wonder if they have cut into Hallmark's ratings? Or is there room for all?  One of the advantages at Neflix as they don't have to rely on so many reruns.  Maybe because they started later?

Netflix doesn't have to program 24/7 like a regular channel such as Hallmark does.  They don't need movies to fill the schedule because they don't have one.

Supposedly, Hallmark's ratings are on a par with last season which is actually an improvement since they'd been dropping for the past several years.

I enjoyed the Hanukkah film if only because it was something different, and I also happen to live in Cleveland, so it was nice to have a movie set here.  Shaker Heights, where Marilu Henner's character lived, has a large and vibrant Jewish community, so they got that part right.  However, even in Shaker Heights, nobody decorates their home for Hanukkah like they did in the film.  Maybe a Menorah in the window, but that's about it.  I once had a neighbor who used to do a Star of David in her window  with blue and white Christmas lights, mainly because her kids liked it, but no big displays.  I also had a friend who was raised Catholic but converted when she married who used to try to decorate the mantel with silver and blue decorations, but her husband was not a fan. Then again, I'm a Christian, I love Christmas and I surely do not overdecorate my house the way they do in the Hallmark movies.

I, too, wondered about the humongous Christmas tree in the restaurant as well as the angel statue in the garden.  Most restaurants, pre-COVID, wouldn't want to take up valuable dining space with decorations.  A huge tree like that would've meant removing 3 or 4 four-tops-most restaurants can't afford that.

Cleveland does have a public Menorah lighting to commemorate Hanukkah thought I've never attended and I believe it was livestreamed this year due to COVID.

Edited December 14, 2020 by doodlebug

[norcalgal]

On 12/2/2020 at 9:49 AM, Bronx Babe said:

Christmas Joy.

Older female executive to heroine:  "I just had to return to find out what this Christmas Crawl was all about and so have concluded that you're the best person for Creative Director.  Now if you'll excuse me I have to taste a gingersnap cookie"

I wish I were making this up.

I pretty much watched Christmas Joy mainly for Danielle Panabaker.  I still hold residual good feelings for the Disney movie Sky High and I just loved her look (hair/clothes) in that movie. 

On 12/2/2020 at 8:23 PM, ECM1231 said:

Before commenting on Five Star Christmas, I'd like to ask if ALL Hallmark movies are talked about here? I had been commenting about the Christmas movies in the holiday movie thread.

I quite enjoyed Five Star Christmas and it was touching how the youngest sibling found her calling while acting as the "pretend chef" and by finding her late mom's recipe box.

I only know Bethany Joy Lenz from Hallmark and she's another actor who I find very natural. Apparently she sings as well. I'm obsessed with reading the Wikipedia pages of cast members. She played a 30 year-old but is really 39. She looks younger than she is.  HOWEVER,  and this is my biggest beef with Victor Webster, whom I really like, Victor looked too old for her in the film. I know he's only 47 irl but he looks older. The dad is 62 irl and the granddad was only a few years older in his late 60s. I'd be insulted if I were him. Lol

Anyway, it was pretty obvious early on who the real critic was, but it was still very enjoyable.

 

This is one of my nitpicks about any of these holiday movies, but I think Hallmark is the main offender:  often, the actor/actress who plays the mom/dad character look as though they're only about 15 years older than the leads.  Either cast the parents age-appropriately, or use makeup so they don't look like an older sibling to the leads.

On 12/12/2020 at 7:18 PM, Bronx Babe said:

I just couldn't take Love, Lights, Hanukkah.  Held on for about 30 minutes but had to switch over to Svengoolie,  That lead actress, ugh.  Mia Kirshner's pudding face and buck teeth -- obnoxious. (Interesting that she is known, according to the imdb board, for playing "sinister lesbians".  We can't get away from the tropes of dead parents, hot cocoa, Italian restaurants, etc.  Typical lead-footed Hallmark treatment all-around.  They just can never get anything right or fresh.

I think I'm done with this channel.

Eh, Love, Lights, Hanukkah was OK.

And sorry to throw in another nitpick, but it's this:  in so many of these holiday movies (Hallmark, Lifetime, ION, etc.) the characters (leads/parents/siblings/etc.) all seem to live in such beautiful, updated homes. Granite kitchen counters, stainless steel appliances, marble (and large) master baths, etc. Also, every home is so spic and span with very little mess (toys/clothes strewn everywhere, spills on rugs, certain room or section of a room jam packed with old magazines/newspapers/tchotchkes).  Basically, my complaint is that the homes always seem like they're model homes in a housing development. If you've ever been in those model homes, they are home decor porn!  

 

 

Edited December 15, 2020 by norcalgal

[Irlandesa]

I've seen all the Hallmark movies this weekend--yes all--and here are my thoughts.

Christmas Comes Twice pleasantly surprised me.  I didn't think I was going to like it for some reason but I liked the take on time travel where her present day self felt like she made the wrong decision in taking the job she took and the past seemed to support that for a while until she had a deeper conversation with the guy who hired her.  It was a love letter to science.  It was a love letter to teaching.  The other love interest wasn't a big part of the movie or a villain.  He was just wasn't what she thought he was. 

It held to the formula in a way but shook things up a bit by having it be a question of "I love science.  Is what I'm doing true to that love of science?"  While there was a DC/small town dichotomy, it wasn't really about what to value more.

I only had two quibbles with the movie.  One the lead guy (who was good) said he first got into teaching because it'd give him time to study for the MCAT.  Ah---no.  Unless he was a sub or very part time, the first few years of teaching do not give you a lot of time to study for the MCAT.  You're teaching all day and lesson planning/grading all night in my experience.

And another quibble is that a carousel is what brought her back in time and then back to the present yet this isn't the movie with Carousel in the title.  That's next week's A Christmas Carousel.  Just when you think a movie title is going to be unique enough that it'll be identifiable in the future, Hallmark goes and does this.  I'll be thinking of this movie whenever I hear A Christmas Carousel.

Love, Lights, Hanukkah was decent.  The lead almost had no reaction to learning that Marilu Henner was her mother which is the first time I thought maybe having something done to her face might impact her performance.  I liked that it was largely family focused and about learning traditions.  But I did side eye that the lead, who is in the food industry, didn't even know what Challah was.  That's one thing I don't like about the cross cultural/cross religion movies.  They have to pretend that those who celebrate Hanukkah don't know some basic Christmas traditions and those who celebrate Christmas don't know anything about Hanukkah or the Jewish traditions or food.  Haven't most of us heard Adam Sandler's The Chanukah Song at the very least?

What Hallmark could do to be more inclusive isn't necessarily have a Hanukkah movie but they could have a movie around one of the more important Jewish holidays like Passover. 

I need to rewatch A Glenbrooke Christmas.  I wasn't feeling that good Saturday and my DVR was being a pill freezing on and off.  I know I loved seeing Autumn Reeser and Antonio Cupo back together so that alone was worth it.  I have a feeling I'll like it more when I can watch it without having to reboot my DVR and I'm not tired.

Unlocking Christmas was the movie that made me hit the fast forward button.  I actually really liked Taylor Cole and Steve Lund in the movie but the scavenger-esque hunt just didn't do it for me.

Edited December 14, 2020 by Irlandesa

[EyewatchTV211]

16 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

Great posts, @Just Carol and @EyewatchTV211.  I'm Jewish too.  We had a small menorah and that was the extent of our "decoration".

For authenticity I think Hallmark should show us enjoying Peking Duck in a Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day.  

 

We didn't do Peking Duck, but yes the Chinese. And don't forget going to the movies!

8 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

 

No no I dont think she was closing the restaurant down, I think David was going to take his trip to write his book, and he was coming back to be with her. They will probably just video chat/email during those 6 weeks, or she may visit him for a week or two.

She may not go for a full 6 weeks. But when her father suggested that she visit him in Italy, and the exchanges that followed, I think they were implying that Christina might join David for a little bit to go see her father. 

I forgot to include someone else's quote, but whoever said she looked mid-30s - I think I'm insulted. I am 35 myself. I think the way they filmed her/the lighting, etc. softened her up a bit and maybe made her look a little younger than she is, but the Botox or fillers or whatever made her look terrible. As someone else who recognized her from other things and knew what she used to look like, I was so distracted by it the whole movie. Not to say that David was the hunkiest of leads, but it just wasn't a good look. She probably would have looked better as her natural self. She isn't even that old. It's sad. It kind of took me out of a lot of the movie, so I may have to rewatch to see if I can get past it and enjoy it more. 

2 hours ago, norcalgal said:

And sorry to throw in another nitpick, but it's this:  in so many of these holiday movies (Hallmark, Lifetime, ION, etc.) the characters (leads/parents/siblings/etc.) all seem to live in such beautiful, updated homes. Granite kitchen counters, stainless steel appliances, marble (and large) master baths, etc. Also, every home is so spic and span with very little mess (toys/clothes strewn everywhere, spills on rugs, certain room or section of a room jam packed with old magazines/newspapers/tchotchkes).  Basically, my complaint is that the homes always seem like they're model homes in a housing development. If you've ever been in those model homes, they are home decor porn!  

This is a nitpick for me as well, but I'm pretty sure that I read it's intentional. I think it's part of their attempts at "wish fulfillment" for the viewers. In addition to having the fairytale romance, you can pretend to have the perfect house, too. It does the reverse for me. It frustrates me to see the unrealistic houses, especially for people with careers that you know could never afford those houses in the areas that they supposedly live (and no indication that family left them money). Seeing those homes sometimes takes me out of the movies a bit as well as I scoff at the silliness, although I've gotten better at ignoring it. 

[norcalgal]

49 minutes ago, EyewatchTV211 said:

This is a nitpick for me as well, but I'm pretty sure that I read it's intentional. I think it's part of their attempts at "wish fulfillment" for the viewers. In addition to having the fairytale romance, you can pretend to have the perfect house, too. It does the reverse for me. It frustrates me to see the unrealistic houses, especially for people with careers that you know could never afford those houses in the areas that they supposedly live (and no indication that family left them money). Seeing those homes sometimes takes me out of the movies a bit as well as I scoff at the silliness, although I've gotten better at ignoring it. 

Yeah, talk about "wish fulfillment"!  How about when someone has a LOVELY Manhattan apartment when their (I assume) income wouldn't support such a primo home. At least on Friends, they said the rent was cheap because Monica got the apartment from a deceased relative and it was under rent control. C'mon show - at least explain how someone can afford the house/car/clothes/etc. on their less than boffo income!

[KAOS Agent]

11 hours ago, Ashforth said:

The worst is that every one of the small towns has a tree lighting ceremony, and the trees are all 30 feet tall. Ridiculous.

I guess it depends on where you live. Pretty much every small town around here has a 30 foot tree and a lighting ceremony. In a very 2020 moment, one town's tree was blown down the day after the virtual lighting ceremony. As unbelievable as it may seem to many, small towns across the country (admittedly, mostly in the northern areas where it's easy to get or even grow a big tree in the city park) have massive trees along with a tree lighting ceremony. Hallmark may turn it up to eleven, but it's not totally ridiculous.

A few years ago, the Capitol Christmas tree came through our town and they did a whole event around it. We made cookies (yes, home baked and decorated cookies) and gave out cocoa to all who came. A convenient light snowfall was happening during the event as well. The people who travel with the tree thought it was ridiculously reminiscent of a Hallmark movie.

 

[Scarlett45]

16 hours ago, EyewatchTV211 said:

I forgot to include someone else's quote, but whoever said she looked mid-30s - I think I'm insulted. I am 35 myself. I think the way they filmed her/the lighting, etc. softened her up a bit and maybe made her look a little younger than she is, but the Botox or fillers or whatever made her look terrible. As someone else who recognized her from other things and knew what she used to look like, I was so distracted by it the whole movie. Not to say that David was the hunkiest of leads, but it just wasn't a good look. She probably would have looked better as her natural self. She isn't even that old. It's sad. It kind of took me out of a lot of the movie, so I may have to rewatch to see if I can get past it and enjoy it more. 

That was me. I’m 35 too!! Don’t hate me😣I thought she was playing mid 30s.

I am sure you are lovely with eyebrows that match unlike Mia Kirshner.

[Kaoteek]

8 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I need to rewatch A Glenbrooke Christmas.  I wasn't feeling that good Saturday and my DVR was being a pill freezing on and off.  I know I loved seeing Autumn Reeser and Antonio Cupo back together so that alone was worth it.  I have a feeling I'll like it more when I can watch it without having to reboot my DVR and I'm not tired.

Eh, it didn't make much of an impression on me either. Just a bunch of the usual tired Hallmark tropes holding together through Reeser/Cupo's chemistry (but honestly, they deserved a stronger movie). I probably won't remember it in a week's time. Also, the movie needed more Latonya Williams, she was fun.

[Ashforth]

3 hours ago, KAOS Agent said:

I guess it depends on where you live. Pretty much every small town around here has a 30 foot tree and a lighting ceremony. In a very 2020 moment, one town's tree was blown down the day after the virtual lighting ceremony. As unbelievable as it may seem to many, small towns across the country (admittedly, mostly in the northern areas where it's easy to get or even grow a big tree in the city park) have massive trees along with a tree lighting ceremony. Hallmark may turn it up to eleven, but it's not totally ridiculous.

A few years ago, the Capitol Christmas tree came through our town and they did a whole event around it. We made cookies (yes, home baked and decorated cookies) and gave out cocoa to all who came. A convenient light snowfall was happening during the event as well. The people who travel with the tree thought it was ridiculously reminiscent of a Hallmark movie.

That is totally sweet! It's nice to know that the tree-lighting ceremony trope has a basis in reality. The cocoa seals the deal! 💖

Edited December 15, 2020 by Ashforth

[Bronx Babe]

@Kohola3

Edited December 15, 2020 by Bronx Babe

[Callietwo]

13 hours ago, EyewatchTV211 said:

This is a nitpick for me as well, but I'm pretty sure that I read it's intentional. I think it's part of their attempts at "wish fulfillment" for the viewers. In addition to having the fairytale romance, you can pretend to have the perfect house, too. It does the reverse for me. It frustrates me to see the unrealistic houses, especially for people with careers that you know could never afford those houses in the areas that they supposedly live (and no indication that family left them money). Seeing those homes sometimes takes me out of the movies a bit as well as I scoff at the silliness, although I've gotten better at ignoring it. 

I wish I could remember which movie it was in but I watched one this weekend where the lead with the gorgeous home said something like "What?  And leave my rent controlled apartment?"  and I laughed and said, well.. at least they acknowledged that she could in no way afford that place otherwise.  And wondered if the writers did that to appease those of us that roll our eyes at how ridiculous it all is. 

I think it was The Magical Christmas Ornaments with Jessica Lowndes, but I can't be sure.  

[ShelleySue]

I just rewatched The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. How is it possible for the same movie to have one of my favorite holiday moments and one of my least favorite holiday moments? For some unexplainable reason I love the one red lightbulb (the "red Portugese candle" among all of the white candles).  It is just a perfect scene.  But I hate, hate, hate the whole thing with the toy shop owner from the break-in to the violence.  I have started fast forwarding through it and pretending it isn't a part of the movie.  Instead of adding to the movie I feel that it detracts from it.  And last night, for the first time, I got a horrible, sick feeling seeing Henry Winkler, a retired police officer, with his foot on a the throat of the guy who just attempted to rob him. Maybe next year I'll fast forward through that scene too.

[WinnieWinkle]

On 12/11/2020 at 8:46 PM, gutbuster said:

I like this movie a lot and even I've tuned out the details on the ex after watching it several times. He is the worst.

Thank you so much for explaining the back story.  Absolutely agree on liking the movie and hating the ex!

[bankerchick]

Christmas In Evergreen, Bells are Ringing.  For some reason, the characters are obsessed with It's a Wonderful Life, watching it multiple times.  They appear to have legitimate questions, like why are there animals like squirrels and crows, inside?  Honestly, I never noticed.  But for one character to say, 'I don't understand why Jimmy Stewart didn't just leave town?' and another characters says, 'yeah, right'  I have to wonder:  if you are obsessed with this movie and have watched it multiple times, how can you even ask that question???  Did you pay any attention to his staying home after his father died, or using his honeymoon money to bail out the housing and loan?  Did they not watch the sequence with Clarence where he was shown what the world would be like if he had never been born (or for that matter, if he had left town at the beginning when he wanted to?)  It's the whole point of the movie!!

I don't know if this was supposed to be funny, or they think it's one of those questions that everyone has but nobody ever asks, the only purpose it served to me was to get me to yell at the tv and immediately head to Primetimer to complain about how stupid they look.

[norcalgal]

16 hours ago, KAOS Agent said:

I guess it depends on where you live. Pretty much every small town around here has a 30 foot tree and a lighting ceremony. In a very 2020 moment, one town's tree was blown down the day after the virtual lighting ceremony. As unbelievable as it may seem to many, small towns across the country (admittedly, mostly in the northern areas where it's easy to get or even grow a big tree in the city park) have massive trees along with a tree lighting ceremony. Hallmark may turn it up to eleven, but it's not totally ridiculous.

Not sure if my city is small or medium in size (pop. @ 75,000) but every year for about a decade (that I'm aware of), there's one massive Christmas tree (I guess it could be 30 foot tall or even taller) lighting ceremony where

* vendors sell holiday treats

*Winter/Christmas characters (like snowmen, elves, etc.) walk around

*there's a "Meet Santa" setup

*there's a snow play area

and it draws huge crowds. I've been to it a few times, but now that my kids have aged out, doubtful we'll go again.

 

12 hours ago, Kaoteek said:

Eh, it didn't make much of an impression on me either. Just a bunch of the usual tired Hallmark tropes holding together through Reeser/Cupo's chemistry (but honestly, they deserved a stronger movie). I probably won't remember it in a week's time.

Yeah, I too was bummed A Glenbrooke Christmas wasn't a better movie. For whatever reason, I didn't sense the chemistry between Autumn & Antonio like I have in the past. (Maybe it was the script/direction?)

There was one particular holiday movie I was looking forward to seeing because I think it's the first movie centering on an Asian American family - A Sugar & Spice Holiday I can recall on any channel. Here's what stood out for me:

* there was a lot more humor than these type of movies usually have (maybe a little too much with all the food puns)

* the bread kneading scene was the steamiest I can recall in a holiday movie EVER - on any channel  (was that just my imagination?)

* the stereotypes weren't over the top:  yes, the female lead is a Type A personality who almost always got "A" marks in school but the other characters weren't stereotypical Asians (Tiger Mom, STEM field dad/brother); I was glad they didn't dodge the whole "where are you really from" interactions that Asians experience in America

* Curious there was an ancestor altar for just the one grandma (Nema), but no other grandparent - and even more surprising - not even a mention of any other grandparent!

Finally, OMG - I love that Asian inspired apron that belonged to grandma Nema.  I want, I want, I want...

[kirinan]

44 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

Yeah, I too was bummed A Glenbrooke Christmas wasn't a better movie. For whatever reason, I didn't sense the chemistry between Autumn & Antonio like I have in the past. (Maybe it was the script/direction?)

I actually liked the movie, although it definitely wasn't as snappy and well-written as Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade or, say, Christmas by Starlight. Maybe it was because I was just so happy to see them together again, but I thought the chemistry between them was as strong as ever. I saw the black moment coming from the first few minutes, but as I've said before, I tend to handwave a lot of things if I really love the actors in a movie, so I might not be the best or most objective judge.

[Callietwo]

I couldn't get passed Autumn Reeser's hair in the Glenbrooke movie.  It was soo "hot roller' matronly hair and she's not that old.   She's adorably chic with her shorter hair and this bugged me.

I also saw no chemistry between the two in this movie, unlike their Thanksgiving move.  In general, it was a disappointing movie as much as I wanted to like it.  .  

[norcalgal]

1 hour ago, kirinan said:

I actually liked the movie, although it definitely wasn't as snappy and well-written as Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade or, say, Christmas by Starlight. Maybe it was because I was just so happy to see them together again, but I thought the chemistry between them was as strong as ever. I saw the black moment coming from the first few minutes, but as I've said before, I tend to handwave a lot of things if I really love the actors in a movie, so I might not be the best or most objective judge.

 

39 minutes ago, Callietwo said:

I also saw no chemistry between the two in this movie, unlike their Thanksgiving move.  In general, it was a disappointing movie as much as I wanted to like it. 

Yeah, I've re-watched the Thanksgiving movie multiple times (even though I had trouble remembering the title!   🙄🤪)  and that's when A&A become one of my Must-See couples, along with the other A&A (Andrew Walker & Arielle Kebel) couple.

[EyewatchTV211]

3 hours ago, norcalgal said:

There was one particular holiday movie I was looking forward to seeing because I think it's the first movie centering on an Asian American family - A Sugar & Spice Holiday I can recall on any channel. Here's what stood out for me:

* there was a lot more humor than these type of movies usually have (maybe a little too much with all the food puns)

* the bread kneading scene was the steamiest I can recall in a holiday movie EVER - on any channel  (was that just my imagination?)

 

I posted most of my thoughts on the holiday movie thread since it was on Lifetime. But related to the steamy scene, it's definitely up there. There's another similar one from a different older Lifetime movie - I'm blanking on the name right now. The female character was helping a company that goes public and it doesn't go well, she finds a cute Christmas-y town to escape to that her mother had been to (I think), and she lives above and is temporarily in charge of a bookstore, and she starts changing the bookstore. It's a terrible description, I know. But there's a similar scene where the male lead is leaning over her from behind and helping her wash soot off of her hands.