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

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

Probably the one where she is a veterinarian and trying to win back her high school boyfriend who is now dating a mean girl.  Her friend talks her into trading her 1970s glasses for contacts, but even though she appears to be legally blind she goes a whole day without them, bumping into everything and being whimsically funny.  Or the recent one where she goes to Banff.  Or the one I spoke of earlier where she goes on the book tour.  You can tell I am not a fan either and unless the male star is really cute, I won't watch her.

I specifically went to look these up for you.

It was "A Dash of Love" I saw.  Honestly, it wasn't the worst thing I've ever seen, and Peri Gilpin is in it!!!!!!!!! (Roz from "Frasier").  But ugh, Jen's character was so quirky and knew everything better than everyone else.  Every other line of dialogue was "That's my THING!" or "That's not my thing."  Also, she just kept putting chocolate in normal food and everyone acted like she was the Albert Einstein of cooking.  Give me a break!

I tried another one of hers - unfortunately, they keep giving her storylines that LOOK interesting at first glance, and hot partners - but I just couldn't take her affectations and shut it off.  I think it was "Winter Love Story" because you'd think a movie about authors would be interesting.  😞   

Edited April 5, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[bankerchick]

Winter Love Story is the book tour movie I railed about earlier because of her non-listening, jump to conclusions run out of the ballroom.  I'm sure I've seen (or at least started watching) Dash of Love but Brendan Penny wouldn't be enough to keep me watching a typical Jenn Lilley movie.

[Ms Blue Jay]

52 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

Winter Love Story is the book tour movie I railed about earlier because of her non-listening, jump to conclusions run out of the ballroom.  I'm sure I've seen (or at least started watching) Dash of Love but Brendan Penny wouldn't be enough to keep me watching a typical Jenn Lilley movie.

He doesn't bother me at all.  I really liked "The Secret Ingredient".   I'm going to try his other ones.

[Rabithed]

On 4/3/2021 at 11:16 PM, Callietwo said:

I couldn’t deal with the remote best man and the shenanigans with the remote proposal.

I don’t understand why they bothered with the movie and included the actor if he couldn’t actually be there.  
 

Yes! I saw the very beginning again and realized the remote fiancé really bugged me too. Out on a mountain and he keeps popping up on someone’s IPad. It was so irritating. 

[Rabithed]

On 4/3/2021 at 11:37 PM, MerBearHou said:

I was glued to a Signed, Sealed, Delivered marathon today and was not interested in One Perfect Wedding.  Sounds like I didn’t miss much.  I hate to say it but I don’t think Taylor Cole has much chemistry with any of her leads.  She’s capable and lovely but there is never a spark with her romantic interests IMO.

Oh I didn’t recognize Taylor Cole in One Perfect Wedding. I watched part of My Summer Prince and she is so pretty and Jack Taylor so cute but they were not convincing as a love match and she seemed way older and mature then his character. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

2 hours ago, Rabithed said:

Oh I didn’t recognize Taylor Cole in One Perfect Wedding. I watched part of My Summer Prince and she is so pretty and Jack Taylor so cute but they were not convincing as a love match and she seemed way older and mature then his character. 

She has WILDLY different hair in every movie, it's kind of funny!  Black, brown, blonde, long, wavy, short, she's done it all!

I like her in "Christmas in Homestead" which is like a fake "Notting Hill" and I like "The Art of Us" which is about Vincent Van Gogh, if you can believe it!

[luvthepros]

On 3/27/2021 at 11:28 AM, bankerchick said:

Well, good luck to Luke.  I wish him no ill will, I just don't want to see him as a straight romantic lead anymore because he can't sell it.  It's similar to a comment made during a podcast I was listening to with Paul Campbell.  They were going through his Hallmark movies and rating them, and a general consensus was that Once Upon a Christmas (2015) would have been a much better movie with a different lead actress, as she was pretty uptight and serious.  In other words, not what Hallmark is looking for in a leading lady.  As one of the hosts mentions this, Paul says, 'well, they clearly learned their lesson because you don't see her in Hallmark movies any more.'  He then went on to defend her as an 'indy' actress but the point was made that not everyone is a good fit for these movies and they need to recognize this.  If Hallmark is going to become more diverse and have movies with gay leads, then that's where MacFarlane could excel, however, if they are sticking with straight storylines for whatever reason (viewers) then perhaps he is better off with Netflix.  That frees up 2 or 3 movies a year for Ryan Paevey, Paul Campbell, Travis Van Winkle, Andrew Walker, Tyler Hynes or Trevor Donovan to star in.  Or, as mentioned yesterday, an opportunity to try something new with older characters.

I do have Netflix so will definitely watch and hope it's a great movie.  Given that MacFarlane has pretty much always been openly gay and this hasn't stopped Hallmark from using him several times a year, I don't know that the Netflix thing will change that, but I guess we'll see.

Was that Once Upon a Holiday with Briana Evigan (Greg Evigan's daughter) you were referring to?

As for Luke MacFarlane......I have had Taking a Shot at Love on my DVR for months and put it on for back round company when I'm doing things in the house. I really like his chemistry with Alexa Pena Vega. LOVE, LOVE LOVE that scene when he goes limping from his guest house to go to the main house, the day after his first ballet lesson (with 5 year olds!!!). He is so good in that.

 

Edited April 6, 2021 by luvthepros

[Callietwo]

2 hours ago, luvthepros said:

Was that Once Upon a Holiday with Briana Evigan (Greg Evigan's daughter) you were referring to?

As for Luke MacFarlane......I have had Taking a Shot at Love on my DVR for months and put it on for back round company when I'm doing things in the house. I really like his chemistry with Alexa Pena Vega. LOVE, LOVE LOVE that scene when he goes limping from his guest house to go to the main house, the day after his first ballet lesson (with 5 year olds!!!). He is so good in that.

 

I did enjoy him in that one.. I felt he actually had better chemistry with her than her normal lead, her husband.  I find the couple's chemistry in RL doesn't translate at all for me on TV.  

I also liked him opposite Jill Wagoner in a Christmas movie where he played her son's tutor, the name of which escapes me.

I used to dislike him a lot but he's grown on me, I guess. 

[Scarlett45]

On 4/3/2021 at 11:17 PM, KLovestoShop said:

I’m concerned about Jack Turner.  He’s gotten so skinny and with the shaved head, he looks like he’s had chemo.  He was so cute in his other movies, including those leading up to this movie, but I think he looks bad. 

 

On 4/4/2021 at 6:29 AM, Cetacean said:

Apparently in a Deck the Hallmark interview he said that he was losing his  hair in April 2020 so decided to shave his head. He loves the look and freedom and hopes to get roles as villians.  Not that it's related (as far as I know) this occurred after he had Covid.

Seeing him bald was the only interesting part of that mess of a movie.  One Perfect Wedding (and who didn't see the dress mix up from the start) was One Horrible Movie.

I had noticed he looked very different with the shaved head and facial hair. Maybe he is just trying a new look for different roles, and is not ill. I wouldnt want anyone to be sick. I dont think he looks bad, but VERY different. Much more villainous, less boy next door.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I think the guy's just losing his hair.  LOL. It's normal.  I don't think it's cause for concern necessarily.  I know men who lost it in their 20s.

[KLovestoShop]

3 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I think the guy's just losing his hair.  LOL. It's normal.  I don't think it's cause for concern necessarily.  I know men who lost it in their 20s.

It’s not just losing his hair, but his face looks gaunt and he’s downright skinny. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, I didn't notice the difference at all in One Winter Wedding or whatever it's called but maybe I'm not good at noticing that.  I DID notice when Chadwick Boseman started to lose weight after Black Panther.  I was pretty alarmed.

[EyewatchTV211]

Even before hearing them talk about it on Deck the Hallmark, I was already planning to comment superficially on how awful Cara's chosen dress was. The one she tried on before it was much better, and luckily, so was her mother's. Good thing Ben's sister messed up. They seem to frequently choose an ugly dress in these movies. 

[bankerchick]

13 hours ago, EyewatchTV211 said:

They seem to frequently choose an ugly dress in these movies. 

Like in Bridal Wave, a movie I love.  The bride is going to wear her mother's (Orlon) dress.  There is some backstory about her mother not wearing her own dress, or not having a wedding or something too boring to remember.  The mother's dress is hideous!  When the mother-in-law offers to buy her a Vera Wang dress, even the groom comments on how much nicer it would be.  The bride ends up not getting married but her parents renew their vows and sure enough, the mother wears her own dress, which is still hideous and makes me wonder how the bride was going to wear it as they are nowhere near the same size.  When the bride finally does marry a year later (to Andrew Walker!) I think the dress she is wearing is her mother's dress as well.  Now that her mother has worn it, that should have been the excuse she needed to buy her own dress.  Though given that the groom wore flip-flops I guess an ugly dress fits right in.

[EyewatchTV211]

8 hours ago, bankerchick said:

Like in Bridal Wave, a movie I love.  The bride is going to wear her mother's (Orlon) dress.  There is some backstory about her mother not wearing her own dress, or not having a wedding or something too boring to remember.  The mother's dress is hideous!  When the mother-in-law offers to buy her a Vera Wang dress, even the groom comments on how much nicer it would be.  The bride ends up not getting married but her parents renew their vows and sure enough, the mother wears her own dress, which is still hideous and makes me wonder how the bride was going to wear it as they are nowhere near the same size.  When the bride finally does marry a year later (to Andrew Walker!) I think the dress she is wearing is her mother's dress as well.  Now that her mother has worn it, that should have been the excuse she needed to buy her own dress.  Though given that the groom wore flip-flops I guess an ugly dress fits right in.

At least in that case, she was choosing that dress because it was her mother's. There have been numerous other movies where the lead chose a brand new dress, in a store, with other better options, that was butt ugly and not at all flattering, and they somehow wanted us to think they would actually go for the worst dress. 

[bankerchick]

Maybe the wrong dress is a metaphor for the wrong wedding?  Or maybe it's just the hijinks associated with the wrong dress.  Yeah, that's probably it.

[dalek]

This McSweeney's parody mash up of a Hallmark movie and Shirley Jackson's The Lottery is amusing.

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/the-hallmark-channel-presents-shirley-jacksons-the-lottery

[bankerchick]

That was really funny.  Thanks for sharing.

[luvthepros]

On 4/8/2021 at 10:16 AM, bankerchick said:

Like in Bridal Wave, a movie I love.  The bride is going to wear her mother's (Orlon) dress.  There is some backstory about her mother not wearing her own dress, or not having a wedding or something too boring to remember.  The mother's dress is hideous!  When the mother-in-law offers to buy her a Vera Wang dress, even the groom comments on how much nicer it would be.  The bride ends up not getting married but her parents renew their vows and sure enough, the mother wears her own dress, which is still hideous and makes me wonder how the bride was going to wear it as they are nowhere near the same size.  When the bride finally does marry a year later (to Andrew Walker!) I think the dress she is wearing is her mother's dress as well.  Now that her mother has worn it, that should have been the excuse she needed to buy her own dress.  Though given that the groom wore flip-flops I guess an ugly dress fits right in.

Wasn't the dress in question altered to remove big puffy sleeves or am I thinking of another Hallmark movie? I thought the Mom looked lovely in the dress she was married in. Agree, the two actresses are no where near the same size so how was that dress going to fit the daughter? I guess we just have to look beyond those inconsistencies.

[bankerchick]

Yes, there was a weird sleeve/bolero jacket thing going on which it appears the daughter removed.  I agree the dress seemed to flatter the mother, but the one complaint I have about this movie is it features some of the worst hairstyles I have ever seen, and the mother's hair was the worst.

[Kemper]

10 hours ago, bankerchick said:

Yes, there was a weird sleeve/bolero jacket thing going on which it appears the daughter removed.  I agree the dress seemed to flatter the mother, but the one complaint I have about this movie is it features some of the worst hairstyles I have ever seen, and the mother's hair was the worst.

What I don't understand is the seeming use of wigs on the actresses sometimes.  Why?  I would also love to see a short bob (but not with the beachy waves), a cute pixie cut...or a messy bun.  

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, Kemper said:

What I don't understand is the seeming use of wigs on the actresses sometimes.  Why?  I would also love to see a short bob (but not with the beachy waves), a cute pixie cut...or a messy bun.  

Absolutely agree.  And their wigs are just horrible!  I am SO sick of the same hairstyle.  Don't they realize that this will date their movies?   Just like watching something out of the 60's is so amusing.

[bankerchick]

1 hour ago, Kemper said:

I would also love to see a short bob (but not with the beachy waves),

So, not Erin Cahill's hair from that movie a few weeks back (It Was Always You or something like that.)  While there were some scenes in that movie where the hair actually looked cute, I am reminded about how bad it also looked at times whenever I see the promos for 'Spring Fling' or whatever they're calling the spate of movies after Valentines Day but before summer.  All of which so far have been a disappointment, by the way.  Tonight's big movie (on W in Canada) is As Luck Would Have It starring the chauffeur/son-in-law guy from Downton Abbey.  Crossing my fingers.

[WinnieWinkle]

2 hours ago, Cetacean said:

Absolutely agree.  And their wigs are just horrible!  I am SO sick of the same hairstyle.  Don't they realize that this will date their movies?   Just like watching something out of the 60's is so amusing.

I'll have to start watching the hairstyles, I admit I never really noticed before - too distracted by the fake eyelashes and the bad make-up jobs on women who are supposed to be "just a regular gal".  Once I started noticing the lashes it was all I could see!

[Cetacean]

I think the worst was the mop that they used on the evil fiancee in A Country Wedding. The pictures don't do it justice.

 

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, Cetacean said:

I think the worst was the mop that they used on the evil fiancee in A Country Wedding. The pictures don't do it justice.

 

Oh yes!  This mop will go down in Hallmark history as one of the most unattractive of all!  I enjoy the movie so much and have seen it a few times — the evil fiancee’s hair never ceases to boggle me.

[Scarlett45]

57 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

Oh yes!  This mop will go down in Hallmark history as one of the most unattractive of all!  I enjoy the movie so much and have seen it a few times — the evil fiancee’s hair never ceases to boggle me.

Omg ME TOO. Her wig was so awful. 

[voiceover]

Eeeee!!!  Just finished watching As Luck Would Have It, and it's shot right up to my Top 3 (Crown for Christmas & all Tyler Hynes movies are 1 and 2).

Finally: a release for early season Downton Abbey viewers who waited months, impatient for his Tom the chauffeur to kiss Sybil the Earl's daughter (to be rewarded by a tracking long shot when their lips *just met before the camera moved).  I thought Allen was tremendous -- would love to see him in more of these; get that boy a contract!

Gorgeous location shooting in Ireland; a decent (read: slightly unpredictable) script; strong supporting cast; funny moments; actual chem between Allen and JoAnna, who also charmed in their commercial-break bts convo!

And that kiss at the end??  No tracking shot, plus his mouth was slightly open, which made me dissolve into my living room carpet.

Definitely will be doing the rewatch tomorrow night.

[Irlandesa]

I didn't love it as much as you did but the scenery was gorgeous and put to use well.  Plus, we had some serious adulting from the leads with no stupid misunderstandings and just general overall maturity.

[Scarlett45]

5 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I didn't love it as much as you did but the scenery was gorgeous and put to use well.  Plus, we had some serious adulting from the leads with no stupid misunderstandings and just general overall maturity.

Yes. The scenery was pretty, I found it a little dull, but I did enjoy it. I would watch again. I do think I’m bias because I didn’t think the lead actor was handsome at all. 

[Cetacean]

5 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

The scenery was pretty, I found it a little dull...

The scenes in Ireland were stunning.  The story was pretty standard stuff but I did enjoy seeing Branson again.  He has a totally different look than the usual men in the Hallmark stable which is refreshing.

I had to roll my eyes at the town council meeting debating wind chimes and sheep breaking through fences.  Stereotyping much?

[dubstepford wife]

I loved it too!  I don't see Allen appearing in many Hallmark movies, since I believe he's based in the UK (which would make sense considering the Ireland filming locations) and he doesn't seem to struggle to find work.  But still, it was nice to see someone charismatic who doesn't fit the Hallmark cookie cutter mold -- plus, Ireland!  I'm such a sucker for lush green vistas.  And stereotypes aside, I like sheep.  Sheep are cute.

And also for any fans of his who are over 18: he was in Rome on HBO in the 00s and you see, um, quite a bit of him.  It was HBO after all.  It's pretty much the antithesis of all things Hallmark, in that it's dark, violent, and most definitely not chaste (it's Game of Thrones in ancient Rome), but it's a great show.  And it has Polly Walker, who was recently in Bridgerton.

[kirinan]

I also really enjoyed As Luck Would Have It. I sat down to watch it with my Kindle on my lap, figuring I would read with it as background if it was bad. Didn't get a single word read.

In addition to the aforementioned absolutely breathtaking scenery, it was wonderful to see a movie with two more adult leads and no silly, contrived dramatic moments. I really liked the lead actor, who wasn't Hallmark-Ken-Dolled up but was very natural and appealing. I've never seen Downton Abbey or Rome, so I went into it with no prior knowledge of him and he shot up to near the top of my personal Hallmark Lead Actor Hall of Fame (Tyler Hynes be thy name 🥰). I already like Joanna Garcia, so it was nice to see her.

And yes, it was a little stereotypical in places; I kept getting vibes of The Matchmaker with Janeane Garofalo—one of my all-time favorite movies—and Leap Year with Amy Adams, who could be Joanna Garcia's sister). But I got caught up in it and just enjoyed the heck out of it. This one's a keeper for me!

[bankerchick]

Loved:  scenery, leads, no unreasonable bitchiness at the beginning or ridiculous misunderstanding at the end

Meh:  everything else

I didn't dislike the movie but am surprised that everyone else liked it so much.

On a positive note, Window Wonderland is now on and I truly love this movie.  Paul Campbell is young and fresh-faced and so charming it's easy to see why he has become a Hallmark favourite.

[WinnieWinkle]

11 hours ago, voiceover said:

Eeeee!!!  Just finished watching As Luck Would Have It, and it's shot right up to my Top 3 (Crown for Christmas & all Tyler Hynes movies are 1 and 2).

Thanks for the positive heads up!  I PVRed this late last night and am looking forward to watching it!

47 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

On a positive note, Window Wonderland is now on and I truly love this movie.  Paul Campbell is young and fresh-faced and so charming it's easy to see why he has become a Hallmark favourite.

I PVRed this one at Christmas and this one along with Nine Lives of Christmas are still hanging in there and get put on now and then when I need something soothing but that I would actually want to watch!

[kirinan]

52 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

I didn't dislike the movie but am surprised that everyone else liked it so much.

I don't discount the possibility that my bar for a great Hallmark movie has been lowered so much over the past year or two that I don't recognize one anymore, LOL.

[dubstepford wife]

2 minutes ago, kirinan said:

I don't discount the possibility that my bar for a great Hallmark movie has been lowered so much over the past year or two that I don't recognize one anymore, LOL.

You beat me to it, I was about to comment this as well.  I'm at the point where beautiful scenery + charismatic (and different!) leads = I love it.

[EyewatchTV211]

1 hour ago, dubstepford wife said:

You beat me to it, I was about to comment this as well.  I'm at the point where beautiful scenery + charismatic (and different!) leads = I love it.

Plus lack of dumb misunderstanding 15 minutes before the end. I was so relieved when he overheard her purpose for being there right at the very start. 

[MerBearHou]

I really enjoyed it too!  Allen Leech is a favorite from DA and I thought he did a good job in this one.  Joanna Garcia was just right as well.  The supporting cast was fun and I liked the festival activities — perfect excuse to squeeze in all of those local charm moments.  As others have mentioned, the scenery was incredible and makes me long for a trip to Ireland.  The castle lit up with white lights on the night of the party — oh myyyy.

One question: why did he get upset with her about the business contact she had made on his behalf?  His mood turned on a dime and that was odd to me.  

[Daff]

I really enjoyed As Luck Would Have It for location, theme, plot, and actors (apparently they’ve taken the criticism about horrible, inauthentic accents to heart, finally)! 
I completely understand why Brennan “turned” when he heard what she’d DONE on his behalf. Granted, she had listened to his legitimate reasons for not entertaining expansion offers and came up with a decent, community based, lower volume compromise, but she should have explained it to him (suggested), rather than organizing the others involved unbeknownst to him. He’s an adult, and her actions overstepped boundaries. Did they think it was in character because of her supposed “business prowess”? Difference between planting a seed and steamrolling. I liked the actress/character and took issue that the writers put her in that position. 

[voiceover]

6 hours ago, Cetacean said:

 

I had to roll my eyes at the town council meeting debating wind chimes and sheep breaking through fences.  Stereotyping much?

Eh.  If you've ever been to an HOA or city planning commission meeting, they're chockablock with stuff like this.  It's minutiae & pettiness on parade!  At least they had a short agenda.

[suebee1212]

The movie was all right BUT my biggest problem was how loud parts of it were.  I couldn't understand much of the dialogue while they were playing whatever game they were playing...cricket? It was totally too noisy. I also thought the scenery was beautiful but by the time the movie was over, I felt cold and wet and this winter was already too cold and wet!! Did anyone else feel like this or just me?

[Clawdette]

I second the shoutout for The Nine Lives of Christmas!  It may be my favorite. Regarding the puffy sleeved wedding dress, might you be thinking of Snow Bride with Katrina Law?  She ruins her best friend’s wedding dress (that was her mother-in-law’s, maybe) and the atrocious sleeves are history in the repair. 

And, As Luck Would Have It did break the Hallmark movie mold I just outlined in the last week or so. Hooray! Let’s hope it’s a trend. 

[Irlandesa]

11 hours ago, bankerchick said:

no unreasonable bitchiness at the beginning

Well there was him sabotaging her experiences at the matchmaking festival for what I think is a pretty stupid reason.

6 hours ago, Daff said:

He’s an adult, and her actions overstepped boundaries.

I'm confused as to how this is.  He didn't own the castle.  It was the town. 

[twoods]

Thank you guys for suggesting As Luck Would Have It because I agree that it was really good! It helped that both leads aren’t shoved down our throats every few months and they had fantastic chemistry. And that scenery was absolutely gorgeous. When they were picnicking behind that waterfall I couldn’t believe how beautiful that whole scene was. Would love to see a sequel of them struggling to renovate the castle.

[Daff]

Irlandesa,

Look at the post just above mine. MerBear asked why Brennan was irritated when she interfered in his whiskey business. It wasn’t about the castle, it was all about coercing him into expanding his small, artisan whiskey business. Even though he did come around in the end, she shouldn’t have made all the arrangements FOR him. I viewed it as more enabling than supportive. He lost out as a small business owner on the valuable experience of negotiating for what he wants, and holding firm on his limits. I believe he was afraid of being taken over and losing touch with the craft he loved if he met with the prior two businesses making him offers, so he flatly refused to even meet with them. 

[Daff]

About a sequel, that was my first thought as the credits rolled!

[Cetacean]

The premise behind the Luck movie was confusing - first the beautiful, culturally significant, 14th century castle catches the eye of the resort developer and he sends the damsel over to check it out.  Then the plan is to knock it down.  If you aren't going to make use of the very thing that attracts people to the area, then build your modern monstrosity somewhere else.  That just made no sense at all.

[bankerchick]

I know there has been a post on here over the last few days about one of the actors (Paul Essiembre) who mostly plays Dads and Grampas these days, but I can't find it now.  The comment was about a movie he was in (Christmas Heart) where he was actually the husband/young dad.  The movie is on right now, it's from 2012 and he looks much, much younger.  Kinda hot too.  Given that he is younger than I am, not sure why I never really noticed him, I guess I have been too busy obsessing over his younger co-stars.

 

[Irlandesa]

9 hours ago, Daff said:

Irlandesa,

Look at the post just above mine. MerBear asked why Brennan was irritated when she interfered in his whiskey business. It wasn’t about the castle, it was all about coercing him into expanding his small, artisan whiskey business. Even though he did come around in the end, she shouldn’t have made all the arrangements FOR him. I viewed it as more enabling than supportive. He lost out as a small business owner on the valuable experience of negotiating for what he wants, and holding firm on his limits. I believe he was afraid of being taken over and losing touch with the craft he loved if he met with the prior two businesses making him offers, so he flatly refused to even meet with them. 

Ha.  I had completely forgotten about the whiskey business.