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

[Guest]

On 6/14/2021 at 1:45 PM, kirinan said:

A new Tyler Hynes movie for Fall Harvest! I've never seen Lauren Alaina in anything so I have no idea if she's a good actress, appealing, or what. But hey, I've watched the Mistletoe movie several times, so clearly I have no pain threshold when it comes to Tyler and will watch this one, too. 

They’re putting Lauren Alaina into a lead role? Damn, they must be desperate for the country/American Idol fans. She’s done one movie and it’s trailer makes me think this is going to be train wreck  

 

[Luckylyn]

7 hours ago, Chippings said:

Okay, just finished watching the 'Pen Pal' movie and I have to say I liked it very much, especially since I largely viewed it as a reunion of the two actors from 'Galavant.'  But they were very personable and intelligent .. the scenery was beautiful, and that 'chateau' was quite a nice spot.  

Regrettably they did include the 'face touch' trope bit discussed above,, and the nearly inevitable Hero Misinterprets seeing Heroine With Another Man -- at 30 minutes from the end, a little early -- but Jeez.  

I was interested to see again the guy who played the prince of Angosia in "Royal Hearts' - slightly more sympathetic this time, but not much.

Anyway, would watch it again principally for Joshua Sasse and his French accent.

And to see him and the heroine in very different mode, pull up my favorite song from 'Galavant', "Maybe You're Not The Worst Thing Ever."  A classic.

 

[dubstepford wife]

2 hours ago, Dani said:

They’re putting Lauren Alaina into a lead role? Damn, they must be desperate for the country/American Idol fans. She’s done one movie and it’s trailer makes me think this is going to be train wreck  

 

Time will tell, but I feel like Hallmark is phasing out Jesse Metcalfe (due to age?  contract disputes?  him being a diva?  who knows), he used to be their go-to lead for anything even remotely Western or country themed.  Maybe Tyler is going to take over the reins (no pun intended) as the reigning cowboy, with Kevin McGarry thrown in here and there because he looks great on a horse, and they're searching for various leading ladies for them.  I don't listen to country so I know nothing about her, but I feel like casting singers in acting roles frequently does not work out well.

Female country singers though, man do they all look the same.  Country makes Hallmark look diverse by comparison.

[kirinan]

12 hours ago, Chippings said:

Okay, just finished watching the 'Pen Pal' movie and I have to say I liked it very much, especially since I largely viewed it as a reunion of the two actors from 'Galavant.'  But they were very personable and intelligent .. the scenery was beautiful, and that 'chateau' was quite a nice spot.  

Regrettably they did include the 'face touch' trope bit discussed above,, and the nearly inevitable Hero Misinterprets seeing Heroine With Another Man -- at 30 minutes from the end, a little early -- but Jeez.  

I was interested to see again the guy who played the prince of Angosia in "Royal Hearts' - slightly more sympathetic this time, but not much.

Anyway, would watch it again principally for Joshua Sasse and his French accent.

And to see him and the heroine in very different mode, pull up my favorite song from 'Galavant', "Maybe You're Not The Worst Thing Ever."  A classic.

I enjoyed Pen Pal too. While it did have the tropes Chippings mentioned, it didn't make Mallory Jensen the bitchy, uptight female, and for that it gets major points. I watched On the 12th Date of Christmas Friday evening, and between that movie and this one, I have to say that Mallory Jensen has really become one of my favorite Hallmark actresses (I never saw Galavant, so I didn't know her before this past year). She is so likeable and natural. Joshua Sasse is very appealing, too. I'd love to see him in other movies. 

Just curious, for those who did watch Galavant, in the clip is that everyone's real (not dubbed) voices? I know Timothy Omundson from Psych and other shows, and I had NO idea he had such a great voice. In fact, all four of them are very talented singers!

Edited June 20, 2021 by kirinan

[ECM1231]

5 minutes ago, kirinan said:

I have to say that Mallory Jensen has really become one of my favorite Hallmark actresses (I never saw Galavant, so I didn't know her before this past year). She is so likeable and natural. Joshua Sasse is very appealing, too. I'd love to see him in other movies. 

Yes to all of this! I didn't know either of the leads before this film. Right off the bat I remarked to myself that Ms. Jensen is so natural. I thought Mr. Sasse was actually French irl. I Googled both to get the scoop. I really enjoyed this film.

[Chippings]

23 minutes ago, kirinan said:

 

Just curious, for those who did watch Galavant, in the clip is that everyone's real (not dubbed) voices? I know Timothy Omundson from Psych and other shows, and I had NO idea he had such a great voice. In fact, all four of them are very talented singers!

Good question.  I found an article from 2016 by a person named Denninger that says all the principal actors do their own singing.  More points for Joshua Sasse and Mallory Jensen!  

 

[twoods]

Yes they all do their own singing. It’s a wonderful show and I recommend it. Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone is streaming it right now. 

[Irlandesa]

6 hours ago, kirinan said:

Just curious, for those who did watch Galavant, in the clip is that everyone's real (not dubbed) voices? I know Timothy Omundson from Psych and other shows, and I had NO idea he had such a great voice. In fact, all four of them are very talented singers!

Yep.  They all sing but they wouldn't all consider themselves singers which I find hilarious.  I think this was the first time Mallory did professional singing. 

I love MJ as a Hallmark actress and was looking forward to the reunion with Sasse but I didn't like this movie nearly as much as others did. 

I felt like it wasted the fact that they actually filmed in France.  There were so many shots I felt could have been filmed anywhere. 

I didn't think having the ex change his mind was even worth doing. 

I though Sasse was unrecognizable to me compared to his Galavant days.  And while I wouldn't necessarily consider that a knock against the movie, his accent, IMO, definitely was.  I thought it was cringe.  Faded in an out.  And they shouldn't have had him try to say anything in French.

I wouldn't mind them doing another movie together as I like them both.  I just think I had high hopes for the movie that it didn't quite live up to.

[Trini]

The Baker's Son -

I'm generally not into these Hallmark romance movies, but there was baking involved, so I decided to check this one out. Thoroughly predictable like most of  these movies are, but I did like that there was other stuff going on other than the main romance between the two leads. I also liked that the whole town was kind of involved/invested, and there was some actually funny moments. Nice to look at. Nothing bad enough to mention.

[radiochik]

On 6/13/2021 at 10:22 AM, bankerchick said:

 

I hate, hate, hate the movies where a half-overheard comment, or a misinterpreted look causes someone to totally uproot their lives, sell their home/business and move away without ever discussing or clarifying what happened or what was said.  Only to show up at the end to make some pithy comment so we can all live happily ever after.  Does she void the sale of the diner or start baking bread with him?

I watched this last night and after it ended, I just kept saying "BUT SHE SOLD THE DINER!"  I felt like that was a large gaping hole that was unresolved. Plus I always hate when the women on a lot of these movies give up their lives for love.  So now that he loves her, she isn't going to Paris?  

[Cetacean]

50 minutes ago, radiochik said:

  So now that he loves her, she isn't going to Paris?  

Well, no, because in the Stepford World of Hallmark no woman can lead a fulfilling life unless she is married or in love. No Single Women Need Apply.

[bankerchick]

If my mother was pathological in trying to get me in a relationship, to the point where we can't ever meet or talk on the phone without her bringing it up, I would not be bringing a 'fake' date to my birthday party, I would have told her years ago to shut the f* up and leave me alone if she ever expects to see me or speak to me again.  Note to Moms:  everyone, and I mean EVERYONE (ok, with a very, very few exceptions,) would be in a happy relationship if they could. It'll either happen when it happens, or it won't.  Your making life miserable for everyone is not going to make it happen faster.  Note to Dads:  if this is your wife, make it stop.  It is not cute or charming but really, a form of bullying.  My Birthday Romance was on this morning, but I was so pissed off at the Mom, I couldn't watch it.

I also tried to watch The Pen Pal but couldn't get past the first half hour.  I have had no patience for any Hallmarks since Christmas, so either the movies are getting worse (possible, and indeed probable) or I am digging myself out of the hole I've been in since last year.  Having nice enough weather to actually go outside it probably part of it.  I guess I'll have to wait for Christmas in July to see if I still enjoy any of the movies I liked last winter.

[Scarlett45]

On 6/20/2021 at 7:24 AM, dubstepford wife said:

Time will tell, but I feel like Hallmark is phasing out Jesse Metcalfe (due to age?  contract disputes?  him being a diva?  who knows), he used to be their go-to lead for anything even remotely Western or country themed.  Maybe Tyler is going to take over the reins (no pun intended) as the reigning cowboy, with Kevin McGarry thrown in here and there because he looks great on a horse, and they're searching for various leading ladies for them.  I don't listen to country so I know nothing about her, but I feel like casting singers in acting roles frequently does not work out well.

Female country singers though, man do they all look the same.  Country makes Hallmark look diverse by comparison.

Jessie Metcalf's career has been interesting. He started off on soaps (like a lot of people), got a huge break with Desperate Housewives, but didn't do primetime tv any more. He was kind of relegated to the Hallmark/Lifetime TV movie rotation, he has kept his youthful looks a long while, but that didn't guarantee him more "big breaks".

I did like him in "A Country Wedding"- that was cute.

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

but didn't do primetime tv any more.

He was on another primetime show which got cancelled and then he was on the Dallas reboot before moving to Hallmark.

[Scarlett45]

10 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

He was on another primetime show which got cancelled and then he was on the Dallas reboot before moving to Hallmark.

Thank you, I didnt know that.

[Guest]

On 6/20/2021 at 5:24 AM, dubstepford wife said:

Time will tell, but I feel like Hallmark is phasing out Jesse Metcalfe (due to age?  contract disputes?  him being a diva?  who knows), he used to be their go-to lead for anything even remotely Western or country themed.  Maybe Tyler is going to take over the reins (no pun intended) as the reigning cowboy, with Kevin McGarry thrown in here and there because he looks great on a horse, and they're searching for various leading ladies for them.  I don't listen to country so I know nothing about her, but I feel like casting singers in acting roles frequently does not work out well.

I don’t think they are choosing to phase him out. He has been filming the first two movies of an action trilogy with Bruce Willis. 

[dubstepford wife]

14 hours ago, Dani said:

I don’t think they are choosing to phase him out. He has been filming the first two movies of an action trilogy with Bruce Willis. 

Interesting!  I was unaware of this.  This actually explains his very sudden departure from Chesapeake Shores -- scheduling conflicts.  

[Maelstrom]

Getting ready to start The Pen Pal but I won’t be able to watch it without thinking of one of my favorite Galavant songs:

ETA - just finished watching, and this was actually a lot of fun! It was entertaining enough to hold my interest throughout without just making me think about Galavant the entire time.

Mallory and Joshua had great chemistry, no doubt from their Galavant days, and I loved that each of their characters got to grow and mature a little. And I liked the friendship between the three ladies, and that the other two got their own little stories instead of just being there for the lead to talk to. The scenery was beautiful as well, especially the chateau. Overall I’d say this is a cut above the average Hallmark fare, and one I can see myself happily rewatching. 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Maelstrom

[ShelleySue]

Ok, now I have to find Galavant and binge watch it. Does anyone know what streaming services it's on?

Quick question.  I'm Jewish and we  have both parents walk the bride and groom down the aisle. I was surprised to see that in Her Pen Pal (although not sure if the groom actually walked down the aisle). Is that a new wedding trend?

[bankerchick]

I'm Roman Catholic and both of my parents walked me down the aisle in 1980.  Though I can't remember for sure (that marriage is long in the past) I think my in-laws walked the groom down the aisle as well.  I don't think I've seen this trend in decades (except for Modern Family when both sets of parents walked both Cam and Mitch down the aisle.)

Because of the comments here, I finished The Pen Pal last night.  Still didn't like it.  I got the impression we were supposed to think Jacques was incredibly swoon-y but the only time I found him attractive was the first glimpse of him in a tux at the wedding.

 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, ShelleySue said:

Ok, now I have to find Galavant and binge watch it. Does anyone know what streaming services it's on?

It’s not on any of them. Disney+ will probably have it but no date has been announced. 

[Cetacean]

11 hours ago, ShelleySue said:

Ok, now I have to find Galavant and binge watch it. Does anyone know what streaming services it's on?

It's for sale on several services but not for free.

[Lugal]

At least The Baker's Son had a First Nations person with a speaking part and an interracial couple.  I think we can all conclude that Hallmark got the message: diversity is good for the bottom line.  And I enjoyed people tasting "fresh baked" bread that was clearly a day old at least, judging by the effort it took to rip pieces off of it.

I did check out Her Pen Pal, like everyone else for the Galavant mini-reunion, but ended up enjoying it on it's own merits.  Plus it's funny to see Mallory and Joshua get their love story together considering how it went on Galavant.

 

[Cetacean]

I guess unless you were a Galavant fan, Her Pen Pal didn't carry the same weight. I thought it was a snooze.

[Spartan Girl]

@ShelleySue The last time I checked Galavant is on Netflix. 

Edited June 25, 2021 by Spartan Girl

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

@ShelleySue The last time I checked Galavant is on Netflix. 

It’s not there anymore. It left Netflix last September. Disneyplus.com has a page reserved for it so, presumably, it will be added there soon. 

[Spartan Girl]

27 minutes ago, Dani said:

It’s not there anymore. It left Netflix last September. Disneyplus.com has a page reserved for it so, presumably, it will be added there soon. 

Oh wow. I didn’t know. Hopefully it will be on Disney+ then.

[MAS8]

On 6/21/2021 at 4:16 PM, Irlandesa said:

He was on another primetime show which got cancelled and then he was on the Dallas reboot before moving to Hallmark.

Dallas was good! Sucks it was canceled. Jesse however was leaving Dallas after the current season before it was canceled. No hate but he's sadly got a history leaving shows he on as a series regular. 

[nokat]

Christmas in July is now in June. There is one Christmas movie I enjoy and that is "Journey Back to Christmas." Bure is a mediocre actress but I like her in this so I'm watching it again.

[bankerchick]

W Network in Canada is doing Christmas in July, in July.  3 movies every day from July 10-25 with the usual all day/all night weekend slate and a new premiere (Crashing Through The Snow.)  Some good ones (USS Christmas, Nine Lives of Christmas) some bad ones (Never Kiss A Man In A Christmas Sweater) but my two favourites (Christmas at Starlight, Project Christmas Wish) are not scheduled.  

My power went out last night half an hour before the end of Sand Dollar Cove, which I was enjoying because of Chad Michael Murray.  I could go out on a limb and guess that somehow the pier gets saved, CMM becomes a small town attorney and the lead actress sticks around, perhaps becoming an architect more devoted to small projects than large developments, but I would never like to assume.

[Irlandesa]

I tend to like CMM but last night's movie wasn't working for me. I don't know if I wasn't in the mood or if it was just a little too done without enough uniqueness for me to get into it.

I might give it another chance if enough reviews are positive.

[MerBearHou]

I watched about half of Sand Dollar Cove, but gave up because CMM was being his usual casual charming self and the lead actress was such a limp rag — ugh, she was as flat and uninteresting as I’ve ever seen on Hallmark.  Loved the scenery though — Mystic, CT mostly.  

[ShelleySue]

Last week we got Her Pen Pal where an American had a French accent, an Australian had an American accent and a Northern Irish woman had an American accent. This week we had to plod through Sand Dollar Cove and listen to CMM have a Southern drawl while he was supposed to have been born and raised in Connecticut. But I guess that's because no matter what character he plays he always plays the character the same way. And couldn't they have found an actor to play the mayor who didn't have a strong Southern accent? Oh well, it could have been worse.  They could have had someone faking a Boston or Downeast accent. My family has a strong relationship with the Stonington/Mystic area and I was looking forward to this movie, but it is definitely not on my rewatch list.

[bankerchick]

Maybe all the accents are why I thought this movie was taking place in the South, probably one of the Carolinas and was quite surprised when I found out it was actually New England.  I have been to Mystic and agree it is beautiful.  Curious - where is 'Downeast?'  In Canada, it would be the maritime provinces and they definitely have a distinctive accent. 

[WinnieWinkle]

51 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

I have been to Mystic and agree it is beautiful.  Curious - where is 'Downeast?'  In Canada, it would be the maritime provinces and they definitely have a distinctive accent. 

I could be wrong but Down East to me has always meant Maine.  But I'm a fellow Canadian (from the Maritimes) so am very open to correction.

BTW thanks to all above who commented on the Christmas in July that is upcoming - I get the Hallmark movies on the W channel here and I've checked the schedule and am happy.  Not playing all my favourites but definitely playing some I like a lot so the PVR will be busy next month!

Edited June 28, 2021 by WinnieWinkle

[Daff]

On 6/28/2021 at 10:51 AM, WinnieWinkle said:

I could be wrong but Down East to me has always meant Maine. 

You are not wrong. Downeast is what Mainers call the state (especially the coastal region). In Murder She Wrote, either the Sheriff or Jessica caught out an imposter by asking if he was from “Downeast”. The puzzled look and hesitant response of “oh, yeah, down NY way” revealed he was not local. 

[Scarlett45]

On 6/27/2021 at 11:28 AM, Irlandesa said:

I tend to like CMM but last night's movie wasn't working for me. I don't know if I wasn't in the mood or if it was just a little too done without enough uniqueness for me to get into it.

I might give it another chance if enough reviews are positive.

 

On 6/27/2021 at 12:54 PM, MerBearHou said:

I watched about half of Sand Dollar Cove, but gave up because CMM was being his usual casual charming self and the lead actress was such a limp rag — ugh, she was as flat and uninteresting as I’ve ever seen on Hallmark.  Loved the scenery though — Mystic, CT mostly.  

I was looking forward to this one, because I do like CMM and Aly Michalka was very charming on iZombie, but it did nothing for me. I turned it off and went to sleep.

[dubstepford wife]

If you haven't already seen it, I highly recommend checking out Jen Lilley's IG, specifically this post.  She's doing a fundraiser to help children in foster care, and she gets some help from many of the so-called "Hallmark Hunks."  They're great sports about it.  I think it's the wink at the end that gets me.

[nokat]

On 6/28/2021 at 7:51 AM, WinnieWinkle said:

I could be wrong but Down East to me has always meant Maine.  But I'm a fellow Canadian (from the Maritimes) so am very open to correction.

We (as in the US) call people from Maine Yankees. I was up near the border of Ontario and there wasn't a lot of worry over exchange rates so I have a lot of Canadian quarters. They don't work in our vending machines so I have to sort through them.

[bankerchick]

No worry about exchange rates?  Must be covid.  Usually a cashier in Michigan or New York can spot a Canadian coin at 10 paces (and in fairness, any Canadian cashier can spot a US coin and will dig it out of their register and replace it with a Canadian one.)  One thing I know - if it's a penny, it's American!

Holy crap!  Thanks for the link to Jen Lilly's Instagram.  I'm not on Instagram and would never follow her, but I think I'm going to save the link to that page.  Wow!!  I think you could bottle that clip of Paul Greene and just call it 'panty remover.'  I might just play that over and over for 2 hours instead of watching a movie

[kirinan]

On 7/1/2021 at 12:14 PM, bankerchick said:

No worry about exchange rates?  Must be covid.  Usually a cashier in Michigan or New York can spot a Canadian coin at 10 paces (and in fairness, any Canadian cashier can spot a US coin and will dig it out of their register and replace it with a Canadian one.)  One thing I know - if it's a penny, it's American!

As lifelong residents of the Detroit area who go back and forth across the river to Windsor quite a bit (well, at least until COVID), we've learned to not even try to use any Canadian coins that make it into our change. We just toss them in a jar and save them for another evening at Caesars Windsor casino. 

And that was quite an interesting video; I'm not usually a fan of longer hair, but Will Kemp looked yummy! I also loved that Paul Campbell looked like he was about ready to start laughing. 

Edited July 4, 2021 by kirinan

[Daff]

On 7/2/2021 at 3:02 PM, kirinan said:

As lifelong resident of the Detroit areas who go back and forth across the river to Windsor quite a bit (well, at least until COVID), we've learned to not even try to use any Canadian coins that make it into our change. We just toss them in a jar and save them for another evening at Caesars Windsor casino. 

Interesting. You’re just talking about using them in vending machines, right?  Used to be very common to end up with several Canadian coins in your pocket in NY State. Now that I think about it, you don’t see them as much, but when it was commonplace, we never had commercial establishments refusing to accept them. I’m talking about just the coins. If you came back from vacation with bills, you’d have to exchange them at your bank. 

[Daff]

Not watching any Christmas movies on general principle (although, I do enjoy CCB and especially Skerrit in “Journey Back”). 
However, I may tune in for the new one-just to see that “Root” has found work!!

[Cetacean]

On 7/2/2021 at 3:02 PM, kirinan said:

As lifelong resident of the Detroit areas who go back and forth across the river to Windsor quite a bit (well, at least until COVID), we've learned to not even try to use any Canadian coins that make it into our change.

Yep, from the Detroit area as well.  There are even signs saying "no Canadian coins" in stores in the area.  And, no, they do not work in vending machines.

[ECM1231]

On 6/24/2021 at 11:52 AM, bankerchick said:

I'm Roman Catholic and both of my parents walked me down the aisle in 1980. 

Interesting. I'm Roman Catholic as well, married in 1983 and only walked down the aisle with my Dad. I had always thought it a Jewish custom to walk with both parents. Actually, I think it's a beautiful custom. My sister's marriage was interfaith in 1981. She chose to have our Dad walk with her while her Jewish spouse walked with both his parents.

It seems like forever since we've had new movies. I was away last weekend so I don't know if they aired any new ones. Even Murders and Mysteries channel is airing reruns. Bah!!!

 

[kirinan]

Just finished watching Cooking With Love, from 2018, with Ali Liebert and Brett Dalton. Another movie I really enjoy rewatching whenever it's on. It's not perfect, but it always leaves me smiling.

My husband thinks it's funny that Brett, who ended up playing a bad guy (or an alien; I forget which, maybe it was both) in Agents of SHIELD, is a Hallmark leading man, but I have to say, I think he's another reliable lead actor they don't use enough. It probably helps that I stopped watching AoS before his evolution into badness. I really liked him in Just My Type with Bethany Joy Lenz, which I also happened to catch just a few days ago.

Ali is one of my favorites, too, but I'm not sure how she feels about Hallmark these days, given the ham-handed way the channel has handled same-sex representation over the last couple of years. I would love to see her again in a new project, though.

GOOD MOVIE ALERT: I just happened to see on my guide that the Hallmark Channel is showing Christmas by Starlight next Saturday, 7/10, at 5 p.m. (Eastern).

Edited July 4, 2021 by kirinan

[bankerchick]

Huh.  It doesn't look as if W Network has Christmas by Starlight scheduled at all, which is too bad because it is my favourite, but is ok because I have it on PVR and will watch it at least once over the Christmas In July period (without having to watch the same commercial about Women Who Kill or Good Witch over and over a thousand times.)

Currently switching between My Christmas Dream and Winter In Vail.  Both are ok movies, both have handsome leads (David Haydn-Jones and Tyler Hynes -whose hair is not good in this movie) but it is a battle of who is less annoying - Danica McKellar or Lacey Chabert.  

Edited July 5, 2021 by bankerchick

[AAEBoiler]

On 7/4/2021 at 11:14 AM, kirinan said:

My husband thinks it's funny that Brett, who ended up playing a bad guy (or an alien; I forget which, maybe it was both) in Agents of SHIELD, is a Hallmark leading man, but I have to say, I think he's another reliable lead actor they don't use enough. It probably helps that I stopped watching AoS before his evolution into badness. I really liked him in Just My Type with Bethany Joy Lenz, which I also happened to catch just a few days ago.

Oh, my wife will not watch a Hallmark movie with Brett Dalton just because of what happened to his character on Agents of Shield. She audibly sighs, "Ugh, Ward" and leaves the room or turns the channel.

[nokat]

On 7/1/2021 at 9:14 AM, bankerchick said:

No worry about exchange rates?

I don't want to tell you how long ago this was. Way before covid.

[bankerchick]

Small yet annoying observation.  Watching A Winter Getaway, but noticed this in another 'winter' movie as well.  If you are in Banff, which is in Canada, and you are going to ski in the nearby mountains, there is no need to refer to them as the 'Canadian' Rockies.  They're just the Rockies.  Actually, once you're there, you can just refer to the name of the mountain or ski resort itself.  Or call it 'the mountain' or even, 'the hill.'  Nobody in Colorado says the 'American' Rockies.  

I know we discussed this months ago, but now that I am watching the movie, I have to clarify: poutine is pronounced poo-TEEN (or poot-SIN,) not POO-teen.

Edited July 7, 2021 by bankerchick