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

[norcalgal]

On 8/11/2021 at 8:15 PM, Dani said:

Kimberly Sustand’s Christmas movie this year is supposed to be the Nine Lives sequel. 

Will Brandon Routh return as well?

On 8/11/2021 at 8:15 PM, Dani said:

I was looking at a list of the Christmas movies planned

WOW - Fernando from Fuller House and Nadia from Alias will be in upcoming Hallmark movies??!!  Never thought I'd see those actors join the Hallmark family...

[norcalgal]

On 8/26/2021 at 7:38 PM, Woopwoopkitty said:

the other one who radiates chemistry is Marc Blucas

Maybe it's because of Marc and not SMG that out of all of Buffy's boyfriends, I liked Riley the best, and wished they had ended up together...  (still bitter they had Riley go down that dark hole of frequenting the vampire "crack house")

[Luckylyn]

I really liked the cast for Sweet Pecan Summer but found the movie overall boring.   I don’t think the leads had much chemistry.  Also just once when there’s a “sell the family business “ plot I want the sale to actually go through.

[mikeb]

6 hours ago, norcalgal said:

Will Brandon Routh return as well?

Yes,  Brandon Routh will return for Nine Lives of Christmas sequel.  It's working title is The Nine Kittens of Christmas.  Some spoilers are here https://heavy.com/entertainment/hallmark/the-nine-lives-of-christmas-sequel/

Also, recently saw that Nine Lives was based on a book, where part of the story was told from viewpoint of cat.

Edited August 29, 2021 by mikeb

[twoods]

1 hour ago, Luckylyn said:

I really liked the cast for Sweet Pecan Summer but found the movie overall boring.   I don’t think the leads had much chemistry.  Also just once when there’s a “sell the family business “ plot I want the sale to actually go through.

Bummer. I like Wes Brown so I may still check it out and excited that the lead actress is someone new who is Taiwanese. 

[bankerchick]

2 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

I really liked the cast for Sweet Pecan Summer but found the movie overall boring.   I don’t think the leads had much chemistry.  Also just once when there’s a “sell the family business “ plot I want the sale to actually go through.

The scene near the beginning where the actress opens the door and Wes Brown is standing there made me go 'wow' though I have never been particularly attracted to him before.  That unfortunately was the highlight of the movie, which I also found to be incredibly slow.  Also, the lead character was extremely unlikeable and listening to Aunt Carol speak was like nails on the chalkboard.  The scene where Aunt Carol had to practically ask her niece's permission to accept an offer to sell her own pecan farm! was incredibly frustrating and why is it always the person who owns the imperiled property who has to explain to the entitled family member that 'it's just a farm/cafe/bookstore and we can still love each other even if the property is gone'?

I am currently watching How To Fall In Love for the 100th time.  The story is fun and the leads have chemistry.

[Crashcourse]

Granted, I don't watch many Hallmark movies but I'm watching the Sarah, Plain and Tall movies and it seems like every five minutes they run the same damn commercials for their other shows.   It's almost unwatchable because of the same commercials being run so often.

[kirinan]

4 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Granted, I don't watch many Hallmark movies but I'm watching the Sarah, Plain and Tall movies and it seems like every five minutes they run the same damn commercials for their other shows.   It's almost unwatchable because of the same commercials being run so often.

My husband and I watched two of the McBride movies yesterday on Drama, and by about halfway through the second one, Mr. kirinan was yelling at the screen telling them to STOP WITH THE SAME DAMN COMMERCIALS ALREADY! So I had to tape the other ones he wanted to see and we can watch them next weekend and FF through the commercials. So, so, SO annoying.

Edited August 30, 2021 by kirinan

[Maelstrom]

15 hours ago, mikeb said:

Also, recently saw that Nine Lives was based on a book, where part of the story was told from viewpoint of cat.

I adore the movie so I read the book several years ago - movie wins hands down. Both main characters were super bland in the book, with Merilee being the typical shy, meek “he couldn’t possibly be interested in little old me” type, and Zachary is much more the ladies’ man. There’s more Blair (she’s older, with a teenage son), no vet school for Merilee, and more changes I can’t recall right now. The chapters from Ambrose’s POV were fun, but overall I didn’t really care for the book. The movie made a lot of improvements IMO.

Edited August 30, 2021 by Maelstrom

[ShelleySue]

22 hours ago, bankerchick said:

The scene where Aunt Carol had to practically ask her niece's permission to accept an offer to sell her own pecan farm! was incredibly frustrating and why is it always the person who owns the imperiled property who has to explain to the entitled family member that 'it's just a farm/cafe/bookstore and we can still love each other even if the property is gone'?

Right.  Amanda's parents and brother moved away from Pecan Hill (I think that's the name of the town). probably selling the home in which Amanda grew up,  without any problem. Amanda moved to Atlanta and that was ok.  But heaven forbid Aunt Carol sell the farm to a developer so she can be with Walter!  I'm a Wes Brown fan so I thought this movie was good, although, as usual I saw the big misunderstanding coming as soon as people started asking questions at the open house. And, the resolution was obvious as soon as Aunt Carol used the almond oil on her hands the first time.  

I'm not sure this is allowed here, but here goes . . .  if anyone is interested, the UpTV movies are getting better in quality.  There have been some cute ones lately that actually rival Hallmark movies (gasp).

[bankerchick]

17 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Granted, I don't watch many Hallmark movies but I'm watching the Sarah, Plain and Tall movies and it seems like every five minutes they run the same damn commercials for their other shows.   It's almost unwatchable because of the same commercials being run so often.

Maybe it's a policy for Hallmark movies, or maybe nobody else wants to advertise on their shows, but W Network in Canada which carries the Hallmark movies is exactly the same.  And when I have to watch a commercial for Women Who Kill or Nancy Drew every few minutes (or sometimes twice in the same commercial break,) it is not a pleasant experience for me.

 

[norcalgal]

On 8/29/2021 at 5:20 AM, Luckylyn said:

I really liked the cast for Sweet Pecan Summer but found the movie overall boring.   I don’t think the leads had much chemistry.  Also just once when there’s a “sell the family business “ plot I want the sale to actually go through.

I'm neutral on the casting except:  I think this is the first time Hallmark has the inter-racial pair as White/Asian...?  Can anyone confirm/correct?

And I was a little confused about the status of the pecan farm.  So are Amanda & her business partner Sasha now running it as a working farm SOLELY because they are using pecan oil in their products?  Is it realistic that Amanda and Sasha can run both businesses at the same time?

On 8/29/2021 at 8:01 AM, bankerchick said:

The scene near the beginning where the actress opens the door and Wes Brown is standing there made me go 'wow' though I have never been particularly attracted to him before.  That unfortunately was the highlight of the movie, which I also found to be incredibly slow.  Also, the lead character was extremely unlikeable and listening to Aunt Carol speak was like nails on the chalkboard.  The scene where Aunt Carol had to practically ask her niece's permission to accept an offer to sell her own pecan farm! was incredibly frustrating and why is it always the person who owns the imperiled property who has to explain to the entitled family member that 'it's just a farm/cafe/bookstore and we can still love each other even if the property is gone'?

For me, the highlight was Amanda sabotaging the sale of the farm to any other interested parties (farm is "haunted", "good job filling in sinkhole"). I thought that was FUNNY!

Points to the show for the subtle showing of Amanda and Aunt Carol switching out their "outside" shoes for house slippers at the beginning of the show. I can tell you that's a real thing we do...

As for Lauren Tom (aka Aunt Carol), yeah, her voice is somewhat nasally/scratchy, but I guess I'm used to it. I watched her on the Disney show Andi Mack.

[Chippings]

On 8/28/2021 at 10:58 PM, norcalgal said:

For me, the ones that immediately come to mind are: Bridal Wave, Lucky 7, Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, A Very Merry Mix Up, and Crown for Christmas. I know, I know....Danica McKellar, but I have a soft spot for the male lead since I saw him way back in the day on the show MI-5 (called Spooks in the UK).

Just read this a couple of days later, and wanted to say I am with you entirely on Bridal Wave, Very Merry Mix Up and Crown for Christmas.  The male lead in Crown for Christmas  is Rupert Penry-Jones, whom I saw a few years ago in a Persuasion (Jane Austen), and he played a slightly too young Captain Wentworth.  I also watch / listen to "Master Class" episodes of Great British Baking Show, because he does the narrations. 

 It's great when they pull in a really good British actor for their leads (Will Kemp is another), and a couple of years ago I liked a young actor named Jack Donnelly, who was the "Prince" in something like Royal Winter (could be off on that title).  He hasn't been seen again.   I'd bet a nickel they never get Rupert Penry-Jones back, though. 

[SusanwatchingTV]

9 hours ago, Chippings said:

Just read this a couple of days later, and wanted to say I am with you entirely on Bridal Wave, Very Merry Mix Up and Crown for Christmas.  The male lead in Crown for Christmas  is Rupert Penry-Jones, whom I saw a few years ago in a Persuasion (Jane Austen), and he played a slightly too young Captain Wentworth.  I also watch / listen to "Master Class" episodes of Great British Baking Show, because he does the narrations. 

 It's great when they pull in a really good British actor for their leads (Will Kemp is another), and a couple of years ago I liked a young actor named Jack Donnelly, who was the "Prince" in something like Royal Winter (could be off on that title).  He hasn't been seen again.   I'd bet a nickel they never get Rupert Penry-Jones back, though. 

I adore Rupert Penry-Jones! I was shocked he did a Hallmark movie. I first loved him in MI-5, and then followed him to Whitechapel and Silk.  I need to look for some of his other work.

I'd love to see him in another Hallmark movie, but I doubt he'll ever do another one.

[norcalgal]

12 hours ago, Chippings said:

Just read this a couple of days later, and wanted to say I am with you entirely on Bridal Wave, Very Merry Mix Up and Crown for Christmas.  The male lead in Crown for Christmas  is Rupert Penry-Jones, whom I saw a few years ago in a Persuasion (Jane Austen), and he played a slightly too young Captain Wentworth.  I also watch / listen to "Master Class" episodes of Great British Baking Show, because he does the narrations. 

You know who else was in that version of Persuasion?  A young Felicity Jones!  😁

3 hours ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

I adore Rupert Penry-Jones! I was shocked he did a Hallmark movie. I first loved him in MI-5, and then followed him to Whitechapel and Silk.  I need to look for some of his other work.

I'd love to see him in another Hallmark movie, but I doubt he'll ever do another one.

Sigh, alas - I think you're right. I do wonder how they got him in the first place - or any other male lead who has only done one single Hallmark movie. Seems a bit random...

[twoods]

I absolutely love Persuasion and watch it once a year (and bought the dvd) because of Rupert Penry Jones. He is just so swoonsworthy.

[Cherpumple]

On 8/29/2021 at 11:01 AM, bankerchick said:

I am currently watching How To Fall In Love for the 100th time.  The story is fun and the leads have chemistry.

I saw this for the first time last week and really liked it. The scene where she teaches him how to kiss is practically risque by newer Hallmark standards, but it was actually very sweet.

[bankerchick]

On 8/24/2021 at 9:03 AM, SusanwatchingTV said:

Kristoffer Polaha on the other hand, always seems to be totally in love with his co-stars. In fact, in one of the movies I was thinking if I was his RL girlfriend I'm not sure I'd trust a word he said, he's that good at playing at being in love. haha

Though familiar with the name, I don't believe I have ever watched one of his movies until last night when I watched Double Holiday.  Not crazy about the actress, but he was really good.  Funny, sweet, sarcastic.  Much like Paul Campbell, my Hallmark husband.  I will definitely be checking out more of his movies.

[StrictTime]

Sunday 9/5 sees 3 of my favorites: Surprised by Love, Bridal Wave, and Wedding Every Weekend. SBL and WEW I watch almost every day when I’m doing household chores. “Something on your mind, DICK?” (SBY) My favorite line in Hallmark history.

[bankerchick]

1 hour ago, StrictTime said:

Sunday 9/5 sees 3 of my favorites: Surprised by Love, Bridal Wave, and Wedding Every Weekend

Two Paul Campbells and an Andrew Walker.  A trifecta of awesome.  I was starting to have an unhealthy addiction to WEW (Paul Campbell plays a wonderfully vulnerable character - I tear up every time he hands her her purse and says, 'well, bye') until it was supplanted by Project Christmas Wish, the one and only thing I have ever watched where Travis Van Winkle is attractive to me, but dammit, he is freaking hot in that movie (the long covid hair maybe?), the female lead is not awful, the kid is really cute and there is no stupid misunderstanding that makes me want to yell at the TV.

So yes, I am ready for the new Christmas movies.

[EyewatchTV211]

On 8/31/2021 at 2:56 PM, norcalgal said:

You know who else was in that version of Persuasion?  A young Felicity Jones!  

 

Actually, she was in the new version of Northanger Abbey, not Persuasion with RPJ. But she was with the also handsome JJ Feild. 

[twoods]

10 hours ago, bankerchick said:

Though familiar with the name, I don't believe I have ever watched one of his movies until last night when I watched Double Holiday.  Not crazy about the actress, but he was really good.  Funny, sweet, sarcastic.  Much like Paul Campbell, my Hallmark husband.  I will definitely be checking out more of his movies.

I liked Double Holiday because I like the lead actress Carly Pope. She’s in one of my favorite holiday movies Recipe for a Perfect Christmas that’s sometimes on Lifetime.

Kristoffer’s best movies are Pearl in Paradise and Dater’s Handbook. 

Edited September 2, 2021 by twoods

[bankerchick]

I am checking On Demand for either of those movies, which are not on there, but he is listed on Wonder Woman 1984 as Actor (Handsome Man.)  That's high praise when in a movie that also stars Chris Pine.

[Clawdette]

Lauren Tom's voice is unmistakable but so is her appearance.  When I saw the trailer I immediately recognized her as the medical examiner in one episode of the Closer as well as one episode of Monk where she played his exasperated dry cleaner who sewed a button back on with the thread running the "wrong way."  Very funny!

[norcalgal]

21 hours ago, EyewatchTV211 said:

Actually, she was in the new version of Northanger Abbey, not Persuasion with RPJ. But she was with the also handsome JJ Feild. 

Ooopsie!  Thanks for the correction!  I knew she was in an Austen adaptation and thought it was Persuasion. (At some point, who was in which Austen adaptation blends for me...I've seen too many of them!)  🤪😁

[norcalgal]

20 hours ago, twoods said:

I liked Double Holiday because I like the lead actress Carly Pope

Who here remembers Carly in the way old tv show Popular where she played one of the unpopular kids?!  I also saw her in a few episodes of The Tomorrow People (CW). They kept some of the stuff the waaaay old British original did...

[Jaded]

7 hours ago, norcalgal said:

Who here remembers Carly in the way old tv show Popular where she played one of the unpopular kids?!  I also saw her in a few episodes of The Tomorrow People (CW). They kept some of the stuff the waaaay old British original did...

I loved Popular. I wish it had lasted longer. 

[Cetacean]

I wonder if Hallmark has noted that the last umpteen postings here have nothing to do with Hallmark movies.  They are so bad they are not worthy of discussing!

[Chippings]

4 hours ago, Cetacean said:

I wonder if Hallmark has noted that the last umpteen postings here have nothing to do with Hallmark movies.  They are so bad they are not worthy of discussing!

Well, so true - but on a positive note, we have a strong affection for the ones a year or two or five ago, that were really good.  The lessons seem obvious:  ignore the traditional tropes (going home from big city to small town festival / father's farm etc), and try a different story (e.g. Very Merry Mix-Up comes to mind, and Most Wonderful Time of the Year).  Also, bring in strong actors from elsewhere than the usual, but from Broadway and England . Maybe Jaime Camil would be available ??  

 

 

[Cetacean]

The Magic of Ordinary Days on HMM today!  What a refreshing change, well written, well acted, not sickly sweet.  What a breath of fresh air from the schlock they pump out these days.

How sad how low Hallmark has sunk from their glory days.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, Cetacean said:

How sad how low Hallmark has sunk from their glory days.

I love The Magic of Ordinary Days but that movie was a broadcast network Hallmark Hall of Fame movie.  It was more money.  Bigger stars.  Broadcast network.

[Cetacean]

33 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I love The Magic of Ordinary Days but that movie was a broadcast network Hallmark Hall of Fame movie.  It was more money.  Bigger stars.  Broadcast network.

Understood. Still no excuse for writing drivel.

[Clawdette]

You can immediately tell the Hall of Fame movies from the others - and it's not just the more well-known cast.  Better scripts, better production in every sense of the word.  If I remember correctly, Hallmark used to make a couple of these each year and I can still remember the They were so warm and comforting. 

We could use some of that now.  Hallmark is missing a real opportunity.

[Koalagirl]

On 9/1/2021 at 11:22 PM, Clawdette said:

Lauren Tom's voice is unmistakable but so is her appearance.  When I saw the trailer I immediately recognized her as the medical examiner in one episode of the Closer as well as one episode of Monk where she played his exasperated dry cleaner who sewed a button back on with the thread running the "wrong way."  Very funny!

I recognized her as the grandmother on the Disney show Andi Mack.  

[Suzysite]

The eagles movie (can't remember the title) was basically a retread of the 'lets go hiking and find the hidden waterfalls' movie from earlier this year.   The scenery was gorgeous and the eagles were amazing, but come on, it was the exact same story, right down to accidentally revealing the location.

[bankerchick]

1 hour ago, Suzysite said:

The eagles movie (can't remember the title) was basically a retread of the 'lets go hiking and find the hidden waterfalls' movie from earlier this year.   The scenery was gorgeous and the eagles were amazing, but come on, it was the exact same story, right down to accidentally revealing the location.

I didn't watch the movie and didn't care for the waterfalls movie, but I am like you in that I can't remember the names of any of the movies, mostly because they are all close to the same (especially the Christmas movies) and are generally generically insipid anyway.  I did imdb last night's movie before deciding whether or not to watch (and opted out,) and it is actually known by two names ( Love on the Wings of Eagles and Journey of My Heart.)

[ctlady]

On 9/4/2021 at 9:15 PM, Clawdette said:

You can immediately tell the Hall of Fame movies from the others - and it's not just the more well-known cast.  Better scripts, better production in every sense of the word.  If I remember correctly, Hallmark used to make a couple of these each year and I can still remember the They were so warm and comforting. 

We could use some of that now.  Hallmark is missing a real opportunity.

Exactly.  When I was scrolling through channels the other day and saw Magic Of Ordinary Days I actually squeed - kind of like when I see a classic Lifetime movie about eating disorders, burning your abusive husband alive, jealous girls who kill they're pretty friend or who want to take your place as lead singer in your band and steal your boyfriend.

The formulaic repetitiveness of the current trope of Hallmark movies they're churning out are just, well.....boring.  The acting is OTT, the coincidences are eye rolling and attention to detail is non-existant

On Saturday I watched Stranded In Paradise which was On Demand.  Vanessa Marcil is lovely (though I didn't like that they dressed her very thin body in those stodgy suits, flared pants and flowy shirts and sweaters), but I thought James Denton looked a bit miscast.  Granted he was younger here than on Good Witch, but the pairing just didn't gel.

As for the eye rolling moments - she just got fired (er....her position was 'eliminated') from her company days before she was to attend an HR conference in Puerto Rico which she decided to go on anyway.  A) did she not stop to think the company would cancel her reservations/registrations and B) did the company forget to cancel the flight, but not the hotel and conference invite?

Denton's character is there giving a lecture on clean water, but later he and Marcil run into the hotel's gift shop where she's buying sunburn spray and he's buying this large, bottled water (that probably cost about $20) which had no label on it.

Shortly after spraying the tops of her badly sunburned feet, she's out on a long sight-seeing walk with Denton and even dancing.  I would think she'd be in too much pain

A hotel going under THAT much noisy construction would never be open to reservations - even at a reduced rate.  Too much liability for injury

A surprise hurricane lands both of the at the beach-front house of a former c-list actress who opens her home to them after hotel fire on their floor due to faulty wiring (again....liability).  They wait out the storm.... I mean, cat3 hurricane inside the BEACH FRONT house and the only damage the next day is a window that caved in.  Not one drop of debris on the beach.  I live in the northeast and even after a storm with only 21mph winds I'm picking up branches galore the next day!

The  owner of the beach house said to have been married to her husband for 48 years.  I don't recall saying how long ago her husband died, but even if did within the year, and they married when she was 20, that would've made her 68.  The actress playing the part did NOT look that old at all.

And where did the beach house owner just happen to have clothes small enough to fit Marcil's body?  No mention of a daughter who had happened to have left them

I'm sure there were more, but they're all I can remember for now.  Maybe these scripts wouldn't be so bad if writers at least put some effort into these little details and continuity.

[norcalgal]

On 9/4/2021 at 1:49 PM, Cetacean said:

The Magic of Ordinary Days on HMM today!  What a refreshing change, well written, well acted, not sickly sweet.  What a breath of fresh air from the schlock they pump out these days.

How sad how low Hallmark has sunk from their glory days.

Yeah, I recall liking this when it first aired these many years ago...Keri Russell was pretty good to the extent I didn't think of her as "Felicity" while watching. 

But I just couldn't get into Skeet Ulrich. Unfortunately for me, his eyes just look creepy and shady. Sorry Skeet - I know you can't help it!  (That's why I thought he was cast perfectly in the Scream films)

24 minutes ago, ctlady said:

The formulaic repetitiveness of the current trope of Hallmark movies they're churning out are just, well.....boring.  The acting is OTT, the coincidences are eye rolling and attention to detail is non-existant

Yep - yep - yep! 

24 minutes ago, ctlady said:

On Saturday I watched Stranded In Paradise which was On Demand.  Vanessa Marcil is lovely (though I didn't like that they dressed her very thin body in those stodgy suits, flared pants and flowy shirts and sweaters), but I thought James Denton looked a bit miscast.  Granted he was younger here than on Good Witch, but the pairing just didn't gel.

Vanessa Marcil isn't a strong actress. I didn't see Stranded in Paradise, but if it's anything like I saw her in The Rock (film with Nic Cage and Sir Sean Connery), I don't see her current character;  I see Brenda Barrett from General Hospital.

[SusanwatchingTV]

29 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

Vanessa Marcil isn't a strong actress. I didn't see Stranded in Paradise, but if it's anything like I saw her in The Rock (film with Nic Cage and Sir Sean Connery), I don't see her current character;  I see Brenda Barrett from General Hospital.

I remember her from GH, but I still see her as Sam Marquez from Las Vegas and can't take her seriously as a squeaky clean innocent type.

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, ctlady said:

On Saturday I watched Stranded In Paradise which was On Demand. 

Talk about having to ignore incongruities!  That was a hot mess.

[norcalgal]

On 9/5/2021 at 7:59 AM, bankerchick said:

I didn't watch the movie and didn't care for the waterfalls movie, but I am like you in that I can't remember the names of any of the movies, mostly because they are all close to the same (especially the Christmas movies) and are generally generically insipid anyway.  I did imdb last night's movie before deciding whether or not to watch (and opted out,) and it is actually known by two names ( Love on the Wings of Eagles and Journey of My Heart.)

So I watched this show (called Journey of My Heart in my viewing). Here are my takeaways:

1) I loved that necklace with the eagle feather inset inside. Wonder where I can get it?

2) this takes place in Alaska, but I could have sworn one shot depicted Half Dome, which is in Yosemite National Park in California

3) the scenery is gorgeous as usual for a Hallmark movie where the plot calls for being in nature 

4) Eric seemed passive aggressive. He could be charming and smiling and complimentary (lauding rookie Abby's fishing skill), but also at times a jerk. Such as: not answering Abby about what musical piece he was playing on the piano, questioning Abby's physical ability to make it to Eagle's Nest (I saw it as him dismissing a "city girl" and her ability navigate physically strenuous activity), and deliberately misleading Abby about being able to take her to Hidden Canyon when he himself had never been there. Finally, Eric was such a jerk to Abby about her honest mistake sending the bear photo. With nary an apology, he tells her he loves her at the end of the movie?!  WTF?! Completely unearned.

Basically, it was just weird to me how Eric was hot & cold. That's why I felt this pairing didn't work for me.

[Luckylyn]

I liked Vanessa Marcil in The Convenient Groom.  I remember when she was on General Hospital when I still loved that show.     

She was once in this horrible movie I can’t remember the name of.  Her husband was pressuring her to have a baby and she didn’t want to at that time.  Then she runs into her old boyfriend and has an affair.  Then she gets pregnant because her husband tampered with her birth control to force her to have baby but she’s uncertain who the father is because of the cheating.  It turns out the ex-boyfriend was sterile.   She decides to go through the pregnancy  and work things out with her jerk husband.  I don’t condone her cheating because she just should have left her husband since she was unhappy but tampering with her birth control was unforgivable.  I am horrified they thought staying with her husband who violated her that way was somehow a happy ending.   

The Magic of Ordinary Days is the only time I’ve like Skeet Ulrich.  In other roles he always has a creep vibe but in TMOOD I completely root for him as a romantic lead.  I remember when Hallmark Hall Of Fame were the best tv movies of the year.  I would look forward to them.  There was variety in storylines.  It might be romance, drama, memoir, etc…. The best Hall of Fame movies were when it aired on network tv.  The quality dropped once it moved to Hallmark Channel.  Now they just are generic movies similar to what they air every weekend just with a better budget.

[twoods]

@Luckylyn I agree that the Convenient Groom is my favorite movie with Vanessa Marcil. I didn’t think she was too bad in the Nanny Express as well. 

[Luckylyn]

9 minutes ago, twoods said:

@Luckylyn I agree that the Convenient Groom is my favorite movie with Vanessa Marcil. I didn’t think she was too bad in the Nanny Express as well. 

I like the Nanny Express but despise the bratty daughter in that movie.

[ctlady]

14 hours ago, norcalgal said:

4) Eric seemed passive aggressive. He could be charming and smiling and complimentary (lauding rookie Abby's fishing skill), but also at times a jerk. Such as: not answering Abby about what musical piece he was playing on the piano, questioning Abby's physical ability to make it to Eagle's Nest (I saw it as him dismissing a "city girl" and her ability navigate physically strenuous activity), and deliberately misleading Abby about being able to take her to Hidden Canyon when he himself had never been there. Finally, Eric was such a jerk to Abby about her honest mistake sending the bear photo. With nary an apology, he tells her he loves her at the end of the movie?!  WTF?! Completely unearned.

 I think I made it through an hour of this movie last night and gave up, so the twooo wuvvv at the end is nary a spoiler because, come on - I saw that coming.

Although your points on Eric are true, I did not care for Abby.  She was a clueless, naive city girl who spends her days in a lab.  That does not qualify her for the physical, mental and emotional undertaking of the long trek she was about to endure.  That's why she needs a guide (in the beginning she told Alice she didn't need anyone and that she'd basically figure it out).  Part of being a guide is to ensure the person's safety and, if for any reason, they don't feel they're up to task, it would be a liability to continue on.

She may have been joking, but her comments about if the acommodations at the halfway point would be a hotel or lodge (no, it was a tent - a very luxurious one I may add), or when they were going fishing quipping about, "are we heading out to a market"?  Yeah - there's a Whole Foods right in the middle of nowhere.  And when she started screaming for joy after catching a fish (conveniently fast) I was like, "uh, shut up before you scare the rest of the fish away"  And jogging and yoga does not qualify you as fit enough to journey up a mountain with 30lbs of gear on your back.  She acted like a silly girl saying "Yeah, sure...I've done this....sure I've climbed a mountain....sure I've paddled down a choppy lake.....sure I've roughed it.....piece of cake!"

And.....did she actually pack a dress and heels to wear in the scene at dinner at the halfway point where she got the feather necklace?  And to start that kind of a trek off that you've never done before, I would think she would've worn something more covering than shorts and a tank top to protect her arms and legs from scrapes, possible poison ivy and such.  

In a nutshell, just another dopey twit plopped in the middle of a first time situation and thinking she can take it on without any help.  

Edited September 7, 2021 by ctlady
Because it's a 'piece' of cake....not 'peace'

[Woopwoopkitty]

On 8/27/2021 at 8:25 PM, twoods said:

My must watch actor that always has chemistry with their lead besides Kristoffer is Michael Rady. I think I have enjoyed every movie he’s done on Hallmark. Hoping he’s in some upcoming movies.

I was channel surfing one day and stopped on an older episode of Grey’s Anatomy. I recognized a voice, And it was a young Michael RAdy. He was kind of nerdy looking in his younger days and without facial hair.  He’s definitely improved with age.

[Cetacean]

7 minutes ago, ctlady said:

In a nutshell, just another dopey twit plopped in the middle of a first time situation and thinking she can take it on without any help.  

Which we are supposed to buy without thought along with the rest of their subpar plots.  It gets worse and worse.  These are scripts worse than most high school creative writing classes.

[norcalgal]

4 hours ago, ctlady said:

 I think I made it through an hour of this movie last night and gave up, so the twooo wuvvv at the end is nary a spoiler because, come on - I saw that coming.

Although your points on Eric are true, I did not care for Abby.  She was a clueless, naive city girl who spends her days in a lab.  That does not qualify her for the physical, mental and emotional undertaking of the long trek she was about to endure.  That's why she needs a guide (in the beginning she told Alice she didn't need anyone and that she'd basically figure it out).  Part of being a guide is to ensure the person's safety and, if for any reason, they don't feel they're up to task, it would be a liability to continue on.

She may have been joking, but her comments about if the acommodations at the halfway point would be a hotel or lodge (no, it was a tent - a very luxurious one I may add), or when they were going fishing quipping about, "are we heading out to a market"?  Yeah - there's a Whole Foods right in the middle of nowhere.  And when she started screaming for joy after catching a fish (conveniently fast) I was like, "uh, shut up before you scare the rest of the fish away"  And jogging and yoga does not qualify you as fit enough to journey up a mountain with 30lbs of gear on your back.  She acted like a silly girl saying "Yeah, sure...I've done this....sure I've climbed a mountain....sure I've paddled down a choppy lake.....sure I've roughed it.....piece of cake!"

And.....did she actually pack a dress and heels to wear in the scene at dinner at the halfway point where she got the feather necklace?  And to start that kind of a trek off that you've never done before, I would think she would've worn something more covering than shorts and a tank top to protect her arms and legs from scrapes, possible poison ivy and such.  

In a nutshell, just another dopey twit plopped in the middle of a first time situation and thinking she can take it on without any help.  

I don't intend to watch this movie again (once was enough!), but I want to restate what I posted earlier. I think my issue with Eric was him assuming she's not up to the task physically. It was the way he just assumed/was dismissive, rather than simply asking what's her experience when it comes to mountain hiking/climbing carrying a heavy load. Your points are valid, but again, for me, it was the manner in which Eric took her as "city folk" not equipped for the outdoors.

 

[bankerchick]

Experienced or not?  Equipped or not?  Naive or not?  Dismissive of the other or not?  Ha!  At the end of the day, they are going to fall in love and no doubt live happily ever after.  It would be interesting to jump ahead 5 years and re-visit all the couples who fell in love despite being different in 100% of ways.  Small town/big city.  Farmer/high powered exec.  Easygoing guy/bitchy girl.  Christmas lover/Christmas hater.  Not to mention one of the parties (99% of the time the woman) who automatically jumps to conclusions, won't let the other party explain and thinks the answer is to give up on what they may have started to build to flee the scene and refuse to take phone calls while sitting on the couch at home bitching to her friends about the one who got away.

[ctlady]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

It would be interesting to jump ahead 5 years and re-visit all the couples who fell in love despite being different in 100% of ways.

There's a neat concept.  HMM:  Where Are They Now?  But then we may have to deal with their utterly adorable, snarky, precocious children