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

[ECM1231]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

but I thought her baby-doll outfits, pigtail braids and funky bike were a little much.

Oh my gosh, yes!!! I made the same comment to my husband. I didn't mind the braids that much but her outfits were ridiculous, especially that pastel one with matching pink bike helmet and what looked like a matching binder of some kind.

[kirinan]

I enjoyed South Beach Love, too. I would love to know how true to reality the elaborate preparations and stressed-out moms, etc. are to a real-life Quinceañera. Being from a half-Jewish family, I have first-hand knowledge of stressy weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs on my mom's side, so I felt right at home. :)

Taylor Cole is one of my favorites, so I was already pre-disposed to like her in this. I thought she did her usual engaging job, and just kind of handwaved her outfits as part of the Miami color palette. I LOVED the color of the dress she went dancing in. 

I liked William Levy when he was on DWTS, and thought he was just as appealing here. And may I just say how much more I enjoyed watching him than Hallmark's usual stable of bland, interchangeable look-alike leading men? (I'm not talking their A-list group like Tyler Hynes, Kristoffer Polaha, Andrew Walker, etc., more the B- and C-list group of up-and-coming actors you can't tell apart. The two guys in last week's Love Strikes Twice are a good example of what I mean.) His charisma just radiated from the screen right into my living room. Although I did have to turn my closed-captioning on to make out what he was saying sometimes. I don't remember his accent being so thick—which isn't a negative, just an observation.

So three weeks in a row, I enjoyed a new Hallmark movie. Are the end times near?

Edited October 10, 2021 by kirinan

[ShelleySue]

Did I miss something in South Beach? When they were in the dress store Lola’s dream dress was a plain (without any embellishments) dark green dress that was the same color as Teresa’s. Lola’s mother said that it was important that Lola wear green as a tribute to her Irish heritage. The dress shop owner said that pastels were out. Then at party Lola was wearing a heavily embellished pastel pink (ie not green) dress. Her whole “court” was wearing pink which would have required planning too. Did I miss the part about them changing her dress since such a big deal was made of her wearing a green dress?

[kirinan]

1 hour ago, ShelleySue said:

Did I miss something in South Beach? When they were in the dress store Lola’s dream dress was a plain (without any embellishments) dark green dress that was the same color as Teresa’s. Lola’s mother said that it was important that Lola wear green as a tribute to her Irish heritage. The dress shop owner said that pastels were out. Then at party Lola was wearing a heavily embellished pastel pink (ie not green) dress. Her whole “court” was wearing pink which would have required planning too. Did I miss the part about them changing her dress since such a big deal was made of her wearing a green dress?

They talked afterward (sitting at a kitchen or dining room table, I think) about Lola changing her dress. Someone (her mom?) said something like, "You shouldn't have changed your dress." I don't remember the exact details, but I do remember it was mentioned.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, ShelleySue said:

Her whole “court” was wearing pink which would have required planning too.

As @kirinan said there was a scene where they talk about Lola switching. The green was going to be a last minute change thanks to Sarah offering to pay. The pink was probably the original plan. 

[bankerchick]

5 hours ago, Dani said:

The green was going to be a last minute change thanks to Sarah offering to pay. The pink was probably the original plan. 

This is a good point, and was likely what happened (as if any of this really happened, I know it's just a movie...) except it seemed that the pink dress was probably more expensive than the green dress, which her parents were not going to buy for her because it was out of their price range.  Actually I remember thinking if her parents couldn't afford that green dress, which was pretty enough but very plain and unembellished, what exactly would the dress look like that they could afford?

 

 

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

This is a good point, and was likely what happened (as if any of this really happened, I know it's just a movie...) except it seemed that the pink dress was probably more expensive than the green dress, which her parents were not going to buy for her because it was out of their price range.  Actually I remember thinking if her parents couldn't afford that green dress, which was pretty enough but very plain and unembellished, what exactly would the dress look like that they could afford?

I was more thinking that the color pink was the original plan which is why everyone was coordinated to pink. The green dress made me think they forgot to make sure there was a suitable green dress available. It was obvious she wouldn’t be wearing that one as soon as it was shown.

The really unbelievable thing for me was that they would have perfectly matching decor for both girls. 

[ShelleySue]

15 hours ago, kirinan said:

They talked afterward (sitting at a kitchen or dining room table, I think) about Lola changing her dress. Someone (her mom?) said something like, "You shouldn't have changed your dress." I don't remember the exact details, but I do remember it was mentioned.

 

7 hours ago, Dani said:

As @kirinan said there was a scene where they talk about Lola switching. The green was going to be a last minute change thanks to Sarah offering to pay. The pink was probably the original plan. 

 

1 hour ago, Dani said:

I was more thinking that the color pink was the original plan which is why everyone was coordinated to pink. The green dress made me think they forgot to make sure there was a suitable green dress available. It was obvious she wouldn’t be wearing that one as soon as it was shown.

The really unbelievable thing for me was that they would have perfectly matching decor for both girls. 

I think you must all be right.  I was obviously dozing during the scene at the end when the dress was being discussed.  Maybe I was so thankful that Taylor Cole wasn't wearing braids or baby doll pajamas that I stopped concentrating.

[EyewatchTV211]

1 hour ago, ShelleySue said:

I think you must all be right.  I was obviously dozing during the scene at the end when the dress was being discussed.  Maybe I was so thankful that Taylor Cole wasn't wearing braids or baby doll pajamas that I stopped concentrating.

In addition to what everyone else said, when they were talking, there was reference to how Lola didn't need to cave/be the nice one and give up what she wanted. 

[quickjessie]

I just watched Wedding Every Weekend for the umpteenth time and I'll watch it again whenever it plays.  My all-time favorite.  Paul and Kimberly are just perfect together, cute plot and great acting.  Love it.

[bankerchick]

3 hours ago, quickjessie said:

I just watched Wedding Every Weekend for the umpteenth time and I'll watch it again whenever it plays.  My all-time favorite.  Paul and Kimberly are just perfect together, cute plot and great acting.  Love it.

100% agree.  I have pretty much memorized the movie and watch it pretty regularly.  Aside from the conclusion jumping from the half-heard comment trope which I hate, they are so cute when they stand outside the kitchen to get all the food at one wedding, and when they are 'messing with' the other flag football players.  Yet he is so clearly devastated when she suddenly rebuffs him at the rehearsal and again at the wedding.  Paul Campbell is one of the few Hallmark actors who can truly sell the hurt feelings and make me care.  I tried to get 2 different friends to watch this movie just last week, one a Hallmark fan who I believe was going to watch it and one a non-Hallmark fan, who opted for a nap instead.

[Chippings]

49 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

100% agree.  I have pretty much memorized the movie and watch it pretty regularly.  

So glad you said this, Bankerchick.  I have similarly pretty much memorized One Royal Holiday, and appreciate every single fine point (and weak spot, of which there are a couple).  Besides the story, I appreciate the caliber of the cast, four principals having heavy Broadway credentials (including two Tony awards), and their work in this show.  

I'll just ask - are there other of these movies that some of us have watched so much that we can hum along??

[kirinan]

7 hours ago, Chippings said:

I'll just ask - are there other of these movies that some of us have watched so much that we can hum along??

Oh, there are several I could entertain myself with by memory if I was stuck somewhere without a TV: Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Falling for You, Flip That Romance, Pearl in Paradise, Nine Lives of Christmas, Magic Stocking, Christmas in Angel Falls, Royal Matchmaker, Love, Romance & Chocolate, Winter in Vail, Cooking With Love.

[bankerchick]

Wedding Every Weekend, Project Christmas Wish, Bridal Wave, Nine Lives of Christmas, Christmas At Starlight, Window Wonderland, A December Bride, Falling For You, Appetite for Love, Anything for Love, 

And no doubt several more, whose names I cannot think of but sound exactly the same as every other movie on this list.

[quickjessie]

I love the movie with Rachel Leigh Cook where the plane is cancelled and her and the male lead end up trying to get home by train, truck, etc for Christmas.  I can't remember the male lead or the title but I simply love her in this.  I wish she was in more Hallmark movies.  I've rewatched Love Guaranteed several times for the gentle humor and great acting.  She's one of my favorites with Kimberly Sustand?

[SusanM]

56 minutes ago, quickjessie said:

I love the movie with Rachel Leigh Cook where the plane is cancelled and her and the male lead end up trying to get home by train, truck, etc for Christmas.  I can't remember the male lead or the title but I simply love her in this

This must be a common theme for Hallmark!  I know I've seen two movies recently where this happens A Christmas Detour  with Candance Cameron-Bure and Dashing Through the Snow which is based on a Debbie Macomber novel - not sure who's in it but it's not Rachel Leigh Cook.  Both were fun to watch.

 

[bankerchick]

4 hours ago, quickjessie said:

I love the movie with Rachel Leigh Cook where the plane is cancelled and her and the male lead end up trying to get home by train, truck, etc for Christmas.  I can't remember the male lead or the title but I simply love her in this. 

This sounds like Dashing Through The Snow, with Andrew Walker and Meghan Ory.  It was good.  I was less a fan of A Christmas Detour but Paul Greene made it watchable.

[SusanM]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

I was less a fan of A Christmas Detour but Paul Greene made it watchable.

Definitely!  I thought Candace Cameron was fine in that movie but her character drove me a bit crazy!  

[Guest]

6 hours ago, quickjessie said:

I love the movie with Rachel Leigh Cook where the plane is cancelled and her and the male lead end up trying to get home by train, truck, etc for Christmas.  I can't remember the male lead or the title but I simply love her in this.  I wish she was in more Hallmark movies.  I've rewatched Love Guaranteed several times for the gentle humor and great acting.  She's one of my favorites with Kimberly Sustand?

That’s Cross Country Christmas. I can’t remember who was the male lead but I don’t think that he is a Hallmark regular. 

[Cetacean]

19 hours ago, Chippings said:

I'll just ask - are there other of these movies that some of us have watched so much that we can hum along??

Loving Leah (on tonight), Magic of Ordinary Days, Sarah Plain and Tall.

[Clawdette]

The male lead in Cross Country Christmas is Greyston Holt. He has been in several movies - Christmas and otherwise - on Lifetime and UPTV.  Currently, he's on Chesapeake Shores, so he is developing a bigger Hallmark presence.

[GeorgiaRai]

Some of my top hum-alongs:

• Christmas with Holly
• Naughty or Nice - Hilarie Burton!
• Just My Type - I will always love Tutor Girl, and paired with Brett Dalton? Yes, please.
• Country at Heart - would watch the whole thing just to hear her say "I wish you didn't go" toward the end
• A Season for Miracles
• My Christmas Love - the one movie that SHOULD have been named "12 somethings of Christmas"
• A Christmas Wish - Edward Hermann!
• Heavenly Christmas - Kristin Davis, Eric McCormack, Shirley McLain-what's not to love?
• Snow Bride 
• A Very Merry Mix-Up
• Nine Lives of Christmas

I do try to be more discerning and snarky, but GAH! Hallmark brings out my inner cheesy.

[MerBearHou]

21 hours ago, quickjessie said:

I love the movie with Rachel Leigh Cook where the plane is cancelled and her and the male lead end up trying to get home by train, truck, etc for Christmas.  I can't remember the male lead or the title but I simply love her in this.  I wish she was in more Hallmark movies.  I've rewatched Love Guaranteed several times for the gentle humor and great acting.  She's one of my favorites with Kimberly Sustand?

I agree -- I think what I consistently enjoy about both of those actresses is that their humor is clearly part of their real personalities.  

[norcalgal]

On 9/21/2021 at 8:00 PM, Irlandesa said:

 Loving Leah, The Magic of Ordinary Days and Follow The Stars Home are some of the best love stories Hallmark has ever produced.  Good couples with real chemistry and drama from shame or complicated family situations. While there are third parties, it's more complicated than them simply existing.

Yep - I liked all three, but esp. Follow the Stars Home. What strikes me about the latter two movies is both had casting that was relevant and diverse before it became the "in vogue" thing. The Magic of Ordinary Days had prominent Asian-Am characters, and Follow the Stars Home depicted (to me) a fairly realistic situation involving a special needs child. Only in the last 1-2 years have I seen Hallmark make a conscious effort to have more diverse casting.

On 9/25/2021 at 3:54 PM, giovannif7 said:

Re: the bolded - I definitely agree. I just watched Raise A Glass To Love, and it puts to rest the ridiculous antiquated concept that an openly gay actor can't create believable chemistry when paired with an actress. Juan Pablo was also wonderful in Paramount Network's 2020 holiday film Dashing In December when paired with straight actor Peter Porte.

Huh - I didn't know that Juan Pablo Di Pace was gay, but I loved him in Fuller House. I felt he was one of the best things about that show.

On 9/27/2021 at 9:23 AM, kirinan said:

Did anyone else watch Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone on HM&M Sunday evening, and if so, what did you think? Of course, Tom Everett Scott has a place in my heart forever from That Thing You Do! but I thought he was quite appealing in this. I saw that the original book is by Phaedra Patrick, an English author whose books are on my TBR list, and I liked the movie well enough that this book will probably move up the list a bit.

 

On 9/27/2021 at 7:13 PM, Irlandesa said:

I liked it.  It had the most Hallmark Hall of Fame feel to it than any other Hallmark movie (HHoF billed or not) had in many years. 

For those who want more family stories, this is primarily what this was.  Yes, the teen was a little annoying.  Teens are annoying.  But she served a purpose in his life and she served a purpose in his.  And I like how they even acknowledged she was a bit much at times. 

The leads were very good and I really liked the story they told with them. I liked that trying to have a baby was pulling them apart and, in order to reconcile, they had to get to a place where having it be just the two of them is enough. 

I was expecting it to end in a surprise pregnancy, surprise adoption or that the niece was pregnant with a baby for them to adopt.  And that didn't happen at all.  They didn't even follow up on the adoption option which was refreshing for a Hallmark movie. 

Maybe the brother angle was a little undertold but all in all, I thought it was a good entry.

@Irlandesa you summed up my thoughts about Rise and Shine Benedict Stone. But the only reason I watched this was to see Mia Maestro since the only other thing I've ever seen her in was Alias. TBH, I didn't think her acting was much different than what I saw on Alias even though both productions are very different in storyline/tone. Mia just has that soft-spoken, gauzy way about her. 

On 10/3/2021 at 10:10 AM, SusanwatchingTV said:

I wasn't going to watch Love Strikes Twice, but y'all have convinced me to give it a try. On the previews the girl just didn't appeal to me and the guys seemed bland, but if y'all say it's good I'll check it out.

OK, you all have convinced me to try to catch this when it re-airs. But to be honest, I remembered Katie Findlay from The Bridge and wasn't too impressed. But...I will try to catch this movie because many of you gave it a thumbs up and now I'm curious.

On 10/6/2021 at 5:38 PM, twoods said:

Awww Desperate Housewives reunion. Will probably check that one out.

Aarrrgghhhh - I'm still pissed they killed off Mike Delfino!  Boooooooooooo.

[norcalgal]

So I just found a list of some of the 2021 Christmas movies and here are the ones that intrigue me:

• Boyfriends of Christmas Past

Leading up to Christmas, marketing executive, Lauren, is visited by the ghosts of four ex boyfriends. She must learn to open her heart or risk losing her best friend, Nate. (Yeah, it's basically Dickens' A Christmas Carol but I'm ok with that)

• Next Stop, Christmas

Starring: Lyndsy Fonseca, Chandler Massey, Lea Thompson, Christopher Lloyd

Angie wonders what her life would be like if she had married a former boyfriend who became a famous sportscaster. She takes the train home to spend Christmas with her family and inexplicably finds herself 10 years in the past. With the advice of the train's enigmatic conductor, Angie has the chance to revisit that Christmas and learn what –and who –is truly important to her. (Not sure I'll watch but wow - Alex/Angie from Nikita/Agent Carter, and Will from Days of Our Lives?!)

• Christmas at Castle Hart

Brooke Bennett goes to Ireland for Christmas to search for her Irish roots. While there, she meets Aiden Hart, Earl of Glaslough. Mistaken for an elite event planner, she's hired to host his castle's epic Christmas party. (The premise is completely ridiculous! In this age of modern communications/Internet no one should still be confused for anyone else beyond a few minutes!)

• Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday and Sister Swap: Christmas in the City

In these interconnected movies, Jennifer and Meg Swift are sisters who couldn't be closer despite living hours apart. Jennifer is in Salt Lake City, running a successful restaurant she started with her late husband and raising her teenaged son Simon. Meg stayed in their hometown of Hazelwood, helping their parents run the local bakery. This Christmas is the family's first since the passing of Uncle Dave who owned the town's beloved theater, The Madison, where many memories were made over the years. When Jennifer and Simon return home for the holiday, they become wistful for one more Christmas at The Madison, despite that it's for sale and in need of repairs. Meanwhile, Meg is helping Jennifer's restaurant staff in Salt Lake prepare for a Christmas competition among local restaurants with the winner earning money for the charity of its choice. With the sisters switching cities leading up to the holiday, they find a new sense of purpose and discover what they both truly need in life and in love. (I think Hallmark has done this before where there are two separate movies, but they are interconnected, and the plot of one movie carries over into the next)

 

[bankerchick]

2 hours ago, norcalgal said:

• Next Stop, Christmas

Starring: Lyndsy Fonseca, Chandler Massey, Lea Thompson, Christopher Lloyd

Angie wonders what her life would be like if she had married a former boyfriend who became a famous sportscaster. She takes the train home to spend Christmas with her family and inexplicably finds herself 10 years in the past. With the advice of the train's enigmatic conductor, Angie has the chance to revisit that Christmas and learn what –and who –is truly important to her. (Not sure I'll watch but wow - Alex/Angie from Nikita/Agent Carter, and Will from Days of Our Lives?!)

So, Love Strikes Twice, in red and green.

I am looking forward to the Paul Campbell movie, The Santa Stakeout, (next Sunday, PVR already set!) and the Nine Lives of Christmas sequel, though I am still wondering why they bothered climbing to the top of the fire truck and proclaiming themselves mountain lions, if it wasn't really forever.

 

[Chippings]

Quoting:  "I definitely agree. I just watched Raise A Glass To Love, and it puts to rest the ridiculous antiquated concept that an openly gay actor can't create believable chemistry when paired with an actress. Juan Pablo was also wonderful in Paramount Network's 2020 holiday film Dashing In December when paired with straight actor Peter Porte."

This caught my eye because I pretty much remembered reading that Peter Porte was also gay.  Just went and checked, and I'd remembered correctly.  

My favorite Peter Porte line was in the one where he was a teacher who had amnesia for a time, and the girl who had knocked him over and then befriended him mentioned that he was handsome, and his line was "Oh do you think I'm handsome?!"   D'uh --don't know how he read that with a straight face.  Umm, yes, sir, you are.  Very.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 9/6/2021 at 9:57 PM, 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 Convenient Groom, and I also like the movie she did in Puerto Rico:  Stranded in Paradise.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 9/18/2021 at 11:24 PM, Misslindsey said:

I am being silly and petty, but I do not want to watch Laura Osnes in anything anymore. I passed on her latest offering.

Agree!

I like Bethany Joy Lenz because she's in my favourite Hallmark movie, "Just My Type".  "Five Star Christmas" and "Snowed Inn Christmas" didn't do much for me though.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 10/9/2021 at 11:27 PM, ECM1231 said:

I really enjoyed South Beach Love. I liked learning about the quinceanera traditions. I don't watch DWTS so William Levy is new to me. Yes, please, more of him. Es muy guapo!!!

William Levy was soooooooooooooooo hot in this movie.

I also enjoyed "Love Strikes Twice".  The relationship with the main character and her brother was hysterical.

[Cetacean]

5 hours ago, norcalgal said:

So I just found a list of some of the 2021 Christmas movies

Every single story has been done at least once if not multiple times.  Surely there is one writer out there with some new ideas!

[kirinan]

I won't go into any of the movies here, because they'll belong in the the Christmas/other stations thread, but I'll just mention that I happened to catch the GAC Family two-hour "Welcome to Great American Christmas" preview special, which is starting now on GAC Family. It's hosted by Cameron Mathison and the woman who was in Home and Family with him (I can never remember her name--Debbie Matenopolous?), and Larissa Wohl, the puppy lady is there, and I'm kind of amazed at how many Hallmark actors I've seen in just 15 minutes. This should be a very interesting Christmas movie season!

Edit: Groan, I think every single movie has had hot chocolate mentioned so far. 

Edited October 17, 2021 by kirinan

[bankerchick]

12 hours ago, kirinan said:

Edit: Groan, I think every single movie has had hot chocolate mentioned so far. 

Hot chocolate or hot cocoa?   I have personally never heard anyone call it hot cocoa but they seem to be able to build many movies around it.

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, bankerchick said:

 I have personally never heard anyone call it hot cocoa but they seem to be able to build many movies around it.

Yeah, not too many cold cocoa offerings - wouldn't that just be chocolate milk?  It's just stupid.  And I live in northern Michigan and "hot chocolate" is not the beverage of choice at any time.  That's apparently what writers in CA think is the only thing we drink when it's cold.

Edited October 17, 2021 by Cetacean

[Dr.OO7]

I was watching a repeat of "Murder, She Wrote" last night and caught a hilarious promo for the upcoming Christmas movie marathon--a bunch of kids are out trick or treating, go up to the house decorated for Halloween, then decide to go to the house decorated for Christmas and get candy canes instead.

"On this network, we celebrate Halloween a little differently."

How amusing that they even they are beginning to mock how early they start the Christmas hype.

[kirinan]

5 hours ago, bankerchick said:

Hot chocolate or hot cocoa?   I have personally never heard anyone call it hot cocoa but they seem to be able to build many movies around it.

That is a really good question I can't answer. This Michigander drinks hot chocolate/cocoa so infrequently (even in the winter!) that I never pay attention to which term they use (it's all chocolate to me). Plus I'm too busy being annoyed that they think you can't have a holiday movie without it. I'll have to catch it again and see what they say.

[norcalgal]

On 10/13/2021 at 10:31 PM, Clawdette said:

The male lead in Cross Country Christmas is Greyston Holt. He has been in several movies - Christmas and otherwise - on Lifetime and UPTV.  Currently, he's on Chesapeake Shores, so he is developing a bigger Hallmark presence.

I've watched Greyston Holt in a couple of Hallmark (or its competitors) movies (he was also on Once Upon a Time as a knight frozen in time) and never cared for him in those holiday shows. But catch him in the Canadian show Bitten -  and wowza!  Greyston really brings the smolder and hotness as Clay Danvers. 

I wish he and Laura Van Der Voort would do one of these Hallmark movies together, as I'd like to see if their chemistry from Bitten translates into these formulaic, saccharine Hallmark movies.

Edited October 17, 2021 by norcalgal

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, kirinan said:

This Michigander drinks hot chocolate/cocoa so infrequently (even in the winter!) that I never pay attention to which term they use (it's all chocolate to me).

And this Michigander is way more likely to have a cold beer after shoveling snow than something hot!

But then these are people that staple orange leaves to a tree or two and try and pass it off as "autumn".  I bet none of them have ever even been outside of CA, they just assume that we're too stupid to notice.

[Lugal]

On 10/16/2021 at 8:27 AM, norcalgal said:

Next Stop, Christmas

Starring: Lyndsy Fonseca, Chandler Massey, Lea Thompson, Christopher Lloyd

Angie wonders what her life would be like if she had married a former boyfriend who became a famous sportscaster. She takes the train home to spend Christmas with her family and inexplicably finds herself 10 years in the past. With the advice of the train's enigmatic conductor, Angie has the chance to revisit that Christmas and learn what –and who –is truly important to her. (Not sure I'll watch but wow - Alex/Angie from Nikita/Agent Carter, and Will from Days of Our Lives?!)

And it's a time travel movie with 2 stars from Back to the Future.

[SusanwatchingTV]

I watched South Beach Love, The Vows We Keep, and Advice to Love By this weekend.  I’ve got a little cold, so there’s nothing else to do, really.

I liked South Beach Love okay. Being in Texas I’m very familiar with quinceaneras, so it was kind of interesting seeing what they did with it.  I liked the couple okay, but the rest of it was just okay for me.

 

The Vows We Keep was pretty dull.  The couple was cute, but I was bored for most of the show. They really needed to do more to liven it up or something.

 

Advice to Love By was definitely my favorite of the three. That couple was adorable and very well suited to each other, plus I loved the sister and her art and the editor and her love troubles, too. It all worked really well for me and I wasn’t bored.  The only irritating part was her stomping out of his apartment after discovering he wrote the column, but it’s a hallmark movie so all can’t go smoothly.  

 

Oh, and on the Hot Chocolate topic, it rarely is cold enough here for hot cocoa, but we don’t have Christmas without it.  It’s tradition.  I love that Hallmark movies always include all those little Christmas tropes.  That’s what makes them so much fun.  I made Hallmark Bingo cards for my family and we all love getting a match when the girl is wearing a red coat and they finally take a sip of cocoa (they have to actually sip, not just hold the drink).  I hope Hallmark never changes.

[bankerchick]

42 minutes ago, SusanwatchingTV said:

I made Hallmark Bingo cards for my family and we all love getting a match when the girl is wearing a red coat and they finally take a sip of cocoa (they have to actually sip, not just hold the drink).  I hope Hallmark never changes.

This is awesome!  I should do that, though I would have to play the game by myself as nobody else I know will watch the movies.

I agree with you about all 3 movies.  I started The Vows We Keep but bailed, and agree that Advice to Love By was the best of them.

Edited October 18, 2021 by bankerchick

[kathyk2]

I loved the latest Signed Sealed Delivered movie. I think it's the last one based on the flashbacks through the series. They had a time skip from the last movie to this one.

[MerBearHou]

21 minutes ago, kathyk2 said:

I loved the latest Signed Sealed Delivered movie. I think it's the last one based on the flashbacks through the series. They had a time skip from the last movie to this one.

I loved it too.  So much.  It was a joy to see these folks again and I truly hope this isn’t the last one.  The “Never My Love” scene was wonderful.  

[Irlandesa]

30 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

The “Never My Love” scene was wonderful.  

It was so bloody wonderful.  It was uplifting and romantic. 

I love that this series will often subvert expectations in a wonderful way as they did with the pregnant woman when Normal realized that perhaps adopting the baby wasn't the best solution.

And I was all teary when the firefighters came to pay tribute to Owen. 

Everyone looked terrific but especially Gregory Harrison.  He was just smokin'.

It was just a beautiful movie and a fitting ending, if it's the end.  But I hope it's not. 

[Cetacean]

7 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

I loved the latest Signed Sealed Delivered movie.

Absolutely wonderful, start to finish.  Why can't Hallmark deliver that kind of quality on a regular basis?  This was head and shoulders above the pap they feed us all of the time.

Gregory Harrison hasn't aged a bit!  He looked fabulous.

Great underlying themes throughout the whole two hours.  "Never My Love" was just such a perfect touch for that scene!  So great that Shane knew Oliver well enough to figure out his fears.

Norman and Rita were so endearing and not as nutty as they used to be.  Even Shane's mom grew on me.

Wonderful backstory as well.

Kissing, hugging, touching appropriate to a couple in love and no last minute understandings - so real!

I will be rewatching this one multiple times!  Can't say that for 99% of the rest of the Hallmark crap.

[ctlady]

9 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

I loved the latest Signed Sealed Delivered movie. I think it's the last one based on the flashbacks through the series. They had a time skip from the last movie to this one.

I just saw the very first movie on Hallmark On Demand yesterday.  Absolutely loved the premise. About 3/4 way through the Christmas one too. Was so busy with other house stuff that I didn't realize there was a SS&D movie marathon running to get me caught up.  Oh well - guess I'll watch this new one when it uploads and be completely spoiled!

[MerBearHou]

11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

And I was all teary when the firefighters came to pay tribute to Owen. 

Oh my gosh, same here.  The Owen storyline was so heartwarming, his lovely mom who chose to serve, Fred, and those firefighters at the house...teary too!

[bankerchick]

Currently watching A December Bride where they clearly called it 'hot cocoa' and they are even drinking, even though they are swinging the cups around and we can see they are empty.

[Daff]

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

Oh my gosh, same here.  The Owen storyline was so heartwarming, his lovely mom who chose to serve, Fred, and those firefighters at the house...teary too!

Although I liked the one with the 3 little sisters who sold the vase (that in present time might have saved the farm), my absolute favorite was the one in Washington when they convinced the senate committee to save the captive mom stranded in Afghanistan. I agree, don’t really want them to end, but if it’s so, it was fitting. 

[Cetacean]

7 minutes ago, Daff said:

...my absolute favorite was the one in Washington when they convinced the senate committee to save the captive mom stranded in Afghanistan.

Mine, too.  It was really a great story from start to finish and was actually two movies.  All of their mysteries were great, I think.  I like the wedding dress one as well.

I rather doubt there will be any more but it's possible.  The first series was way back in 2014 with 10 episodes.  Then there were scattered episodes for the next few years.  Then the gap between Norman and RIta's wedding in 2018 to Oliver and Shane getting hitched in 2021.  I'm not sure if they will stretch things any further.  But you never know