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

[kirinan]

2 hours ago, Stacey1014 said:

I haven’t gotten a chance to watch a lot of the movies (there’s just too many to choose from)

Agree with the bolded part of your statement, @Stacey1014. I made up my mind this year to only watch the movies that look good to me and not to chase them all, including those on UP TV and Lifetime, as I've done in years past. Life is just too short. And I love that this year, I've found several decent ones on Hallmark, and am not getting annoyed with the stupid or cheesy ones. And I may be missing good movies on the other two stations, but so far nothing there has appealed to me enough to watch it. I definitely pay attention to the reviews in this thread for the ones I haven't watched to see if I should, so thank you all for being my Hallmark Siskel and Ebert. 

Edited December 9, 2021 by kirinan

[Daff]

On 12/6/2021 at 9:02 PM, Dani said:

When they were doing press for one of their movies last year they mentioned they were developing a mystery series together. I would love to see that happen so they would be making a few movies together every year. 

Yes!!!!! 1000x, yes!

[DeafAngelboy23]

Just saw The Wedding Veil trilogy gifs pop up on Tumblr. I guess they released a 15-20 seconds clip but I’ve not seen it yet… 

[twoods]

I don’t know why it took me so long to watch Crashing Through the Snow but it was really good. I liked that it was a different story with a blended family, a nice new girlfriend, and Warren Christie! His chemistry with Amy Acker  was really good. Definitely one of the few I did not delete after it was done. 

[bankerchick]

I (sort of) hate to bring up the whole hot chocolate/cocoa conversation again, but I am watching a movie (non-Hallmark) that has split the difference.  The guys says, 'let's go for hot chocolate," and the girl replies, 'hot cocoa it is!'  It's sad that I even noticed this snippet of conversation, though it's no more insipid than the rest of the movie.

[absnow54]

Dickens of a Holiday started off so well! And then I fell asleep. They should have added a showmance angle or something and let Kris Polaha’s charm run wild. 

[Cetacean]

Dickens of a Holiday - what a waste of time.  Boring, predictable, with every single trope in the Hallmark library - and it was a two hour commerical for Ace Hardware with 50 shots of the outside of the store and bags with their logo. 

I want that two hours of my life back.

[shapeshifter]

16 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

Dickens of a Holiday started off so well! And then I fell asleep. They should have added a showmance angle or something and let Kris Polaha’s charm run wild. 

So are you saying A Dickens of a Holiday with Kristoffer Polaha might be worth watching?
If so:

• Sunday December 12 12:00 PM
• Wednesday December 15 8:00 PM
• Tuesday December 21 6:00 PM
• Sunday December 26 10:00 AM
• Thursday December 30 10:00 PM

or not so much?:

Just now, Cetacean said:

Dickens of a Holiday - what a waste of time.  Boring, predictable, with every single trope in the Hallmark library - and it was a two hour commerical for Ace Hardware with 50 shots of the outside of the store and bags with their logo. 

I want that two hours of my life back.

[Cetacean]

6 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

So are you saying A Dickens of a Holiday with Kristoffer Polaha might be worth watching?

or not so much?:

Depends on whether or not you feel like being bored into a coma.

[MerBearHou]

Difference of opinion!!  I absolutely loved Dickens of a Christmas.  I didn’t think Kristoffer could have better chemistry than with Jill Wagner, but I thought he and the warm, lovely, subtly funny Brooke D’Orsay were even better - they were magic together.  Both as old sort-of-friends and as people falling for each other.  Kristoffer seemed to be having a blast and their little humor moments were great.  I will put it on re-watch so for anyone curious about this movie, here’s a 2nd opinion!  

[Guest]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

So are you saying A Dickens of a Holiday with Kristoffer Polaha might be worth watching?
If so:

• Sunday December 12 12:00 PM
• Wednesday December 15 8:00 PM
• Tuesday December 21 6:00 PM
• Sunday December 26 10:00 AM
• Thursday December 30 10:00 PM

or not so much?:

I ended up loving it but that was 1000% Kristoffer Polaha who built a strong character in a really predictable and not very interesting plot. Brooke D’Orsay is very hit or miss for me but I thought she was perfectly fine here. Although you could remove the romance entirely and replace her with virtually anyone and it wouldn’t effect the movie at all. 

[Irlandesa]

I'm somewhere in the middle.  I read a review earlier that loved it.  I didn't think it quite lived up to that review but I agree that the leads were good together and there were some fun, light hearted moments. 

It held my attention.  I watched the whole thing. I don't regret it.  It was a pleasant two hours.  Is it something I'll rewatch?  Probably not something I'd go out of my way to watch again but I wouldn't turn it off.

Quote

I ended up loving it but that was 1000% Kristoffer Polaha

I'll say this, though.  If you like Kristoffer Polaha, this was a typical KP performance.  His character is like all of his other characters. 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Irlandesa

[GeorgiaRai]

^ Yes!! A "pleasant two hours" indeed!

And since a pleasant two hours is all I'm looking for from Hallmark, Dickens was a win for me; will watch again for parts I missed (due to online shopping and real-time snacking). 

[kirinan]

I enjoyed A Dickens of a Holiday, too. Was it a movie for the ages? No. Was it a nice way to pass two hours? Yes. Did it have Kristoffer Polaha in it? Yes. That equals a win for me. I have to look up Brooke D'Orsay, because while I know I've flipped by her movies, I honestly can't remember if I've ever watched a full Hallmark movie with her. But I liked her. I thought she had good chemistry with him. I kind of liked the little twist at the end, with her sending him away. It avoided that way-overused chase scene to the airport before The Big (and Only) Kiss.  

6 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I'll say this, though.  If you like Kristoffer Polaha, this was a typical KP performance.  His character is like all of his other characters. 

As my undying love for Pearl in Paradise and Mystery 101 (and repeated watching of movies I shouldn't admit I watch, like Rocky Mountain Christmas) can confirm, I'm a sucker for that character.

Edited to add: I also liked the story with the two brothers. I'm not ashamed to say I teared up when they reconciled on the porch. 

Edited December 11, 2021 by kirinan

[absnow54]

I was going to declare Dickens of a Holiday one of the top movies of the season after the first 30 minutes, but then the movie comes to a screeching halt, which is weird, because they rush the ending through the last 5 minutes. KP and BD had really good chemistry at the beginning, and the setup of acquaintances from high school reconnecting is one of my favorites. I just wish the middle wasn’t such a snooze. 

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, kirinan said:

I have to look up Brooke D'Orsay, because while I know I've flipped by her movies, I honestly can't remember if I've ever watched a full Hallmark movie with her.

She has been in a few but my favorite movie of hers was How To Fall In Love that she starred in with Eric Mabius. She plays his dating coach (and former high school crush).

 

[norcalgal]

On 12/8/2021 at 9:37 PM, Artsda said:

Enjoyed Very Merry Bridesmaid. The lead used to be on Days of our lives when he first started out. Was great to see him again.  I liked the reversal of the norm plot, the guy came back home and chose to stay, while the girl got to follow her dreams.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that in my post about A Very Merry Bridesmaid. I guess it's reasonable that the character of Chad DiMera now bears almost no resemblance to the CD portrayal because Casey portrayed a teen/early college Chad, while Billy Flynn's Chad is a grown man with a wife and kids. 

[anniebird]

4 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

She has been in a few but my favorite movie of hers was How To Fall In Love that she starred in with Eric Mabius. She plays his dating coach (and former high school crush).

 

I thought she was the best thing about Royal Pains.

[Shelbie]

She was also great on Drop Dead Diva.

[Chippings]

And speaking of featured Hallmark performers in other things, I just saw reviews for Victoria Clark.  She played Queen Gabriella in the 2020 "One Royal Holiday" (which has been on quite a few times recently, too).  She already has a Tony award from 2015, but has just opened in a new play called "Kimberly Akimbo" and has gotten fabulous reviews.  So pleased to see this!

In a pretty different role from Queen of Galwick, here she plays a 16 year old girl who has a rapid-aging disease, and appears to be 62.  It seems she is doing it *really well*.   

Of course we know that 'Crown Prince James' (Aaron Tveit) also won a Tony award this year.  But, presently, 'yay! Victoria Clark!  

 

[absnow54]

Finally caught Crashing Through the Snow and loved it! The two leads were allowed to have PG-13 chemistry! I also loved the dynamic with the ex. I just wished they’d focus more on how she was undermining the girlfriend’s Christmas when Kate was nothing but nice to her. Still, one of my faves this year. 

[twoods]

She wasn’t undermining Kate’s Christmas though. She didn’t want the stockings hung or her ornaments on the tree and mostly stayed out of the way, but Kate stole the thunder with the earrings. She also didn’t show up to the proposal dinner because she wanted to give them space. 
 

That hot springs scene though- yowzers. And all the cute,playful flirting. More of that please, Hallmark.

Edited December 12, 2021 by twoods

[absnow54]

5 hours ago, twoods said:

She wasn’t undermining Kate’s Christmas though.

I don’t think she was doing it on purpose, but she kept the youngest daughter with her after she sprained her wrist, when Kate obviously wanted to take both girls for the afternoon, and then they missed snow tubing for the copter tree, which her ex called her out for. Overall I thought the movie was really well done, but I would have liked a little more focus on Maggie and Kate adjusting to their roles. I thought the scene with the locket and the ornament making were nice. 

[Kemper]

I watched the one last night; the title escapes me. A prince falls for an army nurse while in New York. I couldn’t say if it was good or bad; but the stereotyping of New Yawkers and their accents, the father, etc., was just too much. Good grief, please just stop.

I currently have on the one with Laura Osnes (is that her name?) and the lead singer for Train…who looks like Jason Bateman. Sadly, the actor who played her love interest was miscast. She is lovely and he is Ken Doll handsome; but I thought he looked like he could have played her younger brother. Or even son. I like the actress -   it is the only other thing I have seen her in besides the movie with Aaron Tviet. I really loved that one.

[Crs97]

3 hours ago, absnow54 said:

I don’t think she was doing it on purpose, but she kept the youngest daughter with her after she sprained her wrist, when Kate obviously wanted to take both girls for the afternoon, and then they missed snow tubing for the copter tree, which her ex called her out for.

But the youngest wanted to stay with her mom at that point.   It’s tough; do you force the little girl to go away?  The helicopter thing was accidental.  The brother assured them they would be home on time, and then something broke.  She apologized better for that than the ex did for letting his girlfriend take their older daughter to get her ears pierced.  Then he complained that she didn’t fully accept his half-assed apology.  I was mostly annoyed with him over everyone else, though I think if they had given the stepmom more to do she would have won.

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, Kemper said:

I watched the one last night; the title escapes me. A prince falls for an army nurse while in New York.

Ha.  She wasn't a nurse.  She was a military vet/someone into musical programming for kids.  The title of the movie was A Royal Queens (cuz it's about a royal prince who hangs out in Queens, NY.--get it? Ha ha? ) I watched that this morning.  My plan was to automatically delete it because I've grown to loathe the royal and commoner stories that are so prevalent these days.  But I got sucked in by the leads and the music which was kind of fun for me and not generic. 

The movie got worse as soon as the royal element kicked in big time (his parents showed up in NY with the obligatory "arranged marriage fiancee") but I was pretty charmed for the first part of the movie.

There was a nurse in Hallmark movies, though.  That was in the latest Godwink installment. 

[SusanM]

3 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I was mostly annoyed with him over everyone else,

Same here!  First off, frankly, what did either woman ever see in him? but especially the young, uber rich one?  If they ever explained what was so fricking special about him I missed it.  I actually didn't blame him for not wanting his ex-wife to be sharing Christmas with them all at the home of the new woman in his life but he knew perfectly well that she got pushed into a corner as far as accepting the invitation went.  He was right there!  I didn't like the scene where he tried to make the ex-wife feel that she'd been the pushy one!  The new woman in his life was actually a nice person but she wasn't very good about accepting boundaries.

[oakville]

I loved A Royal Queens Christmas. It was funny & I enjoyed seeing the Royal York Hotel in Toronto being used for some scenes in the film.

[Daff]

5 hours ago, Kemper said:

but the stereotyping of New Yawkers and their accents,

But IS it a stereotype if it’s your dialect? Not mine, but I’ve been ridiculed by downstaters for my “flat a’s”.  It’s only really a problem if it impedes the meaning. I went to grad school in a southern state. Stopped into a grocery store to get ice for the cooler. When I asked where it was located (several times), the kid took off his hat in frustration, scratched his head, and said, “I’m really sorry, mam, I just don’t know WHAT you want!” 
Situation was remedied quickly when I said, “ Frozen water, in cubes, to put in the cooler so the beer stays cold.” At least some things are universal.

”Oh, you want ahhs” 

[bankerchick]

6 hours ago, Kemper said:

I watched the one last night; the title escapes me. A prince falls for an army nurse while in New York. I couldn’t say if it was good or bad; but the stereotyping of New Yawkers and their accents, the father, etc., was just too much. Good grief, please just stop.

The accents seemed a little over the top, but perhaps that's how people in Queens actually sound.  For me, it was all the exposition of all the small town traditions they have.  I have no doubt there are neighbourhoods in Queens where a few families get together to decorate snowmen with the kids or wish on a tree, but it's not like everyone in Queens participates.  Having said that, I did enjoy this movie and I am not normally a fan of royalty showing up in a small town movies.

This might sound like a compliment, but it most assuredly is not.  Ashley Williams delivers every line with a giant grin.  It makes her look like someone you would try very hard to avoid.  Kind've like her movies.

 

[twoods]

Speaking of Ashley Williams and her creepy smile, how were the Sister Swap movies? I don’t want to waste my time if they suck.

[MerBearHou]

17 minutes ago, twoods said:

Speaking of Ashley Williams and her creepy smile, how were the Sister Swap movies? I don’t want to waste my time if they suck.

Hahaha you read my mind!  I love Kimberly but cannot abide Ashley.  Curious about these movies as well.

[EtheltoTillie]

7 hours ago, Kemper said:

I watched the one last night; the title escapes me. A prince falls for an army nurse while in New York. I couldn’t say if it was good or bad; but the stereotyping of New Yawkers and their accents, the father, etc., was just too much. Good grief, please just stop.

I currently have on the one with Laura Osnes (is that her name?) and the lead singer for Train…who looks like Jason Bateman. Sadly, the actor who played her love interest was miscast. She is lovely and he is Ken Doll handsome; but I thought he looked like he could have played her younger brother. Or even son. I like the actress -   it is the only other thing I have seen her in besides the movie with Aaron Tviet. I really loved that one.

Aw, I was going to say the Royal Queens movie was one of my favorites this year!   I grew up in Queens, so I was pleased with how they did the accents.  They didn't sound fake.  Also, the prince actor was cute!  I just kind of like the way they wrote the story. 

My other favorite this year is the Hanukkah movie with Inbar Lavi.  She actually played a con artist on that con artist show. (ETA--Imposters.)   That's my entire previous experience with her. 

I found the Lacey Chabert Castle movie to be dull, unfortunately, and I turned it off.  Disappointing. 

I still haven't watched a few other of the higher rated movies. 

Edited December 12, 2021 by GussieK

[Bronx Babe]

My borough always gets the short end of the stick.   At least with Queens you can make the title have a double meaning in terms of royalty, but....what can you do with The Bronx?

[EtheltoTillie]

4 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

My borough always gets the short end of the stick.   At least with Queens you can make the title have a double meaning in terms of royalty, but....what can you do with The Bronx?

Yes, the Bronx, no thonx, is a famous pun.  My family originally came from the Bronx, so I give you all the Bronx support.  At least there's a famous Oscar-winning movie set in the Bronx.  Marty.  I love that movie. 

[StaceyNotStacie]

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

Hahaha you read my mind!  I love Kimberly but cannot abide Ashley.  Curious about these movies as well.

The hometown movie (the one that aired last week) was Kimberly focused with minimal Ashley. It was a pretty decent story about 20 minutes into the movie. The city one is probably Ashley centric and will probably be okay if she’s not too obnoxious. 

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, Stacey1014 said:

The hometown movie (the one that aired last week) was Kimberly focused with minimal Ashley. It was a pretty decent story about 20 minutes into the movie. The city one is probably Ashley centric and will probably be okay if she’s not too obnoxious. 

OMG I just turned on Hallmark and the Hometown Sister movie was on — the scene was a cute young guy talking to Kimberly Williams — I immediately thought “oh, her son is trying to convince her to stay so she could be happy there” — is that the love interest?!?  

[chitowngirl]

30 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

OMG I just turned on Hallmark and the Hometown Sister movie was on — the scene was a cute young guy talking to Kimberly Williams — I immediately thought “oh, her son is trying to convince her to stay so she could be happy there” — is that the love interest?!?  

That's her son. Her love interest is the gentleman with the young daughter.

[MerBearHou]

8 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

That's her son. Her love interest is the gentleman with the young daughter.

Thank you!  I didn’t stick with it so I don’t know who the love interest was, but the young handsome son really threw me — he doesn’t look THAT much younger than Kimberly though IRL he may be.  Anyhoo, thanks :)

[chitowngirl]

Kimberly Williams is 50! Father of the Bride was 30 years ago 😲

Edited December 13, 2021 by chitowngirl

[Clawdette]

Aww, I like Ashley Williams' smile.  When I first encountered her (in Something Borrowed) I thought she was a little over-the-top.  But as I've seen her in several other movies, I've decided that her smile is genuine and is a reflection of her personality.  She seems filled with joy.

[chitowngirl]

I adore her in Snow and Snow 2. My, those were quite some time ago too!

[Guest]

5 hours ago, twoods said:

Speaking of Ashley Williams and her creepy smile, how were the Sister Swap movies? I don’t want to waste my time if they suck.

They’re both pretty blah. Very paint-by-numbers. The Ashley Williams one has a more interesting supporting cast but the whole plot is basically that she is so special and adorable that she wins everyone over and saves the day. Kimberly’s character is less annoying but the plot and romance are pretty dull. 

The logic behind the swap is so bizarre I almost feel like it was insulting my intelligence. 

Edited December 13, 2021 by Guest

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, bankerchick said:

The accents seemed a little over the top, but perhaps that's how people in Queens actually sound.

I'm catching the last half hour of A Royal Queens now. 
Never mind the Queens accents (fading in and out) the prince just accidentally did the "r" sound on the end of an "a" which I'm pretty sure the Royals never do, LOL. 

But more startling was the appearance of Nicola Correia-Damude as friend Zoe, who I last in Coroner as a murdering psychopath, LOL.

[Bronx Babe]

6 hours ago, GussieK said:

Yes, the Bronx, no thonx, is a famous pun.  My family originally came from the Bronx, so I give you all the Bronx support.  At least there's a famous Oscar-winning movie set in the Bronx.  Marty.  I love that movie. 

Aw thanks, Gussie!     

I've always hated Ogden Nash for that pun....

Yep, at least we've got Marty!  

[Irlandesa]

6 hours ago, twoods said:

Speaking of Ashley Williams and her creepy smile, how were the Sister Swap movies? I don’t want to waste my time if they suck.

Ashley doesn't get under my skin the way she gets under other people's skin.  She's not enough for me to automatically like a boring movie but in the right movie, she absolutely works.  I watch October Kiss at least once a year.

I vastly preferred her half of the two-parter even though I overall do prefer Kimberly.  Doing a contest for a food bank resonated more with me.  I also thought the love interest had so much more personality than the love interest in Kimberly's movie. There was just more humor.  I laughed out loud at his expression after she said she had to go talk with her sister right after their first kiss. 

[Clawdette]

In a Royal Queens Christmas, Megan Park said:  "A bird and a fish can fall in love but where would they live?"  Didn't Drew Barrymore deliver this line in Ever After?"

Edited December 13, 2021 by Clawdette

[shapeshifter]

6 minutes ago, Clawdette said:

In a Royal Queens Christmas, Megan Park said:  "A bird and a fish can fall in love but where would they live?"  Didn't Drew Barrymore deliver this line in Ever After?"

Yes, but I'm pretty sure Fiddler on the Roof pre-dates Ever After. 😉

[Trini]

3 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

11 minutes ago, Clawdette said:

In a Royal Queens Christmas, Megan Park said:  "A bird and a fish can fall in love but where would they live?"  Didn't Drew Barrymore deliver this line in Ever After?"

Yes, but I'm pretty sure Fiddler on the Roof pre-dates Ever After. 😉

Well, dang - I was about to mention another movie that uses that proverb, but your example predates mine!

[shapeshifter]

21 minutes ago, Trini said:

Well, dang - I was about to mention another movie that uses that proverb, but your example predates mine!

Ooo! Which one?