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

[Tdoc72]

On 12/6/2021 at 11:53 AM, MollyMelrose said:

The Another World fan in me was beyond delighted to see the actress who played Sharlene Frame (and her amazing hair) as the mother in the Williams sisters' movie.

I remember her and she does have great hair!  It was nice to see her again. 

On 12/10/2021 at 8:50 PM, bankerchick said:

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.

I use them interchangeably, even though I know hot cocoa is richer. I also always use the hot in front.
~~~
I liked the Sister Swap movies although I did get annoyed as the one sister never mentioned she was falling in love w/her old high school boyfriend. He wasn’t even mentioned in the 2nd film, even though we met the 2nd sisters love interest Joe in the first movie. 
Also excited for Travis Van Winkle’s new movie next Sunday.  He’s so hot and he gives me 😍. Tis The season To Be Merry also stars Rachel Leigh Cook. 

Edited December 13, 2021 by Tdoc72

[Daff]

13 hours ago, GussieK said:

I grew up in Queens, so I was pleased with how they did the accents.  They didn't sound fake. 

Thank you. My point, exactly. If you grew up speaking and hearing that dialect, it doesn’t seem foreign or affected (for drama) to you. 
FWIW, the word “accent” only applies if you are speaking in a language that is not your native language. So, what we tend to call a British accent is really a dialect of the English language.  Although, in some parts of America (and Britain, as well), both words might apply, depending upon which language is used predominantly (I’m thinking Cajun or Gaelic). 

[Luckylyn]

6 hours 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?"

I remember also hearing that line in the film Corinna, Corinna in the scene where Ray Liotta’s mother is trying to discourage him from falling for Whoopi Goldberg.   Fantastic movie.  Their chemistry was amazing.

I am very behind in my Christmas movie watching and trying to catch up.  

[MissyPoo]

My introduction to Ashley Williams is the complete opposite of Hallmark. Lifetime and Nora Roberts's Montana Sky. She was mostly serious and barely smiled, so when I saw her in October Kiss, it was a bit of a shock since I was so used to her cowgirl character.

If anyone is curious to see a different side of her, definitely check out MS also for a good suspenseful story with some romancey and dramatic familial elements.

[Cetacean]

7 hours ago, Trini said:

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

The source is an old African proverb so the movies have just perptuated it.

[Trini]

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Ooo! Which one?

 

3 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

I remember also hearing that line in the film Corinna, Corinna in the scene where Ray Liotta’s mother is trying to discourage him from falling for Whoopi Goldberg.   Fantastic movie.  Their chemistry was amazing.

...

 

[Miss Bones]

12 hours ago, Dani said:

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. 

Yes, could someone please explain that to me?  I watched the first one, and part of the second one last night, and I still don't get why they swapped...?   

Edited December 13, 2021 by Miss Bones

[geekgirl921]

I finally caught The Eight Gifts of Hanukah this weekend. I liked it and I am glad they finally did a full on Hanukah movie rather than a combo Hanukah/Christmas one like they have in the past!

[bankerchick]

6 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

Also excited for Travis Van Winkle’s new movie next Sunday.  He’s so hot and he gives me 😍. Tis The season To Be Merry also stars Rachel Leigh Cook. 

Totally.  In fact, I even watched Season 3 of You (Netflix) because he was in it, and it is definitely not my type of show.  (If you haven't seen it, at least check out Episodes 8 and 9.  You won't be disappointed.) 😜 

On topic, I find him totally hot in Project Christmas Wish, a movie which also skips the whole misunderstanding trope.  His hesitation to move on from his dead wife seems realistic to me.  On the other hand, Christmas Getaway does nothing for me.  Maybe it's his non-covid hair.  Also, it has a stupid misunderstanding and the actress is on my 'can't watch' list.

[geekgirl921]

13 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

Totally.  In fact, I even watched Season 3 of You (Netflix) because he was in it, and it is definitely not my type of show.  (If you haven't seen it, at least check out Episodes 8 and 9.  You won't be disappointed.) 😜 

On topic, I find him totally hot in Project Christmas Wish, a movie which also skips the whole misunderstanding trope.  His hesitation to move on from his dead wife seems realistic to me.  On the other hand, Christmas Getaway does nothing for me.  Maybe it's his non-covid hair.  Also, it has a stupid misunderstanding and the actress is on my 'can't watch' list.

Interesting. I liked Project Christmas Wish alright but Christmas Getaway is one of my all time favorites!

[norcalgal]

21 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

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

 

14 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

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.

The only Ashley movie I can distinctly recall watching (besides this recent Sister Swap 2-parter) is October Kiss.  I liked that movie.

I don't really favor one sister over another, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Kimberly for two reasons:

Lucky 7:  love, love, love this and I make it a point to watch again, but sadly, seems it's out of Hallmark's rotation.  What's SHOCKING is that her character has a one-night stand with Patrick Dempsey's character, and they actually portrayed the love scene (not graphic, but still...). I seriously don't understand how this aired on HALLMARK!?  Also, the scenery was just lovely!  Pacific Northwest for the win!

Follow the Stars Home:  it's so rare we see a story involving a non able bodied character. Such a sweet lovely story between mother and daughter.  [Although they really needed to develop the so-called romance between her character and Campbell Scott's character if they wanted me to believe the two were falling in love.]

[roughing it]

2 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

Lucky 7:  love, love, love this and I make it a point to watch again, but sadly, seems it's out of Hallmark's rotation. 

That's one of my favorites as well.  I had it saved on my DVR for years but when we upgraded our box it got deleted.

[Miss Bones]

5 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

 

The only Ashley movie I can distinctly recall watching (besides this recent Sister Swap 2-parter) is October Kiss.  I liked that movie.

I don't really favor one sister over another, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Kimberly for two reasons:

Lucky 7:  love, love, love this and I make it a point to watch again, but sadly, seems it's out of Hallmark's rotation.  What's SHOCKING is that her character has a one-night stand with Patrick Dempsey's character, and they actually portrayed the love scene (not graphic, but still...). I seriously don't understand how this aired on HALLMARK!?  Also, the scenery was just lovely!  Pacific Northwest for the win!

Follow the Stars Home:  it's so rare we see a story involving a non able bodied character. Such a sweet lovely story between mother and daughter.  [Although they really needed to develop the so-called romance between her character and Campbell Scott's character if they wanted me to believe the two were falling in love.]

Well, Lucky 7 was not an OG Hallmark movie-- It originally aired on ABCFamily, the channel which now goes by FreeForm, and they have always allowed some more risque fare than Hallmark does.  I know that Lucky 7 was on the Hallmark Movies app, but I have never seen it actually played on the HM channel.  Though I could be incorrect about that, I am positive it was an ABCFam movie originally, because my best friend and I watched it when it premiered when we were in high school.

Edited December 13, 2021 by Miss Bones

[Irlandesa]

9 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

Lucky 7:  love, love, love this and I make it a point to watch again, but sadly, seems it's out of Hallmark's rotation.  What's SHOCKING is that her character has a one-night stand with Patrick Dempsey's character, and they actually portrayed the love scene (not graphic, but still...). I seriously don't understand how this aired on HALLMARK!?  Also, the scenery was just lovely!  Pacific Northwest for the win!

Lucky 7 wasn't a Hallmark movie.  (As I see another poster just posted).  It's available on IMDB TV and Tubi for free.

I was watching some Hallmark Drama movies (old school) and there was more sex in those movies.

9 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

[Although they really needed to develop the so-called romance between her character and Campbell Scott's character if they wanted me to believe the two were falling in love.]

Kimberly and Campbell Scott made this work for me with the history and thinking it's too late. 

Edited December 13, 2021 by Irlandesa

[norcalgal]

10 minutes ago, Miss Bones said:

Well, Lucky 7 was not an OG Hallmark movie-- It originally aired on ABCFamily, the channel which now goes by FreeForm, and they have always allowed some more risque fare than Hallmark does.  I know that Lucky 7 was on the Hallmark Movies app, but I have never seen it actually played on the HM channel.  Though I could be incorrect about that, I am positive it was an ABCFam movie originally, because my best friend and I watched it when it premiered when we were in high school.

 

5 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Lucky 7 wasn't a Hallmark movie.  (As I see another poster just posted).  It's available on IMDB TV and Tubi for free.

I was watching some Hallmark Drama movies (old school) and there was more sex in those movies.

Kimberly and Campbell Scott made this work for me with the history and thinking it's too late. 

Thanks for setting me straight that it's not a Hallmark movie but I could swear that I watched it *on* the Hallmark channel, rather than FreeForm/ABC Family. So Lucky 7 never aired on Hallmark, at all?!  

[Irlandesa]

5 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

So Lucky 7 never aired on Hallmark, at all?!  

Oh I'm not saying that at all.  It may have.  I just know it wasn't produced for Hallmark.  It's also quite old--2003. 

I have it on my DVR too but it isn't saying what channel I recorded it on. 

However, like I said above, at least there are free streaming options for the movie.

[debbie311]

The character Ashley Williams was playing REALLY got on my nerves.  Too much goofy smiling and dialogue, and most of the time she seemed like she was on a sugar high or something. Tone it down!! I've never seen her in anything else, and have no idea what she's like IRL.  I just know watching both movies, I could not stand her.

I've always had a soft spot for Kimberly because of the Father of the Bride movies.  She was also in a Netflix move a couple of years ago that was based on Dolly Parton's song "Jolene." I liked her in that.

 

[twoods]

The Dickens movie worked because of the leads and their chemistry. I also liked that there wasn’t any contrived misunderstanding and she told him to go after the movie instead of being hurt that he chose the movie instead of the play. Decent job, Hallmark.

[EtheltoTillie]

10 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

I remember also hearing that line in the film Corinna, Corinna in the scene where Ray Liotta’s mother is trying to discourage him from falling for Whoopi Goldberg.   Fantastic movie.  Their chemistry was amazing.

I am very behind in my Christmas movie watching and trying to catch up.  

OT, but I loved Corrina ? Corinna? 

[EtheltoTillie]

Thanks for recommending Lucky 7.  I never heard of it.  I'm trying it now. 

[shapeshifter]

8 minutes ago, GussieK said:

OT, but I loved Corrina ? Corinna? 

Way waaay OT, but back in the 1970s, I was in love with a guy who used to sing the song, "Corrina, Corrina," heh.

Backtracking to the line about if a fish and a bird fall in love, where will they live? (spoken in Royal Queens Christmas, as well as Fiddler on the Roof, the film Corrina Corrina, etc.)
——if anyone finds anything more definitive about its origins beyond "African proverb," please share. Africa's a big multi-national, multi-ethnic, geographically diverse place. Interestingly, it was also spoken on sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola, which is written by an ethnically Nigerian Brit; they had white Bob say he heard it watching Fiddler on the Roof. I tried Google Scholar, but didn't find anything.

[Guest]

14 hours ago, MissyPoo said:

My introduction to Ashley Williams is the complete opposite of Hallmark. Lifetime and Nora Roberts's Montana Sky. She was mostly serious and barely smiled, so when I saw her in October Kiss, it was a bit of a shock since I was so used to her cowgirl character.

If anyone is curious to see a different side of her, definitely check out MS also for a good suspenseful story with some romancey and dramatic familial elements.

Same for me. I mainly think of her as Willa from Montana Sky or Victoria from HIMYM which may be why she’s irritates me less than she does other people. Both of those characters are a lot less smiley than she is in Hallmark movies. 

[Crs97]

9 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

9 hours ago, norcalgal said:

[Although they really needed to develop the so-called romance between her character and Campbell Scott's character if they wanted me to believe the two were falling in love.]

Kimberly and Campbell Scott made this work for me with the history and thinking it's too late. 

I loved the book and this movie, but the book handled their relationship better.  She does not decide to get back with her ex-husband in the book; actually the obstacle in her relationship with the doctor is her overwhelming anger toward his brother/her ex.  The movie shouldn’t have changed that part, but I love the movie anyway.  Just read the book, read the last chapter, and prepare to feel all the feels.

[absnow54]

I’m catching up on my DVR backlog. Watched Boyfriends of Christmas Past, I wanted to like it more, but the wigs from the flashbacks were BAD. I grew up with Degrassi The Next Gen, so I’m excited to see all of the actors starting to show up in these movies. Since 90% seem to be produced in Canada, I’m guessing we’ll be seeing a lot of unofficial Degrassi reunions in these holiday movies in the years to come. 

[Miss Bones]

2 hours ago, absnow54 said:

I’m catching up on my DVR backlog. Watched Boyfriends of Christmas Past, I wanted to like it more, but the wigs from the flashbacks were BAD. I grew up with Degrassi The Next Gen, so I’m excited to see all of the actors starting to show up in these movies. Since 90% seem to be produced in Canada, I’m guessing we’ll be seeing a lot of unofficial Degrassi reunions in these holiday movies in the years to come. 

Me too!  I have not watched this one--it is still on my DVR--but I did see that "Sav" is in it.  And I just watched the Eight Gifts of Christmas, and it made me remember how hot I used to find Jake Epstein (Craig Manning) when I was in high school.  I was swooning all over again!

[absnow54]

8 minutes ago, Miss Bones said:

And I just watched the Eight Gifts of Christmas, and it made me remember how hot I used to find Jake Epstein (Craig Manning) when I was in high school.  I was swooning all over again!

Jake Epstein is in two Lifetime Movies both airing next Monday. A Christmas Village Romance and Candy Cane Candidate. Annie Clark (Fiona Coyne) has a movie on Lifetime tonight, Ghosts of Christmas Past. And Alicia Dea Josipovic (Bianca DeSousa) has one on Lifetime tomorrow, Secretly Santa. It looks like Stacey Farber (Ellie Nash) is joining the Hallmark fold in January with Butlers in Love.

[Miss Bones]

7 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

Jake Epstein is in two Lifetime Movies both airing next Monday. A Christmas Village Romance and Candy Cane Candidate. Annie Clark (Fiona Coyne) has a movie on Lifetime tonight, Ghosts of Christmas Past. And Alicia Dea Josipovic (Bianca DeSousa) has one on Lifetime tomorrow, Secretly Santa. It looks like Stacey Farber (Ellie Nash) is joining the Hallmark fold in January with Butlers in Love.

Thanks for the suggestions!  I know my boyfriend Jake has done some other Lifetime movies too, but will definitely set the DVR for those! 😄   Always liked Ellie (though not when they paired her with Craig-- Craig/Manny For life!), so I will check out Stacey's movie for sure, also.

[DanaMB]

On 11/10/2021 at 2:44 PM, SusannahM said:

I just saw Next Stop, Christmas and I loved it.  I thought I'd like it because of the time travel element plus Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson but what also stood out for me was the actress playing the lead role.   Very well done.

I am watching it right now and really loving it. Agree with everything you said.   It’s also funny. 

[KaveDweller]

On 12/13/2021 at 10:05 AM, Miss Bones said:

Yes, could someone please explain that to me?  I watched the first one, and part of the second one last night, and I still don't get why they swapped...?   

They didn't even really swap. The one sister was going to visit her parents in their hometown. The other sister was visiting her in the city right before that and decided to stay because she needed a change in scenery. It wasn't like they swapped lives like the Candace Cameron Bure one a few years ago.

I didn't mind the first one, but I felt like we didn't need two separate movies. They could have fit both plots into one two hour move. 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

I didn't mind the first one, but I felt like we didn't need two separate movies. They could have fit both plots into one two hour move. 

I completely agree. I feel like combining the two would have helped balance out both stories and kept the pace moving. They eliminated the one thing that makes swap movies usually work. 

Edited December 16, 2021 by Guest

[shapeshifter]

On 12/10/2021 at 11:44 PM, MerBearHou said:

Difference of opinion!!  I absolutely loved Dickens of a Christmas.
. . . I thought [Kristoffer Polaha] and the warm, lovely, subtly funny Brooke D’Orsay were. . . 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!  

On 12/13/2021 at 4:13 PM, twoods said:

The Dickens movie worked because of the leads and their chemistry. I also liked that there wasn’t any contrived misunderstanding and she told him to go after the movie instead of being hurt that he chose the movie instead of the play. Decent job, Hallmark.

I too liked A Dickens of a Holiday! better than any others I've seen this season. 
Things I liked were:
***Spoiler tagging***

• Spoiler

   

  • Jake (Kristoffer Polaha) was a sincere, down to earth person from the beginning. Instead of the usual trope of having him be an arrogant, full-of-himself star who had to be brought down a peg, he just needed to be around people who would appreciate that side of him. 
    Heh, if anything, at first it was Jake's brother who appeared to be the Dick/Scrooge of the family.
     
  • I read about Kristoffer Polaha being an all-in "Christian," and although I was a bit skeptical of how that would play on screen, I actually appreciated the extra-Hallmark-y kiss at the end in which we didn't have to see them swapping spit. 
     
  • The B plot being his assistant becoming his manager--even though we never got to see what happened between them when Jake came back to do the home town play instead of meeting the producer who was interested in casting him in the role he desperately wanted.

   

   

And, like others upthread mentioned, Kristoffer Polaha does have a screen presence that I hadn't realized before. The only other things I recall seeing him in were: 

• 20 years ago he played the comedic straight man in the (only?) humorous Roswell episode, "I Married An Alien," which was a spoof of Bewitched.  
  And--
• 10 years ago as the baby Daddy of a teenage daughter his character had with (coincidentally) Roswell's Shiri Appleby's character on Life Unexpected.

The other casting choices were a little odd--kind of like Hallmark wanted to show diversity, but didn't have enough diverse actors on hand to make their presence look natural. So, kudos for trying. Do better. 

[Kaoteek]

- A Royal Queens Christmas : clichés, clichés, clichés and I never really bought Megan Park as the daughter of this boisterous italian-american family. Meh.

- A Dickens of a Holiday kind of lost me along the way, after a promising start. D'Orsay and Polaha had nice chemistry, and some bits, here and there, worked, but overall, it didn't grab me. Then again, I'm burned out on anything Christmas Carol-related, so...

- Sister Swap pt 1 was a pretty basic Hallmark movie full of the usual tropes, really, with the sisters gimmick being nothing more than a vague subplot, but Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Mark Deklin made for a very believable and likeable couple.

- Sister Swap pt 2, on the other hand, didn't work at all for me. I usually have a soft spot for Ashley Williams, but her ADHD character, here, was annoying, the writing felt half-baked and, to be honest, there was little to no chemistry with the male lead (i wish they had cast someone with more comedic chops and presence, along the lines of Dulé Hill, in that part).

Also, weird how it sometimes felt like someone thought "hey, part 1 was a little too by the book, straight and white, let's turn part 2's energy to 11 or 12, have an interracial romance, a gay couple, a black dad subplot, a black chef, a latino one, and so on !"

[twoods]

I actually preferred the storyline for the second movie and thought the first one was boring. Like others said it should have been one movie because of the inter-lapping storylines, and there was more going on in the second movie than the first which lagged. They even acknowledged Ashley William’s extra chippy personality and didn’t hide it, and she wasn’t as annoying as usual. 

[norcalgal]

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Kristoffer Polaha does have a screen presence that I hadn't realized before. The only other things I recall seeing him in were: 

It's surprising that I don't see more people posting about Polaha in that Hallmark movie with Meghan Markle  - yes, THAT Meghan Markle.  I wonder what he thought when he found out she was marrying into the British royal family... 

[Irlandesa]

49 minutes ago, twoods said:

I actually preferred the storyline for the second movie and thought the first one was boring.

Same here.  I actually enjoyed the second movie.

3 hours ago, Kaoteek said:

Also, weird how it sometimes felt like someone thought "hey, part 1 was a little too by the book, straight and white, let's turn part 2's energy to 11 or 12, have an interracial romance, a gay couple, a black dad subplot, a black chef, a latino one, and so on !"

And all in the city because none of those types live in small towns---ha!  I did kind of notice that.  At the same time, I didn't really care because I preferred the second cast in general from love interest to supporting players. 

[absnow54]

47 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

It's surprising that I don't see more people posting about Polaha in that Hallmark movie with Meghan Markle  - yes, THAT Meghan Markle.  I wonder what he thought when he found out she was marrying into the British royal family... 

I liked that one! I think it was a Valentine's Day movie, and she was dating multiple guys, and I remember being nervous that she wouldn't pick Polaha's character, because usually these movies are really obvious about who the actual love interest is, but this one wasn't.

[Miss Bones]

19 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

They didn't even really swap. The one sister was going to visit her parents in their hometown. The other sister was visiting her in the city right before that and decided to stay because she needed a change in scenery. It wasn't like they swapped lives like the Candace Cameron Bure one a few years ago.

I didn't mind the first one, but I felt like we didn't need two separate movies. They could have fit both plots into one two hour move. 

Okay, this is all that I thought it was, but then reading here made me think maybe I missed something more significant.  Thanks!

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, norcalgal said:

It's surprising that I don't see more people posting about Polaha in that Hallmark movie with Meghan Markle  - yes, THAT Meghan Markle.  I wonder what he thought when he found out she was marrying into the British royal family... 

It looks like it will be re-airing on January 30th: imdb.com/title/tt5364518/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_2

I had no idea she was in other shows I've seen, like Fringe and Castle. I guess her whole life is a Hallmark movie plot.

[twoods]

I loved the Dater’s Handbook movie and have watched it at least 4 times. Kristoffer and Megan sparkled together and had amazing chemistry. It was the first move I saw Kristoffer in and loved how charming he was. 

[SusanM]

Christmas at the Plaza was going so well - really liked it - especially that it wasn't yet another small town vs big city movie but then just past the fateful 90 minute mark comes the inevitable Misunderstanding when the heroine sees the hero with :gasp: another woman.  Oh well will hang in to see that all goes well for true love at Christmas time but it's a shame they had to throw that in to what had been a fairly original effort up to that point!

Edited December 17, 2021 by SusannahM

[EtheltoTillie]

I am watching last year’s Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater.  I like it well enough but it’s a little dull. I have just been running it in the background. 

[Crs97]

I watched the movie of Lacey Chabert in Ireland.  She has a very natural way of saying her lines, but her emotional range seems to run the gamut from mildly pleased to mildly exasperated.

[Irlandesa]

15 hours ago, GussieK said:

I am watching last year’s Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater.  I like it well enough but it’s a little dull. I have just been running it in the background. 

The most interesting thing about that movie is its title, unfortunately. I was hoping it'd be a lot quirkier.

[bybrandy]

6 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

The most interesting thing about that movie is its title, unfortunately. I was hoping it'd be a lot quirkier.

Legit though most Halmark Christmas movie titles are so generic at least I remember what this one is when I see it is going to be on.  I don't go out of my way to watch it... but like most of the time I'm eh... um.. maybe?  This one I totally know what movie it is, say, "Oh, I'e seen that" and do something else.

 

 

[bybrandy]

On 12/8/2021 at 3:09 PM, MsNewsradio said:

Did anyone catch Our Journey to Christmas ?

See the name thing, I was reading over the last couple of weeks of posts to see if there was anything to add and I would have guessed this was one of the ubiquitous Christmas road trip movies and not the Holly Robinson Pete movie.   

My mom particularly liked the royal Christmas movies  (Yeah, I have no idea why) but her favorite was the one where Danica McKellar was the maid who got fired from the hotel and got hired to nanny.  This is my first Christmas without my mom who passed in August (which genuinely I can't tell if there are more first Christmas without movies this year or I'm just more apt to notice them this year... but it feel like there have been a lot of them...) and it took me a minute to figure out which of the two older royal Christmas movies that aired the other day was the one my mom liked.  I mean it only took me two minutes into the movie but seriously <b>A Crown For Christmas</b> vs enter generic royal Christmas movie title here... including Danica McKellar's 2022 addition "<b>The Winter Palace</b>.  

 

 

[Crs97]

So sorry, bybrandy.  As one of my favorite journalists says to those celebrating a holiday after experiencing  loss, may your Christmas land softly.

[IntrovertRed]

Really enjoyed Sugar Plum Twist last night. The actress playing Vivi was an amazing dancer.  I also guessed the ending wrong because I figured Natalia would somehow open her own dance company with Vivi as the principal.  

 

14 hours ago, bybrandy said:

My mom particularly liked the royal Christmas movies  (Yeah, I have no idea why) but her favorite was the one where Danica McKellar was the maid who got fired from the hotel and got hired to nanny.  This is my first Christmas without my mom who passed in August (which genuinely I can't tell if there are more first Christmas without movies this year or I'm just more apt to notice them this year... but it feel like there have been a lot of them...) and it took me a minute to figure out which of the two older royal Christmas movies that aired the other day was the one my mom liked.  I mean it only took me two minutes into the movie but seriously <b>A Crown For Christmas</b> vs enter generic royal Christmas movie title here... including Danica McKellar's 2022 addition "<b>The Winter Palace</b>.  

So sorry bybrandy.   I know which one you're talking about, mainly because I remember Rupert Penry-Jones was quite cute.  And I'm not a fan of Danica, but it was a sweet movie, so I can see why it was her favorite.

Edited December 18, 2021 by KLJ

[Irlandesa]

I think I thought A Christmas House 1 was decent but I didn't remember much about it except it was the much ballyhood change for Hallmark because there was going to be a gay couple.  I was surprised that there was going to be a sequel. 

I absolutely loved A Christmas House 2, though.  It was fun. It was funny.  It was heart warming.  It absolutely nailed the ending and I thought it was paced so well. 

I don't know if there's a good story for a third installment but I do love this family.

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Irlandesa

[kirinan]

Well, I think I've found my hands-down favorite Hallmark Christmas movie of the season: The Christmas House 2. Like @Irlandesa, I loved it (I also loved the first one, but this was even better). It was hilarious, it was bonkers, it was silly, it was sweet, it was...well, I would almost call it the anti-Hallmark movie in that the main characters were two brothers rather than a woman, and both their stories were equally important (and although this is my own interpretation so other people may feel differently, I felt like both their relationships were adult in every way). Yes, they acted like asses sometimes, but tbh, I know real live brothers who are that competitive.

Most of all, I loved the way the cast interacted. They were good together in the first movie, but this one took it to another level. I believed they were a family, with all the messiness that entails.   

[shapeshifter]

29 minutes ago, kirinan said:

Well, I think I've found my hands-down favorite Hallmark Christmas movie of the season: The Christmas House 2. Like @Irlandesa, I loved it (I also loved the first one, but this was even better). It was hilarious, it was bonkers, it was silly, it was sweet, it was...well, I would almost call it the anti-Hallmark movie in that the main characters were two brothers rather than a woman, and both their stories were equally important (and although this is my own interpretation so other people may feel differently, I felt like both their relationships were adult in every way). Yes, they acted like asses sometimes, but tbh, I know real live brothers who are that competitive.

Most of all, I loved the way the cast interacted. They were good together in the first movie, but this one took it to another level. I believed they were a family, with all the messiness that entails.   

It's airing tonight at 6 PM EST. 
Do you think it's okay to watch The Christmas House 2: Deck the Halls (2021) without having seen the original The Christmas House?