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

[Cetacean]

4 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

My favorite HOF will forever remain Decoration Day.

Oh, I forgot about that one.  It was wondeful!  Won an Emmy.

Hallmark, how far you have fallen.

Edited May 5, 2022 by Cetacean

[chitowngirl]

My favorite HOF movie is What the Deaf Man Heard.

[Lisa418722]

1 hour ago, chitowngirl said:

My favorite HOF movie is What the Deaf Man Heard.

I love that one and The Love Letter (with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Campbell Scott).  I miss the actual Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. 

[Irlandesa]

5 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

My favorite HoF films are Loving Leah, The Magic of Ordinary Days, and Christmas in Conway.

Take away Christmas In Conway and add this one:

2 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

My favorite HOF movie is What the Deaf Man Heard.

And Follow The Stars Home and that's me.

[Crs97]

Follow the Stars Home is my second favorite HOF, though the book was better.

[Clawdette]

I read today that Luke Macfarlane has joined the Apple+ Seth Rogen/Rose Byrne comedy series, "Platonic."

I don't enjoy James Woods so much anymore because . . . but he was great in the HoF "The Summer of Ben Tyler" in 1994.  James Garner and Woods were in "My Name is Bill W." and it was mighty fine, too.

But my favs:  "The Magic of Ordinary Days and "Follow the Stars Home."  So moving and well-acted.

[Bronx Babe]

On 4/28/2022 at 2:20 AM, MissyPoo said:

Fashionably Yours! I loved Kat Graham in that but I wish they had a better script to move the story along as it was muddled a bit along the way. Sheryl Lee Ralph was fabulous in that one also. KG is supposed to be having a new Netflix romcom with the fella from Umbrella Academy but they keep moving the date. Last I saw, it had a Sept release. Still waiting eagerly for that one. I really liked her Holiday Calendar movie with Gregory Peck's grandson. 

I'd love to see Christina Milian leading more movies but she's staying booked and busy for other brands lately. Hallmark seems pretty low on her radar.

Haha my mom and I quote this movie all the time. I'm dying hearing the character's voices in my head. Such a classic movie.

Not so fun fact: there was a gender swapped version of this WYWS on Uptv about a year or so ago. I can't remember the name but I dipped out of that one so fast because it was cringey and never got better from the opening. Just...ugh.

I'm a huge fan of the 90s/early 00s romcoms (and coms) and would love to see a resurgence of those types of movies on streaming/tv with new stories since we lost its theatrical appearances. Some of my faves are:

Romy & Michele's High School Reunion

Ever After

French Kiss

You've Got Mail

Only You

Sabrina '95 

The Truth About Cats and Dogs

Kate & Leopold

Under the Tuscan Sun

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Dinner With Friends (not a romcom but a GREAT drama)

Loser

Someone Like You

Green Card (I was obsessed with this movie as a kid!)

Three Men and Little Lady

One Fine Day

The Mirror Has Two Faces

Before Sunrise/Sunset

P.S. I Love You

The Lake House

Monster-in-Law

I'm probably leaving some faves off but this is the gist of the ones that were on repeat for me. What stands out is how many were written with an original premise in mind and were often done on a low but creative budget. If Hallmark is to follow the way of these types of movies, they definitely have to get away from the Hallmark tenderizer a bit to make some better written content. Early Hallmark movies used to do knock-offs of big theatrical releases (A Crush On You, Eve's Christmas, Wedding Daze, etc.) so they are capable of doing more than just the big city bad/small town good story tropes. They just need to let the writers breathe a bit.

Speaking of, I miss some of those oldie Hallmark movies, too. They had different types of stories from disaster movies, to epic mythological adaptations, mysteries, dramas, and romances. I find myself watching my tapings/DVDs of those more than their newer movies. (i.e. Finding a Family, The Edge of the Garden, Elevator Girl, Flower Girl, Little John, Firelight, Wedding Daze, Just Desserts-this is a little smexy for a Hallmark entry today) Straight From the Heart, The Last Cowboy, Smooch, Ordinary Miracles, etc.)

I was so surprised to see him in another role around that time where he played Michael Vartan's (yum) best friend in It Had to Be You and he was serious while still being funny. Hallmark used to show this on rotation in the early days before they made their own movies and I thought it was a bit slow back in the day but have come to really appreciate the humor and slow burn romance between the leads. I also liked the chemistry between the secondary (with Rispoli and Olivia d'Abo).  It's free to watch on YT if anyone is interested.

See Jane Date is another cute one that I believe is free on rotation on the Roku Channel.

Love your fab input, MissyPoo!

I actually feel sorry for those Hallmark writers having to always toe the mark.  Whenever there's a classic rom-com (from any era) shown on t.v., I always imagine those guys watching too and thinking "Why can't we do THOSE kinds of scripts??"

[Bronx Babe]

Saw JUNE IN JANUARY this afternoon.  I was fascinated by the lead actress wearing a hooker-type, clingy, shorty-short-up-to-the-nether regions "evening" dress to her engagement party, and assumed it was to show, in a clumsily exaggerated fashion, just how ill-equipped the character was to mingle in "upper-crust" society.

Then, at the wedding, our groom's  snobby, control-freak mom, Marilu Henner, does a complete 360 when she shows up in a replica of that infamous Kardashian-ish piece of clothing!  Was this to signal the mother wanted to make her future daughter-in-law feel "at home"?   Very bizarre!

Edited May 6, 2022 by Bronx Babe

[kirinan]

12 hours ago, Lisa418722 said:

I love that one and The Love Letter (with Jennifer Jason Leigh and Campbell Scott).  I miss the actual Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. 

I have the DVD of The Love Letter and still watch it regularly all these years later. There are other HOFs I liked, but this one just grabbed onto my heart and has never let go.  

[bankerchick]

On 5/4/2022 at 8:34 PM, Dani said:

There was an article about Hallmark movies last year that said the top talent makes, on average, $900 a day.

Perhaps if the actresses suggested they could wear fewer coats per movie they could negotiate a raise.  I'm watching The Presence of Love and after it was discussed here, all I can notice is the actress with a different coat in almost every scene.  She is now leaving the inn and she has literally one wheeled suitcase.

[luvthepros]

On 5/5/2022 at 10:30 PM, Clawdette said:

I read today that Luke Macfarlane has joined the Apple+ Seth Rogen/Rose Byrne comedy series, "Platonic."

I don't enjoy James Woods so much anymore because . . . but he was great in the HoF "The Summer of Ben Tyler" in 1994.  James Garner and Woods were in "My Name is Bill W." and it was mighty fine, too.

But my favs:  "The Magic of Ordinary Days and "Follow the Stars Home."  So moving and well-acted.

As an aside..........I saw James Woods live on stage at the open air Jackie Gleason Theater on Jones Beach many years ago. He was part of the ensemble in South Pacific. He turned out to be an excellent actor later in his career.
 

[Bronx Babe]

Warming Up To You.

(in my best Miranda Priestley voice) Not warming up to it right now.

That's all.

[Scarlett45]

On 5/5/2022 at 11:18 PM, Bronx Babe said:

Saw JUNE IN JANUARY this afternoon.  I was fascinated by the lead actress wearing a hooker-type, clingy, shorty-short-up-to-the-nether regions "evening" dress to her engagement party, and assumed it was to show, in a clumsily exaggerated fashion, just how ill-equipped the character was to mingle in "upper-crust" society.

Then, at the wedding, our groom's  snobby, control-freak mom, Marilu Henner, does a complete 360 when she shows up in a replica of that infamous Kardashian-ish piece of clothing!  Was this to signal the mother wanted to make her future daughter-in-law feel "at home"?   Very bizarre!

I remember this one. It wasn’t especially memorable but a wedding in January sounded so awful, and I like Marilu Henner so it sticks out. The protagonist had pretty hair. Nice and thick and shinny. 

[Bronx Babe]

Scarlett, there were a few twists in that one; I won't give spoilers but at one point a handsome plumber shows up....I wasn't so sure how things would eventually play out, if you can believe it!  

[Bronx Babe]

In Warming Up To You, the "sassy" (POC) best friend in their home town calls lead actress:

"You're in Los Angeles with no man and no job! (me: in that order)  I think you should come back here"

 

[ctlady]

Gearing up and clearing my schedule ( ie: hub taking care of supper) so I can settle in from 5-9 for Magic Of Ordinary Days followed by The Beach House and not caring a wit about Christopher Russell with his fit body with faux pot belly 

[Irlandesa]

I wasn't feeling well so I ended up watching Warming Up To You.  It wasn't as bad I as I thought it'd be.  Just interesting enough to keep me somewhat entertained but also something I could drift off to.

I looked past the silliness of the beginning when the gym she worked at encouraged unhealthy behaviors for celebs who are extremely image conscious.  It's one thing if she had gotten fired for giving advice to someone who wasn't asking for it but they made it seem like what she was saying went against the total ethos of the place which I did not believe.

Then we moved on to nice scenery, good friend (who I didn't think was sassy at all) and some fun secondary characters.  But it fell apart again for me in the last half hour when the ex-girlfriend shows up.  If Rick was the face of the spy series, there's no way the studio would hire his ex to co-star with him unless he approved it.  They would not hire the trainer to walk them through stunts. And the lead actress wouldn't be doing that wearing a light blue outfit from the 80s, pearls and high heels.

 

 

 

Edited May 9, 2022 by Irlandesa

[ctlady]

So I really enjoyed The Beach House because.....turtles!

Though it did have shades of HM's formulaic trope (big city girl loses job and decides after 3 years to go visit her mother in small seaside community where she runs into former no-more-engaged boyfriend) the acting, lack of silly soundtrack music and overall feel had me hand waving those.  I didn't even eyeroll when said big city girl, after arriving on beachfront community that she had lived all her life, went down to sandy area to buy shrimp wearing stiletto pumps - then purchases sandals right on the dock and tosses pumps in the garbage

[ShelleySue]

14 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Then we moved on to nice scenery, good friend (who I didn't think was sassy at all) and some fun secondary characters.  But it fell apart again for me in the last half hour when the ex-girlfriend shows up.  If Rick was the face of the spy series, there's no way the studio would hire his ex to co-star with him unless he approved it.  They would not hire the trainer to walk them through stunts. And the lead actress wouldn't be doing that wearing a light blue outfit from the 80s, pearls and high heels.

Yes to everything you said.  My first thought was, "Wouldn't they hire a stunt coordinator to, you know, coordinate the stunts?"  I also didn't get why the studio fired Kate.  She got Rick to his goal one week early.  They were happy enough with her to hire her as the stunt coordinator (ha!). Did cheating ex-girlfriend lie about her to the studio?

Other than all of that, once again two people mistake friendliness, mutual respect, and no-chemistry for true love.

 

[Ms Lark]

Interesting article for all you Hallmark devotees:

Hallmark Christmas Movies & The Strategy Behind All Those Talent Deals Under Lisa Hamilton Daly  "EXCLUSIVE: Increased competition in the Christmas movie business has prompted Crown Media Family Networks to adopt a more aggressive strategy under the fresh leadership of Executive VP Lisa Hamilton Daly — locking in beloved actors with exclusive, multi-picture deals."

 

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

Interesting article for all you Hallmark devotees:

Hallmark Christmas Movies & The Strategy Behind All Those Talent Deals Under Lisa Hamilton Daly  "EXCLUSIVE: Increased competition in the Christmas movie business has prompted Crown Media Family Networks to adopt a more aggressive strategy under the fresh leadership of Executive VP Lisa Hamilton Daly — locking in beloved actors with exclusive, multi-picture deals."

 

Included in that article is an announcement that Ryan Peavy has signed a multi-picture deal with Hallmark. That should make quite a few people happy. 

[Cetacean]

16 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

locking in beloved actors with exclusive, multi-picture deals

Oh, great. So we're stuck with the same one-note actors until they die? 

A little new talent would much appreciated, Hallmark.  And 99% Caucasian, I bet, with one POC to meet the "diversity" pledge.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Cetacean said:

A little new talent would much appreciated, Hallmark.  And 99% Caucasian, I bet, with one POC to meet the "diversity" pledge.

So far they’ve made 11 deals and 5 of them meet the diversity pledge (Holly Robinson Pete, Tamera Mowery, Heather Hemmens, Luke MacFarlane and Jonathan Bennett. 

I have been extremely critical of Hallmark in this area but am trying to give the new leadership time before I judge them. The new head of programming was hired late last year and she had and a good diversity record with Lifetime and Netflix. They still have a long way to go but I am seeing marked improvement. 

[Irlandesa]

And for every Ryan Paevy they make a deal with, there's a Jonathan Bennett.  So far, I've been pleased with many of the people they made deals with.

And just because they're making deals with some of their regulars doesn't mean we won't get new blood.  This year alone we've had quite a few new faces pop up. And not everyone is going to be willing to go exclusive. 

[Jaded]

I know Ryan Peavy isn't the best actor. Having said that he has a charm about him that I enjoy and he usually seems like he's really trying to do a good job.  Not that other Hallmark guys don't do the same. There's something about Ryan that I've liked since his GH days besides being easy on the eyes. 

[ctlady]

2 hours ago, Dani said:

So far they’ve made 11 deals and 5 of them meet the diversity pledge (Holly Robinson Pete

Ooooooh, does this mean new Morning Show Mysteries?  I haven't seen anything on the HM Mysteries thread (or on IMDB).  I really love those movies.  And I liked Rick Fox and didn't think his acting was wooden as some claimed.  I wasn't watching him for his acting skills anyway!

And for the love of Pete - does the Hallmark Channel not have any paid sponsors besides medicare or.... previews?   Every commercial break are previews for the next movie on the queue (which makes me too sick of it to want to watch it when does air)

Speaking of which - the previews for Roadside Romance had me wracking my brain figuring out where I saw the male lead (Corey Sevier) before.  Then it hit me - he played the teenage student who accused Elizabeth Berkley's character of sexual assault on the Lifetime movie Student Seduction

Edited May 12, 2022 by ctlady

[Irlandesa]

29 minutes ago, Jaded said:

I know Ryan Peavy isn't the best actor. Having said that he has a charm about him that I enjoy

For me, he's a beautiful but charisma-free void which is why I singled him out.

But I don't begrudge his contract.  He's popular.  He makes people happy.  Go forth.  I just won't be watching because I've just tried to no avail with him.

I think that's my point, though.  Hallmark has made its deals with its popular actors (even if they aren't always popular here).  And they should.  They're popular. But they've also made deals with faces that haven't done 100 movies with them.

 

[bankerchick]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

For me, he's a beautiful but charisma-free void which is why I singled him out.

I love this, and for me it could be used for many (if not most) Hallmark actors (and actresses.)

[Cetacean]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

For me, he's a beautiful but charisma-free void which is why I singled him out.

 

3 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

I love this, and for me it could be used for many (if not most) Hallmark actors (and actresses.)

So much truth.

[norcalgal]

6 hours ago, ctlady said:

Speaking of which - the previews for Roadside Romance had me wracking my brain figuring out where I saw the male lead (Corey Sevier) before.  Then it hit me - he played the teenage student who accused Elizabeth Berkley's character of sexual assault on the Lifetime movie Student Seduction

If you want to see young Corey, check out an old show called Little Men (based on Louisa May Alcott). It’s remarkable how current Corey still resembles young Corey.

[Clawdette]

On a completely vapid, note, I watched Warming Up To You while I was working.  I find that even the bad HM movies are great companions for my computer activities because they don't require attention but provide company.  I can't tell you much about it because all I could focus on was Cindy Busby's teeth.  She used to have one tooth that was slightly askew, making her smile very natural.  But I couldn't see that tooth anymore so I guess she had some dental work.  Or, perhaps my eyesight is to blame.

[Irlandesa]

8 hours ago, bankerchick said:

I love this, and for me it could be used for many (if not most) Hallmark actors (and actresses.)

I'm not that jaundiced about actors.  I like many. 

[memememe76]

The only actor I don’t quite understand the need for an exclusivity contract is Brennan Elliott. I find him so blah. 
 

The interview is interesting when the executive mentioned regardless of the specific network or streaming service that a movie is on, they are often referred to as Hallmark movies. As a Canadian who watches these films on the W Netflix, that is what I do. 

[bankerchick]

On 5/12/2022 at 1:04 PM, ctlady said:

Speaking of which - the previews for Roadside Romance had me wracking my brain figuring out where I saw the male lead (Corey Sevier) before. 

Turns out this movie is actually called Road Trip Romance.  Normally this would make no difference and I would never nitpick like this, but tonight's movie on CityTV is Roadhouse Romance, starring Tyler Hynes.  I was sure my American friends had already seen this movie so when I did a search to see what the reviews had been, I was confused when the first one that came up mentioned Cory Sevier.  Jeez, I know these movies are all the same but you'd think they could vary the titles.  Though I guess by now they've made their way down the alphabet to 'R' Romance movies.  Next:  Roadway Romance, Roadrunner Romance and Road Rash Romance.

[Bronx Babe]

You may remember I posted about how many times the word "Christmas" was used in Christmas With The Darlings -- I counted 100.  Then there was the infamous Candace Cameron Bure advertising pitch in another movie:  "We must never forget that Christmas is not just Christmas because we buy presents.  Christmas is Christmas because it reminds us of family and friends, gathered around the Christmas tree, filled with Christmas joy and the true spirit and meaning of Christmas"

Well the other day I watched Love Unleashed. 85 mentions of "puppy" or "puppy party".

I've said it many times and will say it again -- there is something very weird about Hallmark.

 

[Irlandesa]

Ah Hallmark.  Sometimes you're so out there that I kind of love it. 

I watched Road Trip Romance.  I actually liked it largely because of Natalie Hall and Corey Sevier.  I like them both and they had decent chemistry.

Other than that, it was your basic road trip story with some head scratching turns that both blew my mind and cracked me up.

First, I'm surprised that they aired this movie now and didn't hold it for fall, It was clearly a fall movie.  Very fall.  It felt fall.

Usually the woman has the cutesie name. Her's was alliterative but his was the one who stood out.  Alden Brown made me think of Alton Brown.

Then they ended up at a Scottish renaissance festival thanks to a good Samaritan. I kept thinking he reminded me of Gene Kelly for some reason.  So I was somewhat pickled when Alden name checked Brigadoon after they left.

I had to laugh at the longest "low charge" I think I've ever seen a phone have.  It was 2% the night before yet still somehow had juice the next morning for phone calls?

But the thing that made me absolutely cackle was the sharp psycho turn it took at the end for a bit.  The movie was mostly a feel good movie, typical of Hallmark.  But then the low esteem friend who had been gaining more esteem as acting maid of honor goes absolutely psycho and send the sister to the wrong church in hopes she'll miss the wedding so she can stay as maid of honor.

Of course, she regrets her mistake but Maggie was way too cool about it, especially after everything she had done to try to get to the wedding. It was so unexpected, especially for a character who had not been portrayed as a villain.

 

 

[norcalgal]

17 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Ah Hallmark.  Sometimes you're so out there that I kind of love it. 

I watched Road Trip Romance.  I actually liked it largely because of Natalie Hall and Corey Sevier.  I like them both and they had decent chemistry.

Other than that, it was your basic road trip story with some head scratching turns that both blew my mind and cracked me up.

First, I'm surprised that they aired this movie now and didn't hold it for fall, It was clearly a fall movie.  Very fall.  It felt fall.

Usually the woman has the cutesie name. Her's was alliterative but his was the one who stood out.  Alden Brown made me think of Alton Brown.

Then they ended up at a Scottish renaissance festival thanks to a good Samaritan. I kept thinking he reminded me of Gene Kelly for some reason.  So I was somewhat pickled when Alden name checked Brigadoon after they left.

I had to laugh at the longest "low charge" I think I've ever seen a phone have.  It was 2% the night before yet still somehow had juice the next morning for phone calls?

But the thing that made me absolutely cackle was the sharp psycho turn it took at the end for a bit.  The movie was mostly a feel good movie, typical of Hallmark.  But then the low esteem friend who had been gaining more esteem as acting maid of honor goes absolutely psycho and send the sister to the wrong church in hopes she'll miss the wedding so she can stay as maid of honor.

Of course, she regrets her mistake but Maggie was way too cool about it, especially after everything she had done to try to get to the wedding. It was so unexpected, especially for a character who had not been portrayed as a villain.

 

 

I liked the chemistry between the two leads as well. Two things though:

1) it’s beyond suspension of disbelief that both just happened to live in Seattle! I can understand if they were both in the tech industry, so both lived in a tech city like Seattle but they were in the toy industry!!! Does Seattle have a booming vintage toy industry nobody knows about?!

2) Me doth thinketh the “renaissance speak” got old REALLY fast! I was sooooooo tempted to fast forward all the ren faire stuff but wanted to see how those scenes impacted the plot so gritted my teeth and forged on. But hey future producers, if you’re reading this, less is more, ok? Cool it with the old timey talk (since I don’t think it’s authentic to the time period anyway).

[Irlandesa]

12 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

1) it’s beyond suspension of disbelief that both just happened to live in Seattle! I can understand if they were both in the tech industry, so both lived in a tech city like Seattle but they were in the toy industry!!! Does Seattle have a booming vintage toy industry nobody knows about?!

I liked that touch so we wouldn't be left wondering about who was moving.  Plus, Seattle is a big and popular city like NYC, Chicago, LA...etc.  I know people from my high school who ended up in each of these cities and not necessarily because of a specific career but because they were attracted to the culture/vibe of the cities.  Seattle is a tech area but it's also on the water, not too hot, a bit hipster...etc. 

I think it'd be harder to believe if it went the other way around--that both were from Seattle but ended up in Kansas.  Not that this doesn't happen but I'd imagine it happens less than the other way around.

Edited May 15, 2022 by Irlandesa

[Jaded]

I can't remember if this was posted back in March when the news came out or not. I went back, looked and didn't see anything. The movie will air on the Movies & Mysteries channel but I'm posting about it here too since this thread gets more eyeballs. It's another movie set and filmed in Italy.

Hallmark’s Mahogany Label Sets First Movie, ‘Unthinkably Good Things,’ Starring Karen Pittman

[Jaded]

June Schedule
 

HALLMARK CHANNEL'S "SUMMER NIGHTS"
All premieres are at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
 

Hidden Gems

Starring: Hunter King and Beau Mirchoff
Premieres: Saturday, June 4
While prepping for her sister’s wedding, Addie (King) loses her grandmother’s ring in the waters of Hawaii. She hires dive instructor Jack (Mirchoff) to search for her lost treasure. They immediately clash with each other when Addie insists she go on the pursuit with Jack. Once they come to an agreement, Jack ends up serving as Addie’s tour guide of the island’s hidden gems. 
 

Caribbean Summer

Starring: Heather Hemmens and Ser'Darius Blain
Premieres: Saturday, June 11
Jade (Hemmens), a morning news producer, is forced to take a vacation after an embarrassing gaffe during a live broadcast. She arrives to a relaxing Caribbean island, but Jade’s trip gets off to a rocky start thanks to a snafu involving the house she rented for her stay. Serendipitously, Jade manages to turn things around and begins a romantic Caribbean adventure with the legitimate owner of the house, a mysterious man named Ford (Blain). As Jade slowly lets her guard down and welcomes all that the island, its people, and her handsome host have to offer, her heart and job come into direct conflict when she finds out the true backstory of the man she’s falling for -- and it’s a career-defining scoop.
 

Moriah's Lighthouse

Starring: Rachelle Lefevre and Luke Macfarlane
Premieres: Saturday, June 18
Based on the book series by Serena Miller. Moriah (Lefevre) is a woodworking artisan living in a French, seaside town, who dreams of restoring the local lighthouse. When Ben (Macfarlane), an American architect, comes to town, it seems as though her dreams will never become reality after she learns he’s there to give the lighthouse a makeover… but for another buyer.
 

Two Tickets to Paradise

Starring: Ashley Williams, Ryan Paevey and Mary-Margaret Humes
Premieres: Saturday, June 25
Two strangers meet on what feels like the worst day of their lives. Hannah (Williams) and Josh (Paevey) have both been stood up at the altar. While shocked and devastated, they happen to meet at the park, which turns out to be the morale boost they need to commit to taking their honeymoon vacations. They realize they are going to the same honeymoon resort and keep crossing paths in tropical paradise. Seeing the futility of fighting fate, Hannah and Josh eventually join forces and help learn from one other to enjoy their vacations.

[satrunrose]

19 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Ah Hallmark.  Sometimes you're so out there that I kind of love it. 

I watched Road Trip Romance.  I actually liked it largely because of Natalie Hall and Corey Sevier.  I like them both and they had decent chemistry.

I had to laugh at the longest "low charge" I think I've ever seen a phone have.  It was 2% the night before yet still somehow had juice the next morning for phone calls?

But the thing that made me absolutely cackle was the sharp psycho turn it took at the end for a bit.  The movie was mostly a feel good movie, typical of Hallmark.  But then the low esteem friend who had been gaining more esteem as acting maid of honor goes absolutely psycho and send the sister to the wrong church in hopes she'll miss the wedding so she can stay as maid of honor.

Of course, she regrets her mistake but Maggie was way too cool about it, especially after everything she had done to try to get to the wedding. It was so unexpected, especially for a character who had not been portrayed as a villain.

 

 

 

2 hours ago, norcalgal said:

I liked the chemistry between the two leads as well. Two things though:

1) it’s beyond suspension of disbelief that both just happened to live in Seattle! I can understand if they were both in the tech industry, so both lived in a tech city like Seattle but they were in the toy industry!!! Does Seattle have a booming vintage toy industry nobody knows about?!

2) Me doth thinketh the “renaissance speak” got old REALLY fast! I was sooooooo tempted to fast forward all the ren faire stuff but wanted to see how those scenes impacted the plot so gritted my teeth and forged on. But hey future producers, if you’re reading this, less is more, ok? Cool it with the old timey talk (since I don’t think it’s authentic to the time period anyway).

I also thought this movie was cute and (vaguely) remember Corey Sevier from this afternoon tween show on cbc involving books and a magic portal(?) back in the mid-90s. His character was in a wheelchair... Can any fellow Canadians help me out here? 

I liked the idea of featuring a ren faire, but agree with Norcalgal that the -eths got old very fast. And speaking of psycho moments, I can see the mechanic/mayor being too busy to fix the car on the day of the festival (although not telling them was a low blow), but not letting them charge the magically staying at 2% phone was creepy and nasty. Look perky, quirky small toweners, you can go offeth the girdeth (ugh) as much as you'd care too, but it's not cool to cut your hapless visitors (who are now missing major family events) off from communicating with said family. That's a horror movie waiting to happen. 

[Clawdette]

Moriah's Lighthouse lists Paul Campbell as a writer.  I wonder if we'll get another cameo.

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, satrunrose said:

but not letting them charge the magically staying at 2% phone was creepy and nasty.

True.  At the same time, I thought it was a bit entitled for them to ask to borrow a charger just assuming they'd have one that matches. 

[Cetacean]

Had Road Trip Romance on in the background. It was pretty implausably stupid from the get go but once they started with the festivaleth crapeth I was done.  

[ShelleySue]

15 hours ago, norcalgal said:

1) it’s beyond suspension of disbelief that both just happened to live in Seattle! I can understand if they were both in the tech industry, so both lived in a tech city like Seattle but they were in the toy industry!!! Does Seattle have a booming vintage toy industry nobody knows about?!

2) Me doth thinketh the “renaissance speak” got old REALLY fast! I was sooooooo tempted to fast forward all the ren faire stuff but wanted to see how those scenes impacted the plot so gritted my teeth and forged on. But hey future producers, if you’re reading this, less is more, ok? Cool it with the old timey talk (since I don’t think it’s authentic to the time period anyway).

 

13 hours ago, satrunrose said:

On 5/15/2022 at 2:16 AM, Irlandesa said:

Ah Hallmark.  Sometimes you're so out there that I kind of love it. 

I watched Road Trip Romance.  I actually liked it largely because of Natalie Hall and Corey Sevier.  I like them both and they had decent chemistry.

I had to laugh at the longest "low charge" I think I've ever seen a phone have.  It was 2% the night before yet still somehow had juice the next morning for phone calls?

But the thing that made me absolutely cackle was the sharp psycho turn it took at the end for a bit.  The movie was mostly a feel good movie, typical of Hallmark.  But then the low esteem friend who had been gaining more esteem as acting maid of honor goes absolutely psycho and send the sister to the wrong church in hopes she'll miss the wedding so she can stay as maid of honor.

Of course, she regrets her mistake but Maggie was way too cool about it, especially after everything she had done to try to get to the wedding. It was so unexpected, especially for a character who had not been portrayed as a villain.

 

 

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15 hours ago, norcalgal said:

I liked the chemistry between the two leads as well. Two things though:

1) it’s beyond suspension of disbelief that both just happened to live in Seattle! I can understand if they were both in the tech industry, so both lived in a tech city like Seattle but they were in the toy industry!!! Does Seattle have a booming vintage toy industry nobody knows about?!

2) Me doth thinketh the “renaissance speak” got old REALLY fast! I was sooooooo tempted to fast forward all the ren faire stuff but wanted to see how those scenes impacted the plot so gritted my teeth and forged on. But hey future producers, if you’re reading this, less is more, ok? Cool it with the old timey talk (since I don’t think it’s authentic to the time period anyway).

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I also thought this movie was cute and (vaguely) remember Corey Sevier from this afternoon tween show on cbc involving books and a magic portal(?) back in the mid-90s. His character was in a wheelchair... Can any fellow Canadians help me out here? 

I liked the idea of featuring a ren faire, but agree with Norcalgal that the -eths got old very fast. And speaking of psycho moments, I can see the mechanic/mayor being too busy to fix the car on the day of the festival (although not telling them was a low blow), but not letting them charge the magically staying at 2% phone was creepy and nasty. Look perky, quirky small toweners, you can go offeth the girdeth (ugh) as much as you'd care too, but it's not cool to cut your hapless visitors (who are now missing major family events) off from communicating with said family. That's a horror movie waiting to happen. 

 

3 hours ago, Cetacean said:

Had Road Trip Romance on in the background. It was pretty implausably stupid from the get go but once they started with the festivaleth crapeth I was done.  

There was only one reason I continued watching the movie -- I decided to make an internal check list of implausibility. Here are just a few more to add to the list:

- Her purse was stolen so she had no money or credit cards.  His credit card was maxed from buying the clunker (with the "cherry engine").  At no time after the rental car was stolen until he arrived at his destination did they have to stop and put gas in the clunker or the tow truck.

-He bought the clunker and just drove away.  Can you just do that?  Don't you need to register a vehicle?  Transfer plates?  Get insurance? Do something?

- They had a fire lit lantern on a bale of hay.  That gave me a panic attack.

- The mother was planning the flowers two days before the wedding.  Huh? And why were they corsages? Is that a new wedding thing instead of carrying bouquets?

[absnow54]

I typically love road trip movies, so I turned Road Trip to Romance on, even though I missed the first 30-45 minutes. By the time I tuned in, there was no more road trip, it was just them stuck at that Renaissance Fair. Also, I found it hilarious that the couple was living "off the grid" even though they they lived in a giant McMansion and there were a dozen fancy kitchen appliances on the counter in the background. Like they would use a high end espresso machine, but absolutely drew the line at housing a USB cord on the premises. 

[Irlandesa]

55 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

Also, I found it hilarious that the couple was living "off the grid" even though they they lived in a giant McMansion and there were a dozen fancy kitchen appliances on the counter in the background. Like they would use a high end espresso machine, but absolutely drew the line at housing a USB cord on the premises. 

They weren't living off the grid completely--just the day of the Renaissance Fair. Although it did seem sporadic what they'd allow themselves to use and not use.

[norcalgal]

8 hours ago, ShelleySue said:

There was only one reason I continued watching the movie -- I decided to make an internal check list of implausibility. Here are just a few more to add to the list:

- Her purse was stolen so she had no money or credit cards.  His credit card was maxed from buying the clunker (with the "cherry engine").  At no time after the rental car was stolen until he arrived at his destination did they have to stop and put gas in the clunker or the tow truck.

-He bought the clunker and just drove away.  Can you just do that?  Don't you need to register a vehicle?  Transfer plates?  Get insurance? Do something?

- They had a fire lit lantern on a bale of hay.  That gave me a panic attack.

- The mother was planning the flowers two days before the wedding.  Huh? And why were they corsages? Is that a new wedding thing instead of carrying bouquets?

This!  But if you will recall, SHE also drove the tow truck!!!  You know, the gal who lost her purse and presumably has no ID - let along driver's license - and who was actually stopped by the cop/fiddler dude!!!  Ok, so he knew them and just wanted to give them some apple cider but what if that had been a cop stopping them for a "real" reason?! 

[Leave aside why the heck she would leave her purse & phone when going into the convenience store. Who does that?!]

4 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

They weren't living off the grid completely--just the day of the Renaissance Fair. Although it did seem sporadic what they'd allow themselves to use and not use.

Speaking of living off the grid...so do they stick to leeches and boils and home remedies in medical emergencies?  No? Then wouldn't they consider it an emergency for the two leads to call their family/charge the phone to let them know what's going on? For all their family knew, because they're incommunicado, they crashed somewhere and are now lying dead in a ditch! It's not like they asked to charge the cell phone so they could play Wordle.

[ctlady]

12 hours ago, norcalgal said:

His credit card was maxed from buying the clunker (with the "cherry engine").

Is there a 'MarySue' description for men in these movies?  In addition to being handsome, having a chiseled physique, single, stylish (even in jeans, plaid and work boots), has a neat, nicely decorated home and always seems to show up just where you happen to be.  And....let's add car aficionado to it  🙄

[bankerchick]

I love the idea of an 'internal check of implausibility.'  Aside from helping me to get through some of these stupid movies, it's also one of the main reasons why I come to this page every single day.

I am currently watching Perfect Match.  Danika is a wedding planner who spends most of the time obsessing over her son, to the point where she ends a budding relationship with Paul Greene because she missed a soccer practice.  Not a championship game, a practice.  ETA:  it was actually a game, not a practice.  But just a regular weekly game.  And, she missed it because her car got a flat coming back from one of her own wedding planning gigs.  So, why didn't she quit her job?

Paul Greene is totally smoking hot, and plays a sweet and charming guy in almost every movie, so why do they all suck?  My Favorite Wedding is on another channel and it is also awful, plus it stars the girl who swallows her words when she talks (Maggie Lawson,) who I find more annoying than Danika McKellar.

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by bankerchick