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

[Cetacean]

9 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

More sloppy idiocy from DATING THE DELANEYS: we are told that upside down pineapple is the number one cake in the United States.

Switched on just before this stupid statement. Switched off immediately thereafter. Sounds like a good choice.

[kirinan]

I'm going to be the lone voice in the wilderness and say I really enjoyed Dating the Delaneys. I admit have a track record of being able to forgive actors I like for making me watch them in not-great movies, and I love Paul Campbell and have always liked Rachel Boston.

Nothing anyone has called out so far bothered me. In fact, other than why she didn't walk out of the restaurant with phone guy and why she agreed to a second date with stick-up-the-posterior guy, the points didn't even occur to me until I read them here. I just took them as making the point that she needed to find her assertiveness. That's not an uncommon flaw in people, myself included. 

Maybe Hallmark's recent movies—very few of which I've liked and more of which I haven't wasted my time watching—have lowered my acceptance threshold, but give me a couple of "older" leads I love to watch and a halfway decent story and I'm a happy camper. I'll watch this one again. 

Edited August 21, 2022 by kirinan

[Bronx Babe]

(not to mention house keys along with money and a cell phone)

Wedding Bells:

"This is the best chicken pot pie I ever had!"

"These are Nick's famous chocolate chip cookies"

[WhyAmIHere]

I wasn't a fan of Dating the Delaneys.   It really wasn't a multi-generational story.  So much of the focus was on Rachel Boston's character.   She was a little too bubbly for me here.   And the corny jokes were relentless.  I appreciate Hallmark trying to bring more humor in these movies, but the bad puns got annoying after awhile. 

I don't understand why Hallmark doesn't pair up Paul Campbell and Kimberley Sustad at least once a year.  There is at least one Cindy Busby/Chris Russell movie every year, so the network isn't opposed to pairing the same people often.   Paul Campbell works better for me in movies where he can be snarky, and this wasn't the right vehicle for that. 

[Bronx Babe]

"Wait, what?"

"Pitch!"

"I will have you know...."

"Do you not know?"

"You got this"

"Sweetheart, you've always been a go-getter"

"We're a great team"

"You two know each other?"

"Aunt Pittypat left us this checklist for the family before she passed so we can learn how to celebrate Life"

"So.......how did the date go?"

"I can continue being a doctor here in Sunnyvale hanging out my shingle where I grew up.  I don't need Boston"

[bankerchick]

Bronx Babe, I appreciate your take on these movies, but I have no idea what you're talking about here?

Like Kirinan, I will forgive my favourite actors a multitude of sins, and Paul Campbell gets many free passes from me.  I guess I am neutral on Dating The Delaneys.  I have never been a fan of Rachel Boston, but she wasn't horrible in this movie.  I do admit to having a bit of a panic attack at the beginning when she said something to her mom about looking after the kids or babysitting or some such, thinking they were trying to make her 30 with young kids, but it turned out to be teenagers who apparently still need looking after.  I think they could have showed us the two losers she was set up with without her having to sit through the entire date (and a second date with the one guy??)  I thought the dad jokes were kinda lame, but I liked Paul's character and would have been happy to practice or real date him.

[Bronx Babe]

bankerchick, I wish the characters in these Hallmark movies engaged me emotionally in any way but unfortunately they don't, even given some of the genuine talent of the actors and actresses.

[Bronx Babe]

I don't lay any blame on these male and female performers.  They are obviously being told to act in a certain specific way, hamstrung by the creepy Hallmark guidelines.

[DanaMB]

On 8/14/2022 at 9:19 AM, bankerchick said:

So, is anyone feeling more body-positive today?  I watched about half an hour in the middle of Romance In Style, long enough to see the female lead teach a kid to make free-throws (who says big girls aren't athletes??!!) and that was enough.

I’m 8 minutes in and about to give up. The female lead was over the top bitchy to the male lead and got on my nerves. 

[bankerchick]

OK, I googled 'most popular cake in the US' and (surprise, surprise) Pineapple Upside Down Cake is not even on the list.  Apparently, ice cream cake is #1, a ranking I wholeheartedly support, followed by strawberry cake (?) molten lava, chocolate, angel food, sponge, carrot and several others you would expect.  I will also say the 'pecan pie cake' they are making for Make It, Bake It, Cake It sounds pretty delicious.

I can't imagine going to my ex-husband's wedding.  In fact, I didn't know he was getting married until my son told me he was going to 'this wedding thing' with his dad.  I jokingly asked, 'who's getting married, your dad?' and he said, 'yeah.'  Though if I had Paul Campbell to take with me, I would have crashed the wedding and the first dance and laughed at the bride because I certainly would have won that one!

[MerBearHou]

Sad to say, Dating the Delaneys did not do it for me.  I tuned in for Paul Campbell and was so settled in to enjoy him paired again with Rachel (as I mentioned before, I really liked them in The Last Bridesmaid).  But it just felt off.  The acting, the scenarios, the emotions…off.  Y’all have already hit the points that bugged me — as an example, the first blind date was absolutely a joke — who wrote that/filmed that/thought it was remotely believable (though I did LOVE the waiter who told Rachel to get out of there while the guy was in the bathroom).  

Paul and Rachel were a little too “on” the whole time and none of it felt natural.  The teen daughter was so unappealing — even though she was supposed to be a sullen, too cool teen, I just thought she was a pain to be around.  Sorry, Paul — won’t be watching this one again.  His movies are usually On Repeat for me, but not DTD.  

Edited August 21, 2022 by MerBearHou

[Woopwoopkitty]

I finally got around to watching Romance in Style and color me surprised I really like it.  The leads had great chemistry.  She was a pretty and normal looking woman, with no mermaid waves.  I didn’t find her bitchy, more that she was assertive and wasn’t going to take crap or pander to the new boss.  I like that body positivity was correctly expressed as feeling good about yourself and being comfortable with ho you are, rather than the celebration of obesity that Lizzie and Tess promote.  If they’re happy with themselves, great.  But they are promoting a very unhealthy life all while demanding that we find them beautiful. Well sorry, I don’t.  And don’t even go there with the fat phobia crap, i’m Not.  Not fining it attractive isn’t the same as hating people.  I have my own roll around the middle, cellulite ridden thighs and a jiggly ass.  But I’m overweight not obese, I work out for heart health and to build stamina but you’d never know it by Loki g at me. I’m happy with myself, my boyfriend love vex me, and my doctor says I’m quite healthy despite the extra 40 pounds, which are hurting my knees more than impacting my health.  But I don’t demand that other people find me beautiful, just that they leave me alone.

The worst thing about the movie for me was the boss lady with the bad plastic surgery and weird lips.  I’ve seen her in several of these moves and cringe every time.

i guess I’m the only one that liked Dating the Delaneys, plot holes and all.  Good chemistry, just a minor mis-understanding, and the ex was disappointing but not evil or a jerk.  The peripheral romances were enjoyable too.

[ctlady]

11 hours ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

 I like that body positivity was correctly expressed as feeling good about yourself and being comfortable with ho you are, rather than the celebration of obesity that Lizzie and Tess promote.  If they’re happy with themselves, great.  But they are promoting a very unhealthy life all while demanding that we find them beautiful. Well sorry, I don’t.  And don’t even go there with the fat phobia crap, i’m Not.  Not fining it attractive isn’t the same as hating people.  I have my own roll around the middle, cellulite ridden thighs and a jiggly ass.  But I’m overweight not obese, I work out for heart health and to build stamina but you’d never know it by Loki g at me. I’m happy with myself, my boyfriend love vex me, and my doctor says I’m quite healthy despite the extra 40 pounds, which are hurting my knees more than impacting my health.  But I don’t demand that other people find me beautiful, just that they leave me alone.

Absolutely, wonderfully said!  If a movie starts to push force acceptance of something or preach an agenda, I’m out

Edited August 22, 2022 by ctlady

[Miss Bones]

On 8/13/2022 at 11:34 AM, bankerchick said:

I watched this movie last night.  While there wasn't any 'jumping on top of each other,' there was a fair bit of ex-husband bashing, which is also unusual for Hallmark.  In fairness, the guy was a douche.  My few comments on this movie:  it's old-school Hallmark in that the big city girl gives up her life and moves to the small town for love, Kavan Smith is very likeable but needs to stay clean-shaven, and every kid in this movie is a terrible actor.  Overall, I didn't hate the movie and would probably watch it again as background if it was the only thing on.

This one (Big Sky River) had been taking up space on my DVR, so I watched it over the weekend.  I cosign everything about your post, especially about the bad kid acting.  The younger son was really bad, and the entire interaction between the 2 teens on the date was so full of cringe, and it was painful to watch. 

And now that I'm thinking of it, it was very weird how they cut back and forth between the teens' date, and the main couple hanging out.  Then, when the teens' date was over, the kid left on his bike, and they made it a point for him to ask the girl "Are you okay if I leave, since your mom should be coming to pick you up any minute now...?"  It seemed like they were setting up a conflict, like she was going to forget to pick the girl up or something, but nothing ever came of it.  It was just oddly set up.

I also thought that Kavan needed to shave and get a haircut.  I'm not against a little stubble or longer hair on a guy, but he just looked shaggy and unkempt.  

I was surprised how quickly her ex just let her keep his kid, too.  For someone who was described as such a douche, and with having an "ugly divorce" as she described it, it was a little unbelievable that he just gave in so quick after one phone call.

Overall, I did enjoy the movie though, compared to some of the other nonsense on this channel.

Edited August 22, 2022 by Miss Bones
clarification

[norcalgal]

13 hours ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

i guess I’m the only one that liked Dating the Delaneys, plot holes and all.  Good chemistry, just a minor mis-understanding, and the ex was disappointing but not evil or a jerk.  The peripheral romances were enjoyable too.

I thought it was ok...nothing to write home about, but also not execrable. Was the minor misunderstanding that he deleted the app/unsubscribed from the dating app, but she thought he was "winked" by someone and thus, no longer available?

Anyhoo, I think the best thing about this movie was the actress who portrayed the mom seemed age appropriate. In so many of these Hallmark movies, one of my pet peeves is that the actor/actress who portrays the father/mother of the lead(s) looks too young to be the parent. If Hallmark wants to hire someone who looks about 15 years older than the lead(s), they should make it a point to say the parent became a parent because of a teen pregnancy.

[bankerchick]

23 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

Anyhoo, I think the best thing about this movie was the actress who portrayed the mom seemed age appropriate. In so many of these Hallmark movies, one of my pet peeves is that the actor/actress who portrays the father/mother of the lead(s) looks too young to be the parent. If Hallmark wants to hire someone who looks about 15 years older than the lead(s), they should make it a point to say the parent became a parent because of a teen pregnancy.

Agree with all of this.  I have seen this actress in many movies, and while I like her, she always seems to play a mother who is obsessed with her daughter's love life.  I understand wanting your daughter to be happy, but sometimes people are happy when they're single, and why is any old loser better than nobody at all?  In the movie A Bride for Christmas, starring the wonderful combo of Andrew Walker and Arielle Kebbel, Arielle's character has to finally say to her mom, 'please, please, please, stop!!!' when she insists on inviting Arielle's latest 'left at the altar' guy to family functions.  If she had married that guy, she'd never have met Andrew's character and that would be a loss.  

I would have liked to see more of the mom's dating story, though.  I think most of us Hallmark fans are old enough that we can relate to a romance after your kids are grown and gone.  I also liked the low-key story in the movie The Journey Ahead.  The movie wasn't primarily about falling in love, and the small-town love interest guy (who is 61 in real life) was hot. 

[norcalgal]

3 minutes ago, bankerchick said:

I would have liked to see more of the mom's dating story, though.  I think most of us Hallmark fans are old enough that we can relate to a romance after your kids are grown and gone.  I also liked the low-key story in the movie The Journey Ahead.  The movie wasn't primarily about falling in love, and the small-town love interest guy (who is 61 in real life) was hot. 

Agreed that Dating the Delaneys should have shown more of the mom's romance.

As for the small town love interest in The Journey Ahead, he played Preacher Frank on When Calls the Heart.  He looks real good for 61!  (I didn't know his age.  I guess 60 *is* the new 50.  😊)

[GeorgiaRai]

I liked The Journey Ahead but felt either the adopted daughter or the breast cancer scare could 've been left out.  Both of those are major life developments, and neither got the attention they deserved, sandwiched between the cheating husband, crappy manager, cross country road trip, being stranded in a small town, meeting a new love interest, becoming a nicer person, and taking on a community project.  Regardless, I liked the movie.

Oh, and for me, Chanell Pelosa will always only be Grace from A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish.

[luvthepros]

On 8/15/2022 at 11:23 AM, kirinan said:

Some nice portraits of Hallmark (and some now-GAC) actors at Christmas Con (whatever that is). 

No Andrew Walker????

[Ms Blue Jay]

I really liked "Just One  Kiss"! Definitely  good acting  and  it  was  genuinely  funny.    My only complaint  is  that  I didn't really get  swept up  in  the romance.   I  loved the shots of Brooklyn and  the  real estate!

[MerBearHou]

2 hours ago, luvthepros said:

No Andrew Walker????

Andrew was definitely at the Christmas-Con thing.  He posted a bunch on Instagram, was super engaged with the attendees, and clearly hung out a lot with Paul Campbell and Tyler Hynes.  Those 3 seem to be very good pals.

[Irlandesa]

8 hours ago, GeorgiaRai said:

I liked The Journey Ahead but felt either the adopted daughter or the breast cancer scare could 've been left out. 

I vote for the breast cancer scare, especially since none of it made sense.  She wouldn't need to cross country to get a biopsy nor would they be doing an implied "wait and see" given the way they were talking about it in the beginning of the movie.

I quite enjoyed Groundswell last night.  It was a little more Hallmark than HMM but the scenery was gorgeous, I liked the love interest and his brother, and the only thing that hit me as "this doesn't make sense" was his house.  I didn't get the sense that he and his brother were super well off and that house has to be at least a million.

[Bronx Babe]

Bankerchick, please also understand that I am not at all familiar with the actors and actresses who have appeared on Hallmark over the years.  To my uneducated eyes they are interchangeable.  You guys who have watched for a long time can see subtle differences.  And I've never been a fan of soap operas, either the day or night-time kind back in the day, Dallas, Dynasty, Knott's Landing, All My Children, that stuff.  I was always into old movies or sitcoms like Bewitched.

By the way, do you think pineapple upside-down cake is popular in Canada?  Somehow I doubt it!

Her Pen Pal:

"This croissant is the best I have ever had in my entire life!"

(they were supposed to be in Paris....)

[bankerchick]

Hey, Bronx Babe, no worries.  I don't know a lot of the actors/actresses either and don't really care to learn their names, and I can't remember the character names, or the names of the movies.  Except for a few that I really like.  For example, I know exactly who these three are (and now that I know Christmas-con is a thing, I might have to look into going next year)

21 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Andrew was definitely at the Christmas-Con thing.  He posted a bunch on Instagram, was super engaged with the attendees, and clearly hung out a lot with Paul Campbell and Tyler Hynes.  Those 3 seem to be very good pals.

3 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

I was always into old movies or sitcoms like Bewitched.

I loved Bewitched, and spent quite a bit of time today discussing My Three Sons with a friend.  I wonder if anyone will talk about today's sitcoms 50 years from now.

3 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

By the way, do you think pineapple upside-down cake is popular in Canada?  Somehow I doubt it!

In my 64 years of living here, I have never seen one at an event or a bakery, nor have I ever heard anyone mention it.  I personally hate pineapple so wouldn't eat it either way.

[Cetacean]

Right there with you on actor and actresses except for the couple that I like.  Otherwise I can't even tell some of them apart like the two in the veil movies that I thought were the same person!  Frankly I am sick of looking at some of them, they are in every other movie.

And same with the movies.  There is a grand total of one that I have kept on my DVR to rewatch.

[GeorgiaRai]

Speaking of Christmas-con, I follow Alicia Witt on IG.  Her event wardrobe got lost along the way, so all she had for the events were the jeans & tank she wore traveling.  Lacey Chabert and Rachel Boston offered to help, and she wore borrowed dresses/gowns from each of them over the weekend.  They do seem to have a nice, supportive community among them.

[ctlady]

On 8/22/2022 at 11:28 PM, Irlandesa said:

I quite enjoyed Groundswell last night.  It was a little more Hallmark than HMM but the scenery was gorgeous, I liked the love interest and his brother, and the only thing that hit me as "this doesn't make sense" was his house.  I didn't get the sense that he and his brother were super well off and that house has to be at least a million.

I enjoyed it too and agree about the house.  What took me out a bit is that I felt as if I was in Puerto Rico rather than Hawaii.  I know Ben told Emma the story about how many Puerto Ricans immigrated over to Hawaii, but they could've included some native Hawaiians  background characters

I see Katie Lee's voice still grates.  I'm wondering what this proposal was that she wanted to speak to Frankie and Emma about after the contest.  Could she have possibly suggested the 'split' restaurant idea?  And speaking of that - I didn't understand the concept.  Where did Emma get the money to open up her own restaurant in Atlanta?  Was their prize money involved in the contest she and Frankie won, or were there maybe investors because of the contest?

I thought Ben's story of how he and his late wife were pen pals and continued to write little letters and notes to each other and leave them all over the house even after they were married was really sweet.  I actually choked up. Mr. Ctlady and I do that too.

LC must've been sweltering in that wet suit

[bankerchick]

12 hours ago, Cetacean said:

There is a grand total of one that I have kept on my DVR to rewatch.

OK, I'll bite.  Which one?

I am currently watching 'The Last Bridesmaid' one of MerBearHou's favourites.  It's Paul Campbell, but Rachel Boston is an insurance agent who sells insurance, who works for her parents who sell insurance, who have started an insurance company she is going to inherit, where she will be selling insurance.  However, even though she sells insurance and is quite happy working for her parents selling insurance, and appears poised to take over their insurance company where they sell insurance, she also wants to make jewellery and might have to do that while selling insurance, unless she decides not to sell insurance and just design jewellery.  Honestly, if I had a nickel for every time the word 'insurance' is uttered, I'd have a couple of dollars by the time the movie is over.

[Cetacean]

8 hours ago, bankerchick said:

OK, I'll bite.  Which one?

An Unexpected Christmas. I like Tyler Hynes well enough but without the beard and with the new hairstyle he's  whole new person. Loved his relationship with his sister and he has great chemistry with Bethany Joy Lenz.  The family was over the top but I can FF through that.

Edited August 24, 2022 by Cetacean

[Bronx Babe]

Thanks, bankerchick!  Appreciate your tolerance for my somewhat cynical ramblings.

Speaking of which, I saw Snowkissed yesterday.

"This is a bison burger.  The best in town!"

"This is the best merlot I ever had"

"This caramel and sea-salt chocolate should win a Nobel Prize!"

This "best" thing is just so fascinating to me.  And it's in practically every story!

[Bronx Babe]

Now I have to say that I do like Danica McKellar, Candace Cameron Bure and Lacey Chabert.

Lacey's "signature" nervous giggle does get annoying to me at times but at least she never acts like a ditz.  Sometimes Candace does but she's not as bad as some of the other actresses who seem "forced" to act that way.  Danica is a sweetheart who also manages to make her characters adult.

But just because I'm partial to them does not make many of their movies any less insufferable; however, I find I don't have to hold my nose so to speak while watching the silly stories unfold.

I'm guessing these three perhaps have more "clout" with Hallmark and are thus perhaps able to discuss creative differences more openly with the directors?

As for the male actors, there's one (who did a couple of All Of My Heart Inn Love or a title similiar with Lacey) who looks like a "normal" average guy -- no male model type, has a sense of humor and is generally likeable.  Don't know his name but I'm sure you guys will chime in.

Then there's the guy with the, how shall I describe him....the "piggy" nose.  He's relatively handsome and seems to be in everything!

[luvthepros]

On 8/22/2022 at 11:23 PM, MerBearHou said:

Andrew was definitely at the Christmas-Con thing.  He posted a bunch on Instagram, was super engaged with the attendees, and clearly hung out a lot with Paul Campbell and Tyler Hynes.  Those 3 seem to be very good pals.

Thank you.

[MerBearHou]

4 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

As for the male actors, there's one (who did a couple of All Of My Heart Inn Love or a title similiar with Lacey) who looks like a "normal" average guy -- no male model type, has a sense of humor and is generally likeable.  Don't know his name but I'm sure you guys will chime in.

You are thinking of Brennan Elliott.  I like him too.  He is bright and has a fun sense of humor and you’re so right, he’s not the male model type but handsome and relatable.  

[bankerchick]

8 hours ago, Cetacean said:

An Unexpected Christmas. I like Tyler Hynes well enough but without the beard and with the new hairstyle he's  whole new person. Loved his relationship with his sister and he has great chemistry with Bethany Joy Lenz.  The family was over the top but I can FF through that.

I'm so happy when I find a movie that just seems to gel.  The leads are likeable and have real chemistry, the secondary characters add to the story and the premise is realistic enough that I can overlook some of the silliness.  I have a lot of movies saved on DVR 'just in case' but I tend to watch the same 3 or 4 over and over.

3 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

As for the male actors, there's one (who did a couple of All Of My Heart Inn Love or a title similiar with Lacey) who looks like a "normal" average guy -- no male model type, has a sense of humor and is generally likeable.  Don't know his name but I'm sure you guys will chime in.

Who knew there were so many 'Inn Love' movies, not all of them Hallmark...  My guess is you are referring to Brennan Elliott (All of My Heart Inn Love) or Jesse Hutch (Inn Love by Christmas.)  Both are in a lot of movies and I'm meh on both.

   

3 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

Then there's the guy with the, how shall I describe him....the "piggy" nose.  He's relatively handsome and seems to be in everything!

Ryan Paevey?  

[EyewatchTV211]

I just watched Dating the Delaneys. It was okay. I had similar thoughts to most everyone else. My one nitpick is a grammatical thing that bothered me. I'm already annoyed with all of the movies where someone says, "Anyways." This one added, "Conversate." Ugh. It's crazy that some of the new incorrect grammar makes words longer instead of shorter. Just say, "Converse." 

[MerBearHou]

I’m dying to know who the frequently seen on Hallmark guy is with the piggy nose!  I am racking my brain.  

[Cetacean]

5 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I’m dying to know who the frequently seen on Hallmark guy is with the piggy nose! 

I think it's Jesse Hatch.  JMO.  But seeing the guesses will be fun!

[Woopwoopkitty]

11 hours ago, Cetacean said:

I think it's Jesse Hatch.  JMO.  But seeing the guesses will be fun!

I’m guessing Trevor Donovan because he’s the only one I can think of with the upturned nose.  But he’s only been in a handful of movies that I recall.

[luvthepros]

1 hour ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

I’m guessing Trevor Donovan because he’s the only one I can think of with the upturned nose.  But he’s only been in a handful of movies that I recall.

2 minutes ago, luvthepros said:

deleted

Edited August 25, 2022 by luvthepros

[luvthepros]

1 hour ago, Woopwoopkitty said:

I’m guessing Trevor Donovan because he’s the only one I can think of with the upturned nose.  But he’s only been in a handful of movies that I recall.

I have no doubt the actor the poster was referring to with the "piggy nose" is Ryan Paevey. He is handsome but there is certainly something going on with his nose that resembles a pig.

Sorry Ryan.

[Kemper]

The previews for the upcoming tennis movie look interesting. But the actor? I have never seen him in anything (but I have probably just missed the movies) … his eyes are off putting and I don’t think I can watch him. Is it just me? Others may love him and I am being silly. But still….geez. 

[KLovestoShop]

I watch so many Hallmark movies that I start looking for specific things.  Lacey loves red and wears lots of strapless or off the shoulder dresses.  And what’s with these actresses and huge handbags?  No matter where she goes or who she’s with, there’s the gigantic bag.  Candice, in the Christmas Under Wraps movie, lugs the huge bag everywhere.  And it’s not a medical bag, but what looks like a fake Birkin.  No matter if she’s going on a date or walking around the town, there’s the insipid bag.

Has anyone read anything about the Mahogany movie and if Hallmark will start a new platform with Mahogany shows?  I know Hallmark now has an entire line of Mahogany products in their stores, so maybe a new platform is next?  

[Bort]

On 8/25/2022 at 12:59 PM, Kemper said:

The previews for the upcoming tennis movie look interesting. But the actor? I have never seen him in anything (but I have probably just missed the movies) … his eyes are off putting and I don’t think I can watch him. Is it just me? Others may love him and I am being silly. But still….geez. 

Richard Harmon. I’ve never seen him in a hallmark movie before but he’s been in many a Canadian production: most notably Continuum and The 100. He’s a very good actor and while unusual looking, I find him adorable.

[norcalgal]

3 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Richard Harmon. I’ve never seen him in a hallmark movie before but he’s been in many a Canadian production: most notably Continuum and The 100. He’s a very good actor and while unusual looking, I find him adorable.

His eyes are very creepy and offputting to me. I remember seeing him in some movie a long time ago when he was a teen character (the actor himself was probably also a teen at the time) and even then, his eyes creeped me out.  It's because of the eyes that when I saw the Hallmark preview I knew it had to be the same guy.

[luvthepros]

On 8/25/2022 at 1:59 PM, Kemper said:

The previews for the upcoming tennis movie look interesting. But the actor? I have never seen him in anything (but I have probably just missed the movies) … his eyes are off putting and I don’t think I can watch him. Is it just me? Others may love him and I am being silly. But still….geez. 

Agree with you.

[ctlady]

16 hours ago, kariyaki said:

Richard Harmon. I’ve never seen him in a hallmark movie before but he’s been in many a Canadian production: most notably Continuum and The 100. He’s a very good actor and while unusual looking, I find him adorable.

So do I. I find men who are not stereotypically ‘hot’ looking or looking like a Ralph Lauren model to have a vulnerable sexiness to them. The movie looks cute and look forward to watching.  Davida Williams looks like she could be related to the Williams sisters, but nothing on IMDb indicated that. 
 

i watched Ms-Matched with Alexa PenaVega last night. It was nice and entertaining enough. Although I usually like her, her character came across unprofessional and childish during the wedding expo scenes. And she had that constant girlish giggle whenever she was around the male lead like she displayed in Odd Girl Out that drove me batty 

[Chippings]

I'm just watching Autumn Dreams this afternoon in the lineup of  reruns, and I wanted to take a moment to mention the 2nd-level actors who are sort of in the Hallmark repertory company, specifically Matty Finocchio.  In this one he plays the hero's lawyer / best friend, and it's a pretty substantial role.  He's also in Just One Kiss, as the heroine's best friend, also a professor, and in Bridal Wave he's the brother-in-law (almost nothing to do in that one).  I just am always glad to see him, and he always does a great job and really defines a different character.  I hope doing this is a good living for him!

In the same category, there are many, but I like too the fellow who played the big-time attorney, "Mal", in Love Strikes Twice and then the hotel manager in (oops) the movie about the high-end concierge who hosts the not-rich-guy in the (Winter Getaway??).  Also the Asian guy who is in so many of these (deserves a name .. it's Nelson Wong) -- always very likeable.

But Matty Finocchio is my real favorite.  He's got a lot of range and it's always fun to see him. Other faves ??

Edited August 27, 2022 by Chippings
Name

[norcalgal]

54 minutes ago, Chippings said:

 and in Bridal Wave he's the brother-in-law (almost nothing to do in that one).  I just am always glad to see him, and he always does a great job and really defines a different character.  I hope doing this is a good living for him!

But Matty Finocchio is my real favorite.  He's got a lot of range and it's always fun to see him. Other faves ??

if this is who I think, I’m sorry, but based on appearance, he seems like he should always play the jerk/weasel character….even though he wasn’t at all jerky or weaseley in Bridal Wave

Also the Asian guy who is in so many of these -- always very likeable.

I think this Asian guy was in a US tv commercial…can’t recall the product 

[bankerchick]

7 hours ago, Chippings said:

But Matty Finocchio is my real favorite.  He's got a lot of range and it's always fun to see him. Other faves ??

He is quite funny as the boss in Window Wonderland as well.

[Irlandesa]

I really liked Game, Set, Love. 

Some of the banter or jokes actually had me laughing out loud.  I thought the leads had good chemistry and worked really well off of one another to sell the naturalness of the banter.  The reactions felt like authentic reactions rather than some of the more stilted reactions we get.

I also thought the kisses were pretty hot and less chaste than they usually are.  I was actually sad when it ended. I wanted to spend more time with these two.  They should spin them off into a mystery series where they're tennis pros who solve mysteries.

Now, the tennis stuff was pretty ridiculous and just not how high level tennis work.  Or at least not the tournaments they said the guy had been in.  So that took a lot of overlooking but at least it's a new environment so it's not the same implausible scenario as we typically get (i.e. coming up with a Christmas toy on Dec. 1 for a launch on Dec. 4th.)