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

[Notabug]

6 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Watching Christmas With a Kiss, and I’m not getting it. There are two guys with a rivalry but it’s just weird. 

I didn't get it either.  The movie didn't really click with me.  By the end, I really didn't care which guy she chose.

[EtheltoTillie]

3 minutes ago, Notabug said:

I didn't get it either.  The movie didn't really click with me.  By the end, I really didn't care which guy she chose.

I fast forwarded a lot to the end.  There was no chemistry with either guy.  The dialog was about making ornaments and boring things about the meaning of the town's Christmas carnival.  Terrible.

Finally watched Santa Summit.  I bailed after about 20 minutes.  I just wasn't getting wrapped up in the fun.  It seemed it was going to be good, but then it just seemed like it would be a slog. 

[Notabug]

2 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I fast forwarded a lot to the end.  There was no chemistry with either guy.  The dialog was about making ornaments and boring things about the meaning of the town's Christmas carnival.  Terrible.

Finally watched Santa Summit.  I bailed after about 20 minutes.  I just wasn't getting wrapped up in the fun.  It seemed it was going to be good, but then it just seemed like it would be a slog. 

I didn't understand why the parents started the Christmas carnival years earlier and apparently, while everyone in town attended, no one ever stepped forward to help with it.  There was seemingly no organizing committee or volunteers other than the parents who wanted to retire and seemingly had no other options to continue the carnival unless one or both daughters stepped up to do it.

If people are that unappreciative, then cancel the darned thing.  Oe charge enough to be able to hire people to run it.  

[Daff]

On 12/3/2023 at 3:42 PM, Mittengirl said:

In My Norwegian Holiday, I didn’t get why everyone was mad at Henrik - he got badly hurt & didn’t win gold and somehow that was his fault?  Or did I miss something?

It was hard to follow, but he said something about there being a jump near the end of the course. I assume he thought he could gain some time by going over it instead of around (very feasible), but instead, he wiped out and was injured. The objection of spectators would be that he was grandstanding. It was pretty apparent the script writers knew nothing of the sport, and I completely dismissed all the shade when his own teammates didn’t hold it against him. The public opinion written was over the top-a stupid plot device.

Edited December 4, 2023 by Daff

[Irlandesa]

On 12/3/2023 at 10:52 AM, kirinan said:

I agree, this movie on its own was okay, but for me it was all about Will Kemp—and I thought he raised the movie to a much higher level than it would have been with another lead actor. He is so watchable and charismatic; I have yet to see him play a character that I don't like (keeping in mind that I haven't yet seen that movie set in London where he played an American with a personal shopper; the movie didn't seem to garner much praise here, if I remember right). If you can get past some of the dumb plot points, it was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.

I liked Jolly Good Christmas more than I liked Not So Royal Christmas.  The big knock on JOC was Kemp's forced American accent. 

 

[Bronx Babe]

Christmas in Notting Hill:

"Oh, you're Graham!  Like the cracker"

"I'm terrified of marshmallows.  They look like the Michelin man"

 

 

I would like to meet the scriptwriters of these things.  I just know they are from a distant planet, lol and have three eyes.

[EtheltoTillie]

I really enjoyed Not So Royal Christmas this evening. I always like Brooke Dorsay, and the male lead was great. Funny premise elevated by writing for the fake Count. 

[Bronx Babe]

Is Luke MacFarland the guy with that piggy nose?

If so, I actually thought he was rather endearing as "Chris" in Catch Me If You Claus.

[Bronx Babe]

I tried getting into The Royal Nanny as I had never seen it but switched off after 10 minutes.  It was just too over-the-top "British" in that synthetic Hallmark way, meaning that even if the entire cast had authentic accents, they still sounded phony, lol.   Plus, I found the lead actress very unpleasant, even grim.

[Bronx Babe]

I saw that preview for "Round and Round" -- a time-travelling Hanukkah tale, oh how wonderful.  LOL.  

I do not have high hopes considering what I remember about "Hanukkah on Rye" where some deli relatives suddenly burst out singing the dreidel song on a sidewalk in the middle of the night.

Yeah, our family back in the Bronx did that all the time.  

[Orcinus orca]

7 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

Is Luke MacFarland the guy with that piggy nose?

Yes and now that I see it, I cannot unsee it.

[absnow54]

10 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

I saw that preview for "Round and Round" -- a time-travelling Hanukkah tale, oh how wonderful.  LOL.  

I do not have high hopes considering what I remember about "Hanukkah on Rye" where some deli relatives suddenly burst out singing the dreidel song on a sidewalk in the middle of the night.

Hallmark has made a few decent Hanukkah movies between Double Holiday and Eight Gifts of Hanukkah. I'm looking forward to Round and Round because it has Bryan Greenberg in it.

[EtheltoTillie]

Aw, we have to take what we can get.  I liked Hanukkah On Rye, maybe UO.

I am looking forward to Round and Round.

[Orcinus orca]

2 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Aw, we have to take what we can get.  I liked Hanukkah On Rye, maybe UO.

 

I liked it as well.  Not a UO for me!  If all of the movies in the last few years, there are less than 8 I would rewatch and this is one of them.

[Irlandesa]

4 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Aw, we have to take what we can get.  I liked Hanukkah On Rye, maybe UO.

I am looking forward to Round and Round.

No. Hanukkah On Rye was quite liked here last year.

I also liked Eight Gifts of Hanukkah. 

So I'm hopeful for Round and Round.

[Bronx Babe]

7 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Aw, we have to take what we can get.  

Yeah, I guess so.....

I really am hoping Round and Round surprises me in a good way, like A HEIDELBERG HOLIDAY.

Give me credit for at least enjoying that one as there are so many I unfortunately don't, lol.  

[EtheltoTillie]

48 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

Yeah, I guess so.....

I really am hoping Round and Round surprises me in a good way, like A HEIDELBERG HOLIDAY.

Give me credit for at least enjoying that one as there are so many I unfortunately don't, lol.  

I haven't watched Heidelberg Holiday yet.  But I'm hoping it's good.  Many people are liking it.

As for Hanukkah on Rye, looking back, I think people did actually like it.  Last year, the same screenwriter did the Rockettes movie, and I liked that one too, but many people didn't. 

[Clawdette]

Regarding noses: the tip of Luke Macfarlane's nose turns down so it only appears piggy when he is shot below nose level.  Compare it to Ryan Paevey's nose. Ryan's is more of a traditional piggy as it turns upward at the tip and can be seen when photographed straight on.

[DanaMB]

I’m struggling to get through Time for Her to come Home for Christmas. Two evenings in a row I tried to watch it and ended up turning it off. I don’t know if I’ll keep trying. It isn’t grabbing my interest. 

[Bronx Babe]

15 hours ago, Clawdette said:

Regarding noses: the tip of Luke Macfarlane's nose turns down so it only appears piggy when he is shot below nose level.  Compare it to Ryan Paevey's nose. Ryan's is more of a traditional piggy as it turns upward at the tip and can be seen when photographed straight on.

I do get the two of them mixed up!

[Bronx Babe]

18 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I haven't watched Heidelberg Holiday yet.  But I'm hoping it's good.  Many people are liking it.

As for Hanukkah on Rye, looking back, I think people did actually like it.  Last year, the same screenwriter did the Rockettes movie, and I liked that one too, but many people didn't. 

Listen, if little old cranky, critical, judgemental me enjoyed A HEIDELBERG HOLIDAY, well, that's saying something I guess, lol.

Sorry to say I am not a fan of HANUKKAH ON RYE.  Too synthetic and "off" as most if not all the Hallmark stuff is.  I do realize many here like it and I apologize.  Same thing with A HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR (the Rockettes)  -- that's the one where all men in the 1950's wear 1920's "newsboy" caps.  (A BILTMORE CHRISTMAS does this too, lol)

[voiceover]

So I watched Holiday Road tonight.  Wept during Ember’s emotional rendition of “Amazing Grace” (truth in advertising: that hymn always gets me).  Later I cried through most of Act 3.

Could be because I’m having a particularly difficult December.  OR Maybe it’s something about the title bc I also boo-hoo’d during My Norwegian Holiday.

*sniff*  

Luckily Catch Me if You Clause was on later.  I cheered up watching that Luke and Italia macking-in-the-truck scene.

[EtheltoTillie]

I enjoyed Norwegian Christmas.  It was really a different kind of story angle, and the introduction to Norwegian customs was interesting. 

[Orcinus orca]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I enjoyed Norwegian Christmas.  It was really a different kind of story angle, and the introduction to Norwegian customs was interesting. 

Were any of the Norwegian customs accurate or just a Hallmarkian version of something they thought sounded vaguely Scandinavian?  

[Ele]

If you’re nostalgic for some of Hallmark’s  Christmas movies from 10 years ago, SnowBride is on the schedule late tonight. 

Edited December 8, 2023 by Ele

[voiceover]

Finally saw Biltmore Christmas tonight, and I’m adding it to my rewatch list.  Kris was terrific as always, and the hardcore TCMer in me reallyreally loved the b&w movie-in-the-movie.

Two teeny gripes: 1. Hated Bethany’s party gown with the fire of a thousand suns 2. Ohhhh ffs! If you’re going to have your heroine lean on His Girl Friday for inspiration, have her movie references actually *come from that movie!!  Make her talk faster than anyone else, or call the villain a “double-crossing chimpanzee”.

[norcalgal]

On 12/2/2023 at 9:15 PM, voiceover said:

Just finished My Norwegian Holiday and — oh my goodness.  Let us now add David Elsendoorn to my list of charming Europeans (fr: get this guy in another movie ASAP).  And Rhiannon Fish is becoming one of my “Can’t miss” Hallmark heroines.

The story itself struck hard: two grieving loners, brought together by luck, bound by coincidence. The theme about “healing from the inside first”.  I was a goner long before Henrik broke into a run to gather JJ in his arms (I actually wept; first time that’s been true of me & any Hallmark movie in decades).  I even cried at the Anders discovery.  I should have seen that coming, but I did guess JJ’s mom’s name before she blurted it out.

Can’t wait to watch this one again.

 

On 12/3/2023 at 7:51 AM, Kaoteek said:

Funnily enough, I felt Norwegian Holiday was perfectly fine... until it lost me with the very predictable, very Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, "omg, the troll means my grandma fell in love with a Norwegian man that happens to be the ex-coach of the Norwegian man I just fell in love with and a close friend of the grandma I'm living with, everything is connected, it's faaaate !".

That was a bridge too far for me.

Add me to the list of weepy viewers. I loved the heartwarming family-ness of the story, even the completely ridiculous coincidence of JJ being the long lost granddaughter of Henrik’s coach.   🙄
I stayed for the warmth of the family parts of the movie. And accurate or not, I still enjoyed the Norwegian culture on display.

Finally, one nitpick: here we go again with basically EVERYONE in the movie speaking perfect English all the time - even when Henrick/his family/Anders are talking to each other!  Puh-leeeeeze, AS IF!  My mom and her brother can speak English but they don’t talk to EACH OTHER in English because that’s not their native language. I just wish Hallmark made more effort to portray how people communicate with each other IRL. 

[Bronx Babe]

Happy Hanukkah!

I just polished off three potato pancakes and a jelly donut.

[WendyCR72]

14 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

Happy Hanukkah!

I just polished off three potato pancakes and a jelly donut.

Happy Hanukkah to you and all who celebrate! No matter the holiday, feasting is a must for every holiday celebration! 😊

[Bronx Babe]

Thank you Wendy.  I always love the food!

[WendyCR72]

1 minute ago, Bronx Babe said:

Thank you Wendy.  I always love the food!

So do I, hence my guilt at the weight gain following Christmas. 🎄😎

[Orcinus orca]

I like Paul Campbell so I will try just about anything with him but Magic in Mistletoe was such a snooze that I completely lost track as my mind wandered.  Bland, boring, colorless and totally predictable plus stealing an idea from Crazy Rich Asians.

Tuned out and wrote Christmas cards.

[Bronx Babe]

3 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

So do I, hence my guilt at the weight gain following Christmas. 🎄😎

I used to feel that way but discovered that making New Year's resolutions to shed a few pounds never worked, so I decided that life was just too short not to enjoy one's favorite foods.  These days I deny myself nothing but I (slightly) reduce portion size -- I have now gone back to normal weight!  (i.e. I eat two slices of my favorite pizza instead of four, for example -- it works.)

Since turning an unbelievable age this past October, I have been filled with anxiety and dread (started when my mother died in 2017) about facing one's mortality.  Just think -- when you die you'll never be able to eat again!  That is just unacceptable to me, lol, so I eat normally but eat everything I love -- pizza, ice cream, French Fries, etc. only not as much.  I never count calories and always take time to enjoy every bite.

[WendyCR72]

19 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

I used to feel that way but discovered that making New Year's resolutions to shed a few pounds never worked, so I decided that life was just too short not to enjoy one's favorite foods.  These days I deny myself nothing but I (slightly) reduce portion size -- I have now gone back to normal weight!  (i.e. I eat two slices of my favorite pizza instead of four, for example -- it works.)

Since turning an unbelievable age this past October, I have been filled with anxiety and dread (started when my mother died in 2017) about facing one's mortality.  Just think -- when you die you'll never be able to eat again!  That is just unacceptable to me, lol, so I eat normally but eat everything I love -- pizza, ice cream, French Fries, etc. only not as much.  I never count calories and always take time to enjoy every bite.

I hear you about facing mortality. My mom died in 2018, and it got me to thinking. Granted, I am only 51 now, but still.

But I admire your stance on enjoyment and moderation!

I hope the remainder of Hanukkah is happy for you, @Bronx Babe!

Topic: The more these movies air, the more they all seem to just blend together for me, but they are still useful when one wants to just turn their brain off.

[Rabithed]

2 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

I like Paul Campbell so I will try just about anything with him but Magic in Mistletoe was such a snooze that I completely lost track as my mind wandered.  Bland, boring, colorless and totally predictable plus stealing an idea from Crazy Rich Asians.

Tuned out and wrote Christmas cards.

Me too! The first 15 minutes were fine and I tried to get into it but I ended up googling the ad I always see for make up (Geller)? and ended up watching YouTube makeup videos! 
I did catch “Everything Christmas” earlier today and thought it was cute. I think it was a rerun, not sure when it first aired. 
I caught most of Notting Hill but didn’t like the lead actress at all. 

[coffeebean]

On 12/1/2023 at 10:54 PM, KaveDweller said:

There was a movie a couple years ago that had the same twist. A woman worked at a museum made of some historical guys house, and the guy had disappeared at some point and no one knew why. Turns out he was transported to present time and never went back cause of the woman he met.

Biltmore Christmas was better though.

Deleted. 

Edited December 9, 2023 by coffeebean

[DanaMB]

On 12/3/2023 at 12:58 AM, Nacos for Rufus said:

That said, I LOVED the rest of this movie. It had so much heart and I liked all of the characters. All the storylines were purposeful. The latest batch of Hallmark movies have been pretty good at avoiding cookie cutter characters and I've really been enjoying the movies more because of it.

I agree.  I thought My Norwegian Holiday ended up being really good.  I did think it ended kind of abruptly. I can almost see a second one. Though I’m not sure it will be popular enough for one. 

[Nacos for Rufus]

49 minutes ago, DanaMB said:

I agree.  I thought My Norwegian Holiday ended up being really good.  I did think it ended kind of abruptly. I can almost see a second one. Though I’m not sure it will be popular enough for one. 

I could see a sequel as well. There are enough storylines with enough open-endedness to carry a full movie (looking at you, Haul Out the Holly 2…).

15 hours ago, norcalgal said:

.

Finally, one nitpick: here we go again with basically EVERYONE in the movie speaking perfect English all the time - even when Henrick/his family/Anders are talking to each other!  Puh-leeeeeze, AS IF!  My mom and her brother can speak English but they don’t talk to EACH OTHER in English because that’s not their native language. I just wish Hallmark made more effort to portray how people communicate with each other IRL. 

That’s why I liked when they used subtitles with the couple in Holiday Road. Felt authentic.

[Nacos for Rufus]

17 hours ago, norcalgal said:

.

Finally, one nitpick: here we go again with basically EVERYONE in the movie speaking perfect English all the time - even when Henrick/his family/Anders are talking to each other!  Puh-leeeeeze, AS IF!  My mom and her brother can speak English but they don’t talk to EACH OTHER in English because that’s not their native language. I just wish Hallmark made more effort to portray how people communicate with each other IRL

Edited December 9, 2023 by Nacos for Rufus
Ackk! It duplicated.

[EtheltoTillie]

20 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

Happy Hanukkah!

I just polished off three potato pancakes and a jelly donut.

I threw together a small batch of latkes last night. The food processor sure makes it easy. I see no reason to use hand grating. That’s a myth. 

[Mittengirl]

Christmas on Cherry Lane - I’m confused.  Y2K?  Oil crisis?

Is this an old movie?  Or did I miss something?

[Irlandesa]

13 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Christmas on Cherry Lane - I’m confused.  Y2K?  Oil crisis?

Is this an old movie?  Or did I miss something?

All of the couples are taking place in different timelines.  The couple expecting a baby soon is in 70s during the oil crisis.  Given the son's car, I think Catherine Bell's character might be the older version of Erin Cahill's character and it takes place in 1999.  And I'm not sure how the gay couple fits in yet other than they moved into the house previously owned by both of the couples and this has to be relatively modern considering they're married. 

[Notabug]

4 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

All of the couples are taking place in different timelines.  The couple expecting a baby soon is in 70s during the oil crisis.  Given the son's car, I think Catherine Bell's character might be the older version of Erin Cahill's character and it takes place in 1999.  And I'm not sure how the gay couple fits in yet other than they moved into the house previously owned by both of the couples and this has to be relatively modern considering they're married. 

I'm glad someone was paying attention.  So the gas station owner in the storyline about the pregnant couple with the intrusive in laws is the dead husband in Catherine Bell's storyline?  Wasn't her son older than her daughter?  Isn't she supposedly expecting a girl?  Or am I messed up on that, too?

I don't know why I'm bothering, almost none of this makes sense or is even entertaining.

I feel like I need a spreadsheet to figure this out.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Notabug

[Irlandesa]

1 minute ago, Notabug said:

So the gas station owner in the storyline about the pregnant couple with the intrusive in laws is the dead husband in Catherine Bell's storyline?  Wasn't her son older than her daughter?  

Nah.  I posted too soon.  My spec was wrong.  The dead guy is the cop.  The friend the son went to see is the daughter that was born in the ep.

23 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

I like Paul Campbell so I will try just about anything with him but Magic in Mistletoe was such a snooze that I completely lost track as my mind wandered.  Bland, boring, colorless and totally predictable plus stealing an idea from Crazy Rich Asians.

I thought the relationship was sweet but overall the story wasn't super interesting.  It was a pleasant watch for me but not much beyond that.  I always think it's strange when Paul Campbell tones down his quirkiness which is the one thing that often elevates the movies he's in. 

I don't get the Crazy Rich Asians comparison, though.

 

[voiceover]

Yeah I’ve turned on my notifications & just waiting for one of you to timeline tf out of Cherry Lane.

[Mittengirl]

Cherry Lane  required far too much attention for a Hallmark movie. 

[Notabug]

6 minutes ago, Mittengirl said:

Cherry Lane  required far too much attention for a Hallmark movie. 

Even if you paid strict attention, I think it would be difficult to follow the 3 plotlines and figure out how they were interconnected.  Simply putting the year up as they showed each family would've been huge, IMO.

[Orcinus orca]

53 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

I don't get the Crazy Rich Asians comparison, though.

 Both of the rich guys flew the girl's mother in to comfort her.

[argrow]

I think these are all the connections.

1973- Erin Cahill and John Brotherton's first Christmas Eve in the house. His garage was broken into and he went and met the cop for the first time. Erin Cahill's character went into labour and gave birth to Ivy.

1999- Catherine Bell and James Denton. Catherine Bell's character was married to the cop from 1973 (who has died). Their kids  are Conrad and Winnie. Winnie is an aspiring singer. Conrad's best friend is Ivy (the baby born in 1973), whose family moved to Michigan when she was young (and that's when Catherine Bell's family moved in). Ivy is going to receive a foster child for a few days so he can experience Christmas.

2023- Jonathan Bennett and Vincent Rodriguez III. Moved in 6 months ago (i think). Winnie (Catherine Bell's daughter from 1999) is now a famous singer. I think Vincent's character works as her manager or something, and Jonathan's character works as a chef in a restaurant she owns (that used to be John Brotherton's character's garage from 1973). Vincent's character was the foster child received by Ivy in 1999.

Plus the neighbour who was the same in all three times. And that car. And of course, the same house.

Edited December 10, 2023 by argrow

[Notabug]

9 minutes ago, argrow said:

I think this is all the connection

1973- Erin Cahill and John Brotherton's first Christmas Eve in the house. His garage was broken into and he went and met the cop for the first time. Erin Cahill's character went into labour and gave birth to Ivy.

1999- Catherine Bell and James Denton. Catherine Bell's character was married to the cop from 1973 (who has died). Their kids  are Conrad and Winnie (who is an aspiring singer). Conrad's best friend was Ivy (the baby from 1973), whose family moved to Michigan when she was young (and that's when Catherine Bell's family moved in). Ivy is going to receive a foster child for a few days so he can experience Christmas.

2023- Jonathan Bennett and Vincent Rodriguez III. Moved in 6 months ago (i think). Winnie (Catherine Bell's daughter from 1999) is now a famous singer. I think Vincent's character works as her manager or something, and Jonathan's character works as a chef in a restaurant she owns (that used to be John Brotherton's character's garage from 1973). Vincent's character was the foster child received by Ivy in 1999.

Plus the neighbour who was the same in all three times. And that car. And of course, the same house.

Yowza!  i never could've figured all that out without taking notes and drawing charts.