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

[coffeebean]

On 12/10/2023 at 2:15 PM, Notabug said:

Jeez!   I totally missed it and I even re-watched the first 5 minutes or so looking for it.  For the 70's timeline, I guess we were supposed to see the cheap wood paneling on the walls and realize that was a 70's thing.  However, the couple kept going on and on about how everything in the house was out of date and needed to be replaced, so it was easy to miss.  I guess production was too cheap to pay for some harvest gold or avocado kitchen appliances and formica  counter tops for the kitchen which would've been a big hint.

I won't be watching this one again.

There was an avocado appliance in the 1973 kitchen and yellow cabinets. What was a bit confusing was that the couple were talking about how "outdated" everything was in their kitchen. That was the style in 1973. 

[coffeebean]

On 12/11/2023 at 2:09 PM, ShelleySue said:

As a regular view of This is Us I caught that too. It is now one of my favorite movies.

I've made this to show the connections in Christmas on Cherry Lane. 

Couple having baby: Lizzie, John, newborn baby Ivy

Engaged Couple. She has two adult children: Reggie, Nelson, Resentful Son, Singer Daughter, Dead Husband/Father (sorry, I'm bad at remembering names)

Couple Fostering Little Girl: Mike, Zi/Sam

In All Stories: Daisy

Connections:

- John and Dead Husband/Father become best friends.

- John's children (Resentful Son and Singer Daughter) call Dead Husband/Father "Uncle Ham."

- Dad Husband/Father delivers Ivy.

- Ivy was Zi/Sam's foster mother for a Christmas and was the reason he wanted to be a foster parent.

- Resentful Son has Dead Husband/Father's car.

- Singer Daughter sang at Mike's restaurant and Zi/Sam is her manager. That's how Mike and Zi/Sam met.

- John's garage turns into Mike's restaurant.

What did I miss? 

 

 

Resentful son  and singer daughter are the children of the cop. Resentful son was gifted his uncle John's car. That car was at least 50 years old in 2023. Resentful son and his singer sister, called John, Uncle Ham. That was a nickname because his last name was Hamilton.

[coffeebean]

One more thing about Christmas on Cherry Lane.......who has time to decorate for Christmas when your new home is in absolute chaos and your boxes aren't even unpacked?

Edited December 16, 2023 by coffeebean

[Orcinus orca]

33 minutes ago, coffeebean said:

One more thing about Christmas on Cherry Lane.......who has time to decorate for Christmas when your new home is in absolute chaos and your boxes aren't even unpacked?

In Hallmarkia, little elves come it to make sure every surface is covered with Christmas crap.  Otherwise Balsam Hill would pull their advertising dollars.

[Bronx Babe]

IfinallysawRoundandRoundanditwas the worstHallmarkHanukkahmovieIeversawjust horriblethemileaminutespeedtalkingtheonlything trulyfriedforthisholidaywastheleadactress'svoiceterriblescripttheyletthescriptwritersunleashtheirnerdysciencefictionobsessionsandnobodytalkedslowwhocouldundertandanythingandtherewastheusualwhatisyourfavoritethisandthat.

Okay I am taking a breath now, lol.....whew!

Edited December 16, 2023 by Bronx Babe

[Bronx Babe]

It's official as far as I'm concerned -- MYSTIC CHRISTMAS is the worst Hallmark Christmas movie I have yet seen and ROUND AND ROUND is the worst Chanukkah one.

[Bronx Babe]

I will quietly slink away now, lol.  It seems everyone loved Round and Round, also Mystic Christmas.

What's wrong with me?

[chitowngirl]

Just finished Secret Gift of Christmas. Eh. I liked Heaven Down Here much better. Secret Gift was too cookie cutter Hallmark. Heaven Down Here was different. Maybe because it was on HMM? I liked Round and Round. I didn’t find the talking fast at all, but I watch a lot of Gilmore Girls…😆

[Orcinus orca]

51 minutes ago, Bronx Babe said:

I will quietly slink away now, lol.  It seems everyone loved Round and Round, also Mystic Christmas.

What's wrong with me?

I will slink along with you.  I tried to rewatch Round and Round again but the breathless rapid speech was just exhausting and all of the references went over my head.  While initially I was wavering, on a second attempt it's a big no.

Hated Mystic Christmas as well so I guess we can meet behind the garbage can after dark.

[gutbuster]

1 hour ago, Bronx Babe said:

I will quietly slink away now, lol.  It seems everyone loved Round and Round, also Mystic Christmas.

What's wrong with me?

I was "excited" for Mystic Christmas because it was filmed in my state and featured a place I'd actually been. I tried, but I thoroughly hated it and shut it off after about a half hour.

I didn't mind Round and Round. I wouldn't shut it off if it came on again for background noise. But I didn't love it and wouldn't seek it out. 

 

[EtheltoTillie]

I’m half with you @Bronx Babe  I didn’t like Mystic Christmas. 

[FunnyFace]

4 hours ago, Bronx Babe said:

I will quietly slink away now, lol.  It seems everyone loved Round and Round, also Mystic Christmas.

What's wrong with me?

Nothing is wrong with you. I couldn't finish Mystic Christmas and gave up on Round and Round after 15 minutes. In MC, there was zip, zilch, nada chemistry between the leading lady and leading man.

[Trini]

Late to the party on this one, but I finally watched Catch Me If You Claus.  Liked it! It was fun, funny; and not the usual xmas rom-com format, yay! I was getting a "Lois and Clark"-type vibe which was nice. Would be down for a sequel.

Gonna add Round and Round to the 'to watch' list.

[MerBearHou]

2 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I’m half with you @Bronx Babe  I didn’t like Mystic Christmas. 

Ditto here — I didn’t like Mystic Christmas either.  Haven’t seen Round and Round but I won’t be adding it to my watch list when it re-airs.

[Badsamaritan]

My cold dead heart still unapologetically loves love, and I love HM movies and their Xmas movies in particular. The right lead combo and story can take me right to my happy place. I finally caught Round and Round and add me to the loved it list. I'm a closet nerd so I enjoyed the comic store stuff each time.

After re-watching Haul Out the Holly Lit Up, I realized the annoying asshole Johnsons weren't even needed for the story, the writers should've made the B story, the rivalry between Pamela and Ned, the centerpiece. Ned and his resentment of Pamela's continuous cookie contest win could've had the Lane and visitors choosing sides, which would have hampered Jared's proposal plans. Plenty of ways for Pamela and Ned to annoy each other and escalate the feud, culminating in Emily's speech about Xmas at the lane. The Johnsons were completely unnecessary and it annoys me so much time went to them when it could've gone to the original gang. 

The Secret Gift of Xmas.....ugh. I could've liked it a lot more if Meghan Ory refused to wear the red lipstick. It was very distracting, and I'm not sure who told her that particular bright shade was her color. Second was the music teacher. Again, ugh. I hate it when they write in a smitten woman who clearly sees the guy is interested in someone else but then gets all territorial and lies about the relationship. And again, she lifted right out of the story, the main issue could've been Meghan's character having big feelings about her father remarrying while she's playing the role of the stepmother in her own romance. 

I haven't completely decided if I liked Sealed With A List yet. That will require a rewatch. 

So far this season, the most romantic scene for me has been in My Norwegian Holiday when Henrik ran to JJ in the forest despite his leg and scooped her up. 🥰

[EtheltoTillie]

On 12/8/2023 at 1:44 AM, voiceover said:

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”.

I finally watched this today. UO, but I was underwhelmed and fast forwarded. I didn’t like the male romance figure.  Disappointing, as I was really looking forward. 

[Orcinus orca]

1 hour ago, EtheltoTillie said:

UO, but I was underwhelmed and fast forwarded. I didn’t like the male romance figure.  Disappointing, as I was really looking forward. 

I couldn't get into it at all.

[Irlandesa]

On 12/16/2023 at 4:25 PM, chitowngirl said:

Just finished Secret Gift of Christmas. Eh. I liked Heaven Down Here much better. Secret Gift was too cookie cutter Hallmark. Heaven Down Here was different. Maybe because it was on HMM?

I'd say it's because of HMM but Secret Gift of Christmas wasn't as good as other movies on Hallmark this season.  It was okay but definitely a 'been there, done that' plot with nothing to elevate it in terms of performances, dialogue, or chemistry. And then they threw in that teacher who asks out her student's dad (what?  No), and because he's stupid to realize that's what she was doing, it allowed for her to think they had something and get all jealous. 

I liked Heaven Down Here as well, although I'm still trying to figure out if there were planting hints of a romance or not. But it was similar to Holiday Road in bringing strangers together with a few twists along the way and a guest appearance from Phylicia Rashad.

7 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

I haven't completely decided if I liked Sealed With A List yet. That will require a rewatch.

I wanted to like this as I like Katie Findlay.  (Love Strikes Twice was one of my favorite Hallmark movies from the past few years.)  But even though the actors were doing what they could, the romantic chemistry just never clicked for me.  Ultimately, I think I liked the premise more than the execution.

[absnow54]

12 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I wanted to like this as I like Katie Findlay.  (Love Strikes Twice was one of my favorite Hallmark movies from the past few years.)  But even though the actors were doing what they could, the romantic chemistry just never clicked for me.  Ultimately, I think I liked the premise more than the execution.

I haven't had a chance to watch Sealed with a List yet, but I thought I recognized the actress! Love Strikes Twice was such a gem! I've also liked Evan Roderick since Spinning Out on Netflix, but all the Hallmark movies he's done have been such duds, although Autumn in the City was decent.

[ShelleySue]

On 12/16/2023 at 3:37 PM, Bronx Babe said:

ROUND AND ROUND is the worst Chanukkah one.

As someone who has been craving more Chanukah movies, I actually like this one because Chanukah was mainstream. No one was trying to teach someone else about it. Chanukah wasn't made into a Christmas celebrated by Jewish people. It was just a normal (as normal as reliving a day over and over again can be) movie that took place at Chanukah. Of course, to me, there can be no worse Chanukah movie than Holiday Date.

Now that the holiday movies are wrapping up I've learned a few things. They are:

- Everyone's parents live in huge, beautiful homes. No one ever comes home from the big city to a house less than 3,000 square feet. All parents' houses also have big porches and fire pits in the yard. Of course people need these huge houses so that they have somewhere to store all of the Christmas decorations.

- I'm not going to talk about suitcases being like Mary Poppins's bag when it comes to winter coats. I've already discussed that enough.

- If someone doesn't enjoy Christmas it's because a loved one died during a past holiday season. The dead person always loved Christmas and the sad person has to reminded of that by a person who is falling in love with them.

- All white people have best friends that are people of color. 

- Eggnog is the new hot chocolate/cocoa.

 

[Maelstrom]

1 hour ago, ShelleySue said:

- Everyone's parents live in huge, beautiful homes. No one ever comes home from the big city to a house less than 3,000 square feet. All parents' houses also have big porches and fire pits in the yard. Of course people need these huge houses so that they have somewhere to store all of the Christmas decorations.

Also, no one ever comes home to find their childhood bedroom has been repurposed into a sewing room, or a study, or a workout room, etc - said bedrooms are always left intact, exactly as they were when the MC was in high school. And of course no one's parents ever downsize to a smaller house for any reason (financial, practical, the rest of the neighborhood turned into AirBnBs, etc).

[absnow54]

1 hour ago, ShelleySue said:

As someone who has been craving more Chanukah movies, I actually like this one because Chanukah was mainstream. No one was trying to teach someone else about it. Chanukah wasn't made into a Christmas celebrated by Jewish people. It was just a normal (as normal as reliving a day over and over again can be) movie that took place at Chanukah.

I like that they also tied the significance to her parents anniversary, so they had an excuse to throw a big party.

1 hour ago, ShelleySue said:

- Everyone's parents live in huge, beautiful homes. No one ever comes home from the big city to a house less than 3,000 square feet. All parents' houses also have big porches and fire pits in the yard. Of course people need these huge houses so that they have somewhere to store all of the Christmas decorations.

This wasn't on Hallmark, but EXMas was the biggest offender this year. The exterior shots of the house were MASSIVE, yet, for some reason, they didn't have a guest bedroom, and there was only one shared hallway bath.

[ShelleySue]

16 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

I like that they also tied the significance to her parents anniversary, so they had an excuse to throw a big party.

This wasn't on Hallmark, but EXMas was the biggest offender this year. The exterior shots of the house were MASSIVE, yet, for some reason, they didn't have a guest bedroom, and there was only one shared hallway bath.

In Never Been Chris'D the blonde's parents' house was huge but she had to stay with her dark haired friend. The house was huge and the only people living in it were the mother, step-father, and sister. The mother had turned the blonde's room into an office and that's why she couldn't stay in the house. Because, I guess, there were only three bedrooms (including the now-office).

[voiceover]

On 12/17/2023 at 11:29 AM, Badsamaritan said:

So far this season, the most romantic scene for me has been in My Norwegian Holiday when Henrik ran to JJ in the forest despite his leg and scooped her up. 🥰

This x 100.  I believe I mentioned “bursting into tears”.  If I didn’t, I should’ve.

Some criticism of Round and Round as re: speed of dialogue.  Didn’t bother me in the slightest.

This may be due to the fact that my all-time fave film is His Girl Friday.  The 1940 movie with Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell clocks in at about 240 words per minute (90 is the average).   So really, R & R is amateur hour by comparison 🤣

[absnow54]

I watched Sealed with a List last night, and I thought the premise and the characters were good, but the story wasn't there. It meandered a lot. I think it could have been decent if the plot were tighter.

Now that Hallmark has shown their full crop (although I guess HMM still has a few left...) I think my top picks for the season are Catch Me if You Claus, Round and Round, and The Santa Summit. I'd also maybe add Christmas on Cherry Lane, because although it was frustratingly confusing, there was a lot to think about after. 

My award for most outlandish movie of the year is Navigating Christmas, in which the heroine decides to go halvesies on a lighthouse with her boyfriend of 3 days. Girl. What were you thinking? That town wasn't that charming. Runner up goes to the shipping boxes from Heidelberg Christmas. 

[geekgirl921]

I am always amazed at the money. There is one movie, Christmas Land where first, the male lead will not shut up about how terrible NYC is and how he can't understand how anyone could live there but the main thing that gets me is the money. The characters work in retail in a seasonal location and yet they seemingly have hundreds of thousands of dollars just sitting around that can be used to help her buy her land back! Then, in The Christmas Secret, these people who own a gift shop in a small town which in reality is a hand to mouth operation but they are able to give the main character hundreds of dollars of merchandise and what looks like thousands of dollars. I wish I had the seemingly endless supply of money that these characters have!

[Orcinus orca]

1 hour ago, geekgirl921 said:

I wish I had the seemingly endless supply of money that these characters have!

Just think of how many different winter coats you could buy.  And multiple suitcases to put them in!

[anniebird]

1 hour ago, Orcinus orca said:

Just think of how many different winter coats you could buy.  And multiple suitcases to put them in!

Well that's the beauty of Hallmark movies - you only need one suitcase which magically holds 8 winter coats.

[gutbuster]

2 hours ago, anniebird said:

Well that's the beauty of Hallmark movies - you only need one suitcase which magically holds 8 winter coats.

...and an evening gown for the Christmas gala!

[kirinan]

Yay, Primetimer's back! I've missed you all. And to celebrate your return:

‘Get Ready to Never Stop Working’ - What Hallmark’s tenured holiday hunks have learned from a combined quarter-century in the feelings game

It's a fabulous article. Happy Holidays, everyone!

[Scarlett45]

So I’m sitting down and watching Christmas in Notting Hill (which I am enjoying) and what sticks out to me is that it’s Christmas, in London, and everything is GREEN. Bright green. Not even the “we haven’t had a deep cold snap yet so it’s kind of a faded green”. 😂

[BuckeyeLou]

Just watched "Mystery on Mistletoe Lane"...I enjoyed it...the mystery with the children figuring out the clues entertained me.  Victor Webster is a charming actor and the storyline with his Father's life story was intriguing.  A good way to spend an evening

[Scarlett45]

On 12/18/2023 at 12:59 PM, absnow54 said:

I like that they also tied the significance to her parents anniversary, so they had an excuse to throw a big party.

This wasn't on Hallmark, but EXMas was the biggest offender this year. The exterior shots of the house were MASSIVE, yet, for some reason, they didn't have a guest bedroom, and there was only one shared hallway bath.

I noticed that too!

 

On 12/19/2023 at 4:14 PM, anniebird said:

Well that's the beauty of Hallmark movies - you only need one suitcase which magically holds 8 winter coats.

I thought this as I was watching Christmas in Notting Hill, the main character flies to London from the USA, yet has at least 4 winter coats. Now granted she could’ve borrowed from her sister whom she was staying with but I noticed. It would’ve made sense for her to have one nice cost and build outfits around that!

[Notabug]

22 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I noticed that too!

 

I thought this as I was watching Christmas in Notting Hill, the main character flies to London from the USA, yet has at least 4 winter coats. Now granted she could’ve borrowed from her sister whom she was staying with but I noticed. It would’ve made sense for her to have one nice cost and build outfits around that!

It also makes no sense in London in December where it is rarely below freezing and the average daily high temp is between 40-50F.  It makes no sense at all to have multiple winter coats in London.  A lined raincoat and lots of sweaters to layer makes way more sense.

[DanaMB]

On 12/10/2023 at 11:56 PM, anniebird said:

I loved Round and Round - it was genuinely funny and the two leads were great together - except for two things: the actress who played the grandmother annoys me in every movie she's in

Same! So glad to see I’m not alone. Having said that, I loved the movie. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Did anyone watch Friends and Family Christmas?  I liked it okay enough.  It's the first lesbian lead character Hallmark movie. 

[Shinyshiny778891]

5 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Did anyone watch Friends and Family Christmas?  I liked it okay enough.  It's the first lesbian lead character Hallmark movie. 

I liked it too and I really enjoyed My Christmas Guide. 

[Trini]

On 12/23/2023 at 10:36 AM, kirinan said:

Yay, Primetimer's back! I've missed you all. And to celebrate your return:

‘Get Ready to Never Stop Working’ - What Hallmark’s tenured holiday hunks have learned from a combined quarter-century in the feelings game

It's a fabulous article. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Thanks for linking that; it was really interesting. I hope they do get some type of sequel made for Three Wise Men and a Baby; as long as it's just as good!

[kirinan]

10 hours ago, Trini said:

Thanks for linking that; it was really interesting. I hope they do get some type of sequel made for Three Wise Men and a Baby; as long as it's just as good!

I would even settle for another, different movie with the three of them, they were so good together. I don't even need romances; just have them all as part of a buddy road comedy or something along those lines.

P.S. @Trini, a little off topic, but I gave a little squeal when I saw your profile picture. I mourn the loss of Leonard Snart more than any other character on TV, so it made me happy to see him. Thanks for making my morning!

[Bronx Babe]

Thanks, guys, for your tolerant feedback!  Much appreciated.

I enjoyed the two lead actresses in Friends and Family Christmas.  

I wish everyone a blessed holiday season with much tidings of comfort and joy.

[voiceover]

On 12/25/2023 at 4:16 PM, Shinyshiny778891 said:

I really enjoyed My Christmas Guide. 

Me too!  Appealing leads and a very believable obstacle between them.

And — speaking from experience — that dillweed of a college administrator: very true to life.

[KLovestoShop]

I don’t think I’ve ever watched less Countdown to Christmas like I have this year. I turned off more of their new movies, after a short  watch, like never before.  So many new lead actors who are lacking talent and chemistry. I’m sick of the constant repeats of the same movies.  The Sweetest Christmas,Time for *** to Come Home for Christmas (what the hell is it with that franchise), A Royal Christmas, A Crown for Christmas, Christmas in Evergreen, The Godwink movies, Thr Royal Nanny, A Christmas Detour and on and on.  Hallmark has a treasure trove of movies that we never see anymore.  Maybe if they didn’t focus so much on making new movies, and therefore serving up a weaker bunch, maybe make less new ones and focus on quality instead of quantity.

BTW, if you’re a fan of Ryan Paevey, there are comments out there that he’s been dumped by Hallmark.  In one interview in early December, he was asked what new movies he was going to do, and his response was “If Hallmark wants me back, I’ll be happy to work”. 

[Trini]

So, Sealed With a List: There's nothing that I can point to that was bad, really; but it's was a pretty typical, predictable Hallmark rom-com -- which I'm not actually into.  Sweet story, but this didn't have any special spark for me.

[coffeebean]

8 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

BTW, if you’re a fan of Ryan Paevey, there are comments out there that he’s been dumped by Hallmark.  In one interview in early December, he was asked what new movies he was going to do, and his response was “If Hallmark wants me back, I’ll be happy to work”. 

Google revealed this..........

Is Ryan Paevey still with Hallmark Channel?

"Ryan Paevey is back on Hallmark Channel! This marks the former General Hospital's star first new movie since 2022's Countdown to Christmas, and a lot of fans are grateful he's back, this time with Pascale Hutton in Fourth Down & Love. Sep 9, 2023"

[Irlandesa]

10 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

BTW, if you’re a fan of Ryan Paevey, there are comments out there that he’s been dumped by Hallmark.  In one interview in early December, he was asked what new movies he was going to do, and his response was “If Hallmark wants me back, I’ll be happy to work”.

I'm not a fan of his movies but he was in two Hallmark movies this year.  It just sounds like he's in more of a for-hire situation than some of the other stars who have exclusive deals and are more involved in selecting/producing their projects (like Alison Sweeney, Lacey Chabert...etc.)

 

[Kemper]

18 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

I don’t think I’ve ever watched less Countdown to Christmas like I have this year. I turned off more of their new movies, after a short  watch, like never before.  So many new lead actors who are lacking talent and chemistry. I’m sick of the constant repeats of the same movies.  The Sweetest Christmas,Time for *** to Come Home for Christmas (what the hell is it with that franchise), A Royal Christmas, A Crown for Christmas, Christmas in Evergreen, The Godwink movies, Thr Royal Nanny, A Christmas Detour and on and on.  Hallmark has a treasure trove of movies that we never see anymore.  Maybe if they didn’t focus so much on making new movies, and therefore serving up a weaker bunch, maybe make less new ones and focus on quality instead of quantity.

BTW, if you’re a fan of Ryan Paevey, there are comments out there that he’s been dumped by Hallmark.  In one interview in early December, he was asked what new movies he was going to do, and his response was “If Hallmark wants me back, I’ll be happy to work”. 

I can watch a good many older Christmas movies; but most of the 2023 movies just aren't interesting or fun or fun to make a bit of fun at.  😁 To me, the biggest problem is the casting.  It was a bit jarring to see so many new faces.  Most  just can't seem to connect with their screen partner. And the pairings were, for the most part, not good at all.  I don't mind all the coats - and there were some actresses who didn't have the mermaid hair.  I saw Teri Hatcher on a Lifetime Christmas movie and it wasn't bad.  It was fun and the lead actors/actress seemed a little older than this year's Hallmark batch.

Apparently the network makes two types/sets of Christmas movies - one for the regular Hallmark Channel and one for the Movies and Mysteries channel.  As the season goes on they could mix it up and put the movies on both channels.  The Hallmark Drama and Movies and Mysteries are on a different package than the regular Hallmark; I would need to pay extra for them. At least it would not drive so many viewers away with constant reruns. 

[Featherhat]

On 12/15/2023 at 10:22 PM, kirinan said:

Hallmark is Paying Tribute to Jane Austen with February 2024 Movies

I'm so glad to see that Mallory Jansen is coming back. And with Will Kemp, no less! Also glad to see Alison Sweeney and Benjamin Ayres back together on screen. I loved the Chronicles Mysteries. 

Interesting. Has Hallmark ever done this before? One of them sounds a bit like the UK TV series "Lost in Austen" where a character literally fell into Pride and Prejudice. Will also be interesting to see how a Hallmark version of S&S turns out.

[Bill1978]

On 12/17/2023 at 3:08 PM, Trini said:

Late to the party on this one, but I finally watched Catch Me If You Claus.  Liked it! It was fun, funny; and not the usual xmas rom-com format, yay! I was getting a "Lois and Clark"-type vibe which was nice. Would be down for a sequel.

Catch Me If You Claus was definitely my pick of the new Christmas movies this year. In fact, I would say it actually felt like a movie that could have had a legit theatrical release.

[memememe76]

I think the slate this year was significantly stronger. Compare Hallmark to, say, Netflix, and Hallmark is so so much better. 

Who are these actors and actresses people missed from Hallmark? 

[Badsamaritan]

Since some of their actors jumped ship to GAF, they've had to start looking for new faces. I don't miss CCB but I was disappointed about Jill Wagner and a couple others. GAF doesn't appear to be doing well ratings wise, they could be gone or rebranded by this time next year. Oh well. 

Anyway, I couldn't like My Christmas Guide that much, the boyfriend was such a mustache twirling, mouth breathing fuckstick that I couldn't figure out why she didn't dump his ass when he booked the golf trip. From what I understood, they weren't dating all that long, why didn't she tell him to kick rocks right then? There were a myriad number of red flags, way too many to not make her seem like an idiot for ignoring them. Took me clean out of the story. 

I liked more of the Xmas movies than disliked. If I liked the leads and was entertained, I'm good. For me, these movies provide a positivity boost, to counteract the negativity of a lot of the real world, and I need that for my own peace.