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

[Kaoteek]

Watching The Sweetest Christmas. Hey, two spunky redhead side-characters (the sister, and the assistant) ! The streak goes on !

(on another note, man, the casting for those male characters is weaker and weaker...)

[redpencil]

I also really liked A Song for Christmas. I thought both leads were good and had really nice chemistry. Also appreciated that he knew who she was the whole time, even though the rest of her family didn't. I feel like in a lot of other movies, that would have been the big drama (that or there would be some big misunderstanding about her fake public boyfriend--which they also avoided).

[Jenniferbug]

Watching A Song for Christmas now! Thanks for letting me know it's worth the time. I'm fairly easy to please with these movies. 

I did like A Princess for Christmas too! It was just on. Thanks for the the tip @twoods I may need to track that one down on dvd.

[Veronica]

1 hour ago, VMepicgrl said:

Case in point, I'm the one person who did not like The Christmas Card. I thought the acting by everyone was terrible and couldn't get past it. But that's apparently a widespread favorite, so what do I know?

I feel the same way. The lead female drives me nuts. Something about her just grates. 

[sistersledge]

Wait- I just realized someone recommended ‘Window Wonderland..’ was it that good? I recorded it last week and tried to watch it, but turned it off after 20 minutes bc I thought it was so dumb. 

Will Crown for Christmas be replayed? Apparently I’ve missed a good one!

[twoods]

9 minutes ago, sistersledge said:

Wait- I just realized someone recommended ‘Window Wonderland..’ was it that good? I recorded it last week and tried to watch it, but turned it off after 20 minutes bc I thought it was so dumb. 

Will Crown for Christmas be replayed? Apparently I’ve missed a good one!

Sorry you didn't like it but I enjoyed it, probably because I liked the acting and chemistry with the leads. That usually makes or breaks a movie to me. Crown for Christmas is always being replayed- it's on tonight at 3am if you want to set your DVR.

 

I also recommend Best Christmas Party Ever, Every Christmas has a story, and Moonlight and Mistletoe. 

[EyewatchTV211]

35 minutes ago, sistersledge said:

Wait- I just realized someone recommended ‘Window Wonderland..’ was it that good? I recorded it last week and tried to watch it, but turned it off after 20 minutes bc I thought it was so dumb. 

Will Crown for Christmas be replayed? Apparently I’ve missed a good one!

Window Wonderland was another that I didn't care for much. A lot of others liked it, though. 

[sistersledge]

1 hour ago, twoods said:

Crown for Christmas is always being replayed- it's on tonight at 3am if you want to set your DVR.

Ah! It’s on at 6am, but I think I’ve actually seen the ending now that I read it.

[Irlandesa]

8 hours ago, twoods said:

Yay, a newbie! You picked the perfect time to start watching since movies are on all the time. Trading Christmas is another good movie (and I've watched Snow Bride at least 6 times). Some other great movies to catch are:

Hitched for the holidays

Let It Snow 

Nine Lives of Christmas

On the 12th Day of Christmas (its airing on Wednesday)

A Very Merry Mixup

A Princess for Christmas

Window Wonderland

And Love At the Thanksgiving Day Parade too.  Even though it's Thanksgiving, it's really Christmas Kickoff.

So I'm all caught up on the movies.  My favorite is still The Perfect Christmas Gift from last weekend but Christmas in The Air was pretty enjoyable as well.  I run hot and cold on Catherine Bell but I enjoyed her here in and thought Eric Close was really good.  In fact, he probably had the better character development.  They hit the perfect and believable balance of workaholic, loving, if scatterbrained father and widower in mourning yet ready to move on. 

So far this weekend is not looking quite as promising.  I couldn't get into The Lacey Chabert movie.  And even though I liked the leads for A Christmas Song and thought they had decent chemistry, the movie never took off for me. I'm glad others like it more than me.

I'm not excited for tonight's offerings either.  Engaging Father Christmas is the "much anticipated sequel" to a movie I found duller than dirt last year.  And "Enchanting Christmas" stars a husband and wife duo--Alexa and Carlos PenaVega.  I can handle Alexa but I'm not sure if I could handle both of them.  I'll record.  Let me know if I'm wrong.

[Myrrhine]

On 11/9/2017 at 1:09 PM, voiceover said:

Also, Sam Heughan played the hero -- he who went on to fame as the romantic lead in Starz Channel's Outlander.

I know! He looks very different I think.

I have my favorites from the hallmark roster, but sometimes someone from outside their ranks can really elevate things. (Case in point: Crown for Christmas. RPJ’s line delivery on sewing kit is just perfect.)

 

Besides those two, Nine Lives and Very Merry Mix-up are my favorites. I will also rewatch Christmas Detour and the randomly named Dashing through the Snow. 

And I randomly like “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” I’m not even sure why I enjoy it, but I always do. 

I have grown to like Lacey Chabert a little more. For a long time my hatred of Claudia colored my viewings. 

Edited November 13, 2017 by Myrrhine

[EyewatchTV211]

On 11/10/2017 at 9:28 AM, twoods said:

Great ones. 

I would also like to add a few:

Drink if the leads admit to falling in love prior to their first kiss. Additional drink if their first kiss is at the end of the movie, with a bonus drink if it is under the mistletoe, in the snow, or in front of a tree.

Drink if the lead has a holiday name (Holly, Joy, Hope, Angel, Christian, Mary, etc.).

Drink if one of the leads hates Christmas. 

Drink if the leads are interrupted when they are trying to have their first kiss.

[Kaoteek]

Never really cared for Window Wonderland either, despite liking both leads. Something just never clicked, it always felt kinda cold and not festive enough to me.

As for the 2017 movies I've watched so far... I've already forgotten most of Marry Me at Christmas (bland), The Perfect Christmas Present was fine for what it was, Christmas Festival of Ice was a bust, I enjoyed Miss Christmas more than I thought I would (for once, the two leads had chemistry and seemed to enjoy themselves), Christmas in the Air almost felt like a Good Witch movie with Bell giving generic advice on how to improve your life (in fact, I enjoyed the Eric Close/his job/his family side of thing much more than anything pertaining to Bell) and The Sweetest Christmas was very much by-the-book and unmemorable (just like the two male leads - now, had "Ralphie" been the male lead, that would have made for a totally different, and probably much more interesting & amusing movie).

Edited November 13, 2017 by Kaoteek

[redpencil]

Window Wonderland is weirdly one I love and try to watch every year. Definitely seems like many of these movies are very hit or miss for different people, which is why I never go by reviews before deciding whether or not to watch one! For example, everyone hated Christmas Festival of Ice, but I thought it was fine (though wouldn't rewatch), while I thought The Perfect Christmas Present was pretty terrible. I thought there was zero chemistry and the female lead was a terrible actor.

Edited November 13, 2017 by redpencil

[voiceover]

Some nice moments in Enchanted Christmas, but I'm missing... something.  For something set in Santa Fe, the only Santa Fe-ish reference so far has been her dad's tamales.  I mean, I didn't expect a lot of Dios de los Muertos skeletons, but maybe one on somebody's bulletin board?

eta: Much praise for the dancing.  The reindeer kids were adorable, and Alexa & Carlos had a nice, G-rated  "Dirty Dancing" vibe in rehearsal & performance.

Edited November 13, 2017 by voiceover
because sometimes you should wait til the movie's over before posting

[MissyPoo]

13 hours ago, twoods said:

Yay, a newbie! You picked the perfect time to start watching since movies are on all the time. Trading Christmas is another good movie (and I've watched Snow Bride at least 6 times). Some other great movies to catch are:

Hitched for the holidays

Let It Snow 

Nine Lives of Christmas

On the 12th Day of Christmas (its airing on Wednesday)

A Very Merry Mixup

A Princess for Christmas

Window Wonderland

Enjoy!

Yes! Plus: 

Fir Crazy

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Naughty Or Nice

Bride For Christmas (1 of 2 Arielle & Andrew classics for me)

Just in Time for Christmas

Trading Christmas and Snow Bride were already mentioned and those are classics! I also liked Call Me Mrs. Miracle. Love the leads, the story, and the beautiful shots of New York during the season.

A few days ago I sat through Christmas in Homestead with the Mr and without tuning out like I usually do. It wasn't half bad and even the Mr. enjoyed it. It surprised me because I'm not the biggest Taylor Cole fan but she did okay and although the story was a bit strained at points, it was entertaining. I wouldn't mind having it on in the background while I'm doing stuff and I may even check out the book.

I caught up on The Sweetest Christmas today on the DVR. It was better than last year's Lacey offering though the chemistry wasn't quite there for me with her co-star. I wouldn't mind a change from the wholesome baker schtick myself.

Enchanted Christmas was okay. I like that the movie was a husband and wife team-up and had more diversity in not only the stars and co's but the background actors (for both movies actually). Hallmark is slick sometimes. I look at everyone in the scene and in some movies, I spot a few mixed couples in the restaurant or coffee shop scenes. I'll probably give both movies a rewatch for background noise/laundry duty if they are on but I probably won't hunt them down.

I also saw Hearts of Christmas which I bypassed last year. It was a slow start, but I'm glad I hung in there because the small surprise later was really cute and the story was pretty nice for a laidback Sunday. I also like Emillie, so there it is.

Yes to everyone's input on Crown for Christmas. (It's coming on again at 3AM here for the person who was looking for it but you can also catch it again Sunday November 19th around 9 AM in the morning or so depending on your time zone). The chemistry was off the charts and it's definitely one of those movies that made me feel bummed when it ended because I wanted to continue following their lives.

[voiceover]

I wish we had a chatroom here.  How much fun to slumber-party our way through...oh, I dunno...Crown for Christmas?  Which I actually set my alarm for today.  4:00am.  Because I am a dork.  

Something to look out for: that first self-portrait of Allie (hanging on the wall).   Which is really striking. 

[sacrebleu]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for A Gift to Remember, if only because Ali Liebert has been the best friend/assistant/sister in sooo many of these movies (Love at the T'giving Parade, Ring by Spring, I Do, I Do, I Do, etc) , I'm glad she's finally gotten bumped up to lead. I really liked her in Bomb Girls and she's one of the few, besides Cupo and Brett Dier, that I've seen elsewhere. 

[ShelleySue]

On November 9, 2017 at 1:24 PM, MerBearHou said:

On November 9, 2017 at 1:00 PM, sacrebleu said:

For a little additional Hallmark movie marathon fun-- I shared the drinking game rules my sister-in-law and I made up with some friends- one of whom made it into a jpeg-- have fun!

 

This.Is.Awesome!!!!!  

I would also add:

Drink if the trees in the scene actually match the fall or winter season.

Drink if the snow on the ground looks real rather than piles of some fake snowy material from the craft store.

 

On November 10, 2017 at 9:28 AM, twoods said:

Great ones. 

I would also like to add a few:

Drink if the leads admit to falling in love prior to their first kiss. Additional drink if their first kiss is at the end of the movie, with a bonus drink if it is under the mistletoe, in the snow, or in front of a tree.

Drink if the lead has a holiday name (Holly, Joy, Hope, Angel, Christian, Mary, etc.).

Drink if one of the leads hates Christmas. 

And now it's my turn to add a few:

Drink if everyone is outside having a snowball fight but no steam is coming out of their mouths.  Take an extra drink if they are wearing gloves, scarves and hats, but no coats.

Drink if there is a wisecracking diner owner who gives out worldly advice.

Drink if there is a box of Christmas ornaments that are all in a jumble in one box.

Drink if it starts snowing on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.

Drink if the angel on the top of the tree has a special significance to the family.

Edited November 13, 2017 by ShelleySue

[shoregirl]

Drink if a phone call is overheard and misconstrued by one half of the couple.

[sweetlouisiana]

Drink if there is a very unnatural-sounding conversation in the beginning of the movie that is there to provide exposition about the backstory, but sounds completely forced and like no one would ever talk in real life--especially to their family and closest friends.

Drink every time a male character refers to his sister as "Sis."

[scenicbyway]

I watched Engaging Father Christmas last night.  I hadn't seen the first one, so I watched them in order since it was on before the sequel.  I liked the overall movie, it was very watchable.  But I hated the plot.  She had to pretend to not be a member of her own family?  To appease her half brother and his mother?  She was willing to leave her fiancé if the story got out?  What the.  The ending did make it sound like there would be another installment to the store next year...

Edited November 13, 2017 by scenicbyway

[Aliconehead]

53 minutes ago, scenicbyway said:

I watched Engaging Father Christmas last night.  I hadn't seen the first one, so I watched them in order since it was on before the sequel.  I liked the overall movie, it was very watchable.  But I hated the plot.  She had to pretend to be a member of her own family?  To appease her half brother and his mother?  She was willing to leave her fiancé if the story got out?  What the.  The ending did make it sound like there would be another installment to the store next year...

I felt that they were treating Miranda very unfairly. It is not her fault that during a break in his marriage m, he impregnates another woman. Stop making her and YOUR YOUNG CHILD pretend the relationship doesn’t exist. 

But on a positive note un like other sequels they did not rewrite history of the first movie. 

[EyewatchTV211]

8 hours ago, ShelleySue said:

 

And now it's my turn to add a few:

Drink if everyone is outside having a snowball fight but no steam is coming out of their mouths.  Take an extra drink if they are wearing gloves, scarves and hats, but no coats.

Drink if there is a wisecracking diner owner who gives out worldly advice.

Drink if there is a box of Christmas ornaments that are all in a jumble in one box.

Drink if it starts snowing on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.

Drink if the angel on the top of the tree has a special significance to the family.

I could potentially forgive this one if the snow was already on the ground. There are times where it has warmed up a little but there is still some snow left on the ground from a previous big storm, so there may not be steam coming out. But if it's currently snowing and sticking and you know it's freezing or below, that's different.

You reminded me of another drink time:

Drink if it starts to snow while the couple has their first kiss.

Drink for the overall movie if it is snowing everytime they are outside (or show the outside), even if the storyline takes place over several days/weeks. 

[susannot]

On ‎11‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 6:02 PM, twoods said:

Sorry you didn't like it but I enjoyed it, probably because I liked the acting and chemistry with the leads. That usually makes or breaks a movie to me. Crown for Christmas is always being replayed- it's on tonight at 3am if you want to set your DVR.

 

I also recommend Best Christmas Party Ever, Every Christmas has a story, and Moonlight and Mistletoe. 

DVR'ing Crown for Christmas.  I've never seen it either but have enjoyed the high praise here.  Tonight I'm jumping back and forth between Holiday Baking Championship and the Christmas movie with Dylan Neal (love him!) and Anne Heche.  ETA:  Looks Like Christmas

Edited November 13, 2017 by susannot

[Spartan Girl]

Watching Nine Lives of Christmas. Maybe it's a good thing Superman Returns sucked, because if it hadn't Brandon Routh would have been too big a star to be in a cute TV movie, LOL.

[beadgirl]

Well, thanks to everyone talking it up I've finally relented and set my DVR to record A Crown for Christmas. I generally don't find royalty appealing at all, in fiction or real life, but since you all can't stop praising it .... However, I won't be watching it until Advent starts, so I'll have to wait to give my opinion.

Quote

Watching Nine Lives of Christmas. Maybe it's a good thing Superman Returns sucked, because if it hadn't Brandon Routh would have been too big a star to be in a cute TV movie, LOL.

Ha, yes -- that's a great one! He's also lots of fun on Legends of Tomorrow.

[redpencil]

Quote

But on a positive note un like other sequels they did not rewrite history of the first movie. 

Yes, I thought this was much, much better than the other sequels they've done (and I also rewatched the first one just before). I noticed at the beginning that they're based on a series of books, so I imagine having actual source material to use helped. I know some people found Finding Father Christmas to be slow last year, but upon rewatch and then watching Engaging Father Christmas, I remembered some of the things I like about this series. First, the leads are great and have a really wonderful, very believable chemistry. In the first movie even though they just met, I believed they developed real feelings (helps that they both acknowledge that it's quick). And hey, a movie where not only does the couple kiss before the last five seconds, but they actually kiss multiple times (gasp!). And in the sequel, even though they had been doing the long distance thing for a year, it was clear that their relationship had progressed in a believable way, and there's no drama over whether they love each other or want to be together. The engagement was not even the big drama, and happened in the first half of the movie!

Basically, regardless of how you feel about the rest of the plot (her father, etc.), I find the romance aspect to be better than most other Hallmark movies.

They definitely left it open for there to be a third movie next year for the wedding.

Edited November 15, 2017 by redpencil

[BlossomCulp]

On 11/12/2017 at 9:33 PM, redpencil said:

Window Wonderland is weirdly one I love and try to watch every year.

I just caught this one yesterday.  I liked it quite a lot.  The twist at the end came out of the blue and even though it was a little (okay a lot) unlikely it still made me smile.  My only criticism is that the mother's apartment seemed awfully nice and spacious for someone working as the ladies room attendant in a department store, but that's a quibble I have with a lot of places people live on TV!

[Kaoteek]

Happily surprised by A Song for Christmas. It's nothing outstanding, but it worked nonetheless, and i liked all the characters. Also, tons of real snow is always a plus.

Didn't care at all for Engaging Father Christmas. Granted, Finding Father Christmas did left me more than cold (too much sob story, not enough Christmas), but this sequel just tried to work in a bland obvious mystery and some usual romance tropes, but both felt half-assed, and Krakow seemed to overact a tad, here and there, in an effort to sell the meh.

I'm about 40 minutes in Enchanted Christmas, and so far, I like what I've seen, despite the weird, almost soft-focusy lighting, every now and then.

[mikeb]

I watched The Most Wonderful Time of the Year for the first time this week.  It is from 2008 and starred Brooke Burns.  I thought it was a step above most of the newer ones, primarily due to Henry Winkler in a supporting role as her uncle.

[sistersledge]

Watched “A Crown for Christmas” last night... oh my... “the truth is, you had me at sewing kit......” SWOON!!!!!!

The truth is, RPJ puts most of the recent leading men on Hallmark movies to shame. Men separate from boys thing.

Edited November 14, 2017 by sistersledge

[twoods]

Why do they have to make some leads so damn unlikable so they can be redeemed at the end? I am already sick of the lead in Enchanted Christmas because she's so snotty. Don't complain about loud music when you're forcing your dad and daughter to study where you're working, and don't complain about  someone's teaching technique when he's teaching your daughter math because you're working. I can't get past the first 30 minutes because she's so annoying.

[VartanFan]

What saved Enchanted Christmas for me was Chelsie Hightower.  I think she was massively screwed over by Dancing with the Stars and she seems like a nice girl.  I'm happy to see her in this and hope her career is going well.  Otherwise...meh. 

 

ETA - but at least happy that the dancing thing is relatively novel and it's not baking/cooking. 

Edited November 14, 2017 by VartanFan

[Crs97]

I am watching Naughty or Nice on rerun, and Hallie Burton is a pleasant surprise.  She is very natural and likeable.  She was on White Collar for awhile, and people on the other forum hated her.  I thought she was fine there but have especially enjoyed her here.  I haven't reached the end yet, but I am enjoying it so far.  Special squeal to have Stephen and Elise Keaton back on my television as a married couple!

[Irlandesa]

1 minute ago, Crs97 said:

 She is very natural and likeable.  She was on White Collar for awhile, and people on the other forum hated her.  

I think it had a lot to due with the character she was playing more than performance. 

Due to a bout of insomnia, I saw some old movies that I probably wouldn't have rewatched had it not been for the fact that I was awake.  It's always amusing to see some choices.  The first one was Catch a Christmas Star from three or four years ago.  The leads had good chemistry.  The (implied gay) assistant was stereotypical but fun.  And I had to laugh that, after their first date, Shannon Elizabeth's character says "I'd invite you up but..." and he acknowledges it's too soon.  Still, the implication of pre-marital sex being a possibility is so rare in these movies.  They like to pretend it's not a factor for these 20-something, 30-something and 40-something folks.

 

And Matchmaker Santa was one of Lacey Chabert's early forays into being a pastry chef but I remember really liking that one.  I fell asleep before they end this morning, though.

[twoods]

Yes, Naughty and Nice is a pretty decent movie and one that I have saved in my DVR, along with Matchmaker Santa. That was back before I got annoyed with Lacey and her Hallmark overexposure.

I caught the Christmas Parade finally, a movie that I avoided because I can't stand the acting style of AnnaLynne McCord, but it wasn't that bad. I could get past her acting tics and enjoy the storyline. 

I have really enjoyed the Mrs Miracle movies and am bummed that they are replaying them on the HMM channel. It's not worth the extra money to add a tier to cable, but it seems a shame most of the good movies are on the movie channel. Damn you, Hallmark!

Edited November 14, 2017 by twoods

[Irlandesa]

14 hours ago, Kaoteek said:

Happily surprised by A Song for Christmas. It's nothing outstanding, but it worked nonetheless, and i liked all the characters. Also, tons of real snow is always a plus.

Fun story.  There is another movie called A Song for Christmas coming out on UP or UPN later this year.  That's right.  Same title.  Same year.  That won't be confusing at all. 

[BlossomCulp]

16 hours ago, twoods said:

Why do they have to make some leads so damn unlikable so they can be redeemed at the end?

Or if not unlikable they're sad and/or angry until the end - a good example is the Magic Stocking.  I liked this one, but the lead character was fighting being happy every inch of the way.  Of course they give a reasonable back story that does explain this but even so by the end if I'd been her mother I'd have given up gentle understanding and would have resorted to screaming and, possibly a very unChristmas like smack in the face!

14 hours ago, twoods said:

I have really enjoyed the Mrs Miracle movies and am bummed that they are replaying them on the HMM channel. It's not worth the extra money to add a tier to cable, but it seems a shame most of the good movies are on the movie channel. Damn you, Hallmark!

These are my exception to preferring the books to the movies.  I do like the books, don't get me wrong, but the movies, especially Call Me Mrs Miracle are real favourites of mine and the parts of the books they left out or changed really work - unlike some movies where it seems all they kept from the original source was the title!

[KLovestoShop]

I just saw a commercial with Candace Cameron Bure for her newest movie where she plays twins and her real life daughter plays her character's daughter.  Not sure how I'll handle a double dose of  CCB since there are times when her voice and vocal patterns drive me crazy.  

Another time to take a drink is when a character is named a Christmas name, like Holly or Eve. 

[scenicbyway]

23 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

And Matchmaker Santa was one of Lacey Chabert's early forays into being a pastry chef but I remember really liking that one.  I fell asleep before they end this morning, though.

Why DOES Lacey always play a chef/baker? I can only think of one instance where she played a clothing designer who ends up marrying a prince, that she hasn't played a chef in a Hallmark movie.  The must just send the chef/baker scripts right to her. 

[Kaoteek]

17 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Fun story.  There is another movie called A Song for Christmas coming out on UP or UPN later this year.  That's right.  Same title.  Same year.  That won't be confusing at all. 

Yeah, I saw that earlier, but I think they've already renamed it "Christmas Solo". Or at the very least, that's the title Up is promoting it under.

[Myrrhine]

On 11/14/2017 at 1:11 PM, mikeb said:

I watched The Most Wonderful Time of the Year for the first time this week.  It is from 2008 and starred Brooke Burns.  I thought it was a step above most of the newer ones, primarily due to Henry Winkler in a supporting role as her uncle.

This is one of my favorites. And it’s one of the stiff/ doltish boyfriend scenarios I don’t mind so much. 

[Kaoteek]

On 14/11/2017 at 6:16 PM, Kaoteek said:

I'm about 40 minutes in Enchanted Christmas, and so far, I like what I've seen, despite the weird, almost soft-focusy lighting, every now and then.

Well, it ended up losing me not long after that point, when it started laying it thick with the usual Hallmark tropes, with the dancing, the weird lighting, and with the awfully cheap fake snow rolls that, in some outside scenes, they didn't even bothered to cut or to hide properly. Too bad, cos I really liked the cast and the latino vibe.

[kathyk24]

I finally watched the latest Signed Sealed Delivered movie. It was ok I didn't think there was enough Oliver and Shane for my taste. I also thought the ending came out of nowhere.

[susannot]

Ryan Paevey again in Christmas Mistletoe.  Only caught the last half hour of it while waiting for the news but I will watch him in anything.

Edited November 17, 2017 by susannot

[In2You]

3 hours ago, susannot said:

Ryan Paevey again in Christmas Mistletoe.  Only caught the last half hour of it while waiting for the news but I will watch him in anything.

He can't act worth a damn. It's painful for me to watch him try. He's so wooden.

 

I'm sure Hallmark will have a movie with this theme next year

http://www.countryliving.com/life/travel/news/a45708/hot-cocoa-crawls/

[EyewatchTV211]

3 minutes ago, In2You said:

He can't act worth a damn. It's painful for me to watch him try. He's so wooden.

 

I'm sure Hallmark will have a movie with this theme next year

http://www.countryliving.com/life/travel/news/a45708/hot-cocoa-crawls/

If I weren't lactose intolerant, I would be all over this! And they totally should have a movie with this as a theme, but they probably don't do any research to find new ideas. 

[twoods]

5 hours ago, susannot said:

Ryan Paevey again in Christmas Mistletoe.  Only caught the last half hour of it while waiting for the news but I will watch him in anything.

Didn't know he was in a Christmas movie. Did you mean the Mistletoe Promise? An actor who looks similar to him is in that (Luke MacFarlane), but is a much better actor than Ryan. I enjoyed him in Christmas Land, which is on right now.

 

I caught the end of Christmas Melody with Lacy Chabert, and I forgot that it was another decent movie. Lacy was a fashion designer instead of a baker, so that was different. I also saw Fir Crazy with Sarah Lancaster that came out a few years ago, and that was another movie that I enjoyed. 

The commercials for Cameron's twin movie looks like pure torture. Why couldn't they have gotten the Mowry twins to play actual TWINS instead of Cameron playing both characters? Idiots.

I am looking forward to Alicia Witt and David Alpay's new movie next week. I like both actors and hope they have decent chemistry.

Edited November 17, 2017 by twoods

[MissyPoo]

I stumbled on this article about the creators behind the Hallmark movies and tv shows. Mostly men with a sprinkling of women here and there. 

Hallmark Channel Makes Content for Women, but Does It Allow Them to Create Enough of It?

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/11/hallmark-channel-makes-content-for-women-but-does.html

A few tidbits:

Quote

Statistically, much of Hallmark’s content is made by men. The network’s catalog of Christmas hits is majority man-made: An examination of the credits for each film aired during its mid-July “Christmas Keepsake Week” reveals that nearly 100 percent were directed by men, and the majority were written by men, too. (There were only three female directors on the entire schedule; one of them was Mariah Carey.)

Quote

The statistics only tell part of the story, however. The network’s original movies, for example, are produced on a tight timeline with a tight budget. With such little room for deviation, it’s made sense in the past to hire experienced staff behind-the-scenes—and considering the demographics of the film industry in general, those proven crew members are likely to be white men.

A lot of its stars have started producing their own content (which explains why we sadly didn't get the Mowry twins for CCB's movie since she produced it as well). Alison Sweeney has been bringing more female screenwriters and directors in but I thought she was returning back to Days so not sure if that will continue. They did make mention of Judy Smith story coming soon. It'd be awesome if she started producing. 

Another interesting note:

Quote

The nature of the beast means the network is more likely to hire experienced directors, who are more likely to be male, but it also means there’s room to give new talent that experience.

“They need new people because they need new content,” Sweeney says.

Quote

“The digital publishing business that we are launching we are viewing as a great way for us to find authors who maybe are a little less well known and yet have creative ideas for books that they would like to get published,” Crown Media Family Networks CEO Bill Abbott told Broadcasting & Cable this summer. “We’ll publish them under the Hallmark publishing banner…and then for the best of those we’ll turn those into movies.”

Very interesting.

 

And I agree about Alicia Witt's movie. That was the standout clip and chemistry during their preview show.

[Jaded]

28 minutes ago, MissyPoo said:

Alison Sweeney has been bringing more female screenwriters and directors in but I thought she was returning back to Days so not sure if that will continue. They did make mention of Judy Smith story coming soon. It'd be awesome if she started producing. 

Days films 6mo in advance (crazy I know). Ali started airing last month and will be gone again by sometime in December apparently. I don't think she's looking to come back permanently. 

It doesn't surprise me in the least that most of the Hallmark movies are made and written by men.