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

[AnnaRose]

I didn't watch A Veteran's Christmas, but I did watch Christmas with Holly the other night, which features the same pairing of Eloise Mumford and Sean Faris.  Did anybody here see that movie?  It was from way back in 2012.  It was about a little girl who lost her mom and stopped speaking and her uncles are taking care of her.  I thought it was pretty good, with a nice resolution.  Eloise Mumford was very charming in this role.

Last night I watched Christmas at Holly Lodge and found it rather boring and annoying.  Alison Sweeney's character inherited a ski lodge from her parents and is behind in the mortgage. Jordan Bridges plays the character that is staying there and secretly trying to assess the lodge so his boss can buy it.  Sparks fly and they start falling for each other, but Sweeney's character finds out what he's really up to and hijinks ensue as she tries to avoid him long enough to get together a mortgage payment.  The annoying part was that he is obviously a really nice guy and keeps telling her he has something important to tell her... and she never lets him speak.  Over and over again as the movie drags on.  Ugh.  So annoying.  But without that, the movie would have been over in an hour.

Edited November 15, 2018 by AnnaRose
praise for Eloise Mumford.

[Sara2009]

Are there any good Hallmark movies that don’t have romance as the main focus?

[Crs97]

49 minutes ago, Sara2009 said:

 

Are there any good Hallmark movies that don’t have romance as the main focus?

 

I mentioned this old Hallmark Hall of Fame movie earlier, but “Decoration Day” with James Garner is one of my favorites, and the romance is secondary at best.  I think you can watch it on YouTube.  (Synopsis - James Garner plays a retired judge and recluse who comes out of "hiding" to investigate when his childhood friend refuses to accept a Medal of Honor awarded decades ago in World War II.). 

“Follow the Stars Home” is another story that has a romance, but the main theme is family and mother-daughter bonds.  (Synopsis - Newly married to charming Mark McCune, Dianne Parker soon becomes pregnant. What should be a happy occasion turns to dismay when they discover that their daughter will be born with genetic defects. Refusing to care for such a child, Mark abandons Dianne and the baby. As time passes, Dianne manages to care for her daughter with the help of her mother and Mark's brother, who has always loved her.)

Edited November 16, 2018 by Crs97

[JAYJAY1979]

12 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

I didn't watch A Veteran's Christmas, but I did watch Christmas with Holly the other night, which features the same pairing of Eloise Mumford and Sean Faris.  Did anybody here see that movie?  It was from way back in 2012.  It was about a little girl who lost her mom and stopped speaking and her uncles are taking care of her.  I thought it was pretty good, with a nice resolution.  Eloise Mumford was very charming in this role.

 

That was a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie.  It's a shame that the HOF is stuck on the Hallmark Channel now... it dilutes the superior brand being stuck with all the subpar Hallmark Channel movies.

[twoods]

My two favorite movies from last season were playing back to back today- Christmas in Homestead and Coming Home To Christmas. Both movies had such great chemistry with the leads and had me hooked. I think Michael Rady can have chemistry with a pole. Saw him in Cloudy With A Chance of Love and despite the okay storyline, the chemistry between him and the lead was good. He was also on a Pixl movie where him and Torrey’s Devitto (from Chicago Med) had terrific chemistry.

 

I tried Road To Christmas and Christmas in Love because I like the leads but got bored after 5 minutes. Maybe it’s burnout? 

[Crs97]

I am one of those people who cannot put up a single Christmas decoration until December (“Celebrate Thanksgiving!”) so I am a little disgusted with myself at how many Christmas movies I have already watched.

[MissyPoo]

13 hours ago, Sara2009 said:

Are there any good Hallmark movies that don’t have romance as the main focus?

 

13 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I mentioned this old Hallmark Hall of Fame movie earlier, but “Decoration Day” with James Garner is one of my favorites, and the romance is secondary at best.  I think you can watch it on YouTube.  (Synopsis - James Garner plays a retired judge and recluse who comes out of "hiding" to investigate when his childhood friend refuses to accept a Medal of Honor awarded decades ago in World War II.). 

“Follow the Stars Home” is another story that has a romance, but the main theme is family and mother-daughter bonds.  (Synopsis - Newly married to charming Mark McCune, Dianne Parker soon becomes pregnant. What should be a happy occasion turns to dismay when they discover that their daughter will be born with genetic defects. Refusing to care for such a child, Mark abandons Dianne and the baby. As time passes, Dianne manages to care for her daughter with the help of her mother and Mark's brother, who has always loved her.)

Ah ha! That's the movie I've been meaning to track down. Thank you for mentioning it again so I can add it to my watch list. It also popped up on Pixl in the past and I'll wait for it to zip around again so I can see it.

 

As for other non-romance movies, you may have to dip a little into the Hallmark catalog of olde where they used to feature more heartfelt dramas on the channel. Check out: Finding a Family, Front of the Class, Firelight, November Christmas, The Christmas Heart, The Last Cowboy, A Dog Named Christmas, Silver Bells, One Christmas Eve, An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving (if you like period pieces and Louisa May Alcott), and A Season For Miracles (it has a small romance but mainly about a family sticking together while eluding child services that try to break them apart). 

Most of these were on the channel until this year when they decided to send them to the app. Sigh.

[Kaoteek]

Catching up with some of this season's Hallmark/Christmas movies, before the Thanksgiving week starts, and dozens of new movies air :

- Christmas Joy. Meh. Not particularly good, not particularly bad. Just there, really, and utterly unmemorable. Obvious product placement, though.

- Christmas in Love. I like Brooke D'Orsay, but overall, the movie felt way too "been there, seen that half a dozen times already". Also, I don't care much for Daniel Lissing as a lead. Kind of a bland movie, really, and the writing was so-so.

- Road to Christmas. This one I enjoyed, despite Jessy Schram looking kinda tired. The rhythm was fine, the brothers had personnality (Gays ! In a Hallmark movie ! Who'd have thunk ?), more Teryl Rothery is always a good thing in my book, and overall, it stayed light, fluffy and enjoyable enough not to bore me.

[AnnaRose]

9 hours ago, twoods said:

My two favorite movies from last season were playing back to back today- Christmas in Homestead and Coming Home To Christmas. Both movies had such great chemistry with the leads and had me hooked. I think Michael Rady can have chemistry with a pole. Saw him in Cloudy With A Chance of Love and despite the okay storyline, the chemistry between him and the lead was good. He was also on a Pixl movie where him and Torrey’s Devitto (from Chicago Med) had terrific chemistry.

 

I tried Road To Christmas and Christmas in Love because I like the leads but got bored after 5 minutes. Maybe it’s burnout? 

I agree with you about Michael Rady.  He was the best thing about Christmas in Homestead, which I enjoyed even though I didn't care for the main focus of the storyline. (Actress producing a Christmas movie that has to be filmed during the Christmas festivities rather than waiting until the day after the holiday to get the rest of the shots they need.)

Road to Christmas - I made it through ten or fifteen minutes before bailing.  Boredom or Burnout?  Hard to say.

3 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I am one of those people who cannot put up a single Christmas decoration until December (“Celebrate Thanksgiving!”) so I am a little disgusted with myself at how many Christmas movies I have already watched.

Hahaha!  That's so funny.  :D  I have a feeling there are a lot of people who can relate to that.

[Happywatcher]

I haven't seen Kellie Pickler acting, but I just watched her on her talk show with Ginger Zee's husband. She isn't unlikable. She acted supper peppy and fired up. 

She does have some issues with her face expressions, I think because she had botox, so she does a lot of super excited forehead lifts to go with her big grins, but that doesn't make her the lone ranger on Hallmark movies. As long as she played herself she should be okay

[kirinan]

20 hours ago, Crs97 said:

“Follow the Stars Home” is another story that has a romance, but the main theme is family and mother-daughter bonds.  (Synopsis - Newly married to charming Mark McCune, Dianne Parker soon becomes pregnant. What should be a happy occasion turns to dismay when they discover that their daughter will be born with genetic defects. Refusing to care for such a child, Mark abandons Dianne and the baby. As time passes, Dianne manages to care for her daughter with the help of her mother and Mark's brother, who has always loved her.)

 

Oh, wow, I haven't seen this one in ages, but Campbell Scott <swoon>...I loved him in this. Of course, I love him in everything (especially The Love Letter, best Hallmark Hall of Fame EVER, IMO but not a Christmas story), so I'm biased. But even if he hadn't been in it, I would have enjoyed this movie. It's a heartwrencher, in a good way.

A non-romance Christmas HHoF I enjoyed was November Christmas. I watched for John Corbett (yes, I admit, it's usually the actors who draw me in--oh, plus Sam Elliott, too, another favorite), ended up watching and enjoying the whole thing, and blubbered like a baby at the end (again, in a good way).

Edited November 16, 2018 by kirinan

[AnnaRose]

22 hours ago, Sara2009 said:

Are there any good Hallmark movies that don’t have romance as the main focus?

Looking at the list of Hallmark Christmas movies I watched, The Christmas Note is probably most non-romantic.  It focuses on helping a neighbor find a sibling she never knew about. 

Journey Back to Christmas is a time travel movie, and the main character played by Candace Cameron Bure is not involved in a romance.

The Christmas Secret has some romance, but also has a lot of other things going on including family-related stuff.

And one of my favorite Christmas movies - Naughty or Nice - has a romantic component (the leading lady is already in a relationship at the beginning of the movie,) but there is a lot more to the story, so I would include this one if anyone hasn't seen it yet and is looking for an entertaining movie that isn't the same old storyline of finding one's true love while in a relationship with somebody else, or any of the other recycled romantic plots Hallmark movies tend to use.

[Kemper]

This is shallow; but I have only watched a few of the Christmas movies.  Loved the book store one; have learned that I cannot stand Lacy Chabert.  But back to the shallowness...last night I watched one with the Winnie Cooper actress.  She got a month-long job as a nanny to a king's little girl; maybe it was a prince.  Sappy and predictable but I enjoyed it..which scares me a little.  Back to the shallow.  The poor actress had makeup that seemed to be spackled on, especially the eyelashes.  It was distracting. Poor Winnie. The actor who played the king/prince was stiff as a board - but maybe that was the way he was supposed to be.  The child actress who played the princess was the best thing about the movie.  

[Sara2009]

Thanks for the recs, everyone! I saw “ The Christmas Note” and “ The Christmas Secret” recently, and I liked both quite a bit.

[NYGirl]

Last night I saw Christmas Solo about the widow and the divorcee where they both had teenaged daughters.  The daughters were in chorus and both trying out for the solo at the Christmas festivities which produced maybe 10 people from town.  ::insert eye roll here:::    Anyway his daughter was such a witch.  He had no idea of her antics.  I was too stressed out by how mean she was to the widow's sweet daughter that I couldn't even enjoy the movie.

Last week I saw 9 lives of Christmas and loved it.  Although the male lead was a little wooden.

Today I am watching my favorite of all with Roger Moore.. A Princess for Christmas.  I LOVED it.  BTW the male lead is so easy on the eyes.  (Ashton)  I love British snobbery.

[Sara2009]

Has anyone else seen “ Finding Christmas.?” It’s basically “ The Holiday,” but I watched it earlier and enjoyed it.

[In2You]

Turning off Christmas in Graceland at 1/2 hr in. It's just annoying me and I feel like these accents are overexaggerated. 

[Jenniferbug]

26 minutes ago, In2You said:

Turning off Christmas in Graceland at 1/2 hr in. It's just annoying me and I feel like these accents are overexaggerated. 

I made it about 45 minutes. Mostly because my youngest was on my lap and I couldn't reach the remote. By the time Kellie sang for the 3rd time, I moved the kid to find the remote. Her singing voice is nails on a chalkboard to me, and the acting and plot weren't anything to keep my attention either. Hopefully this one won't get a ton of replay. 

Edited November 18, 2018 by Jenniferbug

[AnnaRose]

Christmas in Graceland - I only made it ten minutes.  I was too bored to continue.  I wasn't optimistic that it was going to get any better.  I watched a recording of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year instead.

[Irlandesa]

Thanks, I think I'll skip Christmas in Graceland.  It didn't look appealing to me.  And there's too many other things I need to watch.

[TVFan17]

Well... when I remembered that I could watch one movie (Christmas at Graceland) live on Hallmark Channel Everywhere's EST feed, and watch the new Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie (Return to Christmas Creek) on the West Coast feed later on, I realized I could juggle them both in one night and not miss anything.

So... I gave Christmas at Graceland a good try.  I was going to sit there and watch it all the way through to the bitter end,  just to see the story come to a conclusion, but I had to get up and deal with something in the kitchen about 1 hour and 25 minutes in.   I think I missed about 8-10 minutes of it and then I picked it back up for the final stretch.

It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be, but, alas, it is not one that I will be watching again, year after year.   It was just kind of dull.   There was nothing to it that really stood out, and there were some annoying things about it that made it hard to get through at times.

 

About A Veteran's Christmas from last week... I thought it seemed like it was a couple of scenes too long (even though I know it was the same length as every other movie, it just felt long).  I thought that the people in the town were too overbearing, constantly buzzing around the pretty vet at all times.   I thought it was questionable when the judge's sister showed up with an outfit for Eloise Mumford to wear to church -- what if she hadn't wanted to go to church?  What if she had wanted some time to herself?    As one of the guys was saying on the Deck the Hallmark podcast, it was if the whole town was conspiring to keep "Grace" (Eloise Mumford) in the town and not let her leave, which was weird.  Also, I think she forgot about that dog 2 minutes after it showed up!  lol

Edited November 18, 2018 by TVFan17

[Suzysite]

9 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

Christmas in Graceland - I only made it ten minutes.  I was too bored to continue.

Same here.   I waited until 9 and switched over to Return to Christmas Creek on HMM.  That one was pretty enjoyable.

Edited November 18, 2018 by Suzysite

[MissyPoo]

I get the feeling Christmas in Graceland is going to magically disappear onto the app like the infamous Mr. Christmas and At Home in Mitford movies. 

12 hours ago, Sara2009 said:

Has anyone else seen “ Finding Christmas.?” It’s basically “ The Holiday,” but I watched it earlier and enjoyed it.

If you like that one, try Trading Christmas. Similar premise to those two and pretty funny.

[AnnaRose]

Did anyone see the 2012 movie Christmas Dance, starring Andrew McCarthy as a finance broker who falls in love with his dance instructor played by Michelle Nolden?  The acting was great, especially the lovely Michelle Nolden, and I really enjoyed watching the romance slowly develop between the leads.  Andrew McCarthy's character was dating his boss's daughter, who was a horrible match for him.  IMDB has the title listed as Come Dance With Me though, I'm not sure when they changed the title.

[JenMD]

6 hours ago, MissyPoo said:

I get the feeling Christmas in Graceland is going to magically disappear onto the app like the infamous Mr. Christmas and At Home in Mitford movies. 

If you like that one, try Trading Christmas. Similar premise to those two and pretty funny.

J.T. Hodges version of Joy to the World is my favorite thing about Finding Christmas.   I do find Trading Christmas much more charming, I think I just like all the leads better; it's an annual favorite for me (along with The Holiday).

In other news, am I the only one who actually made it all the way through Christmas at Graceland?  Not surprising, really, y'all certainly didn't miss much.  To be fair, I wanted to bail about 30 minutes in but my sister wanted to keep watching as she really likes Wes Brown and liked the little girl playing the daughter.  So we persevered (full disclosure, I was playing a game on the kindle for much of it).  I thought everyone not named Kellie Pickler was fine; having a different location than usual was nice and I got a kick out of seeing Graceland all lit up for the holidays.  How much fun for the actors to be walking around areas of Graceland usually off limits (in their socks!) and sitting and singing at Elvis' piano?  Wes Brown has a lovely singing voice.  Sure the story was predicable, but hey, she left a big city for another big city, small twist from the usual trope of moving back home to the small town.  I didn't mind all the singing (although multiple renditions of Silent Night were a bit much).  I did mind her boss demanding she come home on Christmas Eve. I mean, way to be a Scrooge there, buddy; that was just dumb writing.   But then there's Kellie Pickler as an actress.  Oh my.  What is there to say other than, "Bless her heart"?  She tried, but girl is not an actress.  I haven't seen her reality show or never saw her on Idol.  I do listen to country radio, so I know I've heard her sing (not lately) and I don't have a particular bias.  But she may want to stick to singing.  Oh, I did get a kick out of seeing Emily from Nashville in a small role and only realized after the fact that the movie was direct by Nashville alum Eric Close, so that was neat.

[KLovestoShop]

I just wonder how much Kellie Pickler had to pay Hallmark to let her star in a movie.  She was just completely awful and can’t act her way out of a paper sack.  And who told her she could sing.  She sounds like moose calls.  And those accents?   Just a bad movie all around. 

[Sara2009]

I watched “ Return to Christmas Creek” last night and really enjoyed it.

[Mountainair]

I stuck with Christmas in Graceland last night and it wasn't completely horrid. Yea- Kelly Pickler can't act and she looked a lot older than I remember her being. Being an Elvis fan girl back in the day I think that's the only reason I stuck with the movie and found myself going down a huge Elvis/Graceland rabbit hole on the internet last night. I wonder how many more hits their website got last night- In real life Graceland really did have a concert yesterday to start the Christmas season and gave a shout out to Hallmark. I remember back in the early nineties trying to go to Graceland with my family and tickets were way too expensive and the wait to get to the house was hours long and my dad wasn't down with that so we didn't end up going. This was back before the internet and online ticket sales, etc. so Graceland has always seemed like this unobtainable thing to me so it was really cool getting to see the real house and rooms being used for this movie. Other than that- I thought the business side of the plot was dumb, the boss was an ass. I'm not a country music fan but as far as acting goes I think Kelly should stick with music. 

[NYGirl]

OMG I had no idea they made a Mitford movie!  I read the books in the 90s and shared with a friend of mine at the time.  It brought us closer together.  

After reading the post about Mitford I went to IDMB to read about it.  Wow!!  I'm so glad I missed it.  The most it got was like 1 star and had many scathing reviews.

I saw another movie today with Shirley McLaine and Eric McCormick . I only caught the last half and enjoyed it so much that I set it to record when it's on.  Shirley was an angel and the Sex in the City Girl was one too, or so they led you to believe.  Let me tell you Eric McCormick looked really good and it was fun to see actual actors in one of these movies.  It was Heavenly Christmas

I will say most of the movies I like were made in 2016 I've noticed.

Edited November 18, 2018 by NYGirl

[Kaoteek]

Return to Christmas Creek was fine for what it was. The usual tropes, the usual less fluffy, more serious tone that most HM&M movies have, but to be perfectly frank, I was way more invested in Steven Weber & Kari Matchett's relationship than I was with the leads'.

[JenMD]

15 minutes ago, Kaoteek said:

I was way more invested in Steven Weber & Kari Matchett's relationship than I was with the leads'.

Ha, I was just going the post the exact same thing.  I like Tori Anderson a lot, she was wonderful in the late, lamented No Tomorrow so it was nice to see her here.  And she is just so pretty.  Lead guy was fine (not familiar with him).  But I really, really enjoyed that they got Steven Weber and Kari Matchett and gave them something to do.  They elevated it quite a bit for me from standard Hallmark fare. 

Question for those with better memories than I have, was the lodge used in the movie also used in another movie?  It looks familiar and I can't place it...

[AnnaRose]

2 hours ago, JenMD said:

Ha, I was just going the post the exact same thing.  I like Tori Anderson a lot, she was wonderful in the late, lamented No Tomorrow so it was nice to see her here.  And she is just so pretty.  Lead guy was fine (not familiar with him).  But I really, really enjoyed that they got Steven Weber and Kari Matchett and gave them something to do.  They elevated it quite a bit for me from standard Hallmark fare. 

Question for those with better memories than I have, was the lodge used in the movie also used in another movie?  It looks familiar and I can't place it...

Oh wow, I didn't realize the actress from No Tomorrow is in Return to Christmas Creek.  I watched quite a bit of that show and really liked her.  I have the movie recorded, but haven't had a chance to watch it yet.  It seems promising.
 

Edited November 19, 2018 by AnnaRose
Clarity.

[Sara2009]

1 hour ago, Kaoteek said:

Return to Christmas Creek was fine for what it was. The usual tropes, the usual less fluffy, more serious tone that most HM&M movies have, but to be perfectly frank, I was way more invested in Steven Weber & Kari Matchett's relationship than I was with the leads'.

They were easily the best part of the movie.

[EyewatchTV211]

5 hours ago, JenMD said:

J.T. Hodges version of Joy to the World is my favorite thing about Finding Christmas.   I do find Trading Christmas much more charming, I think I just like all the leads better; it's an annual favorite for me (along with The Holiday).

In other news, am I the only one who actually made it all the way through Christmas at Graceland?  Not surprising, really, y'all certainly didn't miss much.  To be fair, I wanted to bail about 30 minutes in but my sister wanted to keep watching as she really likes Wes Brown and liked the little girl playing the daughter.  So we persevered (full disclosure, I was playing a game on the kindle for much of it).  I thought everyone not named Kellie Pickler was fine; having a different location than usual was nice and I got a kick out of seeing Graceland all lit up for the holidays.  How much fun for the actors to be walking around areas of Graceland usually off limits (in their socks!) and sitting and singing at Elvis' piano?  Wes Brown has a lovely singing voice.  Sure the story was predicable, but hey, she left a big city for another big city, small twist from the usual trope of moving back home to the small town.  I didn't mind all the singing (although multiple renditions of Silent Night were a bit much).  I did mind her boss demanding she come home on Christmas Eve. I mean, way to be a Scrooge there, buddy; that was just dumb writing.   But then there's Kellie Pickler as an actress.  Oh my.  What is there to say other than, "Bless her heart"?  She tried, but girl is not an actress.  I haven't seen her reality show or never saw her on Idol.  I do listen to country radio, so I know I've heard her sing (not lately) and I don't have a particular bias.  But she may want to stick to singing.  Oh, I did get a kick out of seeing Emily from Nashville in a small role and only realized after the fact that the movie was direct by Nashville alum Eric Close, so that was neat.

I made it all the way through and actually paid attention. Though considering I was looking for somewhat of a break from doing actual work, that isn't saying much. I agree with pretty much every point you made here. It's unfortunate, because Wes Brown is a favorite of mine as well.

[Irlandesa]

3 hours ago, Kaoteek said:

Return to Christmas Creek was fine for what it was. The usual tropes, the usual less fluffy, more serious tone that most HM&M movies have, but to be perfectly frank, I was way more invested in Steven Weber & Kari Matchett's relationship than I was with the leads'.

I thought the "main" couple was better than what we usually get from Hallmark.  The lead actress was great and the lead actor wasn't stiff.  That said, yes, the Steven Weber and Kari Matchett pairing was far superior. They had better chemistry.  They had right amount of believable angst and, as much as I liked/didn't mind the leads, there was even more talent with that supporting duo.  What elevated this movie, even though there were some of the familiar tropes, is the fact that they gave significant air time to the other couple.  (I loved their duet.)  I thought the family drama was also well done and added something more to the story.  It also meant we didn't have to have a stupid misunderstanding between the main couple in order to create the dramatic moment.

There were some silly things about it.  For instance, I've been noticing in movies a lot that there is snow on the ground where there normally wouldn't be snow on the ground for areas used to dealing with snow.  For instance, if there's a festival at a park, the sidewalks are shoveled unless it's just after a snow storm.  And it cracked me up that the big dramatic moment was set up because the front desk person answered the lead's phone, which she left randomly in the main public lobby to the hotel.  And when her uncle told her what happened she was like "oh yeah, I left my phone behind" or something like that.  Who answers someone else's cell phone unless you're told to?  And I know I'm nervous when I leave behind my phone safely at home, if I think it's in a public area?  I'm in full blown panic mode.  But she's like "whatever."  Uh huh.

I also ended up watching The Godwink Christmas while I made/ate dinner because I don't have access to my DVR on my kitchen TV.  It's either streaming or live TV. I wanted to stream something to cleanse my Christmas palate but there's just too much to get through that I felt it'd be most efficient to at least start the movie to see if I wanted to finish it. 

And I finished it.  In a way, it was kind of frustrating.  I didn't mind Kathie Lee Gifford as much as I thought I might.  And it had one of the dreaded "fiance" tropes.  It also took a little while to get going but once Kimberly Sustad and Paul Campbell's characters started spending time together, I was drawn in.  Maybe it's my bias in favor of these actors, both of whom I like a lot, but I thought they actually managed to pull off the feeling of kismet after spending such a short amount of time with one another.

However, they had her leave Martha's Vineyard with about 40 minutes left in the movie.  So the best part of the movie, the scenes between Kimberly and Paul, were not as prevalent as they should have been.

The Perfect Christmas Present airs at midnight central time about a personal shopper--this time played by a man, Sam Page, who is hired to buy presents for a woman he ends up falling for. Personally, I really enjoyed this movie last year.  I thought it was well constructed with good chemistry between the leads and the angst coming from an organic place.  Plus, it was actually filmed in the town where it takes place--Chicago. 

[ShelleySue]

I was driving to work this morning and listening to the Hallmark Christmas songs station on Sirius XM.  Silver Bells by Kellie Pickler came on and I had to change the station.  I couldn't listen to it without seeing her singing it in Christmas at Graceland.  That movie was so terrible that it ruined a whole song for me.

[TVFan17]

The best part (for me) of Return to Christmas Creek was Steven Weber.   (His character was my favorite  on Wings too.)   I enjoyed hearing him sing a bit in this movie.   But Tori Anderson has a radiant, beautiful smile and shiny hair, so she whenever she appeared she was like a ray of light in her scenes.  It wasn't a bad movie, and it's one that might grow on me more over time.   The writer of this movie, Kirsten Hansen, wrote my favorite Winterfest movie of this year, which was Love on the Slopes, and she has written a lot of Chesapeake Shores material.    But I liked Love on the Slopes more than this movie.

Let's see.... I already addressed Christmas at Graceland in a previous comment.   For the record, I only missed 8-10 minutes of it -- and that was probably right before the last 30 minutes of the movie, so it wasn't an integral scene or twist that I missed, or anything that significantly impacted the plot.  I did not bail on the movie due to lack of interest or anything like that.   I fully planned to stick it out, all the way through to the end.    I usually give every movie a fair chance.   It's just that I had to deal with something in the kitchen that was going to turn into a disaster if I didn't tackle it right at that moment -- and since I was watching the live stream of the movie on Hallmark's website, I was unable to pause it and pick it up where I left off.  I could pause it, but when I un-paused it I saw that it had jumped past the small section that I missed and onto the the current scene.   So I didn't try to miss that 8-10 minutes.  It just happened that way.  But I watched it all the way to that point, and I watched the last 20-25 minutes.  (And yes, the repeated singing of Silent Night was a curious choice -- I mean, it's a beautiful song when sung by the right people, but there are hundreds of Christmas songs out there to sing.   Why did that one keep popping up?  lol)

My original plan for last night was to watch A Godwink Christmas and then catch Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa sometime later in the week.   However, much to my surprise, I got sucked into Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa and watched it all the way through!   I was not a big fan of the original Christmas in Evergreen, and I'm not entirely sure why.   I liked some things about it, but I didn't love the original movie as a whole, complete film.    I liked this Letters to Santa sequel so much more than the first movie, and I think it is largely due to the charm and likability of Jill Wagner.   Also, I really enjoyed the side story of the budding Holly Robinson Peete romance.   And Ashley Williams was not the main character in this movie, which I think was a good thing.

So now I still have to watch A Godwink Christmas from the beginning.   I couldn't watch it from start to finish last night, and only caught bits and pieces.   But, according to Kimberly Sustad (in a recent interview), she and Paul Campbell have another project in the early stages of development (I am guessing it's a rom-com), in which they will be able to be funny!   That's what I need from a Paul-Kimberly match-up -- humor!!

Edited November 19, 2018 by TVFan17

[In2You]

Christmas a Graceland had potential as a concept but the bad casting/acting and singing and writing ruined it.

[AnnaRose]

A Godwink Christmas was very pleasant but kind of boring, even though I love the leads.  I'm not sure if I would watch it again, which saddens me because it was the new movie to which I was most looking forward.   Maybe my high expectations lowered my enjoyment.

At least I made it all the way through though, which is more than I can say for Christmas at Graceland, Holiday Engagement, or Mrs. Miracle.  (In Mrs. Miracle the young boys were too obnoxious and I hated that they, and the other kids, let a teacher slowly back up and fall off the stage, without saying anything and then laughing at it.  I just didn't care to keep watching after that.  Sorry Dawson.)

[emjohnson03]

One of my favorites is 2014, The Christmas Secret. It's about a woman who comes to her mom's hometown with her 2 kids, saves a woman and through a bunch of misplaced identity falls for the grandson of a store owner. And there's a necklace of importance but it doesn't get zoomed in on every five seconds.

John Reardon and Bethany Joy Lenz are adorable and the kids are not annoying.

I like how uplifting it is without being overly cutsey. It's got it's eye rolling moments for sure, but it always makes me smile.

[AnnaRose]

9 minutes ago, emjohnson03 said:

One of my favorites is 2014, The Christmas Secret. It's about a woman who comes to her mom's hometown with her 2 kids, saves a woman and through a bunch of misplaced identity falls for the grandson of a store owner. And there's a necklace of importance but it doesn't get zoomed in on every five seconds.

John Reardon and Bethany Joy Lenz are adorable and the kids are not annoying.

I like how uplifting it is without being overly cutsey. It's got it's eye rolling moments for sure, but it always makes me smile.

I watched it for the first time this year and loved it!

[MissyPoo]

The programming is all kinds of bonkers at the moment, but I hope they fix it in time for tonight's premiere(s). I'm actually looking forward to Last Vermont Christmas despite Justin B's tragic haircut. I like Erin C since last first seeing her in last year's Sleigh Bells Ring. (Or was that two years ago?)

 

5 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

However, much to my surprise, I got sucked into Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa and watched it all the way through!   I was not a big fan of the original Christmas in Evergreen, and I'm not entirely sure why.   I liked some things about it, but I didn't love the original movie as a whole, complete film.    I liked this Letters to Santa sequel so much more than the first movie, and I think it is largely due to the charm and likability of Jill Wagner.   Also, I really enjoyed the side story of the budding Holly Robinson Peete romance.   And Ashley Williams was not the main character in this movie, which I think was a good thing.

Me too! I was cleaning up a bit while partly watching it and I found myself stopping more and more as the movie went on. I didn't catch much towards the end but I'm eager to see it which is a good sign I'll probably enjoy what I missed. I'm glad they went with a whole new angle with this one. I'm one of the (probably) few people who didn't like the first one and almost skipped this until the previews showed the new cast and story. I hope the next one stars HRP and her guy. I need to look up that actor's name because I think I saw him in a Lifetime short last year and also in Mr. Write from Pixl (one of my faves). I hope to see more of him on Hallmark.

 

5 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

(In Mrs. Miracle the young boys were too obnoxious and I hated that they, and the other kids, let a teacher slowly back up and fall off the stage, without saying anything and then laughing at it.  I just didn't care to keep watching after that.  Sorry Dawson.)

Yes! This is what annoyed me about that movie, too. That scene just seems strangely cruel and off-putting. I don't blame you for checking out at that point. If I ever rewatch it, I will probably skip through all the kid parts and just watch the romance and family drama which was surprisingly well done. Otherwise, I'd rather stick to Call Me Mrs. Miracle which was way better.

 

17 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

The Perfect Christmas Present airs at midnight central time about a personal shopper--this time played by a man, Sam Page, who is hired to buy presents for a woman he ends up falling for. Personally, I really enjoyed this movie last year.  I thought it was well constructed with good chemistry between the leads and the angst coming from an organic place.  Plus, it was actually filmed in the town where it takes place--Chicago. 

Thanks for the heads up! I zipped back to watch this on demand. I never can pass this up whenever it airs. 

[Happywatcher]

Christmas in Graceland...4 thoughts.

1. All the drama in this movie was because Kellie's up and coming exec character couldn't get her guts out of her purse and tell the company president that the seller wants some guarantees on lay off limits.

2. Why was the male love interest's hair better than the lead's?

3. If they are going to have a singing movie, why wasn't the daughter young child actor selected on the basis of singing ability?

4. This is the first movie filmed in Graceland? WTF?

[anniebird]

Quote

I didn't watch A Veteran's Christmas, but I did watch Christmas with Holly the other night, which features the same pairing of Eloise Mumford and Sean Faris.  Did anybody here see that movie?  It was from way back in 2012.  It was about a little girl who lost her mom and stopped speaking and her uncles are taking care of her.  I thought it was pretty good, with a nice resolution.  Eloise Mumford was very charming in this role.

This is one of my favorite Christmas movies and whoever did the casting was a genius - those three guys not only look like brothers, they act like brothers! I was really looking forward to the veteran's Christmas movie with the rematch of Eloise Mumford and Sean Faris and I couldn't get through it -- it was just a typical Hallmark Christmas movie with no substance whatsoever. 

I liked Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa but what the heck was going on with Jill Wagner's hair? Usually it's this beautiful brown  head of curls and in this movie it was flat, dark roots about 4 inches down and then some odd blond shade. And her makeup was off too -- it didn't even look like her. She is a very likable actress though - one of my favorites.

[oakville]

I love watching all the Hallmark Christmas movies. It's such a welcome respite from all the other crappy tv shows & cable news.

[Irlandesa]

13 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

But, according to Kimberly Sustad (in a recent interview), she and Paul Campbell have another project in the early stages of development (I am guessing it's a rom-com), in which they will be able to be funny!   That's what I need from a Paul-Kimberly match-up -- humor!!

That's good to hear.  And hopefully they'll spend more than only about half of the movie together. 

13 hours ago, TVFan17 said:

The best part (for me) of Return to Christmas Creek was Steven Weber.   (His character was my favorite  on Wings too.)

Ooo speaking of Wings, I forgot to mention how funny I found it that he was playing both a pilot and the carefree brother while the lead's dad was the "serious" brother.  It made me think of Wings and what a missed opportunity it was to not stunt cast with Tim Daly. 

Based on the recommendations here, I watched Christmas In Evergreen: Letters to Santa based on the recommendations here.  It was put together better than a lot of these movies with tropes and I liked the whole cast.  But I wanted her with Oliver even though he technically wasn't a love interest.  The love interest lost me when he got so worked up about the damn pipes that I half expected to find out his mother was killed because of burst pipes.  I get that it was to show he jumps to conclusions but really, he just came off as an ass.  And he never learned.  He sees a conversation between the lead and Oliver and he figures they must be together.  And he overhears talk of the Boston store and never checks in with her---he again just assumes. Seriously, girl, he's going to see you stroking Santa's beard and think you want to be Mrs. Claus.  It was a waste of a good actor. 

It amused me to no end that they were putting up garland before the inside was finished.  And did anyone think we might have had some stealth lesbians in the movie with Hannah and the woman at the Inn?

ETA: I'm giving up on The Last Vermont Christmas.  It's not pulling me in.

It has three strikes against it for me.  It's definitely more serious.  Not doom and gloom but more serious.  And while there is romance on the side, I'd venture to say this has more of a family focus as everyone reacts to the house being sold.  So for those looking for that, you might enjoy this movie.  (Don't get me wrong, the main love interest has a significant role because of the actor playing him but family dynamics get mega play.) 

And it's on a Monday.  I was okay with them moving the holiday movies to Wednesdays since I'm off for the four days but I still had to work today and will work tomorrow.  And Wednesday.  I really am not down with this.  (But I may change my mind based on what tomorrow's movie looks like.)

Edited November 20, 2018 by Irlandesa

[TVFan17]

11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

That's good to hear.  And hopefully they'll spend more than only about half of the movie together. 

Ooo speaking of Wings, I forgot to mention how funny I found it that he was playing both a pilot and the carefree brother while the lead's dad was the "serious" brother.  It made me think of Wings and what a missed opportunity it was to not stunt cast with Tim Daly. 

Based on the recommendations here, I watched Christmas In Evergreen: Letters to Santa based on the recommendations here.  It was put together better than a lot of these movies with tropes and I liked the whole cast.  But I wanted her with Oliver even though he technically wasn't a love interest.  The love interest lost me when he got so worked up about the damn pipes that I half expected to find out his mother was killed because of burst pipes.  I get that it was to show he jumps to conclusions but really, he just came off as an ass.  And he never learned.  He sees a conversation between the lead and Oliver and he figures they must be together.  And he overhears talk of the Boston store and never checks in with her---he again just assumes. Seriously, girl, he's going to see you stroking Santa's beard and think you want to be Mrs. Claus.  It was a waste of a good actor. 

It amused me to no end that they were putting up garland before the inside was finished.  And did anyone think we might have had some stealth lesbians in the movie with Hannah and the woman at the Inn?

ETA: I'm giving up on The Last Vermont Christmas.  It's not pulling me in.

It has three strikes against it for me.  It's definitely more serious.  Not doom and gloom but more serious.  And while there is romance on the side, I'd venture to say this has more of a family focus as everyone reacts to the house being sold.  So for those looking for that, you might enjoy this movie.  (Don't get me wrong, the main love interest has a significant role because of the actor playing him but family dynamics get mega play.) 

And it's on a Monday.  I was okay with them moving the holiday movies to Wednesdays since I'm off for the four days but I still had to work today and will work tomorrow.  And Wednesday.  I really am not down with this.  (But I may change my mind based on what tomorrow's movie looks like.)

 

 

I'm so glad someone else brought up Last Vermont Christmas first, before I did.  I was thinking that if I said I didn't like the movie, everyone would suddenly chime in with "I loved it!  It was great!"!  lol

It did not pull me in either.   I tried.  I could not get into it -- to the point where I was excitedly checking the clock to see if it was time for me to call and find out if I had jury duty today (and I do not want to be on jury duty at all).    I wasn't that interested in the whole scenario of the house being sold, although it was nice to see New York scenery instead of Canada.    Maybe I would have been more invested in the reunited couple in a different movie, without all of the family everywhere.

I kind of wish I hadn't known that Last Vermont Christmas was made on a lower budget than usual, and that Hallmark acquired it after filming (in other words, it wasn't their movie from the start), because those things were in my mind as I watched it.   It was probably just my imagination, but I was thinking the whole time (especially in the first 15 minutes), "Yep.  I can see where the budget was lower here... and there.... yep, that looks cheaper..."   And then, when it came to Christmas decor in the background, I was thinking "Yep... those don't look like Balsam Hill decorations because this is not a real, actual Hallmark movie!"  lol

I have no clue if I will give this movie another chance at some point.  If I do try to watch it again, it won't be this year.    There is just too much to watch, Christmas-wise, this year across several channels.  I haven't even caught up on some of my non-Christmas shows.

However, I did see some comments about LVC on Twitter, and it seems that some people loved Last Vermont Christmas.  One person (maybe on Facebook?) even said that it was the best Christmas movie so far this year.   And I thought.... what am I missing?   Best so far this year?  I must be on a completely different planet.

 

I also agree with your previous comments about A Godwink Christmas, which I finally watched.  It did take a little while to get going, so it felt a bit slow.   Kathie Lee was fine -- she didn't ruin the movie or anything -- and the other lady making the soup was fine, but I would have liked more scenes with Paul and Kimberley together.   Also, I don't know if I somehow missed something, but Kimberley's character (Paula) did not buy the antique shop that was being sold, correct?  Or did she?  When she was in the shop, the owner told her she was selling it because she didn't have a passion for antiques like others do.  I thought the writers were setting it up for "Paula" to buy the store (even though she already had a perfectly fine job of her own), and yet, at the end of the movie I thought I had either missed a scene where she mentions buying it, or she didn't buy it at all.

 

I laughed out loud at your comment about Christmas in Evergreen:  Letters to Santa -- "The love interest lost me when he got so worked up about the damn pipes that I half expected to find out his mother was killed because of burst pipes."   lol

 

And yes -- Tim Daly would have been excellent casting as the other brother in Return to Christmas Creek, especially since both Hallmark and Lifetime seem to enjoy reuniting former cast members of old TV series.

Edited November 20, 2018 by TVFan17

[llewis823]

15 hours ago, anniebird said:

I liked Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa but what the heck was going on with Jill Wagner's hair? Usually it's this beautiful brown  head of curls and in this movie it was flat, dark roots about 4 inches down and then some odd blond shade. And her makeup was off too -- it didn't even look like her. She is a very likable actress though - one of my favorites.

I agree.

[MissyPoo]

I watched Last Vermont Christmas last night and did something I've never done during these flicks. I fell asleep. Granted, I didn't get much sleep from waking up early the night before so I could have been dog tired but the moment I sat down and started watching it, I nodded off for a minute before suddenly I was asleep and missing half of the movie. The weird thing was I didn't feel like rewinding to see what I missed. And the later parts didn't really grab me either. Knowing that this was made on a much smaller budget, I'm tempted to go back and look at where cheapouts but I don't really feel like rewatching it. Bummer.

Watching Hope at Christmas at the moment mainly because of the bookstore angle (and let's face it, Ryan P prettiness as a bonus) and I'm surprised at how non-wooden he is here. He...has actual charm. I think he fits more on HMM with the dramas. Playing against the over the top heroines on the main channel while he's much more lowkey makes the matchup a bit uneven (like that autumn movie he did with Jen Lilley). I don't know if he got more acting mojo somewhere but I really like him in this movie. I'm only about a half an hour or so in so my thoughts could change as we go on, but yeah.

As an aside, I'm digging the promo for Christina Milian's Memories of Christmas. I'm already loving her outfits (like I did in Snowglobe) and that dress. Can't wait to get a better view of it. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, MissyPoo said:

Watching Hope at Christmas at the moment mainly because of the bookstore angle (and let's face it, Ryan P prettiness as a bonus) and I'm surprised at how non-wooden he is here. He...has actual charm.

I watched a little of that and I was surprised too how less wooden he was than I had come to expect.  Still, I bailed pretty quickly as it appeared as if the story was basically "big city girl goes to a smaller town to do Christmas things and fall in love."  I know that's the plot of most of these movies but there seemed to be literally nothing more on offer.  It's a Tuesday.  I ain't got time for that.