Hallmark Movies ❤️ comfort & joy

[Imzadi]

Just finished watching this. Didn't really like it. She was just too needy, and he seemed to take delight in tormenting her. Just like they were in high school, but it's years later now.

Wow, well that just got deleted from my record list.

 

[nycdisneygal]

I have really liked most of the xmas movies this year. but its been a lot to try to figure out which ones I want to DVR etc. The one with Monique Coleman and Corbin Bleu on lifetime was really cute. Havent loved the GAC ones as much....

 

[PollyannaMom]

Yesterday's dud (from my DVR):

Every Day is Christmas - I didn't like the main character, and the storyline was too sad for my tastes. I turned it off only a few minutes in. (From the bit I did watch, it seems to be the Christmas Carol plot updated to modern female executive as the Scrooge character.)

Last night & this morning's hit (I watched it in two pieces):

The Christmas Candle - This isn't "Hallmark-y" exactly, and I found it totally by accident, but really liked it! It's the free (no ads) movie this week from XUMO - a streaming service that I'd never heard of but apparently is part of my cable package...and maybe yours too.

It's about a small town in England that has a tradition of a special candle granting a prayer every 25 years. A new reverend who believes miracles are what we do for each other comes to town and things get shaken up. Susan Boyle (from Britian's Got Talent, years ago) sings in it.

 

[Imzadi]

Havent loved the GAC ones as much....

I originally cringed when I saw a lot of unknown actors in the Lifetime movies. For some of the ones I actually watched, it equated to a bad script and unknown actors as they either couldn't pay better actors to do such a bad script, or they just couldn't pay for a better script and better actors period. Often, unknown actors are unknown for a reason, they can't act well or act well enough to save a bad script.

But, I've seen about 9 of the 13 GAC movies so far. I only really liked two of the movies well enough to watch again. A third movie, I deleted after 20 minutes. One I fast forwarded about 35 min to see if it got better, it did. One really miscast a favorite actress, Merritt Patterson, who is normally wonderfully warm and open, into the role of a formal, emotionally reserved princess.

In another movie, Jennie Garth had a decent script, good character, and great leading man, Cameron Mathison. But, she was so wooden and emotionally constipated, she ruined the movie for me. I kept waiting for her to have a bowel movement.

Some of the other ones had an okay script. Some, even with actors & actresses we already know, they didn't gel well together.

So, the GAC movies are just okay. Most were a watch once and done for me. Now, I'm re-thinking some of the Lifetime movies I passed over recording.

 

[RangerPooh]

I’m enjoying my few days off. As I unpack from our move (and clean out the old house), I’m streaming Hallmark. A few of the ones I wanted to see were on a few weeks ago and I missed them, but I’m enjoying watching nonetheless At this point my husband just rolls his eyes when he enters the room, lol.

 

[Imzadi]

I’m streaming Hallmark. A few of the ones I wanted to see were on a few weeks ago and I missed them, but I’m enjoying watching nonetheless

The Hallmark Channel is doing a commercial-free marathon of only their new Christmas movies this season. (Although there will be a couple Hallmark "breaks" during each movie.)

The Hallmark marathon will start 8pm ET on Christmas eve and goes through to 8pm Christmas night.

You might be able to find some of the movies you missed then. And if anyone has a few favorites from this season, you can possibly record the commercial-free version then.

It's only 16 of the 32 Hallmark movies this season though. And Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is not doing a commercial-free marathon of their new movies.

I’m enjoying my few days off. As I unpack from our move (and clean out the old house),

Happy new home!

 

[Imzadi]

Hallmark Channel: The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls
starring Robert Buckley, Ana Ayora, Jonathan Bennett, with Sharon Lawrence, Treat Williams and Brad Harder.
Description: The Mitchell brothers compete to see who can create the best Christmas House.

I liked The Christmas House 2. Like the first one, it's goes way over the top at times. Then they reign it in and do some quiet, thoughtful, touching moments, then go over the top again. It's lighthearted and fun. A movie I will definitely watch again.

I suspect there may be a Christmas House #3 in the planning for next year.

It's on a couple more times:
Thurs Dec 23 at 8pm ET
Sat Dec 25 at 8am ET, (commercial-free)
It's also free On Demand on Spectrum Cable.

 

[disney4us2002]

Christmas House is not of interest to me.
I actually liked the Jennie Garth movie.
I haven't found any as great this year as some in the past. I still have my old faves that I will watch again and again, like A Shoe Addict's Christmas. I was surprised to really enjoy the Reba McIntyre-John Schneider movie. She does a weird oversmile that kinda reminds me of Joker, lol, but it was a cute story. JS may not be a great singer but he has certainly aged well.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I admit I could probably figure this out, but I’m just going to ask — was there a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie this year? Because I either missed it or it’s hanging out in my DVR…

 

[elgerber]

I liked The Christmas House 2. Like the first one, it's goes way over the top at times. Then they reign it in and do some quiet, thoughtful, touching moments, then go over the top again. It's lighthearted and fun. A movie I will definitely watch again.

I suspect there may be a Christmas House #3 in the planning for next year.

It's on a couple more times:
Thurs Dec 23 at 8pm ET
Sat Dec 25 at 8am ET, (commercial-free)
It's also free On Demand on Spectrum Cable.

I agree. Some of it was wayyyyyyyyyyyy over the top, but then it turns so sweet. I loved the first one, and I like the actors, so I enjoyed this one too.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Christmas House is not of interest to me.

Me, too.

 

[AustinTink]

Christmas in Evergreen is on right now. I looked up from my computer and said, "hey, that's Preacher!" I love seeing these actors from Virgin River popping up on Hallmark movies.

 

[Imzadi]

I admit I could probably figure this out, but I’m just going to ask — was there a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie this year? Because I either missed it or it’s hanging out in my DVR…

There hasn't been a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie since 2019 when there were two Hallmark Hall of Fame movies that year. One could say maybe it was due to the pandemic. But, since we did get 30+ other Christmas movies last year and 41 Christmas movies this year, I kind of doubt that excuse.

Just guessing, but I think this is the more likely scenario:

One of the two Hall of Fame movies in 2019 was with one time Tony Award winner, two time Tony nominee, one time Emmy Award winner, four time Emmy nominee and two time SAG Award nominee: Kristin Chenowith.

All of the previous Hallmark Hall of Fame movies starred actors & actresses of that FAME, acting caliber and critical acclaim, for instance, Glenn Close who is an 8 time Academy Award nominee, 3 times each: Tony Award winner and Emmy winner and multiple Emmy nominee. She was even nominated for her Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, Sarah, Plain and Tall.

So, it should come as NO surprise when the second Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of 2019 starred: <drum roll>

Nikki Deloach

Whaaat??? WHO???? What has she been in of the caliber of the previous actors and actresses that makes HER a Hallmark Hall of FAME worthy actress????? Has she won any Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG or Tony Awards? Has she even been nominated for any major award?

Nope. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

Nikki Deloach has mainly only done guest starring level roles. That's when an actor plays a character for one week in a TV episode. She was a regular for one series on MTV and a few shorter roles in other TV series. Other than Hallmark and maybe some other TV movies, she has done no theatrically released movies in movie theatres and no Broadway credits.

Wait! Maybe her co-star or one of the other stars was the Hall of Fame level of star status?

No, her co-star has even less credits that Nikki has.

I think that movie, Love Takes Flight is what ended (hopefully temporarily) the Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. If Hallmark can not get any stars of actual FAME and critical acclaim to star in their Hallmark Hall of Fame movies, WHY bother to do them?

What real star wants to come after Nikki Deloach? Like it's a prized title worth doing?

That brand and title was made worthless by casting non-famous, non-award winners in a movie.

On top of that, I bet the agents and publicists of Lacey Chabert and Alicia Witt and Candace Cameron Bure were on the phone to Hallmark the day it was found out Nikki Deloach was considered Hallmark Hall of Fame level.

WHY aren't any of their actresses' Hallmark movies also branded Hallmark Hall of Fame movies? Lacey was in Mean Girls, a very famous and popular theatrically released movie. She won an MTV Movie Award for it. She was also a regular in a TV series, Party of Five, in which she won a Young Artist Award. One of her co-stars, Scott Wolf was in the Kristin Chenoweth movie. So Party of Five has value to be cast in a Hall of Fame movie. . . Alicia was also in a theatrically released movie, Mr. Holland's Opus, in which Richard Dreyfus was nominated for an Oscar. For other stuff, she was nominated for a SAG Award and Independent Spirit Award. And she won a special recognition Sundance Film Festival award. . . And Candace was in one of the most popular TV shows in the 80s, Full House. She even won a Kids Choice Awards and Young Artist awards for her performance. She was also nominate for an Emmy during her time on The View along with the rest of the cast.

I think Hallmark was made to realize that until they truly are able to cast Hall of Fame level of talent, maybe it's better to shelve making those movies.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

There hasn't been a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie since 2019 when there were two Hallmark Hall of Fame movies that year. One could say maybe it was due to the pandemic. But, since we did get 30+ other Christmas movies last year and 41 Christmas movies this year, I kind of doubt that excuse.

Just guessing, but I think this is the more likely scenario:

One of the two Hall of Fame movies in 2019 was with one time Tony Award winner, two time Tony nominee, one time Emmy Award winner, four time Emmy nominee and two time SAG Award nominee: Kristin Chenowith.

All of the previous Hallmark Hall of Fame movies starred actors & actresses of that FAME, acting caliber and critical acclaim, for instance, Glenn Close who is an 8 time Academy Award nominee, 3 times each: Tony Award winner and Emmy winner and multiple Emmy nominee. She was even nominated for her Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, Sarah, Plain and Tall.

So, it should come as NO surprise when the second Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of 2019 starred: <drum roll>

Nikki Deloach

Whaaat??? WHO???? What has she been in of the caliber of the previous actors and actresses that makes HER a Hallmark Hall of FAME worthy actress????? Has she won any Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG or Tony Awards? Has she even been nominated for any major award?

Nope. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

Nikki Deloach has mainly only done guest starring level roles. That's when an actor plays a character for one week in a TV episode. She was a regular for one long series and a few shorter roles in other TV series. Other than Hallmark and maybe some other TV movies, she has done no theatrically released movies in movie theatres and no Broadway credits.

Wait! Maybe her co-star or one of the other stars was the Hall of Fame level of star status?

No, her co-star has even less credits that Nikki has.

I think that movie, Love Takes Flight is what ended (hopefully temporarily) the Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. If Hallmark can not get any stars of actual FAME and critical acclaim to star in their Hallmark Hall of Fame movies, WHY bother to do them?

What real star wants to come after Nikki Deloach? Like it's a prized title worth doing?

That brand and title was made worthless by casting non-famous, non-award winners in a movie.

On top of that, I bet the agents and publicists of Lacey Chabert and Alicia Witt and Candace Cameron Bure were on the phone to Hallmark the day it was found out Nikki Deloach was considered Hallmark Hall of Fame level.

WHY aren't any of their actresses' Hallmark movies also branded Hallmark Hall of Fame movies? Lacey was in Mean Girls. She actually did a very famous and popular movie in a theatrically released movie. She won an MTV Movie Award for it. She was also a regular in a TV series, Party of Five, in which she won a Young Artist Award. . . Alicia was also in a theatrically released movie, Mr. Holland's Opus, in which Richard Dreyfus was nominated for an Oscar. She was nominated for a SAG Award and Independent Spirit Award. And she won a special recognition Sundance Film Festival award. . . And Candace was in one of the most popular TV shows in the 80s, Full House. She even won a Kids Choice Awards and Young Artist awards for her performance. She was also nominate for an Emmy during her time on The View along with the rest of the cast.

I think Hallmark was made to realize that until they truly are able to cast Hall of Fame level of talent, maybe it's better to shelve making those movies.

Thank you so much for the explanation! It makes perfect sense and also seems a shame. I love those movies as having more depth, better acting, and a more complex script. They really elevate the brand. I know they were cranking them out this year, but the quality overall did suffer. I would be happy with fewer, higher quality movies, rather than 3 or more each week…

 

[PollyannaMom]

Just saw this contest advertised while watching "A Dickins of a Holiday" -

Hallmark Channel's Biggest Fan

 

[Imzadi]

Some very devastating news for Alicia Witt. Both of her parents were found dead in their Massachusetts home. No signs of foul play or obvious signs of trauma. and firefighters said there were no signs of carbon monoxide in the home. Autopsies are scheduled.

https://people.com/tv/alicia-witts-parents-found-dead-in-their-massachusetts-home/

 

[Imzadi]

Hallmark Channel: 'Tis the Season to be Merry
starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Travis Van Winkle and Adam Hurtig.
Description: Looking for a fresh angle to her book on relationships, Merry heads to snow covered Vermont. She finds a new perspective and Christmas cheer with charismatic aid worker Chris.

I'm normally not a Rachael Leigh Cook fan, but I liked this movie. It starts out with a fib/misunderstanding. But instead of spending 98% of the movie trying to hide the fib while it gets worse, it's found out rather immediately and the rest of the movie is on how to fix it.

For a split second I thought the male lead was going to turn out to be a jerk at the beginning due to the way he was described and the way he announced he was home, coming in the door. I even thought, "Oh don't ruin the movie by being some free-spirited jerk we're supposed to dislike at the beginning." (Especially as Travis Van Winkle is in one of my favorite movies, Christmas Getaway, with Bridget Regan, where she's a travel writer, snowed in at a ski lodge and has to spend the days before Christmas with him and his family.) But, his character turned out to be likeable after all. He even provided some of the funny moments.

Some of the other characters had their own sub-stories, so lots of moving parts to watch. I thought the dialogue was well written and the acting was good. I can see why Hallmark left this as their last movie to end the season on.

 

[Imzadi]

I watched the Ghosts of Christmas Past on Lifetime. It's NOT another re-hashing of version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It's about a woman who meets guys on dating apps, then when things are going well, she chickens out and doesn't communicate with them again or respond back when they wonder what happened, the definition of "ghosting" someone. She was told by a fortune teller that she has to make amends to all the guys she ghosted before Christmas.

It's a cute story. Geared toward 20-30-somethings. But, it's not the same 12 or so plots as the Hallmark movies we've seen over and over. So it was nice to watch once.

 

[AustinTink]

The Hallmark Channel is doing a commercial-free marathon of only their new Christmas movies this season. (Although there will be a couple Hallmark "breaks" during each movie.)

The Hallmark marathon will start 8pm ET on Christmas eve and goes through to 8pm Christmas night.

You might be able to find some of the movies you missed then. And if anyone has a few favorites from this season, you can possibly record the commercial-free version then.

Yes! This is awesome information. I missed so many new ones this year. Need to set my DVR.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I'm normally not a Rachael Leigh Cook fan, but I liked this movie. It starts out with a fib/misunderstanding. But instead of spending 98% of the movie trying to hide the fib while it gets worse, it's found out rather immediately and the rest of the movie is on how to fix it.

For a split second I thought the male lead was going to turn out to be a jerk at the beginning due to the way he was described and the way he announced he was home, coming in the door. I even thought, "Oh don't ruin the movie by being some free-spirited jerk we're supposed to dislike at the beginning." (Especially as Travis Van Winkle is in one of my favorite movies, Christmas Getaway, with Bridget Regan, where she's a travel writer, snowed in at a ski lodge and has to spend the days before Christmas with him and his family.) But, his character turned out to be likeable after all. He even provided some of the funny moments.

Some of the other characters had their own sub-stories, so lots of moving parts to watch. I thought the dialogue was well written and the acting was good. I can see why Hallmark left this as their last movie to end the season on.

I am saving this one for Sunday. After the rush is over and back to normal life, I want to make sure I have a good movie to perk me up