Hallmark Movies ❤️ comfort & joy

[nycdisneygal]

I just tried watching Hallmark's "Sugar Plum Twist." 20 minutes in I knew this was a clunker for me. Maybe it was the subject material, I find ballet boring, Hopefully I'll have better luck with the next one in my burgeoning DVR!

I didnt even bother recording it!

 

[nycdisneygal]

Speaking of dance movies, did anyone watch the Corbin Bleu movie? I watched part of it, then fast forwarded to the end. It did have a lot of spectacular dances. But, I wasn't sure if I should watch it again for the beginning story part?

The christmas one on lifetime with Monique Coleman? It was cute.

 

[Imzadi]

On Hallmark or Lifetime? I didn't know he had a dancing movie.

It was a Lifetime movie on last month. It's called A Christmas Dance Reunion.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14681620/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_4

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I couldn't get through that one. The female lead, Amy Acker was about 39, pretending she was a ballerina in her 20s.

Oh, I really liked that one. But, then, I'm a frustrated ballerina.

 

[elgerber]

Same here. I had it on while doing other things. Then the next time I looked at the TV about 45 min had passed. I've realized that probably means it's a bad movie if it didn't hold my attention. Most times, I'll rewind a bit and start watching again. But, often I've found I'll lose interest right at the same place. So, it's definitely the movie.

I love ballet too, so I fast forwarded to the end. They did show a quick little traditional dance that was okay.

Then they showed the twisted, Latin version. I didn't care for it. I get that it was danced that way as an exercise for the dancer to put some of her own ethnic style, heart and roots in the dance. It wasn't meant to replace how The Nutcracker is traditionally done. (I've heard of a female version of Hamlet that was done here, for instance.) But, I didn't think it worked. It's like on Dancing With The Stars, when they do a Grease themed night and then dance styles that clearly don't go with the song. Sure, it can be done. But, should it? A lot of times No.

Back to the Sugar Plum twisted version: so while the dancer technically danced it beautifully and put heart and soul in it, I didn't think it fit the song or The Nutcracker at all. The Nutcracker is a dream of a little 8(?) year old girl. The Latin version was too sexy. I thought a better exercise would have been better to pick a sexy, more adult song and do it full out.




I couldn't get through that one. The female lead, Amy Acker was about 39, pretending she was a ballerina in her 20s.

In her defense she was only pretending to be age at the beginning.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

In her defense she was only pretending to be age at the beginning.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Yes, she was still trying to dance it 15 years later, but she was older.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

It was a Lifetime movie on last month. It's called A Christmas Dance Reunion.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14681620/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_4

That one is still in the DVR. I will get to it...I do have a good mix of Lifetime and Hallmark left, as I deliberately saved some I knew I would like for later. So I could still be watching these for a good while to come

The one I watched last night was this weekend's regular movie, something about Where Your Heart Belongs, with Christopher Russell and Jen Lilley. I liked it but I didn't love it. I doubt I'll watch it again.

 

[AustinTink]

I deliberately saved some I knew I would like for later. So I could still be watching these for a good while to come

Same here. I'll watch them slowly over time.

 

[elgerber]

I just watched an older one, The Christmas Note. I had seen it once before, I really liked it.

 

[Imzadi]

There's an older movie I liked that's going to be on Friday night that I'm recommending. It's Timeless Love starring Rachel Skarsten and Brant Daugherty. It's about a woman who wakes up from a coma thinking she is happily married with two kids. . . but it was all a dream. . . Then she meets the guy in real life. . .

It's on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on Fri at 9pm ET.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

There's an older movie I liked that's going to be on Friday night that I'm recommending. It's Timeless Love starring Rachel Skarsten and Brant Daugherty. It's about a woman who wakes up from a coma thinking she is happily married with two kids. . . but it was all a dream. . . Then she meets the guy in real life. . .

It's on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on Fri at 9pm ET.

Yes, I like it, also. Sadly, it's opposite "Homecoming" with Anne Bancroft on Hallmark Drama channel, so that's what I'll be watching.

 

[Imzadi]

The one I watched last night was this weekend's regular movie, something about Where Your Heart Belongs, with Christopher Russell and Jen Lilley. I liked it but I didn't love it. I doubt I'll watch it again.

The writer purposely wrote the female lead to be really self-centered. Even her BFF and the male lead didn't like her towards the end. Sure she gets redeemed in the very end. But we sat through 2 hours of her growing unlikeable the first time. Yeah, I'm not watching that again.

 

[Imzadi]

Yes, I like it, also. Sadly, it's opposite "Homecoming" with Anne Bancroft on Hallmark Drama channel, so that's what I'll be watching.

It will be on again.

 

[disney4us2002]

I couldn't get through that one. The female lead, Amy Acker was about 39, pretending she was a ballerina in her 20s.

Is that the one where she quit when her sister or some relative died and she became guardian of her niece? I think the 20s was a flashback but they did show her age realistically for most of the movie if it's the one I'm remembering. Regardless, I'm not a fan of AA. I didn't care for the 2021 movie starring her "Crashing thru the snow" either.

 

[disney4us2002]

There's an older movie I liked that's going to be on Friday night that I'm recommending. It's Timeless Love starring Rachel Skarsten and Brant Daugherty. It's about a woman who wakes up from a coma thinking she is happily married with two kids. . . but it was all a dream. . . Then she meets the guy in real life. . .

It's on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries on Fri at 9pm ET.

❤❤❤ Loved it!

 

[elgerber]

Is that the one where she quit when her sister or some relative died and she became guardian of her niece? I think the 20s was a flashback but they did show her age realistically for most of the movie if it's the one I'm remembering. Regardless, I'm not a fan of AA. I didn't care for the 2021 movie starring her "Crashing thru the snow" either.

That is the one.
I really liked Crashing Thru the Snow. We all have different tastes

 

[Imzadi]

Is that the one where she quit when her sister or some relative died and she became guardian of her niece? I think the 20s was a flashback but they did show her age realistically for most of the movie if it's the one I'm remembering. Regardless, I'm not a fan of AA. I didn't care for the 2021 movie starring her "Crashing thru the snow" either.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Yes, she was still trying to dance it 15 years later, but she was older.

I had to look up the movie again as it had been so long since I watched it, to remember what I didn't like about it. Yes, I get that there was a flashback to when she was dancing. That performance was supposedly, hopefully what would have launched her career into being a well known prima ballerina status. So, she would have been about 21, if not younger at that time.

Then the movie jumped to the present, which was only 8 years ahead. That would have made her 29. But, I felt that Amy Acker looked all of her 39 years. Full disclosure: I don't care for Amy Acker either. I hated her in Person of Interest. So, I'm harsher on her than when I like a Hallmark star, where we all give them lots of leeway in implausible situations because we just like them.

 

[Imzadi]

Two new movies this weekend.

First, the Hallmark Channel starts The Wedding Veil trilogy on Saturday at 8pm ET.

The first installment stars Lacey Chabert and Kevin McGarry, with appearances by Autumn Reeser and Alison Sweeney who will star in their own movies later on in the trilogy.

In the first installment of the trilogy, Avery (Chabert), Emma (Reeser) and Tracy (Sweeney) are three college friends who reunite in different cities every year to go antiquing. During a visit to San Francisco, they discover an extraordinary, antique lace wedding veil with a legend—it is said that whoever possesses the veil will find their true love. The friends agree to purchase the veil together and pass it along to each other to test whether or not the legend is true. Avery, an art curator, is the first to take possession and very soon after meets a handsome stranger, Peter (Kevin McGarry).

The other two movies in The Wedding Veil trilogy premiere in February. There will be an encore presentation of The Wedding Veil on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel with the remaining two movies premiering in the following weeks.

The Wedding Unveiled premieres on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel. The Wedding Unveiled tells Emma’s (Reeser) tale as she travels to Italy to teach and research the history of the veil. While there, she meets Paolo (Paolo Bernardini), the son of a local lace-making family.

The third installment in the trilogy, The Wedding Veil Legacy, premieres on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel. In this film, Tracy (Sweeney) meets Nick (Victor Webster), a restaurateur, who helps her save an original draft of The New Colossus and in return she agrees to help him with his restaurant. As they grow closer, Tracy gets cold feet.

The Wedding Veil is on again:
Sunday, Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. ET
Thursday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. ET
Sunday, Jan. 16 at 12 p.m. ET
Saturday, Jan. 22 at 4 p.m. ET
Saturday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. ET
Saturday, Feb. 19 at 4 p.m. ET

 

[Imzadi]

Second, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries has a new movie, too, North to Home on Sunday at 9pm ET, with a quaduple dose of Hallmark stars: Kimberley Sustad, Lyndsy Fonseca, Erica Durance and Barbara Niven.

The movie is directed by Hallmark actress, now director, Ali Liebert. Ali starred in the Christmas movie A Gift to Remember and it's sequel. It's the one about a book store clerk who accidentally mows down a pedestrian as she was riding bicycle and he loses his memory from the crash. She helps him regain his memory. This is Ali's first time directing a Hallmark movie.

Ali has been BFFs with Kimberley Sustad for years. They found themselves at auditions for the same roles and often, one would get the lead and the other cast as her best friend. Now, Ali got to direct her BFF.

In North to Home the mother, Suzanne (Barbara Niven) is excited to spend her birthday with her three adopted daughters—Posy (Lyndsy Fonseca), Hannah (Erica Durance) and Beth (Kimberley Sustad). It will be the first time the three sisters have been together in years. This seems like a great time for a family reunion, but the sisters are each wrestling with unique challenges that threaten to derail this special occasion. Workaholic Hannah is hiding a life–changing secret. Beth, a stay–at–home–mom, is in the midst of a personal crisis after getting a once-in-a-lifetime offer to go back to work.

Posy, who is the youngest of the three, is feeling pressure from her parents to take over the family restaurant. She feels a sense of obligation, but her heart is drawn to a life as a mountain climber. She’s also falling for a handsome new neighbor which is only adding to her stress.

Under the weight of these issues, and some hidden resentments, Suzanne’s dreams of the perfect birthday soon unravel. But will the sisters’ bond be strong enough to survive this time together?

North to Home is on again:
Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. ET
Friday, Jan. 14 at 9 p.m. ET
Sunday, Jan. 16 at 3 p.m. ET
Thursday, Jan. 20 at 5 p.m. ET
Monday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. ET

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I had to look up the movie again as it had been so long since I watched it, to remember what I didn't like about it. Yes, I get that there was a flashback to when she was dancing. That performance was supposedly, hopefully what would have launched her career into being a well known prima ballerina status. So, she would have been about 21, if not younger at that time.

Then the movie jumped to the present, which was only 8 years ahead. That would have made her 29. But, I felt that Amy Acker looked all of her 39 years. Full disclosure: I don't care for Amy Acker either. I hated her in Person of Interest. So, I'm harsher on her than when I like a Hallmark star, where we all give them lots of leeway in implausible situations because we just like them.

So I had to go look up the average age of a prima ballerina and I found this (from a dancer):
The term Prima Ballerina implies more than just ability. Since it means “first amongst female dancers” there can only be one Prima Ballerina at any given time. The term also implies a great degree of accomplishment and accumulated knowledge. This accomplishment generally comes through years of experience performing premier roles in all aspects of the repertoire. When a company names a dancer their Prima Ballerina, it is usually done so as a formal recognition of her many years dancing at the highest possible level as well as the contributions her work has made to the overall advancement of the art. For this reason, she tends to be amongst the older dancers in the company. Occasionally, some very talented younger dancers with less experience might perform the same roles as she, but they won’t be granted this rare title of rank and praise until they have proven that they too have the staying power in addition to their talent and skill.

I've only known a few women in my lifetime who were formally granted the title Prima Ballerina. In each case they were in their mid to late 30’s when this happened.


Others posting on the same forum said mid to late 20s is typical for prima ballerina status.