Well, as you can tell I didn't complete reviews for the last 7 movies in Hallmark's 2019 Holiday lineup. I did see parts of all but 4 of the movies which is a better result than I really thought I'd achieve.
Why did I stop so close to my goal? Well, two of the last 3 movies I watched were so unenjoyable that I just shut them off less than half way through. Additionally, as the holiday approached and I had time off with my significant other I wanted to do things other than watching and writing about Hallmark so I got what I had watched posted and then I was done.
Would I undertake this again? Nope. Trying to watch 40 Hallmark movies in two months is a pretty serious undertaking. The occasional Hallmark movie is a perfect way to spend an evening. However, Hallmark's ever increasing slate of Christmas movie is just too much. There were a few movies that surprised me but for the most part the ones I enjoyed tended to be ones that I was most likely to watch anyway. There were some movies that were less than 3 stars that I honestly could have turned off and been fine without finishing and if watching any other year I might have. Sometimes less really is more and I think that it might be the case here. I am not saying that my Hallmark consumption has completely evaporated now or in the future but I think that the best experience is found with moderation. With so many movie options to watch there is no reason to continue to watch something that isn't working for you at the time. You can always try it again next year. My friends were giving me recommendations for holiday movies on Lifetime and other networks but I was too burned out to even get to them. Next year, I'm leaving time to partake is some of these other movie watching opportunities so I can dissect and compare notes with friends.
Giant Holiday Decor Love: I still love extra large holiday decor whether it is nutcrackers, Santa, snowmen or anything else. I even went looking on Amazon to see the options available. The option that comes closest to the giant nutcrackers used in many of the Hallmark movies is a 12 foot nutcracker soldier figure that is currently priced close to $4,000 (though it was available for around $2,500 during the season). Not something that I need to add to my holiday decorations but good to know it's possible that I could spot it in the wild. I have to admit that I am still going to keep my eyes peeled for them next year along with some good knitwear.
This wouldn't be a post from me without a little bit of snark. So this one has really been irking me for the past two months, Hallmark's commercial breaks. Each commercial break lasts around 4 minutes or more and I swear that they happen at least every 15 minutes. The way I tried to get around them was by watching it after it premiered and just fast-forwarding through the commercial breaks which sometimes worked but sometimes I wasn't allowed. I feel like the commercials are worse on Hallmark's networks but it could be that I don't watch that much on TV anymore and it's like this on every network and I just don't realize. Marketing is always changing and I hope that something better comes along. Maybe they can offer their networks available for streaming at a fee and not just Hallmark NOW. Cord cutters would love it! Some extra revenue might reduce the need for as many ads and maybe they could show the previews for their upcoming movies in an extended break at the start/end of the movie. I might be more inclined to watch it instead of just fast-forwarding straight through.
WinterFest has already begun but at least it's only one movie a week and snuggling under a blanket for 2 hours seems doable again.
How many of the Hallmark premieres did you make it through? Did you feel burned out towards the ends as well?
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Angel Falls: A Novel Holiday - Premiere #33
Angel Falls: A Novel Holiday premiered on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries' Miracles of Christmas on December 15th and stars Jen Lilley (Hannah) and Carlo Marks (Ryan).
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Hannah is a book editor in Angel Falls at her family's small publishing house. Ryan also works in book publishing in NY and is home in Angel Falls to settle some things for his parent's estate. Based on his experience in the industry, Hannah's mom hires him as a consultant to review and suggest expansion plans for their firm. This forces Hannah and Ryan to work together which Hannah does not look forward to.
Giant Nutcracker Sighting: There are giant Nutcracker panels at the town tree plaza.
Costuming Notes: Both Ryan and Hannah have some great sweaters throughout the movie. Hannah has several coats that she wears over the course of the movie which makes sense but Ryan also wears at least 4 different winter coats. Seeing as Ryan was hoping to be in town for only a few days I find packing 4 winter coats seems a bit unlikely. Personally, I find 4 different winter coats to be a bit much for anyone but that's just me. Some people collect shoes and apparently for Hannah and Ryan it's coats. That's something else they have in common. I recall hearing that Jen Lilley recently had a child and it turns out it was about 6 weeks before filming the movie which explains some of the costume selections that were made - lots of coats, color blocking on some of the sweaters. Regardless of the reason, her costuming looked good and hopefully Jen was comfortable and not feeling pressure to look/dress a certain way for the role.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: I am not thrilled with the guardian angels that stop time. I also don't really like that she's holding a grudge for 10 years that Ryan stole her dream job. It's odd when it comes out that he asked the interviewer about her and that he was told details of her interview. That makes no sense to me. There doesn't really seem to be much chemistry between Hannah and Ryan. I find that the fact that the mission is that Tina needs to stay in Angel Falls is problematic. Since she recently lost her husband I would think that she would benefit by being surrounded by people who care about her. Meanwhile, she knows no one in Angel Falls and Lawrence didn't seem to come back after he left. I guess that it could be good to see and experience the town he grew up in but not sure that renting a house there is logical. I assume that Ryan's house is rented fully furnished because Tina is baking right after moving in. It's also weird that Tina would insist that Ryan stay in the garage apartment while he's in town. There are other odd things built into the plot... They are making cookies on the day of the event at the bookstore, which seems like poor planning. There is also the fact that there's an office Christmas party when the "office" really just consists of Hannah and her family. I mean it makes more sense when you know that they invite most people in the community to the party but it's weird to call it an office party. I do like the twist to the ending that Ryan is the one who chucks it all to move back to the small town for a girl. I just don't really buy it all. I do admit that the wreath making event looks like fun but I think that it would be too cold outside to do it.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Jen Lilley is a frequent Hallmark star. She was previously in Winter Love Story (2019) with Kevin McGarry. Carlo Marks was previously seen in Hallmark's series, Chesapeake Shores as the love interest/boyfriend of Laci J. Mailey.
Hallmark, I'm Looking at You: So towards the end of the movie there is a passing remark about the Dread Monarch series... I'd swear that is the name of the book trilogy that Kevin McGarry's character authored in Winter Love Story... I haven't been able to confirm yet.
Curious if this movie fell short for you as well.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Hannah is a book editor in Angel Falls at her family's small publishing house. Ryan also works in book publishing in NY and is home in Angel Falls to settle some things for his parent's estate. Based on his experience in the industry, Hannah's mom hires him as a consultant to review and suggest expansion plans for their firm. This forces Hannah and Ryan to work together which Hannah does not look forward to.
Giant Nutcracker Sighting: There are giant Nutcracker panels at the town tree plaza.
Costuming Notes: Both Ryan and Hannah have some great sweaters throughout the movie. Hannah has several coats that she wears over the course of the movie which makes sense but Ryan also wears at least 4 different winter coats. Seeing as Ryan was hoping to be in town for only a few days I find packing 4 winter coats seems a bit unlikely. Personally, I find 4 different winter coats to be a bit much for anyone but that's just me. Some people collect shoes and apparently for Hannah and Ryan it's coats. That's something else they have in common. I recall hearing that Jen Lilley recently had a child and it turns out it was about 6 weeks before filming the movie which explains some of the costume selections that were made - lots of coats, color blocking on some of the sweaters. Regardless of the reason, her costuming looked good and hopefully Jen was comfortable and not feeling pressure to look/dress a certain way for the role.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: I am not thrilled with the guardian angels that stop time. I also don't really like that she's holding a grudge for 10 years that Ryan stole her dream job. It's odd when it comes out that he asked the interviewer about her and that he was told details of her interview. That makes no sense to me. There doesn't really seem to be much chemistry between Hannah and Ryan. I find that the fact that the mission is that Tina needs to stay in Angel Falls is problematic. Since she recently lost her husband I would think that she would benefit by being surrounded by people who care about her. Meanwhile, she knows no one in Angel Falls and Lawrence didn't seem to come back after he left. I guess that it could be good to see and experience the town he grew up in but not sure that renting a house there is logical. I assume that Ryan's house is rented fully furnished because Tina is baking right after moving in. It's also weird that Tina would insist that Ryan stay in the garage apartment while he's in town. There are other odd things built into the plot... They are making cookies on the day of the event at the bookstore, which seems like poor planning. There is also the fact that there's an office Christmas party when the "office" really just consists of Hannah and her family. I mean it makes more sense when you know that they invite most people in the community to the party but it's weird to call it an office party. I do like the twist to the ending that Ryan is the one who chucks it all to move back to the small town for a girl. I just don't really buy it all. I do admit that the wreath making event looks like fun but I think that it would be too cold outside to do it.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Jen Lilley is a frequent Hallmark star. She was previously in Winter Love Story (2019) with Kevin McGarry. Carlo Marks was previously seen in Hallmark's series, Chesapeake Shores as the love interest/boyfriend of Laci J. Mailey.
Hallmark, I'm Looking at You: So towards the end of the movie there is a passing remark about the Dread Monarch series... I'd swear that is the name of the book trilogy that Kevin McGarry's character authored in Winter Love Story... I haven't been able to confirm yet.
Curious if this movie fell short for you as well.
Holiday Date - Premiere #32
Holiday Date premiered on Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas on December 14th and stars Brittany Bristow (Brooke) and Matt Cohen (Joel). Teryl Rothery and Bruce Boxleitner also appear as Brooke's parents.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Brooke is a tailor in NYC for a designer but she wants to be a designer herself in the future. She is supposed to be bringing her boyfriend, Ethan, home to meet her parent's over the holiday. Only problem is that Ethan dumps her the evening before they are supposed to leave. Instead of going home by herself, her friends concoct a plan for an actor friend Joel to accompany her and play the role of Ethan. Joel is an actor who is up for the part of a guy from a small town who runs a hardware store. He gets the first-hand experience of small town life and she gets to save face. What could go wrong...
Meet Cute Moment: Brooke's just been dumped and is outside ringing the bell at her friend's apartment for their Friendmas Party. Joel comes up and starts going on about how much he loves this time of year. They realize they are going to the same Friendmas party - he remarks "which makes them friends". I have to admit that I kind of love his point-of-view in that moment.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: I always like this premise but this one just presents too many issues for me to really buy into it. The fact that they do very little planning and quizzing each other on their drive to her parent's is problematic to me. The fact that it didn't come up that Joel is Jewish and has limited knowledge of Christmas and Christmas traditions is the prime example of this. I like the twist to celebrate both holidays in the movie but I think it could have been accomplished better. Something to keep in mind if you try this at home, pick your partner in crime very carefully and above all else PLAN. I really like the exterior of her parent's house (and her Mini Cooper in the drive). At least I can do some house hunting (read dreaming) while getting my Christmas movie fix. The introduction of an engagement storyline was simply unnecessary and didn't really add to the movie. I understand why they did it for plot purposes to get the "real" Ethan to show up at her parent's but I think they could have easily done without it. Brooke and Joel were already well on their way to having the jig be up anyway, no additional help required.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Brittany has appeared in a number of Hallmark movies but I believe this is her first time as the lead. She costarred in Christmas at the Palace (2018) which starred Merritt Patterson and Andrew Cooper. This appears to be Matt Cohen's first Hallmark film. I hope that his next vehicle has his character being less over the top.
I think that this movie just didn't really work for me because it was just too over the top. If it were toned down a bit then I think that it might have been more enjoyable. Let me know what you think.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Brooke is a tailor in NYC for a designer but she wants to be a designer herself in the future. She is supposed to be bringing her boyfriend, Ethan, home to meet her parent's over the holiday. Only problem is that Ethan dumps her the evening before they are supposed to leave. Instead of going home by herself, her friends concoct a plan for an actor friend Joel to accompany her and play the role of Ethan. Joel is an actor who is up for the part of a guy from a small town who runs a hardware store. He gets the first-hand experience of small town life and she gets to save face. What could go wrong...
Meet Cute Moment: Brooke's just been dumped and is outside ringing the bell at her friend's apartment for their Friendmas Party. Joel comes up and starts going on about how much he loves this time of year. They realize they are going to the same Friendmas party - he remarks "which makes them friends". I have to admit that I kind of love his point-of-view in that moment.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: I always like this premise but this one just presents too many issues for me to really buy into it. The fact that they do very little planning and quizzing each other on their drive to her parent's is problematic to me. The fact that it didn't come up that Joel is Jewish and has limited knowledge of Christmas and Christmas traditions is the prime example of this. I like the twist to celebrate both holidays in the movie but I think it could have been accomplished better. Something to keep in mind if you try this at home, pick your partner in crime very carefully and above all else PLAN. I really like the exterior of her parent's house (and her Mini Cooper in the drive). At least I can do some house hunting (read dreaming) while getting my Christmas movie fix. The introduction of an engagement storyline was simply unnecessary and didn't really add to the movie. I understand why they did it for plot purposes to get the "real" Ethan to show up at her parent's but I think they could have easily done without it. Brooke and Joel were already well on their way to having the jig be up anyway, no additional help required.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Brittany has appeared in a number of Hallmark movies but I believe this is her first time as the lead. She costarred in Christmas at the Palace (2018) which starred Merritt Patterson and Andrew Cooper. This appears to be Matt Cohen's first Hallmark film. I hope that his next vehicle has his character being less over the top.
I think that this movie just didn't really work for me because it was just too over the top. If it were toned down a bit then I think that it might have been more enjoyable. Let me know what you think.
Christmas in Montana - Premiere #31
Christmas in Montana premiered on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries' Miracles of Christmas on December 14th and stars Kellie Martin (Sara) and Colin Ferguson (Travis).
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Sara is a financial advisor from LA who is up for a promotion to VP. In order to get her well-earned promotion she is headed to Big Fork, Montana to help a rancher get his business model working so they can get their necessary loan. Travis is a former NY lawyer who returned to Montana to run his family's ranch.
Meet Cute Moment: They meet in town at St. Nick's Knick Knacks booth. They share some seasonal puns while he mans his friend's booth. So of course since they hit it off so well, you know that he's Travis Carson and he's the client she'll be working closely with.
Giant Nutcracker Sighting: There are giant Nutcrackers in downtown Big Fork.
Notable Crafting Alert: Sara's daughter,Chloe, learns to knit while in Big Fork and she proceeds to teach Sara. I like this little bit and it's nice that they are selling yarn at the Christmas festival booths. However, there is a serious problem with the fact that Sara buys a huge skein of chunky weight yarn and remarks that it's cashmere. First there is no way that the skein is cashmere and if it were, then that skein would have cost a few hundred dollars and not just something to pick up on a whim to learn how to knit.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: OK, I think that visiting the Carson ranch for a hometown Christmas holiday would be great. Sign me up... then the reality of costs and travel set in and I come back to my senses and decide to stay home for the holidays. The Carson ranch is gorgeous. They decorate it with A LOT of lights. In actuality, I think that there are just too many lights, let the beauty of the land and the home speak for itself. I really like the garland tree that Sara makes in the barn. The tradition of a Christmas bonfire with marshmallows and cocoa sounds like fun. Next year I'll have to consider keeping our firepit out or accessible during winter for that purpose. There is a scene where they try on crazy Christmas hats for sale at the festival booth. Let's just say that this could be inspiration for next year's Christmas party theme. The hats could really give ugly sweaters a run for their money. I wonder who was the actual market for the hats on sale. They are a bit much for even the most enthusiastic of Christmas revelers. I did have to laugh at the obvious issue that the tree that they decorate at Carson ranch is much taller than the tree that they cut down. There is the obvious question about the blurring of the personal and professional lines but I'm willing to chalk it up to small town hospitality and an openness and willingness by the Carson's to work with any adviser/consultant to come up with alternatives to cutting staff. The fact that Sara is attractive and single doesn't hurt.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Kellie has become a Hallmark regular especially on the Movies and Mysteries channel. She was previously seen in The Christmas Ornament (2013) with Cameron Mathison. Colin was previously in Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane (2018) with Alicia Witt. It really wasn't a favorite of mine but I hope he does more movies in the future.
Would you ever consider going away to a resort or ranch for a Christmas holiday with family?
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Sara is a financial advisor from LA who is up for a promotion to VP. In order to get her well-earned promotion she is headed to Big Fork, Montana to help a rancher get his business model working so they can get their necessary loan. Travis is a former NY lawyer who returned to Montana to run his family's ranch.
Meet Cute Moment: They meet in town at St. Nick's Knick Knacks booth. They share some seasonal puns while he mans his friend's booth. So of course since they hit it off so well, you know that he's Travis Carson and he's the client she'll be working closely with.
Giant Nutcracker Sighting: There are giant Nutcrackers in downtown Big Fork.
Notable Crafting Alert: Sara's daughter,Chloe, learns to knit while in Big Fork and she proceeds to teach Sara. I like this little bit and it's nice that they are selling yarn at the Christmas festival booths. However, there is a serious problem with the fact that Sara buys a huge skein of chunky weight yarn and remarks that it's cashmere. First there is no way that the skein is cashmere and if it were, then that skein would have cost a few hundred dollars and not just something to pick up on a whim to learn how to knit.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: OK, I think that visiting the Carson ranch for a hometown Christmas holiday would be great. Sign me up... then the reality of costs and travel set in and I come back to my senses and decide to stay home for the holidays. The Carson ranch is gorgeous. They decorate it with A LOT of lights. In actuality, I think that there are just too many lights, let the beauty of the land and the home speak for itself. I really like the garland tree that Sara makes in the barn. The tradition of a Christmas bonfire with marshmallows and cocoa sounds like fun. Next year I'll have to consider keeping our firepit out or accessible during winter for that purpose. There is a scene where they try on crazy Christmas hats for sale at the festival booth. Let's just say that this could be inspiration for next year's Christmas party theme. The hats could really give ugly sweaters a run for their money. I wonder who was the actual market for the hats on sale. They are a bit much for even the most enthusiastic of Christmas revelers. I did have to laugh at the obvious issue that the tree that they decorate at Carson ranch is much taller than the tree that they cut down. There is the obvious question about the blurring of the personal and professional lines but I'm willing to chalk it up to small town hospitality and an openness and willingness by the Carson's to work with any adviser/consultant to come up with alternatives to cutting staff. The fact that Sara is attractive and single doesn't hurt.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Kellie has become a Hallmark regular especially on the Movies and Mysteries channel. She was previously seen in The Christmas Ornament (2013) with Cameron Mathison. Colin was previously in Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane (2018) with Alicia Witt. It really wasn't a favorite of mine but I hope he does more movies in the future.
Would you ever consider going away to a resort or ranch for a Christmas holiday with family?
Friday, December 20, 2019
Time For You to Come Home for Christmas - Premiere #30
Time For You to Come Home for Christmas premiered on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries' Miracles of Christmas on December 8th and stars Alison Sweeney (Katherine/Kat) and Lucas Bryant (Jack). Britt Irvin (love her!) appears in a supporting role as Kat's sister.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🎄🎄 It may be a bit lower on rewatching but this one definitely pulled at my heartstrings.
General Movie Details: Kat lives in Boston and works at a bank and is traveling home for Christmas for the first time since her husband (Tyler) passed away (2 years before). Jack is a part-time musician and veteran who works for the USO and is filling in for a band/trio reunion in Provincetown, VA.
Meet Cute Moment: Kat while walking through the train station puts a "tip" in Jack's coffee cup because he's playing his guitar in a public place. Oops! And of course if turns out that they are seated across from each other on the train to Virginia.
Giant Christmas Decoration Sighting: There are both giant Nutcrackers and a giant Mouse King at a shop/location in Provincetown, VA. I love the addition of a Mouse King to the giant Christmas decoration options!
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: There is not much to say here, probably because I was really drawn into the story. The Jack mystery storyline really got to me because I was trying to figure it out and then figure out who is was looking to meet. I am glad that they didn't spell everything out for the audience at the beginning but let the story unravel. I really enjoyed the there of people coming into your life for a reason. It is a great outlook to take in your own life and works with the idea of mindfulness that many people are trying to incorporate into their lives. I also liked seeing Kat come to her realization of where and what she should be doing in the future. The seed of her future was planted in the flash back scene at the beginning of the movie and was part of the plot throughout so that her revelation at the end made sense.
I do admit that assigned seats on the train to Virginia is a bit of a stretch. I've taken Amtrak from NYC to Washington DC before and also in the Pacific Northwest and I've never seen assigned seats. There are assigned cars such as Business Class/First Class, the Quiet car and the Cafe car. I think that if you are on a sleeping car, then you may be assigned a cabin but on open cars this seems to go a bit too far. They could have gotten around it with a packed train car, which makes sense at the holidays, with a strategically placed empty seat. Besides then it adds to the fate aspect of the plot.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Alison is a Hallmark mystery mainstay with her Murder She Baked series and her new Chronicle Mysteries series (2019) which co-stars Benjamin Ayres. Lucas was previously seen in Summer Love (2016) with Rachel Leigh Cook.
Feel free to share your thoughts regarding the use of a mystery storyline as part of the movie.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🎄🎄 It may be a bit lower on rewatching but this one definitely pulled at my heartstrings.
General Movie Details: Kat lives in Boston and works at a bank and is traveling home for Christmas for the first time since her husband (Tyler) passed away (2 years before). Jack is a part-time musician and veteran who works for the USO and is filling in for a band/trio reunion in Provincetown, VA.
Meet Cute Moment: Kat while walking through the train station puts a "tip" in Jack's coffee cup because he's playing his guitar in a public place. Oops! And of course if turns out that they are seated across from each other on the train to Virginia.
Giant Christmas Decoration Sighting: There are both giant Nutcrackers and a giant Mouse King at a shop/location in Provincetown, VA. I love the addition of a Mouse King to the giant Christmas decoration options!
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: There is not much to say here, probably because I was really drawn into the story. The Jack mystery storyline really got to me because I was trying to figure it out and then figure out who is was looking to meet. I am glad that they didn't spell everything out for the audience at the beginning but let the story unravel. I really enjoyed the there of people coming into your life for a reason. It is a great outlook to take in your own life and works with the idea of mindfulness that many people are trying to incorporate into their lives. I also liked seeing Kat come to her realization of where and what she should be doing in the future. The seed of her future was planted in the flash back scene at the beginning of the movie and was part of the plot throughout so that her revelation at the end made sense.
I do admit that assigned seats on the train to Virginia is a bit of a stretch. I've taken Amtrak from NYC to Washington DC before and also in the Pacific Northwest and I've never seen assigned seats. There are assigned cars such as Business Class/First Class, the Quiet car and the Cafe car. I think that if you are on a sleeping car, then you may be assigned a cabin but on open cars this seems to go a bit too far. They could have gotten around it with a packed train car, which makes sense at the holidays, with a strategically placed empty seat. Besides then it adds to the fate aspect of the plot.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Alison is a Hallmark mystery mainstay with her Murder She Baked series and her new Chronicle Mysteries series (2019) which co-stars Benjamin Ayres. Lucas was previously seen in Summer Love (2016) with Rachel Leigh Cook.
Feel free to share your thoughts regarding the use of a mystery storyline as part of the movie.
Christmas at Dollywood - Premiere #29
Christmas at Dollywood premiered on Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas on December 8th and stars Danica McKellar (Rachel) and Niall Matter (Luke). It's no surprise that there is an amazing cameo by Dolly Parton (who is 73 years YOUNG!).
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🌟
General Movie Details: Rachel is a NYC event planner who gets some time off for the holidays to spend with her family. Since is she of course also in line for a possible proportion at work in the future. So when the opportunity to go home to Tennessee to work on the 30th anniversary of Snowy Mountain Christmas at Dollywood lands at her feet, she can't help herself. Luke is the Operations Manager at Dollywood and he wants to take over the holiday event so help secure his chances to get the General Manager promotion at the park.
Meet Cute Moment: Rachel is looking over what has been planned so far and gives his negative feedback on what he's planned thus far. They wind up meeting again while waiting to meet with the board. He thinks that she must be his competitor for the GM position.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: So Rachel obviously loves her job so why is her family (and Luke) trying to convince her to leave it and start writing again and leave NY. I mean it's OK and reasonable to start writing again slowly as a hobby before chucking it all to become a writer. I mean she hasn't really shown a real desire to completely change paths right now. I mean I get that she can tell a mean bedtime story to her daughter but that doesn't mean there is a smooth path to children's book author, just saying. But based on the flash forward closing scene of the movie, it's obvious that I don't know what I'm talking about.
There are less pressing issues with this film too, no worries. Let's start with her parent's house. It's cluttered with Christmas stuff. Maybe it's just me but it seems like there is just too much Christmas stuff in every room. I am not a bah humbug (or minimalist) and a seasonal snow globe or Santa hat in a room seems fine but Christmas tchatchkes everywhere feels a bit oppressive. Is this what I could look forward to in retirement is the time to redecorate my whole house done to the knick-knacks for Christmas? Until then work and other hobbies are going to be where I choose to spend my time. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas but I limit my whole house put up and take down to 1 day.
There is a major fake snow sighting when they are building snowmen in the town square. So I checked December weather in Pigeon Forge and sorry to say they don't typically get snow. The average high is in the mid-40's for the month of December and they get some days where is hits near 60. They get some lows that are around freezing or a bit lower but it's not really even cold enough for snow making to ensure that the event could take place. I appreciate the holiday spirit but why does Hallmark need to paint every location backdrop with a snow brush. I get that it's an easy way to forecast winter and holidays but if it's not the case for the location just don't do it. I imagine that if I lived in Pigeon Forge I'd be laughing all the way through this one over the presentation of winter here. Hallmark should save themselves some money on the budget and show a more accurate portrayal of the towns/locations they highlight. If snow isn't a thing there, it shouldn't be in your film. Hallmark just needs to get a bit more creative in how they communicate winter/holidays to their audience. It would be nice for people who don't live somewhere where November/December = cold and snow to see something that aligns with there experience. I've always wondered what it feels like to live in a climate where it is warm and green at Christmas. Or taken a step further, take me down under to the southern hemisphere where Christmas happens in the middle of summer!
Hallmark Movie Connection: Danica was previously in Christmas at Grand Valley (2018) with Brennan Elliott. Naill is a Hallmark M&M regular co-starring in the Aurora Teagarden series of movies with Candace Cameron Bure.
Let me know if you think Hallmark could pull off a warm and sunny backdrop for a Christmas movie.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🌟
General Movie Details: Rachel is a NYC event planner who gets some time off for the holidays to spend with her family. Since is she of course also in line for a possible proportion at work in the future. So when the opportunity to go home to Tennessee to work on the 30th anniversary of Snowy Mountain Christmas at Dollywood lands at her feet, she can't help herself. Luke is the Operations Manager at Dollywood and he wants to take over the holiday event so help secure his chances to get the General Manager promotion at the park.
Meet Cute Moment: Rachel is looking over what has been planned so far and gives his negative feedback on what he's planned thus far. They wind up meeting again while waiting to meet with the board. He thinks that she must be his competitor for the GM position.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: So Rachel obviously loves her job so why is her family (and Luke) trying to convince her to leave it and start writing again and leave NY. I mean it's OK and reasonable to start writing again slowly as a hobby before chucking it all to become a writer. I mean she hasn't really shown a real desire to completely change paths right now. I mean I get that she can tell a mean bedtime story to her daughter but that doesn't mean there is a smooth path to children's book author, just saying. But based on the flash forward closing scene of the movie, it's obvious that I don't know what I'm talking about.
There are less pressing issues with this film too, no worries. Let's start with her parent's house. It's cluttered with Christmas stuff. Maybe it's just me but it seems like there is just too much Christmas stuff in every room. I am not a bah humbug (or minimalist) and a seasonal snow globe or Santa hat in a room seems fine but Christmas tchatchkes everywhere feels a bit oppressive. Is this what I could look forward to in retirement is the time to redecorate my whole house done to the knick-knacks for Christmas? Until then work and other hobbies are going to be where I choose to spend my time. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas but I limit my whole house put up and take down to 1 day.
There is a major fake snow sighting when they are building snowmen in the town square. So I checked December weather in Pigeon Forge and sorry to say they don't typically get snow. The average high is in the mid-40's for the month of December and they get some days where is hits near 60. They get some lows that are around freezing or a bit lower but it's not really even cold enough for snow making to ensure that the event could take place. I appreciate the holiday spirit but why does Hallmark need to paint every location backdrop with a snow brush. I get that it's an easy way to forecast winter and holidays but if it's not the case for the location just don't do it. I imagine that if I lived in Pigeon Forge I'd be laughing all the way through this one over the presentation of winter here. Hallmark should save themselves some money on the budget and show a more accurate portrayal of the towns/locations they highlight. If snow isn't a thing there, it shouldn't be in your film. Hallmark just needs to get a bit more creative in how they communicate winter/holidays to their audience. It would be nice for people who don't live somewhere where November/December = cold and snow to see something that aligns with there experience. I've always wondered what it feels like to live in a climate where it is warm and green at Christmas. Or taken a step further, take me down under to the southern hemisphere where Christmas happens in the middle of summer!
Hallmark Movie Connection: Danica was previously in Christmas at Grand Valley (2018) with Brennan Elliott. Naill is a Hallmark M&M regular co-starring in the Aurora Teagarden series of movies with Candace Cameron Bure.
Let me know if you think Hallmark could pull off a warm and sunny backdrop for a Christmas movie.
Sunday, December 15, 2019
A Christmas Love Story - Premiere #28
A Christmas Love Story premiered on Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas on December 7th and stars Kristin Chenoweth (Katherine/Miss Clark) and Scott Wolf (Greg). This was the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie this season. While I think that this probably had more significance when these movies appeared on network televisions, I found that the main difference was that that commercials seemed to be primarily long Hallmark ads.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Katherine is a former Broadway star who is now working as a teacher. She is currently rehearsing her choir for their big Christmas Eve choral concert. Unfortunately the composer for their original song has flaked and she is forced to write music and lyrics and rehearsal the new song about angels in less than 14 days. Greg is an architect and widowed father to Kevin, a high school student. Kevin came to volunteer one day and after he got caught singing and piano playing after rehearsal he is recruited for the choir. However, Greg has some serious apprehensions because he thought the Kevin was volunteering at a start up to bolster his resume for getting into a good business program at college.
Meet Cute Moment: Katherine gets into a car not realizing it's actually a rideshare so they meed over her bags of angel wing costumes for the choir. Of course it turns out that he's the dad of her undiscovered vocal performer.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: There is a lot that could be said about the questionable behaviour that is often found at the heart of romantic comedies... and some day I might just delve down that problematic rabbit hole. In this film we see the unusual situation where the women is exhibiting some of the hallmark poor choices and I feel it would be unfair not to address them. Just because you have Greg and Kevin's address in Connecticut does not mean that you should travel out there to try and convince Greg to allow his son to participate. This is especially true after Katherine called and left several messages to which Greg hadn't responded. And since this is a romantic dramedy this is totally fine so much so that they then spend the day doing Christmas things like getting a tree. Not even a shadow of awkwardness even when she gets stuck in Connecticut because of a storm. I actually liked the storyline about adoption and searching for your child/birth mom but I do wish that the writers planted seeds of that a bit earlier so it was part of the entire story instead of all coming up in the last half of the movie. Do you think that it would get weird if Katherine and Greg were to get married? Kevin's stepmom would also be his birth mom... seems a bit much to have to explain to outsiders.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Kristin Chenoweth is a well-known actor on TV and Broadway but I think that this might be her first Hallmark film. Some of my favorite TV appearances by her were her role on West Wing and Disney's Descendants. Scott Wolf is a TV veteran who also appears to be making his Hallmark debut. Scott previously starred in a holiday movie on the legacy ABC Family network called Picking Up & Dropping Off (2003) with Amanda Detmer that I recall really enjoying as well.
I am now wondering if Hallmark Hall of Fame movies typically include actors that are more well known and are not typically in Hallmark-esque films. Let me know if you think that there is a meaningful difference anymore between the Hallmark Hall of Fame movies and the better movies in their lineup.
RATING (out of 5): 🎄🎄🎄
General Movie Details: Katherine is a former Broadway star who is now working as a teacher. She is currently rehearsing her choir for their big Christmas Eve choral concert. Unfortunately the composer for their original song has flaked and she is forced to write music and lyrics and rehearsal the new song about angels in less than 14 days. Greg is an architect and widowed father to Kevin, a high school student. Kevin came to volunteer one day and after he got caught singing and piano playing after rehearsal he is recruited for the choir. However, Greg has some serious apprehensions because he thought the Kevin was volunteering at a start up to bolster his resume for getting into a good business program at college.
Meet Cute Moment: Katherine gets into a car not realizing it's actually a rideshare so they meed over her bags of angel wing costumes for the choir. Of course it turns out that he's the dad of her undiscovered vocal performer.
Obligatory moment of snark/personal rant: There is a lot that could be said about the questionable behaviour that is often found at the heart of romantic comedies... and some day I might just delve down that problematic rabbit hole. In this film we see the unusual situation where the women is exhibiting some of the hallmark poor choices and I feel it would be unfair not to address them. Just because you have Greg and Kevin's address in Connecticut does not mean that you should travel out there to try and convince Greg to allow his son to participate. This is especially true after Katherine called and left several messages to which Greg hadn't responded. And since this is a romantic dramedy this is totally fine so much so that they then spend the day doing Christmas things like getting a tree. Not even a shadow of awkwardness even when she gets stuck in Connecticut because of a storm. I actually liked the storyline about adoption and searching for your child/birth mom but I do wish that the writers planted seeds of that a bit earlier so it was part of the entire story instead of all coming up in the last half of the movie. Do you think that it would get weird if Katherine and Greg were to get married? Kevin's stepmom would also be his birth mom... seems a bit much to have to explain to outsiders.
Hallmark Movie Connection: Kristin Chenoweth is a well-known actor on TV and Broadway but I think that this might be her first Hallmark film. Some of my favorite TV appearances by her were her role on West Wing and Disney's Descendants. Scott Wolf is a TV veteran who also appears to be making his Hallmark debut. Scott previously starred in a holiday movie on the legacy ABC Family network called Picking Up & Dropping Off (2003) with Amanda Detmer that I recall really enjoying as well.
I am now wondering if Hallmark Hall of Fame movies typically include actors that are more well known and are not typically in Hallmark-esque films. Let me know if you think that there is a meaningful difference anymore between the Hallmark Hall of Fame movies and the better movies in their lineup.
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