Picked off three more.

Our Christmas Love Song with Alicia Witt tackled an interesting copyright issue of accused plagiarism. Witt isn’t my favorite but she’s fine, as was the movie. And the brother-in-law was a deployed service member.

Christmas on My Mind was my favorite of the batch, with Ashley Greene losing her memory and trying to remember why she broke up with her fiancée. I remember Greene was one of the Twilight vampires but don’t actually remember much about those movies. She is gorgeous, though, and I liked watching the plot unfold

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Holiday Date had Brittany Bristow (her first lead after playing second bananas) bringing home a fake boyfriend so she doesn’t look like a loser. Interestingly it was another dual-holiday theme with Hanukkah, and while the leads were just OK, the movie wasn’t bad.

Wasn't impressed with last year's Nikki DeLoach vehicle, Reunited For Christmas. I wanted to like it because of the excellent ensemble cast but the premise of a couple pretending to remain engaged after the woman rejects the proposal left me cold. I got more from the b-plot, as the woman's divorced parents begin rekindling feelings for each other.

I just watched the new Godwink Christmas even though I’m pretty sure I never saw the first one, especially because I was unaware that the concept referred to in the title was that anything that happens is by design. Apparently that was reason enough for the writers to throw every possible outlandish coincidence into the plot. That said, I found the story one of the more involving of the new batch.

Finally caught Jen Lilley's latest Angel Falls: A Novel Holiday. This was pleasant enough but had the presence of a guardian angel that barely did anything. He would just randomly show up and say almost nothing. I really wanted to like this one more but only found it so-so. The script was a bit strange in that the male lead almost steals the movie from featured star Jen Lilley.

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is going to marathon their entire 2019 Christmas Movie lineup. All 16 HMM movies back to back. It starts Saturday (Jan 4th) at 11am.


11:00 AM - A Merry Christmas Match
Corey lives in a ski village where she works at a local antique shop. When recently named Christmas Catch Ryder comes into her shop, sparks fly and she starts to wonder what could be. Stars Ashley Newbrough, Kyle Dean Massey.

1:00 PM - A Christmas Miracle
When her boss steals her idea for their magazine's cover story, Emma searches for a Christmas miracle to write about with the help of her sweet son & the handsome staff photographer. Starring Tamera Mowry-Housley & Brooks Darnell.

3:00 PM - Nostalgic Christmas
When Anne helps her father close the family's toy store, what she finds will help inspire an entire town that is need of some Christmas cheer. Starring Brooke D'Orsay and Trevor Donovan.

5:00 PM - Two Turtle Doves
Dr. Sharon Hayes returns home to search for a beloved family heirloom. With the help of an adorable little girl and her dispirited father, together they rediscover the magic of Christmas. Starring Nikki Deloach and Michael Rady.

7:00 PM - Holiday for Heroes
After a year's worth of letters exchanged between Audrey Brown and soldier Matt Evans, their worlds collide for the first time off the page. Will the spirit of the season bring Matt and Audrey's love beyond their letters?

9:00 PM - Holiday Hearts
While planning an annual Christmas party, Peyton is forced together with Ben to care for a friend's daughter. While finding their Christmas spirit, will there be some romance along the way? Stars Ashley Williams and Paul Campbell

11:00 PM - Our Christmas Love Song
When country star Melody Jones is accused of plagiarizing her holiday single, she returns home to spend Christmas with her estranged family and old flame and learns what is important in life. Stars Alicia Witt, Brendan Hines

1:00 AM - A Godwink Christmas: Meant for Love
A series of unlikely coincidences and a little Christmas magic bring two strangers together while on a road trip, at a wedding, and in the pursuit of their dreams. Stars Cindy Busby, Ben Hollingsworth, & Kathie Lee Gifford.

3:00 AM - Christmas in Montana
Before the holidays, Sara goes to Montana to help resistant Travis save his ranch. Can time on the ranch help restore her faith in Christmas in time for a miracle? Stars Kellie Martin, Colin Ferguson

5:00 AM - A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas
Hotel manager Willow returns to her stunning Virginia hometown to help her sister plan a Christmas wedding at the inn her family once owned. She must work with current owner and single dad David, who wants to let go of the past.

6:30 AM - A Family Christmas Gift
When Amber spends the holidays with her Aunt Dora and helps plan a fundraising Christmas Concert, it brings Amber closer to her aunt and a new love into her life. Starring Holly Robinson Peete, Dion Johnstone and Patti Labelle.

8:00 AM - Angel Falls: A Novel Holiday
Book editor Hannah must work with former rival Ryan to help a potential writer find her way. Angel Anthony reminds them about Christmas spirit and the value of community. Stars Jen Lilley, Carlo Marks and Eric Close.

10:00 AM - Christmas On My Mind
Lucy Lovett wakes up holding a wedding dress, assuming she's about to marry the love her life Zach Callahan, only to discover they broke up two years ago, and her fiancé… isn't Zach. Starring Ashley Greene & Andrew Walker.

12:00 PM - Time for You to Come Home for Christmas
When Katherine returns home after her husband passed, she meets a veteran who is on his own holiday journey. As Christmas nears, they learn of a bond that may be the miracle they need. Stars Alison Sweeney, Lucas Bryant

2:00 PM - A Homecoming for the Holidays
Country singer Charlotte is home for the holidays and brother Ryan's fellow ex-soldier Matt is in town. Writing her new album, Charlotte works with Matt to build a house for a friend in town. Stars Laura Osnes and Stephen Huszar.

4:00 PM - Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen
Christmas enthusiast party planners Ella and her sister Marianne clash with client Edward a not so jolly toy company CEO. Starring Erin Krakow and Luke Macfarlane.

6:00 PM - Christmas Under the Stars
Nick loses his high finance job right before Christmas. Lost, he takes a gig at a tree lot where he meets Julie and her son, Matt. Julie is dealing with the recent death of her father which has caused significant changes for her.

Lacey Chabert has two new movies this weekend.

Winter In Vail premieres on the Hallmark Channel at 9pm on Saturday.

Chelsea inherits a house in Vail. She meets Owen and gets a much needed break. Together, they put on Strudelfest to highlight the charm of Old Vail. Starring Lacey Chabert and Tyler Hynes.

https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/winter-in-vail

Crossword Mysteries: Abracadaver premieres on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries at 8pm on Sunday.

A well-known magician drops dead in the middle of a dangerous trick on stage in front of a packed audience, but when the sudden death turns out to be murder, New York Sentinel Crosswords editor (and part-timer sleuth) Tess Harper (Chabert) and NYPD detective Logan O’Connor (Elliott) team up to discover exactly whose sleight of hand is behind the deadly “now you see him, now you don’t” stunt. Together, they must uncover the not-so-obvious clues and work their investigative magic to bring a killer to justice. Starring: Lacey Chabert, Brennan Elliott and Barbara Niven.

https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteri...es-abracadaver

Pro Tip: Most Hallmark stores have gone 75% off for Christmas merchandise this weekend. That includes DVDs of several Christmas Hallmark movies getting reduced to $3 or $4.

My first thought was to check the Hallmark store in the mall until I remembered that the mall is being torn down for a hockey rink.

I thought the angel was a pretty steady presence as their office receptionist. Are you referring to his companion angel who’d appear from time to time and get an update on the situation?

I was referring to the office receptionist. He's just kind of there and doesn't really help guide the humans around him. The couple would have gotten together with or without him. The angel had a much more active role in the earlier Angel Falls movie.

Not Christmas but Winter in Vail was pretty entertaining. I liked the male lead. Threw a bit of a Nathan Fillion vibe, and his delivery seemed pretty genuine, not cheesy as usual for these movies and he had a few clever and funny lines. Not

The Hallmark store where we live was closed down after this past Christmas after a new business bought the shopping center it was located in. It sucks because the Hallmark store had been there forever. Now, I don't know where we will be buying our ornaments and other related Hallmark products. The next nearest one is nearly an hour away.

It's been a bad decade for Hallmark stores. The total number of stores have collapsed since the early 2000s near the chain's peak. Each store is more or less a private franchise, so they sink or swim based on local management. Their biggest profit source, greeting card sales, have been on the decline now for over a decade. I doubt any Hallmark stores last throughout the 2020s.

Gotcha. I think in the first movie Rachel Boston was both the lead and the angel, so I guess they decided to shift the focus to the humans for this one, and I agree the angel becomes a third wheel in that configuration.

Caught Christmas On My Mind with Ashley Greene and Andrew Walker. A very enjoyable Christmas movie in which the female lead develops amnesia over the last two years, returning back home to her ex. A great mutual chemistry between the leads and some nicely written moments.

If I had my way, we'd get more Ashley Greene vehicles on Hallmark. I think she's been in a couple Lifetime movies.

Just saw this one. Guy was fine, and pretty much a by-the-numbers Lacey Chambers movie (“talented but rejected worker sets off on her own“ was pretty much the same as Christmas in Rome), and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Your post reminded me that yes, this was one of the better films this past Christmas season and I decided to watch a Home & Family interview on YouTube with her and Andrew Walker where it was revealed that this was Ashley’s first Hallmark Christmas (or just straight up her first Hallmark film) she has starred in. Yes please, more films with her maybe this year? I know they can crank them out in a few weeks so there is time to fit her into a 2020 film.

If anyone's interested, there's going to be a Romance/Musicals Challenge in February. Time to catch-up on those old Hallmark movies on your DVR.

https://forum.dvdtalk.com/dvd-talk/6...29-2020-a.html

Can anyone recommend some good non-Christmas romance movies? I'm looking for stuff to watching during the Romance/Musical challenge.

I usually only pay attention to the Christmas movies. So I'm not too familiar with Hallmark's off-season stuff.

I got Love on the Slopes right before Christmas on DVD. It came out a few years ago during Winterfest. The story is typical for Hallmark but I like Katrina Bowden and it's beautifully shot for a tv movie. It's available on digital platforms too.

My favorite from last year’s “winter” lineup was Winter Love Story with Jen Lilley and Kevin McGarry as a couple of contrasting writers who go on a book tour together. The dialogue and chemistry stood out for me, and I like the actors.

I remember liking that movie as well. Most of the romantic movies with Lacey Chabert are pretty good.

Just watched one of the new ones, Hearts of Winter. No, it didn’t have anything to do with open-heart surgery or artichokes—it’s just a generic title for a generic, enjoyable Jill Wagner movie. Nothing wrong with it, just by-the-numbers, even for Hallmark. Hers always strike me that way for whatever reason.

Agree 100%. Wagner's Hallmark movies always feel like generic scripts made by a computer algorithm. Kind of a shame because I was a fan before she ever became a Hallmark staple. Her movies rarely disappoint but they almost never hit a homerun.

Yep, each one is a solid 7, and I never rewatch them,