PhantomStranger

Catering Christmas (Great American) 4.5/5 - Merritt Patterson could have a long career making Christmas films if she wants but I suspect she desires a more lucrative gig. This was one of Great American's more popular efforts this year and it's easy to see why. Patterson is paired with Daniel Lissing, who I believe teamed up for a Hallmark movie a few years ago. The movie follows a simple, play-it-safe romcom formula. Nothing especially unique except maybe a small surprise near the end, it's easygoing entertainment carried by its stars.

davidh777

Thanks for continuing to watch, PhantomStranger! I just recorded the dog one today and will do the new Wedding Veil tonight.

Welcome, jholmes! I knew anyone using the app and writing online reviews would be an asset here, but I didn’t mention this thread earlier because I thought I might have in a previous challenge and didn’t want to be annoying. I’ve gotten some snark in the challenge for mentioning Hallmark so I tend to keep it here.

For the first time, I watched all the holiday premieres, and I did it before the end of the year by watching Hanukkah on Rye on New Year’s Eve. I agree that it was very good, though I feel like previous themed movies (like Polaha in Double Holiday) have also been good. I like Jeremy Jordan, and I liked the female lead as well, though sometimes I wonder how many times they can keep reusing the You’ve Got Mail/Shop Around the Corner plot. One hilarious bit was when they held a contest for customers to write an original Hanukkah song, and they got Lisa Loeb to appear and sing her hit “Light” (a song I really like).




You were right again! The singles are in a winter sports mix-and-match, and the bundles are in the mid-season TV sale. The holiday bundles we talked about before, and multi-season packs of When Calls the Heart, Chesapeake Shores, Good Witch, etc. One day I’ll dig into those series.

PhantomStranger

A Christmas Wish in Hudson (Great American) 2/5 - Bland, forgettable entry with leads who would both be better off as supporting cast members. A woman falls in love with a man she sees on television, then goes to find him. You know a movie isn't great when the 18-year-old daughter steals the show from the leads.

Feeling Butterflies (Hallmark) 3/5 - Not a Christmas movie, this light romantic flick came out last Spring. I gave it a look since it stars the same duo I found great together in My Grown-Up Christmas List, Kayla Wallace and Kevin McGarry. The movies may have been filmed back to back. Anyway, the many butterflies steal the show in what is otherwise an unremarkable romance. Wallace and McGarry have a couple of nice scenes together but the screenplay isn't top stuff. Wallace isn't the same dynamic performer in this lighter vehicle.

davidh777

McGarry doesn’t do a lot of Xmas movies because of When Calls the Heart, but he probably did Grown-Up Christmas List because Wallace is his real-life girlfriend. He and Polaha are the most reliable leading men for me.

PhantomStranger

McGarry is very reliable from what I've seen.

davidh777

For those following the Sister Swap saga, Vudu did fix the selection of movies. Something to keep in mind for next year’s sale.

I watched the new Wedding Veil, which was… fine. It’s nice to see four big stars return in their roles, but the story was just kind of dull. Not nothing-is-happening-dull like Autumn Reeser’s Veil movie was, but more like “Uh oh, our house has a crack in its foundation” kind of dull. Too bad because Lacey’s Veil movie was my favorite of the three last year, but we’ll see how the others go.

Dog Lover’s Guide to Dating was also ok. Corey Sevier was ok; new female lead was ok.

Inhumans99

Lol, okay describes the new batch of films almost to a tee. That being said, I liked the curves I saw on Lacey, that is one good looking woman (and yes, I know she was recently mentioned in the attractive tv stars thread on DVD Talk, so I am not the only one to notice, lol!!).

GAC had an original air this past weekend, and some more originals will be airing over the next several weeks. The film from this past weekend was A Prince in Paradise, starring the busiest Hallmark/GAC/UP leading lady out there right now, Rhiannon Fish, who has been in tons of GAC/UP/Hallmark films the past year or so, but I think she is adorable so I am cool with her popping up in lots of these types of films. The movie was actually fine, but again it was an easy watch for me because Fish was one of the leads.

davidh777

Oh, I do like Fish but forgot to record that one. I’ll catch the replay this weekend.

davidh777

PhantomStranger

Christmas Class Reunion (Hallmark) 1 out of 5 - A new 2022 Hallmark effort definitely aimed at younger audiences than their usual Christmas fare, written with more of a Lifetime feel for single women in their 20s. Aimee Teegarden isn't particularly good or even serviceable here, surprising me. The romance is perfunctory and the script almost certainly wasn't originally intended for the holiday season - it could have easily been titled Class Reunion and no one would have blinked.

Prescription For Love (Great American) 1.5 out of 5 - I caught this 2019 movie solely because Jillian Murray was in it and that was a mistake. The male lead is a familiar face from Hallmark, Trevor Donovan. The entire premise is built around two strangers getting trapped together in an elevator in the dark, than being separated and the new doctor not recognizing his nurse was the woman in the elevator. Completely ridiculous to build an entire romance around.

Sweet Autumn (Hallmark) 2 out of 5 - I believe this was filmed during the heights of the 2020 pandemic lockdowns and it shows in the flimsy production quality. A disappointment considering Nikki DeLoach and Andrew Walker are the leads, one of the least enjoyable movies I've seen from either Hallmark star. They inherit a candy store together despite barely knowing each other. I'm guessing the actors didn't have hair and make-up people for this shoot, everybody's hair looks terribly unprofessional for a Hallmark film.

davidh777

Picture Perfect Mysteries is presumably a new franchise starring Janell Parrish, who I like. Interestingly the installment didn’t involve murder like most of their mystery series—she’s a genealogical detective. Nothing thrilling, but I’d watch more.

Happened to watch One Perfect Wedding with Taylor Cole, the end of a thrillogy. I know I watched at least one of the preceding ones, but couldn’t have picked Cole’s beau out of a lineup so it must’ve been a while. And there was a side character who I eventually figured out was his daughter. According to the app, I never saw the first one so maybe I’ll check that box one of these days.

Watched the Chicago Med episode with Schram and Lilley, and it was unpleasant and unremarkable so I won’t be watching that series again.

PhantomStranger

Crown For Christmas (Hallmark) 4.5 out of 5 - Somehow I've never watched this Danica McKellar movie, which Hallmark has played repeatedly around Christmas every year since it first aired back in 2015(!). An ordinary New York maid is chosen to be the governess of an unruly European princess and has a whirlwind romance with the King. This is probably the apex of Hallmark's commoner-falling-for-royalty formula, thanks to McKellar's sweetly earnest approach and the little girl playing her character to a tee. The small touches in the production are nearly perfect, including a snow-swept horse ride and a climactic royal ball. Maybe could have used a few more minutes to expand the finale and completely realize the romance's completion, but that is mostly a petty complaint by me.

Inhumans99

I thought The Wedding Veil Inspiration that aired this past weekend was solid. I kept saying to myself, who is that cute assistant to Autumn Reeser's character and it turns out that she was played by Kacey Rohl. I remember her from The Magicians, and I have seen her in a handful of other shows/films. She played a quirky spider/nature loving individual and her B story helped me enjoy this installment of the The Wedding Veil films.

davidh777

Yeah, Wedding Veil Inspiration was very good, and I would definitely watch a movie with Kacey Rohl in the lead. Really cute and charming. And oh yeah, Autumn was good too. I found her issues more interesting than Lacey’s in the previous movie. Maybe it was the career conflict or the video angle, or maybe she just forced things to work through sheer charisma.

Alison’s second is this weekend. I wonder if the ratings are strong enough to try to keep this going or if this is it. It’d be fun if they did one final wrap-up movie with all three stars in it full-time.

I just watched the Fish movie and thought it was fine because Fish carried it. Yet another undercover-royal plot, but I liked the resolution perhaps a little more than most.

PhantomStranger

A Match Made At Christmas (Great American) 0.5 out of 5 - The masters to this telefilm should be buried. Terrible acting by both leads, worse than community theater. I think this came out for Christmas 2021, I don't recognize anyone in the cast. The plot has the romantic leads so hostile to each other for long stretches that it plays out as a depressing drama. And Christmas plays virtually no part. They didn't even bother decorating for the holiday. Maybe the worst Christmas film I've seen on any channel from the last few years.

PhantomStranger

Dashing Home for Christmas (UP) 5/5 - Flawless, easily the best Christmas movie I've seen made for UP. The two leads share great rapport as strangers thrust together when a storm disrupts their travel plans. Wonderfully paced romance and a plot neatly tied into Christmas. Shows the heart and polish of a top-notch Hallmark effort, including a great soundtrack. The stars don't seem to have huge filmographies, the female lead has apparently starred in a Lifetime thriller.

The Cookie Mobster (UP) 3/5 - Not a Christmas film but I figured I'd include it anyway. Cute, harmless story about a former mobster going into witness protection and forming a bond with a school teacher and her girl scout troop. The comedic undertones make this a light guilty pleasure. The final act meanders a little too much outside the main characters, which had me dropping the score. Guide data indicated it's from 2014.

Wedding Every Weekend (Hallmark) 4/5 - Enjoyably smooth romance from familiar Hallmark regulars Kimberly Sustad and Paul Campbell. It's two pros who know their way around the formula and can tweak it on the fly. The unromance romance, if you will.

davidh777

The Wedding Veil 6 was fine. Great Greek scenery, but not that interesting of a story. I think I’d rank them 1-5-3-4-6-2.

A friend recommended UP’s The Princess and the Bodyguard (2022). Aside from the fact that the big reveals in the first 15 minutes were spoiled by the title , it was cute. I wondered if the lead was familiar, and it was Emily Atalalo.

mk1

Good Vudu sale on Hallmark titles starting next week!

mk1

Vudu did fix the titles in the Hallmark 2-Movie Collection: Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday & Sister Swap: Christmas in the City. It's now the two 2021 movies.

davidh777

Valentine sale has the original Wedding Veil trilogy for $7.99, which is like the Lacey movie for $4.99 and the other two for $1.50 each. I also for the two-pack of 2022 movies, Just One Kiss (which was pretty good) and Love Confidential (which was very good), for $4.99. The bundles are a great deal, though some movies appear in more than one, so it’s good to pick carefully. I got Jen Lilley’s Just Add Romance paired with Autumn’s Love on the Menu, even though it’s also in a three-pack.

I previously bought the Destination 10-pack but held off on the Romance 10-pack, even though it’s only $9.99. The only one I already own is the Debbie Gibson, but I’ve also seen Karen Kingsbury’s Time to Dance, which I thought was good but pretty sad and not something I’d likely rewatch. I thought the Jeremy Jordan Mix-Up in the Mediterranean and Lauren Alaina Roadhouse Romance were good but not necessarily things I need to own. Your Bacon Me Crazy is one I have the habit of rewatching when it’s on, though. I also saw the Betty White one when they aired it after she died and thought it was pretty good.

Yeah, I mentioned that earlier. Now to wait for a sale!

mk1

I didn't see your earlier post about the fix!! Sorry!

davidh777

Not a problem. Better to mention it too many times than too few.

davidh777

Glacier National Park movie was ok. If it’s the start of a series of National Park movies, I’m fine with that.

It starred Ashley Newborough, and coincidentally I decided to next clear an old movie off the DVR, and it was Love Under the Stars also starring Ashley Newborough, except from 2015, so she looked like a kid (she was playing a 30-year-old college student). I found this one more interesting, though still nothing great. While the kid in the story often plays matchmaker, in this one the kid formed a relationship with Ashley, and the romance with the dad was not as much of an emphasis as usual.

PhantomStranger

A Royal Runaway Romance (Hallmark) 5 out of 5 - Perfectly smooth story of a princess visiting America and traveling the country with a bodyguard. The charismatic female star has no credits other than work on an Australian soap opera, while she's paired with a familiar Hallmark male lead.

A Royal Seaside Romance (Great American) 2 out of 5 - A somewhat dull, stodgy romance between two leads with little romantic chemistry. Here a male royal and an American woman form a relationship. Completely skippable.

They are running out of names for these movies, lol.

mk1

Vudu added a few more Hallmark titles for $4.99 today on the Page to Screen deals section. The titles are The Mistletoe Promise, The Secret Ingredient and The Christmas Train. I am really happy The Mistletoe Promise went on sale. Have been waiting for that one!