2018 TV Christmas Movies Announced!

So excited!

Hallmark released their Christmas Movie lineup and I already have some faves I'm looking forward to. Even more, they have some wonderful diverse leads this year! Finally! Entertainment Weekly online has the full schedule on their website. I imagine it's tentative since Hallmark likes to switch stuff around here and there, but I'll keep checking. Now I'm looking forward to Lifetime, Ion, Up, and Netflix's full list! Woo hoo!

Love On the Slopes

Tagline: Alex, a copy editor from New York, is sent to an extreme sports outpost to write a story for a travel writing competition. Cole, a sports enthusiast, reluctantly agrees to be Alex's guide as she faces her fears.

[TVG's Note: This is a review written in January of this but posted for today ;-)] 

Just in time for the Winter Olympics! This one had a cute premise from what I read and from the promo. It’s the usual setup of a staff writer challenged to do something for a promo (this time it’s a competition to go anywhere around the world). Why and how the magazine company can afford such a contest is glossed over. I wanted to follow the lead female Alex on her writing quest including how she comes to meet fan fave handsome hottie Thomas Beaudoin, but this was a bit of a drag to pull through. Alex seemed a bit too immature and flighty for my liking and there were a few cringe-worthy dialogue exchanges that just kept digging this one into the ‘Pass’ file for me. Maybe the stakes weren’t there or not enough conflict or obstacles to keep me glued to the screen but things just seemed to plod along randomly.

I’m going to need Hallmark to get Thomas Beaudoin back in one of their movies again. Maybe pair his lowkey cool guy demeanor with one of Autumn Reeser’s straitlaced business women characters? I sense some potentially off the charts chemistry there.

Chuckle-worthy quips:

Boyfriend: Knock em dead, babe.

Alex: Maybe not mention death when I’m about to do extreme sports?

Yes, I Do *New Movie Premiere*

Tagline: Busy chocolatier Charlotte has left helicopter mechanic James at the altar three times. She now needs to prove to him that she really does want to marry him.

First Impression: Marcus Rosner is back and not a jerk this time AND he gets the girl! Christie Laing is finally back in a Hallmark movie! Wait, why is she so pale? Finally, a June Weddings movie I care about! Add to DVR!

I always look forward to June Weddings since the days of Bridal Wave, I Do, I Do, I Do, and the Danica double feature (Perfect Match & Wedding Bells) joined my faves list. This year was a bit of a bummer with sequels of movies I didn’t care for, but then Hallmark added an original entry with this one (thank you, Hallmark).

I had to watch this movie. Not only to ogle the yummy Marcus Rosner (and his chest) who finally gets to play an everyday guy instead of the stuck-up jerk abandoned by the lead gal. I also wanted to find out why this dude was a glutton for punishment since he was left at the altar two times as the characters continually remind us. In fact, although the core story is one we’ve seen before from Hallmark and a big studio (A Bride For Christmas, Runaway Bride), this had the interesting twist of the lead guy being the one left instead of other guys before him. How, oh how was Yes, I Do going resolve this? How was she going to prove to him that she really does want to marry him as the blurb says?

Answer: It doesn’t. Conflicts and potentially interesting twists arise only to be forgotten or ignored as the movie goes on. Instead, we get silly moments fit for a kid’s movie rather than one for grown adults.

I was hoping the movie would show why Charlotte and James cared so much for each other and what made them want to try to get married over and over. I wanted to fall for the characters and see what drew them to one another. Why did James hold out for Charlotte both times? I had a feeling Charlotte was so scared to get married because of something like fear of crowds or commitment or something but…nothing. We get nothing.

No lessons were learned. No characters grew. When you have a huge stake such as a character leaving another at the altar twice, there has to be a big reason why this happened and the payoff to resolve it has to be even bigger. In the end, it feels like the couple was apart just for plot reasons and decided to come back together because there were 10 minutes left in the movie and not because the characters learned anything, fought for each other, or grew after fighting their internal conflicts. I tried guessing early what Charlotte’s problem was that kept her from marrying James (fear of crowds, the pressure of a public wedding, something in her past that prevented her from taking the next step. For goodness sake SOMETHING!). There was nothing prior to the final resolution that led me to believe Charlotte had changed in any way or that James should believe her this time. I still don’t even know why these two people wanted each other other than…plot.

As a side note, I’m a fan of Christie Laing since Nearlyweds (or maybe Window Wonderland) and hope one day to see her as a lead. The closest we got was her role in Pixl’s Mr. Write which is awesome at showcasing diverse casts and couples and juggling multiple stories alongside the main one. It was really weird to see her here getting the Meghan treatment. Not sure if it was the lighting or makeup department splashing her with tons of powder but it was super distracting whenever I saw her.

Still from Yes, I Do

Still from Mr. Write

I guess that’s 0 for 0 for this year’s June Weddings which is a bummer since it’s one of my fave Hallmark themes. Hopefully, the Summer Nights movies fare better. I already have a few on my list I’d like to check out.

 

More Christie Laing:

Looking For Mr. Right

Tagline: A struggling writer pens a romance novel, and then she searches for an ideal boyfriend like the one in her book to help her agent with publicity. Before long, she meets a charming real-estate agent and reconnects with an old high-school friend.

This is a curious little entry in the Hallmark-Pixl world of RomDramedies. On one end, we have Looking For Mr. Right which premiered on the Hallmark Channel in 2014 and on the other end My George which is Pixl’s current entry and on rotation on the channel. At first the movies seem like the same movie just re-titled but on closer inspection, it’s two different movies.

Looking For Mr. Right opens with our heroine Annie Butler having her world crumbling before her eyes. While her younger sister gets engaged and then married, Annie finds her boyfriend cheating on her on the streets and she receives her umpteenth rejection letter. In comes self-help guru Rowena St. Cloud and her infomercial on her newest book. Annie decides to Invision her perfect guy and after some quick planning with her sister, she puts her idea down on paper. Lo and behold things start to happen as Annie’s book gets picked up by a publisher. But not for the best when the publisher finds out her exciting and romantic novel isn’t a novel but a memoir.

My George opens with Annie getting her umpteenth rejection letter and then sits down with a pint of ice cream in front of the tv. There she discovers the infomercial that would change everything.

A few thoughts. My George seems like the better movie. After watching both, I couldn’t help feel like LFMR worked harder to make Annie’s publisher Della Hendershot into a massive witch (with a capital B). While MG makes her seems like an opportunist, I felt kind of cheated with her scenes cut out that made her less of a Disney villain and more like an actual character with flaws. There were also a few cutscenes and dialogue between the two that I thought added more to the characters in MG that felt really choppy in LFMR.

I also had problems with the logic in this movie. I know a pretty good deal about the publishing industry and there is no way a working publisher would ever mistake a fictional romance novel for a memoir. They are two distinctly different styles and Annie’s cover letter would specifically say what editor she’d address from the get-go. Not to mention fiction editors and non-fiction editors rarely overlap their workflow. Unless this is a super duper small boutique publishing company (which it sometimes hints at due to Della being everywhere instead of her editors handling things), it doesn't make much sense.

The chemistry between Annie’s childhood friend Henry was cute and much more believable than what she tried to force with the real life living and breathing George. I couldn’t really see why she was attracted to real George because he kind of seemed like a living Ken doll than an actual person.

I loved Sarah Lancaster in Fir Crazy and liked her ever since seeing her on Saved By the Bell The New Class (don’t hate, I liked that show ;-)), so I jumped between Hallmark and Lifetime for a while following her story (keep an eye out for a future review of Love Finds You in SugarCreek and possibly Living With the Enemy). I try to follow her new movies when they come out, but this one I’m afraid is a miss for me.

Chuckle-worthy Moments:

Annie’s Mom: Hey, sweetie, want a snack?

Annie: Actually, I need something bigger than a snack. I have a date with George tonight.

AM: My realtor, George?

Annie: Yep.

AM: Wow! That Ramona Angel Fog Whatever…

Annie: Rowena St. Cloud.

More Sarah Lancaster:

Backyard Wedding

Tagline: A med-school graduate returns to her childhood home to plan her backyard wedding. Her ex-husband and former neighbor is also in town, and his presence forces her to reevaluate how strong her current relationship truly is just days before the wedding.

Do you ever watch a movie over and over not necessarily because it’s good or totally enjoyable, but because it gives you a good feeling? It’s a movie you can get lost in and enjoy the setting and world that’s created in the movie?

That basically describes my thoughts on Backyard Wedding. The movie itself is a bit of a mess with the leading guy, Evan Slauson, practically stalking our heroine, Kim Tyler, to the point he finally makes a move when she is vulnerable on the night of her rehearsal wedding to her workaholic fiance, Jeffrey Blake. There’s a whole heck of a lot of drinking and a few curse words here and there which surprises me for a Hallmark entry but this was in the days when they took a bit more risk with their movies instead of the current cookie cutter formula.

Some of the characters and actions are inconsistent. Evan gives a rather nice toast to everyone’s surprise at the rehearsal dinner but everyone acts as if he ran through the joint naked with only red paint covering his body. Kim’s aunt Addie says in response “Maybe the busboy would like to make a toast next” while her almost future mother-in-law whispers to her husband “that was one of the worst displays I’ve ever seen”. Umm, yeah. That doesn’t make much sense.

Kim’s friends also seem like they are close and supportive until one wants to date her ex and then later talks behind her with her main best friend when Kim and Evan dance at a night out with everyone. “You know, she didn’t even want to come here?” says her best friend. “Tease,” the other one interested in Evan says.

There are some cute moments here like when Kim goes with her aunt Addie and mom for her dress fitting (which ends in Evan circling her car while she frantically searches for her keys to escape him...wow that just sounded like a horror movie in my description). And their outing while Kim is looking for groomsmen gifts while her always absent fiance is still out of town working on some big project at his job.

It’s the usual formula. Girl returns to small-town home to get married. Girl gets close to ex while current guy is kept out of town because of work. Girl and ex get closer until the moment when the current guy returns and everyone collides. Everyone tells Kim and Evan how great they were together but sadly, I can’t see it. There’s not much chemistry between each other. Kim acts like she hates Evan and Evan acts like he’s obsessed with Kim. All the while Jeffrey is in love with his job.

So why the heck do I keep watching this movie like it’s sweet, sweet candy injected right into my veins? Because that’s just it. I love the setting in this movie. I love the music featured in the opening credits scene and during the ice cream outing. The house and town are both gorgeous as is the low key comfortable feeling between the family. Their dinner scenes were quite cute and the excitement at everyone seeing each other for the first time in ages is quite charming.

Judging by my ratings legend, this would be a tough one to rate between the actual rating and my rewatchability factor. It’s the movie that re-introduced me to Alicia Witt after a long hiatus since I last saw her as a kid actor but not one of my faves in her roster. I also enjoyed seeing a few familiar faces from other Hallmark and Pixl movies. I’m going to say that this one is good if you want some background noise or something to relax with just to have the tv on but not if you’re looking for a great movie romance fave to add to your watch list.

  

Notable Music:

(Opening Song) Something About You

(Ice Cream Outing Montage) Save A Little Bit of Love

More Alicia Witt

A Quickie Update!

I'm slowly building this blog into a nice go-to site for tv romance fans with links to my reviews and suggestions for similar movies with themes and tropes fitting your face romance novels. I already have an If You Like... page up here with a growing list of movies that will soon have links to my reviews as I get them done. I also have a review legend here explaining what those little icons mean and how my ratings are defined. Feel free to check them out and keep checking back for new reviews and other goodies to be added to the site!

It's a Royal Weekend! Featuring the bride herself ~ Meghan Markle!

Pic from The Washington Post

It's a royal weekend and Hallmark is celebrating with movies featuring the royal theme and one of my faves, Meghan Markle's A Dater's Handbook. Review spoiler alert (to be posted soon): I LOVE this movie. It's one of my faves that reminds me of the cute rom-coms from way back when. Meghan is simply charming and she had great comedic timing. It makes me a bit sad that we'll be losing her in the tv rom world, but I'm sure she's looking forward to her new life! :-)

A Dater's Handbook is on DVD and was just released in ebook (which I snatched up right away)! The book features a recipe for Lemon Elderflower Mini Bundt Cakes just like, you guessed it, the royal wedding cake! I know a few people who are hosting royal watch parties and this is perfect for such an occasion. Check out the recipe online and then grab yourself a copy of Dater's Handbook.

And if you're looking for somewhere to watch the royal wedding online, Washington Post has links and locations for your online and tv viewing.

Happy royal viewing to you all!