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Showing posts from March, 2022

Hallmark's "A Maple Valley Christmas" Is Based on a Book

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A Maple Valley Christmas Plot Summary   A rancher has spent her whole life working the family farm with her mother and sister, but when a man arrives and disrupts her plans, she starts to question what she actually wants. Starring :  Peyton List and Andrew Walker Image:  Hallmark Media The Movie Is Based on a Book A Maple Valley Christmas is based on the 2018 novel by Jerry Todt, but the Hallmark flips the script.  In the book, Erica is the real estate agent tasked with convincing a maple syrup farmer to sell, but after spending time in the small town, she has to decide between love or becoming a partner in her firm. When Hallmark fans love a movie, they always ask Hallmark for a sequel.  It will be interesting to see if Hallmark produces one because Todt released a follow-up novel in 2020 called A Maple Valley Wedding , which is set one year later.  Erica is in love, she's come to faith in Jesus, but then her ex shows up and sends her on a downward spiral. Did you enjoy this m
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Julian Morris Makes a Great Prince in Hallmark's "A Royal Queens Christmas"

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A Royal Queens Christmas Plot Summary   A prince finds his way to Queens during Christmas when a local woman enlists his help with a children's show. Starring :  Megan Park and Julian Morris (2021) Image:  Crown Media Who Is Julian Morris? Hallmark "royal" movies are in no short supply, but you never know when an actor is faking an accent or when it's authentic.  Either way, accents are definitely attractive.  In the case of Julian Morris, the English accent is the real deal. Though his mother is from Zimbabwe, and his father is from South Africa, Morris was born and raised in London and grew up in the Jewish faith. Through the years, Morris has starred in movies with big names like Vanessa Redgrave, Liam Neeson, Susan Sarandon, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, and Jennifer Aniston.  He's definitely no rookie, even though Hallmark has only recently cast him in both A Royal Queens Christmas and The Presence of Love . Morris has a strong presence.  Without his in
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Hallmark's "An Unexpected Christmas" Trivia QUIZ!

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An Unexpected Christmas Plot Summary A writer convinces his ex-girlfriend to pose as a couple for Christmas. Starring :  Bethany Joy Lenz and Tyler Hynes Released :  2021 Image:  Crown Media Egos Are Fragile! It's the first Christmas Jamie's family will be spending without grandpa, so he doesn't want to add to their sorrow by admitting he and Emily have called it quits.   When Emily ends up at the airport on a work assignment at the same time as Jamie, his family naturally assumes they've come together.  Why would Emily go along with the charade and pretend they are still a couple?  When her campaign spokesperson can't make it to Fulton, Illinois, Jamie promises the state's governor will fill the spot and save the campaign, as long as Emily pretends to still be his girlfriend.  Everyone can see Jamie and Emily are the perfect couple.  Whatever possessed Jamie to break up with her?  He admits it's because her career is taking off and his isn't--he doesn&
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Hallmark's "The Nine Kittens of Christmas" Trivia QUIZ!

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The Nine Kittens of Christmas Plot Summary Zachary and Marilee are thrown back together at Christmas when they're tasked with finding homes for a litter of adorable kittens. Starring :  Brandon Routh, Kimberley Sustad, and Gregory Harrison Image:  Crown Media Hallmark Throws an Interesting Curve Ball One thing is guaranteed with every Hallmark movie:  the guy always gets the girl.  In 2014's The Nine Lives of Christmas , Zachary and Marilee ended up together, and until 2021, fans assumed their happy ending continued. The Nine Kittens of Christmas begins with an unexpected twist--Marilee has moved away from home and has a new boyfriend, Miles.  In addition to being romantically involved, the couple co-own a veterinary practice.   The biggest hurdle facing Marilee and Miles is that he is a workaholic who doesn't make time for her and the things that are important for a healthy romance.  When Miles reneges on joining Marilee at her sister's house for Christmas, she pulls
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Hallmark's "Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas" QUIZ!!!

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Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas Plot Summary During the holidays, a woman with amnesia catches a ride with her handsome nurse to investigate the only clue to her identity--a newspaper clipping. Starring :  Jessy Schram and Brendan Penny (2021) Image:  Crown Media Fans Love the Time to Come Home for Christmas Series  Dorothy Shackleford and Travis Thrasher introduced us to this series with their novel Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas , which is also based on a song title by Blake Shelton (Shackleford's son).  Hallmark produced the subsequent movie in 2018, which starred Megan Park and Josh Henderson. In 2019, fans were treated to another installment to the brand called Time for You to Come Home for Christmas with Alison Sweeney and Lucas Bryant.   Hallmark continued the successful trend by bringing us Lacey Chabert and Stephen Huszar in 2020's Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas , and since fan interest showed no sign of waning, 2021 saw the release of Time
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Hallmark's "Haul Out the Holly" Is Simultaneously Entertaining & Disappointing

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Haul Out the Holly Plot Summary When a woman unexpectedly spends the holidays alone at her parents' house, their homeowner's association insists that she participates in its many Christmas festivities. Starring:  Lacey Chabert and Wes Brown Image:  Hallmark Media Fans' Response to  Haul Out the Holly is Divided A new Lacey Chabert movie each Christmas is always the season's icing on the sugar cookie.  Until recently, every Chabert romcom has been pure gold in terms of ratings and enjoyment.  For the first time in Chabert's Hallmark career, not everyone is raving about her latest movie.  One camp finds Haul Out the Holly  a sheer delight.  It's Chabert's first Hallmark comedy, and the emphasis is heavy on humor and light on romance.  Many love the change-up.  After years of the same recycled plot lines and cookie cutter tropes, fans are relieved to watch something new and fresh.  Life is too serious, so it's fun to laugh and be entertained. The other hal
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These Great American Family Christmas Movies Are Now Available on DVD!

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Start Your Great American Family DVD Collection! Bill Abbott, former CEO of Hallmark Channel, launched GAC Family channel in the Fall of 2021.  Since then, the fledgling network has been steadily building a library of new and original content while supplementing their schedule with previously aired (but new to the network) rom-coms. On August 20, 2022, GAC rebranded as Great American Family .    Fans are flocking to the network to enjoy clean, family-friendly entertainment.  Many have been anxious for their favorite movies to be released to DVD, and to date, six original Christmas movies from 2021 are now available. A Christmas Miracle for Daisy is just one of several movies available on DVD from Great American Family!  Image:  Great American Media Much Ado About Christmas Susie Abromeit and Torrance Coombs star in this beautifully staged love story between a charitable, wealthy heiress pretending to be ordinary, and a hopeless romantic who learns her secret when pitching an ad campai
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Here's Why Hallmark's "We Wish You a Married Christmas" Bombs

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We Wish You a Married Christmas Plot Summary A couple goes to the quiet town of Gracious to reconnect at Christmas on advice from their marriage coach. Starring:  Marisol Nichols and Kristoffer Polaha Image:  Hallmark Media Only a Few Redeeming Moments in We Wish You a Married Christmas The best part of this movie is its title, a cute twist on a classic Christmas song.   Robby (Polaha) and Becca (Nichols) are a married couple whose careers and busy lives have caused them to lose touch with one another.  They pass like two ships in the night, each seemingly unnoticed by the other.  Robby forgets Becca stopped eating meat, and Becca has no idea Robby took a baking class.  Robby is the lead on their apartment renovation, and he takes none of Becca's suggestions into consideration.  They argue over silly things, like where the microwave should go in the kitchen--trivial matters many couples find relatable. What is sweet is the way Robby and Becca remain willing to acknowledge how they
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