Movie #3329 .........................""Twas the Date Before Christmas" (Hallmark)

 Movie #3329 "Twas the Date Before Christmas" (Hallmark)  This one I really liked because it was cute and a somewhat original idea (yet the stage business was all game playing for a contest, which is used a lot)... the Blind date IS the time he meets the family --- and it happens to be Christmas Family Olympics.  I'm glad they didn't make the competition so serious that it took the fun out of watching it!  The conflict also worked and got ironed out satisfactorily.  Good job and I would give it a sound 4 and recommend it.

"TWAS THE DATE BEFORE CHRISTMAS"   Hallmark     2024    1 hour and 24 mins

To prevent her family from canceling the "Chamberlain Family Christmas Olympics"), Jessie lies and says she's inviting a date to the long-standing holiday tradition.

Director:  Bradley Walsh

Writer:  Ramona Bracket

Actors:  Percy Anane-Dwumfour, Conni Miu, Chad Andrews

Movie #3328 ........................."Playing Cupid'" (Hallmark)

 Movie #3328 "Playing Cupid" (Hallmark)  I liked this one, but I never warmed up to the guy because he was so mean and smarmy throughout, esp. at beginng.  But i liked the story, and it kept me watching.  It might be because it involved a teacher....Another thing I liked is that the divorced couple (that guy and his ex-wife) came across pretty well, working together to help the girl out in school, along with the teacher.  (it takes a village)  Stage business was interesting (dealing with school stuff) and it helped make the ending more believable because it left the viewer wondering maybe it will work out for them -- it was an easy ending and not pushed.  I'd give it a 4 and recommend it.

"PLAYING CUPID"     Hallmark    2021    1 hour and 24 mins

In the halls of Austen Middle School, a newly single middle-school teacher is covertly set up with a divorced dad after his daughter --- one of her students - begins a matchmaking business for a school project she assigned her class.

Director:  David Weaver

Writers:  Jenny Meyerhoff, Nina Weinman

Actors:  Laura Vandervoort, Nicholas Gonzalez, Mia Quaranta de la Rosa

Movie #3327 ........................."Santa Tell Me" (Hallmark)

Movie #3327 "Santa Tell Me" (Hallmark)   Krakow, as usual, was good and there was a funny high point with all the Nicks (because of some magic at her old home where she reads something that tells her the name  Nick is important to her in the future, so she dates a bunch of Nicks.... kind of silly, in my opinion.  Anyway, otherwise, the film was pretty boring.... and any of the 3 men would have been better than the one she eventually picked.  What made it worse is that magical component which usually doesn't work in these films because it just makes more silliness in the films, and even harder to believe!  I give it a 3.  I wouldn't push to see it at all.

"SANTA TELL ME"       Hallmark     2024    1 hour and 24 mins

When Olivia, a successful interior designer, finds an old letter from Santa promising she'll meet the love of her life by Christmas Eve - and that his name will be Nick -- she's stunned to meet not one, but three guys named Nick.  As she navigates these holiday romances, Olivia also finds herself drawn to her charming (?) co-worker, Chris, throwing her magical Christmas quest into question.  With the clock ticking toward Christmas Eve, Olivia embarks on a heartwarming and humorous journey to uncover her true soulmate.  (this write up makes it sound more interesting than it was) 

Movie #3326 ........................."Our Holiday Story" (Hallmark)

Movie #3326 "Our Holiday Story" (Hallmark)  this was just okay even though it tried to vary the point of view....As a result I thought the leads and the secondary couple (one is the leads' daughter , the other is her boyfriend) provide an interesting juxtaposition as far as relationships go.  and the mantra was cute and useful:  "When you know, you know"  -- good lesson to learn. However, the sparks filled out by the end, but I still liked the overall film.  and I would give it a 4 --- it tried to do something different!

"OUR HOLIDAY STORY"     2024     1 hr and 24 mins

A couple recounts their Christmas love story to their daughter's boyfriend.

Director Jason Bourque

Writer;  Joie Botkin

Actors:  Nikki Deloah, Warren Christie, Sydney Scotia

 

Movie #3325 ........................."My Sweet Austrian Holiday" (Hallmark)

 Movie #3325 'My Sweet Austrian Holiday" (Hallmark)  This film never pulled me in even though the location shots were ver nice --- the story was convoluted and the conflict was muddled, but there was a nice dance at the end --- not much more I can say about it, except the two actors I normally like --- they were together (but not as a couple) in the Brugges movie, but this is no near as good as that one was.  I'd give it a 3.

]"MY SWEEET AUSTRIAN HOLIDAY"    2024    1 hour and 24 mins

Charlotte recently moved to Vienna and became a chocolatier after inheriting her grandparents' chocolate shop.  Henry has just taken over his father's company that is try to take over Charlotte's shop.  

Director;  Leif Bristow (relative of the main actress?  )

Writer:  Agnes Bristow ( a family affair?)

Actors:  Brittany Bristow, Will Kemp

Movie #3324 ........................."Love, Of Course" (Hallmark)

Movie #3324 "For Love, Of course" (Hallmark)  This one was dull, dull, dull, with a start, stop kind of pacing..... we were watching two actors in slow motion through most of the film.  Even the stage business was slow --- the guy was working on landscaping the college building, and she was supposed to be putting together some Agricultural expose to make money for the college.  I'd give it 2.8, don't bother.

" LOVE, OF COURSE"      2018   Hallmark    1 hour and 24 mins

Amy is helping her daughter settle into college and lands a job to help with the annual Fall Harvest Festival.  When Amy meets Noah, a charismatic (really?) , well-traveled professor, she learns more about  herself and discovers a new life of her own.  (missed that!)

Director;  Lee Friedlander

Writers:  Janna King, Tracy Andersen, Lee Friedlander

Actors:  Kelly Rutherford, Cameron Mathison, Makenzie Vega 

Movie #3323 .........................The 5-Year Christmas Party (hallmark)

 Movie #3323 "The  5-Year- Christmas Party (Hallmark)  I try to encourage Hallmark when they present films a bit out of the box, and here is one attempt.  The premise relies on the meeting of these two very young people who have a love at first sight kind of opening, but then they find themselves too busy to work on any relationship.  This goes on for, you guessed it, 5 years (see title) , and there comes a time when they hit a wall -- they must make a decision on where the two of them, individually and together, are going.  You can guess it kind of dragged out , and became hard to believe that they could rekindle year after year after year....but there are people that can get together after a long time and act like no time has passed -- so I guess in that way it could happen.  What makes the show more watchable than most of the Hallmark run-of-the-mill films is that the two actors are very capable, and one is even a somewhat famous actor --- Jordan Fisher.  The Stage business was food, so that was kind of boring, but the two kids were full of energy and adventure so they were fun to watch.  But the number of awkward scenes was very high, and therefore a bit annoying to watch.  And the story, since it skipped around in time was a bit choppy.  But it was about theatre, so that drew me in to the film.    The struggles were mostly over money, so that made it topical, but the ending wasn't very satisfactory to me, so I would give  it 3.5.

"THE 5-YEAR CHRISTMAS PARTY"    2024     1 hr and 24 mins

Told over the course of five years, two recent college grads find themselves drawn together year after year while working for a catering company that specializes in holiday parties.

Director:  Peter Benson

Writer:  Zac Hug

Actors:  Katie Findlay, Jordan Fisher