Showing posts with label Countdown to Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Countdown to Christmas. Show all posts
Saturday, September 22, 2018
2018 New Movies for Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas
This might be my favorite time of the year...Hallmark Channel has announced they have 22 new movies for this year's Countdown to Christmas. You can download the schedule here.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
TV Movie Review: Crown for Christmas
Danica McKeller (The Wonder Years, DWTS) stars as an out of work maid turned governess in the sweet and romantic, Crown for Christmas. Having premiered on Hallmark Channel in November, this is the story of Allie Evans (McKellar) who after being fired from her job as a maid in a ritzy New York hotel reluctantly accepts a job as governess to a powerful family in Europe. Little does she know that her new little charge is a princess and her father the King of Winshire (Rupert Penry-Jones).
As Allie bonds with Princess Theodora (Ellie Botterill) and brings King Maximillian and his daughter closer together, sparks fly between Allie and the king. The jealous Countess Celia (Alexandra Evans) is not about to let some silly governess get in her way, though. A marriage was arranged between Maximillian and Celia when they were children and she plans to see that the king fulfills his obligations.
This was a beautiful movie. Classic Hallmark Channel when you consider two unlikely people meet under odd circumstances and fall in love while others work to help the cause or stand between them. Great performances by all, especially Ellie Botterill, who makes her television debut in Crown for Christmas.
In some ways this is a modern retelling of The Sound of Music--minus six children and the singing. The cold King Maximilliam warms as he watches Allie and Theodora bond. Their relationship forces him to reconsider his duties and soften to become a better father.
A lovely setting, a great storyline, and fabulous costumes make this a must see holiday romance.
Crown for Christmas will air again on Saturday, December 12 at 4:00 pm Eastern. It is also scheduled for a DVD release on December 20.
Format: Widescreen, Color, Dolby
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: Hallmark
Run Time: 87.00 minutes
ASIN: B018TNBX50
Pre-order here!
I watched this movie on Hallmark Channel. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Friday, December 20, 2013
TV Movie Review: Angel in the Family (2004)
Their father convinces them that they need to return home to Trinity for Christmas. The house has been closed up since the death of Buddy's wife. When a frustrated Sarah cries out to her mother, the miracle of Christmas returns Lorraine (Meredith Baxter) to her family to help heal the wounds that have torn them apart.
Hallmark Channel has been running this 2004 movie as part of its Countdown to Christmas lineup. It features a fractured family that soon realizes their late wife/mother is what held them together. Sarah feels like the unappreciated older daughter who has been left behind to care for her widowed father; while Beth, the one who got everything--including all the love and attention, is pursuing a great career and is happily married. What Sarah doesn't know is how fragile Beth's marriage is. Their father, Buddy, has struggled to let go of his late wife, and is unable to move on.
This is a touching, heartwarming seasonal story. There are a few subplots that branch off of the main story, giving Angel in the Family a great deal of depth. This is an emotional story; one that will require a tissue or two. It will also force you to suspend a bit of common sense. It's touching to see how Lorraine comes back to help her family and the magical things that she can do, but other things she can't do make no sense: she can cause a tree with no lights strung on it to light up, can make the beds and cook hot chocolate without being seen, but she can't find an old phonograph so she and Buddy can dance together to music. I have to admit, I didn't care for Beth at first, but she grew on me as the movie progressed. I feel the best part of this movie is that everyone is able to step back and reflect on how their actions contributed to the distance between them--even Lorraine. If you like movies about second chances, this would be a good choice.
Angel in the Family is available on DVD and Blu-ray. It will also air again on the Hallmark Channel on Monday, December 23rd at 6 a.m. EST.
Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Echo Bridge Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: December 5, 2006
Run Time: 88 minutes
ASIN: B000ION27G
I watched this movie on Hallmark Channel. This review contains my honest opinion, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
TV Movie Review: Window Wonderland (2013)
Photo credit: Hallmarkchannel.com
Chyler Leigh plays Sloan Van Doren, a driven young woman determined to become the next window dresser at McGuire's Department Store. Also interested in the job is artist Jake Dooley (Paul Campbell). Mr. Fitch, who heads up advertising and promotion, challenges Sloan and Jake to create a series of seasonal storefronts. The creator of the window that gets the most attention from passersby will get the job.
As the competition moves along, a mutual attraction develops between the serious and professional Sloan and the happy-go-lucky Jake, which is hampered by the contest and Sloan's rich boyfriend. With support from the store's window washer, Mac (Terence Kelly) and bathroom attendant Rita (Naomi Judd), it's anyone's game to win.
This romantic seasonal comedy is another new movie in Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas lineup. I loved every minute of it. Sloan and Jake work for an extravagant department store in the city vying for a chance to become the new window dresser. Sloan has the college education, but Jake has natural artistic ability, which irritates Sloan to no end.
Sloan's boyfriend, Kenneth (Cameron Mathison) is a wealthy businessman. He doesn't take Sloan's job seriously and can't understand why she does either. It doesn't help that Sloan is so embarrassed by her family that she can't even bring herself to introduce them to Kenneth.
Window Wonderland has all the trademark elements of a great Hallmark Channel movie: romance, conflict, humor, a great setting, and a cast of actors who play their parts superbly. This seasonal movie would be nice to unwind with by the fireplace or to watch while trimming the tree. The storefront windows definitely inspire. And the surprise ending is a nice treat.
You can catch it again on Christmas Day at 6/5C.
I recorded this movie through my cable provider. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Monday, December 16, 2013
This Week's Countdown to Christmas Schedule
I've been enjoying some of the great seasonal movies that are part of Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas. Here is this week's schedule.
| |
Thursday, December 12, 2013
TV Movie Review: The Christmas Spirit (2013)
Picture credit: IMDB
In this magical story of Christmas, Nicollette Sheridan plays renowned journalist Charlotte Hart. She is visiting her family over the holidays when a real estate developer shows up in Laurel Springs with an enticing offer to transform Main Street. Skeptical and looking for the real reason Daniel Huntsman (Bart Johnson) is making such a lucrative offer, she is en route to see the developer when she is involved in a horrible car accident.
Charlotte awakens in the hospital to find she is in a coma, but her spirit is very much alive. She also meets the spirit of Daniel Huntsman, who happened to be on his way to see her when their cars collided. With only a few days left before the townspeople vote on whether to accept Huntsman's offer, Charlotte must find a way to change her friends' minds. The problem is they can't see or hear her.
You can blame The Christmas Spirit for making supper late last night. I had recorded it on my DVR when it first aired and sat down to watch it yesterday. My poor hubby came home in the middle of it and had to wait to eat because I had to see how it turned out.
Considering this is the Hallmark Channel, you know some heartstrings will be pulled. And they are--up to the very end. Plenty of surprises and magic fill this seasonal movie of one woman's crusade to save her hometown. While the acting was superb by all, and it was great to see Sheridan on screen again, Olympia Dukakis gives a moving performance as Gwen Hollander, Charlotte's family's next door neighbor, who happens to be able to see and talk to spirits. She offers help to Charlotte and Daniel as they work their way through trying to get back to their lives again, which is interesting since they are after different things.
A touching, magical story awaits you in The Christmas Spirit, another new seasonal movie from Hallmark Channel. Catch it next on Sunday, December 15th at 12/1c.
I recorded this movie through my cable provider. This review contains my honest opinion, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
TV Movie Review: Let it Snow (2013)
Picture credit: Hallmarkchannel.com
Stephanie Beck (Candace Cameron Bure) is a driven executive working for Falcon Resorts. When Falcon acquires the family-owned and -operated Snow Valley Lodge from a retiring couple (Gabrielle Rose and Dan Willmott), Stephanie must spend the week before Christmas on-site drafting a proposal for renovations. Arriving in Maine, Stephanie quickly butts heads with the couple's son, Brady, played by Jesse Hutch, who has decided to leave the family business over creative differences with his father.
Though not one to celebrate Christmas, Stephanie finds the festive traditions shared with the lodge's guests provide a special touch and sense of belonging she hasn't felt from her detached father (Alan Thicke), president of Falcon Resorts. As the magic of Christmas wiggles its way into Stephanie's heart, her relationship with Brady develops from friendship into love, and she begins to question Falcon's planned overhaul. With her Christmas Eve deadline approaching, Stephanie must decide if she should transform the lodge into a hip hot spot for Falcon's single and married professional clientele or embrace the family traditions that make Snow Valley Lodge so special.
Let It Snow is a heartwarming story of two people who learn more about themselves and what they want for the future in one short week than they did for years before. At the beginning of the movie, Brady and Stephanie don't have any Christmas spirit. Stephanie's father has buried himself in his work and she has become a workaholic right alongside him, hoping to at least get a tiny bit of his attention and approval. Brady had big plans for Snow Valley Lodge once, but his dad refused to make any changes to what his grandfather and father had built, so Brady lost heart and wants no part of the family business. Watching the transformation of these two people, and others, makes this a special movie you won't want to miss. Seeing favorite actors (Bure and Thicke) definitely adds an even nicer tough to a lovely story.
The next airing of Let It Snow is on Sunday, December 15 at 6/5c.
I recorded this show through my cable provider. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.
Monday, December 2, 2013
This Week's Countdown to Christmas Schedule on Hallmark Channel
Schedule of Movies and Specials
Check out the complete 2013 schedule of holiday movies and specials from Hallmark Channel. Enjoy our Countdown to Christmas!
Week Five: Monday, December 2 - Sunday, December 8
Monday, December 2
12a/11c: Catch a Christmas Star
2a/1c: An Old-Fashioned Christmas
4a/3c: The Santa Suit
6a/5c: Farewell Mr. Kringle
8a/7c: Gift of the Magi
2/1c: The Christmas Ornament
4/3c: The Santa Suit
6/5c: A Princess for Christmas
8/7c: Farewell Mr. Kringle
10/9c: The Christmas Card
Tuesday, December 3
12a/11c: Gift of the Magi
2a/1c: Love's Christmas Journey Part 1
4a/3c: Love's Christmas Journey Part 2
6a/5c: The Christmas Card
8a/7c: A Christmas Wedding Tail
2/1c: Love's Christmas Journey Part 1
4/3c: Love's Christmas Journey Part 2
6/5c: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
8/7c: Help for the Holidays
10/9c: Hitched for the Holidays
Wednesday, December 4
12a/11c: Snow Bride
2a/1c: A Town Without Christmas
4a/3c: A Christmas Wedding Tail
6a/5c: Help for the Holidays
8a/7c: Once Upon a Christmas
2/1c: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
4/3c: Hitched for the Holidays
6/5c: All I Want for Christmas
8/7c: Snow Bride
10/9c: Fir Crazy
Thursday, December 5
12a/11c: Once Upon a Christmas
2a/1c: Twice Upon a Christmas
4a/3c: Karroll's Christmas
6a/5c: All I Want for Christmas
8a/7c: Fallen Angel, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
2/1c: Karroll's Christmas
4/3c: Twice Upon a Christmas
6/5c: Moonlight & Mistletoe
8/7c: Let It Snow
10/9c: Window Wonderland
Friday, December 6
12a/11c: Fallen Angel, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
2a/1c: Christmas Magic
4a/3c: Moonlight & Mistletoe
6a/5c: Lucky Christmas
8a/7c: Santa Jr.
2/1c: Meet the Santas
4/3c: Christmas Magic
6/5c: The Christmas Spirit
8/7c: The Three Gifts
10/9c: Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus
Saturday, December 7
12a/11c: Meet the Santas
2a/1c: Santa Jr.
4a/3c: The Three Gifts
6a/5c: Battle of the Bulbs
8a/7c: Come Dance With Me
10a/9c: Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus
12/11c: Let It Snow
2/1c: The Christmas Spirit
4/3c: Window Wonderland
6/5c: A Very Merry Mix-Up
8/7c: Santa Switch, a Hallmark Channel Original Premiere!
10/9c: Let It Snow
Sunday, December 8
12a/11c: A Season for Miracles, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
2a/1c: A Very Merry Mix-Up
4a/3c: Christmas Dance
6a/5c: Silver Bells, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
8a/7c: A Season for Miracles, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
10a/9c: Jingle All the Way
10:30a/9:30c: Jingle and Bell's Christmas Star
11a/10c: hoops&yoyo Ruin Christmas
11:30a/10:30c: Jingle All the Way
12/11c: Fir Crazy
2/1c: Santa Switch
4/3c: Christmas With Holly, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
Monday, November 18, 2013
This Week's Countdown to Christmas Schedule on Hallmark Channel
Though my crazy schedule for November hasn't allowed me to watch any shows yet, I plan to make up for that soon.
Week Three: Monday, November 18 - Sunday, November 24
Monday, November 18
12a/11c: Karroll's Christmas
2a/1c: Matchmaker Santa
4a/3c: Christmas With Holly, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
6a/5c: The Night Before the Night Before Christmas
8a/7c: It's Christmas, Carol!
2/1c: A Boyfriend for Christmas
4/3c: Baby's First Christmas
6/5c: A Holiday Engagement
8/7c: A Princess for Christmas
10/9c: Matchmaker Santa
Tuesday, November 19
12a/11c: It's Christmas, Carol!
2a/1c: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving
4a/3c: Christmas With Holly, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
6a/5c: Eve's Christmas
8a/7c: A Princess for Christmas
2/1c: Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle
4/3c: Debbie Macomber's Call Me Mrs. Miracle
6/5c: Christmas With Holly, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
8/7c: Pete's Christmas
10/9c: The Christmas Card
Wednesday, November 20
12a/11c: Eve's Christmas
2a/1c: Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle
4a/3c: Debbie Macomber's Call Me Mrs. Miracle
6a/5c: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
8a/7c: Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade
2/1c: The Wishing Tree
4/3c: The Christmas Card
6/5c: Jingle All the Way
6:30/5:30c: Jingle and Bell's Christmas Star
7/6c: Jingle All the Way
7:30/6:30c: Jingle and Bell's Christmas Star
8/7c: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
10/9c: A Very Merry Mix-Up
Thursday, November 21
12a/11c: Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade
2a/1c: Once Upon a Christmas
4a/3c: Fallen Angel, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
6a/5c: Karroll's Christmas
8a/7c: Twice Upon a Christmas
2/1c: A Season for Miracles, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
4/3c: Fallen Angel, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
6/5c: Once Upon a Christmas
8/7c: The Christmas Ornament
10/9c: Snow Bride
Friday, November 22
12a/11c: Twice Upon a Christmas
2a/1c: Karroll's Christmas
4a/3c: Battle of the Bulbs
6a/5c: A Season for Miracles, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame
8a/7c: Farewell Mr. Kringle
2/1c: Battle of the Bulbs
4/3c: The Santa Suit
6/5c: Catch a Christmas Star
8/7c: Eloise at Christmastime
10/9c: A Bride for Christmas
Saturday, November 23
12a/11c: Farewell Mr. Kringle
2a/1c: All I Want for Christmas
4a/3c: The Santa Suit
6a/5c: The Dog Who Saved Christmas
8a/7c: Eloise at Christmastime
10a/9c: A Bride for Christmas
12/11c: All I Want for Christmas
2/1c: Catch a Christmas Star
4/3c: The Christmas Ornament
6/5c: Help for the Holidays
8/7c: Window Wonderland, a Hallmark Channel Original Premiere!
10/9c: Debbie Macomber's Trading Christmas
Sunday, November 24
12a/11c: Mistletoe Over Manhattan
2a/1c: The Dog Who Saved Christmas
4a/3c: Lucky Christmas
6a/5c: Debbie Macomber's Trading Christmas
8a/7c: Mistletoe Over Manhattan
10a/9c: Help for the Holidays
12/11c: Lucky Christmas
2/1c: Window Wonderland
4/3c: Snow Bride
6/5c: Naughty or Nice (2012)
8/7c: Fir Crazy, a Hallmark Channel Original Premiere!
10/9c: Moonlight & Mistletoe
Friday, November 1, 2013
Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas Starts This Weekend!
I'm so excited that the Hallmark Channel's Countdown to Christmas starts this weekend. Here's the schedule for the first week of movies and specials. I've seen a few of these and can't wait to catch all the new ones.
What will you be watching?
| |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)