Today starts day one of the Gold Sally Awards’ second round of voting! The two categories that are now posted are the Best Story from a Hallmark Channel Movie and Best Story from a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Movie! Like in the first round, you can vote for as many movies as you want. Also, like in the first round, you are only allowed to vote once per person. However, as I said in my post titled “An Update on the Gold Sally Awards”, you can place your votes in the comment section. So, if you’re interested in voting in this round of polls, please place your votes in the comment section below. Round two of the Gold Sally Awards begins today, February 23rd, and ends on March 5th. Now, let the voting begin!
18 Cinema Lane’s official logo! Screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.
Best Story from a Hallmark Channel Movie
Royally Ever After
Cooking with Love
Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa
Christmas Everlasting
Pearl in Paradise
Love, of Course
Wedding of Dreams
Christmas at Pemberley Manor
A Gingerbread Romance
Entertaining Christmas
Best Story from a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Movie
The day has finally come for the start of the Gold Sally Awards! It is also 18 Cinema Lane’s first anniversary! In honor of these two special celebrations, I have posted the first two polls, which recognize ten movies from Hallmark Channel and ten movies from Hallmark Movies & Mysteries! For each round of voting, you can vote for as many movies as you want. However, you are only allowed to vote once per person. This round of polls will run from today, February 9th to February 19th. Now, it is time for reveal which movies have been nominated!
In case you’re wondering, this is my new logo for 18 Cinema Lane! Screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.
On 18 Cinema Lane, I talk about Hallmark movies quite a bit. Also, Hallmark has made a lot of movies as time goes on. Because of this and because my blog’s first anniversary is approaching this February, I’ve decided to celebrate the occasion by hosting my very own awards! Earlier this month, in my post called “2019: Looking Back and Planning Ahead”, I briefly mentioned these special awards and said that Hallmark would be the overall theme. What I meant by that is, for the Gold Sally Awards, all of the nominations will be Hallmark movie related. I will be choosing which movies and actors get nominated. However, you, the readers and followers, get to choose which movies and actors actually win the Gold Sally Awards! Right now, I’ll talk about each voting category and what you can expect when it’s time to choose a winner!
Best Movie from Hallmark Channel and Best Movie from Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
This category is pretty straight-forward. Ten movies that were released in 2018 will be nominated for each category. However, half of the movies will be Christmas films, while the other half of the nominations will be given to films outside of both Christmas line-ups. As this title suggests, movies from both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will be recognized.
Best Hallmark Channel Story and Best Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Story
This category will focus on the stories within movies from both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Sometimes, a film’s story is one of the components that makes a Hallmark movie good. However, some of the movies in these two categories will not be in the Best Movies categories. This is because I tried my best not to have as many re-peat nominations as possible.
Best On-Screen Couple from a Hallmark Channel movie and Best On-Screen Couple from a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie
The on-screen chemistry of twenty on-screen couples will be celebrated in both of these categories. When it comes to Hallmark movies, the on-screen chemistry between the on-screen couples can either make or break that production. However, when the on-screen chemistry in a Hallmark movie is good, it can help that project be as enjoyable as possible for its respective audience. This is especially important since a significant amount of Hallmark movies are romantic-comedies.
All of these eight categories are also pretty straight-forward. Each category will recognize the lead and supporting actors from both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. These categories are:
Best Hallmark Channel Actress
Best Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Actress
Best Hallmark Channel Actor
Best Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Actor
Best Supporting Hallmark Channel Actress
Best Supporting Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Actress
Best Supporting Hallmark Channel Actor
Best Supporting Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Actor
Like the Best Movies categories, there will be ten nominees in each category. Five nominees will be actors and actresses from Christmas movies, while the other five will be from movies outside the Christmas season.
Best Ensemble from a Hallmark Channel movie and Best Ensemble from a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie
When it comes to actors and actresses within a Hallmark movie, there are bound to be some performances that get overshadowed by other performers in that particular movie. These two categories will recognize the entire cast from twenty Hallmark films. The categories themselves were created to recognize that every member of a Hallmark cast is equally important. Like I’ve said before, half of the nominated casts will be from a Christmas movie and the other half will be from a non-Christmas movie.
Hallmark Star of the Year
This category is the most interactive out of all these categories. For Hallmark Star of the Year, you, readers and followers, get to pick who gets nominated for this award. All you have to do is write a brief but thorough explanation for why your chosen nominee should be crowned the Hallmark Star of the Year. More details about this award will be revealed when it’s time to vote.
Award show image created by Nick Winchester at freeimages.com. “FreeImages.com/Nick Winchester.”
All of these categories will run for a week and a half, with the first category starting on February 9th, the day 18 Cinema Lane began. Remember, these awards are recognition-only prizes. The Gold Sally Awards are more of a celebration of the best that Hallmark has to offer in terms of entertainment. It’s also a celebration of how far 18 Cinema Lane has come. Please stay tuned for these special awards as they are only two weeks away!
If you have visited 18 Cinema Lane before, then you would know that Hallmark’s Hall of Fame’s Christmas Everlasting has been one of the most talked about movies on this blog. I have been looking forward to this movie ever since it was announced during the sneak peek commercial that was shown after the premiere of The Beach House. For about five months, Hallmark had kept their Christmas Hallmark Hall of Fame movie under wraps, even refusing to share any information about the project at their Summer TCA Event. It wasn’t until September when details about this movie were finally revealed. In a Word on the Street story, I mentioned that Ron Oliver, the director of Christmas Everlasting, shared some information about the film, such as the potential title and the film’s production location. In that post, I speculated that the movie could be based on Marie Bostwick’s novel, The Second Sister. In another Word on the Street post, published four days later, I talked about my reasoning for why the film could be based on Marie Bostwick’s novel, referencing photos from Ron Oliver’s Instagram feed as clues to support my speculation. As more of the film’s details were revealed, my anticipation for this movie grew. In fact, it became my most anticipated Christmas movie of 2018! Now that Hallmark Hall of Fame’s newest entry has finally arrived, the time has come for me to review the movie that I have looking forward for quite a while. Let’s get started with this review of Hallmark Hall of Fame’s Christmas Everlasting!
The acting: The cast of Christmas Everlasting was one of the strongest casts I have seen in a Hallmark movie this year! Everyone in this movie gave a very good performance, portraying their characters with as much believability as possible. I was really impressed by Tatyana Ali’s performance, as she brought so much emotion and versatility to her role! I also liked Dondre T. Whitfield and Dennis Haysbert’s performances, with both of them giving everything they had, talent wise, into the portrayals of their characters! Before learning more about who would star in this movie, I had no idea that Patti LaBelle was an actress, as her singing career is primarily the reason why I’m familiar with Patti as an entertainer. After watching Christmas Everlasting, I think she did a great job with the acting material she was given! If Hallmark ever decided to cast these actors in more Hallmark productions, I would whole-heartedly agree with that decision!
A compelling story: Two months ago, when I speculated on which book could be the source material for this movie, I mentioned that the synopsis for Marie Bostwick’s novel shared some similarities with The Beach House. While there were some parts of the movie that reminded me of Hallmark Hall of Fame’s previous entry, there were several differences that brought uniqueness to this story. An example is Mr. Freckles, Alice’s cat. The incorporation of Alice’s beloved cat featured a type of pet that is not often seen in a Hallmark movie. Mr. Freckles was also incorporated into the story to help the protagonist and the audience learn a valuable lesson about how certain situations take time in order for them to be dealt with.
The humor: When I first watched the trailer for Christmas Everlasting, I knew there was going to be a certain amount of humor featured throughout the film. However, I did not expect the movie to have as much humor as it ended up having. I believe there was a good balance of comedy and drama in this film. The inclusion of comedy helped give the audience a break from the sadness associated with this story, while the drama helped bring a sense of realism and relatability to the film.
Great messages and themes: There are lots of Hallmarks movies, including those from the Hallmark Hall of Fame branch, that have great messages and themes woven into their stories. While I was watching Christmas Everlasting, I found several messages and themes that were not only relatable, but also worth sharing long after the film’s end credits had appeared on-screen. One example is when one of Alice’s friends compares life to a quilt. This message made me look at quilts differently and gave me a new perspective on life itself.
The mystery: In a Word on the Street post, when I first shared my thoughts on the Christmas Everlasting trailer, one of the things that I was looking forward to was figuring out the mystery surrounding the quilt. I won’t spoil anything for those of you who haven’t seen the film yet, but all I will say is that this specific part of the story was very well-written, leading to a really good plot twist!
Patti LaBelle’s limited on-screen presence: Because Patti LaBelle was cast in this film as the main supporting actress and because her picture is prominently featured on the movie’s poster, I expected Patti’s character to have a recurring presence throughout the film. Also, I was excited to see Patti’s performance in this movie, as this was the first time I had ever seen any of Patti’s acting performances. When I watched Christmas Everlasting, however, Patti was only in two scenes within the movie’s last thirty minutes.
In this review’s introduction, I said that Christmas Everlasting was my most anticipated Christmas movie of 2018. When I look back on this movie, I can honestly say that this film lived up to my expectations! Christmas Everlasting had everything I could want in a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie and was definitely worth the wait! In fact, Christmas Everlasting is, so far, the best Hallmark Christmas movie I’ve seen this year! During the sneak peek commercial that was shown after this movie, however, there was no mention of the next Hallmark Hall of Fame production. I’m guessing that Hallmark is trying something new when announcing their movies within this particular branch, keeping these projects under wraps and preventing the element of surprise from being spoiled for their audience. If you look at the history of Hallmark Hall of Fame, an upcoming movie would usually be advertised during the end credits of a particular film. Whatever Hallmark has in store for the Hallmark Hall of Fame in 2019, I will definitely be looking forward to them and await the arrival of those announcements!
Overall score: 8.3 out of 10
Have you seen Christmas Everlasting? Which Hallmark Hall of Fame movie is your favorite? Let me know in the comment section!
For this week, I contemplated on what my next blog post should be about. Realizing I haven’t published a Word on the Street story since last month, I decided to write November’s first Word on the Street post. To my surprise, there were a lot of news worthy material relating to upcoming Hallmark movies! So, I thought it would a good idea to share these pieces of movie news with my readers and followers. Within this post, I will talk about almost all of the Hallmark movie news I could find. As the title states, there will be several movie production updates that will be discussed, plus speculation about a potential Hallmark movie and a new trailer for one of Hallmark’s “Countdown to Christmas” films!
On the website, Creative BC, there were several titles listed on their “In Production” page. What caught my attention is how many of them were Hallmark related. Three of these listings were for movies that are a part of an established Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series. According to Creative BC, the first movie on this list is “A Clue To Kill”/ “Aurora Teagarden 10”, which started production on November 3rd and will wrap up on November 23rd. The next title is “Hailey Dean Mysteries 7” and the production for this movie will start on November 28th. The third title is “Morning Show Mysteries: Murder Most Fair”, where production started on October 29th and will end on November 16th. One title that caught my eye was “Ruby Herring Mysteries: Silent Witness”. Because of the way the title sounds, I’m guessing this could be the start of a brand-new Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series. However, Hallmark has not made any official announcements about this project. Another title that was listed on the website was “Wedding In The Vineyard”. This project will not only be in production from November 19th to December 7th, but is highly likely a continuation of the “In the Vineyard” series starring Rachael Leigh Cook and Brendan Penny. As of November 2018, Hallmark has not made any confirmations about this project.
There were two titles on Creative BC’s “In Production” page that allude to what could be in store for next year’s “Winterfest” line-up. The first title is “Snowcoming”, which has already been confirmed to be a Hallmark movie! According to International Business Times, the movie will star Trevor Donovan and Lindy Booth. “Snowcoming” will be production from November 19th to December 7th. The second title is “Snow Princess”, which, as of November 2018, has not been officially announced by Hallmark. All that is known about the project is the title, the filming location, and the production dates (which are from November 13th to December 1st). Because “Snow Princess” also has the word snow in its title (like “Snowcoming”), I’m guessing that this movie will also be a part of Hallmark’s “Winterfest” line-up. The story could either be another “royal” movie or it could involve a pageant.
This week, Hallmark released their official trailer for the Hallmark Hall of Fame film, Christmas Everlasting. As I’ve said before on my blog, I have been anticipating this movie since it was first announced back in April. After seeing Truly, Madly, Sweetly, it increased my level of excitement for Hallmark’s newest Hallmark Hall of Fame entry. Now that I have finally watched this trailer, I can honestly say that I couldn’t be more excited! This movie looks like it has a lot of potential; from the mystery surrounding the quilt to the potential balance of humor and dramatic emotions. To me, the marketing campaign for Christmas Everlasting is much better than The Beach House’s marketing. November 24th cannot come soon enough!
After Brian and Jenny exchanged their wedding vows in All of My Heart: The Wedding, Hallmark took the time to announce their upcoming Christmas movies during Christmas: A Second Look Preview Special, the network’s television program where one of the stars of a new Hallmark Christmas movie shares movie clips and behind-the-scenes videos for some of the line-up’s most anticipated films. Because Hallmark aired a Christmas preview special during the “Christmas in July” marathon, the network thought it would be a good idea to air the second preview special closer to the start of “Countdown to Christmas” and “Miracles of Christmas”. After watching this preview special and compared to the preview specials from Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries last year, this presentation was, to me, a let-down. The entire production felt like it was rushed and put together with a “let’s just get this done and over with” attitude. The program was approximately 30 minutes, which wasn’t enough time to present enough content to satisfy a casual Hallmark movie viewer. As much as I respect Kellie Pickler for trying something new and going out of her comfort zone, I will admit that she is not one of Hallmark’s strongest hostesses. Her on-screen presence felt stiff and unnatural, which made her look as if she was uncomfortable on camera. As for the movies that were previewed during this special, the selection of films that were focused on was very underwhelming. During the entire presentation, only four new movies were previewed. These movies are the following:
Road to Christmas – 3 movies clips and 1 behind-the-scenes featurette – After Kellie described the story for this movie, it increased my interest in this film. I thought that this movie would be very similar to A Christmas Detour, but it appears that Road to Christmas is an original concept. I liked the movie clips and featurette that I saw and the film definitely looks like it has potential!
Mingle All the Way – 2 movie clips – I think the story sounds like an interesting concept, but I wasn’t thrilled with the movie clips that were featured in this special. While the part where Jen Lilley says “So you think I’m impressive” was funny, I didn’t feel like Jen and Brant Daugherty had any on-screen chemistry.
Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa – 2 movie clips – Both of the movie clips for the Christmas in Evergreen sequel (yes, Hallmark did confirm this) made the film look like it has potential. However, I’m confused about the movie’s continuity. In this movie, there will be a new protagonist, portrayed by Jill Wagner this time. Also, when Kellie announced this movie during the preview special, she didn’t mention Ashley Williams, who was the lead actress in the first Christmas in Evergreen movie. From what I’ve read, Ashley is still a part of this cast, which makes me wonder how much involvement her character will have in this story.
A Majestic Christmas – 1 long movie clip – I really liked this movie clip that was included in this special because of Jerrika Hinton and Christian Vincent’s performances! They appeared like they had good on-screen chemistry and like their acting talents truly complimented one another! Seeing this movie clip raised my interest in seeing this film.
For the rest of the preview special, Kellie re-capped all of the movies that were brought up during the first Christmas movie preview special. This made it feel like the purpose of the first preview special was totally defeated. Adding to my disappointment about this second preview special, none of the movies from Hallmark Movies & Mysteries were even talked about during this presentation (excluding Marrying Father Christmas because that movie was a part of the first preview special re-cap). For a second year in a row, the Christmas movie for When Calls the Heart was ignored. Even though the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, Christmas Everlasting, is still in production, I think there should have been a behind-the-scenes featurette or a video chat segment between Kellie and the director or cast talking about the film. Unlike last year’s preview specials, there was no list of which movies would premiere during both Christmas movie line-ups. As I’ve mentioned earlier, this presentation was a let-down. I understand that Hallmark creates these preview specials for their seasonal line-ups to get their audience excited for the movies to come. If I wasn’t already looking forward to this year’s Christmas line-ups, this second preview special would not have done anything to add to that excitement.
Did you watch either of the Christmas movie preview specials? What is your most anticipated Hallmark Christmas movie? Please tell me in the comment section!
Have fun at the movies!
Sally Silverscreen
If you want to learn more about this year’s Hallmark Christmas movies, you can watch the first Christmas preview special by typing “Full Episode – Christmas: A First Look Preview Special” into Youtube’s search bar or by visiting Hallmark Channel’s official Youtube channel, visiting Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ Christmas pages, or by visiting these links:
Four days ago, I reported, in the first Word on the Street post for September, on revealed details for the upcoming Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, “The Second Sister”. In that same post, I speculated that this movie could be based on one of three novels that share the same name as this HHoF (Hallmark Hall of Fame) movie. Based on two recent Instagram posts from Ron Oliver’s Instagram feed (the same feed I referenced in my aforementioned Word on the Street post), I have a feeling Hallmark’s newest HHoF movie could be based on Marie Bostwick’s novel, The Second Sister. In these two Instagram posts, Ron features his open laptop as the primary focus of the photo. On the screen of the laptop, what is displayed appears to be a short piece of film script. These snippets of script, within the Instagram posts, provide the clues to figure out what this HHoF movie could possibly be about. In the post where Ron features his dog, who I believe is named Crawford, there are two character’s names listed on the laptop screen. One of those names is Lucy. If you read the synopsis for Marie Bostwick’s novel, you would know that Lucy is the name of the protagonist in The Second Sister. In this same post, a quilt is referenced within this small piece of film script. In the synopsis for Marie Bostwick’s novel, quilting is what Lucy’s sister’s friends share in common with one another. The author herself also seems to share a love of quilting, from displaying a “Quilt Central” tab on her website to expressing this love for quilting in her biography. In the Instagram post where Ron references Labor Day, a law firm is mentioned in this small piece of film script. In the synopsis for The Second Sister, Lucy’s occupation is a political campaigner, with her boss, apparently, winning a presidential election.
As of September 2018, there has been no confirmation that this new HHoF movie will be based on Marie’s novel. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were. Like I mentioned in my Word on the Street post where I first talked about “The Second Sister”, it’s not uncommon for a HHoF movie to be an adaptation of a preexisting novel. Even though I’m curious to find out if Marie’s novel will serve as the basis for this film, I am a tiny bit disappointed that this movie might not be based on Claire Kendal’s novel, which is also titled The Second Sister. Because Claire’s novel is a mystery story, I was looking forward to the idea of Hallmark creating an ambitious HHoF project that would be different from the more recent HHoF movies, but still feel a part of the overall collection. However, I’m still looking forward to this new HHoF movie and it is still my most anticipated Christmas movie this year!
What do you think about this Hallmark Hall of Fame movie? If you have read The Second Sister or any of Marie Bostwick’s novels, how do you feel about this possible book-to-film adaptation? Share your thoughts in the comment section below?
Have fun at the movies!
Sally Silverscreen
If you want to check out the sources I referenced in this post, visit Ron Oliver’s official Instagram feed (at ronoliver) and these links:
When I reviewed the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, The Beach House, I mentioned that a new movie in the HHoF (Hallmark Hall of Fame) collection was announced during the sneak peek commercial that aired after the film. At that time, however, the only detail that was revealed about this upcoming HHoF film was that it would premiere sometime during the Christmas season. Since late April, Hallmark has been pretty secretive about their Christmas HHoF movie. This movie has been kept so tightly under-wraps, that Hallmark didn’t even make an announcement for the film during their Summer TCA Event. Recently, some details about this particular film have been revealed by one of Hallmark’s directors. Ron Oliver, who has directed and written several Hallmark movies (including a directing credit on last year’s HHoF movie, The Christmas Train), has mentioned that he is working on a movie titled “The Second Sister”. In the four Instagram posts where Ron mentions this title, he also mentions the Hallmark Hall of Fame, either in a direct statement or in a hashtag. In two of these aforementioned posts, Ron mentions that he is not only going to Atlanta, Georgia to make the movie, but it also indicates that he is already in Atlanta, Georgia. As someone who has this new HHoF movie as their most anticipated Christmas movie this year, these tidbits of information really don’t surprise me. I’ve already mentioned that Ron directed last year’s HHoF Christmas movie, The Christmas Train. That movie was not only the second highest rated movie during the 2017 “Countdown to Christmas” line-up, it became the third highest rated Christmas movie in Hallmark Channel history! So, it makes sense that Hallmark would want to hire Ron for another HHoF production. Also, as part of what I liked about the movie, I mentioned in my review of The Beach House that the movie was filmed in Georgia, specifically on Tybee Island. The idea of Hallmark wanting to film another HHoF movie in the Peach State does not shock me.
Upon discovering these pieces of information about this upcoming HHoF movie, there are still some questions I have about the film. In some of Ron’s Instagram posts that mention either Hallmark Hall of Fame or “The Second Sister”, Ron references Tyler Perry Studios. How much involvement will Tyler Perry Studios have in this movie? Will they have any involvement at all? While I was trying to find more information about “The Second Sister” on the internet, I came across three books with that exact same title. It’s not uncommon for a HHoF movie to be based on a book, with both The Christmas Train and The Beach House serving as good examples. While reading the synopsis of each novel, I found myself imagining each of these stories as a HHoF film. Here is a short list of the books I found:
The Second Sister by Claire Kendal – About a woman attempting to find her missing sister. We haven’t really seen a mystery story incorporated into a HHoF movie since 2000’s Missing Pieces, so this would be an ambiguous project for the network.
The Second Sister by Marie Bostwick – About a woman from the big city inheriting her deceased sister’s cottage in a small town. Based on the synopsis, this story does bear some similarities to The Beach House. The themes that I picked up on, such as family and reconnecting with loved ones, are those that have been found in other Hallmark movies, especially those from the HHoF collection.
The Second Sister by Carrie Weaver – About a woman trying to reconnect her family to fulfill her father’s dying wish. This is another story that bears some similarities to The Beach House. It also contains subject material that might be too serious for the typical Hallmark Channel film, but could be explored in a HHoF movie, such as abusive relationships and a broken family dynamic.
At this time, it’s unknown if any of these books will serve as the basis for this HHoF movie or if Ron will write an original screenplay for the film. If “The Second Sister” is based on any of these three books, I hope it’s Claire Kendal’s novel. As I’ve already mentioned, the last time a HHoF movie has had a mystery incorporated into the main plot was in Missing Pieces from 2000 (which was based on the novel, Atticus, by Ron Hansen). Personally, I can picture Claire’s story being set during Christmas, with the clues to the disappearance of the protagonist’s sister possibly correlating with the ‘12 Days of Christmas’. For all of the reasons I just mentioned, this would be an ambitious project for Hallmark. It would also be quite different from the other HHoF movies that have premiered in recent years. Another detail about this film that has not been revealed yet is which actors and actresses have been officially cast in this movie. However, I would, one day, like to see Marguerite Moreau and Laci J. Mailey cast in a HHoF movie where they get to portray sisters. I think Marguerite and Laci look similar enough to each other that their portrayal of sisters would come across as very believable. Also, Marguerite is a Hallmark Hall of Fame alumni, as she starred in The Locket back in 2002. While Laci has never starred in a HHoF movie, she is one of the series regulars on Chesapeake Shores and has appeared in the Signed, Sealed, Delivered series. Seeing one of the stars of their favorite series would be very exciting for fans of Chesapeake Shores and Signed, Sealed, Delivered.
What are your thoughts on this movie news story? Are you looking forward to “The Second Sister”? Please tell me your thoughts in the comment section!
Have fun at the movies!
Sally Silverscreen
If you want to check out the sources I referenced in this post, visit Ron Oliver’s official Instagram feed (at ronoliver), Ron’s official IMDB page, the official IMDB page for The Locket, Laci J. Mailey’s official IMDB page, and these links:
Recently, I came to the realization that I’ve now published 50 posts (my Waffle Street movie review was my 50th post)! In honor of this accomplishment, I decided to do something different from the usual content I have been posting on 18 Cinema Lane. I’ve been wanting to make this list for a while and I only found one other list of its kind on the internet (besides mine, of course). By reading the title, you know that this post is going to be all about the ten worst Hallmark movies I’ve ever seen. Before I start naming the movies that are guilty of earning my dislike, I just want to make it clear that this entire list is not only based on my opinion, but also on the movies that I have personally seen. Also, the purpose of this list is not for me to be mean-spirited, but rather for me to express my pure honesty. With each of my Top 10 picks, I will also suggest which movies you should watch instead, as a way to introduce you to movies that I think are better alternatives than the ones on my Top 10 list. Now, let me take a moment to name the Dishonorable Mentions. These are movies that I thought were bad, but not enough to be Top 10 worthy:
The Last Cowboy, Wishing Well, Gift of the Magi, Class, Accidentally in Love, Oliver’s Ghost, A Christmas Wish, The Music Teacher, The Nearlyweds, Space Warriors, The Good Witch’s Wonder, Wedding Planner Mystery, The Memory Book, I Do, I Do, I Do, So You Said Yes, Merry Matrimony, Karen Kingsbury’s The Bridge Part 1, Surprised by Love, Love on the Air, Signed, Sealed, Delivered: From Paris With Love, Dater’s Handbook, Ms. Matched, Summer Villa, A December Bride, Love You Like Christmas, Murder She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery, Flower Shop Mystery: Mum’s The Word, Signed, Sealed, Delivered: From The Heart, JL Family Ranch, The Irresistible Blueberry Farm, Death Al Dente: A Gourmet Detective Mystery, Hailey Dean Mystery: Murder, With Love, Love Blossoms, My Favorite Wedding, Falling For Vermont, All Of My Heart: Inn Love, Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Higher Ground, Murder She Baked: Just Desserts, Hailey Dean Mystery: Dating Is Murder, A Song For Christmas, Frozen in Love, One Winter Weekend, Home by Spring, Marrying Mr. Darcy, and A Painted House
Now that I have that out of the way, let’s dive into the official list, starting with number 10:
10. Firelight
Released shortly after A Smile as Big as the Moon (one of my favorite Hallmark Hall of Fame movies), I was hoping Firelight would help the wave of Hallmark Hall of Fame’s (HHoF) greatness grow. Sadly, this movie made that wave crash onto the shore. The story was too basic for a typical HHoF movie and the storyline about the young women volunteering to be firefighters didn’t seem to lead anywhere. Also, the characters were so forgettable, that I don’t even remember their names. Cuba Gooding Jr. is a good actor, but there wasn’t much he could do to save this film.
Instead, watch: Blind Spot (as of June 2018, it’s available on Hallmark Movies Now), A Smile as Big as the Moon (also on DVD and Hallmark Movies Now (as of June 2018))
9. A Family Thanksgiving
I’ve heard some people say that this movie was originally created to be a Lifetime movie, but since I haven’t found any confirmation about this, I’ll keep A Family Thanksgiving on my list. This movie has three offenses against it, which are:
Shamelessly rips off Lifetime’s Holiday Switch
Contains some content that would normally not be allowed in a Hallmark movie
Makes so few references to the Thanksgiving holiday, that this exact same plot could have been placed in any time of the year and not make any amount of difference
Instead, watch: An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving (available on DVD)
8. When Calls the Heart (2013)
This movie had one of the worst instances of false advertising in Hallmark movie history. All of the marketing for this movie made it seem like Maggie Grace and Stephen Amell were the main stars of the film, with Lori Loughlin in a prominent supporting role. When I did see When Calls the Heart, Maggie and Stephen ended up portraying two supporting characters whose stories were told through a series of flashbacks, with Lori featured in about the last five minutes of the film. The other problems this film had were very slow pacing and an unnecessary cliffhanger ending. No wonder it felt like When Calls the Heart’s first season was trying to rewrite the show’s history, to separate themselves as far as possible from this movie.
Instead, watch: The When Calls the Heart television show and/or its accompanying movies (When Calls the Heart: New Year’s Wish, When Calls the Heart Christmas, and When Calls the Heart: The Christmas Wishing Tree. Only When Calls the Heart: The Christmas Wishing Tree is not available on DVD, as of June 2018. Seasons 1 through 4 are available on DVD)
7. Our Wild Hearts
This movie has almost every “horse movie” cliché you can think of. Cambrie Schroder does the best she can with the acting material she is given, but the character development of her character, Willow, is sloppy and all over the place. Also, just because a character mentions they’re a dancer (only once throughout the film), that doesn’t justify throwing in a random dance scene into the story. Similar to what I said about Firelight, Ricky Schroder is a good actor, but there was not much he could do to save this film.
Instead, watch: Flicka: Country Pride (available on DVD)
6. Date with Love
I have never seen a movie about the prom that was actually good. Date with Love was not the movie to change my mind about that. The story itself felt like it was told a few years too late, with more people in 2016 putting a bigger emphasis on “promposals”. Even though Shenae Grimes-Beech is a good actress, her character was very unlikable. Alex (Shenae’s character) seemed too immature for a character her age. Also, there were several events in this movie that were so unrealistic, it took me out of the film (and I am more than willing to suspend my disbelief for a Hallmark movie).
Instead, watch: Summer of Dreams (available on DVD)
I once read online that this movie could have been the start of a television series. Honestly, I’m glad it wasn’t. With bad special effects in-between scenes and a story that was stuffed with characters and stories, the worst offense this movie makes is revealing the whodunit, howtheydunit, and whytheydunit shortly after a mystery was introduced. This takes the fun right out of solving the mystery alongside the protagonists and watching this movie at all.
Instead, watch: Any of the mystery series on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (Garage Sale Mystery, Aurora Teagarden, Hailey Dean, etc. Some of the mystery movies from this network are available on DVD)
4. Love by the Book
This is so far the first and only Hallmark movie that made me want to fall asleep. The story was very dull and the main character was too immature for someone her age, making her very unlikable. Also, when the protagonist keeps getting called “book goddess”, it was so cheesy that it became disgusting.
Instead, watch: A Novel Romance (available on DVD)
3. Northpole
This movie was so bad, that I could only sit through about 12 minutes of it (yes, you read that right). The acting was bad, the special effects were even worse, and the three separate stories didn’t seem to mesh very well. The dialogue was too cringy for a typical Hallmark movie’s standards and I felt that Santa was barely in the film despite being a movie titled Northpole.
Instead, watch: Charming Christmas (available on DVD)
2. Good Witch: Spellbound
This movie is the reason why I don’t watch the Good Witch television show anymore. Starting in the show’s third season, I felt that the writing became really bad. So, I watched Good Witch: Spellbound with an open mind, hoping it would be so good, that it would give me a reason to continue watching the show. Unfortunately, this was not the case, as you can see from the movie’s appearance on my list. The writing was the worst part of this film, with beloved characters evolving for the worse and sometimes being given terrible subplots. Nick’s sole purpose in this movie of him trying to scare his dad is a good example of this. Also, this movie has one of the worst reveals in Hallmark movie history.
Instead, watch: The Good Witch movie franchise (some of the movies are available on DVD), Season 1 and 2 of Good Witch (which are both available on DVD), Good Witch: Halloween (available on the Season 2 DVD) and Good Witch: Secrets of Grey House (available on the Season 3 DVD)
1. Back When We Were Grownups
Where the heck do I begin with this movie? For starters, the character of Rebecca Davitch is one of the worst protagonists in Hallmark movie history, mainly because she doesn’t do anything in the film that seems memorable or note-worthy. The family seems dysfunctional just for the sake of it, with the cast having little material to work with. As a Warehouse 13 fan, I was excited to see Allison Scagliotti’s performance in this film, but, unfortunately, she was featured in this movie for about two minutes or less. Back When We Were Grownups doesn’t run on a plot or storyline, but rather on the reactions of (mostly) the main protagonist (who doesn’t seem to put in a lot of effort into solving her family’s dysfunctionality). Remember, you know a Hallmark movie is bad when a birthday banner says “Happy 100th Poopy” instead of “Happy 100th Poppy” and no one seems to care.
Instead, watch: The Beach House (available on DVD August 7th, 2018)
To this day, it still amazes me that this actually existed in a Hallmark movie and no one seemed to notice. Screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.
What do you think of my list? What is the worst Hallmark movie you’ve ever seen? Share your thoughts in the comment section!
As Avengers: Infinity War was busy destroying almost every box office record they could think of, Hallmark Hall of Fame decided to make a splash with their latest presentation, The Beach House! Since 2014, the Hallmark Hall of Fame branch has found a permanent home on the Hallmark Channel, where Christmas movies reign and heart-felt stories are shared. When I reviewed the trailer for The Beach House earlier this month, I did share my concerns about this film. All I wanted was for this movie to be good. Because the marketing campaign was so weak, it forced me to lower my expectations for The Beach House, wondering whether this movie was going to be good at all. Now you’re probably trying to guess what my real thoughts on this film ended up being. In order to find out, you’ll have to dive in and read my review of Hallmark Hall of Fame’s The Beach House!
The Beach House poster created by Crown Media Family Networks and Hallmark Channel. Poster image found at https://www.crownmediapress.com/Shows/PRShowDetail?SiteID=142&FeedBoxID=845&NodeID=302&ShowType=&ShowTitle=The%20Beach%20House&IsSeries=False.
Things I liked about the film:
The acting: This cast was very solid! The two performances that were the biggest pleasant surprises, though, were those from Andie MacDowell and Chad Michael Murray. Before watching The Beach House, the only movies that I had seen Chad star in were Freaky Friday (2003) and A Cinderella Story, so I didn’t know what to expect of his performance in this recent Hallmark Hall of Fame film. However, Chad’s portrayal of Brett really impressed me! Also, Andie’s performance in The Beach House is the best that she’s ever given in any Hallmark production she has starred in!
The scenery: According to Hallmark Channel’s website, The Beach House was filmed in Georgia on Tybee Island. The natural beauty that the Peach State has to offer is showcased really well in this film. While the beach itself is the primary focus in this movie, other natural landscapes are highlighted as well, such as those that were featured during Brett and Cara’s boat ride. The architecture of the buildings, the beach house being one example, also compliment the scenery.
The cinematography: I was really impressed by the cinematography in The Beach House! It made the film look much grander than the typical Hallmark Channel movie. In fact, the cinematography was so good, The Beach House looked like a feature film!
The overall quality: From 2014 to 2016, Hallmark had an adjustment period when it came to moving their Hallmark Hall of Fame films to the Hallmark Channel. The movies in that period did not feel like Hallmark Hall of Fame movies, making me miss the days when they premiered on the major networks. Since 2017, the Hallmark Hall of Fame branch started to find its stride again, going back to their roots and focusing on telling good stories. The Beach House is just another stepping stone on that brighter path, not only looking like a Hallmark Hall of Fame film, but feeling like one as well.
Differences between the book and the movie: As a movie, The Beach House does have some major differences from Mary Alice Monroe’s novel of the same name. One of these is the ages of the characters. For the sake of the film, all of the characters’ ages changed from what they were originally intended. There are also some parts from the book that are very different in the movie. One example is Lovie accepting a milkshake offer after her radiation therapy in the movie, but feeling too queasy to drink one after her radiation therapy in the novel. However, because I only read the first few chapters of the book, these differences didn’t affect my enjoyment of the film.
My copy of The Beach House novel. Photo taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.
My overall impression:
The Hallmark Hall of Fame branch has finally found its footing again! As I’ve thought for several years, the quality of the Hallmark Hall of Fame films doesn’t have to change just because they’re on Hallmark Channel. Thankfully, Hallmark has realized this by creating movies that remind viewers why the Hallmark Hall of Fame branch exists in the first place. The Beach House was such a pleasant surprise, far exceeding my low expectations! This movie makes me excited not only for the future of Hallmark Hall of Fame, but also for their upcoming Christmas film! Though no details were mentioned during the sneak peek commercial that was shown after The Beach House, I will be waiting in anticipation until Hallmark makes an official announcement.
Overall score: 7.8 out of 10
Have you seen The Beach House? If so, what did you think? Please let me know in the comment section!
Have fun at the movies!
Sally Silverscreen
Link to the information about The Beach House: http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/the-beach-house/about-the-beach-house
If you want to read my review of The Beach House trailer, you can find it under the ‘Word on the Street’ tab. It is titled ‘Word on the Street: Hallmark releases trailer for Hallmark Hall of Fame’s The Beach House’.
18 Cinema Lane 