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Ranking the Top 5 2023 Hallmark Holiday Movies · Hallmark Mysteries & More

0:00
Eric: This podcast was created by fans or fans and is not affiliated with or sponsored by Hallmark or the Hallmark channel All right, all right all right, here we are.
0:12
Eric: We're getting ready to talk Hallmark Christmas movies.
0:15
Eric: Indra, we did our preview so we get to see how we did and we have a new fun face with us.
0:21
Eric: Hey, leigh, how are you?
0:23
Hayley: Hi, I'm great Thanks for having me on.
0:26
Eric: All right.
0:26
Eric: So we're gonna today we're going to sort of recap what our top favorite movies are.
0:33
Eric: We'll see how much we agree, how much we disagree.
0:36
Eric: We have a couple little awards we're gonna give and that's about it.
0:41
Eric: And just have a whole lot of fun.
0:42
Eric: Sound good.
0:45
Andrea: I'm pumped.
0:46
Eric: All right.
0:47
Eric: So first let's start with just general feelings of what you thought about the entire countdown to Christmas here hey Leigh your guess, so we'll let you go first.
0:58
Eric: What did you think of the overall season this year?
1:04
Hayley: I just truly appreciated that Hallmark tried to differentiate from the norm.
1:09
Hayley: It wasn't just meet-cutes in your hometown, we actually had some diverse settings.
1:13
Hayley: We were all over the world, we were on Christmas Island, so just things like that was a nice change.
1:18
Hayley: Otherwise, I just really appreciated that Hallmark took risks and they tried different stories.
1:24
Hayley: We had time travel and time lapses and romance wasn't always at the forefront, so instead we saw relationships dealing more with siblings or with business partners or friendships, rather than just chasing romantic interests.
1:39
Hayley: So that was a nice change for me.
1:41
Hayley: I felt like, again, with taking risks, some are going to work in some way, so when they, you know there's a few swings and misses, but when they hit it they really hit it out of the park and that was, I guess, the best highlight of this countdown to Christmas season.
1:57
Eric: What do you think, Andrea?
2:00
Andrea: I agree.
2:00
Andrea: I think that they definitely had some outside-of-the-box movies for Hallmark which I loved.
2:06
Andrea: I will also say for me this season was kind of a lot more stinkers than good ones, like my top 10, I was like, wow, I don't know if I would, actually these would not be in my top 10, a lot of them in previous seasons I thought last year's was great.
2:20
Andrea: So I had a tough time with my rankings, like really probably in my top four or five or about the only ones I really really loved.
2:29
Andrea: So that was kind of my opinion on the overall season.
2:33
Andrea: But I did like that.
2:34
Andrea: They took some risks and the ones that I liked.
2:35
Andrea: Actually, when I looked at my top five, some of them are very standard Hallmark feels, but I did like that.
2:43
Andrea: They took risks and I think that the writer strike really you could see that in effect in these movies, like some of them, probably needed another brush up of the script.
2:49
Andrea: The I saw there was a post that had said Hallmark.
2:54
Andrea: You know, both Eric and I we had commented on this before going in, saying the diversity was a lot lower this year, which we were disappointed in, and the writer strike seemingly played a factor in that.
3:03
Andrea: So we'll see, hopefully next year.
3:07
Andrea: They said they're going to improve that and then they're going to keep it up and then they're going to keep taking big swings for these movies, which I appreciate.
3:13
Andrea: So I'm hopeful for next year that we're going to have, you know, a little stronger stock of movies.
3:19
Eric: OK, my bullet point oh, andrea, andrea, andrea, I thought there were a lot of really good movies and very few stinkers.
3:29
Eric: I thought that.
3:31
Eric: So for me, I thought, while there may have been a lot of middle the roads, there weren't what I thought really bad movies like for the most part.
3:43
Eric: Well, I'll admit also I didn't watch Time for For now and I don't remember who it was to come home, just because I kind of been done with that series.
3:53
Eric: So that may have added to the my stinker list.
3:56
Eric: I know I did not get the most favorable reviews, but so I thought, like I said, I thought that the general quality of just a good old, good old Hallmark holiday movie was, was there.
4:07
Eric: And then there was some really good, as you said, haley, like just interesting movies, more so than they ever had before.
4:15
Eric: And then my other one was exactly what you just said, andrea they lack a diversity.
4:20
Eric: Just kind of Bum me out, because you know you had the, the Christmas of the Golden Dragon and those kind of movies last year that we just didn't really have this year and the excuse they use was oh well, we couldn't get American actors.
4:36
Eric: But I have to like I lived in.
4:39
Eric: Well, I guess I'm not a good example of diversity, but you know I live in Canada but there's diversity in in Canada too, so I think you could have.
4:49
Eric: I don't know.
4:51
Andrea: I'd argue.
4:52
Eric: Yeah, I think so, but it is what it is.
4:55
Eric: So, all right, are we ready to move on to the awards?
5:00
Eric: Andrew, do do the drum roll with your sound effects.
5:04
Eric: You don't have a soundboard, I know.
5:09
Eric: Okay, let's go.
5:11
Eric: The best story.
5:14
Eric: So it doesn't necessarily be the best movie, but just like and I guess this kind of gets a little bit into the writing and everything to that but just what, what did you think was the best story, andrea?
5:26
Andrea: A built more Christmas was mine that I just think that they did such a great job I was going to watch it again last night I've only watched one of these movies twice and I was going to watch this one for a second time just to kind of catch some of those nuances.
5:39
Andrea: But I really thought they did a good job of kind of weaving it in and going with the time travel and the leads were wonderful and I think that they did a really good job of, you know, helping tell the story.
5:50
Andrea: So for me that was my, my best story of the season.
5:53
Andrea: I do think there were some others that were like I will save it in case one of you have this one, but I do have a couple others that were, you know, right up there as well.
6:03
Hayley: For me, I can see it, hallie Mine was also built more Christmas and it was a toss up between this one and another one because we didn't see a lot of the kind of the timeline changing or the time travel kind of stuff this year.
6:17
Hayley: I just thought it had a really great balance of the old Hollywood and then the present day.
6:21
Hayley: The characters just really carried that along well.
6:26
Hayley: But just I felt like not to make a back to the future reference, but like it made it seem like time travel was possible, but instead of a flux capacitor we use an hourglass and I just thought it was beautifully done.
6:36
Eric: Okay, fess up, is your husband really from 1945.
6:40
Eric: ?
6:40
Hayley: No.
6:41
Eric: Okay For me, round and round Probably partial, I will say I think Boatmore Christmas is almost a flawless movie from every single aspect, that it could be just flawless movie, but I went with best story just because I found it a little like unique what they did.
7:02
Eric: I'm very partial.
7:03
Eric: Grunhau Day is one of my favorite movies and for Hallmark to get in and do it and I think, do it very well is kudos, because like where are you Christmas?
7:13
Eric: I really appreciated what they did there.
7:15
Eric: I didn't quite think they pulled it off great.
7:18
Eric: You know, compared to like a pleasant bill or whatever, anything goes terrible.
7:21
Eric: But in round and round I thought they really pulled it off in the banter between the actors I thought it was just fantastic and all the side characters.
7:29
Eric: So that gets my vote.
7:31
Eric: All right, we're going to roll into now the most innovative movie we sounding like you're.
7:38
Eric: You may Boatmore Christmas may fall into that too for you guys, but I'll say for me I went with Christmas on Cherry Lane, the fact of I watched that movie, so whatever it was, I don't know when they did the big timeline thing, completely confused.
7:57
Eric: And then I think, andrea, you had it maybe in your thing, this is a movie you had to pay attention to you and I had to take notes and it was just a little bit of a mess and I had to take notes and it was just so different.
8:10
Eric: And you know, haley, you mentioned earlier like romance.
8:13
Eric: Sure, there was, I guess, romance, but it was not even part of, I would say, the core of the story and just tying it all in and figuring out the ways to deal with it and the entire movie I just was constantly on my toes trying to keep up, but not in a bad way.
8:30
Eric: I enjoyed it thoroughly.
8:31
Eric: So for me, I found that just the most innovative, unexpected thing from a Hallmark movie that I think I've ever seen.
8:38
Eric: So, all right, haley, what do you have?
8:42
Hayley: I agree, mine was also Christmas on Cherry Lane and just again I went into it thinking this is going to be like almost like Christmas House 3.
8:51
Hayley: It's just going to be like a family reunion of all these families with Jonathan Bennett.
8:54
Hayley: And then it was so different and I'm trying to watch that at home with my toddler.
9:00
Hayley: It was not something I could watch in the background.
9:01
Hayley: I had to watch it and rewatch it and but when you do see everything come together, it's just so beautifully done to have three stories over three decades and they're all connected and it was just such a creative and different kind of story that we got from Hallmark this year.
9:19
Eric: Is it going to be a sweep, Andrea?
9:21
Andrea: Well, I'll share my other.
9:22
Andrea: I had kind of two.
9:23
Andrea: That was one of them, and then I'll share the other.
9:25
Andrea: One that I thought was also pretty innovative was Holiday Hotline.
9:28
Andrea: I really loved how they did the side by side.
9:31
Andrea: I thought that was so clever and I think it really made the movie for myself.
9:35
Andrea: Just having that first what they usually do, it was kind of that split or they're off on their own cubicle, but bringing them into the scenes and having them side by side with each other, I think that really helped move that movie along.
9:48
Andrea: So for me that was kind of the innovation that I looked at from that movie.
9:51
Andrea: I also was glad that Niall Mater was in a movie that I enjoyed, since I have not enjoyed any of his movies recently.
9:57
Andrea: So, yes, I enjoyed that movie.
10:00
Eric: You know, that's actually really interesting because I have that really high on my list Holiday Hotline and I think you're right, if they had just not had that cool editing sort of in it, it may have not been as good of a movie.
10:14
Eric: So that really did actually lend it to improving the story, which is a good story.
10:20
Eric: I don't know if I'm wrong, but OK, best chemistry, what do you got, hayley?
10:29
Hayley: I took this one a little differently because, again, one of the themes this year wasn't that romance was at the forefront.
10:34
Hayley: So I actually gave this one to the Ladies of the Santa Summit because that movie was one of the best surprises for me this year and I took that as more just the chemistry of the genuine friendship they had.
10:44
Hayley: We had great comedy, we had true like girl power within them, we saw vulnerability from them and it just made me fall in love with each of these actresses.
10:54
Hayley: I want to see more from them individually next year and that's the movie that just it made me want to like go to the Santa Summit and hang out with these girls.
11:05
Eric: So OK, you're never invited back, because that's what I had.
11:08
Eric: For exactly the same reason, I just thought, yeah, not what you expect, but they're bond in it.
11:17
Eric: I the best of the entire, and there was some good chemistry which I'm sure, andrew, or something else, because I could have done several different characters, but the three of them were just so fantastic together, you know.
11:31
Eric: So I agree with you.
11:32
Eric: All right, andrew, if you say the Santa Summit, then I think we're going to have to show it.
11:38
Andrea: OK, I am not.
11:38
Andrea: I loved Sealed with the List and I thought their chemistry Katie Finley and Evan Roderick was wonderful.
11:47
Andrea: I personally, like I know you had talked about you know you loved Katie in the last movie, eric, and I was like oh, she was good, but I didn't really like Wow, but those two together and same with Evan, like he was in the new Aurora Tea Garden movies and I was like he's OK.
12:00
Andrea: But then seeing them together, I am like a new fan of both of them.
12:04
Andrea: I thought they were wonderful together.
12:05
Andrea: I thought their banter back and forth was great.
12:08
Andrea: That's how I like to kind of interact, that quick banter kind of with my husband, I suppose, and I'm like this I love.
12:14
Andrea: I love seeing that in a Hallmark movie, because sometimes you don't always get that kind of quick wittedness between two of the leads.
12:19
Andrea: So I appreciated that and I thought they had wonderful chemistry.
12:23
Eric: They made my short list as well.
12:26
Eric: Absolutely fantastic.
12:28
Eric: Ok, now we're going to have the best kiss, and here we go.
12:35
Andrea: Luke McFarland and I, talia Ricci, in the escape clause, or Santa's, whatever that one was called Catch me if you clause, there we go.
12:42
Eric: Catch me if you clause that was, I thought, which one Amazing, because there were two the of course one in the car, the car, the straddle, one in the car.
12:50
Eric: And then there was the end.
12:51
Eric: That one I was like I was watching it with my family.
12:55
Andrea: And first they were making fun of me for, like all Hallmark movies are the same.
12:57
Andrea: And then we were watching this one.
12:59
Andrea: And then we were watching the same thing.
13:01
Andrea: And then we were watching this one and, like my brother and his girlfriend were there and my parents and everyone's like this is just a different Hallmark movie.
13:09
Andrea: And then when they did the straddle scene, I was like, oh my gosh, is this like Hallmark?
13:14
Andrea: My brother even was like, did we change the channel?
13:16
Andrea: What is this?
13:17
Andrea: So I think that was just like the kiss that really kind of made the season in terms of like, wow, that was so unexpected coming from a Hallmark movie and I loved it.
13:28
Eric: All right, really.
13:31
Hayley: Apparently we all think alike, because that's not as well.
13:33
Hayley: And they were actually my runner up for best chemistry.
13:36
Hayley: So Luke McFarlane and Italia Ricci.
13:38
Hayley: So happy to see Luke McFarlane back this season because he's always been one of my Hallmark favorites in Italia.
13:44
Hayley: She like no pun intended, but slayed her performance in this as well.
13:48
Hayley: But that kiss like yeah, same thing.
13:50
Hayley: I'm going like OK, she's straddling him in the car and that's not just a kiss, it's full on making out.
13:55
Hayley: I'm like, am I watching the Hallmark channel still?
13:58
Hayley: Like this is something different, well, spicy, and there's a little bit more of an adult theme to that movie.
14:03
Hayley: Anyway, but that was got me by surprise.
14:06
Hayley: So there we go.
14:07
Eric: I once again, it's a clean sweep, because I thought so too.
14:10
Eric: And, yes, the car.
14:12
Eric: But even the end scene, like she went in for that, it reminded me of what was.
14:18
Eric: It was like the one with Tyler Hines and Renault Fish.
14:22
Eric: She's the photographer.
14:23
Eric: Yeah, like that kiss, there was that.
14:26
Eric: This was awesome both, both of them.
14:29
Eric: And the thing that I really liked about it and once again I'll get in my little soapbox is, if you get over and read it, there's so much talk about how Luke Mifarland is.
14:37
Eric: There's no chemistry with women.
14:39
Eric: He can't do it, it's so, whatever.
14:41
Eric: I'm like that movie puts that to bed, whatever.
14:45
Eric: No, because, yeah, that was Spicy, spicy, spicy.
14:52
Andrea: Ok, best newcomer, hey you want to go first?
14:58
Eric: Oh, I'll go first, sure.
14:59
Andrea: Yeah.
14:59
Eric: All right.
15:00
Eric: So my best newcomer was Erica Sarah with the Miss was a mystery on Mistletoe Lane.
15:07
Eric: I really liked her.
15:11
Eric: I thought she was a lot of fun.
15:13
Eric: There was a couple that I could have went with.
15:15
Eric: I just wanted to give that movie a little love because I thought it was a really cute movie.
15:20
Eric: It wasn't cute enough to be making any of my list foreshadow of the future, but I also thought she was.
15:26
Eric: She was this really good and I enjoyed her character.
15:29
Eric: And she's not the ugliest woman on the planet.
15:32
Eric: So all right, hailey, what do you have?
15:37
Hayley: I have like four people listed because I couldn't decide, but I'll just.
15:41
Hayley: The first one who came to mind was Vincent Rodriguez for Christmas on Cherry Lane.
15:45
Hayley: I just thought he was adorable and he and Jonathan were my favorite dynamic in that movie, the way they sing to each other and stuff like that.
15:52
Hayley: I just I was very just interested by him and his character and I would love to just see what he continues to do.
15:59
Eric: If I were to try singing to my wife like that, she would punch me.
16:02
Eric: So, jonathan Kudos, I got to Jonathan Bennett.
16:06
Eric: That it calms him down, andrea.
16:10
Andrea: OK, I think I'm going to pronounce this right.
16:11
Andrea: Vic McHallys from Round and Round I was looking to see.
16:17
Andrea: I'm like is this her first homework film?
16:19
Andrea: Because I thought she was wonderful, and I believe it is.
16:21
Andrea: She was also in oh Bless this Mess, if anyone right on.
16:26
Andrea: Abc.
16:26
Eric: I'm like that's why she looked a little familiar, because I loved that show I watched it too, and so my wife and I actually got her to watch her on the round.
16:35
Eric: She will talk about later, but who was she in that?
16:38
Eric: I don't know.
16:38
Andrea: That's what I was trying to figure out.
16:39
Andrea: I'm like I watched that, I loved it because I'm from a farm and I was like, oh, this is fun, but I could not pick.
16:45
Andrea: I mean, I can see her, but then I'm like, oh, connecting the dots.
16:48
Andrea: So I thought she was great and I hope to see her and many more homework movies in the future as well.
16:54
Eric: I hope to see her also in a non like why I love my Hanukkah movies in a non Hanukkah movie, because it seems like the Hanukkah characters only are in Hanukkah movies.
17:02
Eric: So hopefully she can burst on that because, yeah, she was there.
17:06
Eric: There's such a long list of the some of the you know with the breakout new people and stuff like that.
17:12
Eric: So, all right, Andrea, what was your favorite homework movies and mystery.
17:16
Eric: I know you hate this one.
17:22
Andrea: So in my rankings it was heaven down here.
17:26
Andrea: Eric hates this movie.
17:27
Andrea: I don't know Like I don't say anything about it.
17:30
Eric: I like a good diner movie apparently.
17:32
Andrea: I liked the setting.
17:33
Andrea: I really liked Crystal Joy Brown.
17:35
Andrea: I thought she was fantastic.
17:36
Andrea: These movies usually do nothing for me.
17:39
Andrea: When the their spiritual movies I usually am like no thanks, but I don't know.
17:44
Andrea: I don't know I'm like no thanks, but I somehow enjoyed this one.
17:49
Andrea: I liked all the characters and was invested in them.
17:52
Andrea: I have no idea why.
17:54
Andrea: Maybe it just caught me at a like I was kind of multitasking and doing work and I was like I enjoyed it.
17:59
Andrea: I thought it was a good film.
18:01
Eric: I know not everyone enjoyed it, so I have nothing wrong with a good diner movie either.
18:08
Andrea: Just not this movie Correct.
18:10
Hayley: All right, haley, I would like to go out on a limb and say that actually the one that hasn't aired yet will be my favorite the miracle in Bethlehem.
18:19
Hayley: But for the ones I have seen, I have to go with To All.
18:23
Hayley: A Good Night with Kimberly Sustad, because she's a force and again just a beautiful, different paste kind of movie that we got this year.
18:31
Hayley: Just everything the story from her about her father and can we see good different kinds of relationships like with her and the stepmother.
18:40
Hayley: This is a really, really well done film and it's hard to dislike anything with Kimberly.
18:47
Eric: So I'm definitely there with you.
18:49
Eric: But mine was Miss Christmas Comes to Town and it's mostly just.
18:54
Eric: It was such a good, comfortable, hallmarky movie, three absolutely outstanding lead actors Every one of them completely nailed it.
19:04
Eric: Was it kind of a corny movie?
19:06
Eric: Yeah.
19:07
Eric: Is it like going to be my best movie?
19:09
Eric: No, but it was kind of that just good comfort food you want in the holidays and I thought it just completely delivered there.
19:17
Eric: So I had a lot of fun with it and it wasn't overly acted, overly written, overly everything else that Andrea seems to like.
19:25
Eric: So we will just move on with that All right.
19:31
Eric: So it's interesting.
19:31
Eric: We had a little bit of agreement on a couple, some disagreement on a couple, but oh no, I think a lot of good, good stuff.
19:39
Eric: That was, that was there.
19:40
Eric: So all right time to get into the reviews.
19:43
Eric: Are we ready to go with?
19:46
Eric: What is your fifth?
19:47
Eric: No, first of all, haley, do you have a hard time narrowing the five or were you like, okay, these clearly the five best movies, I shouldn't say the five, your five favorite movies?
19:59
Hayley: My top three were pretty clear even in their place.
20:02
Hayley: But four and five I think I flipped a number of times and some of it was I rewatched a number of them and maybe I'd watched once that one actually was really good, or just certain characters stood out to me, more kind of like Andrea said, maybe just hit me at the right time and they kind of just depended what I was wanting from the countdown to Christmas season.
20:20
Hayley: But I'm pretty confident in my listening.
20:24
Eric: Did you have a tough time, Andrea?
20:27
Andrea: Only with number five.
20:28
Andrea: Really like that one.
20:29
Andrea: I could interchange depending on the day, but my top four.
20:32
Andrea: I'm pretty solid with number five.
20:34
Andrea: Again, I had that one as the one.
20:36
Eric: I was like, oh, there's a lot that could I could switch out, so we have to double check, since you did your little early ranking list and you forgot these, so hopefully you didn't forget any here I know?
20:49
Andrea: Do you want me to share what we picked as our projections?
20:52
Eric: for the season.
20:54
Andrea: Okay, so mine, my top five that I was most looking forward to this season.
21:00
Andrea: I'll starting at.
21:01
Andrea: Number five was friends and family Christmas.
21:03
Andrea: Number four was built more Christmas.
21:05
Andrea: Number three hollow the holly lit up.
21:08
Andrea: Number two round and round.
21:10
Andrea: And number one was my Norwegian holiday.
21:13
Andrea: Those are not my top five.
21:15
Eric: Interesting.
21:17
Andrea: I know For you, eric, you had number five, checking it twice.
21:21
Andrea: Number four, round and round.
21:24
Andrea: Number three, sealed with a list.
21:26
Andrea: Number two, a Heidelberg holiday, and number one, christmas on Cherry Lane.
21:31
Andrea: So we'll see if any of those land in our top five?
21:35
Eric: We will see.
21:36
Eric: And Haley, did you do one before?
21:40
Hayley: I did not Okay.
21:41
Andrea: Was there any that you were really looking forward to this year?
21:44
Hayley: There were and this was like I said, it was kind of a nice season where there were probably a handful that I was really looking forward to.
21:52
Hayley: That maybe kind of fell more mid level for me, which also opened up the door for certain ones to really surprise me.
21:59
Hayley: And I feel like a lot of that I have in my top ones were not ones that I would have picked prior to this season.
22:07
Eric: Interesting Mine.
22:09
Eric: I don't want to say it Go anything way, but my list is interesting, my pre list, all right Haley, what did you have as your number five?
22:17
Hayley: I went with Christmas on Cherry Lane again for the innovative story and it's probably the Hallmark movie I've had to like, watch and rewatch the most just to make sense of it.
22:27
Hayley: But again it's so beautifully done as it unveils and as everything kind of connects together.
22:33
Hayley: We have great lead performances.
22:35
Hayley: We have our Good Witch reunion with Catherine Bell and James Denton, and then we have Jonathan Bennett, who's one of my favorites in his storyline with Vincent Rodriguez.
22:45
Hayley: You have Aaron Cahill and John Brotherton, so just a powerhouse of a cast and it was nice to see again.
22:52
Hayley: Romance was another forefront, kind of.
22:54
Hayley: Like you said, we have different timelines and decades going on.
22:57
Hayley: You really had to be on your toes with this one.
23:00
Hayley: It was just it wasn't what I expected going in and maybe that's one of the reasons it really stood out to me, but just a really well done film.
23:08
Hayley: Like I don't know how you just don't door the little girl Dian not to give anything away, but just it just comes together really well.
23:15
Eric: All right, I will not argue with there.
23:17
Eric: I think you said you alluded to this earlier.
23:21
Eric: I thought it was going to be the family reunion thing where they all came together too, so it was a surprise.
23:27
Eric: Only question for you Did you realize something was up before they revealed the timeline?
23:35
Hayley: Just based on like costumes and hairstyles.
23:38
Hayley: You're kind of people coming in going, okay, maybe this is like a new trend or look that I just haven't caught on to.
23:43
Hayley: But and then as I'm like, oh okay, wait a minute with the names, and then, just as I started to catch on more like there were some hairstyles on some of the characters and like, oh wait, wait, this is not present day.
23:55
Eric: You're way smarter than me, because when John Brotherton was there, I'm just like what the hell is going on with him.
24:00
Eric: What happened to him, and how did they let him on screen looking like this with his new look?
24:04
Eric: So it then, once they revealed the timeline, I was like oh, but until then, I seriously was wondering what was going on with whoever styled that guy.
24:14
Eric: So so, all right, andrew, what'd you have for your five?
24:19
Andrea: I had holiday hotline which again this is one where I could exchange it out like catch me a few claws was really close on some days, but this one I enjoyed.
24:30
Andrea: I really like again I like Niomader.
24:32
Andrea: I'm rooting for him, so for me to have him in this movie that he.
24:36
Andrea: I thought this is the best that we've seen him in this kind of funny role, versus like the more serious roles.
24:41
Andrea: I really enjoyed him.
24:42
Andrea: I liked the lead as the girl as well.
24:45
Andrea: I didn't mind her accent I know that was kind of a critique of it Like some people didn't like her going in and out of her accent.
24:50
Andrea: I didn't, I was not bothered by it.
24:53
Andrea: I really liked that side by side.
24:54
Andrea: Again, as I talked about earlier, I thought that was really innovative and it's one that I I will probably watch around Thanksgiving, which is kind of nice to have like a movie that's more Thanksgiving, like the Thanksgiving parade, one, which is an amazing movie.
25:08
Andrea: If no one's seen that and they rarely air it the autumn, autumn, riser one yes, it's so good, they need to air that more.
25:14
Andrea: So I think that one, along with this one around the hall or around Thanksgiving, I think, would be wonderful to kind of have him as a yearly viewing.
25:23
Eric: I will not argue with that, because for me my fifth is catch me a few claws, but I had holiday hotline is like kind of like the tie and I decided to go with the catch me a few claws.
25:38
Eric: So I think you and I were exactly the same there.
25:41
Eric: Like they're pretty, you know, in a good way, interchangeable, just really good movies.
25:45
Eric: Luke McFarlane was so good in this movie, especially made up.
25:52
Eric: I know I had a flashback to last year and your most.
25:56
Eric: The movie you're most looking forward to was his whatever Christmas, which is just sorry trash, and he was he like this male, I don't know, he just didn't really deliver there.
26:12
Eric: And then you had the his lighthouse movie, which I thought was okay, but I know a lot of people didn't really enjoy it and it wasn't like a lot of chemistry in that one and, like I said, this movie was just steamy.
26:23
Eric: You said how like you watched it with your family and and they said, oh, this isn't a homework movie and you know it doesn't have those fields.
26:31
Eric: I agree, and so I just this innovation, I think if you look at my list, is kind of sort of my theme.
26:36
Eric: What I just really enjoyed, so, and like I said, the kisses, both of them to me we're just like awesome.
26:44
Eric: So that made number five for me.
26:47
Eric: Okay, andrea, number four.
26:51
Andrea: Round and round is number four for me I really enjoyed this one.
26:55
Andrea: Again I went in.
26:56
Andrea: This was one of my top five picks.
26:59
Andrea: And I love Brian Greenberg if anyone's a one tree Hill fan, so I really enjoyed seeing him in the Hallmark movie.
27:05
Andrea: And again, I loved Vic.
27:07
Andrea: I thought she was great coming in, and so those two together with the Groundhogs Day theme.
27:11
Andrea: I love again that theme.
27:14
Andrea: I probably have only seen Groundhogs Day maybe once, so I'm not like a cute, I know I'm sorry, but I've seen it at least.
27:21
Andrea: But I like that, that theme.
27:22
Andrea: But I don't know if Hallmark has done it well before this movie.
27:26
Andrea: So I really enjoy it that they kind of threw in those elements you know with like the, the friends you know going to the shop and having them kind of geek out on this and not like be like, so sometimes they will play it where they don't know her, they don't like her, they weren't accepting of it, and then that could play out for 20 minutes of a movie where this one every time they're like, yeah, let's play along.
27:48
Andrea: So I enjoyed that.
27:49
Andrea: They got right into it, versus putting up a wall, which sometimes might happen in previous movies.
27:53
Andrea: So we could really get into the movie a little bit stronger, I think, than maybe in past times that they've tried this trope.
28:00
Eric: Alright, mine is sealed with a list and just truly enjoyed the movie.
28:10
Eric: The only reason why it's not higher is because the three movies above it are just so good that it's like a great movie.
28:20
Eric: Maybe in another thing it could have been number one.
28:23
Eric: I just loved it.
28:23
Eric: The characters were just very well developed.
28:28
Eric: I thought it was written well.
28:30
Eric: I love the pacing of it, the banter, the chemistry.
28:35
Eric: I love the fact too, and it's kind of like what you just alluded to.
28:38
Eric: You know it's the frenemy kind of thing, but it didn't dwell on it.
28:42
Eric: They sort of like you know what, here's where we're going.
28:45
Eric: It's kind of the situation we're in and I thought that they both just handled it and it flowed just really great.
28:50
Eric: And then the other thing and I said this in my little mini review of it is when they both kind of revealed a little bit of their trauma, the stuff that was bothering them.
28:59
Eric: I thought the other person responded in just a wonderful tender way, like when he talked about his mom she didn't go into normal homework thing.
29:09
Eric: She was kind of like, yeah, that sucks.
29:11
Eric: You know that's hard and just really dealt with that thought in a very human way.
29:15
Eric: So I just loved the movie and I could say Katie Finley in Love Strikes Twice, one of my all-time favorite Hallmark movies, so great.
29:27
Eric: Seeing them again in this, so like that all around, is great movie.
29:33
Eric: Hailey, what do you have for four?
29:36
Hayley: So this is one I just recently watched and it was Rescue in Christmas, and this one was actually on the Hallmark Movies Now app.
29:43
Hayley: So if you don't have that, please just do the free week trial or spend the $5.99 and go get it, because it's worth it, just for this movie Also on YouTube.
29:51
Andrea: Someone DMed me and said you could find it on YouTube and it's going to air in July on the Hallmark channel.
29:57
Andrea: That is also what someone told me.
29:59
Hayley: So I wonder if I'm like this is better than a lot of the other ones I've watched this year, obviously, since I'm ranking it.
30:05
Hayley: But it just was such a pleasant surprise and this is kind of my cheesy Santa magic Christmas one that I threw in because who doesn't love those as well?
30:12
Hayley: But to me it was also just a standout with Rachel Lee Cook, and I do like her.
30:17
Hayley: I don't always love her Hallmark movies, I don't feel like maybe she necessarily gets the best scripts, but this one was just wonderful and she and Sam Page have great chemistry.
30:26
Hayley: There's good Whitty writing here and kind of like what you just mentioned with her last movie.
30:32
Hayley: We actually see like a community and family coming together to support her and her art display, as they kind of pass it off to be, and so it's nice to see that and it's not necessarily a new plotline by any means of like.
30:45
Hayley: Okay, I wish Christmas away, but the way it's played out is really unique and fun, and the fact that even she has to not only convince other people that Christmas is real and that they love it, but she has to then kind of go on her own journey as to why she also needs them and wants it in her life as well, which is a nice take on it.
31:02
Hayley: So it was just really well done, really fun, and it made me want to see more from Rachel Lee Cook in the future.
31:07
Eric: She has the one with her and Travis Lee Winkle, that where they sort of do their thing.
31:15
Eric: Yeah, that one.
31:17
Eric: That's a great movie.
31:18
Eric: The thing I wonder why because I agree with you, this is such a good movie why I got one on Hallmark movies now versus the channel, because you saw the other movie that was on there, which I'm guessing is not on anyone's list, the Ice Princess or what is the like.
31:36
Eric: It seems like they put a throwaway over on streaming and such a strong movie they would have put on the network or maybe even put a middle movie.
31:46
Eric: Checking it twice.
31:48
Eric: There you go, andrew A.
31:50
Eric: Checking it twice maybe, but I don't know.
31:54
Andrea: Maybe they're saving it if it is going to air in July.
31:56
Andrea: So maybe the writer strike.
31:58
Andrea: They were concerned and so maybe they put these two there and might put them in as like the new Christmas and July movies.
32:04
Andrea: That was my thought of like we're going to have these on the back burner just in case this goes longer and we can't film anything new, and then it will be new to people who don't have the app.
32:14
Andrea: That's my only thing that I kind of thought of.
32:17
Hayley: Yeah, I also thought that maybe there was just a push for like an incentive to get the app was there's movies and then even time for her to come home for Christmas and then World Record Christmas premiered early on there.
32:30
Hayley: So I thought, like the incentive is see some movies early, see some exclusive content.
32:34
Hayley: But I'm just glad, if that's true, that we get to see a leader this year, because I think it does deserve to be on homework channel.
32:40
Eric: So once again, while I did not see it, it seems like putting that time for her to come home on Christmas is a disincentive to get the app.
32:47
Andrea: Three of the four of those are not great.
32:48
Andrea: In my book I didn't say they were good movies.
32:52
Hayley: I just thought to see them early.
32:54
Eric: All right.
32:55
Eric: Well, I'm going to do my number three.
32:57
Eric: Andrea, do not get mad at me because I know we disagree sometimes, but it is my Norwegian Christmas.
33:06
Eric: This was not on my preview list.
33:09
Eric: I thought it was going to be cute just because Renona and Fish is adorable and I like her.
33:14
Eric: But I was expecting sort of that.
33:16
Eric: That when they do the movies where they go abroad, they tended to like rely on the destination more than the story.
33:24
Eric: And in this movie, yeah, you had to do a couple little leaps like hey, I'm going to go to Nora with a complete stranger, but it was just done in such a cute way.
33:35
Eric: I love the way their relationship unfolded.
33:37
Eric: I love the way the family it's just, I think, the most adorable movie of the season left me feeling just good, warm.
33:48
Eric: Buzzy loved it.
33:50
Eric: So I know you hate the Norwegian Zandria, so I'm sorry I had to put that number three on my list, but just such a cute movie.
33:58
Andrea: I am Norwegian, I know.
33:59
Eric: I'm kidding you.
34:00
Eric: That's why I was your number one.
34:02
Eric: This is Minnesota, it's Norwegian, those are all the good things, but yeah, so just a great movie.
34:11
Eric: I think it is an absolute must watch for everybody.
34:15
Eric: And when I think you had the same thing when you did your little polls, I did my little one.
34:20
Eric: It just nobody gave it a bad of mine.
34:25
Eric: It was like 100% loved it.
34:28
Eric: So okay, haley, what do you have for your number three?
34:35
Hayley: So I ranked catch me a few claws a little higher and I think again, just because it was a different kind of story, was sort of when we had a mystery and a caper, which is not necessarily something I think of in the holiday season, and it was just really well done.
34:46
Hayley: You had two very strong leads here in Natalia Ricci and Luke McFarlane.
34:50
Hayley: I felt like Luke McFarlane sort of redeemed himself Because it wasn't a fan of last year's Christmas movie and I felt like this one again was just happy he returned because I know he's having success elsewhere, so I was just happy to see him back and I hope we don't lose him from Palmer Channel.
35:05
Hayley: But again, even though romance is there, it's not at the forefront.
35:10
Hayley: It's actually more about trying to sort of solve crime in a sense, and but you also see them both pursuing professional goals and how they can kind of work together to do that.
35:20
Eric: So Santa Claus is a professional goal?
35:22
Hayley: Yeah he's.
35:23
Hayley: Hey do I want to take over and be Santa Claus, if you don't care, get the things.
35:27
Hayley: But at the same time it was nice to see that that was again a different kind of story that we had.
35:32
Hayley: And then of course the romance just sort of ensues from there.
35:34
Hayley: So it was just a really fun ride and it's like that took me by surprise as a different.
35:42
Hayley: It wasn't a typical meet cute kind of thing.
35:45
Hayley: They did not have a great first encounter, so that was having to redeem themselves from there.
35:51
Eric: Oh yeah, I forgot about.
35:52
Eric: Yeah, the recute is a little different.
35:53
Eric: I guess I'll just chip in and just say I guess, from a lot of the comments I had to, luke McFarlane's Guns should get a special nod in this movie because, yeah, his, his biceps were very appreciated across the Instagram world.
36:14
Hayley: I was distracted by the Santa suit, so I would say Christopher Russell as well in his movie.
36:20
Andrea: Movie was not good, but when he had his shirt I was like man he's been working out and okay, okay, I would not recommend his movie, though Let me just say that Thanks, that's my number two.
36:35
Eric: All right, andy what do you have for your number three?
36:37
Andrea: Okay, this is probably something that nobody's gonna have on their list.
36:40
Andrea: I watched this one twice.
36:42
Andrea: I love it.
36:42
Andrea: I just don't really know why.
36:44
Andrea: A merry Scottish Christmas.
36:47
Andrea: I just love this movie.
36:49
Andrea: I'm not a big Lacey Shabare fan.
36:51
Andrea: Typically, I mean, I like her but she's not like oh, because she's in the movie.
36:54
Andrea: I didn't watch party five, so it's not like that was like a dynamic for me.
36:58
Andrea: But I watched it the first time I was like, oh, it's kind of a little boring.
37:02
Andrea: I was doing other things.
37:04
Andrea: And then I watched it again and let me like, okay, let me to write a review, let me sit down and watch.
37:07
Andrea: And then I was just captivated by Scotland, by the castle, all that I can think when I think of this movie.
37:14
Andrea: I think of them doing the little breakfast scene and like brick behind them.
37:18
Andrea: I just I love the family dynamic in this.
37:21
Andrea: I don't know what this one again.
37:24
Andrea: Every year I have a movie that everyone's like what are you thinking?
37:27
Andrea: This is that movie for me this year.
37:29
Andrea: I don't know why I loved it.
37:31
Andrea: So you might not just a caveat in case you are like, let me watch all these movies.
37:36
Andrea: This would be one if you like something little out there, or you like Scotland, this might be your movie.
37:43
Andrea: Yes, eric.
37:46
Andrea: It's on your list too.
37:49
Eric: It is not on my list.
37:51
Eric: It's not even in my top 10.
37:54
Andrea: Oh.
37:54
Eric: I'll say the scene.
37:55
Eric: I'll agree, this scenery was great.
37:57
Eric: It's a shame they had to put a story to it, but it's kind of like what I was talking about with the minor region holiday.
38:02
Eric: Right, I rely on the scenery, rely on the destination and just have a crap story.
38:09
Andrea: It worked for me.
38:10
Eric: Oh, we're going to be a Dutch in Dutchess and everyone's going to love us here.
38:13
Eric: They don't even like the real monarchies.
38:17
Eric: All right, moving on, I don't want to get in this.
38:20
Eric: Hayley, save us with your number two, and it better not be my Scottish Christmas.
38:26
Hayley: Well, actually I was just going to say with Scottish Crypt that's not my number two, it's not on my top five, it was more mid-level for me.
38:32
Hayley: But I will say, the thing I appreciated about that one was, again, you saw, it was more about a brother-sister dynamic and then redeeming that relationship versus.
38:38
Hayley: You know, again the romance kind of fell to the wayside.
38:40
Hayley: So that's what stood out to me about that one and of course, the costumes, because they had them beautiful, exactly.
38:46
Eric: Maybe if they just stayed with that and not try to throw this hey, random dude who's going to spend four seconds on here.
38:52
Eric: Have Lacey like.
38:55
Andrea: That was not needed.
38:56
Andrea: I will agree there.
39:00
Eric: Wait, Hayley, were you a party?
39:01
Eric: Was it party of five?
39:02
Eric: That's what she was in.
39:04
Hayley: Yeah, I, that was a little.
39:06
Hayley: I was a little too young to get into that at that point.
39:08
Hayley: So for me I know her more from like mean girls and things she did in the 2000s.
39:12
Hayley: I don't know when.
39:13
Eric: party of five never seen it.
39:14
Eric: So it's like what's the other one that has everybody in it?
39:18
Eric: One tree hill or something like that?
39:20
Eric: Yes, I never saw that either.
39:22
Eric: No idea what that is but okay.
39:24
Eric: Sorry, distracted, you're supposed to be talking about your fabulous number two movie.
39:29
Hayley: All right For two.
39:30
Hayley: I went with the Santa summit because this was just an all around solid, wonderful Christmas movie.
39:36
Hayley: Again we have it more as an ensemble, which we did see a lot of more ensemble driven pieces this year, but these three girls just nailed it.
39:45
Hayley: They are so fun to watch.
39:47
Hayley: We have all sorts of emotions and really good depth of character here.
39:53
Hayley: I felt like every single one has this journey and even other, like literally chasing romantic love at times.
39:59
Hayley: It really is a learning experience for them in self love.
40:02
Hayley: They each sort of have these realizations as to you know the whole thing about the sweatpants.
40:08
Hayley: I guess he my sweatpants, I'm my own sweatpants.
40:10
Hayley: So that was really cute in the way that's done.
40:13
Hayley: And all three of these girls, just when they kind of have their big moments, it's just I, just I want to see them individually break out into their own movies next year.
40:20
Hayley: And the other thing about this one that's interesting is your two lead romantic interests probably spend like less than 10 minutes of the movie together and on paper, like that just doesn't even seem possible and how it could work.
40:34
Hayley: But it does and it's magnificently.
40:37
Hayley: They just pull it off and you're rooting for all of them throughout this whole film, and just this was a great surprise for me.
40:44
Hayley: It wasn't one that was really on my radar, and so I think that's also just why it just seemed that much more powerful.
40:53
Eric: All right, Andrea.
40:57
Andrea: Well, my Norwegian holiday was my number two.
40:59
Andrea: What's not to love?
41:02
Andrea: She started in.
41:02
Eric: Minnesota.
41:04
Andrea: Always get me.
41:04
Andrea: I mean always gets me when I would.
41:07
Eric: They place them in Minnesota, just like rescuing Christmas, which was it could have been like an ice fishing movie in Norway, where she starts out, she wins the Minneapolis ice fishing tournament, goes to Norway and sits in whatever you call those little ice shack thing and you'd be like fantastic movie.
41:23
Andrea: Loved it, so I loved that.
41:26
Andrea: And then she went to Norway, which, as we had stated earlier, I'm Norwegian and so I loved getting to experience Norway.
41:33
Andrea: I thought that the the leads actually, so he was not my favorite.
41:37
Andrea: As the movie started I was like I don't know if I'm going to enjoy him as a lead.
41:40
Andrea: But then as the movie went on, I, you know, he kind of grew on me.
41:43
Andrea: I loved the kiss scene at the end, which could have been like a best kiss with her, just, you know, kind of stopping and, you know, talking to the kids.
41:50
Andrea: I thought that was cute and just original.
41:52
Andrea: I really enjoyed overall, like the family and getting to see some of the Norwegian traditions, which was like how we do some of those, and this is probably where it came from, you know, and just getting to see, you know, I guess, Norway, but not as you had said earlier, with Scotland being kind of the main draw.
42:12
Andrea: Norway was just kind of the backdrop.
42:14
Andrea: It wasn't like we were, you know, getting to.
42:17
Andrea: I guess Norway wasn't the main focus of the movie.
42:20
Andrea: They actually did have a story with story with this one, and it was a quieter story, which usually doesn't work for me, but I enjoyed it, and Rihanna Fish is one that she.
42:30
Andrea: I could take it or leave her like.
42:32
Andrea: Some of her movies are great, some of are not, and so for me all of that to have me enjoy this movie as much as I did.
42:37
Andrea: I was actually surprised, even though I picked it as my number one most, looking forward to the description, though.
42:44
Andrea: I think they talked a lot about trolls, which they didn't do a ton of like trolls things in this movie, so I feel like the description maybe threw people off in the beginning as well.
42:52
Andrea: So I was pleasantly surprised by my own pick and that it landed this high on my list.
42:59
Eric: Now have you had Norwegian soda.
43:03
Andrea: No.
43:04
Eric: Someone I forget who it was someone over there in Instagram world tried ordering a bottle of it and it was 35 bucks for a bottle.
43:12
Eric: Because of the shipping oh my gosh, it costs plus.
43:15
Eric: Or someone has to have it, but I don't know, I'm just curious.
43:18
Eric: I figured you'd have it for the family reunions or whatever.
43:25
Andrea: It's herring lutefus lefse.
43:29
Eric: Now, do you have any like actual Norwegian, Norwegian relatives who are like either first generation or actually?
43:38
Andrea: my grandparent or my grandpa, who's now passed away, but he was 98 when he passed away, but he was first generation and so I know about where they came from.
43:48
Andrea: They were northern part of Norway and farmers up there.
43:52
Andrea: And then my grandma is from the southern part of Norway and her grandpa was a fisherman.
43:58
Andrea: So I know that much about it because she because I tan pretty easily, so does my dad and one of my brothers and she's like oh, that's the Norwegian side of you, because they were fishermen and they just she's like they, we just get really dark in the summer.
44:10
Andrea: I was like, oh, this is fascinating, just to kind of see where it's coming from.
44:14
Andrea: And so that's much as I know about my Norwegian heritage.
44:17
Andrea: They went over to Norway.
44:18
Andrea: I do have trolls actually from Norway that they brought back and I have a little secret father.
44:26
Andrea: What.
44:26
Eric: Your secret father.
44:29
Andrea: No.
44:31
Eric: What?
44:31
Eric: That was the whole point of the movie.
44:33
Eric: The troll, her secret father.
44:36
Andrea: I was like no, my secret father.
44:38
Eric: Maybe, no.
44:39
Eric: You have to dig into your trolls.
44:42
Eric: You never know.
44:44
Andrea: Hey, I got my troll mug, so there we go.
44:49
Eric: Because I'm wondering if, like that, like I don't know how to describe the personality of the guy.
44:53
Eric: They're just like a little quirky ish.
44:56
Eric: So that's why I was wondering if it was like really that's what Norway people it was a good depiction of what Norway people are like.
45:03
Andrea: No, but I do have some.
45:04
Andrea: We could talk about it at the end.
45:06
Andrea: I had someone from Germany watch the Heidelberg holiday movie and she gave me some great notes that I thought I'd share about it.
45:13
Eric: So Okay, all right.
45:16
Eric: My number two is also the Santa summit, kind of like everything you said, and for me there's the thing that just really sealed it and I was like there's no way any movie is going to beat it this year and obviously one did was at the very end and it's exactly what you said, that sort of self discovery, self love, everything of when um Jordan is in the, in the disco, in the silent disco, and starts dancing just by herself with share, which two share songs this season Like, but whatever it just.
45:54
Andrea: We had a lot more than that, I feel.
45:56
Eric: I thought there was just the the one in there and then the one in the final.
45:59
Andrea: Oh there was a lot of shares this season.
46:02
Eric: Like when she was just dancing and just seeing her.
46:05
Eric: I thought they just captured it so well that I literally watched that scene over and over just because it was just her joy of just being like I'm happy, I just really loved.
46:17
Eric: And, as you said before, they pretty much kind of well, they couldn't do without the relationships, because I thought the they could have done without the Ben Hollingsworth and and um, the main one, what am I going to bring to them?
46:32
Eric: What her name is?
46:33
Hayley: Hunter.
46:34
Eric: Hunter King yes, um, I couldn't get run on a fish on my head.
46:37
Eric: Um, like that was actually the weakest, I think, of the three.
46:40
Eric: Um, the Lord of the ring whole thing was loved it.
46:44
Eric: And then the other guy who kept appearing and then turned out to be, you know, the big DJ.
46:50
Eric: Um, I loved that one and how that.
46:52
Eric: And then she was so cynical and all that.
46:54
Eric: So I loved how that transpired, but it's mostly just, like we said earlier, the three of them in their journey.
47:01
Eric: Completely, it's kind of what I think they were trying to do last year with three wise men and a baby, and I'll probably get slammed for it.
47:08
Eric: Where I liked the movie, I didn't think it was a great movie.
47:11
Eric: It didn't make my top list last year by any means, but that sort of dynamic, whereas I thought they just nailed it, um, this year and it was great writing.
47:20
Eric: So that's my number two.
47:22
Eric: And now the moment we've all been waiting for number one Andrea, your favorite movie of the year is I feel like we're all going to have the same one.
47:36
Andrea: I don't know.
47:37
Andrea: Okay, Well, a bit more Christmas is my top.
47:41
Andrea: Um, yeah, so I I enjoyed it again.
47:46
Andrea: I was going to try to watch it again last night, uh, but the gilded age was calling my name, so I watched that instead.
47:52
Andrea: Um, but built more Christmas going back in time.
47:56
Andrea: Um, you know, the leads are amazing.
47:58
Andrea: I love again one tree hill, Anyone.
48:02
Hayley: Haley, did you watch it Off and on, not as consistently as I should have, but but but have loved it.
48:09
Hayley: Many of them have come to Hallmark and really home their town.
48:13
Andrea: Yes, so Bethany Joy Lins having her Christopher Palah, I mean, they just worked their magic.
48:18
Andrea: I thought he did such a wonderful job of just depicting an actor in the.
48:22
Andrea: Was it the forties?
48:24
Eric: Yeah, yeah.
48:25
Andrea: I thought he just did such a great job.
48:26
Andrea: I loved the, the black and white and then the color, and then the time travel, and then the guy from Star Trek I think I didn't watch Star Trek, but that, that guy who you know was like kind of the, the thread kind of between the two, two worlds, so to speak, and uh, I just thought it all.
48:43
Eric: The hotel manager is a Star Trek guy, yeah.
48:46
Andrea: Yeah, that's what I think he was right.
48:47
Andrea: He was a Trekkie.
48:49
Eric: I don't know, not a Trekkie.
48:50
Andrea: Nobody here is a Trekkie.
48:51
Andrea: Oh yeah, that's where.
48:52
Andrea: If somebody had DM me that they're like oh, that's so and so from Star Trek.
48:56
Andrea: And I think there was another person, a female too, that was from Star Trek, but I not sure.
49:00
Andrea: So that would be um the pick for me for the season and highly recommend anyone checking that one out.
49:09
Eric: All right Like.
49:10
Andrea: I'm sure you two are both going to have.
49:12
Eric: My number one movie.
49:13
Eric: I am going off my favorite movie.
49:16
Eric: I will say the Biltmore Christmas, I think was the best movie.
49:21
Eric: The acting, the writing, everything the best.
49:23
Eric: But in my ranking it was number seven.
49:27
Andrea: Oh, my God.
49:28
Eric: That is.
49:28
Andrea: I'm shocked.
49:30
Eric: Like I said, the I will say the acting in the movie shows that those two are just littered at another level than most Hallmark actors.
49:40
Eric: Right, christopher Palaja is, in my opinion and it's not even close the best actor in the Hallmark universe, but my number one round and round.
49:52
Eric: This movie was so good I've watched it multiple times.
49:58
Eric: In fact I made my wife who's not a Hallmark fan by any means, she is solid ID channel.
50:04
Eric: Give me some murder mayhem and you know this does not like Hallmark in the least bit she watched it.
50:10
Eric: She was like huh, this movie is actually cute and she was laughing and enjoying it.
50:18
Eric: I thought just the chemistry between the two of them was great.
50:21
Eric: I thought the secondary characters were just so good, like the guys at the comic book store so easily could have been ones who annoy and instead they were endearing.
50:33
Eric: And the cousin, the you know the Madonna cousin, who's really from Jersey or whatever, like she, could have been so easily annoying.
50:39
Eric: Instead she was a fantastic character.
50:41
Eric: There's so much support in the movie, like I don't know there was.
50:48
Eric: I just felt so good watching the movie and that's kind of what you want in the Hallmark movie, in my opinion.
50:55
Eric: You just want to feel good and, yes, like I said, I will not deny built more Christmas.
51:00
Eric: More Christmas is the best movie on a different level, but for me, what I want is that that just smiling, not wanting to hit you know that movie, to end watching it again Like I literally watched it.
51:17
Eric: I did checking that twice to where I watch it twice in a row just because it's kicking off the season.
51:20
Eric: I was excited and whatever.
51:23
Eric: But this is one where I just literally, if it's on, I am in 100%, just like Groundhog Day, if it's on, I'm in 100%.
51:31
Eric: So and I, like you said, I hope we see Vic again because she just nailed it.
51:38
Eric: She was so good in this movie.
51:40
Eric: And the last thing I want to say is I really liked you and I think, haley, you mentioned this earlier I liked how they didn't like have a lot of that conflict in there.
51:51
Eric: When it's like, oh, you know the time travel, they kind of like, okay, I'm on board, you know, and I thought it was fun and it kept the pace going, as opposed to having to deal with, you know, a lot of the thing of who are you and all that.
52:03
Eric: They just you know, here you go, let's roll and move on.
52:06
Eric: So to me, for to beat Santa summit says a lot because Santa summit was, like I say, so good in my opinion.
52:16
Hayley: So there we go yeah.
52:17
Hayley: And I'll just mention that Rick Hoffman was my runner up for New Hall Market base because I was a huge seed span and so I was so excited, like obviously for the reason I even tuned in.
52:26
Hayley: But Hallmark also does Hanukkah really well, so we need to start having like the eight nights of Hanukkah or something with Hallmark, because they're doing all right.
52:34
Hayley: And this was such a solid movie.
52:37
Eric: Yeah, like Hanukkah, and Rye last year made my list as well, as one of the top movies too.
52:42
Eric: So you're right, 100%.
52:44
Eric: All right, now you Haley, you get to.
52:47
Eric: You started us out with your fifth, that you get to finish it with what is your top favorite movie of the year.
52:55
Hayley: To know Hallmark fans.
52:56
Hayley: Surprise Number one blows it out of the water as a bit more Christmas.
53:00
Hayley: Just you can definitely tell this is the one they were leveraging the most on, because the set decor is phenomenal, the writing is just levels above everything else and, of course, the entire cast, because and you've mentioned this before sometimes there's kind of those side characters that they kind of they kind of wear out their welcome after a while, like in here, and I thought that might be the lady who's taken pictures of everything, and then she actually kind of really she becomes very enduring toward the end and so you enjoy her.
53:29
Hayley: But Bethany Joy Lenz, who we all love, she's really a joy in her name.
53:34
Hayley: So how can you not love her.
53:35
Hayley: And then Christopher Palaja if he was not on your radar before, he is now, and what a talent and a presence he has to play the 40s.
53:44
Hayley: He's done mystery and then you know, if you haven't seen the shift yet, I'll give a little shout out for that as well.
53:48
Hayley: He's got sci-fi going for him.
53:49
Hayley: It's great.
53:50
Hayley: But just so well done with the time travel from all of Hollywood to present day.
53:57
Hayley: They make it believable, they make it fun, it's romantic, it's even kind of sexy at times, but at the same time the romance isn't the key story there and I said that was my biggest theme for this year.
54:09
Hayley: It wasn't your typical movie but this was one, as you said, with round and round.
54:14
Hayley: I was texting my family like, okay, you're not always on the Hallmark Channel stuff, but you have to watch this movie and I like have it on our list to watch it at our family Christmas.
54:22
Hayley: I get to pick the movie.
54:23
Hayley: So just outstanding, I can't say.
54:26
Hayley: And then, oh, the costumes, the costuming in this movie is beyond brilliant.
54:32
Hayley: So can we give Mr Keith the Emmy or an Oscar?
54:36
Hayley: We'll just say that this should be a motion picture or any sort of fashion award, because this was just Phenomenal.
54:45
Eric: So you actually kind of brought up a little bit.
54:46
Eric: I'm wondering, because the Hallmark is known for notoriously having a modest budget.
54:52
Eric: I wonder if they opened up the budget for this one because it did not seem like they were cutting any corners with anything.
55:04
Eric: It was very luxurious and when I was watching it that's what I was thinking.
55:07
Eric: I'm like they spent money on this one.
55:09
Eric: Yeah, yeah, you, you know, I'm not sure.
55:13
Hayley: Yeah, you would not know, you're watching the Hallmark channel and I don't mean that as an insult.
55:17
Hayley: I mean that is a great compliment to this movie, but maybe some built more, state money was thrown their way or something, because, yeah, this was another level.
55:28
Andrea: Maybe they acquired quite a few and so they had money to save.
55:31
Andrea: Because of the writer's strike, like I feel like quite a few of them felt more acquired than in past.
55:39
Eric: So it very will be.
55:42
Hayley: Yeah, they had the Balsam Hill sponsorship going with them because you saw that strategically placed everywhere.
55:48
Hayley: But I don't know.
55:49
Eric: I don't know.
55:50
Eric: Well, they in that article they did say how they were prepping for it since last October, so they were well ahead of it.
55:56
Eric: But they filmed this one, Didn't they do it like February or really early, so well, well before the strike.
56:03
Eric: But yeah, I don't know it.
56:06
Eric: Just I would not in any way argue with you guys that it wasn't just absolutely worthy of the top which is interesting because a lot of times a movie that gets this much hype going in, because I would say, if you went and just did the poll in the street, everybody was most looking forward to this movie, kind of like last year, I think everyone is most looking forward to three wise men and a baby and for them to absolutely deliver, and then some is pretty, pretty impressive, so All right.
56:42
Eric: So, andrea, yes, yours was not too far off.
56:46
Eric: Your, your predictions were the Scottish Christmas just stuck in there, I think mine was kind of now, and the Christmas on Cherry Lane, that was high up there too, but like it just didn't quite make my top list.
57:02
Eric: And I think the innovation well, I guess that was a very innovative movie but I guess the rom-comy change of pace thing just really had me this year.
57:11
Andrea: So if you look at my list, I did a lot like am I going to watch it again, Like would I like want to do it.
57:17
Andrea: And so Christmas on Cherry Lane yes, but you have to be really paying attention.
57:21
Andrea: So that's where I was, like it didn't quite make my top five because I'd have to like sit down really kind of pay attention, probably at least another two or three times to catch all of the things that I missed even the first time.
57:32
Eric: So that's why it didn't quite make mine and you both have little kids, so for you to be able to, you know, just tune in and block everything out, like at least me, my, my kids are often out, so not a big deal for me, but it is definitely when you have to pay attention to.
57:45
Eric: So all right.
57:48
Eric: So was there any movie that um, maybe surprised, like you were expecting to be good and didn't quite cut it, or your little disappointed in, or Any of that?
58:02
Eric: I have mine Hall out the Holly too.
58:06
Eric: I don't know what you guys thought of that.
58:08
Eric: I thought it was fine, it was enjoyable, it wasn't bad, but like last year's was so like laugh out loud, funny, Whereas this one I just sort of I don't know, I thought they were just writing the coattails of last year, in my opinion so and you're not a Lacey fan, so you probably weren't looking forward to that one too much.
58:32
Eric: Me, you Well that was my favorite from last year.
58:34
Eric: No, she's fine.
58:36
Andrea: Like I don't like some people love all of her movies.
58:38
Andrea: Like she's not someone that I'm like yes, I need to see her in the latest movie.
58:41
Andrea: So that one I just was counting I was like I got number 14 on my list this year, one that I thought was gonna be was really excited for that is my fifth worst movie of the season was the Secret Gift of Christmas.
58:56
Andrea: I love both of the Leeds.
58:57
Andrea: I love Megan Ory and Christopher Russell.
59:03
Eric: Christopher Russell is never in a good movie ever.
59:05
Eric: Well, okay.
59:07
Andrea: So the colorblind movie I enjoyed because it was funny how bad it was it was.
59:12
Andrea: Just it was comical.
59:12
Andrea: Like I'd watch that again because it was just so bad.
59:16
Andrea: This one was just bad and not like there was nothing funny about it, it was just not a good movie and I don't know why.
59:26
Andrea: I agree, like he does not get good scripts.
59:27
Andrea: Again, I love her.
59:29
Andrea: I love both of the Leeds.
59:30
Andrea: She played like an annoying character, which was kind of disappointing because I loved her in Chesapeake Shores and so I was hoping that we'd get maybe a stronger presence.
59:39
Andrea: Instead they made her really annoying, so that was kind of a bummer for me.
59:43
Andrea: I would say that one kind of slid quite far down on my list this year.
59:50
Eric: How about you Haley Anything there?
59:53
Hayley: There were a few that fell flat or just maybe I thought were more mid tier, that I had a higher hopes for, like never been.
59:58
Hayley: Chris was one I thought could have been better, like all three really strong Leeds, but I was more interested in the girls' friendship than any sort of romantic Like the love triangle.
1:00:07
Hayley: Just didn't work for me.
1:00:07
Hayley: So don't hate on me Hineese, I love him too, but just not my favorite.
1:00:11
Hayley: But the one that really kind of bothered me more and I'm not a Royal movie fan, I know you guys are kind of that way as well was Brooke Dorsey and Will Kent, because the two of them were great together, like they had great chemistry.
1:00:24
Hayley: Was it not a Royal Christmas?
1:00:27
Eric: No it was not a Royal Christmas, yeah.
1:00:28
Hayley: And but just the movie itself.
1:00:30
Hayley: Like I didn't do them any favors and I kind of just felt like we both we had two great talents that were just kind of wasted and so I'd love to see the two of them together in something else.
1:00:40
Hayley: But that was just it, didn't?
1:00:42
Hayley: It just didn't work for me.
1:00:45
Eric: Yeah, I agree, I did not have high hopes just because I don't like Royal movies Like Royal Nanny was a shock for me, whereas I don't know any other one that I like.
1:00:56
Eric: But yes, I agree with you to have two great talents that they just wasted.
1:01:02
Eric: They should have just stuck Christopher Russell and I don't know who's terrible too, but someone like that in there.
1:01:10
Andrea: He's not terrible.
1:01:11
Eric: Not even tried.
1:01:12
Eric: Actually, I liked the guy.
1:01:13
Eric: He just gets the worst movies.
1:01:16
Eric: He just gets the worst movies.
1:01:18
Hayley: I only like him when he's with Cindy Busby.
1:01:20
Andrea: So Eric loves Cindy yeah.
1:01:24
Eric: How can you not?
1:01:25
Eric: Like okay, yes, she's not going to win, like Academy Awards or whatever Emmy Best Actors, but she's just adorable, adorable, she's a wonderful person, and if you say anything other than that, I'll accidentally delete you, okay, all right.
1:01:42
Eric: Well, let's wrap up.
1:01:43
Andrea: My Germany, my Germany notes from Heidelberg, so from Germany.
1:01:47
Andrea: She said it was very accurate that the German like how they depicted the German people working at, like the markets she said it's very accurate.
1:01:57
Andrea: She's like I find them to be very rude and very cold, they're not warm.
1:02:00
Andrea: The post office she found that funny because she said accurate, but not the best.
1:02:06
Andrea: She's like they are not the best that they think they are.
1:02:08
Andrea: She also had commented the glass blowing ornament she didn't think would actually work in Germany.
1:02:14
Andrea: So the whole premise of the movie, because she said that's already happening here in Germany and there's a lot of people who do that.
1:02:19
Andrea: She said it would probably be better in the States first, actually coming to Germany with that.
1:02:23
Andrea: But otherwise she said they depicted German culture and how they put up the Christmas tree later and a lot of those things she said are very accurate and she recognized a few of the actors.
1:02:33
Andrea: So they are actually German actors that they used in the movie because she was like, oh, like the secondary characters.
1:02:38
Andrea: Yes, she was like.
1:02:39
Andrea: I recognize them on some of my favorite shows.
1:02:40
Andrea: So kudos to Hallmark for probably doing a lot of the ones that they filmed in other places and using the local actors and probably getting it pretty accurate this season.
1:02:52
Eric: Well, I know that they did that for the dancing detective.
1:02:56
Eric: They had to use some of the secondary actor, I know whatever, but my point is they had to use secondary actors, were from local over there, Whereas you know, just the main actors traveled and yeah.
1:03:10
Eric: So Heidelberg, that was obviously when I was looking for.
1:03:12
Eric: I liked it, I thought it was cute and I loved the fact that I could say I was just there and so recognizing some places I thought was great.
1:03:19
Eric: But it was also, I think, kind of a traditionally Hallmark movie.
1:03:24
Eric: And when you hear, when you hear you had so much innovation or good movies and kind of like, I think you know the difference between you and it, you and me, Andrew, is you thought like those middle of the roads which I thought were just all very enjoyable middle of the roads, you probably thought they felt, you know, felt a little flatter, so I'd put that sort of the top tier of those for myself.
1:03:47
Eric: All right, Well, Haley, why don't you tell people where they can find you so they can follow you and all your wonderful Hallmark content that you create and get you before your little advent calendar runs out?
1:04:00
Eric: That's right.
1:04:02
Hayley: Yeah, you can find me at at Crown the Halls on Instagram.
1:04:05
Hayley: I just created a Facebook page of the same name, so at some point I'll start posting on there more.
1:04:09
Hayley: And yeah, be ready for all sorts of new fun and creative content coming here in 2024.
1:04:15
Hayley: My husband's gonna work with me to help bring me bring some of my kind of kooky Hallmark ideas to life.
1:04:21
Eric: So Awesome, Andrew.
1:04:23
Eric: If you can remember it, tell everyone where they can find you.
1:04:26
Andrea: I just had to look it up every time I forget.
1:04:28
Andrea: My Instagram is Hallmark Channel Movies or you can find me on my website, which is just my name.
1:04:35
Eric: If anyone is interested in Arrivedic wisdom, that is my actual job, which I've been following that now and I kind of don't understand half the words you say, but it looks kind of pretty like chill and relaxing and soothing.
1:04:48
Eric: Yes, oh well, thanks, Eric, it is so all right, and yes, I'm over Hallmark Movie Reviewer for all the romcom stuff and Hallmark Mysteries and now for all the mysteries and all that.
1:05:01
Eric: So all right, so now we're getting we do have, actually, I guess, one more which is kind of weird, with the final movie of the Hallmark Mysteries and all that return Was it Return to Bethlehem or something to Bethlehem Miracle in Bethlehem Miracle in.
1:05:15
Hayley: Bethlehem.
1:05:16
Eric: But we had to get our movies out ahead of time.
1:05:19
Eric: So, but with that, we wrap up and look forward to.
1:05:23
Eric: Does January have a name, by the way?
1:05:25
Eric: Love you, Ari, Is it Love?
1:05:28
Hayley: You Okay.
1:05:29
Eric: That's not the February one.
1:05:30
Eric: Oh, maybe I'll double check.
1:05:31
Eric: Because I think the February is when they're doing the Jane Austen New Year, new Year, new Movies is what the app says Very, very clever.
1:05:40
Andrea: But yeah to.
1:05:41
Eric: January we got the Jane Austen, with all those movies coming out which we're going back to Scotland so looking forward to that myself.
1:05:49
Andrea: So as long as they show some nice scenery he doesn't care about the spot.
1:05:52
Eric: I'm in, all right.
1:05:54
Eric: But with that say goodbye, see you guys, bye, see you guys, see you guys.