Graduation Cards
Ready to beat the Summer heat? Hallmark has announced their new Fall Into Love movies with this press release below...
HALLMARK CHANNEL AND
HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES
OFFER VIEWERS
ALL-NEW ORIGINAL MOVIE
PREMIERES IN SEPTEMBER
Hallmark Channel offers viewers four all-new original movie premieres in September as the network begins its Fall into Love programming event. Viewers can treat themselves to stories that will transport them to the Smoky Mountains, fall in love on the gridiron as football season kicks off, enjoy a heartfelt story of two people with their individual struggles that come together in the most unlikely of places, and be immersed in the wonders of Italy.
Meanwhile, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries brings fans three exciting new originals. First is the inspiring story about a woman who learns to adapt to a new way of life following an accident, followed by two thrilling mysteries – one features a spectral sleuth, and the other offers fans a murder mystery like they’ve never seen before.
PREMIERING IN SEPTEMBER
ON HALLMARK CHANNEL:
‘LOVE IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS: A NATIONAL PARK ROMANCE’
Saturday, September 2 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Arielle Kebbel, Zach Roerig
Former sweethearts (Kebbel, Roerig) reunite at an archeological dig in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As they work together competing for the same research grant, they discover they might still have feelings for one another.
Movie Reviews:
🍁 Smoky Mountains movie is sweet, but a bit disconnected. ~dstoutholcomb
🍁 Love in the Great Smoky Mountains: A National Park Romance is family friendly about when former sweethearts named Haley & Rob bump into each other & reunite for an archaeological dig at an excavation site for an archeological research team in Great Smoky Mountains National Park & spark fly in between them as they explore at the park & Haley finds pictographs in a cave that may lead to the existence of a mythical Cherokee diamond. 2 archeologists rekindle their romance while they search for a mystical treasure in the Great Smoky Mountains & reconnect over their common love of nature & history. Haley meets Troy. Troy introduces Haley & Rob to Sky from Indian Village. ~Anonymous
🍁 Love in the Great Smoky Mountains review: I've only watched two National parks movies (this one and the Zion one), but are they movies or ads for the National Parks? Because both I've seen are more the second. I felt like I was being lectured in school! The acting was bad, too. It sounded like they were all reading from a script. The archaeology seemed so unrealistic. Not that I know much on the topic, but I find it hard to believe that they would be finding perfect specimens every five minutes! And would they really fill six boxes worth of artifacts in a day? Doubtful. At least it was clean. Should I even waste my time on any more national parks movies? Let me know everyone! ~melnewlife
🍁 Hallmark’s “Love in the Great Smoky Mountains” is family-friendly and features breathtaking scenes of the mountains, waterfalls and trails. Having lived in East Tennessee for 30+ years, I really enjoyed recognizing many of the sites and locations I’ve visited with my family (this film was actually filmed in the GSMNP and Knoxville). Romance is rekindled between two archaeologists working on a dig at an ancient Cherokee village, and also trying to solve a myth about a lost crystal. I also enjoyed the budding relationship between the two Cherokees – one from the Eastern Tribe who lives in Tennessee, and the other a decendent of the relocated tribes in Oklahoma. The film is actually quite educational for those unfamiliar with the history of the Cherokee Nation or the Trail of Tears, which was accurately retold with reverence and respect. I thought Arielle Kebbel was outstanding in the leading role too. ~MPT
🍁 Hallmark movies once upon a time were special but they have been going downhill for years now. Love in the Smoky Mountains reaches a new low though. Consider hiring a writer with a novel idea in his or her head. And definitely hire someone with some experience in the subject matter as an advisor to make things at least a tiny bit realistic. The depictions of archeology in this movie is pitiful. And if you are going to have people hiking in a National Park find someone who has hiked further than from one store to another on Rodeo Drive. An AI could write a better script than this. ~Anonymous
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‘WHEN CALLS THE HEART’ – Season 10, Episode 10006 – “The Heart of the Problem”
Sunday, September 3 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Erin Krakow, Pascale Hutton, Jack Wagner, Kavan Smith, Chris McNally, Kevin McGarry, Andrea Brooks, Martin Cummins, Loretta Walsh, Amanda Wong, Johannah Newmarch, Viv Leacock, Natasha Burnett, Ben Rosenbaum, Hrothgar Mathews, Jaeda Lily Miller.
Rosemary (Hutton) and Lee’s (Smith) baby has brought up memories of Rosemary’s own mother, and questions about her past. Meanwhile, the kids feel left out of the hot springs with all the tourists.
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'FOURTH DOWN AND LOVE’
Saturday, September 9 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Pascale Hutton, Ryan Paevey
Sparks are reignited when a single mother (Hutton) and a pro football player (Paevey) coincidentally meet again on her daughter’s flag football field after his career is interrupted by a sports injury.
Movie Review:
🍁🏈 FOURTH DOWN AND LOVE - *clean and family friendly, with divorce topic* (I did watch it while working on my computer so hopefully I didn’t miss anything)
I didn’t expect to like this, but I really enjoyed it. The movie does have a “girl power” theme, with the girls playing flag football. I personally don't think it was extreme feminism. Chemistry was great. Personally, I think Ryan Paevey usually comes across as too cold and aloof in movies, but here he was more warm. Pascale was hilarious and fantastic as always. Just love her! The side characters were enjoyable to watch also. It was a solid, funny and heartwarming movie. ~CH Mom
🍁🏈 I enjoyed the football movie and WCTH. ~ dstoutholcomb
🍁🏈 I just finished watching Fourth Down and Love, and really enjoyed it! It was definitely family-friendly, and the characters were all very real, and often funny. I agree with CH Mom that (Ryan Paevey) seemed warmer in this movie than he sometimes is in other movies; perhaps it's just better chemistry this time around. ~Sharon in MI
🍁🏈 Fourth Down and Love - 100% family-friendly ~Anonymous
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‘WHEN CALLS THE HEART’ – Season 10, Episode 10007 – “Best Laid Plans”
Sunday, September 10 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Erin Krakow, Pascale Hutton, Jack Wagner, Kavan Smith, Chris McNally, Kevin McGarry, Andrea Brooks, Martin Cummins, Loretta Walsh, Amanda Wong, Johannah Newmarch, Viv Leacock, Natasha Burnett, Ben Rosenbaum, Hrothgar Mathews, Jaeda Lily Miller, Hyland Goodrich.
When a former student visits, Elizabeth (Krakow) thinks she may need her help. Meanwhile, Lucas (McNally) orders something for all of Hope Valley to enjoy…if they can get it working.
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NOTE: This movie will have a same-sex couple; therefore, I will not be promoting it.
‘NOTES OF AUTUMN’
Saturday, September 16 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Ashley Williams, Luke Macfarlane, Marcus Rosner, and Peter Porte
Ellie (Williams) is a fun-loving, classically trained pianist living in the city who gave up on her passion long ago. Now working for a hotel, she always seems to be getting things wrong when musical inspiration strikes. Her best friend Leo (Macfarlane) lives in the rustic outskirts of British Columbia. He's a famous author with writer's block who can't seem to finish another installment in his highly popular book series. Realizing they both need a change of scenery as the chilly days of autumn settle in, they decide to swap places, only to find themselves completely lost in new surroundings. Ellie gets tangled up in helping Sam (Rosner), Leo's neighbor, put together a musical performance for a local fundraiser and comes to terms with why she quit music years ago. Leo strikes up a friendship with Ellie's good friend Matt (Porte) and opens himself up to writing something different that really inspires him. Their newfound friendships turn into something far more meaningful, and as both Ellie and Leo take part in the joys of the autumn season, they also discover their hearts belong somewhere very different than they ever thought possible.
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‘WHEN CALLS THE HEART’ – Season 10, Episode 10008 –“What Is and What Never Should Be”
Sunday, September 17 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Erin Krakow, Pascale Hutton, Jack Wagner, Kavan Smith, Chris McNally, Kevin McGarry, Andrea Brooks, Martin Cummins, Kayla Wallace, Loretta Walsh, Amanda Wong, Johannah Newmarch, Viv Leacock, Natasha Burnett, Ben Rosenbaum, Hrothgar Mathews, Jaeda Lily Miller, Hyland Goodrich.
Elizabeth (Krakow) encourages Gowen (Cummins) to seek forgiveness from Rosaleen (Mamie Laverock, “Spotlight on Christmas”) to heal old wounds. Meanwhile, Montague (Benjamin Wilkinson, “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies”) continues to raise suspicion.
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‘RETREAT TO YOU’
Saturday, September 23 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Emilie Ullerup, Peter Mooney, Meghan Heffern, Donald Heng
Abby (Ullerup) and Sean (Mooney) were best friends in high school until they had a falling out at their graduation party. Years later, when Abby’s friend Rachel (Heffern) brings her to a wilderness retreat, she is shocked to run into Sean. This chance reconnection only results in the old friends butting heads even more. However, when the pair becomes separated from the group on a hiking trip, they must work together to find their way back to the campsite. As the walls come down, they'll face the reality of why their friendship and their lives fell apart and come to learn that maybe the way forward is together.
Movie Reviews:
🍁 RETREAT TO YOU (*SPOILERS AHEAD*) - clean
I think this had a lot of potential, but honestly not very well written. So many cheesy and cringey things and so many flaws in the detail that was annoying.
- Abby is a very confusing character. One moment, Abby said she is upset with Sean, then next she was not. The whole thing about Abby “rescuing” Sean in the high rope course was a bit ridiculous, especially after the instructor said the course could only support 1 person. Right before, she said she doesn’t do high ropes? One day she kissed Sean, the next day she said “no long distance”. Then, Abby and Sean were just arguing and fighting too much when they were lost. In the beginning, Abby told Rachel that “Sean left her at the bus stop and she never heard from him again”, and then we found out that Sean actually called and wrote but Abby chose to ignore him. I thought that was odd. - The married couple were quite grumpy and showed hostility towards each other in the beginning, which made it uncomfortable to watch. - The chef bailing out from his job to go with the search party. How is that okay? Ugh, I’m sorry. I know this is all too nitpicky. I just remember feeling annoyed when I was watching this. The chemistry was pretty good, so there is that. ~CH Mom
🍁 Retreat to You was just a one time watch for me. Story is a little slow and some of the "arguing" between the leads was either too dramatic or in some moments just silly. Her best friend was way too dramatic in some scenes. It is family friendly as far being "woke" but there is a moment when they think the leads could have spent the night together in his room and go to check and see if they're there. Of course they're not, but the suggestion is insinuated! I would say PG13 on this one! ~Joyce in Carolina
🍁 I watched Retreat To You, and I really liked it. I did not ever see the Nature of Love movie with Emilie Ullerup and Chris Russell, so I didnt really see this as a similar movie to that.
I LOVE Emilie Ullerup, her acting is on par, and she is so good with facial expressions, and she is just a fantastic actress. I have loved her acting since she started on HM, I can't remember if CS came before Hearts of Christmas or not. But Bree was one of my favorites on CS cause of her.
I liked the fact that SEan & Abby were just BF's before, not old loves. Not at all an uncommon or unheard-of reason they never got together, one thought the other didnt feel the same way and Sean thought she was back with her ex. Abby is afraid to love or commit, and she plays that well.
I liked how they did kiss a few times in the movie, i hate when people wait til the end. I liked that the movie was very grown up, I mean it would be hard to think your relationship could work when 1) you are different people than before and 2) you live 5 hours away.
I am a sucker for movies when they go to a retreat or a ranch or mountain cabin setting, if done well. And this was done well. Not a fan of the island retreats or getaways or the winter getaway retreats, but the summer and fall I LOVE!!!
Peter Mooney was great, loved him and Emilie's chemistry. So happy to have David Lewis in a movie, and Meghan Heffern was a delight. Nice to see her not playing the other woman like she was in Winter Castle. A great all around cast, and a great movie. I would like to think Abby and Sean do work out in the future, although I am just glad it wasn't just instant get together. ~Sabrina
🍁 Hallmark’s “Retreat to You” is family-friendly, but the leads slog through an overused and tired story line, and at times the scenes and dialogue were just plain boring. This was certainly not Emilie Ullerup’s best performance either - definitely not a keeper for me. ~MPT
🍁 So I watched Retreat to You over the weekend & it was family friendly from what I recall, I liked the supporting characters, but I don’t know something about the main characters wasn’t drawing me in enough….like I started folding laundry and only half watching at times. Emilie seemed exhausted throughout the movie…,a one time watch for me. ~Paula
🍁 Okay, I watched "Retreat to You" and agree with others who posted comments. It was just 'okay'. Tired story line, zero chemistry and boring supporting players, although I did like Abby's best friend. And, I align with others who posted about "“Murder in G Major” (Haunted Harmony Mysteries). My husband and I absolutely LOVED that movie! It had everything "Retreat to You" did not. There was fun banter, comedy, breathtaking scenery, great acting, engaging story, wonderful chemistry and moving ending. It made both my husband and I cry. :-) I have enjoyed a few of the newer mysteries, this year, and I really like the "Abby Brooks" one from earlier this year. But, this latest mystery has taken over as 'hands down' my favorite new mystery this year. I agree with the other poster who said they are looking forward to more. Magic...seriously! :-) ~Joan
🍁 Retreat to You – This is a lighthearted movie starring Emilie Ullerup (Chesapeake Shores). If you’re a nature lover then you’ll probably enjoy this one. I do agree with the caution mentioned by others for young viewers, due to the friends looking for the lost couple in the man’s bedroom, although, they are thankfully not there. It’s sweet to see Emilie’s character reconnect with her childhood friend / secret crush and develop a mild-love for nature. Overall, it was an okay one-time watch for me. ~Net
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‘A VERY VENICE ROMANCE’
Saturday, September 30 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Stephanie Leonidas, Raniero Monaco Di Lapio
Amy (Leonidas) is a New York City executive working for Blossom, a wellness company that has been trying to launch deliverable meal prep kits. She needs to find a chef to help guide the venture and tries to woo Marcello Barone (Di Lapio), an Italian chef. When Amy contacts him, he turns her down -- Marcello got burned in the past by the New York restaurant scene and is now enjoying running a cooking school in Venice. To try and persuade him, Amy enrolls in his cooking school, which is located in a stunning Venetian palazzo. While there, Marcello introduces Amy to the slow-paced pleasures of Italy and shows her how the kits can be healthy by using fresh ingredients. But when the cooking course is over, and Amy fails to lure Marcello back to New York, will she go back or stay in Venice?
Movie Reviews:
🍁 A Very Venice Romance was great; the city is beautiful and still afloat! :) ~Namegirl
🍁 A Very Venice Romance is family friendly about Amy travels to Venice. Italy, to lure Chef Marcella into helping company’s new venture. When Marcelo declines, she signs up for his advanced cooking course to make her case. Amy is staying in Venice with Marcello ~Anonymous
🍁 My husband and I watched "A Very Venice Romance", last night, and we enjoyed it. The leading couple had very nice chemistry. The scenery was spectacular and the supporting players were good. Italy is on my bucket list and one day I hope to visit there. I hope everyone is doing well. I am getting so excited about the upcoming holiday movies. Some of the movies look so great! ~ Joyce in Carolina
🍁 Hallmark’s “A Very Venice Romance” is family friendly and treats the viewers to breathtaking scenes of Venice and the Italian countryside as the backdrop for romance to bloom. The chemistry between Stephanie Leonidas, who plays a NYC exec of a wellness company, and Raniero Monaco Di Lapio, who has returned to Venice after burning out as a NYC chef, is fantastic. Hallmark crafted the perfect romance while immersing the viewer in a picturesque location that is beautifully enhanced by Italian music, cuisine, dialogue and fashion. Meraviglioso e bellissimo! ~MPT
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‘WHEN CALLS THE HEART’ – Season 10, Episode 1009 – “Deep Water”
Sunday, September 24 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Erin Krakow, Pascale Hutton, Jack Wagner, Kavan Smith, Chris McNally, Kevin McGarry, Andrea Brooks, Martin Cummins, Kayla Wallace, Loretta Walsh, Amanda Wong, Johannah Newmarch, Viv Leacock, Natasha Burnett, Ben Rosenbaum, Hrothgar Mathews, Jaeda Lily Miller, Hyland Goodrich.
Everyone helps Rosemary (Hutton) as the Governor visits early. Meanwhile, Nathan (McGarry) is called away to help with land trouble only to find himself in unexpected danger and with surprising intel.
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PREMIERING IN SEPTEMBER
‘LOVE IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS: A NATIONAL PARK ROMANCE’
Saturday, September 2 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Arielle Kebbel, Zach Roerig
Former sweethearts (Kebbel, Roerig) reunite at an archeological dig in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As they work together competing for the same research grant, they discover they might still have feelings for one another.
Movie Reviews:
🍁 Smoky Mountains movie is sweet, but a bit disconnected. ~dstoutholcomb
🍁 Love in the Great Smoky Mountains: A National Park Romance is family friendly about when former sweethearts named Haley & Rob bump into each other & reunite for an archaeological dig at an excavation site for an archeological research team in Great Smoky Mountains National Park & spark fly in between them as they explore at the park & Haley finds pictographs in a cave that may lead to the existence of a mythical Cherokee diamond. 2 archeologists rekindle their romance while they search for a mystical treasure in the Great Smoky Mountains & reconnect over their common love of nature & history. Haley meets Troy. Troy introduces Haley & Rob to Sky from Indian Village. ~Anonymous
🍁 Love in the Great Smoky Mountains review: I've only watched two National parks movies (this one and the Zion one), but are they movies or ads for the National Parks? Because both I've seen are more the second. I felt like I was being lectured in school! The acting was bad, too. It sounded like they were all reading from a script. The archaeology seemed so unrealistic. Not that I know much on the topic, but I find it hard to believe that they would be finding perfect specimens every five minutes! And would they really fill six boxes worth of artifacts in a day? Doubtful. At least it was clean. Should I even waste my time on any more national parks movies? Let me know everyone! ~melnewlife
🍁 Hallmark’s “Love in the Great Smoky Mountains” is family-friendly and features breathtaking scenes of the mountains, waterfalls and trails. Having lived in East Tennessee for 30+ years, I really enjoyed recognizing many of the sites and locations I’ve visited with my family (this film was actually filmed in the GSMNP and Knoxville). Romance is rekindled between two archaeologists working on a dig at an ancient Cherokee village, and also trying to solve a myth about a lost crystal. I also enjoyed the budding relationship between the two Cherokees – one from the Eastern Tribe who lives in Tennessee, and the other a decendent of the relocated tribes in Oklahoma. The film is actually quite educational for those unfamiliar with the history of the Cherokee Nation or the Trail of Tears, which was accurately retold with reverence and respect. I thought Arielle Kebbel was outstanding in the leading role too. ~MPT
🍁 Hallmark movies once upon a time were special but they have been going downhill for years now. Love in the Smoky Mountains reaches a new low though. Consider hiring a writer with a novel idea in his or her head. And definitely hire someone with some experience in the subject matter as an advisor to make things at least a tiny bit realistic. The depictions of archeology in this movie is pitiful. And if you are going to have people hiking in a National Park find someone who has hiked further than from one store to another on Rodeo Drive. An AI could write a better script than this. ~Anonymous
‘WHEN CALLS THE HEART’ – Season 10, Episode 10006 – “The Heart of the Problem”
Sunday, September 3 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Erin Krakow, Pascale Hutton, Jack Wagner, Kavan Smith, Chris McNally, Kevin McGarry, Andrea Brooks, Martin Cummins, Loretta Walsh, Amanda Wong, Johannah Newmarch, Viv Leacock, Natasha Burnett, Ben Rosenbaum, Hrothgar Mathews, Jaeda Lily Miller.
Rosemary (Hutton) and Lee’s (Smith) baby has brought up memories of Rosemary’s own mother, and questions about her past. Meanwhile, the kids feel left out of the hot springs with all the tourists.
'FOURTH DOWN AND LOVE’
Saturday, September 9 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Pascale Hutton, Ryan Paevey
Sparks are reignited when a single mother (Hutton) and a pro football player (Paevey) coincidentally meet again on her daughter’s flag football field after his career is interrupted by a sports injury.
Movie Review:
🍁🏈 FOURTH DOWN AND LOVE - *clean and family friendly, with divorce topic* (I did watch it while working on my computer so hopefully I didn’t miss anything)
I didn’t expect to like this, but I really enjoyed it. The movie does have a “girl power” theme, with the girls playing flag football. I personally don't think it was extreme feminism. Chemistry was great. Personally, I think Ryan Paevey usually comes across as too cold and aloof in movies, but here he was more warm. Pascale was hilarious and fantastic as always. Just love her! The side characters were enjoyable to watch also. It was a solid, funny and heartwarming movie. ~CH Mom
🍁🏈 I enjoyed the football movie and WCTH. ~ dstoutholcomb
🍁🏈 I just finished watching Fourth Down and Love, and really enjoyed it! It was definitely family-friendly, and the characters were all very real, and often funny. I agree with CH Mom that (Ryan Paevey) seemed warmer in this movie than he sometimes is in other movies; perhaps it's just better chemistry this time around. ~Sharon in MI
🍁🏈 Fourth Down and Love - 100% family-friendly ~Anonymous
‘WHEN CALLS THE HEART’ – Season 10, Episode 10007 – “Best Laid Plans”
Sunday, September 10 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Erin Krakow, Pascale Hutton, Jack Wagner, Kavan Smith, Chris McNally, Kevin McGarry, Andrea Brooks, Martin Cummins, Loretta Walsh, Amanda Wong, Johannah Newmarch, Viv Leacock, Natasha Burnett, Ben Rosenbaum, Hrothgar Mathews, Jaeda Lily Miller, Hyland Goodrich.
When a former student visits, Elizabeth (Krakow) thinks she may need her help. Meanwhile, Lucas (McNally) orders something for all of Hope Valley to enjoy…if they can get it working.
NOTE: This movie will have a same-sex couple; therefore, I will not be promoting it.
‘NOTES OF AUTUMN’
Saturday, September 16 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Ashley Williams, Luke Macfarlane, Marcus Rosner, and Peter Porte
Ellie (Williams) is a fun-loving, classically trained pianist living in the city who gave up on her passion long ago. Now working for a hotel, she always seems to be getting things wrong when musical inspiration strikes. Her best friend Leo (Macfarlane) lives in the rustic outskirts of British Columbia. He's a famous author with writer's block who can't seem to finish another installment in his highly popular book series. Realizing they both need a change of scenery as the chilly days of autumn settle in, they decide to swap places, only to find themselves completely lost in new surroundings. Ellie gets tangled up in helping Sam (Rosner), Leo's neighbor, put together a musical performance for a local fundraiser and comes to terms with why she quit music years ago. Leo strikes up a friendship with Ellie's good friend Matt (Porte) and opens himself up to writing something different that really inspires him. Their newfound friendships turn into something far more meaningful, and as both Ellie and Leo take part in the joys of the autumn season, they also discover their hearts belong somewhere very different than they ever thought possible.
‘WHEN CALLS THE HEART’ – Season 10, Episode 10008 –“What Is and What Never Should Be”
Sunday, September 17 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Erin Krakow, Pascale Hutton, Jack Wagner, Kavan Smith, Chris McNally, Kevin McGarry, Andrea Brooks, Martin Cummins, Kayla Wallace, Loretta Walsh, Amanda Wong, Johannah Newmarch, Viv Leacock, Natasha Burnett, Ben Rosenbaum, Hrothgar Mathews, Jaeda Lily Miller, Hyland Goodrich.
Elizabeth (Krakow) encourages Gowen (Cummins) to seek forgiveness from Rosaleen (Mamie Laverock, “Spotlight on Christmas”) to heal old wounds. Meanwhile, Montague (Benjamin Wilkinson, “Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies”) continues to raise suspicion.
‘RETREAT TO YOU’
Saturday, September 23 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Emilie Ullerup, Peter Mooney, Meghan Heffern, Donald Heng
Abby (Ullerup) and Sean (Mooney) were best friends in high school until they had a falling out at their graduation party. Years later, when Abby’s friend Rachel (Heffern) brings her to a wilderness retreat, she is shocked to run into Sean. This chance reconnection only results in the old friends butting heads even more. However, when the pair becomes separated from the group on a hiking trip, they must work together to find their way back to the campsite. As the walls come down, they'll face the reality of why their friendship and their lives fell apart and come to learn that maybe the way forward is together.
Movie Reviews:
🍁 RETREAT TO YOU (*SPOILERS AHEAD*) - clean
I think this had a lot of potential, but honestly not very well written. So many cheesy and cringey things and so many flaws in the detail that was annoying.
- Abby is a very confusing character. One moment, Abby said she is upset with Sean, then next she was not. The whole thing about Abby “rescuing” Sean in the high rope course was a bit ridiculous, especially after the instructor said the course could only support 1 person. Right before, she said she doesn’t do high ropes? One day she kissed Sean, the next day she said “no long distance”. Then, Abby and Sean were just arguing and fighting too much when they were lost. In the beginning, Abby told Rachel that “Sean left her at the bus stop and she never heard from him again”, and then we found out that Sean actually called and wrote but Abby chose to ignore him. I thought that was odd. - The married couple were quite grumpy and showed hostility towards each other in the beginning, which made it uncomfortable to watch. - The chef bailing out from his job to go with the search party. How is that okay? Ugh, I’m sorry. I know this is all too nitpicky. I just remember feeling annoyed when I was watching this. The chemistry was pretty good, so there is that. ~CH Mom
🍁 Retreat to You was just a one time watch for me. Story is a little slow and some of the "arguing" between the leads was either too dramatic or in some moments just silly. Her best friend was way too dramatic in some scenes. It is family friendly as far being "woke" but there is a moment when they think the leads could have spent the night together in his room and go to check and see if they're there. Of course they're not, but the suggestion is insinuated! I would say PG13 on this one! ~Joyce in Carolina
🍁 I watched Retreat To You, and I really liked it. I did not ever see the Nature of Love movie with Emilie Ullerup and Chris Russell, so I didnt really see this as a similar movie to that.
I LOVE Emilie Ullerup, her acting is on par, and she is so good with facial expressions, and she is just a fantastic actress. I have loved her acting since she started on HM, I can't remember if CS came before Hearts of Christmas or not. But Bree was one of my favorites on CS cause of her.
I liked the fact that SEan & Abby were just BF's before, not old loves. Not at all an uncommon or unheard-of reason they never got together, one thought the other didnt feel the same way and Sean thought she was back with her ex. Abby is afraid to love or commit, and she plays that well.
I liked how they did kiss a few times in the movie, i hate when people wait til the end. I liked that the movie was very grown up, I mean it would be hard to think your relationship could work when 1) you are different people than before and 2) you live 5 hours away.
I am a sucker for movies when they go to a retreat or a ranch or mountain cabin setting, if done well. And this was done well. Not a fan of the island retreats or getaways or the winter getaway retreats, but the summer and fall I LOVE!!!
Peter Mooney was great, loved him and Emilie's chemistry. So happy to have David Lewis in a movie, and Meghan Heffern was a delight. Nice to see her not playing the other woman like she was in Winter Castle. A great all around cast, and a great movie. I would like to think Abby and Sean do work out in the future, although I am just glad it wasn't just instant get together. ~Sabrina
🍁 Hallmark’s “Retreat to You” is family-friendly, but the leads slog through an overused and tired story line, and at times the scenes and dialogue were just plain boring. This was certainly not Emilie Ullerup’s best performance either - definitely not a keeper for me. ~MPT
🍁 So I watched Retreat to You over the weekend & it was family friendly from what I recall, I liked the supporting characters, but I don’t know something about the main characters wasn’t drawing me in enough….like I started folding laundry and only half watching at times. Emilie seemed exhausted throughout the movie…,a one time watch for me. ~Paula
🍁 Okay, I watched "Retreat to You" and agree with others who posted comments. It was just 'okay'. Tired story line, zero chemistry and boring supporting players, although I did like Abby's best friend. And, I align with others who posted about "“Murder in G Major” (Haunted Harmony Mysteries). My husband and I absolutely LOVED that movie! It had everything "Retreat to You" did not. There was fun banter, comedy, breathtaking scenery, great acting, engaging story, wonderful chemistry and moving ending. It made both my husband and I cry. :-) I have enjoyed a few of the newer mysteries, this year, and I really like the "Abby Brooks" one from earlier this year. But, this latest mystery has taken over as 'hands down' my favorite new mystery this year. I agree with the other poster who said they are looking forward to more. Magic...seriously! :-) ~Joan
🍁 Retreat to You – This is a lighthearted movie starring Emilie Ullerup (Chesapeake Shores). If you’re a nature lover then you’ll probably enjoy this one. I do agree with the caution mentioned by others for young viewers, due to the friends looking for the lost couple in the man’s bedroom, although, they are thankfully not there. It’s sweet to see Emilie’s character reconnect with her childhood friend / secret crush and develop a mild-love for nature. Overall, it was an okay one-time watch for me. ~Net
‘A VERY VENICE ROMANCE’
Saturday, September 30 (8 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Stephanie Leonidas, Raniero Monaco Di Lapio
Amy (Leonidas) is a New York City executive working for Blossom, a wellness company that has been trying to launch deliverable meal prep kits. She needs to find a chef to help guide the venture and tries to woo Marcello Barone (Di Lapio), an Italian chef. When Amy contacts him, he turns her down -- Marcello got burned in the past by the New York restaurant scene and is now enjoying running a cooking school in Venice. To try and persuade him, Amy enrolls in his cooking school, which is located in a stunning Venetian palazzo. While there, Marcello introduces Amy to the slow-paced pleasures of Italy and shows her how the kits can be healthy by using fresh ingredients. But when the cooking course is over, and Amy fails to lure Marcello back to New York, will she go back or stay in Venice?
Movie Reviews:
🍁 A Very Venice Romance was great; the city is beautiful and still afloat! :) ~Namegirl
🍁 A Very Venice Romance is family friendly about Amy travels to Venice. Italy, to lure Chef Marcella into helping company’s new venture. When Marcelo declines, she signs up for his advanced cooking course to make her case. Amy is staying in Venice with Marcello ~Anonymous
🍁 My husband and I watched "A Very Venice Romance", last night, and we enjoyed it. The leading couple had very nice chemistry. The scenery was spectacular and the supporting players were good. Italy is on my bucket list and one day I hope to visit there. I hope everyone is doing well. I am getting so excited about the upcoming holiday movies. Some of the movies look so great! ~ Joyce in Carolina
🍁 Hallmark’s “A Very Venice Romance” is family friendly and treats the viewers to breathtaking scenes of Venice and the Italian countryside as the backdrop for romance to bloom. The chemistry between Stephanie Leonidas, who plays a NYC exec of a wellness company, and Raniero Monaco Di Lapio, who has returned to Venice after burning out as a NYC chef, is fantastic. Hallmark crafted the perfect romance while immersing the viewer in a picturesque location that is beautifully enhanced by Italian music, cuisine, dialogue and fashion. Meraviglioso e bellissimo! ~MPT
‘WHEN CALLS THE HEART’ – Season 10, Episode 1009 – “Deep Water”
Sunday, September 24 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Erin Krakow, Pascale Hutton, Jack Wagner, Kavan Smith, Chris McNally, Kevin McGarry, Andrea Brooks, Martin Cummins, Kayla Wallace, Loretta Walsh, Amanda Wong, Johannah Newmarch, Viv Leacock, Natasha Burnett, Ben Rosenbaum, Hrothgar Mathews, Jaeda Lily Miller, Hyland Goodrich.
Everyone helps Rosemary (Hutton) as the Governor visits early. Meanwhile, Nathan (McGarry) is called away to help with land trouble only to find himself in unexpected danger and with surprising intel.
PREMIERING IN SEPTEMBER
ON HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES:
‘GUIDING EMILY’
Friday, September 8 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Sarah Drew, Antonio Cupo, Eric McCormack
Emily’s (Drew) life veers off course when she becomes permanently blind after an unfortunate rock-climbing accident and struggles to cope with her new reality. Meanwhile, a potential guide dog named Garth (voiced by McCormack) is also struggling with his rigorous training. With the help of Emily’s friend Matthew (Cupo) and Garth’s trainer Katie (Sharon Taylor, “Nancy Drew”), both make headway in their important transitions. Through a series of missed encounters, both overcome their obstacles, and Garth ends up being paired with Emily. With Garth by her side, Emily takes on her biggest challenge yet, opening her heart.
*Based on the book, Guiding Emily: A Tale of Love, Loss, and Courage, by Author, Barbara Hinske (writer of The Christmas Club)
Movie Reviews:
🍁🐕 Guiding Emily is one the best movies Hallmark has produced in a while. Should have been a Hallmark Hall of Fame! Superb acting all around and the dogs were great too! And it's family friendly. ~Joyce in Carolina
🍁🐕 I agree with Joyce from Carolina about Guiding Emily. It is truly a wonderful movie one that gives you the full Hallmark feeling. I was concerned about the dog having a voice but Garth did an excellent job they did it just perfectly. The acting was wonderful I love the relationships in the movie where the friends were helping her along not giving her pity and letting her just sit there. They said you're stronger than that we support you, we're with you. They were her true friends. My words cannot truly Express how happy I am with this movie. It was wonderfully made wonderfully acted and it is such a heartwarming story. Great job Hallmark I have to give you lots of props for it! ~Anonymous
🍁🐕 Hallmark’s “Guiding Emily” is a compelling, family-friendly, and engaging story of the love shared with a woman, Emily, who loses her eye-sight during a freak accident while rock-climbing. Despite her tragic blindness, she opens her heart to the love of her mother, friends, and coworkers, all helping her to restore some semblance of normalcy in her young life. Especially touching is the mutual love between Emily and her future service dog, Garth – whose thoughts are shared with the viewers as he endures his training as a seeing-eye dog. For me, the icing on the cake is the romantic relationship that develops between Emily and her longtime friend and admirer from her rock-climbing gym. This film is classic Hallmark that lives up to their motto, “Where Love Happens”. ~MPT
🍁🐕 This movie was such a delight!! I loved how emotional it was. Honestly, I couldn’t stop thinking about this movie even the next day after I watched it. I’m thinking of reading the book too. Sarah Drew’s acting was remarkable. It was such a heartbreaking scene when she found out she was blind permanently, and I was bawling my eyes out for her. The chemistry was great, although I did wish for more screen time between the 2 leads. Half of the movie Emily was still engaged to Connor. Her friendship-turned-romance with Matthew was so sweet. Although what happened to her was soul crushing, it also makes my heart happy to see how she was surrounded by really kind friends, coworkers, neighbor, who showered her with support and love. This was a truly terrific writing, directing, and acting all around. Of course Garth was super cute too. The only thing I wish is that this could’ve been a longer movie because I didn’t want it to end! Amazing job, Hallmark! ~CH Mom
🍁🐕 Guiding Emily is family friendly about Emily loses her eyesight due to rock climbing accident without a helmet & elbow & knee caps when she becomes blind when a guide dog named Garth since he was a puppy is struggling to his rigorous training. Emily gets help from her friend named Matthew & Garth’s dog trainer Katie are both make headway in their important transitions. Emily ends up paired with the guide dog named Garth by her side.Garth the guide dog was a puppy he recognized Emily & he wants to be with Emily. Emily’s colleague named Drew brings her desk, laptop, voiceover phone, etc…, at Emily’s place. Emily uses a cane & a guide dog named Garth is hardly known Emily when he was a puppy. Mark named lab retriever Garth. He works at Visionary Guide Dogs Foundation. Emily is with Matthew & Garth the Guide Dog ~Anonymous
🍁🐕 Guiding Emily review;
I really enjoyed watching this movie! It was heartwarming and sweet. Great cast. Family friendly. Truly enjoyable and she did a terrific job acting being blind, frustrated and kind at the same time. I was surprised this wasn't a Hall of Fame.
The only thing that really bothered me was the couple living together. We know that they were not married. Sadly, I am seeing more and more of this on Hallmark.
Overall great film! I would be glad to see it again! ~Abigail
🍁🐕 On the brighter side, I just watched Sara Drew’s new movie and I have to say it was one of the best movies Hallmark has had in years, the acting, the story, just had me emotional the whole time, excellent movie! ~Susan Ann
🍁🐕 I loved Guiding Emily so much! Sarah Drew's acting was amazing in this movie - she moved me to tears several times. My twelve-year-old daughter watched it with me, and her favorite part was the dog's narration, which made her giggle. Also, my sister just happens to be a teacher for the blind, and she is helping me teach a class on braille and blindness to our homeschool co-op. A lot of this movie was very accurate, so much so, that my daughter and I kept going, "Aunt Tracy taught us about that!" Sure, it is unrealistic that she got her dog so easily, but even the movie acknowledged that. Whoever wrote this script needs a raise and needs to write more for Hallmark! One of their best! Oh, and I really liked the part where they addressed the problem of people slapping a vest on their dog and calling it an "emotional support dog" when it isn't trained. This is causing major problems for people who really have true support dogs. My sister gets very passionate about this issue! ~melnewlife
🍁🐕 Guiding Emily – Wow! This was one of the most moving, emotional films I’ve seen on Hallmark for a while. Sarah Drew’s performance was stellar, Emmy nomination worthy! I found her to be truly authentic in this role as a woman who has recently gone blind due to a terrible accident. It was heartbreaking to watch her initially struggle with the blindness and the hope that it would only be temporary. The only somewhat weird thing – was the dog does talk, but thankfully, no one hears him speak. It adds a cute, lighthearted element to the story, which is rather heavy. It was also nice to see Antonio Cupo (A Glenbrooke Christmas, Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade) in this, since he often works behind the camera these days. Overall, Guiding Emily is must-see Hallmark movie, which may require a tissue or two, and will definitely pull at your heartstrings. ~Net
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‘COME FLY WITH ME’
Friday, September 15 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Heather Hemmens and Niall Matter
After landing a spot on the Thunderbirds team, an Air Force pilot must find a way to balance flying, family, and her budding romance with a widowed father.
Movie Reviews:
✈ Come Fly with me: This is 100% the best HMM movie I've seen since The Blessing Bracelet!! It's absolutely amazing!! –Maria
✈ Come Fly With Me was so great and heartfelt!! I especially loved the two sweet girls and how kind they were to e Iach other! Plus family-friendly! But one thing...it was really kind of the dad to let his daughter play make up on him, but if it was my house....NONE of our menfolk would even let us think about it. Thinking about that makes me laugh! ~Abigail
✈ Come Fly With Me was such a great movie! I loved the flying images, the supporting characters (Lossen Chambers especially) and the love story between both leads was so cute to watch. I really felt for Emma and the trauma she went through with her husbands accident. All in all great movie! ~Paula
✈ I will be the odd ball here. I didn't care for Come Fly with Me. It is family friendly and the flying scenes were great. I didn't feel the chemistry between the leads and at times seamed very forced. The story itself was just off to me, but that's just my opinion. We all see things different. ~Joyce in Carolina
✈ COME FLY WITH ME (review contain spoilers!)
*clean & family friendly*
This was a sweet heartwarming movie. I didn’t know what to expect when I started watching. I thought it would be a standard Hallmark movie but it actually had more action than the usuals. The 2 girls’ friendship was sweet. Chemistry was pretty good. Heather Hemmens was totally cool as a pilot. I was so nervous for her when she was flying the heart for transplant back through a bad weather. I’m not sure how realistic this part of the storyline is (the fact that they let a thunderbird pilot to fly a heart for transplant through a bad weather), but it was super cool that she did that. The epilogue was sweet but a tad weird without an officiant in the wedding, and no explanation (only us making the assumption) how Emma gets to stay beyond the 2 years. ~CH Mom
✈ And it (CFWM) was! I just watched it on DVR. It wasn’t an unforgettable plot, but it was really uplifting and CLEAN, and that is my priority anymore w Hallmark! It was a little weird they had no priest/ minister/ etc at the end. Very secular to me, but I really hope they’ll make more family movies like this. It was a nice glimpse into the USAF - Suzie
✈ Come Fly With Me – First of all, for all of you action-adventure seekers, there are lots of cool flying scenes from the Thunderbirds in this movie. And for all of you rom-com lovers, there is such a sweet chemistry between Emma and Paul, and I enjoyed the new friendship with their pre-teen daughters, as well. Paul, an outdoor store owner, played by Niall Matter, is such the perfect Girl-Dad, even letting his daughter play beauty parlor with him and paint his nails. That was such a cute scene; even Emma, who has such a busy schedule joins in and lets the girls apply makeup on her, but instead of looking kinda silly, like Paul, Emma looked even prettier and it was obvious Paul noticed, and it was even more interesting that Emma noticed Paul notice. There were obvious sparks between them, but since Emma knew that she and her daughter would have to move again for her work, she did her best to resist falling for Paul. Overall, Come Fly with Me has some interesting twists and turns and is a fascinating, family-friendly watch. ~Net
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‘HAUNTED HARMONY MYSTERIES: MURDER IN G MAJOR’
Friday, September 22 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Tamera Mowry-Housley, Risteard Cooper, Marco Grazzini, Adam Fergus
Former orchestra conductor Gethsemane Brown (Mowry-Housley) has moved to the Irish countryside to teach music at St. Brendan’s boarding school. After deciphering a cryptic musical message, she meets renowned composer Eamon McCarthy (Cooper), who is rumored to be behind the death of his longtime love. Complicating things further, Eamon’s a ghost! Eamon enlists Gethsemane’s help to find the real person responsible so that he can finally move on and reunite with his true love in the afterlife. With the ghost of Eamon tagging along, Gethsemane investigates, but faces resistance from the charming Inspector O’Reilly (Fergus), who takes a liking to her but considers the case closed. Juggling her sleuthing with the job she was hired to do, Gethsemane meanwhile struggles to turn the motley crew of students at St. Brendan’s into a choir that can compete at Regionals, though a handsome math teacher Griff (Grazzini) is able to help her gain some ground. But when her sleuthing brings her close to solving the case for Eamon, it looks like Gethsemane has only a ghost of a chance of making it out alive.
Move Reviews:
🍁 However, I did really enjoy the Hallmark Mystery movie! I just don't get why only make one movie! At least make 4 or 5 and see how it goes to create more. Great chemistry and a solid mystery. Misty
🍁 I really enjoyed the Haunted Harmony Mystery. It was interesting and funny at parts. It felt like the older HMM mysteries from five years ago. Definitely my favorite HMM mystery in a long time. For once, I actually want them to do another one of these. It’s been a long time since I had that feeling. ~Anonymous
🍁 My mom, teen daughter, and I loved “Murder in G Major” (Haunted Harmony Mysteries). It was family-friendly and humorous and featured beautiful Irish scenery. To me, the haunting is not meant to be taken literally, so I tend to view it more as a creative and literary plot device. I hope there are more movies in this series as I like how it incorporates music and a different type of setting than the other Hallmark mystery movies. ~Anonymous
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‘MYSTERY ISLAND’
Friday, September 29 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Elizabeth Henstridge, Charlie Weber
London Police psychiatrist Dr. Emilia Priestly (Henstridge) needs to take a relaxing break from her stressful job, so her wealthy friend, Baroness Jane Alcott (Kezia Burrows, “Crash”), invites her to Mystery Island, an immersive murder-mystery-themed resort hosting a special retreat for the original investors. As the mystery game begins, tragedy strikes: John Murtaugh (Robert Getman) the resort’s reclusive founder, is murdered. The visitors are confined to the island as local detective Jason Trent (Weber) investigates the case. Once Emilia proves her innocence, she makes use of her special skills to help Jason find the murderer. The lines between game and reality are blurred as they unravel the web of romance, revenge, and betrayal behind the resort, its guests, and its elusive founder.
Movie Reviews:
🍁 Mystery Island was a fun whodunit that gave me Agatha Christie vibes. Elizabeth Henstridge did a great job in this movie, reminding me of why I loved her in the TV show Agents of Shield. She was flat in her Hallmark debut, but not in this movie! I think she's better when she keeps her British accent, lol. The ending hinted at possibly more movies, which I would be all for because I loved her chemistry with the male detective. However, I'm not sure if people would keep coming to visit an island where people keep dying? On the other hand, I guess that sort of happens in all Hallmark mysteries! Anyways, this was definitely a favorite for me. ~melnewlife
🍁 Anyway, I tried to watch "Mystery Island" but ended up turning it off after about ten minutes. It was not good. ~Joan
🍁 I tried watching the Mystery Island, but couldn't get into it pass the ten minutes. ~Abigail
🍁 I tried to watch Mystery Island couldn't do it! ~ Joyce in Carolina
🍁 Mystery Island has a bit of a slow start as we are introduced to some rather interesting characters who've all assembled on an island together for a murder mystery game. It's a popular destination event place, and while the game is meant to only be fun, the contestants get more than what they bargained for when one of them winds up dead. The movie is interesting enough, but it's a little slow, too, and lots of names are thrown around, so you have to keep on your toes to remember who each person is. At times, there's even a feel of what it must be like to be in a real-life Clue game. There's only a subtle romantic connection between the leads, which leaves the door open for potential sequels, but this may be another one and done mystery. ~Net
🍁 Mystery Island was really good and definitely underrated. Those of you who stopped ten minutes into it, go back and try again! Family-friendly, otherwise I wouldn’t have watched it. It was kind of hard with the accents and maybe poor sound, I’m not sure, but the story was really good and intriguing. Especially the plot twist at the very end. ***Spoilers*** There was a question as to how they just sort of dismissed the second murder. I know it wasn’t intentional, but the way they just let it go was kind of weird.**** Don’t know how they could make more of these, but I would watch it if they did!-Anonymous1
‘GUIDING EMILY’
Friday, September 8 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Sarah Drew, Antonio Cupo, Eric McCormack
Emily’s (Drew) life veers off course when she becomes permanently blind after an unfortunate rock-climbing accident and struggles to cope with her new reality. Meanwhile, a potential guide dog named Garth (voiced by McCormack) is also struggling with his rigorous training. With the help of Emily’s friend Matthew (Cupo) and Garth’s trainer Katie (Sharon Taylor, “Nancy Drew”), both make headway in their important transitions. Through a series of missed encounters, both overcome their obstacles, and Garth ends up being paired with Emily. With Garth by her side, Emily takes on her biggest challenge yet, opening her heart.
*Based on the book, Guiding Emily: A Tale of Love, Loss, and Courage, by Author, Barbara Hinske (writer of The Christmas Club)
Movie Reviews:
🍁🐕 Guiding Emily is one the best movies Hallmark has produced in a while. Should have been a Hallmark Hall of Fame! Superb acting all around and the dogs were great too! And it's family friendly. ~Joyce in Carolina
🍁🐕 I agree with Joyce from Carolina about Guiding Emily. It is truly a wonderful movie one that gives you the full Hallmark feeling. I was concerned about the dog having a voice but Garth did an excellent job they did it just perfectly. The acting was wonderful I love the relationships in the movie where the friends were helping her along not giving her pity and letting her just sit there. They said you're stronger than that we support you, we're with you. They were her true friends. My words cannot truly Express how happy I am with this movie. It was wonderfully made wonderfully acted and it is such a heartwarming story. Great job Hallmark I have to give you lots of props for it! ~Anonymous
🍁🐕 Hallmark’s “Guiding Emily” is a compelling, family-friendly, and engaging story of the love shared with a woman, Emily, who loses her eye-sight during a freak accident while rock-climbing. Despite her tragic blindness, she opens her heart to the love of her mother, friends, and coworkers, all helping her to restore some semblance of normalcy in her young life. Especially touching is the mutual love between Emily and her future service dog, Garth – whose thoughts are shared with the viewers as he endures his training as a seeing-eye dog. For me, the icing on the cake is the romantic relationship that develops between Emily and her longtime friend and admirer from her rock-climbing gym. This film is classic Hallmark that lives up to their motto, “Where Love Happens”. ~MPT
🍁🐕 This movie was such a delight!! I loved how emotional it was. Honestly, I couldn’t stop thinking about this movie even the next day after I watched it. I’m thinking of reading the book too. Sarah Drew’s acting was remarkable. It was such a heartbreaking scene when she found out she was blind permanently, and I was bawling my eyes out for her. The chemistry was great, although I did wish for more screen time between the 2 leads. Half of the movie Emily was still engaged to Connor. Her friendship-turned-romance with Matthew was so sweet. Although what happened to her was soul crushing, it also makes my heart happy to see how she was surrounded by really kind friends, coworkers, neighbor, who showered her with support and love. This was a truly terrific writing, directing, and acting all around. Of course Garth was super cute too. The only thing I wish is that this could’ve been a longer movie because I didn’t want it to end! Amazing job, Hallmark! ~CH Mom
🍁🐕 Guiding Emily is family friendly about Emily loses her eyesight due to rock climbing accident without a helmet & elbow & knee caps when she becomes blind when a guide dog named Garth since he was a puppy is struggling to his rigorous training. Emily gets help from her friend named Matthew & Garth’s dog trainer Katie are both make headway in their important transitions. Emily ends up paired with the guide dog named Garth by her side.Garth the guide dog was a puppy he recognized Emily & he wants to be with Emily. Emily’s colleague named Drew brings her desk, laptop, voiceover phone, etc…, at Emily’s place. Emily uses a cane & a guide dog named Garth is hardly known Emily when he was a puppy. Mark named lab retriever Garth. He works at Visionary Guide Dogs Foundation. Emily is with Matthew & Garth the Guide Dog ~Anonymous
🍁🐕 Guiding Emily review;
I really enjoyed watching this movie! It was heartwarming and sweet. Great cast. Family friendly. Truly enjoyable and she did a terrific job acting being blind, frustrated and kind at the same time. I was surprised this wasn't a Hall of Fame.
The only thing that really bothered me was the couple living together. We know that they were not married. Sadly, I am seeing more and more of this on Hallmark.
Overall great film! I would be glad to see it again! ~Abigail
🍁🐕 On the brighter side, I just watched Sara Drew’s new movie and I have to say it was one of the best movies Hallmark has had in years, the acting, the story, just had me emotional the whole time, excellent movie! ~Susan Ann
🍁🐕 I loved Guiding Emily so much! Sarah Drew's acting was amazing in this movie - she moved me to tears several times. My twelve-year-old daughter watched it with me, and her favorite part was the dog's narration, which made her giggle. Also, my sister just happens to be a teacher for the blind, and she is helping me teach a class on braille and blindness to our homeschool co-op. A lot of this movie was very accurate, so much so, that my daughter and I kept going, "Aunt Tracy taught us about that!" Sure, it is unrealistic that she got her dog so easily, but even the movie acknowledged that. Whoever wrote this script needs a raise and needs to write more for Hallmark! One of their best! Oh, and I really liked the part where they addressed the problem of people slapping a vest on their dog and calling it an "emotional support dog" when it isn't trained. This is causing major problems for people who really have true support dogs. My sister gets very passionate about this issue! ~melnewlife
🍁🐕 Guiding Emily – Wow! This was one of the most moving, emotional films I’ve seen on Hallmark for a while. Sarah Drew’s performance was stellar, Emmy nomination worthy! I found her to be truly authentic in this role as a woman who has recently gone blind due to a terrible accident. It was heartbreaking to watch her initially struggle with the blindness and the hope that it would only be temporary. The only somewhat weird thing – was the dog does talk, but thankfully, no one hears him speak. It adds a cute, lighthearted element to the story, which is rather heavy. It was also nice to see Antonio Cupo (A Glenbrooke Christmas, Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade) in this, since he often works behind the camera these days. Overall, Guiding Emily is must-see Hallmark movie, which may require a tissue or two, and will definitely pull at your heartstrings. ~Net
‘COME FLY WITH ME’
Friday, September 15 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Heather Hemmens and Niall Matter
After landing a spot on the Thunderbirds team, an Air Force pilot must find a way to balance flying, family, and her budding romance with a widowed father.
Movie Reviews:
✈ Come Fly with me: This is 100% the best HMM movie I've seen since The Blessing Bracelet!! It's absolutely amazing!! –Maria
✈ Come Fly With Me was so great and heartfelt!! I especially loved the two sweet girls and how kind they were to e Iach other! Plus family-friendly! But one thing...it was really kind of the dad to let his daughter play make up on him, but if it was my house....NONE of our menfolk would even let us think about it. Thinking about that makes me laugh! ~Abigail
✈ Come Fly With Me was such a great movie! I loved the flying images, the supporting characters (Lossen Chambers especially) and the love story between both leads was so cute to watch. I really felt for Emma and the trauma she went through with her husbands accident. All in all great movie! ~Paula
✈ I will be the odd ball here. I didn't care for Come Fly with Me. It is family friendly and the flying scenes were great. I didn't feel the chemistry between the leads and at times seamed very forced. The story itself was just off to me, but that's just my opinion. We all see things different. ~Joyce in Carolina
✈ COME FLY WITH ME (review contain spoilers!)
*clean & family friendly*
This was a sweet heartwarming movie. I didn’t know what to expect when I started watching. I thought it would be a standard Hallmark movie but it actually had more action than the usuals. The 2 girls’ friendship was sweet. Chemistry was pretty good. Heather Hemmens was totally cool as a pilot. I was so nervous for her when she was flying the heart for transplant back through a bad weather. I’m not sure how realistic this part of the storyline is (the fact that they let a thunderbird pilot to fly a heart for transplant through a bad weather), but it was super cool that she did that. The epilogue was sweet but a tad weird without an officiant in the wedding, and no explanation (only us making the assumption) how Emma gets to stay beyond the 2 years. ~CH Mom
✈ And it (CFWM) was! I just watched it on DVR. It wasn’t an unforgettable plot, but it was really uplifting and CLEAN, and that is my priority anymore w Hallmark! It was a little weird they had no priest/ minister/ etc at the end. Very secular to me, but I really hope they’ll make more family movies like this. It was a nice glimpse into the USAF - Suzie
✈ Come Fly With Me – First of all, for all of you action-adventure seekers, there are lots of cool flying scenes from the Thunderbirds in this movie. And for all of you rom-com lovers, there is such a sweet chemistry between Emma and Paul, and I enjoyed the new friendship with their pre-teen daughters, as well. Paul, an outdoor store owner, played by Niall Matter, is such the perfect Girl-Dad, even letting his daughter play beauty parlor with him and paint his nails. That was such a cute scene; even Emma, who has such a busy schedule joins in and lets the girls apply makeup on her, but instead of looking kinda silly, like Paul, Emma looked even prettier and it was obvious Paul noticed, and it was even more interesting that Emma noticed Paul notice. There were obvious sparks between them, but since Emma knew that she and her daughter would have to move again for her work, she did her best to resist falling for Paul. Overall, Come Fly with Me has some interesting twists and turns and is a fascinating, family-friendly watch. ~Net
‘HAUNTED HARMONY MYSTERIES: MURDER IN G MAJOR’
Friday, September 22 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Tamera Mowry-Housley, Risteard Cooper, Marco Grazzini, Adam Fergus
Former orchestra conductor Gethsemane Brown (Mowry-Housley) has moved to the Irish countryside to teach music at St. Brendan’s boarding school. After deciphering a cryptic musical message, she meets renowned composer Eamon McCarthy (Cooper), who is rumored to be behind the death of his longtime love. Complicating things further, Eamon’s a ghost! Eamon enlists Gethsemane’s help to find the real person responsible so that he can finally move on and reunite with his true love in the afterlife. With the ghost of Eamon tagging along, Gethsemane investigates, but faces resistance from the charming Inspector O’Reilly (Fergus), who takes a liking to her but considers the case closed. Juggling her sleuthing with the job she was hired to do, Gethsemane meanwhile struggles to turn the motley crew of students at St. Brendan’s into a choir that can compete at Regionals, though a handsome math teacher Griff (Grazzini) is able to help her gain some ground. But when her sleuthing brings her close to solving the case for Eamon, it looks like Gethsemane has only a ghost of a chance of making it out alive.
Move Reviews:
🍁 However, I did really enjoy the Hallmark Mystery movie! I just don't get why only make one movie! At least make 4 or 5 and see how it goes to create more. Great chemistry and a solid mystery. Misty
🍁 I really enjoyed the Haunted Harmony Mystery. It was interesting and funny at parts. It felt like the older HMM mysteries from five years ago. Definitely my favorite HMM mystery in a long time. For once, I actually want them to do another one of these. It’s been a long time since I had that feeling. ~Anonymous
🍁 My mom, teen daughter, and I loved “Murder in G Major” (Haunted Harmony Mysteries). It was family-friendly and humorous and featured beautiful Irish scenery. To me, the haunting is not meant to be taken literally, so I tend to view it more as a creative and literary plot device. I hope there are more movies in this series as I like how it incorporates music and a different type of setting than the other Hallmark mystery movies. ~Anonymous
‘MYSTERY ISLAND’
Friday, September 29 (9 p.m. ET/PT)
Starring: Elizabeth Henstridge, Charlie Weber
London Police psychiatrist Dr. Emilia Priestly (Henstridge) needs to take a relaxing break from her stressful job, so her wealthy friend, Baroness Jane Alcott (Kezia Burrows, “Crash”), invites her to Mystery Island, an immersive murder-mystery-themed resort hosting a special retreat for the original investors. As the mystery game begins, tragedy strikes: John Murtaugh (Robert Getman) the resort’s reclusive founder, is murdered. The visitors are confined to the island as local detective Jason Trent (Weber) investigates the case. Once Emilia proves her innocence, she makes use of her special skills to help Jason find the murderer. The lines between game and reality are blurred as they unravel the web of romance, revenge, and betrayal behind the resort, its guests, and its elusive founder.
Movie Reviews:
🍁 Mystery Island was a fun whodunit that gave me Agatha Christie vibes. Elizabeth Henstridge did a great job in this movie, reminding me of why I loved her in the TV show Agents of Shield. She was flat in her Hallmark debut, but not in this movie! I think she's better when she keeps her British accent, lol. The ending hinted at possibly more movies, which I would be all for because I loved her chemistry with the male detective. However, I'm not sure if people would keep coming to visit an island where people keep dying? On the other hand, I guess that sort of happens in all Hallmark mysteries! Anyways, this was definitely a favorite for me. ~melnewlife
🍁 Anyway, I tried to watch "Mystery Island" but ended up turning it off after about ten minutes. It was not good. ~Joan
🍁 I tried watching the Mystery Island, but couldn't get into it pass the ten minutes. ~Abigail
🍁 I tried to watch Mystery Island couldn't do it! ~ Joyce in Carolina
🍁 Mystery Island has a bit of a slow start as we are introduced to some rather interesting characters who've all assembled on an island together for a murder mystery game. It's a popular destination event place, and while the game is meant to only be fun, the contestants get more than what they bargained for when one of them winds up dead. The movie is interesting enough, but it's a little slow, too, and lots of names are thrown around, so you have to keep on your toes to remember who each person is. At times, there's even a feel of what it must be like to be in a real-life Clue game. There's only a subtle romantic connection between the leads, which leaves the door open for potential sequels, but this may be another one and done mystery. ~Net
🍁 Mystery Island was really good and definitely underrated. Those of you who stopped ten minutes into it, go back and try again! Family-friendly, otherwise I wouldn’t have watched it. It was kind of hard with the accents and maybe poor sound, I’m not sure, but the story was really good and intriguing. Especially the plot twist at the very end. ***Spoilers*** There was a question as to how they just sort of dismissed the second murder. I know it wasn’t intentional, but the way they just let it go was kind of weird.**** Don’t know how they could make more of these, but I would watch it if they did!-Anonymous1
-- HALLMARK MEDIA --
How 'bout you? Please share your thoughts in comments below.
Happy movie-watching,
Net
