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Happy Mid-May Weekend, Movie Friends!
As the days grow warmer and the evenings stretch a little longer, there’s nothing better than sinking into the weekend with cozy movies with a splash of romance!
The three movies airing this weekend are dishing out delicious food scenes, a relaxing cruise getaway, and a special friendship that may blossom into something more!
Fun fact: Actress Nazneen Contractor (The Christmas Ring, A Perfect Pairing) is cruising through two of this weekend’s rom-coms as the leading star!
I’ve already seen two of this weekend’s premieres; keep scrolling for reviews from myself and two It's a Wonderful Movie friends!
Enjoy a cozy weekend and some sweet stories...
Saturday, May 17, 2025:
Storyline: Winona Applegate is on the fast track to becoming a celebrity chef, already running a very successful bistro in Pittsburgh. With nerves building, she leaves for New York to audition for her own show in front of television executives. Unfortunately, her car breaks down near New Holland, a small, quirky town where Winona rents a room at a local inn run by Adam, a widower. With the local Spring Festival coming up and the resident cook unavailable to manage the menu, Winona agrees to get her car fixed in time for her audition in exchange for her much needed help in the Inn's kitchen. As she prepares for the festival with Adam, Winona begins to fall in love with New Holland and one of its residents as well.
Premieres Saturday, May 17, 2025
at 8pm/7c. on Great American Family
Movie Reviews:
(Below are snippets of my and Ken R's reviews; click here to see our full reviews.)
🍲 This movie was a delicious treat, very family friendly! I really enjoyed the match-up of real-life couple Peter and Julia Benson. In this movie, however, they are both single. Julia portrays a chef, Winona Applegate, who’s on her way to New York to audition for her own cooking show, and Peter portrays, Adam, the owner of a B&B in New Holland, Pennsylvania... -Net
🍲 This is certainly an unusual picture to find being run today but a curiously refreshing one. At first, I thought I’d end up falling asleep (as some might) then found the theme somehow intriguing. With married-in-real life main stars Julia and Peter Benson performing so convincingly as strangers in a regional town who, against odds, gradually get to know and respect each other being so well done and natural, that it comes as a refreshing relief from the morose nastiness that all too often masquerades as ‘entertainment’. -Ken R
Saturday, May 17, 2025:
Storyline: Fellow cruise passengers, Sarah and Jack, play matchmaker with their music loving widowed parents, as they cruise down the Danube visiting European cities.
Premieres Saturday, May 17, 2025
at 8pm/7c. on the Hallmark Channel
Movie Reviews:
🚢 Hallmark +'s Love on the Danube: Love Song is... FANTASTIC!! -Maria
🚢 Love on the Danube: Love Song - This is a nice movie, but it's kind of slow, at times. Although, I like both Wes Brown and Nazneen Contractor, the connection between the two just wasn't there for me. However, this movie has such a calming vibe, and the setting is truly beautiful. It’s absolutely worth the trip. -Net
Sunday, May 18, 2025:
Storyline: Since her husband died three years earlier, Nila’s life has been all about her Instagram business and helicopter parenting her daughter Mara. Now a tween aching to break free, Mara creates a dating profile for her mom. Nila is horrified, but the Love Club agree it’s time Nila moved on. Nila agrees to date, but when all her dates bomb, she recruits local coffee shop owner Olly to be in a pretend relationship with her to get everyone off her case.
Premieres Sunday, May 18, 2025
at 7pm/6c on UPtv
I hope you enjoy the new movies this weekend! My reviews for the ones I've seen are shared above (along with Maria and Ken—thank you both!).
Just a quick note: the only movie I haven't seen, yet, is The Love Club Moms: Nila. If you've seen it and would like to share whether it’s family-friendly, please feel free to give your thoughts in the comments below.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend ahead… filled with sunshine, joy, and a little movie charm!
For those of you facing severe thunderstorms, I'm keeping you in my prayers for safety and protection. Remember, after the storm comes the rainbow. In fact, I just have to share... a couple of weeks ago, we experienced three days of light spring showers, and each day, once the rain cleared, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky. One day, we were even blessed with a double rainbow! It was such a lovely and powerful reminder of God’s promise to never flood the earth again.
Blessings to you all,
Net
SHINING HIS LIGHT:
"Jesus replied, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’"
~John 6:35
"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb."
~Revelation 22:1
In the scripture above, the "river of the water of life" symbolizes God's never-ending, life-giving presence. The river reminds us that God’s love keeps flowing without end.
Only watching Seasoned with Love. -Maria
ReplyDeleteMaria, Hope you enjoy it! :)
Delete"In the scripture above, the "river of the water of life" symbolizes God's never-ending, life-giving presence. The river reminds us that God’s love keeps flowing without end."...I absolutely LOVE this!
ReplyDeleteJim, So glad that blessed you! It never ceases to amaze me how awesome God truly is!!!!
DeleteHave a wonderful weekend, my friend! :)
Anyone think it's odd the Danica's newest movie has dropped off the face of the earth? Doesn't seem like she will be doing a Christmas movie either. Another who won't be working with GAF?
ReplyDeleteMisty
Misty, Originally, Danica McKellar's movie "Grounded," co-starring Trevor Donovan, was scheduled to air in the spring. However, during a recent Facebook Live, Bill Abbott revealed that the premiere was moved to the Fall, as the film was shot during that season and the background setting is better suited for a fall release.
DeleteSo, the faith-based movie "Grounded" is still on the way, and while nothing's been officially confirmed, I wouldn’t be surprised if Danica ends up doing a Christmas movie for GAF as well.
Thank you for the update!
DeleteMisty
We had some tornado warnings go off tonight, but thankfully it passed. I praise God, it could have been worse. Praying everyone here is safe.
ReplyDeleteAbigail, I'm glad to hear you're all safe after the storm. I've been hearing about the terrible devastation in Kentucky and Missouri. My prayers are with everyone affected, and I pray we hear from Joan soon, especially since she requested prayer for her area.
DeleteThank you Net for your prayers. That means so much to me. We didn’t get that much damage, just some branches broke off. My city was spared, but I feel so bad for London, KY and the Missouri city. My prayers go out to them.
DeleteJoan, I prayed for you last night. Hope you faired ok…. also concerning the storms. Is this normal for KY? We’ve had so many tornadoes lately. I heard someone say the weather shifts in phazes of time(years) and that KY is that time for now.
Also a really good meteorologist to watch is Max Velocity on YouTube. He always has a live on during a bad storm and helps to prepare. And really accurate.
Hi Abigail,
DeleteI wanted to make sure I responded to your question. KY used to not be that prone to tornadoes. We have had some strong ones, over the last 50 years or so, but the occurrence has been infrequent. The worst one to hit Louisville happened in 1974. It was a strong EF-4 storm and it did some serious damage. It was 200 yards wide and cut a path of destruction for 21 miles. 1974 was the worst tornado outbreak in our area and the surrounding states. In 1974 there were five EF-5 tornadoes including one in KY in the city of Brandenburg. I have seen photos of the damage in Brandenburg. It was catastrophic. Two EF2 tornadoes hit Louisville in 2011. And of course, this year an EF3 hit my city. So, not too many. But, statewide, there seems to be an uptick since 2021. Like you, I have heard tornado alley seems to be shifting eastward. I am beginning to believe is true.
Thanks for the tip on the meteorologist. I will have to check him out! I have always been a 'weather nerd'. As a kid, I read tons of books on weather. For some reason tornadoes and hurricanes. I even wanted to be a meteorologist when I grew up but ended up not being one. But even though I do not have a career in the weather industry, I am still fascinated by it probably as much as I was a child.
Hi, sorry for responding so late. I haven’t been online to much lately. My corgi has been having health issues. Really bad back pain. The poor guy. He’s on doxycycline now, but we are waiting for the blood test to come back. I’m praying it comes back clean. My Redmond means so much time to me, I’ve been spending as much time as possible with him. We may have to put him down if his pain gets worse. Makes me really sad.
DeleteBut thanks for answering my question. It helped. I’m still new to KY, coming close to three years this August. Every year has gotten stronger and scarier with tornado storms.
I believe you will like Max Velocity Joan. He’s so helpful to us!! When you talk about the weather you remind me of my brother Riley. He was all in to that as a kid, but now he’s a Data Scientist/Analyst. I’m always not sure how to answer when people ask me what my brother does. I got the art brain and he got the math brain! ;)
Enjoy this nice weather!
Abigail, So sorry to hear about your corgi having health issues. Poor baby. It’s always so hard to watch our pets go through things like this. Just by the way you talk about him, I know your sweet Redmond senses how much you love him.
DeleteI’ll be sure to pray for him and your family. 🙏🏻
Thank you Net! That means a lot to me!! It’s so hard to see him in pain. It’s his disk. We are still waiting for blood test. Hopefully his liver is healthy. We really believe he would have benefited with a steroid shot to the back, since he’s been this way for two weeks, but the vet said to wait for the test results. My heart is so saddened to see him cry out in pain. It’s difficult for him to walk but we are encouraging (with pepperoni) to walk around the family room for 5 minutes a couple times a day to help. If he doesn’t get better in a few months, we’ll have to put him down for his sake. I really appreciate your prayers right now.
DeleteI haven’t seen Seasoned with Love, so I’ll be watching it tonight. Christie
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed Love on the Danube.
ReplyDeleteBad storms yesterday for us, confirmed tornado 20 miles from me, but lucky it didn't hit here, and I don't think there were any casualties. F1.
dstoutholcomb, Oh my, so close. Glad you all are okay. My prayers go out to your community. So glad no one was physically hurt.
DeleteSeasoned with Love is very adorable and sweet. -Maria
ReplyDeleteAll New movie The Wedding Arrangement
ReplyDeleteStream Exclusively on Great American Pure Flix
Thursday, June 19, 2025
Starring Kristina Cole & Cody Griffis
Yes, and I wouldn't be surprised if this movie eventually aired on Great American Family, too. That's the movie that I mentioned was in one of the early GAF promos.
Deletehttps://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2025/01/a-small-easter-egg-in-great-american-family-2025-movies-commercial-promo.html
What’s the name of the channel that’s plays Gac movies? I remember you mentioning it a few times.
ReplyDeleteElizbeth
Elizbeth, The other station I mentioned in the past is Merit Street Media. That channel typically airs 4 Great American Family movies every weekend, 2 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday.
DeleteHope you have this channel in your cable line-up! :)
Misty, Wishful thinking that Danica will not be working with GAC anymore. Perhaps you want her to go back to Hallmark. Danica has said many times when interviewed on her Instagram page about her GAC family. Like Net has said Grounded will be on on the fall. No one has come out with their full schedule of Christmas movies, or made announcements yet. I am sure that Danica, Trevor, Jill, Jillian, Merritt, Jesse and other are going to be doing Christmas movies and will be announced when the time is right.
ReplyDeleteBebe, I don't want to speak for others, but Misty has been a dear follower here for some time, and I think she was just concerned over Danica's movie and her involvement with the network. That's all. She is a very kind, sweet person, and I know she only wants the best for Great American Family, and I know you also feel the same.
DeleteI guess not everyone heard the update on "Grounded" being postponed to the Fall. I think a lot of people have been waiting to see it this Spring, since that is when GAF originally shared in a press release that it would air.
UP TV has added Mr Pawsitiviely Perfect to it's June 1st schedule. (my review of it is in the streaming post). -Maria
ReplyDeleteMaria, Thank you so much for sharing this movie tip! Your mention actually led me to find two more UPtv movies airing in June.
DeleteUnfortunately, you gave both of them low ratings due to the content, and I ended up giving one of them a poor review myself. Hopefully, they’ll still add a few better ones to the lineup, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Thank you again for sharing! :)
Here's the UPtv June, 2025 lineup:
https://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2025/05/uptvs-june-2025-movie-premieres-see-here.html
Hi Abigail,
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to hear you are okay my dear friend! :-) I thought about you often on Friday. I had a crazy busy weekend so I just now had time to breathe, reflect and comment here. It was a wild ride for sure. I can't believe all of the insane weather we have had this year. My heart goes out to everyone who was impacted in our lovely state on Friday as well as those people who were impacted out west yesterday and last evening. I will continue praying. God was looking out for you and I. I can't explain it, but Louisville was somehow spared. We had one strong storm roll through with extremely high winds but no tornadoes or hail locally. I am saddened by all of the death and devastation in Eastern Kentucky. :-( And, we have more bad weather coming today and tomorrow! Prayers will go up again today.
Hi Net,
Aw, thanks for mentioning me in your comment my dear friend! It meant a lot to me. :-) I pray your relatives made it through the storms. I know you have family here. Again, I apologize for the delay in letting you know how I was. I had a lot going on over the weekend. Anyway, thanks again for thinking about me. :-)
Take care both of you!
Joan, So good to hear from you! I understand completely how busy the weekend gets, so no need to apologize. We're just all glad you are safe. I hope the upcoming storms aren't too severe. I'll be praying.
DeleteI agree with Net, it really was good to hear from you and the good news of the Lord’s protection where you live. He’s so gracious to us. We got the same as you, bad severe storms but no hail, was scary when the sirens went off but thankfully it wasn’t long. We have more coming, I think tomorrow. Stay safe! I’ll be praying for us all.
DeleteHi all,
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I re-watched "Seasoned with Love" again last night. We had seen before, when it first aired, and were so excited to see it was going to be on TV again. :-) It is such a sweet, endearing movie. I love the characters, the storyline, the setting and all of the interactions between the actors. Julia and Peter are magic together. We enjoyed their witty banter and the way they both looked at each other just melted our hearts. There is so much love between the two of them.
We are planning on watching the "Love on the Danube" movie but we are skipping the UPTV movie. I wonder if anyone watched those "Love Club Moms" movies. Honestly, I only thought about maybe watching the one with Corey Sevier but we ended up not watching it.
Joan, Hi again...
DeleteThank you for sharing your review of "Seasoned with Love." Glad you enjoyed the re-watch. :)
I also have to share that I have watched half of the movie "Love Club Moms: Jo." Was planning to watch the end last night but ended up watching the American Idol finale instead. Unfortunately, my pick, Breanna Nix, didn't win, but I have a feeling she'll go on to have a great career in the Christian music industry. She has such a powerful, beautiful voice.
Anyway, so I didn't finish the movie, "Love Club Moms: Jo," but in the first hour there is a little language, the a-word is used once. And we learn that Corey's character, Ryan, is a single father who was never married. Corey is also briefly shirtless in a scene when he is washing his car. His opposite, Rebecca Dalton, who plays Jo, asks him to put on his shirt so they can talk. So... that's all I know, so far. I also chose to watch this movie because Corey Sevier is one of my favorites since seeing him as a young boy in the series, "Little Men," which reminds me a lot of "When Hope Calls."
So there you go. I'll try to give more details, if I end up finishing the movie tonight.
Hi Net,
DeleteI too was hoping Breanna would win American Idol! She was amazing.
Thanks for the information on "Love Club Moms: Jo". I know you haven't finished watching it, but based on what you stated here, I think I will pass on viewing it.
Checking to see if everyone here is ok. I know some of you live in the mid west. I just heard what happened to Kansas this morning. Praying for those poor people. Stay safe, we have more storms this week.
ReplyDeleteI watched Seasoned with Love yesterday, and it was so sweet! I’ve always liked Peter and Julia Benson on Aurora Teagarden, especially Peter as Arthur. It would be awesome if they could be on Ainsley McGregor together! Christie
ReplyDeleteChristie, I would love that, too; however, it seems Peter is often busy directing films for Hallmark these days, so not sure he would want to act on GAF. But I still love the idea!!! :)
Delete