Happy Weekend, Friends!
It may not be officially summer just yet, but wow, it sure has felt like it! The heat has definitely arrived, and I hope you're all finding ways to stay cool while still enjoying some sunshine. I've been soaking up every chance to be outside on our farm, enjoying these beautiful days. And I'm especially grateful that the humidity will finally be easing up for us this weekend!
One of my favorite ways to wind down after a warm summer day is with a good movie, and this weekend gives us not one, but two brand-new romantic comedies to enjoy: Meet Me in the Margins and Texas Two-Step!
Plus, Great American Family has added three movies to their schedule that have been available through streaming. They may be familiar to some of you, but since these movies are making their channel debut, this is great news for those of us who haven't had a chance to watch them all yet.
See details for all of these movies below...
Friday, June 12, 2026:
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| image via: Great American Media |
Catch Merritt Patterson in four classic Christmas movies Friday night on Great American Family - leading up to her new movie premiere on Saturday! (three of the films encore early on Saturday morning)
And Hallmark will be playing Christmas movies starring Brendan Penny - leading up to his new movie premiere on Saturday!
Friday, June 12, 2026:
A Vintage Christmas ... Great American Family ... 4pm
'Twas the Text Before Christmas ... Great American Family ... 6pm
A Little Christmas Charm ... Hallmark Channel ... 6pm
Jingle Bell Princess ... Great American Family ... 8pm
The More the Merrier ... Hallmark Channel ... 8pm
'Tis the Season for Love ... Hallmark Family ... 6pm
Catering Christmas ... Great American Family ... 10pm
'Twas the Text Before Christmas ... Great American Family ... 12am
Jingle Bell Princess ... Great American Family ... 2am
Catering Christmas ... Great American Family ... 4am
Saturday, June 13, 2026:
*NEW MOVIE PREMIERE*
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image via: Great American Media |
Storyline: Savannah Cade, a quietly brilliant editor at a prestigious publishing house, secretly dreams of becoming a romance novelist, until her hidden manuscript is discovered and anonymously critiqued in the margins. As mysterious notes push her to rewrite both her book and her own tendency to stay silent, Savannah must decide whether to protect her career or finally speak up for the stories, and herself, that matter most. What begins as a professional risk slowly becomes a transformative love story about courage, creativity, and being seen.
Premieres Saturday. June 13, 2026
at 8pm/7c on Great American Family
Saturday, June 13, 2026:
*NEW MOVIE PREMIERE*
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image via: Hallmark Media |
Storyline: Olivia returns to Texas to help her aunt with her country music bar that's fallen on hard times and reconnects with Luke, her childhood sweetheart turned cowboy, and her passion for dancing.
Premieres Saturday. June 13, 2026
at 8pm/7c on the Hallmark Channel
Sunday, June 14, 2026:
Cabin Connection (2022)
*NETWORK DEBUT
ON GREAT AMERICAN FAMILY*
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| image via: Vortex Productions |
When lifestyle writer and committed bachelorette Hannah inherits her late grandmother's cabin, she hires widowed handyman Cole to help get it in shape to sell. As Hannah spends time with Cole, her faith in love and relationships is restored.
Cabin Connection (2022)
Premieres Sunday, June 14, 2026
at 8pm/7c on Great American Family
Sunday, June 14, 2026:
Cream Of The Crop (2022)
*NETWORK DEBUT
ON GREAT AMERICAN FAMILY*
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| image via: DBM Films |
A feisty young woman, dedicated to saving her family farm, and a driven real estate tycoon fall in love, but things get complicated when his company assigns him to foreclose on her family's farm.
Cream Of The Crop (2022)
Premieres Sunday, June 14, 2026
at 10pm/9c on Great American Family
Note: This movie is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Encore airing at 2:30am/1:30c
Movie Review:
Cream of the Crop is a very charming movie, with a few mature themes. -Maria
Monday, June 15, 2026:
Riverfront Romance (2021)
*NETWORK DEBUT
ON GREAT AMERICAN FAMILY*
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| image via: Vortex Productions |
A successful novelist buys her dream home, an old turn-of-the-century home on a beautiful riverfront. However, a young project manager is in charge of building a hydroelectric dam on the river. The novelist has 30 days to change his mind.
Riverfront Romance
Premieres Monday, June 15, 2026
at 8pm/7c on Great American Family
Movie Review:
Vortex Media's Riverfront Romance is a very cozy movie. -Maria
If you haven't voted, yet, place your vote for *Favorite Rom-Com* from 2025!
I hope you find something fun to watch this weekend! Be sure to share which movie you're most excited to see, or a review after you've had a chance to watch! We'd love to hear your thoughts.
Wishing you all a relaxing, joy-filled weekend filled with sunshine, sweet moments, and great movies!
Also, this Sunday is Flag Day... may we always cherish the stars and stripes and our freedoms! God Bless America!
Blessings to you all,
Net
SHINING HIS LIGHT:
“A new command I give you:
Love one another.
As I have loved you,
so you must love one another.”
- John 13:34
When we open our hearts to Jesus, His love has a beautiful way of shining through us! May His love bloom in your heart today and overflow into the lives of those around you!
DVD Recommendations:
Jingle Bell Princess
*Click here for current price at Amazon*
A Little Christmas Charm
*Click here for current price at Amazon*
I recognize the male actor in the Cream of the Crop. Pretty sure he’s in the Christian movie Courageous. Their best in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us know is about the additional movies on Sunday and Monday on Great American Family. I already set my dvr.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about the movies from streaming that are on GFAM. U-verse clearly hasn’t gotten the memo yet 😏 because they have other movies listed in their time slots. I definitely wouldn’t have known without you. Also, I need to pay attention to the streaming part of what you said about the movies because even though there were no links I looked for them on your website. Crazy me!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of U-verse, I am part of a household where we are all seniors. My parents are in charge of TV. They have FINALLY decided this will be the last month they have cable. I know there are lots of things out there about which services are best, and we are going to do a couple free trials. I would like to get Frndly, had it for a brief time when it first started. I trust your guys’ recommendations. If you would list a combination of the following, I would really appreciate it: services you have, reasons for having them, specific things you like about features, DVR, etc., are your savings significant, was it difficult to find a good Wi-fi service as we have it all together, and channels or shows that I might not realize I am missing in terms of how great they are. Net, I am aware of your Frndly reviews. If this is not something you would like posted about, I apologize, and please delete this comment. Thank you to everyone in advance!
Your comment is great! I would love to hear suggestions from multiple people on this!
DeleteYou are right... I do have FrndlyTV, and I do enjoy it, but we also have DirecTV for news and sports. I also enjoy watching free movies through Roku and YouTube on occasion.
If others enjoy these services or have other cable suggestions, please share with us! :)
Wish I could help you out, but we have Frndly too. The price is great and it’s unlimited as far as recording but they only last for 9 months. That’s the drawback. Christie
DeleteI mainly use frndly and have for several years, it seems worth the cost to me. I also have Prime and will temporarily subscribe to UP Faith & Family, or Hallmark+ through them when I want to watch a certain show. I also have RokuTv and find some films there as Net said.
DeleteAnyone have Xfinity, Sling, Hulu, or YouTube TV? If so, do you like it? Is the price reasonable?
Delete(I’m not the original Anonymous person, I’m just curious)
Happy Flag Day!
ReplyDeleteThat’s awesome that GAF is playing a new movie, plus these extra movies! I haven’t seen these but I’ve been curious about one of them. Christie
ReplyDeleteTexas Two Step is 1 of the best movies of this month. -Maria
ReplyDeleteAgreed, I really enjoyed it too
DeleteMeet Me in the Margins is wonderful! -Maria
ReplyDeleteMeet Me in the Margins was just okay for me. Sorry for anyone else who liked it, but I just didn’t feel any chemistry between Merritt & Liam. It was obvious who was writing the margin notes. And why did no one else know about the secret room? Christie
ReplyDeleteReview: Meet Me in the Margins -
ReplyDeleteFamily-friendly? Yes -
Recommend? Unfortunately no -
It pains me to say this, since Merritt is one of my favorites, but this movie has nothing going for it, and imho, is one of her worst!
This movie just draaaags! There is no energy to it, no life. The plot itself is not interesting - there is certainly no mystery, although it tries to be one. And some things just seem so improbable - I find it hard to believe that no one else ever goes into the Records room, or knows about her "secret" room. (And yet someone - we know who - manages to decorate it with lights, and get a big chair in there, without anyone knowing??)
But the worst thing about this movie is the lead actor - he simply has no charisma! I for the life of me cannot understand why anyone would be attracted to this guy...and as far as chemistry? There was more chemistry between Merritt and her roommate/coworker than between her and this guy!
I recorded this movie to watch later at night, and I was so tempted to fast-forward through a lot of it. I didn't, but should have, and I wouldn't have missed anything. (There were some other problems, like poor editing, but I won't get into those.) I'm sorry, but this is a big "don't bother" from me! (And as an aside, does anyone else wish Merritt would go back to being a blonde?)
I was unaware there was another Sarah leaving comments here, so I'll go by Sarah L from now on because our reviews are definitely quite different.
DeleteI recently shared my disappointment with "County Rescue" and I wanted to share my thoughts on "Meet Me in the Margins" but Mark 25 pretty much took the words right out of my mouth.
For me, the only bright spots in the movie were the two supporting characters...Sam, the coworker, and Lyla, Merritt's best friend and roommate. They brought much needed personality and energy to the story. Unfortunately, I didn't see much chemistry between Merritt and Liam, which made it hard to see their romance bloom.
The AI generated house images felt generic and, honestly, made the movie seem a bit low budget. I also couldn't figure out how William managed to get that chair through such a tiny door... it had to be 2-person job. And how did Merritt and William never cross paths in that secret room until the end... the whole premise felt disconnected. When did they fall in love... I just did not see it.
It took me three nights to finish the movie, and I was relieved when it was finally over! I will not be rewatching it! Also, there was supposed to be a mystery about who was leaving the notes, and if there had been it may have redeemed the movie. Not sure how GAF thought this would be a hit, but I see others that liked it, and I am wondering did we watch the same movie... it was a drag like you said Mark 25. BORING!!!!!
I also agree about Merritt's appearance. I think she is a natural beauty, but I personally feel the darker hair ages her. The blonde highlights were much more flattering. As for the wardrobe, it missed the mark for me. There were a couple of dresses that were fine, but overall, the fashion felt frumpy. The striped sweater wasn't my favorite, and that oversized satin jacket looked more like a robe, or a man's smoking jacket. The sash reminded me of something that belonged on my grandmother's curtains.
I had high hopes for this one and ended up very disappointed. I know there's a Christmas movie based on another book by the same author coming to GAF, and I'm hoping it will be much better. After this movie, though, I'm not feeling overly optimistic.
After re-reading my review, I feel the need to clarify something. In my comment about the lead character's lack of charisma, it could be interpreted that I meant the lead actor has no charisma. This was certainly not my intent, especially since I know nothing about Liam. What I meant to imply is that his character William has no charisma, and that I therefore couldn't understand why Savannah (Merritt's character) was attracted at all to William (Liam's character). I'm sorry I did not phrase my comment better originally.
DeleteAlso, Sarah L, I can relate to your name change. Many years ago, I went simply by Mark since there were no other Marks on the site. Then along came another Mark, whose writing style was very similar to mine. And then shortly after that, believe it or not, a third Mark joined (although his writing style was very different). After talking with Net about this, it was decided that I would change my user name to Mark 25 (in honor of us "Marking the 25th" with a Christmas movie). Well, the other Marks are long gone, but I have kept the Mark 25 name (I guess just in case...)!
Texas Two Step was a cute movie, but probably just a one time watch for me. I absolutely love Brendan Penny, and I think both him and Heather were great, just not together. I don’t think the chemistry was there unfortunately…. I do like the storyline, kind of reminded me of the one with Tyler and Lauren Alaina, that one is great! BJ Harrison is always fun to see too 😊 I always love to hear renditions of songs and I really enjoyed hearing “I hope you dance” Whoever sang this rendition in the movie- it was lovely.
ReplyDelete~Paula
Meet me in the Margins was just a fantastic Movie. It was even better than I thought it would be! This was my favorite Merritt performance to date-I thought she was just amazing in this role! I loved the actress who played her friend/roommate. I didn't realize how deep of voice Liam had! lol I thought the chemistry was great with all of the actors, There were some parts of the book that I wish were in this movie more-but that is just being nitpicky! lol I give this movie 11/10. Just loved it!
ReplyDeleteI watched Cream of the Crop is family friendly & its 2 hours & 30 minutes. A young woman manages to save her family farm from foreclosure & she meets Real Estate agent unless they're gotten married
ReplyDeleteI 3rd the Overall remarks of Mark 25 and Sarah L 😉
ReplyDeleteI've Loved Merritt from the 1st movie(A Royal Winter), it was my introduction to Her, not until it was pointed out to me about her previous shows did I get the connection about Royal story.
I don't remember any movie last year, so I've missed her, I also had high hopes, but I was disappointed too!!
Hoping next movie will be a better fit for her, she is talented.
Texas Two Step, well I Know something about that 🤠👢
Different opinion, I adore Heather & Brendan and I thought they were 🔥🔥
Chemistry between them was off the charts IMHO.
I 💞💞 BJ so much, she is a delight!!
New to me was - Junebug, I need more of her please, she was adorable.
Nathan & Zack are always a welcome addition.
Sorry it wasn't filmed in Texas, but the concept was well written, 🎵🎵 Music was Great, puppy's & horses- Yes Please!!
Wishing Everyone a Blessed Week🙏🙏
Since Saturday we have needed to be like 🦆🦆 ducks-
Deep in the Heart of Texas!!
Meet Me in the Margins – I’ve so enjoyed reading everyone’s various reviews on Meet Me in the Margins, so I just had to share a few thoughts, too!
ReplyDeleteThis movie is wholesome, it has an interesting story concept, and I liked the idea of including a mystery, but truthfully, it wasn’t very mysterious who was writing the margin notes to Merritt’s character, Savannah.
I also wondered how someone was able to get extra decorations and a nice sized comfy chair into the secret room without anyone else knowing. Plus, the door Savannah went in to the secret room appeared to be smaller than your average door. How in the world did that chair fit through that???
Also, I wasn’t fond of the fact that William and Savannah lied to complete strangers about fostering a puppy, in an attempt to convince them to adopt. I know their intentions were good, but it just didn’t seem necessary to lie about it.
In the margin notes, the secret person was encouraging Savannah (through her character) repeatedly to find her voice and speak up for herself, but when William lied directly to his mother about sending Savannah to another publisher, Savannah said nothing. She remained silent. I was disappointed by that. I thought that would have been an important moment to finally speak up for herself, proving she had grown.
Frankly, I thought the chemistry between Savannah and William was lacking. There just weren't enough scenes featuring the two of them alone together, learning about each other, or connecting over shared interests. I wanted to feel that special draw between them, but I just didn’t.
I also have to agree with Mark and Sarah L. that I prefer Merritt’s hair lighter. Her hair looked especially beautiful in Picture a Perfect Christmas and One Perfect Match.
Overall, I really wanted to love this movie, but unfortunately... it’s a one-time watch for me. ~Net
Hi Net,
ReplyDeleteI hope you are doing well! Did you miss me? 🙂 I have been out-of-pocket, on vacation, visiting some family members in Colorado. It was an awesome trip! We drove from KY, so it was a long trip, with several stop-overs going there and coming home, but road trips are the best even though they are exhausting. 🙂 Then it was catch-up time for me as far as laundry goes as well as carving out time to view all of the movies and shows on my DVR! Whew! Still not caught up but I did want to post several reviews here of the ones I have watched. The reviews are in the order of favorite to least favorite.
Let's start with the good!
"SugarCreek Amish Mysteries" - My hubby and I seriously ❤️ this mystery series! It is refreshing to watch a mystery that is just fun and intriguing and enjoyable without anyone dying. We especially loved the season finale which had so much going for it. I am so excited to hear this joyful series is continuing because there are so many more stories to tell.
"Texas Two-Step" - My hubby and I really enjoyed this one too. Heather and Brendan's chemistry was off-the-charts. Oh my gosh, Brendan's smile melts my heart. His vulnerability was touching and genuine. BJ is the aunt I want in my life. And, June is someone I want to be my best friend. Yes, the story line was the normal tired plot, but once we got past all that, we were hooked. The movie was funny and engaging and there were no shoe-drops. It was fun and I would watch it again. Plus, the dog was seriously adorable and I heard Brendan adopted the dog after the movie wrapped. ❤️
Now onto the average.
"The Greek Aisle" - This one was just alright. I felt the chemistry took too long to gel so it did not seem authentic or believable. Both leads are great looking, but I did not feel they were in love. In fact, I honestly did not care if they stayed together. The scenery was fantastic but the movie was definitely a one-time watch for me.
Finally, the bad.
"Meet me in the Margins" - I don't even know where to start. Like several of you all, I had such high hopes for this one which is why it disappointed me so much. This movie bored me in so many ways.
I too, only liked the Merritt's co-worker who was also her roommate and her co-worker Sam. I kept nodding off last night, trying my hardest to get through this boring movie. So many questions kept running through my mind which other reviewers, including you Net, which just didn't make sense. Liam, though nice looking, was wooden and had zero chemistry with Merritt. When they declared the love, I thought to myself, "Not possible" and "No way". Their relationship felt more like friends than anything else. And, I too prefer Merritt with lighter hair. The dark hair was too harsh and jarring and took away from how stunningly beautiful she is. This was definitely a one-time watch for me. I never want to see it again. Now I need to re-watch "One Perfect Match" which is perfect in every way. She has amazing chemistry with Joshua!! I never get tired of that sweet gem of a movie.
Joan, It's wonderful to hear from you!!!! I'm so glad you had such a wonderful vacation with family! That truly is the best!!!!!
DeleteI know when it's Summer (or almost Summer), we all get a little busier. But it's so nice to hear from friends like you and catch up!
I enjoyed hearing your reviews on Sugarcreek & these movies. The only one I haven't seen, yet, is Texas Two-Step, but I hope to watch it soon. Great to hear how much you enjoyed it! :)
And, yessss.... the Sugarcreek finale... so sweet... with Cheryl and Levi looking over the land! Truly beautiful!!!!
It's so nice that we enjoy the same things! :)
Aw! Thanks for everything you said here! You are so sweet! :-)
DeleteYes, it is so wonderful we enjoy the same things! :-)
I just finished watching Texas Two Step, and for me it was a one time watch. The lead actress was fine, but I never quite got the feeling that she was truly a "Texas girl." I always usually enjoy Brennan's movies and he was a very believable as a cowboy, though his accent distracted me a bit at times. Overall, I thought he did a good job.
ReplyDeleteThe real standouts for me were Junebug and her adorable dog, Gable... they completely stole every scene they were in! They brought so much fun and personality to the movie.
As someone who loves line dancing ever since learning the Boot Scoot Boogie at a wedding reception, I was hoping for more of the fun and energy that comes with dancing. Unfortunately, there wasn't as much dancing as I was hoping, and when there was, the focus seemed to be more on the chemistry between the leads than the fun of the dancing.
I also felt Hallmark pushed things a little further than usual with some of the dance moves and wardrobe choices. Of course, that's just my personal opinion. As someone who enjoys fashion, I thought some of the clothing choices could have been better.
In the end, the movie seemed very centered on the past romantic feelings between the two leads, and I really wanted it to be more about line dancing and how fun it is together.
Texas Two-Step –The country setting in this movie is beautiful, and I loved Olivia’s best friend June Bug, who is full of spunk and personality, and the adorable puppy she adopts is the absolute cutest, and Aunt Ruby, oh my goodness… what a joy she is!
ReplyDeleteAs for Olivia & Luke… there are some sweet moments with them and I typically like when two people rekindle a past relationship, but I felt their relationship/dancing was, at times, more sultry, if you know what I mean. I agree with Sarah L, it did seem like they pushed the limits a little more with the dancing, except for the group line dancing, which was extra fun to watch! Wish we could’ve seen more of that, too.
Overall, the movie is lighthearted and ends happily, but I would caution some of the dancing for young viewers. ~Net
Great review, Net! I thought Jessy Schram would have been a perfect choice for the lead in Texas Two Step. She has that natural country girl charm, and I loved her line dancing in Harvest Moon. It also would have been fun to see her and Brendon reunite on screen again!
DeleteSarah L
Looks like I’m in the minority concerning Meet Me In The Margins…I loved it! I did notice the large chair that somehow managed to get through a small door but it wasn’t enough to diminish my enjoyment of the movie. I loved Merritt and Liam together and thought that her acting seemed stronger than in her previous GAC roles. In earlier parts, she didn’t seem to be really giving it her all and this felt like she was back to her original self. I enjoyed Liam in his previous role in Designing Christmas With You and thought he was great here as well. I hope he continues to work with GAC. I would love to see them paired again.
ReplyDeleteRebecca