Movies, Marathons, & Miniseries... More to Love this Mother's Day Weekend!

A blessed, Happy Mother's Day weekend to you all! There may not be any new movies airing on the Hallmark Channel or Hallmark Movies & Mysteries this weekend, but you will still find many wonderful movies playing from the Hallmark library of films, plus UP has the cable premiere of "Miracles from Heaven," and a new 3 part mini-series begins on PBS, as Masterpiece Theater presents the classic tale, "Little Women."

PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond

Actress Angela Lansbury ("Murder She Wrote") will also star in the "Little Women" mini-series on PBS, along with Emily Watson, Michael Gambon, Maya Hawke, Willa Fitzgerald, and Annes Elwy. In the first hour - Part 1, premiering Sunday night on Mother's Day, the March sisters prepare for Christmas! Details below...


Saturday March 12, 2018:

Notable movies airing today include...

"Love Comes Softly" Movie Marathon on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries all throughout the day! Take a trip back to the pioneer days...

If you are curious about the chronological order of the "Love Comes Softly" films and DVD availability, see my guide here.

-Hallmark Crown Media-

The Hallmark Channel will be playing films from their movie library, such as: "Date with Love," "One Winter Weekend," "All Things Valentine," "October Kiss," "Moonlight in Vermont," and their newest Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, "The Beach House."

-Hallmark Crown Media-

Sunday March 13, 2018:

Notable movies airing today include...

A marathon of classic movies will air on TCM throughout the day - all about Mothers... from Ginger Rogers as "Bachelor Mother" to Irenne Dunne in "I Remember Mama" and more...

Image via: TCM

More Hallmark movies we love are playing today on the Hallmark Channel... "Perfect on Paper," "Frozen in Love," "The Parent Trap" (1998), "The Nanny Express," "My Secret Valentine," and "Falling for Vermont."

-Hallmark Crown Media-

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will have a Jane Doe Mystery Movie Marathon on Sunday, leading up to the latest premiere of "Darrow & Darrow: In the Key of Murder," starring Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Wendie Malick, as Daughter and Mother, who work together as attorneys.

-Hallmark Crown Media-

UP will have the cable premiere of the film...

"Miracles from Heaven"

image: Columbia Pictures / Affirm Films

Storyline: After a young girl is diagnosed with a rare disorder, her parents are distraught, but everything changes in an instant when the girl survives a terrible fall, and doctors are baffled when she begins showing signs of recovery from her condition.

See Miracles from Heaven

Sunday March 13, 2018

at 7pm/6c. on UP!

Also premiering Sunday night...

Little Women

Part 1 - Masterpiece Theater

Storyline - Episode 1 of 3, via BBC:
Christmas, 1861. The March sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy - and their mother Marmee prepare for Christmas without presents and without their father, a Union army chaplain away at war. Learning to appreciate the smaller things in life, the sisters strike up a friendship with their charming new neighbour Laurie and his tutor John Brooke.

After the holiday, Meg and Jo return to work in order to provide for the family. In the new year, Amy and Jo clash over an invitation to the theatre and a rash act of revenge, but a life-threatening event encourages them to put their differences aside.

During the summer Beth struggles to overcome social anxiety and Meg grows closer to John. As autumn of 1862 sets in, the family receives the terrible news that Mr March has been taken ill in an army hospital in Washington DC. The girls anxiously await news of their father's fate as Marmee, accompanied by John, rushes to his side.

See Part 1 of Little Women

Sunday March 13, 2018 on PBS

Check your local station for timing

I pray a very Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mother's ~ who visit here!

For those of you who are spending this Mother's day with your Mother, I hope you will truly cherish this special time. I will be spending the day with my sweet, incredibly giving Momma, my dear Grandma, and all of my wonderful family! What a blessing!

For those of you whose Mothers or Grandmothers will not be with you, I pray you will recall many precious memories... and those moments bring you peace and joy.
"Precious memories... how they linger..."

Blessings to You All~
this Mother's Day Weekend
and Always, Net

“Her children rise up and call her blessed.”

~ Proverbs 31: 28

*These movies are available on DVD - click their images above for more details!
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Little Women - PBS Masterpiece

MOVIE REVIEW

Movie: Little Women - PBS Masterpiece Mini-series

Network: PBS

Original Air Date: May 13th, 2018 - Episode 1
May 20th, 2018 - Episode 2 and 3

From the story by Louisa May Alcott comes the timeless tale, "Little Women" starring Angela Lansbury (Murder, She Wrote) as Aunt March, Emily Watson (Miss Potter) as matriarch Marmee March, Michael Gambon as Mr. Laurence, and Kathryn Newton as Amy March.

The March sisters in PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond

The March sisters in PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Image Credit: Patrick Redmond

PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond

The March sisters in PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond

CAST:

Maya Hawke ... Jo March
Kathryn Newton ... Amy March
Dylan Baker ... Mr. March
Willa Fitzgerald ... Meg March
Annes Elwy ... Beth March
Emily Watson ... Marmee
Julian Morris ... John Brooke
Jonah Hauer-King ... Laurie Laurence
Eleanor Methven ... Hannah
Michael Gambon ... Mr. Laurence
Angela Lansbury ... Aunt March
Nelly Henrion ... Estelle
Miriam Keegan ... Nurse
Patrick Flannery ... Soldier
Fode Simbo ... Bandaged Young Man 1
Erin Galway-Kendrick ... Mary Kingsley
Kathleen Warner Yeates ... Aunt Carrol
Leah Temple-Lang ... Jenny Snow
India Mullen ... Belle Moffat
Ann Skelly ... Annie Moffat
Amy Wren ... Sallie Gardiner
Amelia Crowley ... Mrs. Kirke
Adrian Scarborough ... Mr. Davis
Mark Stanley ... Professor Bhaer
Max Curnin ... Ned Moffat
Aleah Lennon ... Kitchenmaid
Felix Mackenzie-Barrow ... Frank Vaughn
Mei Bignall ... Kate Vaughn
Mark Fitzgerald ... Emil
Nick Dunning ... Doctor Bangs
Will O'Connell ... Mr. Dashwood
Richard Pepple ... Hairdresser
John Colleary ... Stretcher Bearer
Milly Burke Cunningham ... Florence Carrol
Mark Quigley ... Journalist

Marmee and the March sisters in PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond

The March sisters in PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond

 

The March sisters in PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond

PLOT:

Storyline...

Episode 1 of 3, via BBC:

Christmas, 1861. The March sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy - and their mother Marmee prepare for Christmas without presents and without their father, a Union army chaplain away at war. Learning to appreciate the smaller things in life, the sisters strike up a friendship with their charming new neighbour Laurie and his tutor John Brooke.

After the holiday, Meg and Jo return to work in order to provide for the family. In the new year, Amy and Jo clash over an invitation to the theatre and a rash act of revenge, but a life-threatening event encourages them to put their differences aside.

During the summer Beth struggles to overcome social anxiety and Meg grows closer to John. As autumn of 1862 sets in, the family receives the terrible news that Mr March has been taken ill in an army hospital in Washington DC. The girls anxiously await news of their father's fate as Marmee, accompanied by John, rushes to his side.


Episode 2 of 3, via BBC:

As Marmee waits by her husband's sickbed in the army hospital, the March sisters must learn to cope without their parents. Meg is shocked and embarrassed to hear rumours circulating in society that Marmee is trying to marry her off to Laurie, and after an incident at Amy's school, Jo must take charge whilst trying to balance her family responsibilities and her writing. Beth helps a poor German immigrant family suffering from scarlet fever, but her life is thrown into danger as she also falls ill, and Amy is sent away to take over as Aunt March's companion. One evening, Laurie tries to share his feelings with a distraught Jo, but she rebuffs his advances.

On Marmee's return, relief sweeps over the family as they prepare for Christmas. Jo also receives promising news regarding her writing. Meanwhile, John Brooke prepares to join the army and declares his love to the unsuspecting Meg. Aunt March's sharp disapproval puts Meg's feelings into perspective and she accepts his proposal of marriage. The family holds a joyous ceremony upon John's return, but at the wedding Jo grows anxious when she notices that Beth is still weak and Laurie still holds out hope for their future as a couple.


Episode 3 of 3, via BBC:

A year has passed and the March family welcomes Meg's twins, yet Marmee and Jo are anxious as Beth's health and spirits flag. Aunt Carrol arrives with the opportunity for Jo to accompany her daughter on a tour of Europe, but dismayed by Jo's wild spirit, chooses the more refined Amy as a companion.

Devastated, Jo flees to New York to become a governess and pursue her writing career. There she meets the kind-hearted Professor Bhaer, who challenges her to write more honestly. Upon hearing that Beth is still in decline, and believing she knows the cause, Jo returns to treat her to a seaside holiday. Before they leave, Laurie declares his love for Jo, and after another rejection is taken to Europe by his grandfather to cure his heartbreak.

Back home, the March family gathers as they are faced with devastating news. With new responsibilities, Jo is consumed by grief and frustration, only alleviated through writing. She pens a heartfelt poem, which is publicly well-received and reaches Bhaer in New York. In Europe, Laurie and Amy reunite and grow close, their friendship blossoming into love. They return home to greet the March's with unexpected news. Touched by Jo's poem, Bhaer makes a surprise visit to the March house.

PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond

PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond

PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond

PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond

Kathryn Newton as Amy March in PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond 

The March family in PBS Masterpiece Little Women - Credit: Patrick Redmond

Movie Review:

Coming...


See or Skip:

Coming...


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*Images via: BBC/PBS, Photo Credit: Patrick Redmond






Available on DVD!

Nanny Mcphee

MOVIE REVIEW

Nanny Mcphee:
Disney Movie starring Colin Firth (Pride & Prejudice, What a Girl Wants, etc...), Emma Thompson (Sense & Sensibility, Much Ado About Nothing, etc...), and Angela Lansbury (Murder She Wrote, Mrs. Santa Claus, etc...)


CAST:

Emma Thompson ... Nanny McPhee
Colin Firth ... Mr. Brown
Angela Lansbury ... Aunt Adelaide
Kelly Macdonald ... Evangeline
Thomas Sangster ... Simon
Eliza Bennett ... Tora
Jennifer Rae Daykin ... Lily
Raphaël Coleman ... Eric
Samuel Honywood ... Sebastian
Holly Gibbs ... Christianna
Hebe Barnes ... Baby Agatha
Zinnia Barnes ... Baby Agatha
Celia Imrie ... Mrs. Quickly
Imelda Staunton ... Mrs. Blatherwick
Elizabeth Berrington ... Letitia

PLOT:

from Yahoo Movies-

A new nanny enters the household of the recently widowed Mr. Brown and attempts to tame his seven exceedingly ill-behaved children. The children, led by the oldest boy Simon, have managed to drive away 17 previous nannies and are certain that they will have no trouble with this one.

But as Nanny McPhee takes control, they begin to notice that their vile behavior now leads swiftly and magically to rather startling consequences. Her influence also extends to the family's deeper problems, including Mr. Brown's sudden and seemingly inexplicable attempts to find a new wife; an announcement by the domineering Aunt Adelaide that she intends to take one of the children away; and the sad and secret longings of their scullery maid, Evangeline.

As the children's behavior begins to change, Nanny McPhee's arresting face and frame appear to change as well, creating even more questions about this mysterious stranger whom the children and their father have come to love.




Movie Review:

I didn't think I would be interested in this movie, at all... but once it started I was captivated - truly I was! It was so intringing - from the fantastic acting of those children in the movie - to the legendary performances of such grand actors like Emma Thompson who wrote the Screenplay, Colin Firth, and Angela Lansbury. They were all absolutely amazing!!! Especially though - Emma Thompson - whose role as the mole-y, long tooth, frazzled looking hair Nanny McPhee- is almost unrecognizable as her lovely self.

It does have a bit of magic - but if you are okay with films like Mary Poppins or say, The Wizard of Oz... then you'll be fine with this. There are no Spells or anything scary to that degree- which would not be acceptable to me.

Instead, it is delightfully fun and entertaining for wholesome family enjoyment!

A Few Cautions: In the intro the children are playing a trick on another Nanny and are pretending to eat their baby sister. It is really a Chicken or something and the baby is discovered safe and sound. Some children may not even get this joke... and simply think it is just meal-time.

Another thing - the father (Colin Firth) is an undertaker - so we do see him at work standing next to a "body".... though it is just man who is lying on a table still - I don't recall ever seeing Mr. Brown even touch him.

And... one more thing, towards the end of the movie - Mr Brown is about to be married to an interesting colorful woman - and she shows a bit too much cleavage. It's over the top really and completely unnecessary, but there it is... so please beware!

Rated PG by the MPAA for mild thematic elements, some rude humor and brief language.


See or Skip:

See.... it's a truly fun, family film!!!