Find that Christmas Connection with Hallmark this Week!

This week's classic Hallmark Christmas movies include a flight attendant who discovers romance - while grounded at Christmastime and a woman who returns home for the holidays and rediscovers love.


Christmas Thursdays...

September 23, 2021:

Christmas Connection

Storyline via Hallmark: Adventurous flight attendant Sydney’s plans for a tropical Christmas get delayed when she helps an unaccompanied minor get home to Chicago to her dad Jonathan, a handsome widower and investigative reporter. Faced with a shortage of out-going flights, Sydney is marooned for several days in the Windy City –once her home as a small girl — and tags along with Jonathan, his daughter, and their exuberantly festive family until she can find a connecting flight. Jonathan makes her a deal: he helps her chase down the story of how her late parents met, and she helps him to write the perfect Christmas story and keep his job, and along the way, sparks form between them.

Christmas Connection encores

Thursday, September 23, 2021:

on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries at 7pm/6c.

Christmas Fridays...

September 24, 2021:

Reunited at Christmas

Storyline via Hallmark: Samantha Murphy’s beloved grandmother plots from beyond the grave to bring the family together for one more hometown Christmas, during which everyone is reminded of the importance of family, love and second chances. When Samantha’s boyfriend, Simon, proposes marriage and she accepts in front of her entire family, Simon is forced to play out an uncomfortable charade when Samantha admits she spoke too soon.

Reunited at Christmas encores

Friday, September 24, 2021:

on the Hallmark Channel at 8pm/7c.

Both of these movies are being played this week in honor of the new movies premiering this weekend with the actors involved. Tom Everett Scott from "Christmas Connection" will star in "Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone" and Nikki DeLoach from "Reunited at Christmas" will star in "Taking The Reins."

Both of these movies are quite enjoyable, a lighthearted, delightful watch! Hope you enjoy one or both!

Joyous Blessings! Net

🔎 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" and more - October 2021 Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Premieres! #POstables #Sleuthers 🔎 Get the Scoop Here:

October's new premieres on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries will fill our hearts with emotion, drama, and suspense! Check out the new titles below...

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One Summer

Premiere Date: Sunday, October 3, 2021 (9 p.m. ET/PT)

Starring: Sam Page, Sarah Drew and Amanda Schull

Storyline: Jack takes his son and daughter to his late wife's beachside hometown hoping to heal and become closer. The summer brings visions of the past that could forge a new path forward.

Reviews:

⛅ "I watched One Summer. It is a sad movie but it's soooo good! Sam Page is awesome as are the other actors as well. It shows a family working through their grief. It has some very intense moments just before the ending. No romance...family friendly. Story is left where there could easily be a sequel. I know we have a lot of sadness in our world today, but this movie is so worth watching! I love it!!" ~Joyce


⛅ "One Summer was such a beautiful movie! It made me cry, so do be warned that it's a drama, not a rom com. The subject of grief was realistically portrayed for all the family members: parents, spouse, and kids. The entire cast was amazing. I was excited to see Sarah Drew in another Hallmark movie because I loved her so much in Mom's Night Out. I hope she continues to make family friendly content for Hallmark. All around this was a family friendly movie though the death of a parent may be difficult for sensitive kids, and there's a scary boating scene in a storm at the end. So for kids some caution, but for adults it's a beautiful film! I also loved the symbolism of the lighthouse." ~melnewlife

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The Vows We Keep

Premiere Date: Sunday, October 10, 2021 (9 p.m. ET/PT)

Starring: Fiona Gubelmann, Antonio Cayonne, Linda Thorson

Story: An event planner (Gubelmann) must organize the perfect wedding for her sister in less than a month when she finds out that the Rosewood, a historic inn and beloved wedding venue, is being sold.

Movie Review:

⛅ "First of all, I just love the actress Fiona Gubelmann - she's usually so expressive and energetic in her Hallmark roles, like "Tulips in Spring" or "Christmas Next Door," but in this movie her character, Hazel, an event planner, seemed a bit more uptight and serious. I guess I prefer the fun Fiona much more. The romance was extremely subtle throughout the movie; I really never felt much of a connection, other than a new friendship, between Fiona and Jared. What I actually enjoyed most was the B story. You see... Fiona's sister's wedding is in jeopardy because the wedding venue, Rosewood Inn, may be being sold. The location, however, is owned by Simone Nash, who is a bit older now and doesn't want to contend with all the upkeep any longer. The problem is, in order to sell the property, Simone must get her sister's signature on the deal; however, they haven't spoken for years, which obviously complicates matters. It's interesting to watch their story unfold, with hesitancy, patience, regret, love, and forgiveness. Overall, the movie is a little slow moving, but it's a family-friendly lighthearted drama, ideal for a quiet afternoon viewing while sipping tea." ~Net

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Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made

Premiere Date: Sunday, October 17, 2021 (9 p.m., ET/PT)

Starring: Eric Mabius, Kristin Booth, Crystal Lowe, Geoff Gustafson

Story: As Shane (Booth) and Oliver (Mabius) prepare for their wedding, they must pause to help a young boy fighting leukemia reunite with his long-lost friend. Their search is complicated by Shane’s mother who arrives with her own plan for their wedding. Meanwhile, Rita (Lowe) and Norman (Gustafson) navigate the challenges of trying to start a family, but a new employee in the Dead Letter Office may deliver the answer.


Movie Reviews:

🔎 Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made –

"I’ll begin my review by saying… “Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Vows We Have Made” was pure perfection! The importance of spirituality, the feelings of uncertainty, the closeness of friends, like family, the flashbacks to previous “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” movies… all of these precious moments touched my heart – over and over again!"

(Warning: Spoilers below!)

"Each scene in “The Vows We Have Made” was incredible… I loved Shane’s mother and the way she was instrumental in figuring out the child’s drawing with the letter. Her scene with Oliver at the end was so powerful – in the way she asked him to be his mother, and then Shane asking her mother to help her with her wedding dress because the zipper could be tricky – it was all so touching! We knew the underlying meaning. She simply wanted her mother to be there with her - on this very special, momentous day.

Days before the wedding, however, it was obvious Oliver was dealing with troubling emotions. Oliver’s face had doubt written all over it; however, it was deeply moving to watch Shane erase all that away - by expressing to Oliver, repeatedly, that she would never leave him… and then they kissed and danced “the dance” in the DLO! It was so beautiful!

The wedding ceremony was beautiful, sacred, and spiritual! I was so blessed by the vows Shane and Oliver exchanged – repeating phrases from Ruth in the Bible – “Your people shall be my people and your God will be my God…” Once again, I was moved to tears!

In many ways it felt like they summed up this series with this movie – all of our POstables happily walking off together down the road with another mystery letter in hand, but I pray it is not the end. They could make these movies FOREVER (the simple word engraved on Shane’s new necklace), and honestly, I would still want more – as each story is so deeply moving in the way these character’s lives and these lost letters are interwoven together. If more “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” movies are made one day, that would be truly wonderful, but until then, we will just have to “trust the timing”!

Thank you to creator Martha Williamson and this amazing cast – Eric Mabius, Kristin Booth, Crystal Lowe, Geoff Gustafson, and Gregory Harrison - for this wonderful gift!" ~Net


🔎 "I am still enjoying SSD from last night. The Vows We Have Made took my breath away. Perfection is the only word that comes to mind. If we had one of these movies every week, it would not be enough. Oliver and Shane's wedding vows! Oh my! The lady who played Shane's mother was wonderful in her role. To hear our Lord honored, as SSD has always done, was a blessing to me. I'm so blown away by this movie; words can not describe my feelings this morning. Looking forward to comments here." ~kitkat

🔎 "I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the Vows we have Made SSD movie. I was so happy and they kept the faith aspect and they even had some references to past movies/show and clips. I felt like it was perfectly normal that Oliver would be worried about Shane or any person leaving him cause so many have in his life. I love so much when Shane said "I will never leave you". The writing on this series is so good, they always bring up past stuff and dont just leave you hanging like other movies that have sequels or continuations do. The thing is Shane did try and quit, or leave twice, and she didn't cause I believe deep inside she knew she was where she should be. I remember back on From Paris with Love, how she was looking in on Oliver and Holly and saying please don't kiss her. You knew even back then how much Shane loved Oliver. I absolutely loved the wedding vows, how they said them over each other, how beautiful they were. I know for Oliver it was hard to have faith that someone finally wont leave him, but he did and I love how at the end they were all looking at the letter they found saying they have time to go see where it belongs. I can still hold out hope for more movies. I mean I could watch forever the POstables reuniting old letters with their owners. The POstables are forever a family. I am going to watch this movie over and over. I am actually sad Christmas movies are coming on cause i am going to miss them playing the SSD movies, but i think they may play them on Hallmark Drama during Christmas. I didn't watch the movie live, i wanted to have time to watch and reflect on the movie and i guess i just dont want to watch anything hallmark live anymore. Its sad, but i am not looking forward to many hallmark Christmas movies. I know i will watch some, maybe the Ms Miracle movie and CCB movie, but i decided i am not recording any, i will just see them eventually, maybe when on one day it will spark some interest." ~Sabrina

🔎 “Net, I agree completely, 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered' would be a perfect example for Hallmark to follow! You are actually the reason my family and I found Signed, Sealed, Delivered! Thank you!! We had heard of it before, but never watched it, then I found your blog a couple years back and saw how much you loved it, we instantly fell in love with every minute of it too!! We were counting down the days with everyone else waiting for the wedding last weekend, and it did not dissapoint! To put it mildly, it was perfect!” -A Fellow Brother in Christ-

🔎 "I finally watched the SSD "the vows we have made" movie. Net, when I read your review above in this blog post I was moved to tears once again. I read your review right after finishing the movie and boy did you nail it with that review (the other reviews are spot on also by others). The move was fresh in my mind as I read your review and your review moved me soooo much. You really hit the heart of the matter. Now, for the movie. Oh my!!! As Net put it..."pure perfection". Most times there is a build up for something like a movie which never seems to live up to the expectations. You hear so many good things and you get such a high expectation and then it most always lets you down. Not this time. This movie was amazing. When Shane told Oliver she would never leave him and then they started to play the song, "Never my Love" I was absolutely destroyed through that whole scene...Wow!!! And the wedding was ridiculously charming and absolutely lovely and heart warming. So much scripture. So much love! The whole SSD series is remarkable but this movie practically brought me to my knees because I was so moved. Maybe even too moved at one point. When I get that emotionally moved it brings to mind things that are lacking in my life and things that should be but aren't which causes me a feeling of anxiety but I certainly don't blame the movie for that...haha. Those are my own weaknesses. This movie made me feel alive. My emotions were real and I felt connected to the Supernatural. It was like my soul was exposed and all the good and bad came pouring out. A great blessing to be touched so deeply. Every Christmas movie put together this year can't possibly match the powerful effects of this SSD movie. A true masterpiece. Anyone not seeing these WHOLE SSD series leading up to this movie have no idea how much they are missing out. ~Jim

🔎 "Jim, I love your message here. You are so right, the SSD movies and this movie in particular are some of the best out there. I just love how they bring up things from the past movies, storylines, they don’t just think the viewers won’t remember something or think we don’t know they made something up. I always loved that they would talk about things from the shows to the movies 6 years later. I love how the stories weave together. I love that they took the time to build a love story that i know will stand the test of time. I too loved when Shane told Oliver over and over "I will never leave you". And those were not just words, she tried to leave the DLO and Oliver twice and she kept coming back cause I think she knew there was something bigger there for her. I always loved when she was looking in the window at Holly and Oliver in From Paris with Love and she was begging Oliver "Don't kiss her". Even back then, she knew Oliver was something special. I loved their vows, how they did them. I loved Shane's relationship with Joe, how he was always in her corner for Oliver. This movie was easily the best Hallmark movie in a few years. I watched it over many times already. Thank you Jim for such an uplifting message." Sabrina

🔎 "My sister and I just watched the newest SSD for the first time and we're blown away. I loved the scene when Shane's mom, says to Oliver, for him to call her mom. I think I almost cried. And the ceremony.. Rita and Norman quoting Isaiah and then Shane and Oliver, quoting Ruth. Soooo wonderful to have Scripture and God mentioned in the wedding, because it is sacred. But the ending... When Oliver calls her by her maiden name after the ceremony..Why?? Oh, and when Norman mentions helping the pregnant girl instead of adopting the baby. That scene was so precious." ~Abigail

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Which movies did you enjoy seeing?

If you'd like to share a review, please leave your thoughts in comments below. Thank you!

Blessings, Net

New Hallmark Movie Filming for Fall 2021 Premiere - with Tom Everett Scott, Mía Maestro, and Ella Ballentine! See Here:

Tom Everett Scott image credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Steven Ackerman / Mía Maestro image credit: Aria Isadora / Ella Ballentine image credit: Denise Grant Photography

ET online is reporting: "Tom Everett Scott and Mía Maestro will star in Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone, adapted from the 2017 novel by best-selling author Phaedra Patrick, for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Ella Ballentine also co-stars."

According to the article, the story follows "Benedict Stone (Scott) and his wife, Elena (Maestro), who have separated after 10 years of unsuccessfully trying for a baby. Benedict wants Elena back, but Elena needs space. So when Benedict’s teenage niece, Gemma (Ballentine), mysteriously arrives on his doorstep, his life is turned upside down, except she might be the change that he desperately needs to improve himself and to get a second chance at life with Elena."

Hallmark viewers may recall Tom Everett Scott starred in a previous Hallmark movie in 2017, "Christmas Connection." Ella Ballentine has also starred on the Hallmark Channel in a Christmas movie, "Baby's First Christmas." (Side Note #1: Ella was actually one of my first interviews for this Christmas movie - back in 2012!)

In addition to these familiar Hallmark actors, Peter Benson ("Aurora Teagarden Mysteries") will be directing this film. At this point, we can anticipate this movie to premiere in the Fall. I think it's great Peter is directing, but I love him in front of the camera, too. It was nice to see him recently in the lead role in "Seasoned with Love" with his real-life wife, Julia Benson. (Side Note #2: For those interested, an encore airing of "Seasoned with Love" is currently scheduled to air Wednesday, July 21st, at 1pm/12c on BYUtv.)

As for Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone, I am not familiar with the novel this film is based upon; however, I think the story sounds like a potentially interesting scenario for a Hallmark movie. Please share your thoughts in comments below.

Blessings! Net

Christmas Connection - a Hallmark Channel Original "Countdown to Christmas" Movie starring Brooke Burns & Tom Everett Scott!

MOVIE REVIEW

Movie: Christmas Connection

Network: Hallmark Channel

Original Air Date: December 17, 2017

CAST:

Brooke Burns ... Sydney
Tom Everett Scott ... Jonathan
Sophie Neudorf ... Leah
Micheline Marchildon ... Robin
Adriana O’Neil ... Fiona
John B. Lowe ... Tom
Adam Hurtig ... Uncle Arthur
Jan Skene ... Aunt Linda
Kristen Harris ... Kerry
Kevin Ramberran ... Gate Agent
Graham Ashmore ... Flannel Guy
Pilar Floyd ... Harried Gate Agent
Quinn Greene ... Bell-Ringer
Erik Athavale ... Store Clerk
Gino Anania ... Skater

PLOT:

Storyline via Hallmark: Adventurous flight attendant Sydney’s plans for a tropical Christmas get delayed when she helps an unaccompanied minor get home to Chicago to her dad Jonathan, a handsome widower and investigative reporter. Faced with a shortage of out-going flights, Sydney is marooned for several days in the Windy City –once her home as a small girl — and tags along with Jonathan, his daughter, and their exuberantly festive family until she can find a connecting flight. Jonathan makes her a deal: he helps her chase down the story of how her late parents met, and she helps him to write the perfect Christmas story and keep his job, and along the way, sparks form between them.

Movie Review:

Coming...


See or Skip:

Coming...


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*images via: Hallmark Crown Media Family Networks
Credit: Copyright 2017 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Steven Ackerman