Hallmark Movies-Seasons Of Love

Starring:  Katie Findlay, Wyatt Nash, and Marshall Williams Released:  2021 (Fall Harvest) Summary:     Maggie is a workaholic who is having marital issues.  She makes a wish for a do-over and time travels to 15 years in the past.  She must choose between staying with her husband or her old boyfriend. Image: Crown Media You Can't Judge a Movie by Its Cover My expectations for this movie were low, solely based on the movie poster and previews.  Katie Findlay, the 31-year-old actress playing the lead, did not seem like Hallmark material.  She struck me as a cross between a vintage Cupid print and Betty Boop. This antique Victorian Cupid print is from 1912. Before she played "Aunt Bethany" in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Mae Questel was Betty Boop. Katie Findlay.  Image: Crown Media I was wrong, and I admit it.  In fact, no other actress on Hallmark's bank roll could have done the part better. Straightening Findlay's hair, arranging it in a smart bob, a

Starring:  Nikki DeLoach, Scott Porter, and Corbin Bernsen Released:  2021 (Fall Harvest) Summary:  A writer looking for a cover story returns to her family's ranch to write an article about an equestrian event.  She rediscovers her passion for riding and her ex-husband.   Samantha and Luke get a second chance at love.  Image: Crown Media Taking The Reins Is The Perfect Movie Title If ever Hallmark picked the perfect title for a movie, it's this one.  Taking the Reins  serves a literal and metaphorical purpose.   On the surface, the idea of  taking the reins  refers to Samantha (DeLoach) and her father (Bernsen) guiding a horse, Rascal, during an equestrian competition.  The concept runs much deeper, however. Why are reins necessary?  Without them, riders would have little, if any, control of their horses.  In the movie, many of the characters are grappling for control and direction in their own lives.   Samantha wants to write a cover-worthy article, and it requires her to

Starring:  Laura Osnes and Juan Pablo di Pace Released:  2021 (Fall Harvest) Summary:  An aspiring Master Sommelier returns to her family vineyard to study and is intrigued by the natural methods of the handsome new Argentinian winemaker. Magic happens when Hallmark actually uses talented actors instead of inexperienced "newbies." Jenna's Boyfriend, Aidan, Isn't A Weiner When a female lead already has a boyfriend before she meets her true love, Hallmark traditionally casts the secondary male character as a bit of a jerk, someone homely, or a puny fella so viewers won't get attached to him and be upset when he's kicked to the curb.  A recent example is Callie's ex-boyfriend, Joe, in Roadhouse Romance . Played by Adil Zaidi, no one is heartbroken when Callie decides against rekindling her romance with high school sweetheart, Joe. In a refreshing change-up, Raise a Glass to Love pairs Jenna Savern (Laura Osnes) with Aidan Parker (Matthew James Dowden).  Aida

Starring:  Lauren Alaina and Tyler Hynes Released:  2021 (Fall Harvest) Summary:  When Callie returns home from her deployment, she finds her hometown has changed.  Her high school sweetheart has a new girlfriend, and her family's barbeque restaurant is struggling.  When she meets a marooned film director, they both learn how to look forward instead of back and find love in the process. Roadhouse Romance kicked off Hallmark's Fall Harvest 2021.  Image: Crown Media Same Movie Formula With A Few Nice Twists Just like Matchmaker Santa , this plot relies on a car breaking down and stranding out-of-towners indefinitely.  It's funny that Hallmark treats small towns like remote, third-world countries that have no access to modern conveniences or supplies.  Finding a replacement switch for a classic car might be a little more challenging, but any service garage could track one down in a day and have it shipped overnight.   Regardless, Tucker's Roadhouse shows Southern hospital

Starring:  Rhiannon Fish and Darien Martin Released:  2021-Summer Nights Summary:  A wildlife biologist travels to Alaska where she finds inspirational guidance from a Native American family plus an unexpected romance with a rugged wilderness guide. Abby captures some great shots that will help her complete an updated eagle census.   Image: Crown Media Journey of My Heart Similar to Chasing Waterfalls Rhiannan Fish and Darien Martin score two thumbs-up from Hallmark fans who love this story about a study of the eagle population on Native American land. As always, Hallmark's focus remains on diversity, hence the inclusion of indigenous people in the script and cast, but non-woke fans enjoy it anyway. After all, the scenery is breath-taking, even though the movie is filmed in Vancouver rather than the story's Alaskan setting.   Image: Crown Media Just like Chasing Waterfalls where Cindy Busby falls in love with her rugged nature guide, Christopher Russell, Rhiannon Fish captur

Starring:  Christine Ko and Wes Brown Released:  2021-Summer Nights Summary:  Sparks fly between a woman and her ex-boyfriend as they work together to sell her aunt's pecan farm. Wes Brown and Christine Ko definitely don't make a believable match.  Image: Crown Media Hallmark Rolls The Diversity Dice Instead Of Casting Couples With Chemistry After a long day, it's nice to unwind with a feel-good Hallmark romance movie.  Most of us don't care what race the couple is as long as the casting director paired two people together who can actually act and create sparks for the viewers. When Crown Media CEO, Wonya Lucas, vowed to include more diversity in Hallmark movies, one might have assumed that meant adding more couples who were black, Asian, Hispanic, Italian, or from some other ethnic group. We are finding that is not the case. These days, Hallmark often sacrifices good story-telling and smart casting for identity politics.  Roughly 10% of the American population is in an