It’s fall and real men are climbing into deer stands and sitting for hours in freezing temperatures all with the hopes of bagging a huge twelve point buck. Others are braving the driving winds and making one last fishing trip on the lakes that are preparing to ice over. Their hands are turning blue from the freezing water as they struggle to remove a lure from a thrashing walleye.
Football season is upon us too so many men are glued in front of the big screen taking in as many college football games and professional football games as possible. They can recite stats that I never knew existed. They recall names and numbers of almost every NFL player and remember which team drafted them and where they are currently playing.
And where am I when all this fall excitement is upon us? Even though I love to hunt and fish I have an addiction that overpowers these fall activities. The new Hallmark movies are being featured on the three Hallmark channels at our house!
My wife praises me for being willing to sit in my recliner and enjoy them with her. She says not every husband would do that. But then not every husband would read all of the Nicholas Sparks novels either. I guess I’m just a hopeless romantic!:)
I am a simple man with a simple mind and that might explain my love for Hallmark movies. You see the plots are very similar and quite easy to follow and understand. The star of the movie is usually a person who currently has a questionable boyfriend/girlfriend depending on the gender of the star.
The star usually returns to her/his hometown for some special occassion. Often a class reunion, wedding celebration or a determination to save the family’s winery, apple orchard of pumpkin farm. You take your pick.
The old boyfriend or girlfriend from high school still resides in the hometown and of course sparks fly when the two reconnect. Of course the sparks begin slowly and increase as the two hour movie progresses.
Mooning looks are exchanged between the old high school classmates and several times the viewer is sure a kiss is going to be exchanged. But invariably someone wanders in to interrupt the ‘almost’ pressing of lips.
As the movie progresses it becomes more and more evident that the star’s boyfriend/girlfriend is really a jerk and the newly reunited high school friend is becoming more attractive. Love is being rekindled.
The star becomes aware of the situation and sometimes even the boyfriend/girlfriend realizes their dating days are numbered. At this point an engagement ring may be returned and the couple will exchange a parting hug.
The parting hug will be witnessed by the home town person whose love has just been rekindled and that person misinterprets the hug as a sign that his new love still has a love interest for the jerk. This causes tension for the last ten minutes of the movie until the misunderstanding is cleared up.
Once the good-by hug is understood to really mean good-by the star and the home town friend can resume their romance and this always ends with a passionate kiss. That signals the end of the movie.
I have always loved watching snow falling from the sky. It is so peaceful and during my thirty-four years of teaching school I always hoped for a thirty mile hour wind to pick up and send the snow into white out conditions. Everyone loves a snow day! 🙂
Maybe that’s why I love those Hallmark movies because the snow falls nonstop through the whole two hours of the movie. The producers, however, do need a little help when blizzard conditions are filling the movie screen. They need to visit a Minnesota blizzard to recognize what a real blizzard looks like.
The blizzards the actors are struggling to drive through in a Hallmark movie wouldn’t even cause a two hour late start in Minnesota schools!
Another criticism about Hallmark movies that can prevent me from being swept away by the beauty of the story is farm scenes. Yes, I’m a ex-farm boy and Hallmark movies don’t do well depicting life on the farm.
I remember one emergency occurred when a storm was approaching and the corn had to be harvested quickly. The corn stalks were grass green and far from being ripe as the combine rumbled through the field. Or the time bales of straw were being randomly moved from place to place in the barn as the farm hands tried to look like they were accomplishing meaningful labor.
The green grass and fully leafed green trees amid the piles of snowbanks are a cause for me to question whether the movie producers have ever visited our northern climate as they prepared for their winter shoots.
In spite of these inaccuracies I still enjoy watching a Hallmark movie. In fact I’ll have to admit I’ve watched the same movies several times over the years. They always end the same. 🙂
Over the years I have drifted off for a short snooze during a movie and the next year caught up on what I slept through during the second viewing. That’s why I always encourage watching a movie a number of times. 🙂
Well I’d better end this blog because the 7:00 pm Hallmark movie will be starting soon and I’m really pumped because this is a new one. There better be no snoozing through this one!
Oh, and one more thing…..if any of you bloggers reading this happens to know Hallmark movie producers would you mind letting them read this blog. I would be more then happy to work for them and make sure those farm scenes are 100% accurate. 🙂
Until next time.
