Festive season on the small screens is not only in full swing but has entered its last December part and after numerous new holiday movies
The series is now airing over at Hallmark
Hallmark has launched their new festive series TWELVE DATES TILL CHRISTMAS last night, December 5th with our dearest Julian Morris in the cast next to acting legends Jane Seymour and Nathaniel Parker and dashing Toby Sandeman with Mae Withman in the lead role.
WHAT'S THE STORY?
Talented Saville Row textile pattern designer Kate
(Whitman) lives in the quaint village of Blexford, England, next door to
her father Mac (Parker), who is long divorced from Kate’s mother
Delilah (Mary McDonnell), a globe trotting American always on an adventure.
When not at work, Kate looks after Mac, who’s recovering from a
motorbike accident and is inclined to spend his days sitting in his
recliner. Unbeknownst to Kate, her best friend Laura (Lucy Eaton) signs her
up for The 12 Dates of Christmas – a holiday themed matchmaking program
in the days leading up to the holiday featuring carefully curated,
yuletide dating experiences, in an attempt to get Kate out of her rut.
Lovingly coerced by Laura and longtime best friend Callum (Morris), a
reluctant Kate ultimately gets into the spirit of the program and is
caught off guard when she meets someone (Sandeman) who reinvigorates her
zest for life. But when Delilah unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep –
literally – Kate and Mac’s life and holiday season get upended.
Meanwhile, Mac may be embarking on his own romance with local Evelyn (Seymour), a widow who slowly helps him step outside the confines of his
house and open his heart. As Kate wends her way through the 12 dates,
she takes a circuitous route to romance while also making some important
discoveries about herself.
We have for World War Two set movie DESPERATE JOURNEY that I first mentioned to you two years ago and which boasts an international
The movie is out this November in cinemas
cast that includes Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, Clara Rugaard, Fernando Guallar, Hugo Spear, Ed Stoppard, Steven Berkoff, Nathaniel Parker and Til Schweiger.
THE STORY
Directed by Annabel Jankel, it is based on the true story of Freddie Knoller
(Tønnesen), a young man forced to flee Vienna as Nazi hysteria takes
hold. The story is set in a burlesque world of 1940s Paris. Knoller’s
captivating story has been widely recognized around the world and he was
honored by the late Queen Elizabeth. The film will hit cinemas November 28th!
Our dearest Robert Buckley plays Weatherman Ted Cooper who loves Christmas, but the past three have been terrible. This year, Ted has made up
Ted Cooper arrives this Christmas
his mind that things will be different – this will be the Christmas things turn around for him. But Ted’s relentless optimism is about to be put to the test as he is faced with a litany of injuries and obstacles when he travels back to his hometown of Lackawanna, NY for the holidays. Within hours of arriving at his sister Kate’s house, he finds himself making a trip to Urgent Care after falling off a ladder while hanging decorations. While there, he runs into Ruth Mittens, his former high school science teacher who was always his cheerleader. He also reconnects with the charming Hope Miller (Kimberley Sustad), except now she’s Dr. Hope Miller, with whom he went to high school and quietly crushed on from afar. Ted is optimistic that this budding romance is the beginning of his Christmas comeback, but his looming holiday bad luck still has a few curveballs in store for him. The film is out October 25th.
THREE WISEST MEN
The
third part of Hallmark's most popular Christmas movie series ever THREE
WISEST MEN arrives November 15th with our dearest boys Andrew Walker,
Tyler Hynes and Paul Campbell returning as three delightful brothers. In
the third “Wise Men” movie, Luke (Walker) is expecting twins, Taylor
(Hynes) is debating a life-changing job, and Stephan (Campbell) is
planning for a wedding — all while their mom is planning to put the
family home up for sale.
A ROYAL MONTANA CHRISTMAS
Out October 18th it follows Princess Victoria of Zelarnia (Fiona Gubelmann) who, overwhelmed by her royal duties during the Christmas season, is ready for a change of pace. Looking to decompress in the days
A Royal Montana Christmas is out October
leading up to Christmas, she decides to take a vacation to Peaceful Pines Ranch in Montana where she celebrated Christmas as a child with her late father. Upon arrival, she meets her dashing guide Huntley Blaylock (Warren Christie) who presents her and the other guests at the ranch with a rustic experience that is far from the royal treatment. This Christmas, Huntley must decide if he wants to step into a leadership role and carry on the family ranch’s legacy as his parents, the owners, approach retirement. Unaware of her status as a princess, Huntley puts Victoria through the rigors of a Montana ranch experience. Victoria also plans to help Huntley revive the ranch’s Christmas Holly-Day Dance. Victoria finds herself charmed by both Huntley and this different pace of life. As the two start to fall for each other, things get complicated when Huntley discovers Victoria is a princess. As Christmas approaches and her time at the ranch comes to an end, Victoria must decide if she should return to her royal life or stay in Montana with Huntley and the ranch she has grown so fond of.
A KELLER CHRISTMAS VACATION
Out
November 9th, it stars Jonathan Bennett, Brandon Routh, Eden Sher as
the Keller family, who, including the parents and their three adult
children, decide to take a European river cruise touring the Christmas
Markets over the holidays, and each sibling is going through their own
life challenge.
HOLIDAY TOUCHDOWN: BILLS LOVE STORY
Holiday Touchdown is out November
Out November 22nd this one stars Holland Roden and Matthew Daddario with cameos from numerous real life sports stars. Although pediatric doctor Morgan Quinn and the Bills’ VP of Stadium Development Gabe DeLuca have been lifelong friends — as have their families — he’s always wanted to be more. This holiday and football season, the pair work together to find out the mystery person who helped her family get by after her uncle was drafted decades before.
CHRISTMAS AT THE CATNIP CAFE
Out
November 30th with Erin Cahill and Paul Campbell. When a marketing
executive learns she’s short on the down payment for her dream condo,
she’s informed that her great aunt left her half of a cat café in
upstate New York. Hoping to sell it before the holidays, she then meets
Dr. Ben Kane, the veterinarian who owns the other half, and has no
intention of closing.
MELT MY HEART THIS CHRISTMAS
Out November 23rd! Holly James (Laura Vandervoort), a passionate glassblower striving to establish her artistic identity, dreams of showcasing her creations at the Fern Grove Fair. Despite previous rejections from Jack
Melt My Heart is out November
Dubois (Stephen Huszar), who oversees the entries, Holly finds an unexpected opportunity to assist legendary glassblower Bianca Bonhomme, to help Jack. Unfortunately, Bianca is struggling with a creative slump and needs help managing her booth. While Holly assists Bianca, she also secretly displays her own art under a pseudonym and her vibrant work becomes a surprise hit, overshadowing Bianca’s work and challenging the fair’s traditional norms. Holly does everything she can to help Bianca without giving away her identity while also growing closer to Jack, but unfortunately Walter, a news reporter, discovers the mystery and outs Holly, shattering her relationship with both Bianca and Jack. Holly is now forced to pick up the pieces and try to melt them back together.
CHRISTMAS ABOVE THE CLOUDS
Out
Saturday, November 8 it stars Erin Krakow and Tyler Hynes with her
playing a workaholic CEO who tries to skip Christmas but is haunted by
her past, present and future, and forced to confront the choices — and
her ex.
TWELVE DATES TILL CHRISTMAS
Out December 5th, it is a festive TV series not a film based on Jenni Bayliss’ book, starring Mae Whitman, Lucy Eaton, Mary McDonnell, Jane Seymour. Our dear boys Julian Morris, Toby Sandeman, Nathaniel Parker, take the male roles. The six-episode series follows a woman who, after being signed up for a Christmas-themed dating service, experiences 12 holiday dates designed to find her love.
We have first images from two new World War Two set movies, starting with DESPERATE JOURNEY which boasts an international cast that includes Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, Clara Rugaard, Fernando Guallar, Hugo Spear, Ed Stoppard, Steven Berkoff, Nathaniel Parker and Til Schweiger. Directed by Annabel Jankel, it is based on the true story of Freddie Knoller (Tønnesen), a young man forced to flee Vienna as Nazi hysteria takes hold. The story is set in a burlesque world of 1940s Paris. Knoller’s captivating story has been widely recognized around the world and he was honored by the late Queen Elizabeth.
MURDER COMPANY
Posed
to enter selected cinemas and VOD from July 5th is war action movie
MURDER COMPANY with Kelsey Grammer and William Moseley in the lead
roles. Gilles Marini also stars in the movie set
Murder Company arrives this July
in the midst of the
D-Day invasion. The story follows a group of U.S. soldiers who are given
orders to smuggle a member of the French resistance behind enemy lines
in order to assassinate a high-value Nazi target. June, 1944. With the
US invasion of Europe hanging in the balance, Allied commanders issued a
top-secret directive that would send six men behind enemy lines to
assassinate a high-value Nazi target. A mixed unit of soldiers from the
82nd Airborne, comprised of men from Easy, Able and Dog Companies, was
joined by a lone member of the French Resistance. Their mission has
never been officially acknowledged, and there is no record the unit ever
existed. But those who were there gave it a name of its own: Murder
Company. The movie is based on actual events!
This one has played in British cinemas earlier last August, but is getting a limited release this January in Northern America and also in Russia. Directed
The movie is out in limited release
and written by Spencer Brown fantasy thriller movie T.I.M. stars our dear Last Kingdom star Mark Rowley next to Eamon Farren, Nathaniel Parker and Georgina Campbell.
T.I.M. MOVIE FOLLOWS
prosthetics scientist Abi and her adulterous
husband Paul as they adjust to life outside the city and Abi’s new job
at the high-tech company Integrate, developing a humanoid A.I. – T.I.M.
At first, T.I.M appears to be the perfect aid, understanding and
catering to their every need but at the same time, it is becoming more
and more obsessed with Abi, until it will stop at nothing to take Paul’s
place. Check out the trailer below and tell us what you think.
BBC and ITV's joint streaming service BritBox has just released a trailer for their first original series THE BEAST MUST DIE which is set to start May 27th, following a mother (Cush Jumbo) as she seeks to avenge the death of her six-year-old son, who was killed in a hit-and-run. As she hunts
The Beast Must Die will stream weekly in five episodes
down the man she believes is responsible for his death, the “troubled yet brilliant” Detective Strangeways (Billy Howle) is tasked with unpicking the web of tragedy and working towards justice. Jared Harris leads the cast as a man who is somehow involved in the death of the six-year-old boy. Nathaniel Parker also stars in the five episode series.
As Deadline reports, Britbox is ready to start shooting their original drama THE BEAST MUST DIE a five episode adaptation of the 1938 novel of the same name by Nicholas Blake, the nom de plume of poet Cecil Day Lewis ( who is, btw, the father of Daniel Day Lewis), which tells the story of a
Billy Howle, Nathaniel Parker and Jared Harris will star in the new series
grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she believes killed her son. The series, which will have strict corona shooting protocols over at the Isle of Wight, will star Jared Harris, Nathaniel Parker and Billy Howle. Tolkien's Dome Karukoski is directing.
I've written about this one a couple of times over the years, but now it is finally getting into cinemas with November set as the release month for THE WARRIOR QUEEN OF JHANSI previously known as Swords and Sceptres, which boasts a rather strong British cast led by Derek Jacobi as Lord Palmerston, Rupert Everett as Sir
She was the queen of Jhansi in mid 19th century
Hugh Rose, Nathaniel Parker as Sir Robert Hamilton and Jodhi May as evil Queen Victoria herself!
The Warrior Queen Of Jhansi
also starring Ben Lamb and directed by
female director Swati Bhise (the producer of Dev Patel's The Man Who
Knew Infinity), is a sweeping historical tale of women's empowerment,
which brings
the true story of Lakshmibai (played by Indian star Devika Bhise whom
you have watched before in The Accidental Husband and The Man Who Knew
Infinity with Dev Pathel and Jeremy Irons), the historic
She died aged 30 in the battle with 5,000 of her soldiers
Queen of Jhansi
who fiercely led her army against the British East India Company in the
infamous
mutiny of 1857. From Queen Elizabeth to Queen Victoria, two-and a half
centuries of East India Company rule will be reversed by its attempt to
crush India's Warrior Queen. Lakshmibai is known as one of the most
prominent figures within the independence movement of India. The passion
to free her province from colonial rule led this young woman to become
one of the greatest generals of the Indian army and to go down in
history for her bravery, strategic acumen, and as a force to reckon with
by the East India Company and the British Raj. The Warrior Queen of
Jhansi is the story of the woman who lived, fought and died for the
freedom of her people.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's post on another great female ruler!
Swords and Sceptres is coming out sometime this year
Now, this one still does not have a release date nor a trailer, but we do have the first poster for India set epic movie SWORDS AND SCEPTRES which boasts a rather strong British cast lead by Derek Jacobi as Lord Palmerston, Rupert Everett as Sir Hugh Rose, Nathaniel Parker as Sir Robert Hamilton and Jodhi May as Queen Victoria herself!
SWORDS AND SCEPTRES also starring Ben Lamb and directed by female director Swati Bhise (the producer of Dev Patel's The Man Who Knew Infinity), is a sweeping historical tale of women's empowerment, which brings
Devika Bhise also wrote the movie with director Swati Bhise, her mother
the true story of Lakshmibai (played by Indian star Devika Bhise
whom you have watched before in The Accidental Husband and The Man Who
Knew
Lakshmibai was the queen of Jhansi in mid 19th century
Infinity with Dev Pathel and Jeremy Irons), the historic Queen of
Jhansi who fiercely led her army against the British East India Company
in the infamous
Rani of Jhansi died in battle when she was just 30 with 5,000 of her soldiers
mutiny of 1857. The movie has finished production
earlier last winter and should probably be released sometime later this
year.
She was only 30 when she was killed in battle against Brits
To bring some exotic warmth into the first cold days of golden Autumn, we're having an India Saturday today, people! Here's a project I haven't mentioned before: female director Swati Bhise (the producer of Dev Patel's The Man Who Knew Infinity) is currently shooting epic story SWORDS AND SCEPTRES starring Rupert Everett, Derek Jacobi, Nathaniel Parker and Jodhi May as bloodthirsty queen Victoria!
A tale of women's empowerment, SWORDS AND SCEPTRES tells the true story of Lakshmibai (Devika Bhise), the historic Queen of Jhansi who fiercely led her army against the British East India Company in the infamous mutiny of 1857.
'PADMAVATI' EPIC MOVIE
The move was postponed for December
FIRST MOVIE POSTERS ARE OUT!
And here's another upcoming epic project set in the exotic regions of India: gorgeous first posters have been released for opulent period set drama PADMAVATI which should hit Indian cinemas this December bringing 14th century extravaganza to the big screens, the story of Alauddin Khilji, the second ruler of the Khilji dynasty, and his obsessive love for the queen of Mewar, Padmavati, renowned for her beauty,
Movie will feature traditional folk dance numbers
intellect and courage. We're still waiting for a trailer to be released!
THE STORY OF THE EPIC MOVIE
Starring Deepika Padukone in the title role as Rani Padmini,
alongside Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor, and Aditi Rao Hydari, the film
is a fictionalised account of the life of Rani Padmini, a legendary
Hindu Rajput queen, mentioned in Padmavat. According to Padmavat, she
was the wife of Rana
Deepila Padukone as Padmini the Goddess Queen
Rawal Ratan Singh, the Rajput ruler of Mewar. In
1303, Alauddin Khalji, the Turkic ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, laid
siege to the Chittor Fort in Rajputana.
Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh
According to Padmavat, Khalji
led the invasion motivated by his desire to capture Rani Padmini. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the movie was jointly produced by Bhansali and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures.
work, Kate looks after Mac, who’s recovering from a
motorbike accident and is inclined to spend his days sitting in his
recliner. Unbeknownst to Kate, her best friend Laura (Lucy Eaton) signs her
up for The 12 Dates of Christmas – a holiday themed matchmaking program
in the days leading up to the holiday
featuring carefully curated,
yuletide dating experiences, in an attempt to get Kate out of her rut.
Lovingly coerced by Laura and longtime best friend Callum (Morris), a
reluctant Kate ultimately gets into the spirit of the program and is
caught off guard when she meets someone (Sandeman) who
reinvigorates her
zest for life. But when Delilah unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep –
literally – Kate and Mac’s life and holiday season get upended.
Meanwhile, Mac may be embarking on his own romance with local Evelyn
(Seymour), a widow who slowly helps him step outside the confines of his
house and open his heart. As Kate wends her way through the 12 dates,
she takes a circuitous route to romance while also making some important
discoveries about herself. 
work, Kate looks after Mac, who’s recovering from a
motorbike accident and is inclined to spend his days sitting in his
recliner. Unbeknownst to Kate, her best friend Laura (Lucy Eaton) signs her
up for The 12 Dates of Christmas – a holiday themed matchmaking program
in the days leading up to the holiday
featuring carefully curated,
yuletide dating experiences, in an attempt to get Kate out of her rut.
Lovingly coerced by Laura and longtime best friend Callum (Morris), a
reluctant Kate ultimately gets into the spirit of the program and is
caught off guard when she meets someone (Sandeman) who
reinvigorates her
zest for life. But when Delilah unexpectedly shows up on her doorstep –
literally – Kate and Mac’s life and holiday season get upended.
Meanwhile, Mac may be embarking on his own romance with local Evelyn
(Seymour), a widow who slowly helps him step outside the confines of his
house and open his heart. As Kate wends her way through the 12 dates,
she takes a circuitous route to romance while also making some important
discoveries about herself. 
