Why Dr. Ian Malcolm is my Favorite Character in Jurassic Park

On August 16, 2019August 15, 2019 By 18cinemalane9 Comments

Imagine; you’re at a party that you’ve been invited to. You don’t know anyone there and you have no idea if you’re going to have a good time. Then, they show up. That one person that stands out from the rest. They seem so different, in a good way, from everyone else. Yet, they immediately catch your attention because of how interesting they seem. When they show up, that’s when you know this party just got a lot more memorable. This made-up scenario is similar to how I became a fan of Dr. Ian Malcom from Jurassic Park. I had seen this movie for the first time last year and I didn’t know if I was going to like it. When Ian showed up on screen, he instantly got my attention because of how cool he seemed. As the film went on, he became my favorite character in Jurassic Park. This list illustrates why Dr. Ian Malcolm is the one that became my favorite. I’ll bring up examples directly from the movie. Before I begin, I want to take the time to thank the moderators of the Jeff Goldblum Blogathon, Gill from Realweegiemidget Reviews and Emma from emmakwall (explains it all). Because of you, I now have an excuse to talk about one of my favorite characters!

The Jeff Goldblum Blogathon banner created by Gill from Realweegiemidget Reviews and Emma from emmakwall (explains it all). Image found at https://weegiemidget.wordpress.com/2019/06/09/the-jeff-goldblum-blogathon/.

Breaking Down “Nerdy” Stereotypes

Over-sized glasses. Suspenders. Obsessive conversations about “geek” or “nerd” related topics. These are some of the stereotypes that we’ve seen in books, movies, and television shows when it comes to characters that are labeled as “nerdy”. Because Dr. Ian Malcom is a mathematician and earned a doctorate degree, he would be someone that could get easily labeled as a “nerd”. His actions, behaviors, and even his wardrobe goes against the created image of what some people expect from a “nerd”. He looks as if he’s on his way to lead a sold-out concert at any moment. Confidence and a healthy dose of self-esteem are the things he carries in his pocket. The way that people interact with Ian in Jurassic Park shows the audience that not only is he well respected, but that he’s popular enough to get invited to theme parks before they’re open. This film was released in 1993, a time when we still saw characters display the stereotypical idea of a “nerd”, such as on Full House and Family Matters. The idea of a character with “nerdy” qualities going against the grain is something that was probably mind-blowing back in the day.

Influencing Other Characters

In my review of Queen of the Damned, I mentioned that Dr. Ian Malcom was probably one of the factors that influenced the creation of that film. My reasoning was that because Ian is a likable rock-star-esque mathematician, Lestat became a mostly likable rock-star-esque vampire compared to the film’s predecessor. Almost two decades after the release of Jurassic Park, the world was introduced to Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr.’s depiction of this character helped create a superhero that a large number of people would choose to be a fan of. Tony Stark is quick-witted, popular, and grows as an individual over the course of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Similar to Ian in Jurassic Park, Tony becomes well-respected within the Avengers group. But beyond the glitz and glamour associated with this character, he has the qualities that would classify him as a “nerd”. He’s an inventor, works with Bruce Banner on scientific experiments, and has one of the most gifted minds in the MCU. Because a character like Dr. Ian Malcom broke the mold of what it means to be a “nerd”, it allowed Iron Man to distance himself from the stereotypes and portrayals of yesteryear.

168714-OVJRD7-558 — Chalkboard image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/mathematical-operation-written-on-blackboard_1357576.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Backgroundimage created by Freepik</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

The Voice of Reason

The reason for the existence of Jurassic Park was because John Hammond wanted to create a unique experience for people of all walks of life. When all of the key characters come together to Jurassic Park and learn about the logistics of the operation, Ian Malcolm is the only person that’s bold enough to tell John that the park is a bad idea. Throughout the film, Ian’s point is proven right while John’s dream falls apart. Among these characters, Ian represents the Voice of Reason through a sense of realism and common sense. He doesn’t let the magnificence of the idea of Jurassic Park deter him from his beliefs. No matter how much objection he faced, he still stood up for what he believed in. Ian even became physically injured because of the violent nature of Jurassic Park. Instead of letting his emotions get the best of him, he helped the other characters find a way to stop the madness.

Great Writing and Acting

When it comes to movies, a character is only as good as the performance of its actor, as well as the screen-writing. Both acting and screen-writing need to work together, instead of contradicting each other. Ian Malcom is a good example of these two factors working side by side. The script allowed this character to be a likable and unique individual. It also gave the screen-writers the opportunity to go against the grain when it comes to how their characters are presented. If it wasn’t for the screen-writers taking creative risks, we would have never gotten the iteration of Ian that we did. Jeff Goldblum also helped when it came to bringing this character to life. With the right amount of charisma, Jeff gave audiences a character that they wanted to root for. What also added to his performance was a good amount of well-roundedness. Every emotion was expressed by Jeff with realism and believability. Because of the quality of his acting performance, it helps the audience stay invested in what was happening to Ian.

Jurassic Park poster — Even though I’m not talking about the movie itself, putting a picture of *Jurassic Park*‘s poster does make sense within this article. Screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.

Final Thoughts

Jurassic Park is a film that has captivated the world for over twenty years. The thrill of the adventure and the beauty of prehistoric creation are the things that, prior to its release, would be considered “the stuff of dreams”. While the idea of dreams is not necessarily a bad thing, reality shouldn’t be entirely excluded. This is why Dr. Ian Malcolm is so important in this story. He was the only one that kept his feet on the ground when everyone else was ready to fly toward John Hammond’s dream. John was so obsessed with the idea of Jurassic Park, that he, pretty much, forgot about the reality behind it. When we pair dreams with a healthy sense of reality and common sense, there is a chance that we can find more satisfaction. Our goals can be more attainable and results can be beneficial for ourselves, as well as the people around us. Had the characters in Jurassic Park paid more attention to what Ian had to say, they would have learned some important lessons a lot sooner.

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

Take 3: All About Eve Review (Clean Movie Month — #5)

On July 31, 2019 By 18cinemalane11 Comments

Well, this is it. The final review for Clean Movie Month. As I look back on my entries for this particular blogathon, I notice that most of these movies were decent, according to my opinion. Only Madeleine was just ok. Again, this is based on my opinion. This observation was very interesting, something that I hadn’t expected. As All About Eve is the last movie I’m reviewing for Clean Movie Month, I wanted to see if I liked this movie any more or less than the other movies I’ve previously talked about. This specific film was released in 1950, within the final years of the Breen Code era. Several days ago, I had reviewed two other films from this same year: Madeleine and Les Enfants Terribles. Among these two films, Madeleine was the one that seemed to follow the Breen Code more closely. Les Enfants Terribles, on the other hand, only partially incorporated the Breen Code. Would All About Eve follow the footsteps of the crime drama from the United Kingdom or be influenced by the character-driven French film? Hold your applause and get right for the curtain call, as we’re about to review 1950’s All About Eve!

All About Eve poster — *All About Eve* poster created by 20th Century Fox. Image found at https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/all-about-eve.

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: As I mentioned in my review of Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Bette Davis excels that portraying characters that are unsettling and over-the-top. Her portrayal of Margo Channing, however, is very different from her performances in Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. This is because the character is more grounded and subtle in presentation and personality. Despite this, Bette successfully brought versatility to her role! Watching Anne Baxter’s portrayal of Eve Harrington was entertaining! She was able to capture that sense of awe and wonder that most people would display when entering the theater world. As her character grew, she allowed her performance to evolve. The other cast members had good on-screen chemistry, keeping their interactions interesting and engaging. They effectively brought their characters to life and gave great performances!

The voice-overs: At various points in the film, voice-overs could be heard from some of the characters. They were narrating how Eve came into their lives and how she impacted their relationships. Eve, however, never gets to narrate her own story. But, through these voice-overs and interactions, the audience gets to see her develop as an individual. This type of story-telling is very reminiscent of Citizen Kane. The difference between this film and All About Eve is that in All About Eve, the audience has the chance to connect with each of the characters. The characters who are narrating the story are still given a chance to tell their stories. Their narrations also provide a sense of depth to the overall plot.

The behind-the-scenes look at the theater world: All About Eve is about a group of people who work in the theater industry. While this film showed the “glitzy” and “glamourous” side of things, it also showed the not-so-glamourous side. Seeing both of these perspectives was not only refreshing, but also insightful! I also liked how these characters were portrayed in a realistic and relatable way. When it comes to cinematic stories about the theater or movie industry, the characters are, sometimes, portrayed as being something greater than what they really are. All About Eve, instead, shows the characters dealing with situations and issues that other people could experience. Margo wanting to help Eve enter the theater world is a good example of this.

All About Eve photo card — *All About Eve l*obby card created by 20th Century Fox. Image found at http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/67044/All-About-Eve/#tcmarcp-373822.

What I didn’t like about the film:

Drawn-out scenes: There were some scenes in All About Eve that felt more drawn-out. One example is the scene where Margo is hosting a dinner party. It introduced characters that only appear on-screen for minutes at a time, but furthered certain story-lines forward. While this part of the movie provided character development, I think it lasted a little too long. Had this scene been cut in half, the narrative would have gotten straight to the point. This would also shorten the film’s run-time.

A predictable plot twist: All About Eve contains a plot twist that changes the overall perception of one of the characters. I won’t share what this plot twist is, in case you haven’t seen this movie. But, when I learned more about this particular character, I knew that something wasn’t right. When the plot twist happened, I was not surprised. Because of how predictable this plot twist was, it took away the mystery and surprise that could have been incorporated into the story. What I got instead was a story element that I was aware of all along.

A misleading title: As this movie is titled All About Eve, it gives the impression that the film focuses on the character of Eve Harrington. While this is true to a certain extent, the movie is also about Bette Davis’ character, Margo Channing. When looking at the cast of characters, Margo is the one who is leading this story. Even on the movie’s poster, Margo is the only character that is featured in the image. It makes the title appear misleading, as if the creative team behind this film is not holding up their end of the bargain. If the film were given an honest title, it would be called “Mostly About Margo” or “Sometimes About Eve”.

Clean Movie Month banner created by Tiffany and Rebekah Brannan from Pure Entertainment Preservation Society. Image found at https://pureentertainmentpreservationsociety.wordpress.com/2019/07/01/cleanmoviemonth85-is-here/.

My overall impression:

All About Eve will close this year’s Clean Movie Month as being a decent film. There were elements to this movie that I thought were interesting. The insightful look into the world of theater is just one example. However, certain aspects prevented the film from being a better project. As I already mentioned, the predictable plot twist is one of the reasons. It was nice to see a different side to Bette Davis’ acting abilities, as I’ve previously only seen her portray characters that are unsettling and over-the-top. It shows just how talented Bette Davis is. Even though All About Eve was approved by the Breen Code, I was surprised by some of the language that was featured in the script. During the aforementioned dinner party, Margo tells an ill guest that they’ll “burp” if they take a particular solution. This reminded me of something that Tiffany and Rebekah said in their Breening Thursday review of “The Trouble with Angels”. According to this article, references to bodily functions were looked down on. Because All About Eve was released in the Breen Code era, this mention of “burping” shouldn’t have been featured in the film. Another thing that I noticed was how one character got slapped in the face, which wasn’t done in self-defense. In the films that I reviewed during Clean Movie Month, the violence was either frowned upon or done in self-defense. Like I said about the “burping”, this action should not have been featured.

Overall score: 7 out of 10

What are your thoughts on Clean Movie Month? Would you like to see me participate in next year’s blogathon? Please tell me in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

Take 3: Desolation Canyon Review + 120 Follower Thank You

On July 24, 2019 By 18cinemalane3 Comments

Two weeks ago, 18 Cinema Lane received 120 followers! I had wanted to publish this post much sooner. But due to other blog posts that I felt had to be posted before the end of the month and technical difficulties related to the weather, this blog follower dedication review had to be put on hold. Fortunately, I now set aside some time to publish this important post! For my 120 follower dedication review, I chose a movie that was released in July of 2006. Originally, I was going to talk about Monster House. However, when I discovered that there were two Hallmark movies that were released in the aforementioned month and year, I decided to choose one of those films instead. Desolation Canyon is the movie that I ended up picking. Since I haven’t reviewed a Western film since Allegheny Uprising back in March, I wanted to see how Hallmark approached this particular genre. Films of this nature are rarely seen on Hallmark Channel or Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. In fact, when it comes to stand-alone films, the last Western that either network created was JL Family Ranch from 2016. Despite this, I know that Hallmark has what it takes to tell stories from this genre, especially after watching programs like When Calls the Heart. Now, let’s see if Hallmark pulled off a good movie in this review of Desolation Canyon!

20190724_154323[1] — I apologize if this poster doesn’t have the best quality image. I decided to take a picture of it on my phone. Screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: I was really impressed with the acting in Desolation Canyon! Before watching this movie, the only Hallmark film of Patrick Duffy’s that I saw was The Christmas Cure. In that movie, his character was more light-hearted, in order to fit the tone of that film. In Desolation Canyon, Patrick’s portrayal of Tomas had that same light-heartedness. But this time, his character was also tough and rugged, which was a good fit for the genre. Patrick was able to successfully bring both of these elements to his character, helping him to be a likable protagonist. Stacy Keach also did a good job at portraying the character of Samuel. Even though he has a tougher persona than Tomas, Samuel still was an honorable individual. Stacy was able to incorporate these aspects of the character through the believability of his performance. The rest of the cast brought the best of their acting abilities to their roles, keeping me investing in their on-screen stories!

The script: Desolation Canyon’s script was such a pleasant surprise by how well written it was! Anytime the three protagonists spoke to each other, their dialogue was witty and clever. In fact, all of the dialogue in this film sounded like real-life conversations. It’s also important to point out that the character development was well done. There was one character in particular who not only grew as an individual, but also pulled off a very effective plot twist. I’m not going to say which character it was, in case you haven’t seen this movie. But I thought this part of the film shows how good this movie’s script was!

The movie’s created world: Hallmark doesn’t create period films often. But, when they do, the network puts all they have into their projects. Everything in Desolation Canyon looked and felt like the time period this story took place in. Even the natural scenery felt like it fit within that cinematic world! The care for detail showed, as even smaller props added a sense of authenticity to the narrative. It tells me, as an audience member, that the creative team behind this film made the best effort possible to bring this world to life on-screen!

horse saddle - soft focus with film filter — Horse with saddle photo created by Topntp26 at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/stallion-black-equine-race-sky_1104246.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background image created by Topntp26 – Freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

What I didn’t like about the film:

Under-utilized characters: Even though this movie had well-crafted characters, some of them were under-utilized. One example was Alejandra, who was the wife of Samuel. Since she was given an interesting backstory, I had assumed that she would serve a significant purpose within the overall narrative. Unfortunately, Alejandra didn’t really do anything besides keep Olivia, Samuel’s daughter-in-law, company. This disappointed me because Alejandra was both a well-written and well-acted character. It just seemed like all of the potential this character had was wasted.

A weak plot for the bandits: In Desolation Canyon, the group of bandits play a key role in the story. Their subplot, however, wasn’t as strong as their on-screen presence. For most of the movie, the bandits were primarily seen on their journey. The only things they talked about were the journey itself or about an injured member of the group. It wasn’t until about the last thirty minutes when the bandits receive any semblance of a plot. While the father-son relationship between Johnny and Abe was an interesting element, it felt like it had little connection to the bandits’ subplot. If anything, the aforementioned element should have been its own plot.

The inclusion of the bounty hunters: The story of Desolation Canyon featured two bounty hunters who, like the protagonists, were searching for the bandits. While these characters were interesting, they didn’t really add anything to the overall story. Throughout the film, these bounty hunters follow the protagonists in an attempt to seek revenge toward the bandits. But anytime they showed up, it seemed like they were there for the sake of plot convenience. If this part of the story was eliminated from the film, it wouldn’t have made a difference.

90242-OJM5E8-442 — Small, western town image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by freepik – http://www.freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

My overall impression:

Desolation Canyon is a much different Hallmark movie than what the network provides today. It doesn’t feature the usual tropes and clichés that are found in the romantic comedies that dominate Hallmark Channel. Instead, this Western is filled with interesting character development, action, suspense, and a story with stakes. Desolation Canyon was released in 2006, only five years after Hallmark Channel premiered. This was a time when movies had more creative freedom and thought outside the box. While I wish that Hallmark would go back to this kind of story-telling, I’m glad to have been given the opportunity to revisit the films of the network’s past. Desolation Canyon is a film that I found entertaining! There are things about the story that could have better. On the other hand, this movie had creative choices that I liked seeing. It amazes me how my followers continue to be supportive of 18 Cinema Lane! With that, I will end this review by thanking each and every one of my 120 followers!

Overall score: 7.4 out of 10

Do you like watching Hallmark movies? What genre would you like to see the network incorporate into their stories? Please tell me in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

Take 3: Les Enfants Terribles Review (Clean Movie Month — #4)

On July 22, 2019October 18, 2019 By 18cinemalane5 Comments

Several months ago, I recorded the French film, Les Enfants Terribles, on my DVR. Since I don’t watch many foreign films, I wanted to see this film as a way to expand my cinematic horizons. When I found out that this particular movie was released during the Breen Code era, in 1950, I was curious to see if any traces of the Breen Code could be found in the film. So, that is why I chose Les Enfants Terribles for one of my Clean Movie Month reviews! If you read my review of Madeleine, you would know that Les Enfants Terribles is not the first foreign film I reviewed for this blogathon. In fact, I was quite surprised that Madeleine was approved by the Breen Code. An interesting coincidence is both Madeleine and Les Enfants Terribles were released in the same year. So, it’ll be interesting to see how this French film from 1950 compares to the British film, also from 1950!

20190721_222820 — I’ve seen other posters for this movie, but I like this one the best! Screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: The acting in Les Enfants Terribles was one of the finer points of the movie! The two main characters, Paul and Elisabeth, were very interesting to watch because of the lead stars’ acting performances! Nicole Stephane brought the character of Elisabeth to life with a sense of fierceness and strength. These two elements helped her carry the film. She was also able to stand on her own merits when it came to acting among the other actors and actresses! Edouard Dermit portrayed Elisabeth’s brother, Paul. The well-roundedness of his acting talents was very clear to see in this film. Paul goes through a lot in Les Enfants Terribles. In every scene, Edouard brought his A game and even made his character seem like he was a real person. Over the course of this story, Edouard not only incorporates a sense of realism to his character, but also pulls off an acting performance that was mesmerizing to watch!

The music: At certain points in the film, orchestral music could be heard. This type of music would normally come into the movie anytime a new location was introduced. I thought this was an interesting choice because it fit the film’s overall tone. The orchestral music was grand yet sinister, highlighting Paul and Elisabeth’s journey through wealth and growing up. In one scene, Elisabeth’s husband, Michael, sings a song while playing the piano. Not only did the piano music sound good, but the song was also sung well. The music’s role in Les Enfants Terribles brought a special significance to the project!

The dynamics of the characters: Les Enfants Terribles puts more focus on the characters than the story itself. Despite this, it was fascinating to see how the characters interacted with one another. Throughout the film, lives are transformed and relationships are built among Paul, Elisabeth, and the people around them. What makes this part of the movie work is the screen-writing as well as the acting. These two elements provide the perfect combination for making the characters as interesting as they were.

What I didn’t like about the film:

Lack of explanation for Paul and Elisabeth’s “game”: During the movie, Paul and Elisabeth play a game that only the two of them know about. However, no explanation to what this game is or how it’s played was ever given in the story. While watching the film, I tried to figure out more about the game. But, without an explanation, it was very difficult to understand the importance of it. I also noticed that this game was featured in the story when it was convenient for the plot. This is because the game itself was mentioned on very few occasions.

A misleading premise: According to Turner Classic Movies’ (TCM’s) website, Les Enfants Terribles is about “a brother and sister close themselves off from the world by playing an increasingly intense series of mind games with the people who dare enter their lair”. As I’ve already mentioned, Paul and Elisabeth’s “game” wasn’t well explained or featured in the movie for very long. The sibling relationship of Paul and Elisabeth seemed very toxic, from calling each other names to treating each other horribly. If anything, this movie was about two things: siblings who grow apart and a young woman who slowly becomes obsessed with power and control. Since the movie was different than its synopsis, I found TCM’s description to be misleading.

An unclear time-line: Les Enfants Terribles takes place over the course of several years. But, to me, this movie felt like all the events happened within a year. This was because there were no clear explanations about when certain situations were taking place. Time-cards and any mentions of the year were not found in this movie. Even the narrator didn’t talk about how much time had passed. The film’s time-line became very confusing, leaving me wondering how many years were included in the story. Because of the unclear time-line, the characters appeared as if they were frozen in time.

3 paris — Illustration of Paris, France created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/travel”>Travel vector created by freepik – http://www.freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

My overall impression:

I ended up liking Les Enfants Terribles more than I thought I would! It was an interesting film that had a few surprises in store. The movie itself is a character study/character driven story, showing how they evolve as time goes on. The acting was really good and the characters were well developed, helping this narrative become engaging. As I was watching Les Enfants Terribles, I could see some of the Breen Code’s influence. One example was anytime the doctor came to examine Paul. Either the examination itself was not shown on-screen or the doctor would only be shown listening to Paul’s heartbeat. However, when it came to this film, the Breen Code could have been enforced more. There were several times where characters were swearing, either at each other or just for the sake of it. This shocked me because not only was Les Enfants Terribles released in 1950, but it was also released during the Breen Code era. I was surprised that this movie got away with having this much language in the early ‘50s. Was this particular film the beginning of the end for the Breen Code? That’s definitely a question for another day.

Overall score: 7 out of 10

Have you ever watched a French film? Which foreign film have you always wanted to see? Share your thoughts in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

The results of the 1st Annual Gold Sally Awards have finally arrived!

On June 10, 2019June 16, 2019 By 18cinemalane2 Comments

Earlier this February, I started the Gold Sally Awards as my way of celebrating 18 Cinema Lane’s first anniversary. These awards were created to be interactive for all my readers and followers. After several months and voting polls, it’s finally time to reveal the winners of the very first Gold Sally Awards! Instead of just listing the names of the winning actors and movies, I’ve created scrapbook pages that showcase photos of these winners. The pages are Christmas themed to represent the 10^th anniversary of Hallmark Channel’s “Countdown to Christmas” movie line-up. Before this celebration begins, I want to say thank you to everyone who supported the Gold Sally Awards by voting in the polls or liking the posts. Because this became a successful experience, I will definitely continue to host these awards next year! Now it’s time to announce this year’s winners!

20190610_220612[1] — Scrapbook page and screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.

Hallmark Movies & Mysteries

Best Movie and Best Story: Northern Lights of Christmas

Best On-Screen Couple: Aimee Teegarden and Brett Dalton – Once Upon a Christmas Miracle

Best Actress: Alicia Witt – Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane

Best Actor: Colin Ferguson – Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane

Best Supporting Actress: Rebecca Staab – Christmas Bells are Ringing

Best Supporting Actor: Mark Humphrey — Christmas Bells are Ringing

Best Ensemble: Marrying Father Christmas

20190610_220949[1] — Scrapbook page and screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.

Hallmark Channel

Best Movie: Pearl in Paradise and Love, of Course (first tie in Gold Sally Awards history)

Best Story: Love, of Course

Best On-Screen Couple: Rukiya Bernard and Dewshane Williams – One Winter Weekend

Best Actress: Nikki DeLoach – Truly, Madly, Sweetly

Best Actor: Mark Deklin – Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa

Best Supporting Actress: Rukiya Bernard – One Winter Weekend

Best Supporting Actor: Preston Vanderslice – Cooking with Love

Best Ensemble: It’s Christmas, Eve

Hand holding trophy — Hand holding gold trophy image created by Macrovector at freepik.com. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by macrovector – http://www.freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

Hallmark Star of the Year: Paul Greene

257408-p4tv5g-508 — Star on red carpet image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by freepik – http://www.freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

Word on the Street: Is Hallmark Movies & Mysteries creating a new “Gourmet Detective” movie? + Developments for “When Calls the Heart” and other upcoming movies

On April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 By 18cinemalaneLeave a comment

I apologize if I’ve been sounding like a broken record by mostly talking about Hallmark related movie news. But I’ve discovered so much movie news that I can’t always talk about it in one sitting. In this Word on the Street post, I will be talking about a potential Gourmet Detective movie, an upcoming Christmas film, and an unclaimed movie project. Even though I don’t talk about tv shows often, I will be discussing the latest news about When Calls the Heart, especially since I re-cap the show in my Sunset Over Hope Valley series. As I usually do in these Word on the Street posts, I will share my honest thoughts about each piece of movie news. So, let’s get started with talking about these projects!

Vector set of isometric illustrations making movies and watching a movie in the cinema. — Movie process chart created by Vectorpocket at freepik.com <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/vector-set-of-isometric-illustrations-making-movies-and-watching-a-movie-in-the-cinema_1215936.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a> <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/business”>Business vector created by Vectorpocket – Freepik.com</a> Image found at freepik.com

One day, while on IMDB, I stumbled across a page that really caught my eye. Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ Gourmet Detective series is a collection of films that I have come to enjoy. So, you could imagine my excitement when the title of this IMDB page ended up being “Gourmet Detective: Roux the Day”! On this page, the project is listed as “in development”, so it’s unclear what stage of the production process this movie is in. However, it would make sense for another Gourmet Detective movie to be on its way. The last movie to premiere was Gourmet Detective: Eat, Drink, and be Buried in 2017. Also, when a fan asked Dylan Neal on Twitter if there would be any upcoming movies in this series, he responded by saying “We’ll see what we can do about another…”. Though Hallmark has not made any announcements about this film, it’ll be interesting to see when this movie could premiere. Since the Garage Sale Mystery series has ended, maybe this new Gourmet Detective movie could air sometime in August? This is a piece of movie news we’ll definitely have to keep our eyes on.

To view the references I made in this movie news story, visit the official page for “Gourmet Detective: Roux the Day” at IMDB and Dylan Neal’s official Twitter account (@DylanNealStudio)

OKLG790 — Detective work image created by Photoroyalty at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/investigation-background-design_1041877.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by Photoroyalty – Freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

Today, after Home & Family, Erin Krakow appeared in a special When Calls the Heart Behind-the-Scenes featurette to reveal that the show will return on May 5^th! There will also be another new episode that airs on May 6^th! As good as this news was, I was disappointed that the “Abigail Stanton situation” wasn’t addressed. Even in the sneak peek scene that was shown, there was no mention of this character. Another thing that Erin mentioned was that she would make another announcement during the premiere of Bottled with Love! While she didn’t hint at what this announcement could be, my guess is she could be starring in a Christmas movie either alongside Andrew Walker or co-starring with Bethany Joy Lenz. It will be very interesting to hear what Erin has to say on April 13^th.

While I was on Instagram one day, looking for potential movie news stories, I came across a very interesting post. Liz Storm, a screenwriter, posted a picture of her laptop with what appears to be a plot for an upcoming movie. In the description of this picture, the hashtags #hallmarkchristmasmovies, #hallmark, and #marvista are found. This is important to point out because in another Instagram post, Liz said that she was writing a “family romance” for Marvista Entertainment and that it would premiere on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries within their Christmas line-up. Looking at what’s on Liz’s laptop, it seems like this movie will be titled “Love Song for Noel”. What’s interesting is that there are two pages that are visible on the laptop screen. On the first page, the story is about a woman named Noel, who is a violinist living somewhere in Nashville. Also, in this story, there is a character named Wayne Grant, who is a country singer and a single father. But on the second page, the story is about a woman named Beth who works in a small music store. The other characters that were referenced in this story were her mother, Joan, and her best friend, Sheila. It is unclear at this time which story is going to be the final product. As I was reading these stories, I wondered if this movie had anything to do with the upcoming Christmas film that Blake Shelton is associated with? At the Winter TCA Event in February, Hallmark announced that they were partnering with Blake Shelton for a 2019 Christmas film. Since his produced movie, Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas, aired on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries last year, everything I just said would make a lot of sense.

To view the references I made about this movie news story, visit Liz Storms’ official Instagram feed (@lizstormy) and this link:

https://www.crownmediapress.com/PressReleaseList/?SiteID=142&NodeID=144&page=4 (the piece about Blake Shelton’s movie is in the article “CROWN MEDIA FAMILY NETWORKS ANNOUNCES DEAL WITH COUNTRY SUPERSTAR BLAKE SHELTON)

1033 — Group of Christmas figures image created by Pikisuperstar at freepik.com. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/christmas”>Christmas vector created by Pikisuperstar – Freepik.com</a>. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/hand-drawn-cute-christmas-character_3188970.htm’>Designed by Pikisuperstar</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

Back in January, I listed several movie titles that weren’t attached to any networks. One of these titles was “For You, With Love”. While it’s still unknown which network will receive this movie, we now know who will be starring in this film. According to IMDB, the official cast is:

Edy Ganem
Maddie Phillips
Matreya Scarrwener
Brendon Zub
Adil Zaidi
Rachel Hayward
Clayton Chitty
Mark Brandon
Georgia Bradner
Phillip Joseph Steward

It’s important to point out that Maddie Phillips, Matreya Scarrwener, Brendon Zub, Adil Zaidi, Rachel Hayward, Clayton Chitty, and Mark Brandon have been cast in a Hallmark or UP Network project prior to being cast in “Made for You with Love”, the new title for the film. However, this does not confirm that any of these networks could premiere this movie. This is another piece of movie news we’ll have to keep our eyes on.

To view the reference I made in this movie news story, visit the official page for “Made for You with Love” on IMDB

Cinema Background Illustration — Coming soon movie image created by Macrovector at freepik.com. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by macrovector – http://www.freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

What are your thoughts on these pieces of movie news? Are you looking forward to any of these projects? Share your thoughts in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

It is time for the Best Supporting Actress division of the Gold Sally Awards to begin!

On April 8, 2019 By 18cinemalane7 Comments

Hello, everyone! Today starts the Best Supporting Actress division of the Gold Sally Awards! In honor of this occasion, I decided this would be the perfect time to introduce 18 Cinema Lane’s new logo! This version will be the official logo of the blog from now on. It was created by K from K at the Movies. Make sure you check out their blog for more reviews and insights about film!

SS Cinema Lane — The new 18 Cinema Lane logo is created by K from K at the Movies! Image found at https://katthemovies.wordpress.com/2019/03/30/graphic-design-is-my-passion/.

Now, on to the voting! These polls are to determine who will be the Best Supporting Actress in a Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie! Like with the previous polls, you can only vote once per person. However, you are allowed to vote for more than one nominee. You can place your votes in the comment section of this post. The Gold Sally Awards’ Best Supporting Actress division will conclude on April 18^th. After that date, two actresses will receive this honor of being named Best Supporting Actress from the Gold Sally Awards!

Best Supporting Actress in a Hallmark Channel Movie

Brittany Bristow – Christmas at the Palace

Gwynyth Walsh – It’s Christmas, Eve

Maddie McCormick – Christmas at Pemberley Manor

Rukiya Bernard – One Winter Weekend

Naomi Sequeira – Pearl in Paradise

MacKenzie Vega – Love, Of Course

Andie MacDowell – The Beach House

Kayla Wallace – Once Upon a Prince

Jordana Lajoie – A Gingerbread Romance

Elva Mai Hoover – Entertaining Christmas

Best Supporting Actress in a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Movie

Sarah Grey – Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Marriage Made for Murder

Wendie Malick – Marrying Father Christmas

Laura Leighton – Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane

Rebecca Staab – Christmas Bells are Ringing

Colleen Winton – Hope at Christmas

Sitara Hewitt – Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery

Nicola Lipman – Garage Sale Mysteries: Murder in D Minor

Jessica Sipos – Signed, Sealed, Delivered: To the Altar

Kelly Hu – Christmas Wonderland

MacKenzie Porter – Darrow & Darrow: In the Key of Murder

Have fun voting!

Sally Silverscreen

Take 3: The Man with Two Faces Review + 85 Follower Thank You

On March 22, 2019March 21, 2019 By 18cinemalane5 Comments

Last week, my blog finally received 85 followers! This new wave of followers was partly because of the unexpected success I experienced from my Book Adaptation Tag post (that post currently has 16 views and 13 likes). Thank you for helping 18 Cinema Lane acquire these many followers! I remember like it was just yesterday when I published my first blog follower dedication review last March. I had reviewed the film Saving Mr. Banks when I received only five followers. Looking back, I never thought I’d have almost a hundred followers in this short amount of time. If you followed or read my blog for a significant period of time, you would know that any time I receive a milestone number of followers, I review a film that was released in the number of years of that milestone number. So, since I’ve received 85 followers, I will review a film that was released 85 years ago (in 1934). When I was doing my research on which films premiered in 1934, I came across a film called The Man with Two Faces. The one thing that made me interested in seeing this movie was the idea of an actor portraying a character who also portrays a character. In the general scope of cinema, I feel that this concept is rarely seen. Personally, the only time I’ve ever seen an actor portray a character who portrayed a character was when Max Lloyd-Jones was cast in the film The Unauthorized Beverly Hills, 90210 Story. In that movie, Max portrayed Jason Priestley, who portrayed Brandon Walsh on the show. So, without further ado, let’s start this review for The Man with Two Faces!

The Man with Two Faces poster — *The Man with Two Faces* poster created by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. Image found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Man_With_Two_Faces.jpg

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: To me, the acting was one of the strongest aspects of this film! Mary Astor’s portrayal of Jessica Wells really shined, making it feel like her character was a real-life person! When it comes to this performance, I think that Mary’s career as a silent film actress worked in her favor. Since silent films rely on the emotions and expressions of its actors to convey a certain message, it makes sense for Mary’s performance to be as well-rounded as it was in this movie. I also liked Margaret Dale’s portrayal of Aunt Martha Temple. Her performance successfully conveyed the moral compass that was needed for this particular story.

The portrayal of “the man with two faces”: While this film had a strong cast, it was Edward G. Robinson’s portrayal of “the man with two faces” that really stole the show! As I mentioned in the introduction, performances where actors portray characters who also portray characters are not that common. But Edward did a good job with his performance of both Damon Wells and Jules Chautard! From the emotions to even the accent, Edward effectively made these characters feel like distinct individuals, even though it was the same person the entire time. What also adds to this portrayal was how the character was written. Having both Damon and Jules be very unique from one another enhances the experience of seeing these individuals on-screen. Both the acting and writing helped make “the man with two faces” live up to this film’s title.

The villain: The main conflict in this movie was Jessica Wells having to deal with her husband, Stanley Vance. He was, obviously, the villain of this story. Stanley not only treated his wife very terribly, but he also threatened physical violence to anyone who stood in his way of getting what he wanted. Even though I found this character to be despicable, I have to applaud Louis Calhern’s performance. He did a great job at portraying those hurtful behaviors and making the audience feel negatively toward this character. Even when he didn’t say anything, his facial expressions made his character come across as very unsettling. I also have the applaud the screenwriting that was associated with the character of Stanley Vance. The way this character was written added to the effectiveness of how he appeared on-screen. These two factors made this character and performance as memorable as it could be.

12 size — Masks of comedy and tragedy images created by freepik at freepik.com. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by freepik – http://www.freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

What I didn’t like about the film:

A lack of suspense: When I first watched the trailer for The Man with Two Faces, I was led to believe that this story would be suspenseful and mysterious. If anything, this movie felt more like a drama. There was no mystery associated with this story and there was no suspense to be found. The story was written in a way that showed how someone chose to resolve another person’s conflict.

A slower pace: Throughout this movie, I found the pace to be slower than I had expected. This caused the story to feel more drawn out. It also made the run-time feel longer than it was realistically set at. The pace was definitely one of the weaker aspects of the film.

Some of the scene transitions: Toward the beginning and end of The Man with Two Faces, I noticed the transitions between scenes came a little too quickly. Because of this, the flow of the film felt choppy. These transitions also caused some of the scenes to either feel too short or unnecessary within the overall picture.

Theater seats image created by weatherbox at freeimages.com. “FreeImages.com/weatherbox.”

My overall impression:

I found The Man with Two Faces to be just ok. While it’s not a terrible or poorly written film, I think that the movie could have been better. I will say that the best part of this film was the acting. This makes the movie a character driven project. There were several stand-out performances within The Man with Two Faces, from Mary Astor to Louis Calhern. However, the most memorable performance in this entire cast came from Edward G. Robinson! Through his portrayal of Damon Wells and Jules Chautard, he was able to do what very few actors have done before, during, and after his time: portray a character that also portrays a character. As I watched this film, I could see that Edward successfully conquered this challenge and made this performance the best that it could be. I would be interested in seeing other films from Edward’s filmography and sharing my thoughts about them with you on 18 Cinema Lane!

Overall score: 6 out of 10

What are your thoughts on my review? Which movie from 1934 is your favorite? Please share your thoughts in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen