Tag: cruise

Take 3: An Affair to Remember (1957) Review

On By 18cinemalaneLeave a comment

January’s theme for Genre Grandeur seems fitting; “Movies That Celebrate a New Year”. When I learned this was the theme of this edition of Genre Grandeur, I was excited because I don’t often receive an opportunity to review New Year’s themed films. As I was looking for a movie to select, I learned the protagonists in 1957’s An Affair to Remember meet on New Year’s Eve. With this piece of information in mind and because An Affair to Remember was recommended by Maddy (from Maddy Loves Her Classic Films) as well as Emily (from The Flapper Dame), I found the perfect time to check out the 1957 picture! Out of all the actresses I’ve talked about on 18 Cinema Lane, Deborah Kerr is the one I’ve discussed the most. As of early 2026, I have reviewed ten of her films, with An Affair to Remember now being the eleventh film. But some of these pictures have been better than others. How will An Affair to Remember stand against the aforementioned ten titles? Check out my review to find out!

An Affair to Remember (1957) poster created by Jerry Wald Productions and Twentieth Century Fox

Things I liked about the film:

The on-screen chemistry: In a movie like An Affair to Remember, where the story heavily revolves around one romantic relationship, it’s important to cast an actor and actress who possess such strong on-screen chemistry. This element of their combined performance will help them sell the believability of their characters’ relationship to the audience. As soon as their characters, Terry and Nickie, first meet in An Affair to Remember, I could immediately sense the strong on-screen chemistry between Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant! The fluidity of their acting abilities allowed them to compliment each other’s performance. Clever, witty banter also worked in their favor because of how it was written and delivered. Because of the combination of acting, screenwriting, and on-screen chemistry, Cary and Deborah helped create a couple that was captivating to watch!

The dialogue: When a film’s screenwriting is good, the dialogue of the characters can sound realistic. But if the screenwriting is thoughtfully and carefully curated, like in An Affair to Remember, the characters are allowed to say what’s on their minds and hearts in eloquent and even profound ways. As Nickie and Terry visit Nickie’s grandmother, Janou, Terry confesses how she’d like to stay in Janou’s garden forever. Janou then responds by telling Terry, “It [the garden] is a good place to sit and remember, but you have still to create your memories”. By Janou saying this to Terry, she is kindly yet artfully encouraging Terry to create her own space of reflection and tranquility. Later in the movie, when Terry and Nickie are creating their plan to reunite in six months, they agree to meet at the Empire State Building. Terry explains how “It’s the nearest thing to heaven we have in New York”. While I’ve always known the Empire State Building held great importance within New York City, I’ve never heard it described the way Terry described it before. Because the dialogue in An Affair to Remember received such quality screenwriting, I was given the opportunity to see an iconic landmark in a completely new way!

Janou’s garden: As I talked about the dialogue in An Affair to Remember, I brought up how Terry wants to stay in Janou’s garden forever. Reflecting on this part of the set design, I can understand why Terry would fall in love with this space! The enclosed garden prominently displays a large tree with green leaves and red flowers. Bright hues of other flowers burst within the garden. A small circular pond greets visitors, with yellow and white flowers floating over the tranquil water. There’s even a connected chapel both Terry and Nickie retreat to. Though Janou’s garden was shown in An Affair to Remember for only a limited number of scenes, it left a memorable impression!

New York City skyline with letters image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/new-york-skyline-typographic-silhouette_719554.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by Freepik</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

What I didn’t like about the film:

New Year’s Eve’s limited incorporation: I said in the introduction of this review how Terry and Nickie meeting on New Year’s Eve is one of the reasons why I selected An Affair to Remember for this month’s Genre Grandeur. Based on that aforementioned detail, I believed the holiday would play a bigger role in the story. But when I watched the 1957 movie, I discovered New Year’s Eve is actually an afterthought. If it wasn’t for the passengers on the SS Constitution singing “Auld Lang Syne”, I wouldn’t have known Nickie and Terry’s cruise was taking place around New Year’s Eve. Had the SS Constitution’s passengers participated in counting down to midnight or some of the characters talked about their New Year’s resolutions, it would have better established when the story was taking place.

Scenes that feel like padding: IMDB lists An Affair to Remember’s run-time as one hour and fifty-five minutes. However, some scenes feel like they are padding out the story just to satisfy this run-time. The musical number, “The Tiny Scout (He Knows You Inside Out)” easily comes to mind. I recognize this musical number, as well as the musical number, “Tomorrow Land”, were intended to emphasize the direction Terry’s career has taken. But, in my opinion, featuring only one of these musical numbers would have been enough to make this point. If An Affair to Remember’s creative team had cut scenes like “The Tiny Scout (He Knows You Inside Out)” musical number, the film’s run-time would have been trimmed down.

A drawn-out story: Like I just mentioned in this review, an hour and fifty-five minutes is the run-time for An Affair to Remember. This run-time seemed to give the film’s creative team an excuse to draw their story out. The first half of the movie builds up to the affair of Nickie and Terry. Their affair doesn’t come to fruition until the movie’s halfway point. The second half of the movie chronicles how Terry’s and Nickie’s life turned out after their cruise. Personally, I don’t think the affair’s build-up needed to last half the film. With a tighter script, An Affair to Remember not only could have received a short run-time, the story could have also reached its intended points sooner.

Art tools image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/flar-art-tools-pack_835368.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>.  <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/paint”>Paint vector created by Freepik</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

My overall impression:

Based on Deborah Kerr’s movies I’ve seen, the quality of these pictures has fluctuated. While I liked The King and I and The Chalk Garden, I wasn’t a fan of Marriage on the Rocks. But I found An Affair to Remember to be just ok. While the on-screen chemistry between Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant was strong and the dialogue was well-written, I didn’t like how drawn-out the story was. Plus, some scenes felt included simply to pad out the script to satisfy the run-time. However, the most disappointing part of An Affair to Remember was how New Year’s Eve was treated as an afterthought. Before seeing the 1957 picture, I was led to believe the holiday would play a larger role in the story. My first movie selected for 2026’s Genre Grandeur was not the best, but not the worst. Hopefully, this year-long blogathon will introduce me to stronger films.

Overall score: 6.2-6.3 out of 10

Have you seen An Affair to Remember? Which film from Deborah Kerr’s or Cary Grant’s filmography would you like to see me review next? Let me know in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

Sally Reads…‘Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea’ by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark

On By 18cinemalane2 Comments

When I signed up for Midnite Drive-In’s Hit The Road Blogathon, one of the basic rules was to choose “a movie, TV show or book” that had something to do with travel. Since I figured I’d be one of the few participants selecting a book for the event, I found an opportunity to write a book review! On 18 Cinema Lane, I occasionally talk about books in an effort to bring a sense of variety to my blog’s content. My last book review was published last September, when I wrote about Murder, She Wrote: Dying to Retire by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain. This is ironic, as that book revolved around Jessica traveling to Florida. For the Hit The Road Blogathon, I selected another mystery story; Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark! Years ago, I saw this book’s film adaptation, 2013’s The Mystery Cruise. Though I was not a fan of the film, I still wanted to read its source material, as I had heard of the book before seeing the movie. Is this a case where the book is better than the film? Keep reading my review to solve this mystery!

Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea book cover found on Goodreads

If you’re going to write a story that involves travel, the journey or destination needs to sound appealing. Whether the travels of characters are exciting or the characters arrive somewhere intriguing, the reader may stay invested in what is happening in the story. In Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea, the protagonist, Alvirah, won an all-expenses paid cruise through a charity auction. She, along with her husband, Willy, and their friends embark on an oceanic adventure where there is never a dull moment. Mary and Carol worked well together to create a setting that felt realistic. Descriptive imagery and attention to detail worked in the favor of the story’s world-building. One example is when rooms on the ship, Royal Mermaid, are described. While observing Alvirah and Willy’s room, one of their friends, Nora, states “The closet is practically a room unto itself”. This statement alone provides context for the size of the space. It also addresses the luxurious nature of not just the room itself, but the ship as a whole.

Cruise ship near an island image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/holiday-background-on-a-cruise_1182003.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by Freepik</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

Mystery stories, sometimes, include a group of characters. If these characters are working together to solve a mystery, it’s important for them to maintain a sense of camaraderie. This way, genuineness can be felt as the characters come together to reach a common goal. Throughout Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea, solving mysteries was a team effort among Alvirah, Willy, and their friends, the Reillys. It helped how these characters possessed their own set of skills and life experiences, allowing them to bring something unique to the table. It also helps how they knew each other before the events of the story. Because of how well-written the dialogue was, readers can pick up on how Willy, Alvirah, and the Reillys got along. Toward the beginning of the book, Alvirah is encouraging her friends, Regan and Jack, to join her and Willy on the cruise. Bringing up the couple’s already known vacation plans, Alvirah says, “I just heard from Jack’s own lips that he’s on vacation for two weeks”. She addresses this in an effort to give them a once-in-a-lifetime experience, keeping the best interests of her friends in mind. Because she recognizes Alvirah’s good intentions, Regan replies to Jack, “we’ve never been on a cruise together. I think it would be fun”.

News reporter being filmed image created by Macrovector at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/journalist-reporter-profession-isometric-banner_2875517.htm’>Designed by Macrovector</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/banner”>Banner vector created by Macrovector – Freepik.com</a>, Image found at freepik.com.

Two of the villains in Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea are Bull’s-Eye and Highbridge. These criminals are on the run to avoid being sentenced for their crimes. There were times while reading this book where I had difficulty telling these characters apart. That’s because their personalities were not distinct enough. Another flaw of Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea was how some mysteries were solved before the reader could figure it out for themselves. During the titular Santa Cruise, two Santa suits go missing, becoming one of the story’s overarching mysteries. But shortly after this mystery is introduced, the “whodunit” is already revealed. This felt reminiscent of an episode of Columbo, where the audience is forced to observe the protagonist solving the mystery themselves instead of interacting with the story by figuring out the mystery alongside the characters.

Adorable Santa image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/christmas-background-with-funny-santa_1324597.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by Freepik</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea is, in my opinion, a fine book that is interesting and entertaining enough. Carol and Mary use attention to detail and descriptive imagery in their favor to build a literary world that feels realistic. They also utilize dialogue to create strong camaraderie between the protagonists and their friends. However, I wish the story’s villains were given more distinct personalities, as it could have allowed them to stand out more. Having more interactive mysteries for the readers would have helped as well. There were parts of the story that were, sometimes, repetitive. Examples include referencing the number fifteen and the same events being brought up over and over again. Despite these flaws, the book does have a steady to faster pace, which makes Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea a quicker read.

The Hit The Road Blogathon banner created by Quiggy from The Midnite Drive-In

Overall score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Have fun sailing!

Sally Silverscreen

Disclaimer: Santa Cruise: A Holiday Mystery at Sea is a mystery story that occasionally features violence and characters receiving injuries. There’s also brief references to grief.

Take 3: Stowaway Review (Clean Movie Month — #1)

On By 18cinemalane7 Comments

For the first time ever, I am participating in Pure Entertainment Preservation Society’s Clean Movie Month! Every July, participants are encouraged to watch and write about films that were released within the Breen Code era. This era started in 1934 and ended in 1954. On 18 Cinema Lane, I will be reviewing a Breen Code era film every week during this month! These reviews will be released in the chronological order of the film’s premiere. For my first Clean Movie Month review, I have chosen the Shirley Temple film, Stowaway! Earlier this year, I wrote an editorial about my thoughts on all three of Shirley’s films from 1938. As I said in that editorial, my goal is to watch every single Shirley Temple film ever made. So, if I have a chance to watch a Shirley Temple movie that I haven’t seen before, I will definitely make an effort to do that. So, let’s sail away in Clean Movie Month with 1936’s Stowaway!

Stowaway poster
Stowaway poster created by 20th Century Fox. Image found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Film_Poster_for_Stowaway.jpg.

Things I liked about the film:

  • The acting: One of the great things about this movie was Shirley’s performance! Like I said about Shirley’s role, Betsy, in Little Miss Broadway, her role in Stowaway felt like it was created just for her. Not only did this role compliment Shirley’s acting abilities, but it challenged her as an actress. At certain moments in the film, Shirley’s character, Barbara/Ching-Ching speaks Chinese. This means that Shirley had to learn her lines in English and learn a new language that she was probably not familiar with before. Shirley was surrounded by a cast of actors and actresses that were just as talented as her! Everyone’s acting talents were equally showcased in this film, helping each performer receive their moment to shine!

 

  • The humor: A pleasant aspect of Stowaway was the humor within the story! One of the funniest scenes in this film was when Ching-Ching is trying to find Tommy Randall while wearing a dragon head. What made moments like this so hilarious was the screen-writing. The way that the dialogue and actions were written was not only innocent, but clever as well. An example of this is when Tommy and Ching-Ching are at a restaurant. While ordering food off of a menu that’s written in Chinese, Tommy tells Ching-Ching, “It’s all Greek to me”. She then replies, “But it’s in Chinese”. This type of humor is what made Stowaway an enjoyable story!

 

  • A unique location: I am not an expert on Shirley Temple’s filmography. But, out of the films that I’m aware of, it seems like most of her movies take place in the United States. Stowaway, however, mostly takes place in China and on a cruise ship. These locations provided a unique look and feel to the overall production. It was interesting to see the Chinese culture playing an influential role within the narrative. The language, music, and even some proverbs could be found in Stowaway. Seeing the various areas of the cruise ship was interesting as well. This backdrop worked really well for the story!

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Traditional Chinese dragon image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/design”>Design vector created by freepik – http://www.freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

What I didn’t like about the film:

  • A limited amount of musical numbers: Earlier this year, when I talked about Just Around the Corner, I said that there was a limited amount of musical numbers in the movie. This made the story feel drawn out and a little bit longer than intended. Similarly, there was a limited amount of musical numbers in Stowaway. Throughout the whole film, there were four musical numbers. However, the first musical number doesn’t appear in the film until after the first thirty-seven minutes. Personally, I think that the first musical number should have, at least, started at the fifteen-minute mark. That way, the audience could get quickly invested into the musical aspect of the movie.

 

  • No Chinese influences in the music: I liked how the Chinese locations, as well as the culture, were incorporated into the film! But I was surprised that there were no Chinese influences in Stowaway’s music. Every song that Shirley sang sounded like the typical musical melody, the usual sounds that are found in Shirley’s films. Even though Shirley spoke Chinese in the movie, none of the lyrics were in Chinese. I feel that the creative team behind Stowaway missed a special opportunity to expand the musical horizons of both the studio and the audience. Who knows? Maybe this could have encouraged someone to learn another language.

 

  • Shirley’s limited involvement in the film: Most of Shirley’s films involve a subplot that allows Shirley’s character to play an important role in the film. While Ching-Ching was a significant character in Stowaway, she didn’t play as big of a role as Shirley’s other characters. It felt like most of the story was about the characters who were adults. In fact, it seemed like Shirley had the least amount of screen-time out of all the performers in the starring cast. While it’s understandable that Shirley was the youngest cast member in this film, it kind of felt like Stowaway wasn’t Shirley’s movie compared to her other titles.

Clean Movie Month banner
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:

For my first Clean Movie Month review, we’re off to a decent start! Stowaway, in my opinion, is better than something like Just Around the Corner. But there are films in Shirley’s filmography that I think are stronger than Stowaway. The most memorable part of this film was the Chinese locations as well as the cruise ship backdrop. They were very unique for a film starring Shirley Temple, especially since most of her films take place in the same continent. The setting of Stowaway provided an interesting component to the story, influencing how the characters interacted with each other and how they accomplished their goals. I can’t say much about the content of the film, since it was approved by the Production Code Administration (as the logo was featured in the bottom left hand corner of the opening credits) and it was released two years after the start of the Breen Code era. It’ll be fascinating to see how this movie compares with the other movies I’ll review during Clean Move Month!

 

Overall score: 7.2 out of 10

 

What are your thoughts on Clean Movie Month? Are you looking forward to my next review? Please tell me in the comment section!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

Take 3: Love at Sea Review

On By 18cinemalaneLeave a comment

It’s been a month since I reviewed a Hallmark Channel movie. This gave me a good excuse to watch and review Love at Sea! When I found out the movie’s plot would take place on a cruise ship, I immediately became excited for the film’s arrival! Hallmark does not often incorporate cruises into their movies. The only other Hallmark movie that featured a cruise in their film’s plot was The Mystery Cruise. If you read my list of the Top 10 Worst Hallmark Movies of All Time, you would remember that The Mystery Cruise was placed in the Top 5 (that’s how much I didn’t like that film). For Love at Sea, however, I watched the movie with an open mind and hoped for the best. Did this movie swim with success or sink with a low score? Hop on board and set sail to my review of Love at Sea!

Love at Sea poster
Love at Sea poster created by Crown Media Family Networks and Hallmark Channel. Image found at https://www.crownmediapress.com/Shows/PRShowDetail?SiteID=142&FeedBoxID=845&NodeID=302&ShowType=&ShowTitle=Love+at+Sea.

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: I thought the acting in Love at Sea was fine. The performance that really impressed me was Carlos PenaVega’s! The role that he was given felt like it was the right fit for his acting abilities, highlighting his acting skills and helping him shine as much as possible. Carlos’ portrayal of Tony felt believable, his reactions and emotions appeared natural on-screen. Though this is only his second lead role in a Hallmark movie, Carlos has quickly become an important member of the Hallmark community. Carlos, from a talent perspective, definitely has what it takes to lead more Hallmark productions to come!

 

The incorporation of Royal Caribbean: Love at Sea was the first Hallmark movie that has ever been filmed on a real-life cruise ship. Because the story and film’s production took place on Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, there was bound to be product placement featured throughout the film. However, the way the Royal Caribbean brand was incorporated into the film didn’t feel like Hallmark was trying to sell a product. Instead, it felt like the movie was making their audience aware of the particular product. There were only a few times when the company or cruise ship name was mentioned by any of the characters. While there were several items with the Royal Caribbean logo on them, they didn’t receive special attention and were showcased in a way that felt natural with what might be seen on a name brand cruise.

 

Carlos’ singing performance: Before Carlos joined the Hallmark family, I knew that he was a former member of the singing group, Big Time Rush. Prior to this film, I had never heard Carlos sing in a solo performance before. When he performed Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” in Love at Sea, I was blown away by how wonderful Carlos’ performance was! I hope that if Carlos is cast in another Hallmark Christmas movie, he gets the chance to sing a Christmas song within that film!

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Cruise ship near an island image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/holiday-background-on-a-cruise_1182003.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by Freepik</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

What I didn’t like about the film:

The miscasting of the lead: While watching Love at Sea, I could tell that Alexa PenaVega was trying the best she could with the acting material she was provided. However, there were a few moments where her performance felt more emotionally exaggerated than it could have been. It seemed like this was the result of the role not being the right fit for Alexa’s acting abilities. Alexa is a good actress and she has proven in the past that she, talent wise, has what it takes to lead a Hallmark production. But, I think this role should have been given to another actress or it should have been rewritten to compliment Alexa’s acting talents.

 

Lack of on-screen chemistry: In last year’s Hallmark Christmas movie, Enchanted Christmas, one of the best parts about that film was the on-screen chemistry between Alexa and Carlos. In Love at Sea, however, Alexa and Carlos’ on-screen chemistry was non-existent. Both Alexa and Carlos are good actors, individually and as a couple. But, I never felt like their characters were falling in love. There wasn’t any on-screen chemistry between Alexa and Edward Finlay either, even though both of them are good actors.

 

The plot: There were several issues I had with this plot. The first issue is the story surrounding Alexandra’s event. Whenever any of the characters brought this subject up, I found myself feeling bored and uninterested. Another issue with this plot was how confusing some parts of it seemed. I was confused with what Alexandra’s niche was supposed to be. Some of the characters in Love at Sea mentioned that Alexandra was a Youtuber, but I was having a difficult time figuring out why, exactly, she was well known. I also didn’t understand why an individual rising Youtube star, like Alexandra, would need to host a large cruise-wide event. An issue that appeared more than once in this plot was having events announced by one of the characters, but the event not being featured in the film. A good example is the anticipated cooking competition, where only the final results from this event were shown in the movie, despite the building anticipation for the competition for about half the film.

 

The under-utilization of the cruise itself: Love at Sea was not only the second Hallmark movie that incorporated a cruise into their film’s plot, but the first time a Hallmark movie was filmed on a real-life cruise ship. Because of this, there were several creative avenues this story could have traveled on. Carlos’ character, Tony, says that he likes making a positive impact on people’s lives and meeting guests from around the world. Unfortunately, the story feels so isolated and closed off from the cruise itself, that it takes away any chances for the audience to get to know and experience the various characters and stories that could have been included in this film’s plot. What would be interesting is a cruise themed movie with a storyline like The Christmas Hope, where there are multiple characters with interconnected stories.

 

Unnecessary side characters and subplots: As I’ve mentioned before, Edward Finlay is a good actor. In fact, I really liked Edward’s performance in Love at Sea! But it felt like his character, Miles, was placed in this movie just for the sake of being there. Also, Miles didn’t receive his own subplot. Two side characters that did receive their own subplot were Maeve (portrayed by Audrey Landers) and Wes (portrayed by William R. Moses), but it was weaker than the other plots and felt unnecessary within the overall story.

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Cruise vacation items created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/summer”>Summer vector created by Freepik</a>. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/summer-elements-collection-in-flat-style_2345793.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

My overall impression:

Love at Sea was a disappointing film. Hallmark had so many opportunities and creative choices to make a film that was intriguing and memorable, especially when they had a cruise ship as a backdrop. However, they missed the boat (no pun intended) as well as all the possibilities at their disposal. I am always excited when Hallmark makes creative choices that are unique and interesting, so it’s disappointing when these creative choices don’t reach their full potential. As a Hallmark fan, I do feel that both networks try their best when it comes to making movies. But, not every movie on either network can be a winner. I am looking forward to Carlos and Alexa’s next Hallmark project, whatever that may be! All I hope is that their next movie is given a better story from start to finish.

 

Overall score: 5.6 out of 10

 

Have you seen Love at Sea? Are you enjoying Hallmark’s “Summer Nights” line-up so far? Tell me what you think in the comment section!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen