Evel Knievel – 18 Cinema Lane

Since 2024 is a Leap Year, I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to publish the Gold Sally Awards on Leap Day! For new readers of 18 Cinema Lane, the Gold Sally Awards are one of my blog’s annual traditions to commemorate 18 Cinema Lane’s anniversary. These award categories are created by me, based on topics I’ve brought up on my blog. While most of the awards are the same as in 2023, a few of them have changed. For those awards, I’ll explain the significance of those categories. But just like last year, I will discuss why I chose each recipient. So, now, the moment you’ve been waiting for! The 6^th Annual Gold Sally Awards are about to begin!

6th Annual Gold Sally Awards Winners created by me, Sally Silverscreen.

The “She Won’t Give Me My Chocolate” Award

(Best Quote from a Movie)

“Heroes know who they are” – Evel Knievel, Evel Knievel (1971)

In my review of the 1971 biopic, Evel Knievel, I mentioned how surprised I was by the story’s messages and themes. One example I provided was when Evel explained to Linda why he doesn’t want a lettermen sweater. To elaborate how he doesn’t need to prove he’s a hero, Evel says to Linda, “heroes know who they are”. This quote is not only though-provoking, it is also profound without trying too hard to be. To me, that quote (as well as that scene) was given a lot of thought by the biopic’s creative team!

The Standing Ovation Award

(Character Most Deserving of Receiving Their Full Potential)

Sydney Carton from Hallmark Hall of Fame’s A Tale of Two Cities

My favorite character from Hallmark Hall of Fame’s A Tale of Two Cities is Sydney Carton! Because of his personality, I wanted to know more about him. I was also curious to see where his story would go. Without spoiling this movie, though, all I’ll say is Sydney deserved more than the story provided him. Similar to Kili from The Hobbit trilogy, Sydney is, in my opinion, the MVP of A Tale of Two Cities!

The They Deserve an Award Award

(An Actor or Actress Who Deserves Recognition)

Sarah Drew (for her performance in Guiding Emily)

In the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film, Guiding Emily, the protagonist loses her eyesight. This prevented Sarah Drew, the actress who portrayed Emily, from using her eyes for emotional expression. However, she used other acting techniques to her advantage; such as body language, vocal inflections, and movements of the mouth. Sarah’s performance in Guiding Emily was so good, I specifically highlighted it in my review of the 2023 movie! Through versatility in her acting abilities, Sarah’s portrayal of Emily appeared believable! In fact, I think Sarah should have, at least, been nominated for an award.

The Cowboy Award

(Character Who Makes an Unnecessary, Drastic Change)

Margot from Christmas at Castle Hart

Cowboy, from the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, A Painted House, is a character I’ve mentioned on 18 Cinema Lane. The context was when he was featured in the dishonorable mentions section of my list of the top ten characters ruined by Hallmark. Because I won’t spoil the aforementioned Hallmark Hall of Fame film, all I will say is Cowboy makes an unnecessary, drastic change that, in my opinion, was jarring to witness. It was also jarring to watch Margot, from Christmas at Castle Hart, drastically change. For most of the 2021 movie, Margot comes across as a somewhat annoying character obsessed with Irish stereotypes. But when her sister, Brooke, confronts her about how they should stop lying, Margot becomes a selfish and manipulative person. She even convinces Brooke into believing that if their lies fall apart, it will be Brooke’s fault. In an instant, Margot became a character who cared more about her career than about how others would be affected by her lies.

The “Based on a Book I Haven’t Read Yet” Award

(Movie Based on Source Material I Have Not Yet Read)

Hallmark Hall of Fame’s Caroline?

Hallmark Hall of Fame’s Caroline? became my favorite movie of 2023! After watching the film, I remembered how it was based on the book, Father’s Arcane Daughter by E. L. Konigsburg. As well as trying to check out as many Hallmark Hall of Fame movies as I realistically can, I’d like to read as many books based on Hallmark Hall of Fame movies as possible. In fact, I even created a Hallmark Hall of Fame reading challenge! Since I haven’t read Father’s Arcane Daughter yet, I need to find an excuse to finally seek this book out.

The Edward Boult Award

(Missed Opportunity in Cinema)

Not Addressing Bullying in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

If you’re going to create a story for a younger audience, you need to be mindful when it comes to addressing serious, real-world issues. That’s because a younger audience can be very impressionable. The creative team behind the 1983 television production, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, should have kept this in mind when they chose to not address bullying in their film. As I talked about in my review, the Herdman children bully their peers. The bullied children don’t stand up for themselves against the Herdmans. It also doesn’t help how the adults in the story do not resolve this issue. Because of everything I just said, some younger audience members might believe they shouldn’t bring up bullying if it occurs in their life.

The Top Gun: Maverick Award

(Movie That Exceeded My Low Expectations)

A Biltmore Christmas

When I included Top Gun: Maverick in my list of the top ten best movies I saw in 2022, I admitted how skeptical I was about the movie’s quality. As I said in that list, sequels released over ten years after their predecessor can be hit or miss. But Top Gun: Maverick exceeded my expectations, becoming my second favorite picture from that year! In 2023, I was skeptical about A Biltmore Christmas due to its hype and publicity. Similar to Top Gun: Maverick, A Biltmore Christmas was so good, it ended up in the top three of my year end best movies list! Like I said in my list of the best movies I saw in 2023, there were so many things Hallmark got right in this Christmas movie. It also helps how the story provided a different type of narrative for Hallmark’s Christmas presentations. Because of how much I liked A Biltmore Christmas, I’m looking forward to seeing what Hallmark has in store for this year’s Christmas season!

The Dishonorable Mention Award

(Worst Movie from the Dishonorable Mention Category)

Christmas at Castle Hart

Because I didn’t see enough movies to include an honorable mention category, I wasn’t able to award a winner for the Honorable Mention Award. Since my worst movies of 2023 list featured a dishonorable mention category, I was able to find a recipient for this year’s Gold Sally Awards. Christmas at Castle Hart is the most disappointing film to not make my worst films of the year list. In my review of that movie, I stated how I had waited since 2018 to see Stuart Townsend star in a Hallmark production. Sadly, the final product Hallmark gave me wasn’t worth the wait. Stuart’s acting talents were underutilized to the point where his character, Aiden, spent most of the story driving the female protagonist around Ireland. Christmas at Castle Hart contained other flaws, such as bad CGI and an underutilized subplot. Looking back on the Dishonorable Mention Award, I realized how both recipients were Hallmark films.

The Far and Few Between Award

(Best Movie from a Genre, Film Category, or Decade Not Often Covered on 18 Cinema Lane)

Frankenweenie (2012)

Even though 18 Cinema Lane has been around for six years, there are some areas of cinema that are not often covered on my blog. One of those areas is animation. While it’s rare for an animated movie to receive a movie review, it’s even rarer for an animated movie to appear on my best films of the year list. 2012’s Frankenweenie achieved these feats in 2023, presenting a collection of good creative choices as well as heart. This movie was such a pleasant, memorable surprise, which surpassed my expectations. I’m thankful I took the chance to write about it!

The Hallmark Hall of Fame Award

(Movie That Feels Like It Belongs in the Hallmark Hall of Fame Collection)

Guiding Emily and A Biltmore Christmas

When I shared my overall impression of Guiding Emily, I said how the movie felt reminiscent of Hallmark Hall of Fame projects of yesteryear. This is because the film tells a more unique story from what Hallmark typically creates today. In the case of A Biltmore Christmas, the story provided a different type of narrative within Hallmark’s Christmas films. It also included a historical component to the story. When Hallmark Hall of Fame was in its prime, historical/period films or movies with inspirational themes were added to the Hallmark Hall of Fame collection. If this collection still existed, Guiding Emily and A Biltmore Christmas would have been chosen as 2023’s Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations.

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

When it comes to movies from the 1970s, I haven’t had the best of luck, this year, finding a film I actually like. While I thought Days of Heaven and The White Buffalo were ok, I wasn’t impressed with The Last Child and Double Nickels. However, I was still determined to search for a movie from the ‘70s I enjoyed. During this search, I stumbled upon the 1971 film, Evel Knievel, a biopic about the stuntman of the same name. Since August’s theme of Genre Grandeur is ‘bikers, bikes, and motorcycles’, I had a great excuse to check this movie out! Choosing the 1971 title for Genre Grandeur also gave me an excuse to learn more about Evel Knievel. Before watching this film, I was familiar with who Evel is and why he was famous. But that basic information was all I knew. Besides broadening my cinematic horizons, I used my entry for Genre Grandeur to learn something new.

*Evel Knievel* (1971) poster created by The Fanfare Corporation, Fanfare Films, and American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Things I liked about the film:

The acting: In my review of RKO 281, I talked about Liev Schreiber bringing humanity to his portrayal of Orson Welles, finding the heart of the “genius” and putting some genuine emotion behind it. This was successfully done to highlight Orson as more than just a legend. During his career, Evel Knievel became a celebrity, performing stunts that most people would never dream of attempting. Similar to Liev Schreiber, George Hamilton found the man behind the famous name and presented the human side of him. Toward the beginning of the film, Evel is at a local bar, talking to his friends how “something big” is going to happen in town. From furrowing his eyebrows to showing a good-hearted smirk, Evel talks about this upcoming, unknown event with ease and confidence. Through George’s performance, Evel is shown as more than just the famous stuntman, adding a sense of charm to his portrayal.

Throughout the film, Evel interacts with his wife, Linda. Portrayed by Sue Lyon, Linda and Evel’s encounters were pleasant to watch! This is because George and Sue had nice on-screen chemistry! Evel and Linda kind of reminded me of Abby and Bill from Days of Heaven. In the 1978 movie, it felt like Bill and Abby truly got along with one another, with a shared gentleness understood between them. The 1971 shows Linda and Evel respecting one another and, more often than not, being on the same page.

Despite appearing in the movie for a short period of time, Dub Taylor left a memorable impression as Turquoise Smith! The ring-master of a local rodeo, Turquoise had a larger-than-life personality. But this personality never felt over-the-top, thanks to the way Dub portrayed Turquoise. Even when there was a tragedy at the rodeo, Turquoise maintained professionalism and showmanship. Because of the quality of Dub’s acting talents, these components of the character remained consistent.

The stunt footage: During Evel Knievel, a montage of stunt footage is featured. This footage shows Evel performing various stunts throughout his career, with some stunts more successful than others. The montage is used as a bridge between his early years and “present day”, as the footage emphasizes the dedication and willpower Evel put into his stunts. Since the movie is a bio-pic about a real-life person that existed at one point in time, the montage added contextual depth to the story. It also provides a nice connection between the film and the actual Evel Knievel.

The messages and themes: As I said in this review’s introduction, I chose to write about Evel Knievel because I wanted to learn more about the titular man. However, I was surprised by the messages and themes that came out of this story. While reflecting on his relationship with Linda, Evel recalls a time when he visited Linda at her high school. During this encounter, Evel explains why he doesn’t play basketball. He feels that in basketball, you don’t have much to lose, as all the stakes are lower. He also confesses how he doesn’t want a lettermen sweater, as Evel doesn’t need to prove he’s a hero. With this, he tells Linda, “heroes know who they are”. Letterman sweaters/jackets have been known for being something high schoolers can earn through academic and athletic achievement. But until watching Evel Knievel, I’ve gained a newfound perspective on this subject.

Illustrated image of Arizona desert created by pikisuperstar at freepik.com. Background vector created by pikisuperstar – www.freepik.com

What I didn’t like about the film:

Transitions between past and “present”: The story of Evel Knievel is told through Evel’s recollections of his past as he’s preparing for an upcoming stunt. But the way the film jumped between past and “present” was confusing. During one of Evel’s recollections, he remembers a tragedy that took place toward the beginning of his career. As soon as the tragedy occurs, the story is brought back to the “present”, showing Evel nervous about the upcoming stunt and dealing with an injured leg. It took me a little while to realize the story had transitioned between the past and “present”, as the scene changed so abruptly. Personally, I think the story should have been told through a chronological order.

The past more interesting than the “present”: Like I mentioned in my previous point about the story’s transitions between past and “present”, Evel is preparing for an upcoming stunt in the “present”. But aside from seeing Linda and Evel interact and the aforementioned stunt, I didn’t find the “present” interesting. In fact, I found Evel’s recollections of his past more interesting, as it was an opportunity for me to learn more about Evel Knievel. Even though the stunt in the “present” is shown, it doesn’t take place until the story’s last ten minutes. So, the audience is forced to wait almost the entire movie for that moment.

An omission of a “where are they now” segment: In most biopics, there is a segment toward the end of the movie which explains what happened to the story’s key people after the events of the movie. But this segment was omitted from Evel Knievel. During the “present”, Evel talks about how he wants to perform a stunt in the Grand Canyon. I was hoping there would be a sense of closure about whether this stunt actually took place. Sadly, no explanation about the fruition of this stunt was provided. I don’t know where Evel’s career was at the time of the film’s release. However, I still think a “where are they now” segment should have been included.

Children holding American flags during a sunset image created by rawpixel.com at freepik.com. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/people”>People photo created by rawpixel.com – http://www.freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

My overall impression:

I’ve seen some movies where I felt the subject would have been better served through a documentary, as the subject itself is quite fascinating. This is how I felt while watching Evel Knievel. I was able to learn more about the “king of stuntmen” through his recollections of his past. In fact, I found the past more interesting than the “present”, as I was kind of bored by the weak conflict. Despite the confusing jumps between past and “present”, Evel Knievel provided an introduction to the titular man. As this is one of the reasons why I watched the film, the 1971 title does its job. When it comes to biopics, Evel Knievel doesn’t really reinvent the wheel, with the story being pretty straight-forward. The acting, stunt footage, and messages and themes prevent the movie from becoming unmemorable.

Overall score: 6.1 out of 10

Have you seen or heard of Evel Knievel? Which biopic do you think is well-made? Tell me in the comment section!