Tag: movie news

Word on the Street: Sebastian Stan Not Happy with Marvel + News about Super Bowl Movie Trailers

On By 18cinemalaneLeave a comment

I’m going to be honest; I was not planning on writing a Word on the Street story today. But, yesterday, I discovered there was a movie news story involving Sebastian Stan. Being the Bucky fan that I am, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to talk about it. With the Super Bowl just around the corner, I also wanted to discuss an interesting article that I happened to come across. Like I do with most Word on the Street stories, I will share the story and express my opinions. Now, let’s get started with the final Word on the Street story of January 2020!

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I think this is the first time my Bucky Lego figure has made an appearance in a Word on the Street story! Screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.
In my post, A Movie Blogger’s Christmas Wish-List 2019, I said that I wanted to see Disney and Marvel stop treating Bucky like an afterthought. It looks like I’m not the only person who is tired of seeing this happen. In recent videos from Clownfish TV and Geeks + Gamers, it was reported that Sebastian Stan, who portrays Bucky Barnes in the MCU, shared his displeasure toward Marvel’s treatment of the character in a subtle but creative way. Kneon and Geeky Sparkles, creators of Clownfish TV, and Ryan, a contributor of Geeks + Gamers, talked about an Instagram post of Sebastian’s that indicated his feelings. In this post, Sebastian adds a blushing emoji over a picture of Bucky and Steve with the caption “Together until the end of the line”. Under that image, one person expressed their dislike over the way Steve’s story played out in Avengers: Endgame. In both videos, Kneon, Geeky, and Ryan mention that John Boyega, star of Disney’s Star Wars trilogy, responded to Sebastian’s post by saying “Welcome Mr. Stan” on Twitter. If Sebastian’s post was meant to express his views on how Bucky was treated in the MCU, then I’m glad he spoke up, even it was just through emojis. At the end of the day, honesty and being yourself will get you so much farther in life than trying to be everyone’s cup of tea. As Albus Dumbledore, from the Harry Potter series, once said, “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities”. Sebastian’s choice to speak his mind will, hopefully, earn respect from fans and appreciators of cinema who just want quality story-telling and well-crafted characters.

You can watch the videos I referenced in this story by typing “Sebastian Stan Throws Shade At Disney, John Boyega Welcomes Him To The Club!” and “John Boyega, Sebastian Stan Team Up AGAINST DISNEY?!” into Youtube’s search bar. If you do choose to watch these videos, I just want to let you know that they do contain language. You can also visit these links:

https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2489394/did-sebastian-stan-actually-criticize-captain-americas-ending

https://screenrant.com/avengers-endgame-ending-captain-america-bucky-criticism-sebastian-stan/

Football Sport Stadium Isometric Composition
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With the Super Bowl coming this weekend, one of the most important pieces of the puzzle are the movie trailers. Yesterday, I came across an article that felt like a fitting topic for this week’s Word on the Street story. In an article from CinemaBlend, Nick Evans writes about the steep cost of commercial spots for this year’s Super Bowl. It’s said that “a 30-second TV spot airing during this weekend’s Super Bowl LIV between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs carries an eye-watering price tag of $5.6 million”. Nick also says that this new price is “roughly $186,666 per second and a $400,000 increase from the $5.2 million a spot cost just last year”. To save money within their marketing budgets, various studios are choosing to show their movie trailers before and after the game. With this choice, these trailers still have the ability to captivate the attention of social media, as the article says. However, some studios might also show their trailers during the game. The three studios that Nick expects to show trailers are Disney, Paramount, and Universal. While reading through this article, I noticed some of the movie titles belonged to animated films. When watching the Super Bowl in years past, I’ve primarily seen trailers for action-packed or big-budget movies. By having animated films take the stage, it creates a variety among the type of movies that get advertised and helps break the stigma of animated films being “just for kids”. Another thing I noticed was how some of these titles have already started their marketing campaigns. Nick reports that Sonic the Hedgehog’s trailer can already be seen. There has also been a teaser trailer and poster for Fast & Furious 9. While the article doesn’t mention either piece of marketing, Annlyel, from Annlyel Online, talks about the poster in a recent article! You can read about it here:

‘Fast and Furious 9’ Gets Its First Teaser Poster

You can also read Nick Evans’ article at this link:

https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2489363/super-bowl-2020-movie-trailer-ads-cost-a-fortune-so-studios-are-getting-creative?pv=search

 

What are your thoughts on this Word on the Street article? Which trailer do you hope makes a Super Bowl appearance? Please tell me in the comment section!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

Word on the Street: President of Crown Media, Bill Abbott, leaving Hallmark

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As I am trying to stick with my blogging schedule, I’ve been looking for movie news stories that aren’t Hallmark related. That’s because I want to show my readers and followers that 18 Cinema Lane is not limited to one area of film. However, this story was too big to pass up. This week, Bill Abbott, one of the business leaders of Hallmark, stepped down from his presidential and CEO position. An explanation for Bill’s departure or a new leader of the company was not revealed as of late January 2020. In response to this latest news, Hallmark Cards’ president and CEO, Mike Perry, stated, “In a time when there is immense competition among television networks and streaming services, it is more important than ever that we find relevant new ways to grow our business and continue to produce high quality programming that resonates with our growing audience”.

Vector collection of business people
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Multiple news outlets have covered this story and have tried connecting it to the commercial controversy that happened last December. However, in my opinion, I’m guessing this recent situation has more factors to it than that. Last year, both the “Miracles of Christmas” and “Countdown to Christmas” line-ups collectively received lower viewership numbers than the previous year. Most of Hallmark Channel’s movies adopt repetitive story-telling, giving projects a sense of predictability. In 2019, Hallmark experienced several scheduling snafus, which I talked about in an editorial last October. Despite the uncertainty this decision has caused, I’m personally hoping the man or woman to take Bill’s Abbott’s place not only puts the best interests of the customers and fans first when it comes to making business decisions, but also takes creative risks and thinks outside the box. It’s unclear how Mike Perry and the overall Hallmark company define “relevant new ways”, but I’m guessing these definitions will be presented to viewers in a matter of time.

 

What are your thoughts on this latest news? How do you think this will affect Hallmark’s entertainment projects? Share your thoughts in the comment section!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

 

Here are the links to two of the many articles discussing this story, as well as the editorial I referenced in this Word on the Street post:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/hallmark-exec-bill-abbott-1272125

https://www.streetinsider.com/dr/news.php?id=16360467

When Hallmark Made Their Fans Really Upset

 

Word on the Street: Collider Movie Talk Closes Its Doors, Upcoming February Films for Hallmark Revealed

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Who knew I’d be publishing a Word on the Street post this soon into the New Year? In this story, I’ll be talking about two pieces of movie news. The first is about the end of a long-running movie related show. The second story will discuss the new Hallmark films that will likely premiere in February. As I sometimes do, I’ll be sharing my opinion as well as report each piece of news. So, let the first Word on the Street story of 2020 begin!

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Two days ago, on January 2nd, the entertainment news company, Collider, made an announcement where they indicated big changes for their collection of content. One particular change that caught my attention was the discontinuation of the Youtube show, Collider Movie Talk. The company stated this decision was made to put more emphasis “towards expanding high-quality, scripted, unscripted, and celebrity-driven content”. Other Youtube shows that are also ending are Heroes, Jedi Council, and Collider Live. Personally, I’m not sad to see Collider Movie Talk go. I started watching the show in 2013, when it was known as AMC Movie Talk. For years, I appreciated the existence of a place where news related to movies was the number one priority. But, over time, I found other movie related Youtube channels that I ended up watching more than Collider Movie Talk. I also talk about movie news on 18 Cinema Lane. Some of these stories feature topics that would probably never get covered by Collider. It seems like competition is one of the reasons why Collider Movie Talk is closing their doors.

Sale, Happy Valentine Day lettering with bunch of balloons
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On the twitter amount, Hotline to Hallmark, the February line-up for both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries were revealed. In two separate tweets, movies from both networks were listed with potential release dates. On the official websites for Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, synopses and lead actors were featured on their own pages. Here is a list of these films and their premises.

 

February 1st – A Valentine’s Match, starring Luke Macfarlane and Bethany Joy Lenz (“Fired from her job as a reality TV host, Natalie returns home for Valentine’s Day, only to find herself running the town festival’s auction with her ex-fiancé thanks to two scheming mothers”.)

 

February 8th – Matching Hearts, starring Ryan Paevey and Taylor Cole (“As Valentine’s Day nears, a matchmaker is tasked by her mentor to find a match for an entrepreneur who believes staying single is the key to success”).

 

February 15th – The Secret Ingredient, starring Brendan Penny and Erin Cahill (“Small-town baker, Kelly, gets a big surprise when she is invited to compete on a Valentine’s Day baking show in New York City – and an even bigger surprise when she runs into her ex-fiance”).

 

February 16th – Dead Over Diamonds: Picture Perfect Mysteries, starring Carlos and Alexa PenaVega (“Photographer Allie and Detective Sam’s investigation into a priceless stolen necklace leads to danger and an unexpected death”).

 

February 22nd – Love in Store, starring Jackee Harry, Robert Buckley and Alexandra Breckenridge (“Two rival home shopping hosts are forced together while competing for a promotion. Along the way they find their on-air chemistry kindles an off-air spark”).

 

February 23rd – Riddled with Deceit: A Martha’s Vineyard Mystery, starring Jesse Metcalfe and Sarah Lind (“Former detective Jeff Jackson teams up with Dr. Zee Madeiras to track down their friend’s missing emerald brooch, a thief, and also… a murderer”).

 

February 29th – Bad Date Chronicles, a PixL production from 2017, starring Justin Kelly and Merritt Patterson (“Leigh runs the website “Bad Date Chronicles,” which allows people to anonymously post horrible date experiences”).

 

Out of all the movies to premiere on Hallmark Channel, the two I find the most interesting are The Secret Ingredient and Love in Store. With the first movie, it’s the opposite of the “woman from the city coming back to her small hometown” cliché. This could lend itself to a more creative story. For the second film, I’m wondering what exactly the movie is about. Is it about two real estate agents who have their own reality shows or about people who sell products on QVC or HSN style programs? I’ve noticed with the films from Hallmark Movies & Mysteries that both stories feature fine jewelry. I’m not sure if this is a coincidence or intentional. What disappoints me about this collection of films is that Hallmark doesn’t seem to be creating a Leap Year themed movie. From what I can recall, a movie from this network has never made a film featuring this once every four years celebration. Also, if Hallmark can make Christmas movies almost a year in advance, then why wouldn’t they plan ahead with a Leap Year movie?

 

How do you feel about these pieces of movie news? Are you sad to see Collider Movie Talk end? Share your thoughts in the comment section!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

 

Sources for this article are the following:

  • https://collider.com/collider-video-changes/
  • The official websites of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (type the title into the search bar)
  • Hotline to Hallmark’s twitter account (type @HotlineHallmark into the search bar)

 

 

Word on the Street: News about Upcoming and Potential Hallmark movies!

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I am back with my first Word on the Street story for December! While Hallmark’s Christmas line-ups are winding down and the “Winterfest” line-up is on its way, I found several Hallmark related movie news stories that I had to share with my readers and followers. Some of these projects are currently in production, but others haven’t even started filming yet. Most of these stories come from the Twitter account, Hotline to Hallmark. Two of these movies can be found on the website, Creative B.C. For this post, I will be reporting on these pieces of movie news and share my sources within this article. Since there’s so many films to talk about and since most of the information is on the basic side, I won’t be sharing my insight this time.

Vector set of isometric illustrations making movies and watching a movie in the cinema.
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On December 10th, the Twitter account, Hotline to Hallmark, released a tweet about a potential Hallmark project. In this post, it was announced that Hallmark actor, Clayton Chitty, will be starring in a film called “Blueprint to the Heart”. Also, the tweet mentioned that the movie’s network was unknown, as of December 2019. On the website, Creative B.C., this movie is listed on the “In Production” page. Apparently, this project will finish filming on December 13th. Six days prior, on December 4th, Cindy Busby, who is a regular star of Hallmark, tweeted that she was working on a movie in Australia. This tweet, that was re-tweeted by Hotline to Hallmark, shares a link to an article about the film. The article, found on if.com.au, revealed that the project is currently titled “Romance on the Menu”. Based on the synopsis, it sounds like a Hallmark movie. But, as of December 2019, it’s unknown where this film will premiere.

You can visit the Twitter account of Hotline to Hallmark by typing @HotlineHallmark into Twitter’s search bar.

The article about “Romance on the Menu”: https://www.if.com.au/first-time-feature-director-rosie-lourde-finds-romance-on-the-menu/

The link to Creative B.C.’s “In Production” page: https://www.creativebc.com/crbc-services/provincial-film-commission-services/in-production/films.php?type=tv_movie (after December 13th, “Blueprint to the Heart” will be removed from the page)

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While the two aforementioned projects have no known fate, there are a few upcoming films that have been confirmed as Hallmark movies. Some of these confirmations have been announced from the stars of those films. One of them is a movie that will premiere in the 2020 Christmas season! In a tweet that was included in Hotline to Hallmark’s tweet, Brennan Elliott, a familiar face on both of Hallmark’s networks, revealed that he was working on a movie called “Christmas in Vienna”. In this same tweet, he also shared that the project would be filmed in Vienna, Austria and that the movie’s female lead will be Sarah Drew. Also, on Hotline to Hallmark, news about Taylor Cole’s Valentine’s Day movie was announced! In a Word on the Street story last month, I talked about how Taylor would be starring in a Hallmark Valentine’s Day movie alongside Ryan Paevey. This was one of the reasons why I speculated that One Winter Wedding could either be a “June Weddings” or Christmas movie. In Hotline to Hallmark’s tweet, it mentioned that Taylor herself confirmed that the third One Winter movie was still happening! This tweet says “that the script for Hallmark’s “One Winter Wedding” is being worked on”. As for the Valentine’s Day movie, it now has a working title called “Matching Hearts”. Two other cast members have been announced as well. They are Antonio Cayonne and Latonya Williams.

You can visit the Twitter account of Hotline to Hallmark and Brennan Elliott by typing @HotlineHallmark and @brennan_elliott into Twitter’s search bar.

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Two other Hallmark movies have been announced outside of the Hotline to Hallmark twitter account. In an article from International Business Times, several Hallmark stars were interviewed during Christmas Con, a Christmas themed convention that took place in early November. The majority of questions that were asked were about future movie projects. While the answers consisted of wishful thinking and vagueness, only one was definitive. When asked about Hallmark’s Wedding March series, Jack Wagner, one of the stars of that series, said “We will be doing “Wedding March 6” in the spring”. This means that another Wedding March chapter will likely be seen in 2020’s “June Weddings” line-up! On the website, Creative B.C. another movie from the Mystery 101 series has been listed on the “In Production” page. Currently, the film is called Mystery 101: Educated Murders. The “In Production” page reveals that the movie will go into production from January 6th to the 31st. Based on this fact, I’m guessing that the film will premiere in either spring or summer of 2020.

The article from International Business Times: https://www.ibtimes.com/christmas-con-2019-recap-biggest-news-hallmark-lifetime-stars-revealed-during-panels-2879266

The link to Creative B.C.’s “In Production” page: https://www.creativebc.com/crbc-services/provincial-film-commission-services/in-production/films.php?type=tv_movie (after January 31st, Mystery 101: Educated Murders will be removed from the page)

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What are thoughts on these upcoming films? Which one sounds the most interesting to you? Tell me in the comment section!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

Word on the Street: Entertainment Tonight Reveals Synopsis for New ‘When Calls the Heart’ Christmas Movie

On By 18cinemalaneLeave a comment

So, today was supposed to be my day-off from blogging. But it looks like Entertainment Tonight had other plans. Yesterday, on November 19th, ET’s Deidre Behar broke the news about the newest film from Hallmark’s longest running series, When Calls the Heart! The article reveals the movie’s synopsis, as well as some tidbits about season seven. Before writing this Word on the Street story, I read Deidre’s article. In my opinion, I was not impressed with the movie’s synopsis. It, honestly, makes me concerned for the next season. Because this is a post related to movie news, I will share what the ET article said and discuss my opinions on it. This article is not meant to be negative or mean-spirited, but only honest yet respectful.

Merry Christmas Card
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Based on the fact that this plot was featured first, I’m guessing that Elizabeth’s story is going to be the main plot of When Calls the Heart: Home for Christmas. The article states that “Elizabeth Thornton is excited to celebrate her first Christmas with her son, Jack, as well as his first birthday on Christmas Eve”. It also mentions how she is still grieving her late husband. When I talked about the previous When Calls the Heart movie, When Calls the Heart: The Greatest Christmas Blessing, in a Word on the Street story last December, I said that the film’s trailer put too much emphasis on Elizabeth and her baby. Even though her story was not the film’s main focus, it felt like the overall narrative was turning into “The Elizabeth Thornton Show”. Since the season five finale, When Calls the Heart has started to become more focused on Elizabeth. To me, the screenwriters have given her a perspective that is more self-centered and entitled than in previous seasons. Because of these things, I feel that Elizabeth is going to find a way to make her child’s milestones all about herself. The aforementioned quote that I included in this paragraph is a good example of this. In my review of last year’s When Calls the Heart film, I said that the subplots were one of the weakest points of the project. This included Elizabeth’s subplot, where it seemed like she could only talk about two things; how she was pregnant and how she missed Jack. It seems like Elizabeth’s story is being reduced to almost the exact same thing.

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Like I said in the previous paragraph, I wasn’t a fan of the subplots from last year’s movie, When Calls the Heart: The Greatest Christmas Blessing. This year, it looks the screenwriters are repeating the same mistakes. Bill, Lee, and Rosemary’s subplots revolve around the exact same thing: getting a Christmas/Birthday gift for Jack. I find their stories to be uninteresting. These characters deserve good subplots and larger roles on the show, so it’s a shame to see them get relegated to practically sitting on the side-lines. Even the subplots that Lucas and Nate were given don’t sound that creative. Once again, Nate is dealing with an issue related to his niece, Allie. Throughout season six, Nate’s story consisted of dealing with situations related to Allie, so I’m not sure how this subplot is going to be any different. As for Lucas, he will apparently be “transforming Main Street into a magical German Christmas Festival”. Correct me if I’m wrong, but Lucas doesn’t have any German ancestry that I know of. The only thing closest to ancestry that Lucas has ever hinted at is when he said he was from New Orleans and when he spoke French in one phone conversation. We also just got a festival in the season six finale. Maybe Lucas will share more of his back-story in this film. But, for now, his subplot just seems random and redundant.

Happy Valentines day and heart. Card with Happy Valentines day a
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I love When Calls the Heart and I want to see it succeed. As someone who has seen all six seasons and all the movies, I care about the overall quality of each project. However, I find myself feeling frustrated by what I read in the Entertainment Tonight article. To me, it seems like the show’s screenwriters are not only running out of ideas, but also like they are missing beautiful story-telling opportunities. When Jesse proposed to Clara in the season six finale, I was hoping that we’d finally get a Christmas wedding in Hope Valley. Since there are few wedding related movies found in Hallmark’s Christmas line-ups this year, this could have been an interesting story for When Calls the Heart to bring to the table. Instead, the screenwriters have decided to place the wedding in season seven, according to the ET article. Out of all of stories that were mentioned, the only one I’m looking forward to is the one involving Carson and Faith. This is because it has the potential to be funny and intriguing. Even though the movie’s synopsis doesn’t impress me, I still want to watch When Calls the Heart: Home for Christmas with an open mind. Maybe it’ll be better than the article makes it sound. But, for now, my expectations will be lower than they were for the previous film.

 

What are your thoughts on Entertainment Tonight’s article? Are you looking forward to this new When Calls the Heart movie? Let me know in the comment section!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

 

Here’s the link to the article that I referenced in my post:

https://www.etonline.com/when-calls-the-heart-christmas-special-first-look-see-the-festive-on-set-photos-exclusive-136519

Word on the Street: ‘Rugrats’ Film from Paramount Gets Scrapped, Updates on 2020 Hallmark Channel Winterfest Movie

On By 18cinemalane9 Comments

I’m not going to lie, it’s not always possible for me to write follow-up stories for Word on the Street posts. That’s because there’s only so much time and attention that I can devote to each movie news story that I choose to cover. However, I do try my best to provide follow-up articles when I am realistically able to write them. As the title indicates, one of these stories will relate to a piece of movie news that I talked about in the past. Like I do in all my Word on the Street posts, I will report on both stories as accurately as possible. But, only for the first one, I will share my thoughts on this latest development.

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Last July, I reported that a live-action Rugrats movie was being brought to the box office by Viacom and Paramount. I also said that the movie would be released sometime in November of 2020. According to Deadline, it looks like Paramount has changed their minds. Erik Pedersen reported on November 12th that the legendary studio removed their cinematic Rugrats project from their box office line-up. After pushing the film back to January 29th, 2021, Paramount has decided to put a movie called Rumble in its place. As of November 2019, the studio “didn’t cite a reason for grounding the film”. When this movie was first announced, I was excited about the idea of a new Rugrats movie. But upon further reflection, I realize that maybe this decision is for the better. In a Word on the Street post from last month, when I talked about the ‘Barney’ movie, I mentioned that Dora and the Lost City of Gold made Paramount lose money. This movie, like the newly scrapped Rugrats film, was a live-action adaptation of a Nickelodeon property that was popular in decades past. It also was another reboot/remake released in 2019 that didn’t perform well at the box office. Based on these facts, it looks like Paramount cut their losses while they still had a chance. Hopefully, this encourages them to create a new film with an original and compelling story.

Here’s the link to the Deadline article I referenced in this post:

Paramount Grounds ‘Rugrats’ Movie, Moves WWE’s ‘Rumble’ Back Six Months & Titles Next ‘SpongeBob’ Pic

Rugrats movie poster
The Rugrats Movie poster created by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. Image found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TheRugratsMovieposter.jpg

While looking for movie news stories, I came across one that had been reported on for the past two weeks. Because I saw very few people talking about this, I figured it would be a story worth sharing. On November 5th, a screenwriter named Alison Spuck McNeeley revealed on her Instagram account that she was working on a Hallmark Channel movie called “A Tidy Romance”. Based on the photo’s description, it appears that Alison will not only co-write the film with who I believe is Casie Tabanou, but she will also co-executive produce the project with Jill Wagner and, I believe, her husband, Kristofer McNeeley. A week later, on November 13th, the Twitter account, Hotline to Hallmark, and Rachael Ellenbogen, who is an entertainment reporter, announced that Jill Wagner, Victor Webster, and Brendon Zub will be starring in this film. In Rachael’s tweet, she revealed that “A Tidy Romance” will be a “Winterfest” film from Hallmark Channel! This movie is, currently, listed on Creative B.C.’s “In Production” page, as the production will end filming on November 23rd.

Here’s the links to the references I made in this post:

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Do you think Paramount made the right decision to scrap their Rugrats project? What do you think “A Tidy Romance” could be about? Share your thoughts in the comment section!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

Word on the Street: Cast for Upcoming Hallmark Movie Revealed, Two Future Christmas Movies Announced

On By 18cinemalane2 Comments

Yes, I know it’s been several months since I talked about a movie news story related to Hallmark. Also, the last time I discussed a movie news story that had something to do with a Christmas movie was back in April. But, when I discovered that very few people were talking about the stories in this Word on the Street post, I knew that I had to talk about them. In this article, I will share one movie news story about an upcoming Hallmark film and two movie news stories about future Christmas films. I will try my best to share my opinion on these stories, as well as report what I know about them. Now, let the movie news discussion begin!

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On November 12th, Sleepy Kitty Paw, from the Twitter account, Ho! Ho! Holiday Viewing!, shared a tweet from Hallmark actor, Chad Michael Murray. In this tweet, it’s revealed that he will star in Alice in Winterland! This movie was originally supposed to be a Christmas film called Alice in Christmasland. However, it looks like it will end up becoming a “Winterfest” movie. Sleepy Kitty Paw shared some of this information in their tweet. Chad’s tweet mentioned two fellow Hallmark actors, Jack Turner and Italia Ricci. This indicates that these particular actors will also star in the film. Jack’s involvement in this movie will raise some interesting questions about another potential “Winterfest” project. At Hallmark’s Summer TCA Event this year, Taylor Cole, one of the stars of the One Winter series, announced that One Winter Wedding will be on its way. But the Twitter account, Hotline to Hallmark, revealed on November 5th that Taylor will be starring alongside Ryan Paevey in a Valentine’s Day movie on Hallmark Channel. In this specific thread, it was also revealed that, as of early to mid-November 2019, One Winter Wedding has not gone into production. Now that both leads for this series are working on separate projects surrounding the “Winterfest” line-up, it makes the reality of One Winter Wedding seem more distant. If this film is still being released in 2020, my guess is it will either be a “June Weddings” or a Christmas film.

You can visit the Twitter accounts of Sleepy Kitty Paws and Hotline to Hallmark by typing @SleepyKittyPaw and @HotlineHallmark into Twitter’s search bar. You can also visit Taylor Cole’s Instagram account by typing ‘taylorquinncole’ into Instagram’s search bar.

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Three days ago, on November 11th, Candace Young, from soaps.sheknows.com, reported that Eileen Davidson will appear in a Christmas film. The Young and the Restless star will lead a movie called There Will Always Be Christmas. In this article, Candace shares the cast and the synopsis for the movie. As of November 15th, 2019, this film does not have a release date and/or a designated network or platform. All we know, so far, is that it will premiere sometime next year.

Here’s the link to the article I referenced in this paragraph:

Eileen Davidson’s Bittersweet ‘There Will Always Be Christmas’

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On November 13th, Melissa Hill, author of books such as The Summer Villa and A Gift to Remember, released a tweet that certainly got my attention. In her tweet, she revealed that she has “just been sent first draft screenplay for #TheCharmBracelet”! This indicates that we could see a film adaptation of one of Melissa’s books, The Charm Bracelet! Melissa didn’t reveal where or when this movie could premiere. For me, it’s exciting because this particular book has been on my TBR (to be read) list for a few years. Now I have an excuse to finally read this book!

You can visit the Twitter account of Melissa Hill by typing @melissahillbks into Twitter’s search bar.

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What do you think of these pieces of movie news? Are you looking forward to any of these projects? Tell me in the comment section!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

Word on the Street: James Dean will be Brought Back in Upcoming Film

On By 18cinemalane1 Comment

Despite what the title suggests, this is not a joke. I actually came across this story when I saw Amber, from Hallmarkies Podcast, comment about it on Twitter. After the negative reaction this piece of movie news caused on the aforementioned social media platform, I knew I had to talk about it. There are several movie bloggers that I know who specialize in writing about the Classic Film Era, so I assume they’ll have thoughts on this topic as well. Two days ago, on November 6th, Alex Ritman, from the The Hollywood Reporter, reported that the creative team behind a film called Finding Jack will incorporate James Dean through the use of CGI. In this article, Alex wrote that the film’s directors, Anton Ernst and Tati Golykh, “obtained the rights to use Dean’s image from his family”. In relation to this, Anton Ernst said “We feel very honored this his family supports us and will take every precaution to ensure that his legacy as one of the most epic film stars to date is kept firmly intact. The family views this as his fourth movie, a movie he never got to make. We do not intend to let his fans down”. As for the specifics on how Finding Jack’s creative team will bring James back, Alex states “that Dean’s performance will be constructed via “full body” CGI using actual footage and photos. Another actor will voice him”. According to the article, Finding Jack will begin preproduction on November 17th, with the intent to release the film next Veterans Day.

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I’m going to be honest, I’m not a fan of this decision for a number of reasons. Even though James Dean’s family approved of this idea, James Dean himself did not. Because he’s been gone for several decades, he has been unable to stand up for himself and give his consent. Bringing him back by using his image without his permission is not only exploitive, but also manipulative. This opportunity gives Finding Jack’s creative team the ability to use James’ image to their liking, not how James himself would have wanted. This situation kinds of reminds me of how I felt about the film, Edward, My Son. I mentioned in that review how, because of the creative team’s choice not to feature Edward on screen, it denied any actor the opportunity to receive a “standing ovation” they had probably worked hard to achieve. In the case of Finding Jack, any actor is denied a chance to add another project to their filmography because this creative team wants to capitalize on a deceased star’s popularity. The decision to bring back James is this manner is also quite cruel. Fans of James Dean are understandably upset that he passed away at such a young age. With Finding Jack’s creative team incorporating James into their film, they are giving his fans and their audience false hope, whether or not it was intentional. I’m guessing that this is a one-time decision, but fans would probably rather see him in more than one project. If fans of other decreased stars find out about this decision from Finding Jack’s creative team, they might want to see them come back in a similar fashion. Personally, I think this creative team’s intention could lead to bad results. It could also open up a can of worms that may never close again.

 

What are your thoughts on this story? How do you feel about the idea of bringing back deceased stars through technology? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

 

Here is the link to the article I referenced in this post:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/afm-james-dean-reborn-cgi-vietnam-war-action-drama-1252703

You can visit Amber’s official Twitter account by typing @amberbrainwaves into Twitter’s search bar.

Word On The Street: A Movie About “Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas” Is In the Works

On By 18cinemalane2 Comments

It hasn’t even been a week since I published my previous Word On The Street post and it’s yet another “what the heck” story. On the website, MovieWeb, Jeremy Dick reports that a movie about Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas is in the early stages of development. In Jeremy’s article, it reveals that Bret McKenzie is going to write the music and script for the film. If you’re not familiar with Bret or his work, don’t worry, Jeremy provides enough explanation. According to MovieWeb, Bret “is of course best known as one half of the New Zealand comedy duo Flight of the Conchords”. Bret also “served as the music supervisor for the 2011 movie The Muppets and its 2014 sequel Muppets Most Wanted”. Because Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas was created by the Jim Henson Company and since this company is one of the co-producers of this project, it makes sense for Bret to be involved.

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While I haven’t seen Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, I have definitely heard of it. When I first read this story two days ago, I, once again, found the project unnecessary. Wasn’t Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas already a movie? Based on the article, it seems like the production will be a remake/reboot of the original. Why retell a pre-established story when there’s a beautiful opportunity to create a new story? Similar to the Word On The Street post about “Barney the Dinosaur”, this project hasn’t even started production yet. In fact, the MovieWeb article shared very few details about the movie. So, we’ll just have to wait and see if this film is worth the time.

 

Have you seen Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas? How do you feel about this piece of movie news? Let me know in the comment section!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

 

If you want to check it out, here’s the link to the article I referenced in my post:

https://movieweb.com/emmet-otters-jug-band-christmas-movie-reboot-bret-mckenzie/

Word On The Street: A Movie About “Barney the Dinosaur” is Currently in Development

On By 18cinemalane8 Comments

While working on my recent editorial, I came across this piece of movie news on a twitter account called DiscussingFilm. The link featured in the tweet led to an article about the project on Variety. This is probably the most “what the heck” movie news story I’ve discussed this year. But since I saw very few people talking about it, I knew that this would be my next Word On The Street post! In the Variety article, Justin Kroll shares how three different companies are teaming up to make a ‘Barney’ movie. These companies are Mattel Films, Valparaiso Pictures, and 59%, a production company created by Daniel Kaluuya. When asked about the project, Robbie Brenner, from Mattel Films, said, “Working with Daniel Kaluuya will enable us to take a completely new approach to ‘Barney’ that will surprise audiences and subvert expectations”. Robbie also said, “The project will speak to the nostalgia of the brand in a way that will resonate with adults, while entertaining today’s kids”.

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After reading the article, I ended up feeling torn about this idea. On the one hand, this project just seems unnecessary. The original ‘Barney’ show was intended for an audience of babies to preschoolers. It seems like audiences are more nostalgic for IPs that were created for older children than for younger kids. A recent example is Dora and the Lost City of Gold, which made its respective studio, Paramount, lose money. Similar to the Dora the Explorer movie, this ‘Barney’ film is in development after the show’s prime. Barney & Friends was taken off the air around 2009 to 2010. This means that the movie has started development about ten years after the show ended. As some people on Twitter have mentioned, a ‘Barney’ movie already exists. In 1998, Barney’s Great Adventure was released in theaters on April 3rd. When that movie premiered, the show was still on television, so creating a ‘Barney’ movie made sense. On the other hand, the creative team behind this film could be using the IP to tell an interesting story. Maybe it will be a biopic about the people who created the show? Perhaps the movie will focus on a specific piece of ‘Barney’ memorabilia, such as the Microsoft Interacts Barney doll? It’s way too early to determine if this ‘Barney’ movie is worth the price of theater admission. But, at the end of the day, it all comes down to what this film’s cinematic narrative will be.

 

What do you think about this ‘Barney’ movie? Which children’s show would you like to see receive a film adaptation? Tell me in the comment section!

 

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

 

If you want to check out the references I mentioned in this article, you can visit these links:

https://variety.com/2019/film/news/barney-movie-daniel-kaluuya-mattel-films-1203374572/

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=doratheexplorer.htm

If you want to check out the tweet, you can visit the official Twitter account of DiscussingFilm by typing @DiscussingFilm into Twitter’s search bar.

There’s an interesting video that briefly discusses the Microsoft Interacts Barney doll. To watch that video, type “Parents Upset Over Barney” into Youtube’s search bar or visit the official Youtube channel of Chadtronic. In this video, the segment about the doll starts at 3:37 and ends on 5:47.