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!
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 18th. 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
This week, I received 90 followers on 18 Cinema Lane! To all my followers, thank you for helping me reach this accomplish! In honor of this achievement, I’m going to review a film that was released 90 years ago (in 1929). While looking through Turner Classic Movie’s (TCM’s) schedule one day, I found a film titled The Broadway Melody. Because this film turned 90 years old this year, I chose to review this movie for this special post. Before this review, I had never heard of The Broadway Melody. So, I was looking forward to expanding my cinematic horizons. Was this film a show-stopper or stumble over its own dancing shoes? Keep reading my review of The Broadway Melody if you want to find out!
The acting: As a whole, the cast of The Broadway Melody was good! Anita Page and Bessie Love both gave a memorable performance as the singing and dancing duo, Hank and Queenie! What was so great about these characters is how they displayed their own distinct personalities. While Hank was out-spoken and spunky, Queenie was a quieter individual with a sweet personality. I also liked Jed Prouty’s performance as Uncle Jed! His portrayal of this character came across very believably, making Uncle Jed feel like a real person. Having him stutter was an interesting choice, as this is not common amongst characters in cinema. However, I thought that this component was incorporated well from both an acting and writing perspective.
Use of title cards: At some points in the film, title cards were used as scene transitions and location indicators. This choice was not only creative, but also interesting. Since The Broadway Melody was the first movie musical to be “all-talking”, I felt this was a good transition from silent films to talking pictures. These title cards also added a unique stamp to the overall project.
The musical numbers: One of the strongest aspects of The Broadway Melody is, definitely, the musical numbers! My favorite group routine was “Wedding of the Painted Doll”, as it was really well choreographed and performed! There was so much going on in that number, but it was all great to look at. Throughout this film, the best solo performance came from a ballerina who performed a tap dance on ballet pointe. Her routine was incredible and I had never seen anything like it before! This was absolutely the best dance solo in any movie musical I’ve ever seen!
Large spaces between musical numbers: While I enjoyed seeing the musical numbers in The Broadway Melody, it seemed like this movie had far more dialogue-focused scenes. In my opinion, a good musical finds a way to balance the dialogue and music-focused scenes, creating a film that tells an interesting story and provides entertaining content. Throughout The Broadway Melody, however, there were only seven musical numbers. The ratio between the musical numbers and dialogue-focused scenes was weaker than I had expected.
The run-time: Before I watched this movie, I was surprised to find that it was almost two hours long. Looking back on this specific production, I don’t think this story needed to be an hour and forty minutes. Because of this run-time, it caused the movie to feel longer than intended and some scenes to feel too drawn out. There was also the inclusion of scenes for the sake of satisfying the run-time. This movie would have worked better with a run-time of an hour and twenty or thirty minutes.
A “slice of life” story: It seems like the more movies I watch, the more I don’t like “slice of life” stories (unless they have intriguing plots). The premise in The Broadway Melody felt like it was following a year in the life of the Mahoney sisters. I did not find this type of story-telling very interesting. This story also contained petty drama that I really didn’t care about. Because this drama lasted for a good portion of the film, it caused the plot to feel drawn-out.
The Broadway Melody was an ok film. I can see why this movie received the honors that it did in its time. However, I think there are movie musicals that are stronger than this one. While, the story wasn’t as interesting as I had hoped, the musical numbers were the highlight of this film. They were very enjoyable and fun to watch. I found myself rewinding my recording of The Broadway Melody in order to re-watch some of the musical scenes. “Wedding of the Painted Doll” was such a great ensemble routine and the tap dance on ballet pointe solo was fantastic! With its merits and flaws, I’m still glad I chose to review this film.
Overall score: 6.3 out of 10
What did you think of my review? Which movie musical is your favorite? Let me know in the comment section!
Hi there! I wanted to let everyone know that voting for the Best Actor from a Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie ends on April 7th. The next round of polls will start on April 8th. Happy voting!
Last week, Marvel released the official character posters for their upcoming film, Avengers: Endgame. After oohing and aahing over these posters like everyone else had, I came up with the idea to rank the posters that I liked the most. I had wanted to publish this post last week. However, because I chose to devote time to the Mystery Mania blogathon and the Gold Sally Awards, I decided to postpone the post to this week. With the recent release of a Special Look commercial for Avengers: Endgame and since tickets for the movie are now on sale, it appears that the timing of my post is a blessing in disguise. As the title says, I have created a list of the Top 10 Best Character Posters for Avengers: Endgame! I’ll be honest with you; this list was not easy to make, especially since there are so many great posters to choose from. A good amount of minutes were spent creating this list. Before I start, I just want to say that this list is based on my opinion. So, with that said, let the countdown begin!
Thor is one of my top three favorite superheroes in the MCU, so I knew that his poster had to be on this list! The one thing that stands out the most in this image are his eyes. While the blue eye caught my attention at first, his gold eye is the one that is captured really well by the lighting. This color combination suits Thor really well.
Speaking of eyes, Captain America’s eyes are the first thing that I noticed about this poster. If you look at the right eye, it almost looks as if he is holding back tears. Because the light is not reflecting that particular side of Captain America’s face, this image alludes to the idea that he is hiding his true feelings of sadness and fear. This means that the side of his face that is visible by the light shows that he is willing to put on a brave face for the sake of completing the mission.
While looking at these posters, I found myself being drawn to the black-and-white images over the color photos. To me, the black-and-white posters did a better job at conveying emotions. Scarlet Witch’s poster is a good example of this. The way the lighting perfectly captures her face helps to showcase the emotions of fear and longing. Because the lighting seems to only focus on Scarlet Witch’s face, it gives viewers an emotional focal point to look at.
Who knew that a raccoon could be captured so well in a portrait? The most impressive detail in this image is Rocket’s fur. While this particular character was created with CGI imagery, the fur itself appears very realistic. The color palette in this image is really complimentary, with the burgundy of the sweater adding to the overall blend of dark brown, light brown, and white. The final detail that stood out to me was Rocket’s eyes. Similar to Captain America’s poster, Rocket’s eyes appear as if he is about to cry.
The most eye-catching aspect of this poster is the color combination of Nebula’s face! The shades of purple, blue, and silver compliment each other really well. These colors were also beautifully captured by the lighting. This poster showcases Nebula’s beauty, strength, and grace in the best way possible!
Like I said with Scarlet Witch’s poster, Gamora’s poster does a really good job at capturing a very emotional portrayal of the character. When looking at Gamora’s face, I could sense a look of questioning was being displayed. This would make sense with everything that happened to her in Avengers: Infinity War, as she wonders why Thanos chose to do what he did. This emotional expression was not only captured well by the lighting, but also by the light and dark compositions.
Because of this poster, it is Marvel’s way of confirming Shuri’s fate after Avengers: Infinity War. While it is unknown, at this time, if Shuri will be rescued in Avengers: Endgame, the studio did give this character a beautiful poster. The lighting did a fantastic job at highlighting her face, showcasing the looks of grace and determination. One of the most eye-catching elements of this image is Shuri’s make-up. It gives viewers an interesting focal point to look at as well as compliment the light and dark compositions in the poster.
Another black-and-white image that captures the emotions of the character and appropriately fits with the events of the previous film. Spider-Man made a saddening departure in Avengers: Infinity War, which ended up becoming a memorable moment for many fans. His facial expression in his poster beautifully portrays the sadness of leaving Iron Man behind and the devastation of that particular event. The different compositions that are found on Spider-Man’s face somehow make the image look peaceful, almost as if he knows that, eventually, all will end well. These emotions make the poster all the more beautiful.
Mantis’ poster is one of the most captivating images I have seen from this collection of character posters. The lighting captures her face perfectly, helping to make the poster appear beautiful and haunting. The look on Mantis’ face is a good representation of how she is trying to contemplate what had happened to her toward the end of Avengers: Infinity War. Because Thanos’ actions arrived so suddenly, no one had enough time to process what was going on. Because the lighting is primarily focused on Mantis’ face, it intensifies the emotions that are on display. It also provides viewers with an emotional focal point.
Anyone who was visited my blog on more than one occasion would not be surprised that Bucky’s poster is my absolute favorite! The overall image is gorgeous! What’s interesting about his poster is that he appears to be sad. What I remember from Avengers: Infinity War, Bucky never really seemed sad throughout the course of the film. It’s almost like he can see what’s about to happen before any one else can. Maybe this is Marvel’s way of hinting at a potential loss in Bucky’s life? The various compositions in this poster compliment the overall beauty of the image. As a Bucky fan, I would definitely have this poster framed and displayed on my wall as art.
If you’ve looked at the movies that I reviewed in March, you would notice that I’ve been in a movie reviewing slump. Out of the four movies that I reviewed, I thought only one of them was good. The rest were ok. So, since it’s been a month since I last talked about a Hallmark Channel movie, I decided to review A Brush with Love! Out of all the movies that are included in the “Spring Fever” line-up, this movie was not one of my most anticipated. While I was curious about the art aspect of the film, the story itself didn’t sound as intriguing as some of the other movies. However, I was happy to see that Arielle Kebbel had been cast in a Hallmark production. The last movie that Arielle starred in was 2015’s Bridal Wave. Was her return to Hallmark a triumphant one? Put on your art smock and get your paint palette ready, it’s time to review A Brush with Love!
The acting: I really enjoyed seeing the various acting performances throughout this film! Everyone did a good job portraying their respective characters. Nick Bateman gave such a strong performance in A Brush with Love, especially since this was his first starring role in any Hallmark movie! He definitely added enough charisma to make his character as likable as he was. It was also nice to see Arielle Kebbel return to the Hallmark community as one of the lead protagonists in this movie. Her performance came across very naturally, which helped her character appear relatable. The acting was absolutely one of the strengths of this film!
The incorporation of Spring-time: The season of Spring was incorporated into this story very well. From the scenery to the props, everything looked and felt like it was an appropriate fit for this particular time of year. I also liked the overall color palette that was found throughout this film. Almost everything was bright and cheery, helping to keep this story upbeat during the more light-hearted moments. It’s interesting to point out that this color palette complimented the season that was found within this movie. This added to the consistency of the over-arcing theme.
The idea of a “vision board”: A “vision board” is a concept that has rarely been seen in a Hallmark production. Because of that, I think this idea was a very interesting choice for the creative team behind this movie to incorporate in this specific story. Not only that, but the “vision board” itself was tailored to compliment the main protagonist’s passion; art. I found this detail to be creative and something that I hadn’t thought of until I saw A Brush with Love. Yes, I was aware of what “vision boards” were. But I wasn’t aware of the different ways that a “vision board” could be created. This movie showed that there is no set way on what a “vision board” should look like.
The “vision board” in a small role: When I read the synopsis for A Brush with Love, I was led to believe that the protagonist’s “vision board” would play a large role in this story. But, in the overall context of the film, it felt like the “vision board” was just a component to a subplot. To me, it seemed like the story focused more on Jamie and Max’s growing relationship. When it came to the “vision board’s” inclusion, it was very disappointing.
The art school expansion subplot: In A Brush with Love, Jamie was planning on expanding her art school to more than one location. Within the overall story, this subplot didn’t make as big of an impact as the other subplots. While it made sense in the grand scheme of things, it kind of seemed like it was there for the sake of filling up the film’s run-time. It also seemed like this subplot just provided a reason for the protagonist’s parents to be featured in the narrative. I ended up not being impressed with this particular subplot.
A slower pace: Throughout this film, I found the pace to be on the slower side. This pace did effect the quality of the movie, causing some scenes to feel longer than they might have been intended. While the pace wasn’t as slow as in other movies I’ve seen, it could have been faster.
The conflict: I won’t spoil anything if you haven’t seen this movie yet. But I was not a fan of the conflict that happened toward the end of the movie. It seemed like that part of the story was incorporated into the overall narrative just to give the main characters a reason to get upset. Because of this conflict, it caused one of the protagonists to make a decision that felt very egotistical. This appeared so out-of-character for that particular protagonist, especially since they had never displayed any behaviors or actions that came across as self-centered. I understand that the creative team behind this film was trying to do something that other Hallmark projects don’t often do. However, I don’t think that creative decision worked in this story’s favor.
Despite the flaws, I think that A Brush with Love was a good, sweet film. Overall, this story was better than I thought it would be. There were several strengths that this movie had, such as the acting performances. This whole cast was really good, from the lead stars to all the child actors. That aspect of the film added to my enjoyment of the movie! Even though my favorite film from Hallmark Channel’s “Spring Fever” line-up, so far, is Flip That Romance, A Brush with Love is still a solid movie. I would recommend it not only to people who like Hallmark projects, but also to people who like the inclusion of art in their stories.
Overall score: 7.7 out of 10
Have you seen A Brush with Love? What is your favorite “Spring Fever” movie so far? Tell me in the comment section!
Greetings, everyone! Now is the time for the Best Actor from a Hallmark Channel Movie and Best Actor from a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Movie voting divisions to begin! Remember, you can vote for more than one nominee and you can place your votes in the comment section of this post. But you can only vote once per person. The Best Actor division of the Gold Sally Awards will end on April 7th. When Round 5 is over, two actors will be crowned Best Actor from a Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Movie!
18 Cinema Lane’s official logo! Screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.
Best Actor from a Hallmark Channel Movie
Brett Dalton – Cooking with Love
Torrance Coombs – Royally Ever After
Chad Michael Murray – The Beach House
Robert Gant – Wedding of Dreams
Dondre T. Whitfield – Christmas Everlasting
Mark Deklin – Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa
Michael Rady – Christmas at Pemberley Manor
Duane Henry – A Gingerbread Romance
Matt Long – Christmas Joy
Andrew Walker – My Secret Valentine
Best Actor from a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Movie
Josh Kelly – Christmas Bells are Ringing
Paul Campbell – A Godwink Christmas
Colin Ferguson – Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane
Tom Cavanagh – Darrow & Darrow: In the Key of Murder
Yannick Bison – Last Scene Alive: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery
Steve Bacic – Garage Sale Mysteries: The Mask Murder
James Tupper – Past Malice: An Emma Fielding Mystery
Matthew MacCaull – Hailey Dean Mysteries: A Marriage Made for Murder
Josh Henderson – Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas
When it comes to Hallmark related movie news, most of my topics have been based on things that I found on What’s Filming, a Canadian website that lists the production dates for upcoming movie and television projects. However, I recently found some interesting pieces of movie news on IMDB and a news article from Florida. All of these stories in this Word on the Street post are about projects that are either confirmed or speculated to be Hallmark movies. While two of these movies will likely premiere during the Christmas season, one of them has no known seasonal affiliation. As usual, I will report on the movie news and share my thoughts on each news story. So, let’s begin talking about these exciting movie details!
While doing research for a potential Word on the Street topic, I came across an upcoming Hallmark film that was listed on IMDB. It looks like 2017’s A Gift to Remember will receive a sequel! According to the official IMDB page for the film, some of the cast members from the first movie will return for the continuation. At this time, Hallmark has not made any announcements about this film or its potential release date. I am surprised that out of all the Christmas movies that were released on Hallmark in 2017, A Gift to Remember would be the one to receive a sequel. I haven’t seen this film, but based on the synopsis, the story doesn’t seem to lend itself to a second chapter. However, I felt the same way when Christmas in Evergreen received a sequel. The film, Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa, exceeded my expectations. It was not only the best newly released Christmas movie I saw last year, but it was also one of the best movies I saw in 2018!
You can check out the official page for “A Gift to Remember 2” on IMDB.
Yesterday, I found an article from the website, WFLA 8. In this article, it was reported that a Hallmark movie called “Love in the Sun” would be filming in the Safety Harbor area. According to WFLA 8, the movie is “a G-rated love story and Safety Harbor will be depicted as the female star’s hometown”. No other details have been revealed about the film. Off the top of my head, I can’t recall a Hallmark movie that has been filmed in Florida. So, this change in scenery will be very interesting to see when this movie finally premieres. Because this film will be a “love story”, it is likely that “Love in the Sun” will be a Hallmark Channel production.
If you want to check out the reference from this story, you can visit this link:
Earlier this month, I talked about an upcoming Christmas movie called “A Ring for Christmas”. The reason why this movie was speculated to be a Hallmark film was because the network was referenced in several Instagram photos containing the hashtag #aringforchristmas. Recently, I came across the official IMDB page for this film. While it’s still unknown if this project will belong to Hallmark, we now know what the movie will likely be about. Featured below is the film’s synopsis that was found on “A Ring for Christmas’” official IMDB page.
“Spoiled single girl Angie Moore gets cut off 25 days before Christmas. When she discovers the existence of a sizeable trust fund that she will inherit once she gets married, Angie decides to find a man to marry – by Christmas”.
Personally, I would be surprised if this became a Hallmark movie. Based on the synopsis, it sounds like the protagonist is very deceitful and self-centered. This is quite different from the friendly and down-to-earth personalities that are usually seen from Hallmark protagonists. Not only has the official cast been listed on the IMDB page, but also an expected release date. As of late March 2019, “A Ring for Christmas” is scheduled to premiere on December 19th. Both the release date and synopsis could change as time goes on.
You can check out the official page for “A Ring for Christmas” on IMDB.
Hello everyone! I wanted to remind my readers and followers that voting for the Best Actress from a Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie ends on March 27th. The next round of polls will begin on March 28th. Happy voting!
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 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.
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!
Last week, 18 Cinema Lane received 80 followers! I was going to post this review last weekend. However, because of the Gold Sally Awards and the unexpected success of my Book Adaptation Tag post, I chose to postpone my 80 follower dedication review to this week. Since this post is a celebration of achieving 80 followers, I will review a film that was released 80 years ago (in 1939). Before this accomplishment became a reality, I was contemplating which movie I should review; Allegheny Uprising or No Place to Go. In the end, I chose Allegheny Uprising because, prior to this review, the only movie of John Wayne’s that I’ve ever seen was Stagecoach. I’m always excited when I create movie reviews because it gives me a chance to watch films that I probably would have never seen otherwise. Before this review officially begins, I wanted to say thank you to all my 80 followers! If it weren’t for you, this post would have never been a reality.
The acting: I thought the cast of Allegheny Uprising was good! Everyone’s performance came across on-screen very believably. Throughout this film, the camaraderie between Jim Smith, MacDougall, and Professor was very well portrayed. This is because John Wayne’s, Wilfrid Lawson’s, and John F. Hamilton’s performance had the right amount of versatility and sincerity. Even though Claire Trevor was the only starring actress in this entire cast, she definitely finds a way with shine within this film! Her portrayal of Janie MacDougall had a good amount of versatility. Claire’s performance also appeared very convincing. The acting within this film was definitely a highlight!
The historical accuracy: I was very impressed with the amount of historical accuracy within this movie. From the costumes to the sets, everything looked and felt like it came straight from the 1700s. The dialogue between the characters was also very reflective of the film’s time period. These details show how much the creative team behind this project cared about the story they chose to tell. This amount of care was also present within the overall quality of the film.
The educational aspect: It was surprising to find some educational aspects in this specific story. Allegheny Uprising is inspired by true events, so I received a little bit of a history lesson while watching this movie. Also, in this film, there was a scene where Jim Smith goes on trial for a crime he didn’t commit. Within this scene, it was interesting and informative to see how court trials, specifically in film, were depicted in the 1700s compared to today. Seeing these similarities and differences made me think about the significance of the court system within cinema.
No “big battles”: Whenever I think about John Wayne’s movies, I think of a story that features at least one climatic battle led by John Wayne’s character. In Allegheny Uprising, however, there wasn’t really a climax. Because of this, there weren’t any large-scale battles within this narrative. All of the action scenes lasted for a few minutes. This caused the majority of the film to be dialogue heavy.
The character of Janie MacDougall: While Claire Trevor gave a good acting performance, I was not a fan of her character. Janie MacDougall was not only poorly written, she was also one-dimensional. During her time on-screen, Janie either whines, complains, or talks about how much she loves Jim Smith. The only time Janie serves a legitimate purpose within the overall narrative is in the last twenty minutes of the film. Honestly, I think this is too bad because she could have been a really good character.
The subplot including the kidnapped children: Toward the beginning of Allegheny Uprising, there was a subplot about Native Americans kidnapping two children from a nearby neighborhood. Within the context of the overall narrative, this subplot didn’t seem to go anywhere. It also wasn’t referenced in any other moment of the film. During this subplot, as well as in another scene, it was never explained why Jim Smith and his comrades chose to disguise themselves as Native Americans. All of this made me wonder why this subplot was featured in the story at all.
Colonial horse and carriage image created by Lee Adcock at freeimages.com. “FreeImages.com/Lee Adcock.”
My overall impression:
In the grand scheme of things, Allegheny Uprising was just ok. I don’t think it was John Wayne’s worst movie, but it wasn’t his best movie either. Personally, I’m glad I chose this movie for this blog follower dedication review because I was able to expand my cinematic horizons. I was also able to add another John Wayne film to my personal movie repertoire. What’s so great about these movie reviews is that, with the support of my followers, I get the chance to watch movies that I probably would have never seen before. This helps me become the best movie blogger I can be as well as make 18 Cinema Lane the best movie blog it can realistically be.
Overall score: 6.1 out of 10
What are your thoughts on my review? Have you seen any of John Wayne’s films? Let me know in the comment section!
18 Cinema Lane 
