Hey there! I just wanted to say that voting for the Best On-Screen Couple from a Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie ends on March 16th. The fourth poll will begin on March 17th (a.k.a. St. Patrick’s Day)! Happy voting!
Last week, 18 Cinema Lane received 75 followers! Before I start this review, I’d like to take a moment to thank all of my followers for making this achievement possible. Without you, my blog would never have received this milestone (especially in this short amount of time). So, like I’ve done in the past, I will now review a film that was released 75 years ago (in 1944). Because I’ve only seen bits and pieces of Meet Me in St. Louis, I’ve chosen this movie to celebrate this accomplishment! When I picked this movie to review, I realized that the only films of Judy Garland’s that I had ever seen were The Wizard of Oz and A Child is Waiting. This gave me a good excuse to not only watch a movie that I had never seen in its entirety, but to also explore Judy’s filmography! Now, let’s finally start this review for Meet Me in St. Louis!
The acting: The cast was very talented in Meet Me in St. Louis! To me, the two strongest performers in this film were Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien! Like in The Wizard of Oz and A Child is Waiting, Judy has both the musical and acting talents to carry a significant weight of the film. Judy also has good on-screen chemistry with Tom Drake, who portrays John Truett in the film. Margaret O’Brien’s portrayal of “Tootie” Smith was one of the strongest elements of this film! During the scene where “Tootie” is so upset about moving to New York that she destroys the snowpeople outside, Margaret’s performance was so emotionally powerful. In fact, her performance was so emotionally powerful, that it was an affective way to make the audience feel sorry for the character. Both Judy’s and Margaret’s performance complimented the performances of the other actors as well.
The music: I really liked the music in this film! The collection of songs was a good balance of light-hearted and emotional material. Judy’s musical performances were a treat to see, as they were all delightful and enjoyable! My favorite musical number in this movie was when Judy and Margaret performed “Under the Bamboo Tree”. This performance was so joyful and added to the light-hearted nature of the film. When it comes to more emotional performances, I really liked Judy’s rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. Her version of the song was emotional enough to affectively reflect the mood of what’s going on in the film. It’s sad, as it addresses reflecting on times gone by, and it’s hopeful, as it talks about appreciating the things you have in your life. This assortment of songs made seeing this movie an enjoyable experience!
The sets: All of the sets in Meet Me in St. Louis were impressive! I’m not sure if the Smith family home is a real-life house or a house built on a studio lot. However, the facility itself was absolutely gorgeous! Everything in this house looked and felt like a home from the early 1900s. I also liked how the ballroom looked in the scene where Esther, Rose, Lon, and Grandpa attend the annual Christmas ball. The way the Christmas tree was placed in the greenroom was so pretty. The Christmas tree’s placement was also a good way to effectively pull off a surprise within the story!
A weak first segment: From a story-telling perspective, I thought the story during the “Summer 1903” segment was the weakest element of the movie. Within the first twenty minutes, the primary story focused on whether Rose would become engaged via a long-distance telephone call. Because the first few minutes of a film is, usually, reserved for providing exposition, I don’t think Rose’s story was an effective way to start this movie. It is as if the screenwriters expected their audience to automatically care about a character whom they just met. For me, the overall narrative wasn’t interesting until the “Fall 1903” segment began.
Too many characters: Even though Meet Me in St. Louis had a talented cast, I feel there were too many characters associated with this story. In this movie, the overall narrative seemed to serve only a few of the characters. The individuals that benefited the most from this narrative were Esther, Rose, “Tootie”, John Truett, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The rest of the characters either feel like they’re there for the sake of being there or like they weren’t given enough screen-time.
The limited presence of the World’s Fair: Throughout this movie, the World’s Fair is referenced by several characters on several different occasions. It’s even mentioned in the opening song, “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis”. However, the World’s Fair itself was only featured within the last twenty minutes. Even in those few moments, the World’s Fair isn’t incorporated into the story enough to make me, as an audience member, feel satisfied. If anything, the World’s Fair in Meet Me in St. Louis was just a glorified extra.
Meet Me in St. Louis is a good film! The music is entertaining and the story is interesting enough to keep the audience invested. As I mentioned in my review, the acting is what helped keep this movie going. While Judy and Margaret were the two strongest performers in this movie, the rest of the cast was also talented. Yes, this film did have its flaws. However, there was a good amount of content that made the experience of watching this movie enjoyable. I’m glad I chose this movie to review for my 75 follower dedication post because it allows me to explore the filmography of both Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien! It also gave me a good excuse to watch a film that I had never seen in its entirety.
Overall score: 7.5-7.6 out of 10
What are your thoughts on my review? Are you looking forward to seeing which movies I review in future blog follower dedication posts? Leave your thoughts in the comment section!
Now is the time for Round 3 of the Gold Sally Awards to begin! For these polls, the two categories that you can vote on are Best On-Screen Couple from a Hallmark Channel Movie and Best On-Screen Couple from a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Movie! Remember, you are only allowed to vote once per person. But you can vote for more than one nominee. If you want to participate in the voting process for the Gold Sally Awards, please place your votes in the comment section of this post. Voting starts today, March 6th, and ends on March 16th. Have fun voting!
18 Cinema Lane’s official logo! Screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.
Best On-Screen Couple from a Hallmark Channel Movie
Rukiya Bernard and Dewshane Williams – One Winter Weekend
Fiona Gubelmann and Terrance Coombs – Royally Ever After
Ali Liebert and Brett Dalton – Cooking with Love
Jill Wagner and Kristoffer Polaha – Pearl in Paradise
Debbie Gibson and Robert Gant – Wedding of Dreams
Tatyana Ali and Dondre T. Whitfield – Christmas Everlasting
Jessica Lowndes and Michael Rady – Christmas at Pemberly Manor
Tia Mowry-Hardict and Duane Henry – A Gingerbread Romance
Danielle Panabaker and Matt Long – Christmas Joy
Kellie Pickler and Wes Brown – Christmas at Graceland
Best On-Screen Couple from a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Movie
Viv Leacock and Alvina August – Hailey Dean Mysteries: Marriage Made for Murder
Jewel and Colin Ferguson – Deadly Deed: A Fixer Upper Mystery
Josh Henderson and Megan Park – Time for Me to Come Home for Christmas
Aimee Teegarden and Brett Dalton – Once Upon a Christmas Miracle
Alicia Witt and Colin Ferguson – Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane
Emilie Ullerup and Josh Kelly – Christmas Bells are Ringing
Erin Krakow and Niall Matter – Marrying Father Christmas
Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Tom Cavanagh – Darrow & Darrow: In the Key of Murder
Matthew MacCaull and Kellie Martin — Hailey Dean Mysteries: Marriage Made for Murder
Steve Bacic and Lori Loughlin – Garage Sale Mysteries: The Mask Murder
I know that I’ve been talking a lot about movie news relating to Hallmark. However, there’s been a lot of Hallmark movie updates that need to be talked about. One of these things is the next Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. When Hallmark’s Winter TCA Event took place last month, I was so disappointed when there were no announcements about an upcoming Hallmark Hall of Fame film. As the weeks went by, I wondered if we were going to get a Hallmark Hall of Fame project outside of the Christmas line-up at all. According to a synopsis I found on Hallmark Channel’s website, we are indeed going to receive another Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. Besides the new Hallmark Hall of Fame film, I found confirmations for other projects that have been confirmed as Hallmark productions. I even found some tidbits that could lead to a Hallmark Christmas movie! Since you’ve been patiently waiting, let’s start sharing these pieces of movie news!
Yesterday, I came across a title on Hallmark Channel’s website called Love Takes Flight. While reading the film’s synopsis, I discovered that it was the next production from Hallmark Hall of Fame. When I found this piece of movie news, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. The title itself, Love Takes Flight, does not sound or feel like a Hallmark Hall of Fame title. If anything, it feels like a title from a generic Hallmark Channel movie. I was also disappointed in the synopsis, which you can read here:
“In the Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation, single-mom Lizzie Beauman is encouraging when her young daughter unexpectedly befriends a widower named Walter as part of her Mission: Find a Friend”. – From Hallmark Channel’s website
As I’ve pointed out in my Hallmark Hall of Fame Reading Challenge, a good amount of Hallmark Hall of Fame movies have been based on pre-existing novels. While it’s unknown, at this time, if Love Takes Flight is based on a book, this story just sounds and feels like a generic Hallmark Channel movie. However, I am curious about what “Mission: Find a Friend” is. Maybe it’s a program to help military veterans or an anti-bullying initiative?
The last thing that I am disappointed about is the starring cast. While Nikki DeLoach is a really good actress and while I’ve enjoyed her performances in Truly, Madly, Sweetly and The Perfect Catch, I was hoping that the creative team behind Love Takes Flight would have cast an actress that has never starred in a Hallmark movie before. In last year’s film, Christmas Everlasting, Tatyana Ali starred in not only her first Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, but also her first Hallmark movie ever. Rebecca Romijn made her debut in the Hallmark community through her appearance in the film, Love Locks. The casting for Love Takes Flight does remind me of the casting for The Christmas Train. The two lead actors in The Christmas Train were Kimberley Williams-Paisley (who is a Hallmark Hall of Fame alumni) and Dermot Mulroney (who had been cast in Northpole: Open for Christmas prior to starring in The Christmas Train). Nikki DeLoach (who has starred in several Hallmark Channel films) and Jeff Hephner (who starred in the Hallmark Hall of Fame film, The Water Is Wide, back in 2006) will be the leads in Love Takes Flight. However, because Hallmark’s audience is used to seeing Nikki appear in more light-hearted and romantic focused movies from Hallmark Channel, this Hallmark Hall of Fame movie feels no different from a typical Hallmark Channel project. As of March 2019, Love Takes Flight is scheduled for an April 27th release.
Another title that I discovered yesterday was Easter Under Wraps. On the website, Creative BC, I saw a title on the “In Production” page listed as “Undercover Easter”. This project will be in production until March 20th. According to Hallmark Channel’s website, “Undercover Easter” changed its name to Easter Under Wraps. The official synopsis for the film has also been posted on Hallmark Channel’s website, which you can read here:
“Erika goes undercover at her family’s chocolate plant to see why sales are down when she meets head chocolatier, Bryan, who has new ideas on how to update the Easter product line” – From Hallmark Channel’s website
While I’m happy that Hallmark is finally making an Easter themed movie, I’m disappointed by the sound of this synopsis. No matter how many Christmas movies they make, Hallmark always focuses on the Christmas holiday with a sense of reverence and respect. For Easter Under Wraps, however, it seems like the corporate side of Easter will be focused on more than the holiday itself. The lead actors that have been attached to this film are Brendan Penny and Fiona Gubelmann. I have enjoyed watching Brendan’s and Fiona’s performances in Hallmark productions in the past, so it will be interesting to see if they have any on-screen chemistry. As of March 2019, Easter Under Wraps is scheduled for an April 20th release.
Here is the link to the synopsis of Easter Under Wraps:
In a Word on the Street story last month, I announced an upcoming Hallmark movie called “Message In A Bottle”. Within this post, I shared that Bethany Joy Lenz and Andrew Walker would star in the film and that the film would premiere during Hallmark Channel’s “Spring Fever” line-up. Recently, Hallmark Channel posted the official synopsis of the film, which can be read here:
“After being stood up, Abbey gets inspired to open her heart in a letter, put it in a bottle and toss it out to sea. Months later, a man fishing discovers it and opts to reach out” – From Hallmark Channel’s website
Even though there are probably going to be some “Hallmark movie clichés” within this story, I think this movie sounds interesting. From what I can remember, Hallmark has never really told a story like this before. I’m really liking the creativity that could be incorporated into this film! This would possibly explain how the winery in one of the photos from the Instagram account, joylenznews, is included in the overall narrative. It’s also important to note that the film has changed its name to Bottled with Love. I like this title more than “Message In A Bottle”, as it sounds more creative. As of March 2019, Bottled with Love is scheduled for an April 13th release.
Here is the link to the synopsis of Bottled with Love:
While looking on Instagram to find any information about upcoming Hallmark projects, I came across the hashtag, #aringforchristmas. When I clicked on this hashtag, Hallmark was referenced in the descriptions of a few of these photos. Also, on Instagram, I found a post from a business called Clipper Family Chiropractic. In this post, it is announced that “Hallmark is filming scenes for “A Ring for Christmas” in our building this weekend”. Even though these posts on Instagram mentioned Hallmark in their descriptions, Hallmark has not confirmed that “A Ring for Christmas” is their movie. However, a potential Hallmark film that I have talked about has been confirmed to be a Hallmark film! Two months ago, I reported that a Hallmark Christmas movie was filming in Stonington, Connecticut. An article from The Day has recently revealed that the movie is a Hallmark Channel movie called “Holiday for Heroes”! If this title sounds familiar, that’s because this project was announced as an official Hallmark Christmas film in an article from Entertainment Weekly! None of these films currently have a release date.
If you want to check out the references that I incorporated in this Word on the Street story, you can visit the Instagram account of Clipper Family Chiropractic (@clipperfamilychiro), visit the photos on Instagram with the hashtag #aringforchristmas (type #aringforchristmas into Instagram’s search bar), or visit these links:
Hi there, everyone! I wanted to let everyone know that voting for Best Story from a Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries movie will end on March 5th. The next poll will begin on March 6th! Happy voting!
Before February has officially ended, I wanted to publish one more Word on the Street post for the month. February has been a very busy month for me on 18 Cinema Lane. From participating in two blogathons to achieving 75 followers, I’ve had quite a bit of blog related content on my plate. Fortunately, I’ve found the time to publish the material that I wanted to publish before the month was over. Some of that material is the four movie news stories that are related to Hallmark and Lifetime. While three of these stories are speculation, one of them has been confirmed as a Hallmark movie. Like I’ve done with other Word on the Street stories, I will talk about each of these stories and share as much information as I could find. I will also share some of my insight about these stories. Now that’s start discussing these pieces of movie news!
Last month, in a Word on the Street post, I listed several movie titles that had not yet been attached to any networks. One of those titles was “Puppy Party Romance”. At the time, the project was about to go into production in early February. According to an article from Soap Opera News, it looks like this movie might be a Hallmark production! In the article, it is said that Jen Lilley has been attached to the project. Other cast members have also been announced; they are Christopher Russell, Lindsay Maxwell, Mark Brandon, and Bailey Skodje. Christie Will Wolf has been attached to this movie as the director and Navid Soofi is the film’s producer. When I visited Jen Lilley’s IMDB filmography page, this movie was listed as “For the Love of Dogs”. As of February and early March 2019, Hallmark has not confirmed or denied that “Puppy Party Romance” is their movie. But, it wouldn’t be surprising if this ended up being a Hallmark film. Two years ago, Jen starred in Eat, Play, Love, a Hallmark movie where dogs played a key role in the story. No matter which network airs this movie, I think we’ll hear an announcement about it sooner or later.
If you want to check out the references that I mentioned, visit Jen Lilley’s IMDB page or this link:
In that same Word on the Street post from last month, another movie that I mentioned was “Web of Dreams”. At the time, the film was in production until February 11th. Recently, I found this project listed on Max Lloyd-Jones’ IMDB filmography page. Not only has Max been attached to “Web of Dreams”, but there are other Hallmark stars that have been cast in this film, such as Keenan Tracey and Cindy Busby. While looking at the IMDB page for this movie, I noticed that the film’s official writer is Virginia C. Andrews. When I visited her IMDB page, I discovered that she is known as V.C. Andrews, the author whose claim to fame was Flowers in the Attic. With this acquired knowledge, I did some research on Goodreads to learn more about “Web of Dreams”. It turns out that Web of Dreams is, indeed, one of V. C. Andrews’ novels and it is the fifth book in the Casteel series. I’ve never heard of this series until I learned more about this movie. However, I am familiar with V. C. Andrews. Even though I have never read her books, I have seen Lifetime’s adaptations of the Flowers in the Attic series and My Sweet Audrina. Let’s just say that those films are not “Hallmark appropriate”. Based on all the information I shared, it looks like “Web of Dreams”, as well as the Casteel series, could be a Lifetime presentation.
If you want to visit the reference that I mentioned, visit the IMDB page for “Web of Dreams”.
Speaking of Cindy Busby, I discovered on her IMDB filmography page that she has been cast in the movie, “Letter from My Mother”. This movie was another title that I shared in a Word on the Street post last month. Besides Cindy, the other cast members that have been attached to this project are Jordyn Ashley Olsen, Karen Holness, Jaime M. Callica, Heather-Claire Nortey, and Emma Oliver. While this film has not been given an official synopsis yet, Michael Scott has been listed as the film’s director. Michael has directed several movies for various networks, so it’s unclear, right now, which network “Letter from My Mother” could premiere on. When I first heard of this title, I thought that, maybe, it was a Hallmark Hall of Fame project. Because this movie doesn’t appear to be associated with Hallmark Hall of Fame, I’m wondering if “Letter from My Mother” could be a Mother’s Day themed story? I also wonder when we’ll hear any news about the next Hallmark Hall of Fame project.
If you want to visit the reference that I mentioned, visit the IMDB page for “Letter from My Mother”.
Two weeks ago, an Instagram account called joylenznews attached the hashtags #MessageInABottle, #hallmarkchannel, #hallmarkmovies, and #hallmark to a photo and video of Hallmark star, Bethany Joy Lenz. In the photo, there is a caption that says “Meet Abbey”, which implies that Bethany’s character could be named Abbey. In the video, not only does Bethany appear to be visiting a winery, the photo on the video says “The absolute best set! Nothing like the smell of oak barrels and wine in the air…oh, and hey @joylenz!” This means that a winery could play a role in this film’s narrative. When I clicked on the hashtag #MessageInABottle, two particular photos caught my attention. The first one was of Bethany at Hallmark’s Winter TCA Event. In this photo’s caption, which appears to come from Bethany’s official Instagram account, Bethany not only confirms that “Message In A Bottle” is a Hallmark Channel movie, but she also says that it will premiere during the “Spring Fever” line-up and that Andrew Walker will also be starring in the film. Andrew Walker, in a photo from his Instagram account, also confirmed that he and Bethany were going to star in “Message In A Bottle”. Hallmark has not yet announced this film’s release date.
If you want to visit the reference that I mentioned, visit the official Instagram account of joylenznews (at joylenznews).
On Valentine’s Day, when I published my review of The Story of Us, I published my 150th post! Because I’ve been busy with blog related matters lately, I wasn’t able to talk about this accomplishment as soon as I had wanted to. During that time, I had given some thought as to how I was going to celebrate this special occasion. Recently, I came across a video on Youtube called “My Bookish Bucket List”. The creator of this video, a dash of ash, talks about the book related things that she’d like to do in her lifetime. This got me thinking about the movie related things that I would like to do. So, I’ve decided to make a movie themed bucket list! For this post, I will be talking about the movie related things that I have always wanted to do! I have never talked these things before, so this list will, hopefully, be an exciting read for my readers and followers. Since a dash of ash discussed eight items on her bucket list, my list will feature five items. In honor of publishing 150 posts, let’s start talking about my movie themed bucket list!
One of my favorite quotes is from the book, Wonder, when Auggie says “Everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their life because we all overcometh the world”. While I have brought this quote up on more than one occasion, it has become an important part of 18 Cinema Lane’s identity. Whether it’s a movie review or a movie news story, I try my best to give the people, things, or topics that I care about the “standing ovation” that I feel they deserve. However, there’s only so much I can do as an independent blogger. For instance, I said last December in a post called “A Movie Blogger’s Christmas Wish-List” that I would really like to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Hallmark Hall of Fame team up to create a Christmas movie musical that features and weaves Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s music in the story. But all I can realistically do is talk about my thoughts and opinions. If Hallmark were to make this movie a reality, I would feel like 18 Cinema Lane did its job. It would mean that what I had to say truly helped someone or something receive the “standing ovation” that they had probably worked very hard to earn.
Speaking of Wonder, I was so excited when this book became a movie! However, this was the most recent time when one of my favorites books was adapted into a film. Also, Wonder was a popular story before the film’s release, so that factor helped it become a theatrical movie. There are several books that I love which I think would make great movies! One of these books is The Christmas Child by Linda Goodnight. In my post called “I completed my Small Challenge for The Blog Complainer’s Appreciation Award!”, I talked about how much I loved this book. I also said that this particular story would work well as either a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film or a Hallmark Hall of Fame film. If this book did become a movie, I would be really happy and excited to see the project!
I’ve always loved the idea of a movie themed restaurant! So, when I learned about Planet Hollywood, I knew that I had to go there one day! Seeing the various movie artifacts displayed throughout the facility is something I look forward to. It would also be interesting to see if the meals are named after well-known films. Someday, when I do go to Planet Hollywood, one of the first things I’ll do is get a Planet Hollywood t-shirt!
Several years ago, I heard of a contest where the grand prize was a sleepover at a movie theater. Ever since then, I’ve always loved this idea! Bringing some friends along to spend the night at the cinema (in the literal sleepover sense) sounds like so much fun! Because there are several key parts that make up a movie theater, different activities could revolve around them. An example is a scavenger hunt to highlight the importance of these areas. It would also be interesting to learn more about movie theaters while spending more than a few hours in one. I think this would be such a great experience to have this new adventure at the movies!
Over the years, I’ve heard of movie screening fundraisers that have benefited various non-profit organizations. Sometimes, there are activities at these fundraisers besides the movie screening itself, such as a fancy dinner. This concept has interested me for a long time. In fact, after hearing about these fundraisers, it made me want to host one of my own someday. There are several non-profit organizations that mean a lot to me. Combining that with my love of film would a meaningful way for me to give back. I also think that this would be a good opportunity to express my creativity. There are so many theme and design ideas that I have for an event like this, so I would really like to see them come to life someday!
What do you think of my list? Which things would you put on your bucket list? Tell me in the comment section!
Have fun at the movies!
Sally Silverscreen
If you want to watch the video that I referenced in this post, type in “MY BOOKISH BUCKET LIST” into Youtube’s search bar or you can visit a dash of ash’s Youtube channel.
Two weeks ago, 18 Cinema Lane received 70 followers! The reason why I waited this long to publish my 70 follower dedication post is to decide whether I should review Edward, My Son or The Secret Garden. I ended up choosing Edward, My Son because I haven’t heard many people talk about the film. In fact, I had never heard of this movie until this month. When I chose to review Edward, My Son, I discovered that it was based on a play. I also learned that it was about a father who wanted to protect the well-being and assets of his son. Curious about how this father was going to complete his mission, I became very intrigued by this story. With that, it’s now time for me to review my 14th movie in this series, Edward, My Son!
The acting: I thought Edward, My Son had a good cast! Spencer Tracy’s and Deborah Kerr’s performance was one of the most memorable parts of this film! Both of them brought the emotional intensity and versatility that helped their portrayals of Arnold and Evelyn Boult be as strong as they were. All of their emotions appeared very natural, providing depth to their characters and to any given scene. Mervyn Johns’ performance in Edward, My Son was such a pleasant surprise! He convincingly portrayed the terrified nature of his character, Harry Simpkin. Even though this character was not on-screen very often, Mervyn found a way to make this character as memorable as possible.
The evolution of Arnold and Evelyn Boult: Throughout the film, Arnold and Evelyn Boult evolve as individuals. This process started because of the actions and choices of Arnold. As time goes on, Evelyn changes as a person, being negatively affected by Arnold’s decisions. The way that Arnold and Evelyn evolve over the course of the film was very effective. This was because of how well-written and well-acted these characters were. Arnold and Evelyn’s evolution also effectively showed how time was passing in the story.
The staging of the sets: Before watching Edward, My Son, I found out this movie was based on a play. When I saw the film, all of the sets reminded me of scenes that could be found within a play. In Edward, My Son, there is no action and very few transitions between locations. The story itself doesn’t seem too complex. These factors helped this play make a smooth transition to the screen. The only thing about this movie that felt cinematic was any time Arnold spoke directly to the audience.
An Absence of Edward: Even though this movie is titled Edward, My Son, Edward never makes an on-screen appearance. In fact, Edward is only incorporated into the film through the dialogue of other characters. Because of this creative choice, it treats Edward and his story like an afterthought. Instead, the primary plot focuses on Edward’s father’s rise to power and fortune. The creative team behind this film did not show and tell their audience about Edward. They never give them the opportunity to get to know and connect with him as a character. Since the audience was not given this chance, the things that happen in Edward’s personal life don’t feel emotionally effective.
A longer run-time: Edward, My Son is almost two hours. This caused the story to feel a bit drawn out. It also made the film end about 10 to 20 minutes too late. Personally, I think Edward, My Son should have been at least an hour and ten minutes. If this were the case, then the story could have been a bit more condensed.
An uncompelling story: As I’ve already said, the primary plot of Edward, My Son is about Arnold’s, Edward’s father’s, rise to power and fortune. Since I was more interested in learning about Edward, I didn’t really think Arnold’s story was compelling. Watching Arnold progress from a caring father and husband with good intentions to a self-centered, power hungry man was a little bit interesting. However, it wasn’t interesting enough to make me, as an audience member, satisfied. Had the movie showed the points of view of both Arnold and Edward, I think it would have added intrigue to the overall narrative.
Edward, My Son was an ok film. It definitely had the pieces to be a good, quality project. However, the biggest issue I had with Edward, My Son was the lack of Edward. Even though Edward is not an on-stage character in the play, I didn’t like how Edward did not appear in the movie. The film focused more on Arnold and the changes he experiences over the course of twenty-three years. Therefore, the title should have been more reflective of the overall narrative. In my opinion, I think that Edward should have been an on-screen character. We not only could have gotten to know him, we also could have seen how his father’s choices affected him. It also would have been a great opportunity for an actor to either start their career or help their career grow. I’m guessing there were several actors, at the time, who would have wanted to accept a role in a movie like this. If Edward was an on-screen character, it could have helped an actor achieve a “standing ovation” that they had probably worked very hard to earn. Sadly, this opportunity was not available because of the creative choices that were made for this film. That is the one thing I will take away after watching Edward, My Son. Thank you so much to all my 70 followers! Your support of this blog really means a lot to me!
Overall score: 6 out of 10
What did you think of my review? Is there a movie from 1949 that is your favorite? Please tell me in the comment section!
I’m not going to lie, I don’t have a movie in my life that I would consider “so bad it’s good”. But, because of my involvement in the So Bad It’s Good Blogathon from Taking Up Room, I wanted to find that film that I could finally call “so bad it’s good”. For this review, I could have chosen a film that has a reputation for being “so bad it’s good”. However, just because other people say that a movie is “so bad it’s good” doesn’t necessarily mean I would feel the same way about that movie. So, I approached the topic with this mindset: find a movie that might be less-than-stellar but has qualities about it that are redeemable. When I thought about a film that could fit these criteria, my first thought was a Don Bluth film that hasn’t been well remembered. One of my favorite movies is Anastasia from 1997. Don Bluth’s animation style is one of the things that make that movie so memorable. But I know that not all of Don Bluth’s films were created equally. With that said, I have chosen All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 as my pick for this blogathon! Since I’ve only seen half of the first film and bit and pieces of its sequel, I coordinated a double feature so I could figure out if All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 is “so bad it’s good”. Even though it had some flaws, I thought that All Dogs Go to Heaven was a good film. It also gave me some perspective as to what I could or could not expect from All Dogs Go to Heaven’s successor. Now that I have revealed which movie I’m reviewing, it’s time to see if All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 is truly “so bad it’s good”!
The animation: Even though Don Bluth was not involved in the production of All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, I still liked the animation within the film. Like in the first movie, there was a good balance between dark and bright colors. A good example of this is during the movie’s climax, when the darkness of the prison is balanced out with the bright red of the villain and the bright pink that came from Heaven. I also thought that the quality of the animation was sharper than in the first film. Even though the animation was good in All Dogs Go to Heaven, it was softer in terms of the lines and shape of characters, buildings, and landscapes. In the sequel, this softer style of animation was just reserved for landscapes.
Revisiting the characters of Charlie and Itchy: When it comes to sequels, one of the best parts is seeing familiar faces from the previous film. A highlight of All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 was having Charlie and Itchy return from the first movie! Their involvement in the sequel’s story helped provide some continuity between the two films. It was also nice to see both of these characters receive more character development. While in San Francisco, Charlie shares a memory of his youth with a new character named David. Not only did David learn more about his friend, the audience got to learn more about Charlie. Moments like this help characters like Charlie and Itchy gain more likability.
The villain: As I was watching All Dogs Go to Heaven, I noticed that one of the flaws of the film was Carface. While he was a good villain, Carface wasn’t as strong of a villain as the movie wanted him to be. He seemed to show up in the film only for plot convenience, which made him not as big of a threat to the protagonists as he could have been. In All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, the villain was a cat named Red. To me, this villain was scarier than Carface, even upstaging Carface’s villainy. No matter if Red was on or off-screen, the sense of dread and doom was always there. Even his transformations in the film were pretty terrifying. This helped make Red an even bigger threat to Charlie, Itchy, and their friends.
No references to the first movie: Something that I look for in a sequel is how the story connects to its predecessor. Unfortunately, All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 didn’t really make an effort to address the events of the first film. One example of this is the absence of Anne-Marie. In the previous movie, Anne-Marie played a significant role within the overall story. Her friendship with Charlie and Itchy was depicted as being very meaningful. But in the sequel, when Itchy joins Charlie in Heaven, Charlie does not ask about Anne-Marie’s whereabouts. Because these important details were ignored, it almost seemed like everything that happened in the first movie meant nothing.
A rehashed story: The overall narrative of All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 felt like it copied some of the key plot points from the first film. David’s involvement in the sequel is a good example of this. Similar to Anne-Marie, David spends the majority of the film by himself. Charlie not only befriends the child protagonist in both films, he also helps them find their family. At one point in their respective films, Anne-Marie and David get taken by Carface. These coincidences made this story feel like it wasn’t as creative as it could have been.
The main plot being an afterthought: In All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, the primary plot was about Charlie and Itchy going back to Earth in order to retrieve Gabriel’s Horn. But as I watched the film, it seemed like the story focused more on the whereabouts of David than returning Gabriel’s Horn back to Heaven. The audience doesn’t see the consequences of not having Gabriel’s Horn until the climax of the film. After the initial loss of Gabriel’s Horn, it doesn’t show up in the film again until the half-way point. While this part of the story was an interesting way to continue the overall narrative, it felt like more emphasis was placed on recapturing the magic of the first film.
As a movie, I thought All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 was just ok. As a sequel, this movie felt very unnecessary. Instead of complimenting or adding to the previous chapter, All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 almost rejected everything that came before it. All Dogs Go to Heaven ended on such a good, definitive note. This made for a memorable and enjoyable stand-alone film. As I mentioned earlier, the sequel made the events in the first movie feel like they meant nothing. However, I do think that the creative team behind All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 had their hearts in the right place. We did get to see Charlie and Itchy again, as well as being introduced to new characters. The animation was good and so were the songs. While I wouldn’t call the sequel “so bad it’s good”, I don’t think it’s as enjoyable as the previous film.
Overall score: 6 out of 10
What are your thoughts on my review? Which movie do you think is “so bad it’s good”? Share your thoughts in the comment section!
Today starts day one of the Gold Sally Awards’ second round of voting! The two categories that are now posted are the Best Story from a Hallmark Channel Movie and Best Story from a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Movie! Like in the first round, you can vote for as many movies as you want. Also, like in the first round, you are only allowed to vote once per person. However, as I said in my post titled “An Update on the Gold Sally Awards”, you can place your votes in the comment section. So, if you’re interested in voting in this round of polls, please place your votes in the comment section below. Round two of the Gold Sally Awards begins today, February 23rd, and ends on March 5th. Now, let the voting begin!
18 Cinema Lane’s official logo! Screenshot taken by me, Sally Silverscreen.
Best Story from a Hallmark Channel Movie
Royally Ever After
Cooking with Love
Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa
Christmas Everlasting
Pearl in Paradise
Love, of Course
Wedding of Dreams
Christmas at Pemberley Manor
A Gingerbread Romance
Entertaining Christmas
Best Story from a Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Movie