poetry – 18 Cinema Lane

As the season of Fall evolves into Winter and the Christmas/holiday season is upon us, it’s time for my annual Movie Blogger’s Christmas Wish-List! This is a tradition where I create a list of movie related things I’d like to receive for Christmas. Similar to last year’s list, there are four items on my wish-list. These items are a combination of realistic requests and wishful thinking. Each item has been placed in one of four categories, with the categories following the quote; “Something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read”. With explanations out of the way, let’s get into this year’s Christmas wish-list!

Something You Want

I wrote an editorial back in August about how Evan Williams and George Blagden should go to Eurovision 2024. I even mentioned this in my review of The National Tree. One of my arguments in that editorial was the writers and actors strikes that took place during the time I published my editorial. But as of mid to late December 2023, both the actors and writers strikes have ended. Even if George and Evan had the time to participate in Eurovision, there is no guarantee a participating delegation will select them as their representatives. Therefore, I really hope a delegation sees Evan and George’s potential and sends them to Eurovision! If you’re interested, you can read my editorial at the link below.

Why Evan Williams and George Blagden should go to Eurovision 2024

Portrait of Evan Williams created by Victoria Lemmus. Portrait of George Blagden created by Charlie Carter – © Charlie Carter 2020. Both portraits found on IMDB.

Something You Need to See

When I watched Curious Caterer: Fatal Vows, I was pleasantly surprised to discover Max Lloyd-Jones starred in the film! Though I liked his performance, I wondered why he hasn’t been cast in a Hallmark mystery movie as a detective? Based on his projects I have seen, I think Max has what it takes, talent wise, to portray this type of character. Another performance I was impressed with was Madeleine Arthur’s from 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost! In that movie, Madeleine’s portrayal of Ruby Baker stole the show, as her performance was one of the best parts of that film! I would like to see Madeleine and Max star as the lead actress and actor in a Hallmark mystery film! Even if the movie was a stand-alone picture, I would be curious to see Max and Madeleine work together on a Hallmark project!

Magnifying glass image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/magnifying-glass-with-fingerprint-in-flat-style_2034684.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/flat”>Flat vector created by Freepik</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

A movie related piece of clothing or accessory I’d want to wear

Speaking of 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost, I want to talk about one of Ruby’s pair of shoes! Toward the beginning of the movie, Ruby wore a cute pair of white high heeled shoes at her birthday party. These heels were covered in a white lacy material. Topped with a little black bow, Ruby’s shoes had a timeless style that allow them to work with an outfit from the 1920s or the 21^st century!

Because Ruby wore this pair of shoes while dancing, it was difficult to find a good photo of the shoes. Photo found on Hallmark Channel

A book I’ve read that I’d like to see adapted into a film

For this year’s Christmas Wish-List, I’ve selected a poem I’d like to see adapted into a film. When I reviewed Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven and Other Poems, I talked about how I liked ‘The Coliseum’. From my interpretation, the narrator is describing an abandoned facility, with a series of voices reminding the reader how the history, stories, and people associated with the titular coliseum should be remembered. This is one of those poems I think could lend itself well to visual media! Flashbacks would showcase the coliseum’s past or the voices could be shown on screen as ghosts. Since the poem itself is open to interpretation, the story could fit into almost any genre. It seems like ‘The Coliseum’ is one of Edgar’s more underrated pieces of literature, so it would be interesting to see how it’s adapted!

*The Raven and Other Poems* book cover found on Goodreads

What are your thoughts on my Christmas wish list? Are there any movie related things you’d like to receive during the Christmas/holiday season? Tell me in the comment section!

Have fun during the Christmas/holiday season!

Sally Silverscreen

June’s theme for Buzzwordathon is ‘other’. That means the word itself, not words like ‘brother’ or ‘mother’, has to appear somewhere in the title. Since I happened to own a copy of The Raven and Other Poems, I had the perfect book for Buzzwordathon! Having read Edgar’s work in the past, I knew what to expect from this collection of poems. But the one poem that caught me by surprise is ‘The Coliseum’! From how I interpreted it, the narrator is describing an abandoned facility. Through a series of voices, the narrator is reminded how the history, stories, and people associated with the titular coliseum should be remembered, otherwise they will be lost forever. Using carefully selected prose, Edgar accomplishes the delivery of this idea. Lines such as “Of lofty contemplation left to Time” and “Here, where a hero fell, a column falls!” illustrate how the coliseum’s best years are behind it. The fifth and final stanza is devoted to the voices of the coliseum’s past, with one statement from the voices being “Not all our power is gone – not all our fame”. This stanza allows the reader to contemplate the importance any location holds.

As the title suggests, ‘The Raven’ is one of the poems featured in this book. If I had to be honest, though, I found this poem a bit overrated. The story itself was simplistic and surface-level, revolving around the narrator questioning the identity and whereabouts of the titular Raven. The poem was also very repetitive, with the words “nevermore” and “nothing more” used consistently. While reading ‘The Raven’, I was reminded of the film adaptation from 1963. Though that movie had its flaws, I found myself appreciating it more. The 1963 adaptation included a plot in the script, which gave the story some depth. This creative decision also prevented the narrative from becoming repetitive.

Image of crow at sunset created by Rayudu NVS at freeimages.com. Photo by <a href=”/photographer/rayudu238-57835″>rayudu NVS</a> from <a href=”https://freeimages.com/”>FreeImages</a>. Image found at freeimages.com.

I typically don’t seek out poetry. The genre’s open-endedness and limited amount of closure are two reasons why. Other than ‘The Coliseum’, I didn’t connect with the other poems in this book. This is because I found the majority of poems ok or fine. As I read The Raven and Other Poems, I noticed Edgar wrote about one of three topics; death, dreams, and Paradise/Heaven. That caused the poems to lack variety. The uniqueness of ‘The Coliseum’ is why I liked that poem, with the poem itself focusing on history. The abandoned coliseum set the stage for an eerie location, yet doesn’t rely on the typical spookiness expected in Edgar’s work. I’d be curious to see ‘The Coliseum’ adapted as a movie or mini-series.

Overall score: 3 out of 5

Have fun during Buzzwordathon!

Sally Silverscreen

Disclaimer: As I mentioned in this review, some of Edgar’s poems include the subject of death. Reader discretion is encouraged.