Tag: September

Word on the Street: Updates on Three Upcoming Fall Movies for Hallmark Channel!

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Back in June, a third movie in the Haul Out the Holly series was announced. According to an article from the blog, It’s a Wonderful Movie, the film is Halloween themed, as two “spooky new neighbors”, Luna and Marvin, move to the neighborhood of Evergreen Lane. At the time of the announcement, no release date had been revealed. However, the official IMDB page for the third chapter, titled Haul Out the Halloween, has the release date listed as October 15th, 2025. As of the publication of this Word on the Street story, Hallmark has not confirmed this date. If Haul Out the Halloween will indeed premiere on October 15th, this could indicate when Hallmark Channel’s ‘Countdown to Christmas’ line-up will begin. With October 15th falling on a Wednesday and with the first Christmas films of 2024 and 2023 premiering on October 18th and October 20th, I speculate 2025’s first ‘Countdown to Christmas’ film could premiere as early as October 17th.

Cute Halloween border created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/halloween-background-with-fun-style_1310632.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by Freepik</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

On Hallmark Channel’s website, a new movie has received a September 27th release date. The film is titled Adventures in Love & Birding, with Andrew Walker and Rachel Boston co-leading. The movie is about the following:

“A single mom agrees to be the partner of a bird enthusiast for a birding competition but misunderstands the assignment and tells everyone she’s his new girlfriend instead of just his teammate.”

Because the phrase “misunderstands the assignment” is included in this synopsis, I wonder if Rachel Boston’s character is a teacher? Maybe she is teaching her students about birds, leading to her involvement in the competition?

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&gt;. Image found at freeimages.com.

Back in May, I wrote a Word on the Street story about two new films in the Mystery Island series; Mystery Island: Play for Keeps and Mystery Island: House Rules. At the time, the fourth movie, Mystery Island: House Rules, had not received a premiere date. But Hallmark Channel’s website has now chosen September 14th as the film’s date of release. The movie’s official synopsis is the same on both its IMDB page and its Hallmark Channel page. Plus, Hallmark Channel revealed a collection of promotional photos for Mystery Island: House Rules as well. This fourth installment comes a month after Mystery Island: Play for Keeps, which premieres August 17th.

Tropical island image created by Brgfx at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/island-background-design_1020626.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by Brgfx – Freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

What are your thoughts on these pieces of movie news? Are you looking forward to either Haul Out the Halloween, Adventures in Love & Birding, or Mystery Island: House Rules? Let me know in the comment section below!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

References in this article:

Haul Out the Halloween‘s official IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37212241/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_haul%2520ou

Article from It’s a Wonderful Movie: https://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2025/06/breaking-lacey-chabert-and-wes-brown-star-haul-out-the-halloween-hallmark-channel.html

Hallmark Channel’s official page for Adventures in Love & Birding: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/adventures-in-love-birding

Hallmark Channel’s official page for Mystery Island: House Rules: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/mystery-island-house-rules

The Cabot Cove-thon Blogathon Has Been Brought to You by Our Sponsor; 18 Cinema Lane

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Hello everyone! Now that Cabot Cove-thon has come to an end, I’d like to thank those who participated in the event! While this year’s blogathon received a smaller turn-out, I was impressed by the diversity of the entries. It elaborated my point about how Murder, She Wrote is a multifaceted program. There will be a new blogathon held in 2025! But, as of early October 2024, the event’s theme and dates are pending. Blogathon news will be announced sometime between early to mid 2025. With all that said, 18 Cinema Lane will get back to its regularly scheduled programming!

Cabot Cove-thon banner created by me, Sally Silverscreen. Original picture found on IMDB.

Have fun in Cabot Cove!

Sally Silverscreen

The Cabot Cove-thon Blogathon is Here to Commemorate 40 Years of ‘Murder, She Wrote’!

On By 18cinemalane7 Comments

Welcome to my blogathon, Cabot Cove-thon! With Murder, She Wrote‘s first episode premiering on September 30th, 1984, this event is commemorating the show’s 40th anniversary! In Murder, She Wrote‘s twelve season lifespan, viewers watched as Jessica successfully cracked each case, whether in her hometown, Cabot Cove, or beyond her own backyard. The show also proved to its audience how diverse the mystery genre can be; telling stories, expressing ideas, and showcasing talent that make each episode unique. The participants of Cabot Cove-thon created articles that highlight the multifaceted nature of Murder, She Wrote. From observing Angela Lansbury’s film career to discussing the show’s theme park presence, let the Cabot Cove-thon Blogathon begin!

Cabot Cove-thon banner created by me, Sally Silverscreen. Original picture found on IMDB.

18 Cinema Lane — Why Universal Orlando Resort Should Host ‘Murder, She Wrote’ Weekend, Sally Reads…’Murder, She Wrote: Dying to Retire’ by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

Taking Up Room — Miss Angela Cruises the Nile

The Very Special Blog — Happy 40th Anniversary to Murder, She Wrote!

One Month Until the Cabot Cove-thon Blogathon Arrives!

On By 18cinemalane2 Comments

Are you a fan of Murder, She Wrote? Do you want to participate in a blogathon that is fun and creative? If you answered yes to these questions, then come join my blogathon, Cabot Cove-thon! The event starts on September 27th, so you still have time to sign up. Plus, there are plenty of topics to choose from! To learn more about Cabot Cove-thon, click on the link below.

Celebrating 40 Years of ‘Murder, She Wrote’ with the Blogathon; Cabot Cove-thon!

Celebrating 40 Years of ‘Murder, She Wrote’ with the Blogathon; Cabot Cove-thon!

On By 18cinemalane13 Comments

When I signed up for the It’s In The Name of The Title Blogathon, one of the movies I chose to review was Harry & Son starring Robby Benson. When I think of Robby, I think of how he voiced Beast in the 1991 animated film, Beauty and the Beast. Remembering how Angela Lansbury also starred in that film, I always thought it was a missed opportunity for Murder, She Wrote to not promote the 1991 movie, especially since the show was still a popular program at the time. This led me to realize Angela and Robby have another thing in common; they both starred in a project released in 1984. In Angela’s case, that program was Murder, She Wrote! In honor of the show’s 40th anniversary, I’m hosting Cabot Cove-thon! Because Murder, She Wrote is a multifaceted program, there are many ideas for blogathon participants to choose from. Here is a list of possible subjects:

Cabot Cove-thon banner created by me, Sally Silverscreen. Original picture found on IMDB.
  • Murder, She Wrote episodes
  • Characters, locations, or stories from the show
  • Actors, Actresses, behind-the-scenes team members, etc. who worked on Murder, She Wrote
  • Murder, She Wrote made-for-TV movies
  • Murder, She Wrote books
  • The Murder, She Wrote theme park attraction at Universal Studios Florida
  • Movies, tv shows/tv show episodes, or books taking place in a location featured on Murder, She Wrote (example: a movie set in Maine)
  • Movies, tv shows/tv show episodes, or books released between 1984 to 1996
  • Programs Angela Lansbury starred in (example: 1991’s Beauty and the Beast)

Cabot Cove-thon banner created by me, Sally Silverscreen. Original picture found on IMDB.

If you’re interested in joining Cabot Cove-thon and found an idea you’re interested in writing about, please read the official rules before signing up for the event.

  1. Please be respectful to your fellow blogathon participants and the subject you’re writing about
  2. Only new entries are allowed
  3. Participants are able to publish a maximum of four entries
  4. Only two blogathon participants are allowed to write about a blogathon subject (example: no more than two people can write about a specific Murder, She Wrote episode)
  5. Creativity and fun are encouraged
  6. Blogathon entries must be submitted between September 27th to October 1st
  7. If you plan to publish your entry earlier or later than the blogathon week, please let me know before the event
  8. If you’d like to join the blogathon, share your blogathon ideas in the comment section of this announcement post
  9. Feature one of the five blogathon banners anywhere in your entry
Cabot Cove-thon banner created by me, Sally Silverscreen. Original picture found on IMDB.

Cabot Cove-thon Participants

— Sally from 18 Cinema Lane — Editorial about Why Universal Orlando Resort Should Host Murder, She Wrote Weekend, Review of Murder, She Wrote: Dying to Retire by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

— Kristen from Hoofers and Honeys — Review of The Harvey Girls (1946)

— Rebecca from Taking Up Room — Review of Death on the Nile (1978)

Cabot Cove-thon banner created by me, Sally Silverscreen. Original picture found on IMDB.
Cabot Cove-thon banner created by me, Sally Silverscreen. Original picture found on IMDB.

Another Day, Another Buzzwordathon Fail

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Last year, when I participated in the Buzzwordathon readathon for the first time, I experienced several fails. One of those fails took place when I read All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, as I didn’t finish reading that book within the month of September. Once again, I didn’t finish September’s book for Buzzwordathon within that month. But I’m still going to review the book I chose, like when I reviewed The Grapes of Wrath. Since September’s theme was ‘game related words’, I read The Selection by Kiera Cass, as the contest in the story shares the name of the book’s title!

The Selection book cover found on Goodreads

Sometimes, the YA (young adult) genre receives a bad rap. One reason is how romantic relationships are portrayed, from the unrealistic to the unhealthy. While inconsistent, there were times in The Selection where more realistic perspectives on romantic relationships are shared. An example came from the protagonist’s father. When America asked her father if people of a different social status can marry, her father told her “you should know that love can wear away under the stress of being married”. This quote alone emphasizes how much work goes into maintaining a romantic relationship, especially a marriage. From what I can remember, I haven’t seen or heard of many YA stories that discuss the time, effort, and care that romantic relationships require. Therefore, I found this part of the story refreshing!

Princess tiara image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/ornamental-princess-crowns_1109199.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/gold”>Gold vector created by Freepik</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

Toward the beginning of the novel, America learns she’ll become an “elite” if she places in The Selection’s top ten. If she wins, she and her family will become Ones, the highest level in the book’s social hierarchy. Because of the titles of The Selection’s sequels, as well as the titles of the novellas, the outcome of the contest is spoiled. This creative choice also prevents The Selection from being a suspenseful and intriguing story with an element of surprise. The majority of the story revolving around conversations between America and the prince, Maxon, also prevented the book from being intriguing. Even though conversations between characters are an important component of storytelling, there was no room in The Selection for a conflict or problem solving because of the priority placed on the aforementioned conversations.

Pink themed image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/mockup”>Mockup psd created by freepik – http://www.freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

When I published by TBR tag post three years ago, I talked about wanting to read The Selection. Since the series seems to be divisive on Booktube (the book community on Youtube), I wanted to check the first book out for myself, so I could form my own opinion on it. Now that I have read The Selection, I can understand why this series has received mixed results. The story had so much potential to stand out from other YA or even dystopian books. Instead, that potential was not reached, focusing on conversations between America and Maxon instead of showing the characters solving problems and seeking resolutions to conflicts. Even the young ladies participating in The Selection aren’t given much to do, preventing them from accomplishing challenges and showcasing their talents and skills. As I mentioned in this review, the titles of the sequels and novellas spoil the competition’s outcome. With that said, I’d rather read a book series where the story’s outcome is a surprise to the reader.

Overall score: 1.2 out of 5 stars

Have fun during Buzzwordathon!

Sally Silverscreen

Disclaimer: The Selection contains subject matter that some readers may find offensive, including:

— Some swearing within the dialogue

— Mention of a miscarriage

— Some violence in the story

— A drunken character

— While learning more about The Selection, America is led to believe her consent won’t be respected. This implication turns out to be false.

Buy One Buzzwordathon Fail, Get Two Free

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Back in May, I wrote about my first fail in the Buzzwordathon Readathon. Because the book I selected, The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman, put me in a “reading slump”, I didn’t finish it within the month. When I read A Horse Called Holiday by Frances Wilbur, I was able to get back on track with my Buzzwordathon goals. So, for September, I thought I received a second chance to read All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Unfortunately, this book took me longer than a month to read. This also derailed my Buzzwordathon reading plans for October and November. However, I did recently complete all three books I planned to read for these aforementioned months. Unlike my other Buzzwordathon reviews, I will be writing shorter reviews for each novel.

Old-fashioned books image created by Macrovector at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/books-seamless-pattern_1539033.htm’>Designed by Macrovector</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by Macrovector – Freepik.com</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

September

All the Light We Cannot See book cover found on Goodreads

Title: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Theme: Light & Dark

As I said in the introduction, it took me longer than a month to read All the Light We Cannot See. However, it felt like I spent a year reading this book. One reason is how Anthony prioritized explaining the characters, their actions/choices, and what was happening in their world over telling a story. The book’s 530 page count contributed as the other reason. But Anthony’s attention to detail allowed me, as a reader, to picture the story in my head. There was also a strong use of descriptive imagery. Even though All the Light We Cannot See was broken up into parts, each part consisted of a collection of shorter chapters. This decision gave the book a steadier pace.

Overall score: 3 out of 5 stars

October

White Bird book cover found on Goodreads

Title: White Bird by R. J. Palacio

Theme: Creatures & Animals

I found White Bird to be a solid graphic novel! There was a good balance between well-crafted story and visually appealing illustrations. The use of lighter and darker lines provided a nice distinction between the 1930s/1940s and the present day. I also like how color was used to bring focus to a character, object, or location. While White Bird contained good messages, the delivery of some of them was a bit heavy-handed. The book features heavier subjects, which doesn’t give it a high re-readability rate. However, this was the best novel out of the three I’m reviewing!

Overall score: 4.2 out of 5 stars

November

The Decoding of Lana Morris book cover found on Goodreads

Title: The Decoding of Lana Morris by Laura & Tom McNeal

Theme: Words that end in “ing”

Based on the book’s synopsis, Laura & Tom McNeal had potential to create a charming and whimsical story. Sadly, The Decoding of Lana Morris ended up being one of the worst books I’ve ever read. When creating a story with “magical realism”, it’s important to maintain a balance between the magical and realistic elements. In The Decoding of Lana Morris, though, the magical elements were so underutilized, they were far and few between in the text. This made the story feel like a generic, ‘slice-of-life’ tale. I was not a fan of the protagonist, Lana Morris. It took her longer than necessary to figure things out. She lacked foresight and critical thinking skills because of this creative flaw.

Overall score: 0 out of 5 stars

Have fun during Buzzwordathon!

Sally Silverscreen

Disclaimer: All the Light We Cannot See, White Bird, and The Decoding of Lana Morris contain subject matter that may not be suitable for some readers. Reader discretion is encouraged.

The 80s-tastic Mall-tacular Double Feature Introduction!

On By 18cinemalane3 Comments

Whenever I publish 100 posts, I coordinate a special double feature. Back in January, my 600th post was my Buzzwordathon review of How to Write Good by Ryan Higa. Since then, I’ve been waiting for the right time to talk about my next double feature. Now, I’m excited to finally publish these long over-due articles! With the changing of the seasons from summer to fall, there’s one place that has remained a constant staple: the mall. Back to school shopping may be in full swing, depending on when a given school distinct begins their year. Some people might consider starting their Christmas/holiday shopping, especially to avoid the crowds. Maybe a local mall has a reputation of gathering the community, from being a popular hangout spot to hosting community events. With that said, this double feature will revolve around the mall!

Image by evening_tao on Freepik

There are several movies from several decades where a mall is a story’s setting. For this double feature, though, both films were released in the ‘80s. Within that decade alone, there are several options I could have selected. But I ended up going with The Legend of Billie Jean and Night of the Comet! At first glance, pairing these films together seems like a no-brainer. However, I intentionally chose these titles because they were referenced on the Dead Mall Series, created by Youtuber, This is Dan Bell.

Image by Freepik

In my double features, I attempt to answer a question through both of my reviews. But this time, I will only make a prediction, as I haven’t made a prediction since my Halloween double feature back in 2018. For this double feature, my prediction is the mall in Night of the Comet will play a bigger role than the mall in The Legend of Billie Jean. I haven’t seen any of these films prior to these reviews. Based on the clips that were in the introduction of Dan’s video, ‘DEAD MALL SERIES : Tour of the SUNRISE MALL from THE LEGEND OF BILLIE JEAN (1985)’, my guess is the story of The Legend of Billie Jean will revolve around a conflict that is not confined to the mall. I once read a synopsis for Night of the Comet that stated the film contained a zombie apocalypse. If this is true, the script would present a logical explanation for the story remaining in one location.

Have fun at the mall!

Sally Silverscreen