Since 2024 is a Leap Year, I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to publish the Gold Sally Awards on Leap Day! For new readers of 18 Cinema Lane, the Gold Sally Awards are one of my blog’s annual traditions to commemorate 18 Cinema Lane’s anniversary. These award categories are created by me, based on topics I’ve brought up on my blog. While most of the awards are the same as in 2023, a few of them have changed. For those awards, I’ll explain the significance of those categories. But just like last year, I will discuss why I chose each recipient. So, now, the moment you’ve been waiting for! T ..read more

While conducting research for this year’s Sally Solves a Mystery article, I came across an interesting movie news story from the website, ComicBook. Gary Goetzman, one of the producers of the 2004 Christmas film, The Polar Express, is eager to work on a sequel for the aforementioned movie. Despite the excitement, Gary recognizes the challenges of creating a sequel twenty years after the first film. In an article written by Brandon Davis, Gary talks about his film-making plans, stating, “But it becomes, there’s so much involved with, ‘Who’s artistic property would that be? Would that be?’ It’s ..read more

As I mentioned in my list of the top ten worst movies I saw in 2023, I saw enough films to create a best movies of the year list! But because I saw more movies I disliked than liked, there aren’t enough films to create an honorable mentions section. When I look back on the best films I saw this year, I realize the majority of the titles are made-for-TV productions. Looking specifically at the top three best movies of 2023, I noticed a shared theme; all of the movies contain historical fiction stories. Since I reviewed most of the films on this list, I will provide the links to those reviews in ..read more

I’m going to be honest with my readers; in 2023, I saw more movies I disliked than liked. Luckily, I saw enough films to create a top ten best movies of the year list! When it comes to the movies I disliked, the majority of these titles were disappointing or average. This is different to my list of the worst movies of 2022. What’s also different about this year’s list is how my top three worst films are not all Hallmark projects. Like I have said in past lists, my top ten worst movies I saw in 2023 list is not intended to be mean-spirited, negative, or disrespectful. It’s just a list of my own ..read more

In 2023, I reviewed four Christmas movies; Christmas at Castle Hart, The National Tree, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and Christmas Princess. At first glance, you might think the one thing these films have in common is how they are made for TV programs. What these movies also have in common is they were released in years past. This similiarity reminded me of another Christmas movie I reviewed that premiered in the past as well; 1990’s The Nutcracker Prince! When I wrote about the film in 2021, I said it was a fine production, respecting the source material while also bringing something new ..read more

My last movie review was for the 1983 adaptation of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Revisiting the film after so many years, I learned the production was more of a “very special episode” of a television show than a movie. Wanting to revisit more movies of Christmas past, I remembered how much I liked the 2017 made-for-TV project, Christmas Princess! In the early days of 18 Cinema Lane, I mentioned how Christmas Princess was my favorite film of 2017. I recall enjoying the movie more than Hallmark’s offerings that year. But like any film from the past, perspectives can change. A movie once love ..read more

1983 saw the release of A Christmas Story. In the forty years since that movie’s premiere, it has earned the coveted title of “classic” Christmas cinema. It has even become one of the most merchandized Christmas films of our time. But A Christmas Story was not the only Christmas movie released in 1983. That same year saw the premiere of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! While figuring out which Christmas movies to review this year, I reflected on all the Christmas titles I’d seen in the past. During this reflection, I realized I hadn’t seen The Best Christmas Pageant Ever in a very long time. H ..read more

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 ..read more

Back in August, I published an editorial about why Evan Williams and George Blagden should go to Eurovision 2024. While doing research for that editorial, I discovered Evan had starred in a Hallmark Christmas movie! Since that film, 2009’s The National Tree, is one I haven’t seen before, I decided to choose it for my next Blog Follower Dedication Review! Reflecting on Hallmark’s Christmas line-ups over the past few years, it seems like the network isn’t making a strong effort to include older Christmas movies in their programming. This, in my opinion, is a shame because some of those older fil ..read more

You’re probably wondering why I’m reviewing a Christmas movie right before Halloween, especially since I tend to wait until about November to write about Christmas films. That’s because I chose this particular title, Christmas at Castle Hart, for the Genre Grandeur blogathon! When I discovered October’s theme was ‘Mistaken or Stolen Identity Films’, the first movie that came to mind was the 2021 Hallmark Channel project, Christmas at Castle Hart. But Genre Grandeur isn’t the only reason why I wanted to check this film out. Back in 2018, in my Movie Blogger’s Christmas Wish List, I wrote how I ..read more