Patrick Muldoon and Bruce Wills in the same movie!?
Finally, the ancient prophecy has come true.
Deadlock will be released on December 3rd. It looks like Bruce might actually make more than a five minute appearance in this film. I guess someone here at the Shattered Lens will find out when we force them to watch this movie.
Here’s the trailer!
Today, I continue my look back at the previous year with my picks for the best of Lifetime in 2018! Below, you’ll find my nominations for the best Lifetime films and performances of 2018! Winners are starred and listed in bold!
(As a guide, I used the credits for the imdb. If anyone has been miscredited or left out, please feel free to let me know and I’ll fix the error both here and, if I can, on the imdb as well.)
(For my previous best of Lifetime picks, click on the links: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
Best Picture
The Art of Murder, produced by Neil Elman, Bryce Fishman, James Lourie, Hannah Pillemer, Edgar Rosa, Fernando Szew
The Bad Seed, produced by Justis Greene, Harvey Kahn, Elizabeth Guber Stephen, Mark Wolper.
Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey. Produced by Mary Petryshyn, Charles Tremayne, Jeff Vanderwal
Cocaine Godmother, produced by Jamie Goehring, S. Lily Hui, Jonathan Koch, Stephen Michaels, Andrew Molina, Alisa Tager, Shawn Williamson.
Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill, produced by David Manzaners and Judith Verno
*The Girl in the Bathtub, produced by Kevin Leeson, Emanuel Pereira, Diane Sokolow, Rachel Verno*
Girl in the Bunker, produced by Kim Bondi, Stephen Kemp, Thomas Vencelides
I Killed My BFF: The Preacher’s Daughter. Produced by Len Murach and Rick Van Meter.
No One Would Tell. Produced by Shawn Angeliski, Paddy Bickerton, Martin Fisher, Lisa Richardson, Danielle Von Zerneck
Terror in the Woods. Produced by David Eubanks, Les Franck, Adam Freeman, Leslie Greif, James Heerdegen, Ashley Hudson, Christina Ricci, Eric Tomonsanus, DJ Viola
Best Director
Jim Donovan for Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey
Gail Harvey for No One Would Tell
Seth Jarrett for I Killed My BFF: The Preacher’s Daughter
Rob Lowe for The Bad Seed
*Karen Moncrieff for The Girl in the Bathtub*
Guillermo Navarro in Cocaine Godmother
Best Actor
Burgess Abernethy in Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance
Kevin Fonteyne in Lover in the Attic
Rob Lowe in The Bad Seed
Austin P. McKenzie in Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill
*Eric Roberts in Stalked By My Doctor: Patient’s Revenge*
Henry Thomas in The Girl in the Bunker
Best Actress
Haylie Duff in Deadly Delusion
McKenna Grace in The Bad Seed
Caitlin Stasey in The Girl In The Bathtub
Bella Thorne in Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill
Megan West in I Killed My BFF: The Preacher’s Daughter
*Catherine Zeta-Jones in Cocaine Godmother*
Best Supporting Actor
Juan Pablo Espinosa in Cocaine Godmother
David Fierro in Lover in the Attic
Joel Gretsch in I Killed My BFF: The Preacher’s Daughter
Patrick Muldoon in A Tale of Two Coreys
*Jason Patric in The Girl in the Bathtub*
Rossif Sutherland in Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey
Best Supporting Actress
Krista Allen in Party Mom
Cara Buono in The Bad Seed
Angela Kinsey in Terror in the Woods
*Lydia Look in Mistress Hunter*
Jenny Pellicer in Cocaine Godmother
Katherine Reis in I Killed My BFF: The Preacher’s Daughter
Best Screenplay
The Bad Seed. Barbara Marshall.
Believe Me: The Abudction of Lisa McVey. Christina Welsh.
Cocaine Godmother. Molly McAlpine, David McKenna.
The Girl in the Bathtub. Karen Moncrieff.
*No One Would Tell. Caitlin D. Fryers*
Terror in the Woods. Amber Benson.
Best Cinematography
The Bad Seed. Peter Menzies, Jr.
Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey. Sasha Moric.
Cocaine Godmother. Guillermo Navarro.
Girl in the Bunker. Fraser Brown.
*I Killed My BFF: The Preacher’s Daughter. Brian J. Reynolds*
Terror in the Woods. David McGrory.
Best Costuming
*The Art of Murder. Steviee Hughes.*
Cocaine Godmother. Jori Woodman.
Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance. Claudia Da Ponte, Diah Wymont.
I Killed My BFF: The Peacher’s Daughter. David Anthony Crowley.
Psycho Prom Queen. Anie Fisette.
A Tale of Two Coreys. Jennifer Garnet Filo.
Best Editing
The Bad Seed, Eric L. Beason.
Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey. Lisa Grootenboer.
Cocaine Godmother. Luis Carballar.
*Conrad & Michelle: If Words Could Kill. Henk van Eeghen*
The Girl in the Bathtub.
Girl in the Bunker. Stephen Kemp.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Cocaine Godmother. Laura Copó, Victoria Ferguson, Brittany Isaacs, Andrea Manchur, Joanna Mireau, Adam James Phillips, Trefor Proud, Juanita Santamaria, Ronnie Sidhu, Vicki Syskakis
Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance. Lorna Bravo, Helena Cepeda, Jenni Brown Greenberg, Shelly Jensen, Melissa Rankl, Cydney Sjostrom
I Killed My BFF: The Preacher’s Daughter. Missy Scarbrough and Christina Kim.
*Lover in the Attic. Crystal Broedel, Brittanie Cruz, Robin Styles, Diana Valerie, Nataleigh Verrengia*
A Tale of Two Coreys. Katherine Chandler, Lynnae Duley, Monique Hyman, Katie Kilkenny, Kaity Licina, Megan Nicoll, Rebecca Violet Schroeder, Adina Sullivan
Zombie at 17. Jessica Awad, Cinthia Burke, Christine Capustinsky, Shannon Doyle.
Best Score
Cocaine Godmother. Eduardo Aram.
The Girl in the Bathtub. Adam Gorgoni.
Lover in the Attic. Ozzy Doniz.
No One Would Tell. Mark Lazeski.
A Tale of Two Coreys. Jim Dooley.
*Terror in the Woods. Ozzy Doniz.*
Best Production Design
*The Art of Murder. Yana Veselova.*
Cocaine Godmother. Eric Fraser.
The Girl in the Bathtub. Laura Lola Maier.
Girl in the Bunker. Andrew Berry.
Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance. Mayne Berke, Ashley Swanson, Vincent Wright
Lover in the Attic. Lindsay Glick.
Best Sound
Cocaine Godmother
*Deadly Delusion*
House of Darkness: New Blood
Killer Under The Bed
Lover in the Attic.
Terror in the Woods
Best Visual Effects
The Bad Seed.
Cocaine Godmother
Deadly Delusion
House of Darkness: New Blood
*Killer Under The Bed*
Zombie at 17
And those are my picks for the best of Lifetime in 2018! (Lifetime had a pretty good year.) Now, I’m off to make my selections for the best of SyFy 2018! I’ll be back …. well, maybe not soon. It took me about three hours to do my Lifetime post. So, I’ll be back eventually.
Lisa Marie’s 2018 In Review:
Today, I continue my look back at the previous year with my picks for the best of Lifetime in 2017! Below, you’ll find my nominations for the best Lifetime films and performances of 2017! Winners are starred and listed in bold!
(As a guide, I used the credits for the imdb. If anyone has been miscredited or let out, please feel free to let me know and I’ll fix the error both here and, if I can, on the imdb as well.)
Best Picture
Drink Slay Love, produced by Tina Pehme, Kim Roberts, Sheri Singer, Bella Thorne
From Straight A’s to XXX, produced by Austin Andrews, John Bolton, Anne-Marie Hess, Tina Pehme, Kim Roberts, Sheri Singer
Four Christmases and a Wedding
New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell, produced by Deen Dioria, David Manzanares, Ron Schmidt, Judith Verno, Frank von Zerneck.
The Rachels, produced by Paige Lauren Billot, Margaret H. Huddleston, Maggie McFarren, Hannah Pillemer, Rebecca G. Stone.
Running Away, produced by Dureyshevar, Jeff Faehnle, Jack Nasser, Jacob Nasser, Joseph Nasser, Bri Noble.
Sea Change. Produced by Sharon Bordas, Alec Chorches, Adam Fratto, Steven Gilder, David MacLeod, A.J. Mendez, Shawn Piller, Lloyd Segan, Stephanie Slack, Fernando Szew
Secrets in Suburbia, produced by Kristopher McNeeley, Jacobo Rispa, Damian Romay, Stephanie Slack, Fernando Szew.
The Watcher in the Woods, produced by Simon Barnes, Alexandra Bentley, Andrew Gernhard, Jennifer Handorf, Paula Hart.
* Web Cam Girls, produced by Tom Berry, Pierre David, Hank Grover, Sheri Reeves, Ken Sanders, Noel Zanitsch*
Best Director
* Doug Campbell for Web Cam Girls
Michael Civille for The Rachels
Vanessa Parise for From Straight A’s to XXX
Damian Romay for Secrets in Suburbia
Brian Skiba for Running Away
Stephen Tolkin for New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell
Best Actor
James Franco in High School Lover
Zack Gold in Psycho Brother-in-Law
Stephen Graybill in Web Cam Girls
Timothy Granderos in The Twin
Ted McGinley in Fatherly Obsession
* Ryan Patrick Shanahan in Sinister Minister
Best Actress
Barbie Castro in Boyfriend Killer
Holly Deveaux in Running Away
Sedonna Legge in Web Cam Girls
* Penelope Ann Miller in New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell
Heather Morris in Psycho Wedding Crasher
Haley Pullos in From Straight A’s to XXX
Best Supporting Actor
Francois Arnaud in High School Lover
Joe Hackett in Web Cam Girls’
William McNamara in Running Away
Patrick Muldoon in Boyfriend Killer
Judd Nelson in From Straight A’s to XXX
* Daniel Roebuck in New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell
Best Supporting Actress
Madison Iseman in The Rachels
Anjelica Huston in The Watcher in the Woods
* Tonya Kay in Web Cam Girls
Paula Trickey in Running Away
Ashley Wood in Wicked Mom’s Club
Lorynn York in Web Cam Girs
Best Screenplay
From Straight A’s to XXX. Anne-Marie Hess.
New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell. Stephen Tolkin.
The Rachels. Ellen Huggins.
* Running Away. Sheri McGuinn.
Secrets in Suburbia. Damian Romay.
Web Cam Girls. Stephen Romano.
Best Cinematography
Drink Slay Love. Vic Sarin.
Four Christmases and a Wedding. Mike Kam.
Off the Rails. Denis Maloney.
Running Away. Patrice Lucien Cochet.
* Sea Change. Jackson Parrell.
Ten: Murder Island. Richard Clabaugh.
Best Costuming
* Drink Slay Love. Liene Dobraja.
From Straight A’s to XXX. Liene Dobraja.
The Lost Wife of Robert Durst. Tina Fiorda.
New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell. Maria Bentfield.
The Rachels. Courtney Stern.
Stage Fright. Monique Hyman.
Best Editing
* From Straight A’s to XXX. Rob Grant.
Four Christmases and a Wedding. Paul Ziller.
New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell. Mark Stevens.
The Rachels. Brett Solem.
Sea Change. Matthew Anas.
Web Cam Girls. Jordan Jensen.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Drink Slay Love. Jessica Green, Catherine Long, Alysha McLoughlin, Sahar Sharelo.
The Lost Wife of Robert Durst. Lorna Bravo, Kelly Grange, Shelly Jensen, Mary Renvall, Melissa Sahlstrom.
* New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell. Claudia Breckenridge, Daniel Casillas, Nicole Gabaldon, Pepper J. Gallegos, Madeline McCue, L. Taylor Roberts
The Rachels. Taylor Bennett, Austin Cuccia.
Secrets in Suburbia. Andrea Ahl, Trevor Thompson
The Watcher in the Woods. Chloe Edwards.
Best Score
Drink Slay Love. Justin R. Durban
Fatherly Obsession. Aiko Fukushima.
Sea Change. Shawn Pierce.
* Story of a Girl. Travis Bacon.
Ten: Murder Island. Ceiri Torjussen.
The Watcher in the Woods. Felix Bird.
Best Production Design
New York Prison Break: The Seduction of Joyce Mitchell. Will Albarz, Anthony Medina.
Running Away. Vincent Albo, Rose Beltran
Secrets in Suburbia. Brendan Turrill.
Ten: Murder Island. Eric Whitney, Caley Bisson.
* Web Cam Girls. Catch Henson, James W. Thompson Jr., Katherine Bulovic, Valerie Munguia
Best Sound
Best Visual Effects
And there you have it! Those are my picks for the best of Lifetime in 2017! Thank you for your indulgence! On Friday, I’ll be concluding my look back at 2017 with my picks for the 26 best films of the year!
Previous entries in the TSL’s Look Back at 2017:
I just finished watching Lifetime’s first “big” film of the year, A Tale of Two Coreys, and I am probably just as shocked as anyone to say, “It wasn’t bad.”
In fact, I would even say that it was pretty good.
Shocking, I know.
A Tale of Two Coreys, of course, is a film about the tumultuous friendship between actors Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. They were stars in the 80s and outcasts by the 90s. They were infamous for their struggles with drugs and all the other demons that come with being famous at a young age. Eventually, Feldman ended up in the direct-to-video dungeon while Haim found himself essentially unemployable. Somewhat inevitably, they eventually found themselves reunited via reality television. Corey Haim died in 2010, at the age of 38. After his death, Feldman announced that, at the height of their stardom, both he and Haim were victimized by Hollywood pedophiles.
Over the past few years, Lifetime has aired several celebrity biopics and a few “unauthorized” movies about the behind-the-scenes drama on TV shows like Saved By The Bell, Full House, and Beverly Hills 90210. With the exception of the 90210 movie, none of them have been particularly memorable. Too often, they promised the “true story,” just to deliver a watered down version of what everyone already knew. Combine that with some questionable casting choices and you’ll understand why veteran Lifetime watches often roll their eyes when Lifetime announces another celebrity biopic.
Somehow, A Tale of Two Coreys manages to escape the Lifetime biopic curse.
Now, just to make clear, A Tale Of Two Coreys does not name names. There’s a scene in which a Hollywood executive leads Corey Haim (played, as a teenager, by Justin Ellings) into a trailer but the man is never identified by name and the scene is shot in such a way that we don’t even get a clear look at his face. Later, both Feldman (played, as a teen, by Elijah Marcano) and Haim discuss some of the new “friends” that they’ve acquired since becoming stars. Again, no names are dropped but it’s not hard to read between the lines. It’s not until they’re adults and reality show co-stars that Feldman (now played by Scott Bosely) and Haim (Casey Leach) discuss what happened to them when they were younger.
Of course, famous people do pop up throughout the film. Brandon Howard plays Michael Jackson in two scenes. Jennifer Peo plays Carrie Fisher, who is seen telling Feldman to get off the drugs. If you watch carefully, an actor playing Tom Hanks shows up in the background of one scene. He doesn’t get any lines but he certainly does get annoyed with Feldman.
The film continually returns to the theme that both Feldman and Haim were, essentially, dropped into the middle of Hollywood without any supervision. Feldman’s parents (Ashley Scott and Patrick Muldoon) are portrayed as being leeches, more concerned with the money that Feldman could bring than Feldman’s mental or emotional health. On the other hand, Haim’s parents (Paula Lindberg and Brian Huskey) are portrayed as being loving but hopelessly naive about the world that their son has entered. The end result is that neither set of parents were there to provide any sort of guidance to their children.
It’s a deeply melancholy portrait of fame with Haim and Feldman quickly going from being innocent children to jaded, coke-snorting adolescents to eventually becoming adults who still haven’t come to terms with past. Admittedly, their stardom was a little before my time so I can’t really attest as to whether the film is a hundred percent accurate but director Steven Huffacker kept the story moving at a steady and tragically inevitable pace and all four of the actors who played Feldman and Haim did a good job of bringing their characters to life.
All in all, it was a surprisingly good film.
In the Lifetime film, Boyfriend Killer, there was a brief scene that I really liked and I think it epitomizes why I enjoyed this film and why I watch Lifetime films in general.
In the scene, Sandra Durro (Barbie Castro, who also produced this film) shares a hug with Krystal Kellers (Kate Mansi), her son’s girlfriend. The camera quickly cuts back and forth from Sandra’s face to Krystal’s face and the audience sees that both of them have the same look of irritation and loathing on their face. That really does get to a basic truth. A mom is never going to fully trust her son’s girlfriend. And a girlfriend is always going to suspect that her boyfriend’s mom is judging her.
Of course, Sandra has good reason to not fully trust Krystal. Boyfriend Killer opens with the death of Sandra’s son, Preston. Preston, who was handsome and charismatic and had a great life ahead of him, was killed in a car crash and Sandra suspects that it wasn’t an accident. When Sandra and her friend Carrie (Yancy Butler) are packing up Preston’s things, Krystal suddenly shows up and announces that she wants to help.
From the first minute we meet Krystal, there’s something off about her. She claims to be sad but her grief is almost too theatrical. It’s almost as if all she knows about being sad is what she’s seen in the movies. Add to that, Krystal claims that she and Preston were deeply in love, despite the fact that Preston rarely spoke about her. Krystal always seems to be sneaking around the house, searching for something. When Sandra gets near Preston’s computer, Krystal freaks out. Krystal explains that she and Preston both used that computer so if Sandra touches it, she’ll actually be invading Krystal’s privacy.
Well, what’s a mother to do?
It turns out that things between Preston and Krystal were never as perfect as Krystal claims. In fact, shortly before his death, Preston had told Krystal that he never wanted to see her again. Could that have had something to do with the fact that Krystal tried to convince Preston to kill her ex?
Sandra certainly thinks that it might. However, before Sandra can really pursue her suspicions, she has a funeral to attend, a funeral that Krystal makes all about her. It turns out that Krystal has an announcement to make, one that catches everyone by surprise…
Boyfriend Killer is a fun melodrama, one that pretty much epitomizes everything that we love about Lifetime movies. Barbie Castro is relatable and sympathetic as the grieving mother (you really want her to get justice for her son) and Yancy Butler provides good support as her friend. Kate Mansi, who played a similar role in Unwanted Guest, is a force of nature in the role of Krystal. Krystal is a familiar Lifetime character — the duplicitous temptress — but Mansi plays the role with such determination and drive that Krystal becomes a wonderfully hissable villain. Krystal is less defined by the bad things she does than by her total confidence that she’ll never get caught. You alternate between marveling at how far she’ll go and eagerly anticipating the moment when she gets her comeuppance.
Finally, I have to make special mention of Patrick Muldoon, who plays Sandra’s alcoholic ex-husband. To a certain group of pop culture fanatics, Muldoon will always be known as Jeff, the handsome college student whose smile and killer dance moves inspired Kelly to dump Zack on Saved By The Bell. (Hell, I would have dumped Zack for Jeff. Jeff’s in college, has a great smile, and is a manager at the Maxx. Zack’s in high school and spends all of his time with Screech.) And some are always going to think of Muldoon as being the doomed Zander Barclow in Starship Troopers.
However, over the past few years, Patrick Muldoon has given some seriously good performances. They haven’t gotten the attention that they deserve but he was excellent in both Patient Killer and Deadly Revenge. And he’s excellent here, playing a well-meaning guy who cannot shake his demons. It’s a good and poignant performance, one that elevates the film.
One of the great things about Lifetime is that they constantly rebroadcast all of their movies so keep an eye out for Boyfriend Killer!
Today, I continue my look back at 2015 by posting my picks for the best of Lifetime! My nominees for the best Lifetime films and performances are listed below, with the winners starred and listed in bold! Congratulations to all the nominees and winners and thank you for making this one of the most entertaining years in my long history of watching Lifetime movies!
Best Picture
Babysitter’s Black Book, produced by Robert Ballo and Ken Sanders.
Cleveland Abduction, produced by David A. Rosemont and Stephen Tolkin
*A Deadly Adoption, produced by Fritz Manger, Max Osswald, Will Ferrell, and Adam McKay.*
If There Be Thorns, produced by Richard D. Arredondo and Harvey Kahn.
A Mother’s Instinct, produced by Oliver De Caigny and Timothy O. Johnson
Patient Killer, produced by Barbie Castro.
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, produced by Joseph Boccia, Don Carmody, and David Cormican.
The Spirit of Christmas, produced by Andrea Ajemian
Stalked By My Neighbor, produced by Robert Ballo.
The Unauthorized Beverly Hills 90210 Story, produced by Ian Hay.
Best Director
Jason Bourque for A Mother’s Instinct
Doug Campbell for Stalked By My Neighbor.
*Rachel Goldenberg for A Deadly Adoption*
Alex Kalymnois for Cleveland Abduction
Vanessa Parise for The Unauthorized Beverly Hills 90210 Story
Casper Van Dien for Patient Killer
Best Actor
Shaun Benson in Kept Woman
Dan Castellaneta in The Unauthorized Beverly Hills 90210 Story
*Will Ferrell in A Deadly Adoption*
Travis Hammer in The Bride He Bought Online
Adam Kaufman in A Mother Betrayed
Eric Roberts in Stalked By My Doctor
Best Actress
Josie Bissett in A Mother’s Instinct
Anna Camp in Caught
Kimberly Elise in Back to School Mom
Kelli Garner in The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe
*Taryn Manning in Cleveland Abduction*
Kelcie Stranahan in Stalked By My Neighbor
Best Supporting Actor
Ken Camroux-Taylor in Sugarbabies
MacKenzie Gray in If There Be Thorns
Richard Harmon in A Mother’s Instinct
*Patrick Muldoon in Patient Killer.*
Eric Roberts in A Fatal Obsession
Peter Strauss in Sugar Daddies.
Best Supporting Actress
Angeline Appel in Babysitter’s Black Book.
Barbie Castro in Patient Killer
Olivia d’Abo in Stolen From The Suburbs
Sarah Grey in A Mother’s Instinct
Jessica Lowndes in A Deadly Adoption
*Samantha Munro in The Unauthorized Beverly Hills 90210 Story*
Best Adapted Screenplay
*Cleveland Abduction, written by Stephen Tolkin*
If There Be Thorns, written by Andy Cochran.
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, written by Stephen Kronish and J. Randy Taraborrelli.
Seeds of Yesterday, written by Darren Stein.
Turkey Hollow, written by Tim Burns and Christopher Baldi.
Wuthering High School, written by Delondra Williams.
Best Original Screenplay
*Babysitter’s Black Book, written by Richard Kletter and Michele Samit*
A Deadly Adoption, written by Andrew Steele.
The Murder Pact, written by John Doolan
Patient Killer, written by Bryan Dick and Brian D. Young.
Stalked By My Neighbor, written by Doug Campbell.
Stolen From The Suburbs, written by Alex Wright
Best Cinematography
*Cleveland Abduction, Richard Wong.*
Fatal Obsession, Ronnee Swenton.
If There Be Thorns, James Liston.
The Murder Pact, Branden James Maxham.
Patient Killer, Bernard Salzmann
The Spirit of Christmas, Michael Negrin.
Best Costume Design
Grace of Monaco, Gigi Lepage
If There Be Thorns, Shanna Mair, Rebekka Sorensen.
Kept Woman
*The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, Gersha Phillips.*
Seeds of Yesterday, Claire Nadon.
The Spirit of Christmas, Jennifer Lynn Tremblay.
Best Editing
Babysitter’s Black Book, Ely Mennin
Cleveland Abduction, Henk Van Eeghen.
*A Deadly Adoption, Bill Parker.*
A Mother’s Instinct
Stalked By My Neighbor, Clayton Woodhull.
The Unauthorized Beverly Hills 90210 Story, Allan Lee.
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
*Cleveland Abduction, Dugg Kirkpatrick, Susan R. Prosser, Tina Roesler Kewin, Alan Tuskes, Alicia Zavarella*
Grace of Monaco
If There Be Thorns, Jenine Lehfeldt, Tana Lynn Moldovanos.
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe. Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey
The Spirit of Christmas
The Unauthorized Beverly Hills 90210 Story, Amber Crombach.
Best Original Score
Dangerous Company
Cleveland Abduction, Tony Morales.
Her Infidelity, Russ Howard III
Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story, Matthew Janszen
*The Murder Pact, Matthew Llewellyn.*
Sugar Daddies. Steve Gurevitch.
Best Production Design
Cleveland Abduction, Derek R. Hill.
*If There Be Thorns, Linda Del Rosario, Richard Paris.*
A Mother’s Instinct, Jason Sober.
The Murder Pact, Caley Bisson.
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe. Rocco Matteo.
The Unauthroized Beverly Hills 90210 Story
Best Sound
*The Bride He Bought Online*
Dangerous Company
If There Be Thorns
Stalked By My Neighbor
UnGodly Acts
Whitney.
Best Visual Effects
Becoming Santa
If There Be Thorns
Last Chance For Christmas
*Turkey Hollow*
When the Sky Falls
Wish Upon A Christmas
Tomorrow, I’ll post my picks for the worst 16 films of 2015!
Previous Entries In The Best of 2015:
Last night, I watched another Lifetime premiere, Patient Killer!
Why Was I Watching It?
Well, the obvious answer is because it was on Lifetime and, like all good people, I’m kind of obsessed with the movies that they show on Lifetime. However, I also watched it because it was directed by Casper Van Dien (who has already appeared in two of my favorite films of the year — Avengers Grimm and Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf) and it apparently featured Patrick Muldoon playing a stalker. Patrick Muldoon is always a lot of fun whenever he’s bad.
(Derek Morris, my collaborator over at Primetime Preppie, has never quite forgiven Patrick for breaking up Kelly and Zack on Saved By The Bell.)
What Was It About?
Four years ago, therapist Victoria Wrightmar (Victoria Pratt) got too close to one of her patients and, as a result, Dylan McNalt (David Chokachi) committed suicide. Despite the fact that Victoria has found success as a hypnotherapist, dream interpreter, and author, she is still haunted by Dylan’s death.
One day, a new patient enters her office. Blaire Bennett (Barbie Castro) has been having nightmares and, when it turns out that she’s been suppressing memories that are similar to those that afflicted Dylan, Victoria once again starts to get too close to another patient.
However, it’s not just Blaire that Victoria has to deal with. Her boyfriend, Jason (Casper Van Dien), has anger issues. Another one of her patients, Derek (Patrick Muldoon), has become dangerously obsessed with her. Both her mentor (Richard Burgi) and her administrative assistant (Stacey Dash) might have secrets of their own. And, as strange things start to happen and those around her are threatened, a menacing police detective (Antoni Corone) enters her life as well.
Is Victoria being stalked or is she going crazy herself? And is this movie called Patient Killer because the killer is a patient or because the killer likes to take his time? To find out, you’ll have to watch the movie!
What Worked?
On twitter, Patrick Muldoon speculated that he would never get another date after people saw his performance as unstable Derek. Personally, I think Muldoon was too hard on himself. He did a really good job, finding the perfect balance between being threatening and being pathetic. As a result, his character was both scary and sympathetic. It looked like he had a lot of fun playing Derek and he was a lot of fun to watch.
And really, the same thing can be said about Patient Killer as a film. It was an entertaining and enjoyably over-the-top thriller.
I loved both Victoria’s office and Blaire’s house. Both locations were wonderfully decorated and a real delight to look at. I’ve always said that one of the best thing about Lifetime films is getting to see where everyone works and lives and that was definitely the case with Patient Killer.
Actually, the entire film was a delight to look at. Bernard Salzmann’s cinematography filled the frame with a combination of vibrant colors and menacing shadows. This movie featured one of the best sunsets ever to appear on the Lifetime network.
While the film’s deliberate pace may not have been for everyone, I actually rather liked it and I felt it occasionally gave the film a surreal, almost dream-like feel. In the end, Patient Killer felt like the Lifetime version of a classic David Lynch film noir. (The score even sounded similar to Angelo Badalamenti’s classic Mulholland Drive score.)
What Did Not Work?
As far as I’m concerned, it all worked!
“Oh my God! Just like me!” Moments
As someone has plenty of experience in the administrative assistance field, I totally related to the character played by Stacey Dash.
Lessons Learned
Never go to the office without a taser. (Watch the movie and it’ll make sense.)
Last night, I watched Deadly Revenge on Lifetime!
Why Was I Watching It?
Not only was it on Lifetime but it had one of the most perfectly generic Lifetime titles ever. Deadly Revenge sounds like one of the results that you’d get from a random Create-A-Lifetime-Movie-Title Generator.
What Was It About?
Harrison (Mark Hapka) appears to be the perfect guy. He’s got a good job, a great apartment, and he’s a good cook! However, he also has some secrets in his part, as his fiancee, Cate (Alicia Ziegler), discovers when she agrees to take care of Evelyn (Donna Mills), his sick mother.
What Worked?
Actually, this movie really wasn’t that bad. Alicia Ziegler and Donna Mills did the best that they could possibly do. If their characters occasionally didn’t make sense, that had more to do with the script than the performances. As well, I enjoyed seeing where everyone lived. Harrison had a really kickass apartment and Evelyn — oh my God, she practically lived in a freaking castle!
Plus, towards the end of the film, Cate got to wear this white dress that would look great on me. So, there’s always that.
What Did Not Work?
Oh my God, this is such a frustrating movie to try to review! Under the no spoiler rule, I’m not allowed to talk about the solution to the film’s mystery but, at the same time, it’s sooooooo obvious! Seriously, you will figure it out within the first 30 minutes of the film. (You would have figured it out earlier except for the fact that the mystery doesn’t start until about 30 minutes into the film.) I mean, you’re supposed to be shocked when the big secret is revealed but the only shocking thing is that Cate didn’t figure it out for herself. IT WAS SO OBVIOUS!
Like seriously.
“Oh my God! Just like me!” Moments
I’ve actually recently had a dizzy spell/panic attack while driving so when Cate had the same thing happen to her, I was like, “Oh my God, I know exactly how scary that is!”
I do think I handled it better than Cate though. Cate reacted by calling up her best friend and talking to her on the phone while driving! In my case, however, I quickly pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and did my breathing exercises for panic attacks.
Lessons Learned
If it seems painfully obvious that someone is trying to kill you, they probably are.
Hello there and welcome to January!
This is the time of year that the Shattered Lens usually takes one final look back at the best and worst of the previous year’s offerings in cinema, television, literature, and music! Last year, I kicked things off by taking a look at the best that the SyFy network had to offer.
Unfortunately, SyFy didn’t produce as many original films in 2014 as they did in 2013.
However, my beloved Lifetime network remained a consistent showcase for some of the best and worst melodrama that one could hope for.
With that in mind, here are my nominees for the best films and performances that were featured on either the SyFy or the Lifetime network last year! As always, winners are listed in bold.
Best Film
Battle of the Damned
Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever
Starving in Suburbia
Best Actress
Kate Beckinsale in The Trials of Cate McCall
Maria Bello in Big Driver
Annie Heise in The Good Mistress
Tara Reid in Sharknado 2
*Christina Ricci in Lizzie Borden Took An Axe*
Kierna Shipka in Flowers in the Attic
Best Supporting Actress
Kendra Anderson in The Good Mistress
*Ellen Burstyn in Flowers in the Attic*
Clea DuVall in Lizzie Borden Took An Axe
Heather Graham in Petals on the Wind
Tina Ivlev in Death Clique
Izabella Miko in Starving in Suburbia
Best Actor
Trevor Donavon in Bermuda Tentacles
Mason Dye in Flowers in the Attic
Michael Keaton in Blindsided
Dolph Lundgren in Battle of the Damned
Patrick Muldoon in Finders Keepers
*Ian Ziering in Sharknado 2*
Best Supporting Actor
James Cromwell in The Trials of Cate McCall
David Field in Battle of the Damned
*Griff Furst in Status Unknown*
Judd Hirsch in Sharknado 2
Mark McGrath in Sharknado 2
John Savage in Bermuda Tentacles
Best Director
Doug Campbell for Death Clique
Deborah Chow for Flowers in the Attic
Anthony C. Ferrante for Sharknado 2
*Nick Gomez for Lizzie Borden Got An Axe*
Christopher Hutton for Battle of the Damned
Tara Miele for Starving in Suburbia
Best Screenplay
Kayla Alpert for Flowers in the Attic
Tim Hill and Jeff Morris for Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever
Stephen Kay for Lizzie Borden Took An Axe
Thunder Levin for Sharknado 2
*Tara Miele for Starving in Suburbia*
Griff Furst and Marcy Holland for Status Unknown
Tomorrow, I’ll continue my look back at 2014 by revealing my picks for the 16 worst films of 2014!
Previous Entries in Our Look Back At 2014:
Things That I Dug In 2014 Off The Top Of My Head
Last night, the Snarkalecs and I watched the latest SyFy original film, Finders Keepers!
Why Was I Watching It?
I had been watching Big Driver over on Lifetime but that film proved to be unusually disturbing and I really wasn’t in the right mood to deal with it. Sometimes, you need to just be entertained and SyFy original movies are always entertaining! So, after watching an hour of Big Driver, I turned over to SyFy and watched Finders Keepers.
What Was It About?
Recently divorced writer Alyson Smith (Jaime Pressly) moves into a nice, old house with her daughter, Claire (Kylie Rogers). At first the house seems ideal but soon, cracks start to appear on this perfect fantasy of home ownership. Claire starts to act strangely. A crazy old cat lady (Marina Sirtis) keeps coming by the house. Alyson does some research and discovers that the reason the house was empty was because, years before, it was the scene of a brutal mass murder. And, of course, Claire finds a creepy doll in her bedroom and becomes extremely attached to it.
Soon, everyone who knows Alyson and her ex-husband (Patrick Muldoon) is turning up dead. Could it be that the doll is evil or could it all be a coincidence?
Actually, there’s really no question. That is one messed up doll…
What Worked?
SyFy hasn’t been showing as many original movies this year as they did last year. Fortunately, the ones that they have shown have all been excellent and Finders Keepers keeps the streak going. Finders Keepers is an effectively creepy horror film, featuring excellent performances from Jaime Pressly and Patrick Muldoon, atmospheric direction from Alexander Yellen, and a clever script from Peter Sullivan.
Incidentally, Finders Keepers probably featured one of the bigger body counts that I’ve ever seen in a SyFy film. Nobody’s safe from that doll!
What Did Not Work?
Over the course of the film, two cats and a crazy old cat lady are killed. As most of you know, I am about 40 years away from becoming a crazy old cat lady so that was a little bit difficult for me to deal with.
“Oh my God! Just like me!” Moments
So, beyond the crazy old cat lady and her two cats, this film also featured a vivacious, 20-something redhead who ended up being murdered by the evil doll. And then, once the redhead and the cat lady had been dispatched, we were introduced to an incredibly efficient office administrator and guess what happened to her? That’s right — murdered by the crazy doll. Speaking as a vivacious and efficient redheaded office administrator and future crazy cat lady, I really have to wonder just what exactly this film had against me!
Lessons Learned
Do not let your daughter keep any creepy old voodoo dolls that she just happens to find in her bedroom. If she won’t get rid of the voodoo doll, consider giving her up for adoption because, seriously — voodoo is nothing to mess with.
Through the Shattered Lens 