In the 1970 film Performance, a sadistic gangster named Chas (James Fox) goes on the run and ends up hiding out in a mansion that’s currently occupied by a burned-out rock star named Turner (Mick Jagger). Turner, we’re told, used to be great but then he “lost his demon.” Could Chas be his new demon?
Well, before the answer to that question can be revealed, Chas ends up under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms and that’s when he sees Turner transformed into a London mob boss and performing Memo From Turner, a song about his exploits.
Though this is a scene from a movie, it’s still most definitely a music video. In fact, it’s frequently cited as the first “true” music video. (I imagine that John’s Children, Procol Harum, and Nancy Sinatra would disagree.) Still, even if it’s not the first, it’s influence on subsequent videos is undeniable.
On Sunday night, immediately after watching Twin Betrayal, I watched and, working with TSL contributor Case Wright, live tweeted a film called Evil Doctor!
Why Was I Watching It?
The first reason was an obvious one. It was a Lifetime movie and, as our regular readers know, there’s no way that I would ever miss the chance to watch a Lifetime film.
The other reason was that the film was named Evil Doctor, which made it sound like the origin story of perhaps the greatest MCU villain of all time. As a general rule, any Lifetime film that has the word “evil” in the title is going to turn out to be good. Evil is right up there with “Bad,” “Confessions,” and “…at 17” as far as words in Lifetime movie titles are concerned.
What Was It About?
Everyone wants something.
Aubrey Lewis (Jen Lilley) just wants to have her baby in peace.
Aubrey’s husband, Matt (Corin Nemec), wants to be a respected television writer, even if he is stuck writing for a sitcom called Family Phun.
And what does Dr. Natalie Barnes (Dina Meyer) want? She wants to have a baby and she wants a baby now! She also wants to deal with all of the unresolved issues that she had with her dead father, who happened to look just like Matt! What better solution to Natalie’s problems than seduce Matt, steal Aubrey’s baby, and kill anyone who gets in her way?
Seriously, she’s not called an evil doctor for nothing.
What Worked?
Obviously, with a film like this, success is going to depend on how effectively the title character is played. Fortunately, Dina Meyer really threw herself into the role of the evil doctor, kidnapping babies, seducing starlets, and murdering anyone who looked at her the wrong way. Dina Meyer has always done a good job when she’s been cast as a Lifetime movie psycho and Evil Doctor was no different. As well, Corin Nemec and Jen Lilley were likable as the objects of her obsession.
Evil Doctor was one of those Lifetime films that showed no hesitation about going totally and completely over-the-top. Between the evil doctor plotting and the wayward husband trying not to get caught and the poor wife just trying to have her baby in peace, there was not one ounce of drama that this film did not explore. It was outlandish, flamboyant, silly, and a hell of a lot fun!
What Did Not Work?
I think that the film missed a huge opportunity by not recruiting Eric Roberts to reprise his character from Stalked By My Doctor in a cameo appearance. I would have ended the film with Matt and Aubrey going to see their new doctor and discovering Dr. Beck waiting for them in his office. That would have been a legendary ending!
(For the record, according to the imdb, Eric Roberts currently has 57 films that are either currently filming or in post-production. That has nothing to do with Evil Doctor but it is a fun piece of trivia.)
Other than the glaring lack of Eric Roberts, everything worked in Evil Doctor. I mean, let’s be honest. When you watch a film with a title like Evil Doctor, you know what you’re going to get. You watch a film like this because you want to embrace the melodrama and you’re looking forward to trying to predict every outlandish twist. Evil Doctor delivered exactly what it promised.
“Oh my God! Just Like Me!” Moments
I totally related to Janelle (Kelsey Griswold), who was Aubrey’s sister and who moved in to help around the house while Aubrey was pregnant. Janelle had this wonderfully sarcastic, no-bullshit approach to life, to which I totally related. Janelle disliked almost everyone who came by the house and never made any attempt to hide that fact.
On Sunday night, I watched the latest Lifetime premiere, Twin Betrayal!
Why Was I Watching It?
The obvious answer is that it was on Lifetime. However, I also have a weakness for films about evil twins. Don’t ask me why, I just do.
What Was It About?
Poor Jessica Klint (Jen Lilley)! Not only is she struggling financially but her estranged husband (Peter Douglas) wants custody of their daughter. We know her husband is a bad guy because he wears a suit even when he’s at home and his name is Lars. Never in a Lifetime film has anyone good been named Lars. (Before anyone mentions Lars and the Real Girl, allow me to point out that 1) that’s not a Lifetime film and 2) even if it was, it would be the exception to the rule.)
However, following a business trip to Dallas, Jessica’s problems get even worse! After having a one-night stand with a cowboy named Henry (Nick Ballard), Jessica finds herself being blackmailed! Where can she get the money? Her wealthy father isn’t going to be much help. How about from her twin sister, Alessandra (Jen Lilley)? Sure, Jessica and Alessandra have a strained relationship and haven’t spoken in years but surely one twin will help the other, right?
And surely, no matter what personal issues there may be, one twin would definitely never try to frame the other for murder, right?
Right?
Watch the film to find out!
What Worked?
I enjoyed this one because, as any film about a twin betrayal should be, it was totally melodramatic, over-the-top, and very self-aware. Whenever I give a film like this a good review, I always seem to get at least one comment from someone complaining that the film was too silly or implausible but I think those people are missing the point. You don’t watch a film like Twin Betrayal because you want to see a serious exploration of what it’s like to be a twin. You watch a movie like this because you want to have fun! Twin Betrayal promised twisty entertainment and it delivered and, in the end, that’s all that really matters.
Jen Lilley obviously had a blast playing the twins, especially the wonderfully decadent Alessandra. Alessandra had obviously been waiting for years for the chance to make her sister uncomfortable and she did not let the opportunity pass her by.
What Did Not Work?
On the one hand, I was really happy that part of the film took place in Dallas. I don’t know if they actually filmed in Dallas but, at the very least, they at least included a shot of the Dallas skyline. (Whenever a movie spends any time in Dallas, you always know that you’re going to get at least one shot of Reunion Tower and one shot of Bank of America Plaza.) However, in reality, it’s doubtful that Jessica would have met any cowboys in Dallas. Football aside, cowboys are really more of a Fort Worth thing.
“Oh my God! Just like me!” Moments
Much like Jessica Klint, I have a weakness for cowboys. Seriously, who doesn’t? I’m also close to my sisters but, fortunately, none of us are twins. If there’s anything that I’ve learned from watching Lifetime films, it’s that you can always depend on your sister unless she’s your twin sister. Sadly, there’s always one evil twin and it seems like the good twin always ends up getting framed. Hopefully, Lifetime will continue to explore this theme whenever they get around to making the inevitable Mary-Kate and Ashley biopic.
Actually, I guess if I was a twin, I probably would end up being the evil one. Seriously, it just seems like it would be too much of a temptation to resist…
Lessons Learned
As I stated above, one twin will always be evil. The trick is figuring out which one.
As I mentioned yesterday, I was visiting with some old friends on Saturday morning when we decided to watch the 1998 German film, Run, Lola, Run. Ever since then, along with trying to run everywhere, I’ve had the soundtrack playing on repeat in my head.
This is the video of Believe, which one of the most important songs in the film. Along with featuring scenes from the film, it also features the film’s star, Franka Potente, and Herbert Knaup, who played Lola’s disapproving father and who continues to be somewhat truculent in this video.
There’s a great scene that occurs about an hour into HBO’s latest original film, Paterno.
Joe Paterno (Al Pacino), the legendary and aging Penn State football coach, has been accused of knowing and failing to report that one of his former assistant coaches, Jerry Sandusky (Jim Johnson), was a pedophile. With Paterno and his family plotting out strategy behind closed doors, a group of Penn State students gather outside of the Paterno home. Instead of being angry that children were molested at their college, they’ve come to show their support for Paterno.
“JOE PATERNO!” they chant.
Scott Paterno (Greg Grunberg) hears the chants. Scott is a lawyer and appears to be the only member of the Paterno family to truly understand the seriousness of the accusations. Scott steps outside.
“JOE PATERNO!” the crowd continues to chant.
Scott thanks them for their support but then says that they also need to show the same support to all of Sandusky’s victims…
“JOE PATERNO!” the chant continues.
Struggling to be heard, Scott again asks them to remember that the children molested by Sandusky are the ones who need the most support…
Suddenly, the chant changes. “SCOTT PATERNO!” the crowd starts to chant. It’s not because they’ve heard anything that Scott’s said. Instead, it’s because Scott’s a Paterno and, in the eyes of the crowd, that makes him royalty. As the crowd continues to chant his name, Scott gives up and reenters the house.
Paterno could have used more scenes like that, scenes that explicitly showed the danger of blind hero worship as opposed to just telling us about it. For the most part, Paterno feels like a well-written Wikipedia article. You can’t deny the skill with which the film was made but, at the same time, it’s difficult not to get frustrated by Paterno‘s refusal to really dig too far underneath the surface of the story.
Some of the problem is with the film’s structure. The film primarily takes place over the final six days of Paterno’s career. Paterno spends the majority of the film locked away in his house, passive aggressively avoiding the question of what he knew and when he knew it. His wife (Kathy Baker) and his other son, buffoonish Jay (Larry Mitchell), make excuses for him while Scott tries to get everyone to understand that the accusations aren’t just going to go away. This is the part of the Paterno story that, in most films, would be summed up by an end credits title card.
As a result, Paterno never really deals with why Joe Paterno not only didn’t report Sandusky but also apparently protected him and that, to be honest, is the most important and troubling part of the story. Since Sandusky is only briefly seen, we never get any insight into his relationship with Paterno and we never understand why Paterno would go to bat for an assistant who he, at one point, refers to as being “a pain in the ass.” Was Paterno truly clueless about what was happening or did he just think he could sweep it under the rug and nobody would say anything because he was Joe Paterno? Were Paterno’s actions the result of willful blindness or hubris? It’s not so much a problem that the film leaves certain questions unanswered as much as it’s a problem that the film itself doesn’t seem to be all that concerned with the answers.
When the film isn’t concentrating on the Paternos, it’s concentrating on the reporter, Sara Ganim (Riley Keough), who originally broke the story. However, these scenes are never quite as compelling as the film seems to think they are. Riley Keough, who was so great in American Honey, seems miscast here. For the most part. Sara seems to be there so that she can witness the Penn State students rioting and chanting, “Fuck the Media” after Paterno loses his job.
The best thing that Paterno has going for it is the lead performance of Al Pacino. Pacino plays Paterno as a man who is very comfortable with the routine that he’s built up for himself. His life revolves around Penn State, his team, and finally his own legend. When the Sandusky story first breaks, Paterno can’t understand why he even has to be concerned about it. He’s got a game against Nebraska coming up! Awkward even around his adoring family, Paterno only seems to be truly comfortable when he’s coaching. Pacino plays Paterno as a fragile and sickly man, a once ferocious lion brought down by a combination of cancer and scandal. When we first see him, Paterno is coaching his team to a record-setting victory and he seems like a larger-than-life figure. By the end of the movie, Paterno seems much smaller, a confused man who still can’t seem to bring himself to deal with why everyone is getting so upset. It’s a great performance in an uneven film.
While visiting with some old friends early on Saturday morning, we decided to watch the 1998 film Run, Lola, Run.
There’s a lot of great things that can be said about Run, Lola, Run but, for now, I just want to say that this song has one of the greatest soundtracks of all time. This song is one of those that is featured in the film and it’s been stuck in my head ever since.
Sometimes, I come across things on my DVR that I not only have no memory of recording but which I also cannot, for the life of me, figure out why I decided to record it in the first place. I recorded the 1977 film One On One off of TCM on January 17th and I’m not really sure why.
It’s not that One On One is a terrible movie or anything like that. It’s an extremely predictable film and it’s got one of those soundtracks that is extremely 70s but not cool disco-style 70s. No, instead this film is full of the type of soft rock music that your grandmother listens to while driving to the local CVS Pharmacy. (The majority of the songs are performed by a group called Seals and Croft and are painfully undanceable.) But, even with that in mind, it’s not really a bad movie. If I’m confused about why I recorded it, it’s because One on One is a movie about basketball, which is a sport that holds absolutely zero interest for me.
(My main issue with basketball has to do with the sound of all of those squeaky shoes on the court.)
But, before going any further, let’s watch a commercial:
One on One tells the story of Henry Steele (Robby Benson), a high school basketball star. Henry is from Colorado, which this film seems to suggest is the equivalent of coming from Siberia. When Moreland Smith (G.D. Spradlin). the renowned coach of Western University’s basketball team, offers Henry a full athletic scholarship, Henry negotiates a pretty good deal for himself. Not only is his education going to be paid for but he also wins a guarantee that he’ll never be cut from the team and that his father will get a car. All Henry has to do is keep his grades up but that shouldn’t be a problem. Sure, Henry appears to be an idiot but the athletic department will set him up with a tutor and, as long as the coach is happy with him, it’s not like Henry’s actually going to have to go to class.
Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Henry picks up a hitchhiker (a very young Melanie Griffith) who promptly robs him of all of his money. Once he arrives at the university, he discovers that Coach Smith is not going to be the surrogate father figure that he was expecting. Instead, Coach Smith is a rather cold and ruthless taskmaster, whose main concern is winning. When Henry, who is by far the shortest player on the team, struggles, Smith tells Henry that he needs to renounce his scholarship and return home. When Henry refuses to do so, Smith becomes obsessed with trying to break him.
As Henry’s roommate, Tom (Cory Faucher), points out, Henry’s head is not in the game. Instead, Henry can’t stop thinking about his tutor, Janet (Annette O’Toole). At first, Janet assumes that Henry is just a dumb jock, largely because Henry’s a jock and he spends the first half of the movie acting really, really dumb. Then, out of nowhere, Henry reveals that he’s not only read Moby Dick but he can quote passages from memory. In fact, Henry even understands that Ahab was — wait for it — obsessed! Oh my God, Janet realizes, Henry’s literate! In fact, Janet exclaims that Henry is the first person she’s met who has actually read Moby Dick! (Really?) Janet and Henry fall in love but, unfortunately, Janet is already dating her psychology professor.
(The professor has got a beard that looks like it reeks of stale weed and he says stuff like, “Have you seen my sandals?,” so we know better than to take him seriously when he compares the popularity of college athletics to the rise of fascism. When Henry accuses him of being a hippie, the professor just smirks and says something condescending. Stupid hippie.)
Will Janet and Henry fall in love? Will Janet dump her unattractive and unappealing boyfriend so she can date Henry? Will Henry manage to pass his classes? Will Henry ever get a chance to prove himself on the court? Will … oh, why even ask these questions? You already know what’s going to happen in this movie. There’s really not a single unexpected moment to be found in One on One. Everything about the film, from the coach’s ruthlessness to Henry’s transformation from idiot to savvy player, feels pre-ordained. It’s a predictable movie but, at the same time, it’s a likable movie. At the start of the film, Benson overplays Henry’s stupidity and O’Toole overplays Janet’s brittleness but, at the film progresses, both performers seem to relax and, by the time the end credits role, they’re actually a fairly likable couple. Benson even gets a killer final line, one that I imagine made audiences in 1977 applaud.
That said, the film is pretty much stolen by G.D. Spradlin. Spradlin was a former Oklahoma oilman who reinvented himself as a politician and then as a character actor. Best known for playing Senator Pat Geary in The Godfather, Part II, Spradlin had a flair for bringing casually corrupt authority figures to life. In One on One, Spradlin turns Coach Smith into a Mephistophelean figure, offering Henry success at the cost of his soul. Coach Smith is arrogant, oily, casually racist, and an all-around jerk but, at the same time, it is also obvious that he knows how to lead a team to victory. The great thing about Spradlin’s performance is to be found in not just how menacing he is but in how charismatic he is. You never doubt that Coach Smith is both a lousy human being and an absolutely brilliant coach. If nothing else, he’s good at his job.
As I said at the start of this review, I am not really sure why I recorded One on One but it turned out to be better than I was expecting. It is a flawed and uneven film but worth watching for Spradlin’s intriguingly villainous turn.
How have I not shared more from Steve Aoki on this site? I have to say that I’m really disappointed with myself. Oh well, hopefully I can start to rectify that mistake today!
Through the Shattered Lens 