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thrashdthoughts · 24 days

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Longlegs (2024)

Rarely EVER does a movie bring me back to an overly air-conditioned, overpriced popcorn, plush but sticky seat in a movie theater for a second time. LONGLEGS required a second viewing. I saw it on Tuesday, and then the next week, I took my parents to see it while visiting. For a few minutes, I had my Mother convinced that she would see a giant spider monster movie (her favorite) until my devious bubble was busted by my Dad, who looked up a trailer.

Nicolas Cage, I remember this version of you, the you who seemed passionate in a role and to truly embrace the talent you have, you before the mid-2000s when your career started the nose-dive. Your squeaky voice, pale face, gruesome grin, and "Longlegs" persona were a slap to the face to those of us who thought we had already seen the best you had to offer. Honestly, both times I watched this movie, I literally broke out in chills and goosebumps. The moment Longlegs starts screaming in the car…..I sunk into my chair, overwhelmed. In the opening scene, where it looks like we are watching through an old home video and I get a tiny glimpse at the face behind the haunting voice, my breath caught, and I held my breath off and on as I tried to put together the bread crumbs so eloquently laid out by director Osgood Perkins.

When I first heard that Longlegs was being compared to Silence of the Lambs, I was instantly concerned. That is a big statement, like a huge statement. I almost chose Twisters that day because I was in no head space to be let down by yet another movie that didn’t hold up to the hype. The "Tomatometer" showed 62% (now at 86%), and Ebert gave it 2 ½ stars. It sounds like a "meh" movie to me, but I do adore a psychological thriller, and my curiosity about all the comments proclaiming Nicolas Cage's best performance was undeniable. And he was, indeed, undeniable. Honestly, it is nice to see him being discussed for his acting, not for his lavish lifestyle and financial ruin. I think he has something: a recognizable voice, an awkward smile, and heartthrob potential in an unconventional cult following sort of way; I've thought this since my first glimpse in "Valley Girl" as a kid. Of course, his look in this film will not rebuild the heartthrob brand, but it might help him get a few more acting gigs, and maybe this time around, he can be a little more picky about it. Perhaps it is his turn to have a career resurgence; I mean, it is totally working for Michael Keaton, so why not Nicolas Cage? Oh, and another nod to Alicia Witt, whom I haven't seen on the screen in a minute and forgot how talented that woman is. Witt is one year older than me and still looks like she is in her twenties. She was iconic in the original "Dune," "Two Weeks Notice," and everyone's favorite, "Twin Peaks." If we are talking about rekindling a cinematic love story with moviegoers, let me point out that Alicia Witt deserves that romance.

This movie could also be a career jump for the female lead, Maika Monroe, whom I had to Google after the movie because she did not look familiar at all. With good reason, she is relatively unknown on the big screen. She has a few horror movies already backing her career (It Follows, Watchers, The Guest) and another in the works; it seems she has a cult following as a "scream queen," but this is the first time I have seen her, and I was impressed. You would have to be blind to not know that Lee Harker was going to figure out all the clues; there was really no intrigue to her character in the plot line; the intrigue is in her deadpan, matter-of-fact, no-nonsense, slightly dark, intuitive, stoic demeanor. She can convey emotion without her face actually showing it, and it is unnerving. Her acting was complex in a pronounced way, which I know sounds weird, but I can't explain it any better. I was cowering in the collar of my coat, watching Harker do the FBI Agent thing, walking with her gun drawn, barely batting an eye; her messy ponytail and uneven bangs, and the suspense was flawless. Actually, it would have been flawless if it weren't for some serious breathing happening. A bit of tension left my body as I was distracted by the freakishly loud breathing, and tension is what makes or breaks a horror movie. I found it distracting, and I wanted to tell the sound editing to tone it down a bit; I get it, she is freaked out, but now my freak out is a little less because her stress breathing is so freaking loud.

While the casting of a movie is essential, people are not the only things that make a movie scary. Props, music, camera angles, and costuming must all be creepy. I was impressed with the authentic creep factor I felt while watching this movie. The movie was set in the 1990s, and a lot of detailed work was put into the props and set. Even the music was 90ish, shout out to the 70s band T. Rex. As a kid of the 80s/90s, my eyes constantly scanned the background to recognize my childhood. All the wood paneling, the picture of President Clinton, and the off coloring of some of the shots, sometimes too dark and sometimes too sepia, reminiscent of horror movies of the 90s. In this way, it really did remind me of the style of "Silence of the Lambs." I wonder what time frame the younger generation think this took place in? The clues to the time are so subtle that you almost had to live in the 90s to recognize them. The 90's fashion may be making its way back into the stores, but we will always have wood paneling upon wood paneling, corded phones on the desk, the double-layered thermal and shirt combo, and Polaroids taken by a clunky camera, not the cutesy cameras and tiny polaroid pictures of today.

Attention to detail regarding the time era was appreciated, but the view through the camera was truly spectacular. The cinematography of this movie was genuinely stunning and fascinating. At times, the viewer is watching something that resembles a home movie. At other times, the coloring and mood change, and the viewer lands in the shadows. There was an artistic vision, and it hit home with me. The camera angles told more to the story at time, in my opinion, than the script and acting. It was beautifully shot. I knew I was in for an exciting ride when the opening credits (in true 90's fashion, by the way) started. Bravo to Andres Arochi's vision. I am positive that he is why I still see glimpses of this movie in my head several weeks after seeing it.

Speaking of glimpses, evidently, some "easter eggs" are peppered throughout the movie. I've seen it twice but didn't notice most of them. I love a good easter egg hunt, and I did notice the Annabelle doll, the similarities in the settings to "Silence of the Lambs" and a butterfly poster, there was a mention of the Manson murders, a Volkswagen beetle that could have nodded to Ted Bundy, I mean, we could spend hours unpacking the potential cinematic references to all things demonic and all things serial killer. There are pages and pages of people trying to decode all the potential nods. Oz Perkins does reveal publicly to several sources that there is an abundance of hidden appearances made by the Devil throughout the movie, there is a lot of talk about it, but I think tons of people on Reddit are trying to make something bigger out of a simple movie.

And that is the gist of it. While the cinematography uses consistently lowered angles, adding complexity to the viewing, the attention to props and sets add depth, and there is no doubt that Nicolas Cage and Maiko Monroe created an uncomfortable relationship with the viewers; the reality is that the story is simple. If a psychological thriller/horror movie has too many storylines, we lose the one thing that creates fear, our imagination. My imagination still comes back to this movie, and it is awesome because that's when I knew it was worth watching on the big screen, twice.

****SPOILER ALERT***THRASH'D THOUGHTS ALTERNATIVE ENDING****

One of the most surprising moments I had was when I realized that Kiernan Shipka had a small role (that, in my opinion, should have been bigger; she freaked me the f*** out, honestly), and at the end of the movie, I was left thinking her character and her acting was sublimely underutilized. In my rewrite of this movie, I would have given her a more significant piece of the Longlegs script. She wouldn't just steal the spotlight from one scene; she would steal the whole movie. I mean, the doll doesn't die. Honestly, the whole doll aspect of the movie, trying to add some supernatural spin, was awkward. It is the one thing in the movie that I really felt should have been explored further, it was a big detail that I think was supposed to tie up loose strings and explain away trauma, but it just didn’t really make sense to me. Anyways, the doll doesn’t die, and in my opinion, this is a nod to one of my all-time favorite franchises (speaking of trying to find easter eggs), "The Omen," in which the demon wins repeatedly. Harker leaves the house with the birthday girl but not with the doll, and who better to come in at the end to pick up that doll, cradle it in her arms, kiss it on the forehead just like Longlegs, and deadpan to a very flirtatious with death camera angle with a whisper "Hail Satan." Cut! Sequel anyone? If anyone could pull off another version of the Longlegs, the once comatose Carrie with the thick accent and the Just-Happy-As Peaches attitude could.

#horror movies #movie review #movies #longlegs 2024 #nicolas cage #maika monroe #kiernan shipka #serial killer

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ladysophiebeckett · 2 years

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me watching everyone tear netflix’s persuasion apart as i hide alicia witt’s ‘modern persuasion’ (2020) behind my back.

#modern gurlz vid didnt even mention it #i honestly dont think she knows about it #i dont think anybody knows about it #alicia witt get behind me

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eliseadamar · 3 years

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alicia vikander . cis woman . she/her . wasn’t that elise adamar walking the palace grounds ? it’s nice to see the master scholar out and about on such a fine day as this. i’ve heard from the court spies that they notoriously guarded, whilst also managing to be quite quick-witted. the thirty two year old is eager to find out who exactly is behind the killings from what’s being said at court. i heard that they themselves are vrajiit ( water & blood manipulation ). it’s funny, whenever i think of them, i think of late nights spent at the library, the smell of blown out candles, faint laughter lines adorning tired eyes. great to see the engima around, isn’t it ?

LINKS:

FULL BIOGRAPHY. SONGS I LISTENED TO WHILE WRITING IT: I, II, III PINTEREST.

SUMMARY:

tw: kidnapping, physical torture, pyschological torture, murder

Elise was born in Crysala and was well educated, having the goal to become a Scholar one day. Her parents were supportive and she had an incredibly close relationship with her brother Dorian. She was supposed to be this shiny, bright girl who’d contribute to society in the best ways possible. She was seventeen when her ability manifested and not wanting to go to the Academy and join the army, her brother and her ran away together. They were captivated by a Vrajiit hating group, wanting to kill them both but changing their mind once Elise displayed her power of blood manipulation. Torturing her into submission, Elise became a killing machine for years, taking lives for someone else’s cause. Eventually she was found by the King’s men but instead of executing her for killing Vrajiit, he decided to keep her around due to her useful powers. No one knows about her past and she’s now the master scholar, hiding her ability to manipulate blood due to the King’s request.

SOME HEADCANONS:

Has horrific nightmares which often keep her up. She really doesn’t get enough sleep and sometimes it shows. Feel free to call her out on those dark circles under her eyes. We love attention to details.

If you piss her off, she’ll let it simmer for a while and then spray you with water when you least expect it.

Other than the obvious issues, she’s a great friend to have. Really patient and kind but will call you out on your bullshit (aka take the hint and become her friend)

Has a great amount of scars she likes to hide with clothing but sometimes she slips up and they show. It’s probably known at this point that she’s covered in faint silver lines which tel a store she’s not willing to share.

RANDOM WANTED PLOTS:

Elise was always close with her family and she misses them dearly. So maybe she became protective over your character and they developed a sibling-like relationship. She’d stand up for them and be understanding when they mess up, probably cover for them no matter how bad it gets.

Give me someone who hates her guts. Just for any reason. I want the drama. The angst. The more hurtful, the better.

Elise is convinced no one but the King knows about her past but maybe someone was asked by the King to keep a closer eye on her due to the recent killings, telling them about her in the process. So maybe they are spending more time together now and when she finds out it was because of a task and not genuine interest, she’ll be really hurt.

I’d love someone who just loves hanging out with her and talk about things. Elise is really smart and has a lot of opinions. Someone who’s well educated and can match her witts, challenging her in the process would be such a helpful and lowkey healing situation for her.

Someone from back home she can bond with and share stories with. Just making her feel like she’s younger and the world is somehow okay and not everything is bad.

#warborn.intro #make a drinking game out of my spelling errors and I'll have you f-ed up in no time for sure

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tvmoviechristmas · 5 years

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This Might As Well Happen: A Comprehensive Diary of Christmas Con

In early October, I was discussing the upcoming BravoCon, a celebration of Bravolebrities with my baby sister, Kerri, who was shocked nobody in my family wanted to go. I was trying to explain to her that it was both super popular and super expensive, when suddenly she interrupted with an idea.

“You know what would be crazy,” Kerri announces, “What if Hallmark had a convention? Hallmark Con! Would you go?”

"Kerri, they would hold Christmas Con in like Missouri, where Hallmark headquarters are,” I noted pretty quickly, “And I’m not paying to get a plane ticket to pay to see Lacey Chabert in passing. I’m not taking the time off work for that trip, that’s insane.”

“But it would match your brand!” she exclaimed, “You love Hallmark!”

“I don’t love Hallmark enough to get on a plane, but it probably won’t happen for years anyway.”

A week later Christmas Con was announced. It was taking place fifteen minutes away from where I live. For a second, I genuinely believed the universe had the ability to fuck with us personally.

The idea of buying a ticket for Christmas Con was a passing idea in my head, but it was not an item that was on the top of my to-do list because I had tons of other things to worry about. I was working full-time and taking certificate classes at night. I was in the middle of moving apartments and trying to sort through. organize and pack all the stuff. I was desperately trying to get my older sister to answer my texts about whether or not the facial stabbing that occurred in It: Chapter Two was handled realistically because she is a doctor and why become a doctor if not to answer my questions about injuries in pop culture?

Things were crazy, and Christmas Con was just not a priority. I figured I had time to decide if I really wanted to go anyway. Christmas Con would not have that much of a demand, right?

Wrong. Christmas Con sold out in minutes. I figured I could potentially shoot my shot on obtaining a press pass (I do have three fans and a write-up in the Chicago Tribune!), but once again, I was like “this can wait for a couple of days”. There were other things to do!

It could not wait for my sister, Kerri, though. There was nothing she wanted more than for me to go to Christmas Con. So she went on Instagram and DMed them questions about how to get a press pass before sending me what felt like a billion texts on how she promised the Christmas Con organizers that I was going to send them an e-mail to get a press pass that day and that she was going to pray that I get one because it was my destiny because it was fifteen minutes away and I run a made-for-TV Christmas movie blog. Do you want to fight destiny, Kace? Do you?

I guess I did not. So I e-mailed in my request, was somehow approved for a media pass, and subsequently lied to a billion people about what my plans for the weekend of November 8th were because nobody I worked with needed to know I was going to Christmas Con.

But that’s where I was going. As Kerri told me, “you’re a Christmas movie expert! That’s where you are supposed to be!”

FRIDAY

4:08 PM - According to the last minute e-mail I received from the Christmas Con organizers, the convention is supposed to open to the media at 4:30 PM. However, one of my two talents is getting hopelessly lost going anywhere, so I leave my apartment at around 3:40 PM and arrive at the convention around 4:00 PM. The parking lot looks deserted when I arrive and I briefly wonder if I am at the right location, but then I spot some ladies seemingly tailgating the event in winter wear. This spectacle gives me the inkling that I am probably close to where I am supposed to be.

I figure that I might as well enter the con sign-in area a little earlier because I have a vague worry that the media line might be messy; however, the process of checking in is generally quick and painless. It probably helps that there was absolutely no line whatsoever. Even though I am terrified that someone to tell me that they made a mistake and it is ludicrous that a tumblr blog is getting a press pass to anything, I am actually given a media badge and waved into the hall.

I check my phone. It is only 4:08 PM. Immediately, I am frightened at the prospect that some security guard is going to yell at me for being in the convention area early, but after taking a deep breath I just decided to roll with it. It’s Christmas Con! We are all supposed to love each other! That’s the Hallmark way!

As I walk into the convention center, “Sleigh Ride” begins to blast on the sound system. Since “Sleigh Ride” is my least favorite Christmas song, my guard is immediately raised. Hopefully, the music choice is not a harbinger of bad things to come at Christmas Con.

4:25 PM - I decide to mill about in the empty autograph area to get an idea of what Hallmark “celebrities” are going to be signing at the event. While attempting to get a picture of an Erin Krakow banner, I hear a door burst open and someone shouting “Lace! Lace! Lace!” from behind me.

Immediately, I become paranoid, scared that some con organizer is yelling “Kace! Kace! Kace!” because they know I am not supposed to be in the autograph area before the place opens. Maybe they also read my blog, and realized that maybe they do not want someone who doesn’t fully buy into Hallmark’s conservative message roaming around their event.

After ten excruciating seconds, my brain clicks back into place and I turn around to realize that it is just Jonathan Bennett having a dramatic Mean Girls reunion with Lacey Chabert before the event starts. Sometimes sneaking into areas you shouldn’t be in is worth it, even if it does spike your anxiety. That’s how you get exclusive content.

4:31 PM - As the clock hits 4:30 PM and the VIP pass holders storm in, I become a little more comfortable at the notion of hanging around Christmas Con and start to roam around the hall. The vendor area is a lot smaller than I expected and I did not expect it to be all that big in the first place. In total, there are about 20 booths set up, and a solid chunk of them aren’t even selling anything. The items that are being sold in the hall are not exactly what I expected either. One vendor is selling what seems to be a bunch of top hats. Another is selling cooking sauces. Surprisingly, there are only a couple of vendors actually selling Christmas decorations. Earlier in the week I had withdrawn cash from the bank with the idea that I might be able to buy something while I was at Christmas Con, but *spoiler alert* my cash balance stays the same throughout the entire three days of the event.

The centerpiece of the vendor area is a photobooth set up by Hallmark where you can take various kitschy pictures (in a snowglobe! by a fireplace!) while muted advertisements for their upcoming original movie slate and streaming service play in the background. It also is an area where you can look at a hilarious collection of framed screenshots and promotional photos of Hallmark’s crop of “celebrities”, which is my personal favorite part of the experience. Nothing says Christmas like a framed photo of Candace Cameron Bure peeking around a door!

4:43 PM - As the convention starts to warm up, a lot of the “celebrities” are just walking around the vendor area . Nikki DeLoach jumps into a snowglobe picture with some random fans. Holly Robinson Peete films the Hallmark booth on her phone, while Rachel Boston tries to take a picture of the giant Christmas Con banner hanging over the autograph area. I am sure that this is the part of the experience is supposed to make the VIP experience worth it. You pay a lot of money to come in a half hour early, and maybe a Hallmark “celebrity” will walk by you as you take a picture holding a “I Love Hallmark Movies!” pillow.

5:12 PM - The crowd starts to pour into the vendor hall as Christmas Con officially opens to the public and I instantly become a little scared. The Christmas Con crowd is not my crowd. I watch made-for-TV Christmas movies for the snark. They watch made-for-TV Christmas movies for the sentiment. I was genuinely dismayed when my mom bought me a Hallmark movie sweatshirt. They were theirs with pride. I get hives at the idea of paying money to take a selfie with anyone. They are all here to wait in line to take pictures with Lacey Chabert. Their idea of Hallmark-based small talk is discussing with each other how glad they are that Alicia Witt is here because they loved A Very Merry Mix-Up. My idea of of Hallmark-based small talk is ranting about how It: Chapter 2 could air on Hallmark if you really wanted it to. The plotlines are similar!

No, seriously! A woman in her early 40s, successful in her career but with the Wrong Guy, returns to her hometown after a tragic event to settle unfinished business. There she meets a friend from her childhood (played by a blandly attractive CW actor) who has been in love with her all along, and whose entire character is based around this love. He works with his hands and can build things! There are some missteps but eventually they kiss once and live happily ever after. On the sidelines,t here is a black friend mainly there to provide exposition and a gay friend who the writers aren’t really explicit about being gay. You put in some snow in the background and you can air it on Hallmark on Christmas Eve! It is uncanny!

Nobody at Christmas Con would care though, so I figure that this would be the time to check out the empty panel area. Right in front of the panel stage are a bunch of entries for a gingerbread house decorating contest that was being held on Sunday.

Yeah, the Christmas Con people are not my crowd.

5:30 PM - “Sleigh Ride” plays for the second time and I begin to think that maybe Christmas Con is against me.

5:51 PM - A lady sits down next to me in the panel area, which is still basically deserted. “Did you expect there to be more?” she asks me.

I flash my media badge at her. “Honestly, I didn’t pay for this so I can’t be disappointed.”

“I’m just happy I didn’t fly in from North Carolina for this because that would feel like a real waste.”

I just hum noncommittally in response.

5:57 PM - “There’s no bad Hallmark movie!” I overhear a woman telling a reporter.

Well, that person isn’t reading my blog.

6:07 PM - Christmas Con is supposed to officially start with a tree lighting ceremony. The crowd gathers around in tree in the autograph area to see the event, but for the most part all you can see is people trying to take pictures.

Santa comes out with little fanfare and no announcement. It is a stark difference to Jonathan Bennett, who comes in with a huge announcement that includes a list of all of his credentials (there aren’t many, he’s only been in one Hallmark movie). According to the Christmas Con materials, he is hosting the event. I am not exactly sure what that means but apparently it involves him leading the crowd in a call-and-response version of “Deck the Halls”.

“It’s what this is all about!” he tells the crowd after they oblige him.

After that bit of hyping, Bennett decides to introduce the true star of the convention and so-called “Queen of Christmas”, Lacey Chabert. They do not waste any time after she is brought out and they light the tree. It’s hard to feel magical about all of this because it is impossible to see.

Bennett’s hosting tells me that we’re having a good time though. “Hey Santa,” he asks, “Did you know New Jersey could be so much fun??”

6:51 PM - After the tree lighting ceremony, I go back to the panel area to finish my soda before bouncing. My escape plans are dashed by a staff worker promises me that they are going to start the trivia game soon. I did not ask her if it was, but I feel obligated to stay now so to not disappoint her.

7:01 PM - Before the trivia game starts I glance at the stage and realize that one of the podcasters is livestreaming the room to their Instagram feeds.

“Oh fuck,” I mutter to myself, “Are they taking a picture of us?”

“Yes, they want to see how bored we are,” the lady sitting next to me responds.

7:06 PM - The trivia game starts about fifteen minutes after the staffer promised me it would. It promises to be full of talent from “smash hit Hallmark podcasts”, a concept that sounds fake to me but is real enough to Christmas Con.

I make it about fifteen minutes in before I realize that watching other people answer “True or False” questions about Christmas isn’t incredibly fun when you don’t care all that much about the Christmas holiday itself. So I decide to duck out, hoping I don’t look like a complete jackass for doing so.

7:30 PM - Before I leave for the night, I take a lap around the autograph area to see how its going. It is going incredibly well for Lacey Chabert who has a line so long that the convention organizers announce that she will be staying 45 minutes after the event closes for the night. Only Lacey Chabert is making that courtesy though, which seems fair because nobody else is commanding much of a line.

In terms of bang for your buck, meeting up with “celebrity” who is not Lacey Chabert seems like the smart choice. The other guests seem to be having somewhat long conversations with the one or two people waiting in line for them, and if conventions like these are feeling like you are close to celebrities, isn’t that the experience you want?

A part of me feels guilty that these “celebrities” are just sitting around not doing much of anything, and it almost made me want to spend money on meeting them just so they would have something to do. Then I think about it for three seconds, and remember that 1) I hate meeting “celebrities” and 2) I do not make enough to justify spending money on lifting the self-esteem of “celebrity” strangers. So I leave that idea behind and leave the building for the night.

—

SATURDAY

11:30 AM - My Saturday morning class lets out early, so I make it to the convention center about an hour earlier than expected. It is much more crowded today. I’m assuming it’s because there is going to be more to do aside from watching a crowd watch a tree light up. My plan is to just park myself in the panel room all day.

I ask a staffer where media is supposed to line-up for panels. She tells me she has no idea, but she will ask and let me know shortly. She leaves and I watch her talk to people for a couple of minutes. She doesn’t turn around. I keep waiting and waiting before I realize that she is never coming back. I wasn’t getting answers, but I settle for buying a $6.00 cappuccino instead. I’ll figure it out.

11:42 AM - The first panel of the day is billed as a reunion of former All My Children stars Melissa Claire Egan and Cameron Mathison. I find myself sitting next to a family who are very excited at this prospect.

“We are going to be breathing the same air Cameron Mathison is,” the teen girl cries in excitement to a woman I would assume is her mother.

“In a way, we already are,” the possible mother excitedly whispers back.

As they continue to vibrate in excitement, “Sleigh Ride” plays in the convention center for the third time and I groan to myself. At least someone’s happy.

11:56 AM - Cameron Mathison has been spotted by the family and excitement abounds, but not for his shirt.

“Shouldn’t he be festive?” the possible mother asks about his all black ensemble.

“Well, he has to take a lot of pictures.” the teen notes back.

12:05 PM - All of the panels are hosted by the co-hosts of Bubbly Sesh, Hallmark’s official podcast. They bounce on to the stage before telling the crowd how excited they are to be there.

“We are with our tribe. Our team. A room full of Hallmark fans!” they say to a crowd of cheers.

I also cheer. Mainly, because I finally got the Wi-Fi to work on my laptop after a half hour of fruitless efforts to maintain a connection. But they don’t need to know that.

12:07 PM - I learn a lot about Cameron Mathison during the first few minutes of his panel. Apparently, he is the new host of Hallmark’s Home & Family talk show. He also was diagnosed with cancer in the past year, but is now in remission. And he is the apparent “king” of Hallmark Christmas movies, according to the BubblySesh podcast hosts, but that last fact seems debatable to me.

Mathison also claims during the panel that starring in The Christmas Club, an upcoming Hallmark holiday movie, is what made him realize that he needed to push his doctor for a cancer diagnosis. So Hallmark can apparently save lives.

12:14 PM - Before the Q&A starts, the BubblySesh podcast hosts tell the audience to keep the questions free of the “nitty gritty”. The want everyone to stick to Christmas and careers! It’s a real bummer because it means I have to scrap my plans to ask everyone what would happen if you got stabbed in the cheek, as that would probably be too gritty.

The Q&A stays relatively tame throughout. The most exciting it gets is when an audience member brings up the idea of doing a Hallmark All-Stars movie. The lady sitting next to me is excited about that concept! I wonder if Hallmark would have the budget to pull off a Love, Actually. I doubt it.

Every panel wraps up with the BubblySesh announcing that “it’s time for the BubblySesh Pop Culture Quiz!!!”. This quiz is less of a quiz and more just general Christmas based questions with a grating announcement beforehand. This announcement would become more grating every time I heard it (and it was at nearly every panel). At the time though, I wasn’t aware how haunted I would be by this “game”. It was still early in the day.

1:07 PM - Next up on the day’s schedule is a scarcely attended panel about Christmas podcasts, a podcast genre that is apparently more bustling than I would have ever expected. All the panelists (of which there are way too many) are enthusiastic about how well their podcasts are doing and give the crowd advice on how to start their own because, as they say, you can never have too many Christmas podcasts.

I never expected to get a motivational speech about how I could start a Christmas podcast if only I believed in myself, but then again I never expected to be at Christmas Con.

2:10 PM - The marquee panel of Christmas Con is up next, which is a Mean Girls reunion featuring Lacey Chabert and Jonathan Bennet. This panel is less of a Hallmark panel and more of a Mean Girls panel, and it takes all of five seconds for “so fetch” to be referenced.

The most Mean Girls detail of the panel though is how Jonathan Bennett latches on to Lacey Chabert. He spends the entire panel looking for every opportunity to compliment “Lacey Chabert”, and he always uses her full name.

“Everyone on the Mean Girls set was constantly cracking up because Lacey Chabert was so funny.”

“Lacey Chabert cooked everyone a Thanksgiving meal while we were shooting Mean Girls, and she is a great cook!”

“Lacey Chabert is the sweetest.”

I half wait for him to announce how one time Lacey Chabert punched him in the face, and it was awesome. I have no idea why he thinks this hypeman routine is necessary, since Lacey Chabert has been commanding the longest autograph lines by a sizable margin and the hardest question she gets from the audience is “Why are you so nice?” I do wish I had a Jonathan Bennett in my life though. It must feel nice to be constantly complimented. I guess that’s why people aim to be the Queen Bee though, isn’t it?

2:32 PM - In what is clearly supposed to be Christmas Con’s buzziest moment, Daniel Franzese, who played Damian in Mean Girls comes up on stage to start delivering candygrams to surprise of the audience and the panel. Lacey Chabert starts to cry, while Jonathan Bennett screams.

After a couple more questions, Bennett tells everyone to take out their phones and begins to perform the opening of the “Jingle Bell Rock” dance to the room. Another potentially buzzy moment from a convention that desperately needs some.

3:08 PM - Up next is an odd assortment of a panel featuring Nikki DeLoach, Alicia Witt, Holly Robinson Peete and Chad Michael Murray’s southern drawl. The last one confused me because I was pretty sure Chad Michael Murray had not spoken with a pronounced southern drawl before. I text my younger sister, Tara, a noted One Tree Hill fan if he had a drawl on the show and she tells me he did not. So why is he suddenly Southern? He also seems to have a hatred for chairs, and spends a majority of the panel trying to desperately slide off his.

3:23 PM - During the routine question about Christmas traditions, Nikki DeLoach gives an emotional answer about her young son requiring multiple heart surgeries and that her experience in the hospital taught her the importance of charity and giving back to the community during the holiday season.

Somewhat hilariously after that, everyone else on the panel announces that of course they are going to be doing more charity work this holiday season. Are they being genuine? Who can say. But you certainly can’t give a rote answer about how your favorite tradition is decorating the tree after a fellow panelist tears up about her experience giving toilet paper to the less fortunate and how it impacted her life. Nobody wants to look like a jerk.

4:07 PM - The last panel of the day features Jackee and Melissa Joan Hart, and the room is barely empty. As someone would inform me the following day, “it’s because they are more Lifetime than Hallmark Christmas movie stars”.

Lack of Hallmark “celebrities” aside, it is a great capper to the day. Hart provides a decent amount of insight on the made-for-TV movie making process, and Jackee is just a fun personality to watch.

The panel concludes with someone asking what’s a fun fact that someone wouldn’t know about them. Jackee answers that she is still having sex.

Good for her. It is a solid note to end the day on, as I decide to skip out on the upcoming Ugly Sweater Contest to go back home. Six hours of Christmas Con is enough Christmas Con for the day.

—

SUNDAY

8:31 AM - Early in the morning, there is a press line available for the media to attend if they have any questions for the Hallmark “celebrities”. I decide to skip that because the only question I need answers to is what happens when you get stabbed in the cheek (my older sister still has not gotten back to me on that), and I don’t think anyone who stars in a Christmas movie is going to have a satisfactory answer.

As I lay in bed, I briefly consider not going back to Christmas Con at all, but then I finally get a response from the super about the cockroach I found in my bedroom the night before. Turns out they are bugbombing the place, and I need to be out of the apartment for five hours.

So back to Christmas Con I go.

10:30 AM - Christmas Con Day 3 is a weird place. Lacey Chabert is no longer the celebrity commanding the longest line, because former General Hospital star Ryan Paevey is there and his line is an hour and a half long. I am informed it is because he is hot.

Even stranger is the fact that there is a twenty minute line to get a picture with a snowman balloon. I know there’s not much to do at Christmas Con but that seemed to be pushing the bounds of reason to me. But I suppose these are the new rules of Christmas Con.

10:52 AM - The people in the VIP line for the Danica McKellar and Rachel Boston panel are give me a rundown of how the autograph queue works.

“You have to have your priorities in order!” they tell me before explaining that they got to the con at 9 AM to make sure to get their photo with Ryan Paevey. “He’s so handsome!!!”

They also explain that they find their VIP passes useful in snagging all the autographs their hearts desire. I say that that’s good because the VIP access the media badge allows me to have just seems useless for panels, which have never reached capacity.

“Yes, they have!” a lady tells me, “There are always people hanging out back past the barrier trying to look in!”

I don’t have the heart to inform her that those people are just in line waiting for food and that as someone who has attended every single panel, I have always noticed empty seats.

Later on in the conversation, I try to express concern that some of the panels have been too random a selection of “celebrities” who have no chemistry with each other and make for an awkward time. The group disagrees with my assessment.

“Actually, they are all great friends. Did you not hear Jonathan Bennett call it Christmas Camp earlier? Do you follow him on Instagram? He’s been playing pranks on Lacey Chabert! It’s hilarious!”

Have I said that Christmas Con is not my crowd?

11:02 AM - Before the panels for the day start, “Sleigh Ride” plays for the fourth time. Apparently, no Christmas Con day can start without it.

11:16 AM - The panel line-up for the day starts with a panel with Danica McKellar and Rachel Boston. Someone informs them that they always have chemistry with their leading men, a fact which is news to me, a person who watched both McKellar act through one of the worst on screen kisses of all time in one of her June Wedding movies and Boston *mwah* her way through Ice Sculpture Christmas.

“We have kissed most of the men here,” Boston noted in response before listing the con guests she’s done movies with throughout her time on Hallmark. There’s one person she realizes that she and McKellar have yet to kiss though. “Not Ryan Paevey.”

“He’s next!” McKellar decides. That gets a decent response from the crowd, because he’s good looking!

11:48 AM - “Sleigh Ride” starts up again as the panel closes. It has now played five times, which is five times too many in my opinion.

11:59 AM - The people sitting behind me at the writer’s panel are already preparing for next year’s Christmas Con. It goes to show you that not everyone hates being here. It’s a mixed response!

The writer’s panel is probably one of the more interesting ones because it’s one of the few about the process of creating made-for-TV Christmas movies. Of course, it means that barely anybody is there.

The few of us who manage to attend the panel have the chance to snag a “I Love Hallmark Christmas Movies” wristband from one of the writers. She gives me two.

1:49 PM - After the writer’s panel is supposed to be the gingerbread contest judging, which I figure is a good enough time to take one last lap around the vendor hall.

Ryan Paevey is still commanding an hour and a half line for autographs, but thankfully people are no longer waiting to take a picture with a balloon snowman. The booth selling Christmas romance novels has gone out of stock, but they give me their last advertising card. The outside world has discovered that nobody is monitoring the screen that displays #ChristmasCon2019 tweets so I spend a few minutes watching the spam tweets they are sending it’s way. It’s beginning to look a lot like Jeffrey Epstein was murdered here on the Christmas Con big screen!

One booth is trying to sell one of the “I Love Hallmark Christmas Movies!” wristbands for two dollars each, which is a total scam because other booths are giving them away for free. So I step in and give one of the ones I got at the writer’s panel to the elderly woman who is about to buy one. Those vendors probably do not like me, but I did not come to Christmas Con to make friends. I came to escape my bugbombed apartment.

Speaking of, I am desperate to go home but a phone call informs me that I can’t go home until 4:00 PM. Two more hours of Christmas Con for me it is.

2:06 PM - After the gingerbread contest, but before the start of the When Calls the Heart panel a bell choir, who is not on the schedule, randomly performs. As I sit there wishing my apartment was bugfree so I could sleep in it, I hear loud and raucous cheers start up. I turn to the person next to me and ask if they know where the noise is coming from, and they tell me that there is a wine glass convention happening next door.

As the party at the wine glass convention seems to rage on, I wonder if that’s where I should be instead. It would certainly keep me awake, and well, I broke some of my wine glasses during my move. It could be helpful!

2:18 PM - The When Calls the Heart panel is incredibly confusing to sit through for many reasons. First of all, I don’t watch the show, so every plot point mentioned just leaves me nodding as I try to pretend I am an avid viewer who cares. Second of all, I keep zoning out and zoning back in to the panel and every time I do it, something weird seems to be happening. Sometimes Paul Greene is trying to lead a sing-a-long of “White Christmas”. Sometimes Jack Wagner is wondering what the plot of When Calls the Heart actually is.

The most confusing aspect of the panel though is Greene’s button situation. Apparently, he thought that Christmas Con was the place to forget to button up. Maybe he’s trying to keep up with Ryan Paevey. Did you hear that he’s hot?

3:07 PM - The final panel of the event is the alleged “Hunks of Hallmark” panel. However, it is announced that Ryan Paevey is too hunky to be there, because he has a seemingly endless autograph queue and that’s where the real convention money is anyway. So we have to settle for Jesse Metcalfe and Andrew Walker, who has just arrived from JuiceCon. This fact delights the Q&Aers, and in what is supposed to be a hilarious bit we are all in on, everyone brings up the fact that Andrew Walker has a juice business when they come to the microphone.

At this juncture, I feel like a kid sitting in their final class of the day waiting for the bell to ring. Sure, we might be having fun bringing up juice all the time, but also it’s time to go home. And after one final joint scream of “It’s time for the BubblySesh Pop Culture Quiz!!!”, we are free to leave.

3:52 PM - The panel closes and immediately “Sleigh Ride” queues up for the sixth time of the convention. If ever there was a sign for me to go home, it is that.

3:59 PM - As I drive the fifteen minutes back to my apartment, I call my mother. She asks me if I had fun at Christmas Con, and I genuinely don’t know how to answer.

“It was a thing that I did,” I ramble. “It was an experience. I think I would have been mad if I paid for any part of it or if I had to travel further than fifteen minutes. But I didn’t. And even the parking was free, so all I lost is time, which doesn’t account for much really, I guess.. And well, it’s a story. Plus, it’s my brand.”

And who am I to deny a universe that wants me to live up to my brand in new weird, free-to-me ways? If Christmas Con was good for anything, I guess it was that.

#christmas con #other treats

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aspiringpolymath · 6 years

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Hallmark Christmas Movies . . . Why Can’t I Quit You?

Like, I mostly disdain them. The vast majority of them are an enigmatic miasma of boring and terrible. But there are some decent ones in the mix, and @tvmoviechristmas nails it by basically saying they are the white noise of the holiday season. Put them on in the background while you clean, do laundry, decorate your house, bake cookies, or do any of the dozens of corny Christmas activities they make characters do in these teleplays. (No, actually. Don’t go skating or sledding or have a spontaneous snow ball fight.)

So far this season (and it ISN’T EVEN DECEMBER) I’ve watched the following movies:

(And let me just explain that I was on vacation visiting my in-laws and there was little else to do for the last 4-5 days):

It’s Christmas, Eve (starring LeAnn Rimes) - Of the two country singers-turned-Hallmark actresses this season, LeAnn is the better actor. But that’s NOT SAYING MUCH. Another ‘save the school’ scenario, this wasn’t bad, just unrealistic. I wish the writers/producers would spend, like, four hours of research time so that they didn’t get all excited that the community raised $20,000 dollars for the music program. (Even crappy school districts pay their music teachers a lot more than that.) However, it’s not the worst Hallmark movie I’ve seen this week.

Christmas at Graceland (or ‘Graycelin’ as Kellie Pickler has it) - Oof. This one might take the prize for worst movie of the season. Kellie Pickler CANNOT act. The girl cast as her daughter? Not much better. They did get the rights to a bunch of Elvis songs and filmed out front of the actual Graceland, apparently, in exchange for being a travelogue about the Graceland resort. But for a format where they don’t have enough time to do multiple takes or teach people to act, they had to cobble together the best of a bad lot (and even incorporate some flashbacks, a sure sign they were struggling to make the minimum length) to make a bad movie.

Christmas at Pemberley Manor AND

Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe - Listing these two together because they are both supposed to be P & P inspired stories. I think Hallmark sort of vaguely gets that Pride and Prejudice is a foundational inspiration for much of the romance genre, but just CAN’T bring themselves to insert even an ounce of manufactured ire or animosity into their movies, even for plot’s sake. In CaPM, there is a mild confrontation in the first fifteen minutes, but it is quickly resolved and then they’re cozy for the rest of the show.

In PPM, we get Lacey Chabert, who MUST have a clause in her contract stating that she can never be portrayed as anything other than sweet, humble, and/or beatific, because even as an investment trader, she’s thoroughly decent, kind and DULL AS DISHWATER. Brendan Penny provides a nice foil and is good eye candy, but again, there’s no THERE there between these two. They’re supposed to be antagonists, and they spend about 0.7 seconds being less than moon-eyed over each other.

Christmas Joy - One I actually liked!!! Miracle of miracles. There was a plot point that bothered me greatly, however. Joy has to come ‘home’ to North Carolina, because her aunt has broken/sprained her foot SO BADLY that she’s admitted to the hospital, and ends up having to go to a rehab center an hour away for a WEEK, but when she’s released, she uses a cane for one scene, and then we never see it again. Could they not have rented a boot for continuity?

That bit aside, I actually really liked the two leads. They had good chemistry and infused some snappiness that most Hallmark movies lack.

Road to Christmas - Actually, ANOTHER one I liked! You’ve got some more well-known actors in this one, and they elevate the material. Road trip movies are hard to mess up (but believe me, they have), and the interstitial animations of the car driving the route are really adorable. ALSO, we have a secondary character who is HEAVILY CODED as gay, which was both refreshing and frustrating (JUST SAY IT.)

Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa - This was another big MEH for me. Last year’s Christmas in Evergreen was pretty unobjectionable and enjoyable, but this didn’t really build on that story. It was just another story set in the same town with a few of the same characters. They only got Ashley Williams back for a couple scenes (but I did like the line about how she and her boyfriend were only now figuring out their relationship after months of long distance--a refreshing shot of realism.) Overall, it was cloying and the child actor was not . . . great.

Christmas at the Palace - I don’t generally like royal-themed movies, and this was no exception. (The exceptions are: Crown for Christmas and I’m sure there’s at least one other one . . . ooh, the one where the princess comes to New York and wants to be anonymous is pretty good.)

I also don’t love skating movies, and this was both. A royal skating movie. Merritt Patterson is too smooth for my liking. She’s not a terrible actress like some Hallmark stars, but she just doesn’t stretch herself much. Another movie where I liked the secondary romance better than the first.

Reunited at Christmas - This one wasn’t bad! I liked the switch up of the characters getting engaged right away, but the heroine getting cold feet. It was a real to pretend to real relationship journey. There were real motivations behind the characters’ actions, and the secondary characters had unexpected depth.

Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane - I’ve got to give it to them for getting an ACTUAL historic home for this one (if you want to read about my Hallmark-induced aneurysm from last year). I have such mixed feelings about Alicia Witt in these. I feel like she’s both winking at the camera and playing along into the treacly-ness. And I have to say, Colin Ferguson doesn’t seem like the right kind of guy to be in one of these. It felt like he had to take a deep breath before every take and be like, “OK, guess I’m still doing this!” This was . . . massively fine.

A Godwink Christmas - Gaaaahhhhh. When I saw who was starring in this movie, I got excited. Kimberly Sustad and Paul Campbell are two of my favorite Hallmark stalwarts, and I think they could ONE DAY make a genuinely cute movie together. However, I should have known by the title and the presence of KATHIE LEE GIFFORD that this was gonna be . . . not good. It was lawful neutral: really, just not much of anything. “Inspired by a true story”? Oh, really? Is it one of those stories you start to tell at lunch with your friends before you’ve really thought about HOW you’ll tell it and then the waiter comes to take your order right as you get to the only interesting part of it and by the time you get your appetizers everyone has forgotten about it? One of those stories? Because I could believe that.

Non-Hallmark movies:

Christmas Contract (Lifetime) - Legitimately cute, and set in Louisiana, so they didn’t have to spray that stupid soap/foam everywhere.

(part of) Every Day is Christmas (Lifetime) - Didn’t need to watch more than 40% to get it was a bobo version of a version of A Christmas Carol.

Christmas Perfection (Lifetime) - This was a strange brew of Groundhog Day and Freaky Friday, sort of. It’s always weird when they try to add a sci-fi twist to Christmas that doesn’t include Santa. It actually felt like a throwback to an early 2000s holiday movie vibe. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it, but I also didn’t quite like it, either? I think I mainly liked that it tried to do something different, but it did it quite badly. Also, I found it amusing that they clearly filmed the whole thing in Ireland, even the parts that were supposed to be in America.

I didn’t have my computer with me on the trip, or I would have tried to liveblog some of these bitches. Maybe I’ll get to a few off the old DVR soon . . .

#hallmark christmas movies #countdown to christmas

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briangroth27 · 7 years

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The Exorcist Season 2 Review

I came into Season 2 wary of the show’s direction—in Season 1, I loved the Rance family plotline but found the papal conspiracy boring—so I was glad the show shifted focus almost completely to the “possession of the season.” Not only is a family in peril easier for me to relate to and invest in, but the conspiracy element has never felt very “Exorcist” to me and I’m glad it all but disappeared by the end of the season (even if the homage to Exorcist III’s famous hospital hallway scene was well done). In Season 2, a family was once again under siege by a demon and only Fathers Ortega (Alfonso Herrera) and Keane (Ben Daniels) could help them. This time, the family consisted of Andy Kim (John Cho) and the several foster children under his care (Brianna Hildebrand, Cyrus Arnold, Hunter Dillon, Alex Barmia, Amelie Eve, and eventually Beatrice Kitsos). I liked that the kids’ diversities—be they blindness, homosexuality, developmental issues, etc.—were utilized for characterization, but those were never the kids’ sole defining characteristics. I really hope fans didn’t take issue with the kids, Andy, and Rose (Li Jun Li) all representing some facet of diversity; this is what the world looks like and I’m glad the show fully embraced it. It’s also cool that a foster home run by a single dad was treated as just as viable a family as a traditional nuclear family.

Full spoilers…

I liked what all the kids brought to the family, particularly when their differences collided with each other, like Shelby’s religious beliefs and Verity’s torture at the hands of “pray out the gay” conditioning. However, it did seem like there might’ve been one too many children to fully dig into in terms of screentime. It felt like they all had solid, distinct personalities; they just didn’t have much to do. Early on it seemed like Caleb might have a bigger role to play, but outside of his initial adventure on the old well and a few moments of his blindness being used to create tension when he couldn’t see the possessed Andy, it felt like his story was a little thinner than it could’ve been. Ditto for Truck, who was sent away midway through the season. I definitely expected Shelby to become something of a junior exorcist when Marcus and Tomas arrived at the Kim household, but not doing so didn’t feel unfinished (particularly when you take into account what we learned of Marcus’ past with eager exorcists). I liked that he was identifying the unholy signs early on, though, and perhaps they could’ve nodded at him wanting to become an exorcist one day in the future. Harper didn’t get much time at the Kim house before things went crazy, but I did like that we got to see how the family adjusted to a new kid through her introduction. Verity got the most mileage out of the writing and Hildebrand crafted a compelling teen who didn’t always get along with her new family, but clearly loved them despite the front she sometimes put up. Going back for a book Andy had given her was a touching moment and I was happy she was the one to stick by Andy longest. I totally fell for the trick that “agoraphobic” Grace wasn’t real, though her “brave face”—the creepiest pillow case-turned-mask ever—should’ve been a major clue.

John Cho brilliantly balanced Andy’s grief over his wife Nicole’s (Alicia Witt) suicide, guilt for not seeing the signs of her depression, care for the kids, affection for Rose, and the demonic side that overtook him as the series progressed. I loved the layers of hallucinations the demon inflicted on him as it attempted to bond with him permanently by enticing him with a “fairy tale” life with his wife. Witt did a great job playing both the caring and troubled Nicole and the maliciously tempting demon trying to entrap him. I’m a fan of puns, so “the kids are in the garden” was a particularly fun bit of dark and ominous humor from her. The battle for Andy’s soul was intense and I liked that Andy had moments of lucidity where he was able to keep the demon from harming Verity, despite the demon’s attempts to convince him the kids distracted him from seeing Nicole’s depression and that Verity might’ve had a hand in driving Nicole to suicide by mocking her issues. Andy’s final act—keeping the demon tethered to his soul so it couldn’t possess anyone else, even if killing it meant dying with it—was tragically perfect. I wanted him to survive, but Verity was right: once he started killing people, no one would believe him. It wouldn’t have been much of a life for him to be arrested for murders he didn’t commit, but maybe he could’ve gone on the run with the priests or something. As things turned out, Andy’s sacrifice worked on an emotional level and the final battle with the demon was tense, touching, and scary in all the right ways; Andy’s goodbye to his kids almost made me cry. I liked that the kids got to start a new family with Rose, who Li Jun Li had made into a solid, supportive, and strong presence the entire season. I also liked that Rose was so open to inviting exorcists into the home to examine Andy; usually there’s a lot more skepticism to break through before the people around the possessed open themselves up to that possibility.

The tests of Tomas’ resolve when it came to saving Andy this season worked very well. I had a hard time knowing when he was in reality and when he wasn’t, making for some great twists and putting me in his confused mindset perfectly, particularly when the demon turned the exorcism around on Tomas. The demon dangling a vision of Tomas as a bishop was great, especially when it included Casey Rance (Hannah Kasulka) to try and guilt him for leaving his parishioners in Chicago to become an exorcist. I was a little surprised they didn’t have the demon play up Tomas’ temptation to stray from the strict celibacy commanded by the church, as we saw in Season 1, but I suppose we’ve already seen that and Tomas has grown. His apology on behalf of the church officials who tried to force Verity to be straight was a great moment and a nice recognition that not everyone in the church—even priests—is opposed to homosexuality. It was good getting to know Ben Marcus’ past more this year. Both his tragic family history and his past with Mouse (Zuleikha Robinson) worked well to illuminate him. I was surprised he left Mouse behind after her possession and I liked that his inaction then was juxtaposed with his resolution to stay and kill the demon possessing Andy in the present. Not wanting to repeat that mistake has probably driven much of his dedication to exorcising demons, even after falling from grace within the church. Marcus’ father killing his mother was also a clever tie to the island’s history of parents killing their families. Finding a bit of romance with Peter (Christopher Cousins) rather than continuing to drown in sadness was another nice touch. I wonder if Marcus actually did get a message from God at the end. If so—and if they can do something different than what Supernatural and Constantine have done—bringing in angels and God could be an interesting, fresh spin on The Exorcist mythos. Mouse joining Tomas as his new partner should make for a cool change in the exorcist dynamic, given she’s much quicker to jump to killing whoever needs to be killed as long as the demons are vanquished. That should play off Tomas’ relative pacifistic nature very well, unless he’s been changed by the experience with Andy. Mouse having been possessed herself and Tomas’ mental link with the demon here—opening him up to being possessed as well—should also give them a unique background to bond over. Since Tomas’ true desire was to see the demon die moreso than an eventual shot at the papacy, I wonder if Mouse will propel him along a more violent path or if she’ll recognize her own past eagerness to be an exorcist in him and council him against it. Either way, the two of them are going to have some very interesting discussions about a lot of things, including being mentored by Ben! And if Marcus has a new directive that’s different from anything we’ve seen from exorcists or the church, it should throw the three of them into an even more interesting dynamic. What if he shows up saying that demons possessing people is somehow part of God’s plan and they should stop exorcising demons altogether?

I really enjoyed the evil history of the island and the season’s shift to a self-contained demon after revisiting Captain Howdy (Robert Emmet Lunney) and Reagan MacNeil (Geena Davis) in Season 1 proved the series doesn’t need to rely on direct connections to The Exorcist to create compelling monsters. The demon forcing multiple parents to kill their children was scary, particularly played against a found family like this one, where the foster kids depended on Andy to keep them together. The series once again found a polished yet creepy aesthetic that didn’t avoid gore, but also never reveled in it. That worked very well to set the tone and setting things on a remote island gave the season a totally different feel than Season 1’s Chicago. Making everything more remote worked to establish classic horror tropes, but the season never felt derivative. If the show gets another season, I wonder where they’ll take it to create an entirely different feel this fall.

Like last season, I'm content with where the story ended with the priests and the Kim family, so if they end up not getting a third season, I would accept it. I like that it's mostly contained each year; focusing on a single family in danger makes for smart insurance against cancellation. It would be a shame to lose characters like Tomas, Marcus, and Mouse, though. Even if I’m not a fan of the papal conspiracy, seeing them grow with each new case and the threat of each new demon makes for a strong series arc for them. A message from God does seem like it holds more promise than whatever the demons are planning with the papacy, so it would be a shame to see this always solid show end here.

#the exorcist #fox #tomas #marcus keane #ben daniels #alfonso herrera #andy kim #john cho #nichole kim #alicia witt #rose #li jun li #verity #brianna hildebrand #mouse #Zuleikha Robinson

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nicolegoenner · 4 years

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Christmas Tree Lane premiered last night on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. It starred Alicia Witt as Meg, and Andrew Walker as Nate. Meg works at her family-owned music business on Christmas Tree Lane. Nate works for his father, the developer who wants to level it. They meet at a coffee stand and criticize each other‘s orders. Meg mentions the old music shop and he is surprised it’s still open. Meg rushes off with her black coffee leaving her scarf behind. Nate returns her scarf at the music shop where she dazzles him with her knowledge of children’s choirs from the 80s. I promise you it is more impressive than it sounds. Meg is also an accomplished musician and singer. The business owners of Christmas Tree Lane get an eviction notice. Meg is determined to save everyone this indignity, and promises to hold a Christmas concert so magnificent, no one would want to pave over their dreamy, old street. Nate finds out his dad is the guy that wants to demolish the last piece of ungentrified nostalgia—so does Meg. This is the shortest fight in Hallmark history, as a single apology seems to smoothe things over. Meg sings her heart out in a blue velvet number that might be the most beautiful outfit I’ve ever seen on Hallmark, and saves Christmas Tree Lane. Really... Nate open-mouth kisses Meg in a way that made me gasp out loud. 😬 No #ChristmasTears fell from my eyes. https://www.instagram.com/p/CGySuPWAQno/?igshid=t4g9qbey5i9g

#christmastears

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nightmareonfilmstreet · 7 years

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[Recap] THE EXORCIST Delivers a Stunning Michael Myers Inspired Climax

New Post has been published on https://nofspodcast.com/recap-exorcist-tv-series/

[Recap] THE EXORCIST Delivers a Stunning Michael Myers Inspired Climax

Ladies and gentlemen, join me in a slow clap for the finale of The Exorcist S02E06 because that is how to end an episode with a bang.

Let me first acknowledge that “Darling Nikki” isn’t a flawless hour of the series by any measure. It relies on Marcus (Ben Daniels) and Father Tomas (Alfonso Herrera) being able to convince Rose (Li Jun Li) – with virtually no evidence – that she should invite them back to the Kim household to observe Andy (John Cho) for signs of suspicious behaviour. There is no world in which Rose doesn’t wind up looking like a crazy person for agreeing to this and her kitchen apology late in the episode do little to explain her actions in a way that a rationale human would accept. So not a great episode for Rose as a smart, capable social worker.

It would also be easy to argue that things also escalate too far, too fast between episodes. The first half of this great second season was a slow burn that ramped up into crazytown with the revelation that Grace (Amélie Eve) wasn’t real in episode four. Then a new chapter was teased by the appearance of Nikki (Alicia Witt) last episode. In this episode, however, Andy is almost entirely under her spell from the get-go. Sure he has flashes of levity – he apologizes to Verity (Brianna Hildebrand) for using her gay conversion history as an opportunity to condone religious practice at dinner (tsk, tsk) – but he spends a large part of this episode talking to the spectre of his dead wife. After five relatively slow burn episodes, it feels like this possession has escalated very quickly. I imagine some fans won’t have as much of an issue with that, but it did seem a bit accelerated at times.

But it’s hard to nitpick about Rose‘s idiocy or the speed of this new possession when the results are so friggin’ exciting. I mean, just consider that ending!

The tense standoff between Marcus and Andy was thrilling

The Exorcist loves to acknowledge its audience’s expectations. The writers delight in using red herrings to make us presume one thing before pivoting to deliver something similar, but different.

Take the foreshadowing that occurs around the knife. Andy has it in his hand when he learns that Marcus and Father Tomas are staying for dinner (the quick pan down to his hand is actually quite funny). Later he’s brandishing it to cut tomatoes when Verity inquires about Truck (Cyrus Arnold), and he grazes it briefly when Rose apologizes for her behaviour. There’s so much attention paid to Andy and that knife that it was inevitable that he would use it, but all signs suggested he would use it to get rid of Rose – the woman who invited exorcists into the house and threatens his relationship with ghost wife.

Not that Rose gets away without punishment: what with the tossing against the wall, the levitation and the strangling. Still, in the end it’s another pivot that winds up providing that stunning climax: Harper (Beatrice Kitsos)’s mother Lorraine (Rochelle Greenwood) has been lurking in the woods, waiting to abduct her daughter in the middle of the night. The reintroduction of Lorraine reinforces how strong Harper has in her attachment to her new surroundings while simultaneously providing another red herring for The Exorcist to exploit. It’s a genius move by writers Franklin jin Rho and Adam Stein because we suspect that Harper‘s experience in the woods is a response to Nikki‘s presence. Even when Lorraine appears in her bedroom, I took her for just another manifestation of the demon. Of course the climax reveals that she’s a flesh and blood vessel to be carved up as the ultimate symbol of Andy‘s possession.

I would say “poor Andy” but I can’t get over how exciting that closing sequence is. Watching everyone briefly levitate as Andy fully succumbs to Nikki‘s kiss/possession, then watching him pick up first the knife and then Lorraine with supernatural strength was astounding. Seeing him pin her to the wall and gut her like Michael Myers in a Halloween film was…just insane. My jaw was on the floor; it was shockingly graphic, unexpected and visceral! And then just like that Marcus and Father Tomas spring into action, wielding their crucifixes like Marvel superheroes to end the episode with a bang.

Phew! All I can say is that I want the next episode immediately.

Odds and Ends

A quick shout-out to Alicia Witt, who manages to make Nikki seductive, creepy, and a little dangerous without descending into camp territory. The character requires her to walk a fine line, but consider how effective she is in that living room interrogation scene where Nikki keeps popping up behind other characters.

I found the back and forth about the curse/gift designation of Father Tomas‘ visions a little frustrating. This kind of narrative waffling feels unproductive, even if there are hints that the visions will be integral in the show’s larger mythology.

It was an unexpected pleasure to see Maria Walters (Kirsten Fitzgerald) back on the show, even for a single episode. Walters was such a delectable villain in S1 that it’s nice to get closure on her cancer arc. Alas, Mouse (Zuleikha Robinson) and Father Bennett (Kurt Egyiawan)’s storyline continues to inch forward so slooooooowly it can be hard to care. I do wonder how serious Bennett’s abdomen wound is, though. That didn’t look good.

Finally, I’m sorry to announce that there will be no review next week because I will be on vacation (Trust me, after this episode, no one is sorrier than me). I’ll be back with a double-dose review of episodes 7 & 8 on November 24.

The Exorcist airs Fridays at 9pm EST on FOX. What did you think of “Darling Nikki”?

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#alfonso herrera #Alicia Witt #ben daniels #Brianna Hildebrand #John Cho #Li Jun Li #the exorcist season 2 #the exorcist tv series

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elizabethrobertajones · 8 years

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Do you know if there is going to more of Castiels past and flashbacks to it? Because werent we originally told that episode 12 would be the one to feature flashback and reveal his past? Or is it simply the wrong number and that was all in 10 and ep 12 may Cas-heavy but not around flachback/past series stuff?

The description of 12x12 seems to be a fairly typical expectation for a plot episode at least about character weighting, although they might surprise us since I thought 12x09 was going to be Sam n Dean and it was actually the Mary n Cas show.

http://justanotheridijiton.tumblr.com/post/156431547749/stuck-in-the-middle-with-you

RICHARD SPEIGHT JR. DIRECTS – Mary (guest star Samantha Smith) asks Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel (Misha Collins) for help on a case she’s working but neglects to mention the British Men of Letters are involved. When Mary is double crossed, everything is revealed. Richard Speight Jr directed the episode written by Davy Perez (#1212). Original airdate 2/16/2107. (x)

(good old Mel - found these things right away on her blog :P)

There’s definitely been a misunderstanding in what we’re getting because things changed behind the scenes, I guess as the story evolved. They wanted that Cas centric episode but -

http://justanotheridijiton.tumblr.com/post/154062796244/davy-perez-on-upcoming-cas-centric-episodes

12x12 was originally intended to be the story of Castiel’s past but things shifted and now 12x10 is the episode of Cas’ backstory (w/Steve Yockey writing).

They still advertise that 12x12 will be about Cas and his arc and some stuff that still needs addressing and so on but I think they’re possibly done with the flashbacks (I am now extremely confused because I’ve been filing 12x10 mentally as 12x12 for months and so assumed Alicia Witt will be in 12x12 but if “the cas centric episode” has been 12x10 for a while then obviously everything I’ve seen about her and behind the scenes stuff could have been about this one and I just thought it was for 12x12, but there doesn’t seem to be room for her in that plot description unless Perez Bucklemings it up and puts in 6 subplots…)

I’m assuming anyway that 12x12 will still have a good amount of stuff for Cas to do (Mel’s blog helpfully reminded me this is the episode Misha was wandering around in his “latex disco suit” for :P) but we’re now past flashbacks (they were very specific to this one incident which has been mostly cleared up - even if Lily comes back she’ll not have had any more contact with Cas in between here and there so there’d be no need to flashback some more)…

Anyway the usual rule is “We’ll see” because they love throwing random curveballs at us :P But it does seem like the expectation for a killer Cas episode that we placed on 12x12 moved to 12x10 and it WAS a killer Cas episode, so hooray, but we’re sort of in the clear and things might be a bit more “normal” now :P

#Asks #12x10 #12x12 #season 12 spoilers #season 12 speculation

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dustydreamsanddirtyscars · 8 years

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What's in A Title

Even though it is fairly impossible to make any definite assumptions about episodes based on their titles alone, I have to admit that some of the new titles revealed for the second half of the season sound intriguing and sparked a few thoughts (thank you @suebsg9 for the heads up). I don’t know if there exist official descriptions or filming tidbits for some of them yet as I have had so little time to catch up on spoiler lately, so these thoughts are all just based in the titles alone.

12x10 “Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets” If I remember correctly, this should be the Castiel centric episode, which features Alicia Witt as Lily Sunder, who is an old enemy of Castiel. There really is not much to go on here, but question surely is here if Lily Sunder was/is possessed by an angel then and therefore may have had beef with Cas (meaning it’s not really Lily Sunder, but the angel inside her that’s Castiel’s enemy - and we know many angels have their issues with Cas due to his alliances and choices) or if Castiel maybe had a run in with the human Lily Sunder some time prior. Question to me here is how far back this goes and if so how Castiel interacted with Lily Sunder - if she was human - because it would affect how we’d have to see Castiel’s arc from S4 onwards, meaning that we may get to know if Castiel actually may have used a different vessel before Jimmy Novak. Either way, I could imagine possession playing a role as that has been the big recurring theme of the episodes of S12 so far.

12x11 “Regarding Dean” Now, this seems to be the episode where Dean loses his memories. I dearly hope that this topic will not be downplayed and turned into “something funny”, but will be handled with care. I have talked about my hopes for this episode in this post already (see here), but given the title I’d like to expand on said post a little bit as I feel a few things I speculated about in that post are not too unlikely to be tackled. Obviously the title is a nod towards the Harrison Ford movie “Regarding Henry” - and yes, I totally will mention here that this feels like an interesting parallel also because Eric Kripke took Harrison Ford’s Han Solo as inspiration for Dean as a character - in which the lawyer Henry looses his memories and figures out what a horrible person he must have been as a lawyer but also in private life. He therefore abandons his former life and continues living as a much more likable person.

As I have pointed out in the post linked to above, the memory loss and being confronted with your own life that you feel out of touch with is not only a direct parallel Dean will share with his mother, but most of all I saw Dean losing and regaining his memories as a possibility for Dean to work through or rather see his own story with fresh eyes and with that maybe in a different light. Meaning, it may give him possibility to re-address traumas lived through and finally heal.

Harrison Ford’s character Henry is the epitome of an egoist and far from a loving husband and family guy prior losing his memories, which changes massively once he takes a look at his life with fresh eyes. If I compare this to Dean, then it is clear that Dean is nothing like Henry as Dean is selfless and puts everybody else before himself and family surely means most to him. Still despite all his good qualities, Dean is unable to see himself as the wonderful person he is, but only sees his shortcomings. In contrast to Henry therefore I think it would be beautiful if Dean, when looking at his life and himself when regaining his memories could start seeing himself in a much better light and acknowledge what he has been through and that his mistakes doesn’t make him a horrible person, but a survivor. Yeah, maybe this could be the start of Dean accepting that he deserves to be loved.

And of course, if you want to draw a parallel here between Henry leaving his old life behind, etc. you could argue that maybe the show would use this set up as another hint at Dean at some point finding balance between hunting and normal life.

Oh and what I also wonder, since I remember the Memento-promo before the season started, wouldn’t it be cool if this episode was executed in a similar fashion. It surely would fit the topic of the movie “Memento” too.

12x12 “S(t)uck in the Middle (with You)” I have seen two versions of this title floating around. One as “Suck in the Middle (with You)” and the other as “Stuck in the Middle (with You)”. If the first one turns out to be a thing, my mind immediately jumped to 9x13 “The Purge” and the Pishtaco. Aside from that the title seems to be a in reference to the song “Stuck in the Middle with You” by the band Steeler’s Wheel" which was used in Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs”, which heavily deals with themes like trust and betrayal, which certainly are heavy handed themes on SPN as well.

What to me is interesting here is that in combination with 12x15 we have two titles addressing an “in between”-state. And in regards to the lyrics of the song that build a recurring element the lines “clowns to the left, jokers to the right” I also feel the topic of duality could come into play again in this episode and with that also issues of identity.

Also, since the movie is about a robbery. Wouldn’t it be cool if we got another 2x12 “Nightshifter”? Could be fitting especially if the show decides to have Sam and Dean be much more on the FBI’s radar after escaping their prison in 12x09 “First Blood”.

12x13 “Family Feud” Hmm, wasn’t Gavin McLeod supposed to return this season at some point? Maybe this episode deals with Crowley, Rowena and Gavin in particular? Though of course the title could fit to Heaven as well as the Winchesters or the BritMoL too.

12x14 “The Raid” I suppose if the title is in any way a reference to the movie, then I assume the Winchesters may try and take someone out who has a lot of manpower behind him. Could be interesting if the raid - as in raiding something for information - would be connected to the BritMoL. Who knows, maybe they’ll be searching for something particular in the bunker?

12x15 “Somewhere between Heaven and Hell” Like I said in relation to 12x12 already this episode may deal with “in-between”-states too. Of course the first thought to pop up when reading this title was: PURGATORY. Commonly in christian belief after all it is understood to be the realm between Heaven and Hell and a place for souls that neither fit to Heaven nor Hell and may need purification first. That said, that between “Heaven and Hell” may as well be seen as earth too. And interestingly enough there are enough studies to suggest that really human life on earth “is” purgatory and determines whether you end up in Heaven or Hell. So judging from all that this could be another episode dealing with duality and identity themes. Oh, and of course I will not give up the tiny bit of hope that maybe the show didn’t completely forget about the Empty/limbo. Maybe that is the place between Heaven and Hell and not Earth or purgatory…

#SPN spoilers #SPN speculation #Episode titles #SPN Meta #Supernatural Meta #Passing thoughts #Queued #I'm not here - unfortunately

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