Lifetime’s adaptation of V.C. Andrew’s cult classic book series embraces all of its source material's glorious camp, while giving it a legitimately dramatic presentation. The story centers on the Dollanganger family. When Dollanganger senior dies, family matriarch Corrine (Heather Graham)
Lifetime Lifetime gave viewers the treat of a double feature, first airing January’s “Flowers in the Attic” before following it up with the premiere of its sequel “Petals on the Wind,” and it did not disappoint. The latest installment in the camp-tastic series featured car wrecks, ballet mayhem,
A visual stunner, Disney’s “Maleficent” offers a swirl of vivid cinematography, dazzling performances and winsome storytelling. Centering on the backstory of Maleficent (Angelina Jolie), the iconic villainess of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, this re-imagining not only breaks new ground, it breat
The seventh installment in the X-Men franchise comes 14 years after the original film set the stage for legitimate superhero movies and gave rise to an enduring franchise. After so long with these characters, it is no surprise that the latest “Days of Future Past” , feels reminiscent of a family r
"Maleficent" starring Angelina Jolie The latest in the fairy tale revival sweeping Hollywood is this retelling of Sleeping Beauty as told through the perspective of Maleficent, the horn-headed villainess of the story. Disney has purposefully crafted the film to resemble the orig
Gareth Edwards' grand successor to his indie “Monsters”, follows-up on his earlier film’s ambitious maneuvering. In Edwards' vision of Godzilla there are threads of “The Impossible” and “Independence Day”, neatly interwoven throughout. At the core of the reasoning for this script is the
Showtime Dorian Gray entered “Penny Dreadful,” partaking in the lurid sequence of a sickening romp. As disturbing as that was, the series did not linger on it as long as the scenes of Dr. Frankenstein and Proteus simply staring at each other. There is something intoxicatingly gloomy about “Penny
#1: The Young and the Bold The oldest and the youngest competitors at the fest were awarded third place. At 83-years-old, influential French New Wave pioneer, Jean-Luc Godard won for “Goodbye to Language” and 25-year-old relative newcomer Xavier Dolan for “Mommy” tied for the Jury Prize (thi
Overview: Oliver lost a loved one, remembered the torture of the island, partook in a one-night-stand with a business associate sans any lead-up, hooked-up with the back from the dead sister he’d cheated on his “true love” with, mentored an herbed out Roy and ignored tech genius Felicity. The ot
There were expectations that this film would be a dark comedy in the vein of Steve Martin’s “Novocain”, offbeat and a tad wacky with some actual comedy to spare. The dull and listless “Better Living Through Chemistry” slogs through the sad life of Doug Varney (Sam Rockwell).
Lionsgate Infuriatingly dank and mostly depressing, this nail-biter settles like an emotional cloud over the mind. If you have ever watched an episode of “Dateline” and wondered what happens to the family of those in the orange jumpsuit and what they endure when the cameras shut-off and public inter
"X-Men: Days of Future Past" The latest installment in the X-Men franchise centers on Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) travelling back in time to prevent a deadly timeline of events. Seeing the magnificent Ian McKellen face off against Michael Fassbender as both portray Magneto (at different l
Overview: Mary, Queen of Scots had to to out-maneuver the Queen of France, choose between two paramours and fight surrounding threats, including “the darkness”, for her life. Meanwhile, her handmaidens searched for true love and financial security. Storyline Direction Pros: Pleasant sur
HBO One by one, a precession of betrayers would backstab the noble Tyrion as he stood trial on “Game of Thrones” for the assassination of his monstrous nephew. As Tyrion was maligned, Peter Dinklage got to once again dazzle in the role. As Tyrion rebuked his false accusers, Dinklage seethed with r
A vacuous affair that fails to put the pedal to the metal; “Need for Speed” never shifts into appropriate gear as either a drama or a popcorn race flick. Taking itself too seriously to be written off as camp and too hammy to be taken seriously, the film levitates between the two possible narrativ
Overview: Elena and the gang had to fight off doppelgangers, a scorned witch, travelers, an evil secret society and the persistent Katherine for their lives. The usual romantic interludes in which, Elena was torn over her brotherly brood of suitors continued to dominate the central storylines.
"Godzilla" starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson The most notorious movie monster returns to the silver screen in this reboot. Looking to transcend the failure of 1998’s “Godzilla”, this new version appears to be sidestepping all that film did wrong. The trailer gave viewers a glimpse at som
Rising star Zoey Deutch charges this adaptation of the first installment in the best-selling book series of the same name. Were it not for Deutch's entertaining spin on the sharp-tongued Rose, the film would have slipped into a state of insurmountable slumber. Directed by “Mean Girls” helmer M
20th Century Fox Chaotic mischief is the name of the game in director Nick Cassavetes latest. “The Other Woman” is a female empowerment film without any real empowerment. It manages to play its punchline briefly before stalling out. After all, audiences have seen this storyline before. A cad gets
History Overview: Battles were waged, and wars were won as Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) tried to maintain a grip on his growing kingdom and his splintering family. Storyline Direction Pros: The progression of power plays and backstabbing presented the roadmap for a captivating Season 2. Two
