Ted Ryan
Screenwriter/Director/Playwright/Reviewer
The Umbrella Lady by V.C. Andrews - BOOK REVIEW
A young girl who has lost her father finds herself at the mercy of a mysterious woman who is not quite what she seems. Left on a train platform in an unfamiliar village, little Saffron Faith Anders is certain her father will return shortly, just like he promised. She holds out hope even as the hours pass and the station grows dark. When a strange old woman with a large umbrella approaches and inquiries about her situation, Saffron doesn’t immediately trust the imposing do-gooder, but with the chances of her father returning growing ever slimmer, she agrees to rest at the old woman’s house.
Flowers in the Attic (2014) - Film Review
After reading the novel and being hooked from the first page, I was looking forward to seeing the film adaptation and would it live up to my expectations. I'm pleased to say that the film was not a disappointment and stayed faithful to VC Andrews' gothic-horror novel.
My Sweet Audrina (2016) - Film Review
The story of a young girl born to replace her dead sister, haunted by nightmares of past traumas and suffering physically and emotionally abuse while being kept isolated in a Victorian mansion was brought to life in 2016 - Virginia Andrews' standalone novel published in 1982 was quite a disturbing read and has inspired both this movie and a sequel written by Andrew Neiderman (V.C. Andrews' Ghostwriter) "Whitefern" - so It is safe to say that 2016 was Audrina Adare's year.
V.C. Andrews' Fallen Hearts - Film Review
After seeing both prequels of the Casteel Family saga, I was interested to see how Fallen Hearts would be portrayed visually and was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of the production and storytelling - this is the strongest Casteel adaptation thus far. In comparison to the book, Heaven (Basso) now has the life she had always wanted, but her past continues to haunt her as both families collide in a dramatic conclusion
Bridgerton - Series One Review
Dearest Reader, In today’s review, I shall be delving into the latest release from Netflix - the adaptation of Julia Quinn’s erotic romance, Brigerton. Imagine Jane Austen elegance, but we see the going’s on in the bed chambers. Sometimes a bit too much...
Pandemic Tunes
I believe we can all safely say that this year has been a difficult one. Many things have helped me through the many lockdowns - Reading, binge watching shows and films I’ve put off watching, writing several screenplays, keeping in regular contact with loved ones and above all, Spotify.
Riverdale - Season 2 Review
For the entire duration of Season Two of Netflix's Riverdale, one question has haunted me for weeks - what is happening? After the revelation that Jason Blossom was murdered by his father, the first season went out in true Virginia Andrews inspired Gothic style. Cheryl burned down her family mansion, Archie and Veronica hooked up, Betty and Jugghead's relationship was on the rocks after Jugg joined the Southside and Archie's father was shot by the mysterious Black Hood. Season One had the strongest narrative, it was clearly a mystery-thriller with a clear story goal - who killed Jason? Furthermore, this was not a "Teen Drama", it was a drama with teens at the centre.
Fallen by Lauren Kate - Book Review
This review was originally written in 2016 and published on Goodreads: This is a book was sitting on my bookshelf since I was sixteen, but I never got round to actually reading it and as I was recently given the rest of the series and the film adaptation is due for release this September, I thought I should finally read it.
