review
Reviews of the top geek movies, tv, and books in the industry.
Villainess Review: Susan Bannister (You'll Never Leave Me)
The month of June is off to quite an awesome start when it comes to not only Lifetime films, but Lifetime villainesses as well! Right after watching Game One of this year's NBA Finals on ABC, I tuned into Lifetime for a film I had been waiting months for: You'll Never Leave Me (aka A Deadly Mistake). So the film actually opens with a delicious tidbit; we see our protagonist, April Cook, breaking off an affair with her lover, Patrick Bannister, as (surprise, surprise) Patrick never told her that he was married. So that's kaput, and Patrick appears to be in line with this, but once they are in the car together, an accident ensues.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
Reviewing Both "Murder Mystery" Films...and the Villainesses who Graced the Screen
I am a huge, repeat, huge Adam Sandler fan, and have been for at least a quarter-century. Where do I start with him? The man is simply too, too underrated and underappreciated. One of the main reasons why I don't like the big award shows is because they don't give deserving credit. Sandler's films are better than 90% of the stuff that's nominated! Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy, The Wedding Singer, Little Nicky, The Longest Yard, Pixels...I could go on. Sandler has this big working relationship with Netflix that has done wonders for him. His production company, Happy Madison, has delivered quite a few gems for Netflix, and among them was 2019's Murder Mystery.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
Villainess Review: Eve Blackwood (My Best Friend the Baby Snatcher)
I habitually comb my way through a site known as Futon Critic to learn about the next month's batch of Lifetime movies, and among them was this film with quite the delicious title: My Best Friend the Baby Snatcher. Naturally, I was looking forward to this, because those six words clearly tell us that one woman will transform herself into a deliciously insane madwoman. Which one? Let's find out.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
Villainess Review: Carol Kinahan (Ring of Deceit)
I learned about this film a few years back, and I had watched it a few times (bit-by-bit) before actually watching the film in its entirety. Ring of Deceit centered on Madison Byrne, a museum art expert who is quickly shown at a presentation for the museum's latest acquisition: the Ring of Sophia. While Madison builds up a conversation (among, possibly, other things) with art patron Jack Singer, the presentation is led by the museum's curator, Carol Kinahan, who later discusses the ring with Madison and Jack--the latter claiming that the ring was owned by his family.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
Villainess Review: Bridget (Mighty Med)
Happy Mother's Day, all! This day--rather, this weekend, is designated to celebrate mothers. After all, they gave birth to us, they give us tender loving care, they nurture us, and they give us wonderful sage advice. However, none of that applies to the mother who is the subject of this review. I learned about Mighty Med several years ago; I knew it was one of Disney's many live-action superhero shows, but I wouldn't learn about the show's connection to Lab Rats until I finally binge-watched the show on Disney+. I had my central reason for checking out this show, which only lasted two seasons, and here it is.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
Villainess Review: Tracey (The Pregnancy Promise)
Whenever a Lifetime film involves pregnancy, and especially has that word in the title, expect a villainess to appear. It's like clockwork. Pregnancy, babies, motherhood in Lifetime films? Hotbed for villainesses. The latest example comes in the form of The Pregnancy Promise, which centers on best friends Lucy and Skye. Their friendship is a close one, and Lucy enjoys spending time at Skye's home, with one side reason being that she's involved with Skye's brother, Aaron. As we would quickly learn, there's another reason: the environment at the Simmons household is a breath of fresh air compared to her own house.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
Villainess Review: Carolyn (Secrets on Greek Row)
I was looking forward to this film, Secrets on Greek Row, mainly because the title reminded me of the 2021 film, Secrets of Sorority Row. That film gave is a very fantastic villainess, and I figured that this one wouldn't disappoint. The film actually opened with a scene from 2007, where a businessman, Roger Lancaster, was facing some consequences, as he had sexually assaulted one of his employees, Vera Quaid. So in a moment similar to that predator doctor from The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, with the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, Mr. Lancaster commits suicide.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
Villainess Review: Fiona (9-1-1)
I've mentioned this in past reviews centering on 9-1-1 and its spinoff series, 9-1-1: Lone Star, I absolutely love that a number of their episodes have themes. For the most part, episodes operate under an anthology format, with a number of different emergencies that all have the same thing in common. One such episode that stands out is "Peer Pressure," which deals with just that; the pressures of being part of the crowd.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
Villainess Review: Bea (Fantasy Island)
I love the current Fantasy Island reboot with a passion. I love everything about the show. It was my Tuesday jam during the first season, but now it's my Monday habit after 9-1-1 airs. I drink in every episode, enjoy the guest stars, really love the plotlines, and the fantasies in every episode are absolutely amazing. There's just one little thing that I can't help but notice: where are the villainesses? It hasn't bothered me because I love the show, but it would be nice to see just one pop up in this series.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
Reviewing a Pair of Villainesses from "The Hand That Robs the Cradle"
I do love the month of April. For one, the Stanley Cup Playoffs start that month. Secondly, April's is when WrestleMania takes place, and after watching the second night of this year's WrestleMania (still not really happy that Cody Rhodes didn't win the main event), I tuned in to watch Lifetime's latest film, The Hand That Robs the Cradle (love the title). After the film kicks off with a scene where a woman is mugged and her baby is abducted, we see DeLondra Cortez hired as a nanny for the Chessman family, with the family's caretaker, Mrs. Tubbs, providing the recommendation. We see DeLondra playing with seven-year-old Danny Chessman, only for his mother, Melody Chessman, to make a not-so-positive impression on the new nanny.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
Villainess Review: Grace Hutchinson (The Baby Swindler)
I spent months looking forward to this film after learning about this from Reel One's website, and I beamed when it finally hit Lifetime! My reasons will be stated later, but let's set the stage. The main focus of this film, The Baby Swindler (originally titled, A Deadly Surrogacy) was widowed Susie Ashcroft, whose husband, Mike Ashcroft, passed on prior to the films events. The only thing she had left from Mike was a frozen embryo, and she was planning to finally have a baby of her own, but she was told that there was a chance that she couldn't maintain a full-term pregnancy.
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
Villainess Review: Morgan le Fay (Jughead's Time Police)
I've written about a number of villainesses on Vocal, usually from TV, film, or some true crime stories. For this story, it's a first--delving from the world of comic books. In this case, it's from Archie Comics. Why? It's simple. Riverdale will kick off its seventh and final season. I beamed when I learned about this show seven years ago. I've been an Archie Comics fan for 30 years, and when I learned about a show centered on the Archie characters, I was in! These were not the characters I grew up reading, but I was all in because of that!
By Clyde E. Dawkins2 years ago in Geeks
