So, over the break, I somehow managed to fit in a Lifetime movie marathon. Below I describe my favorites.
CASUALTIES OF LOVE: THE LONG ISLAND LOLITA STORY
This film is truly a LM classic, starring Alyssa Milano as Amy Fisher. The sheer amount of acid wash makes it entirely worth watching. I was totally wishing I had Joey B.'s denim jacket and poor Mary Jo's mile high white acid wash jeans. The acting is classically bad, and there really is no plucky heroine, which breaks the classic LM formula, as previously described. But, the story was so sensational that Lifetime could not help itself from making this movie.
It is kind of funny, I think that the director tried to be as neutral as possible, because at different points in the movie, you feel sorry for all of the different characters. First, of course, you feel sorry for Mary Jo Buttafuoco, but then she starts to get all righteous and her desire for vengeance is more important to her than the maintenance of the family business, and I started to feel like, wait a minute here Mary Jo, the family business is important. And we all know Amy is going to go to prison, it is just a question of how long.
You also feel sorry for Amy (momentarily I might add) because she is so young and stupid, and she gets herpes. Which is just sad. But, her prostitution and ridiculous ideas soon turn you against her.
And Joey, you feel sorry for him, because he made a mistake and boy does he end up paying for it. The director leaves the whole relationship between Joey and Amy very vague, so the audience is never quite sure what happened between the two of them, although you suspect that Amy is not lying when she is talking to her high school cheerleader chum about all of the places that they had "encounters".
But his refusal, time and time again to admit that he had an affair is frustrating and tedious.
I tried to watch the Nora Roberts' adaptations, but I just couldn't stomach it. Even with Heather Locklear, a semi bona fide actress. (I still miss the Melrose years.) Lifetime does better, I think to make movies that are either based on true incidents, or movies that are created solely with the Lifetime viewer in mind.
For some reason, the older that the LM is, the more I like it. I think it is because they date themselves so badly the older ones are more amusing. Plus, then you can tell yourself that you are watching it in a truly ironical fashion, and although you are sucked in, it is because you are so amused.
SHATTERED INNOCENCE
This film is another classic, and I just checked and it is playing again on 1/13. This is the true story about an all American cheerleader turned "actress" (I mean drug addicted porn star). You watch the demise of Shauna Grant as she spirals deeper and deeper into the world of cocaine and porn films.
This movie is based on a true story, which you can tell by weird details like when Shauna shows her nude pictures around to her kid sisters on a visit home. No writer would come up with that, I don't think.
3 comments:
The LM is a classic genre consistently overlooked by the pretentious gnomes holed up inside their "Golden Globe" or "Emmy" cubicles. (What, no awards for "Best Glycerin Tear?"-a travesty I say!) Thank you for bringing these movies to the forefront of contemporary blogging. Although, reminiscing to the days of when I had cable and time enough to watch, my personal favorite is the one whose name currently escapes me, but Tori Spelling gets caught in a diabolical scheme involving her mother, a porch, cheerleading, and a cameo by Valerie Bertinelli. Seriously, what LM movie is complete without Val? :)
I totally agree, Valerie Bertinelli is absolutely essential to the LM.
Is the movie that you are referring to perhaps the famous Death of a Cheerleader?
I knew exactly what true life incident that the LM you mention was referring too, isn't that so sad. I am truly my mother's child (she is obsessed with true crime fiction).
Yes, Death of a Cheerleader. That is the one. Move over No Country for Old Men! Javier Bardem has nothing, nothing I say, on Tori.
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