#makes me think it could be a pretty meaty role for a great guest actor

[pynkhues]

Oh Jason Isaacs would KILL it as Marius, he's such a great actor.

It is interesting, I've been thinking of Magnus as a much more minor role in terms of size, but given that they're saying he kept Lestat for a week vs a day in the show, that could really be a whole episode or most of an episode, and that could be a very juicy guest star role.

Yes! Jason Isaacs brings so much weight to a role, and I feel like that's really needed for Marius.

And yeah, I agree about Magnus. I do think it'll probably depend a little on whether or not they split Lestat's book up, but I am inclined to think they'll lean into it just because with the exception of Daniel (and Antoinette), all the turning scenes have been pretty intensely built to and performed. Louis, Claudia and Madeleine's turnings have all been vital not just as plot beats but as character moments, and I can't see them shying away from that with Lestat given how traumatic and formative his turning is.

If they're going to feature Magnus stalking and hunting him too, even prior to the week in the lair (with the latter already being an established set now too given how its featured in 2.08), that could pretty easily be an episode, although I don't know - - Lestat downplaying / not actually dealing with his own traumas is also a pretty major part of his character, so there's a lot of ways they could do it.

Depending on what they're doing with Armand in s3, there's also space to potentially do something there as in theory Armand and Magnus are both a lot older and in Paris at the same time for quite a while.

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Reflecting on Superman and Lois season 1

Now that the season is over, its interesting to look back at a very stop start season. Its very difficult for a show to hold your interest with the type of scheduling problems this show had, and in its very first season. When the show was announced, I wasn't terribly surprised but I was also not overly excited. There has been a lot of Superman and Superman adjacent material that has come out before and after the announcement so I did wonder about what they could do new. In addition, while I certainly liked Tyler in his guest appearances in Supergirl, in Elseworlds, and in Crisis, he did feel like the inferior Superman in Crisis when he was opposite Brandon Routh's Superman who really looked and felt like Superman, even better than he did in Superman Returns. However, once the trailer dropped, I was sold. It was clear that the show was going for something a lot more cinematic and a lot more grounded than the previous Arrowverse shows. I did have some apprehensiveness over the teenage boys angle because teenagers can become very stereotypically irritating in shows and given that a good chunk of time was going to be dedicated to them, it was going to be vital for them not be so.

Having finished the season, I have to say that the execs and the writers have pulled off an excellent first season. I don't think I would call it the best season 1 in the Arrowverse. I still love The Flash season 1 over any other Arrowverse season and while I haven't seen it in a while, I love Arrow season 1 as well. This may come at 2nd or 3rd place based on further reflection. I do think its has some issues when it comes to the villain storyline and with the big action set pieces, but the film's heart is set at the right place and the characters are all very likable and you want to see conversations between the characters. That's when you know that the writers are doing a good job when you almost feel that the show should go back to the character moments.

Firstly, the idea of a matured Superman is what works wonderfully well. There is something wonderful about seeing Clark and Lois as a couple who have known and loved each other for over a decade. Closer to two decades I guess. Characters don't quite look their age tbh. Lois would have to be in her early 40's at least. But I can honestly overlook that. Bitsie and Tyler were already a very likable couple in Elseworlds and the show has just used that natural chemistry to brilliant effect. But the big relief was that Jordan Elsass and Alex Garfin are excellent as Jonathan and Jordan. I was initially a little worried that Jordan could be a little much, but both of them were excellent and one of the highlights of the season was the bond between the two brothers. Jordan and Jonathan have conflicts but they are brothers and they love and support each other unconditionally.

Jonathan could have so easily been the douchey, jealous brother but Elsass is honestly one of the mvp's of the season. You really care for Jonathan, even though he arguably has a slightly less meaty role in the story. I think Bitsie Tulloch is outstanding all season. She has shot up very high among all my favorite Lois Lanes. She's very different from the other versions and that makes her stand out. One of my favorite episodes was episode 8, which deals with Lois dealing with memories of her miscarriage along with almost losing Jonathan. She is excellent in that episode as is Elsass. Tyler is wonderful throughout. He's a strong Superman but his Clark is even more endearing. Little things like him being so psyched for the Harvest Festival, how he plays young Clark in flashbacks as someone distinctly different, him meeting Lois and working with her for the first time, the adorable "my mom made it" moment when Superman first saves a kid etc... He just embodies everything you know and love from the character. Wole Parks is another terrific addition. Initially you think he's an alternate version of Lex Luthor but it was genius idea to have him actually be John Henry Irons. There was something innately likable about him even when he was fighting Superman and we thought he was Lex. I loved how they handled the dynamic of being Lois' husband in another world and having a daughter. It makes for an interesting dynamic but it never gets into problematic territory because he is mature enough to know that this Lois isn't his Lois, but they also show his difficulty in dealing with that. I liked the bond he seemed to be forming with Jonathan. And I liked how he came along to be an ally with Superman.

The Cushings are ok. They play an important part in the season with Sarah Cushing being Jordan's love interest and Kyle being a big part of the how the villain story begins, with Lana also being a major character in the story. All three actors are excellent but Kyle does have the stereotypical doucheyness which was a little annoying for the first 10 episodes, however he does redeem himself in the final arc. I hope Lana gets to be a bit more active in the show because she does feel like a bit passive as a character. However, I did find that Sarah and Jordan romance actually pretty cute. Both actors did a nice job making them feel like awkward teenagers, dancing around their feelings for each other. Sam Lane is another character who starts out pretty unlikable but I warmed up to him by the end.

Where I think the show doesn't really work at full strength is the superheroic aspect of the show. The character drama in the show is great. I think it works gangbusters. The superhero plot of it all is a little meh. While Adam Rayner is perfectly fine as Edge/Tal-Rho, as a character he's just not that interesting. There is an interesting perspective there that he's sort of a mirror image to Clark where he got mistreated by people when he landed on Earth and that is how his worldview shaped that way, and he longed for family, but there isn't enough done on a character level with him. As a result, the last third of the season was a little iffy. The whole, build Krypton on Earth felt like a variation of Zod's plot in Man of Steel. The method is different but the eventual outcome is the same. I also don't know why all Kryptonians, apart from Lara, are homicidal maniacs, when they are said to be a peaceful race. The arc also becomes repetitive because there are like three climaxes. And I feel the finale was the weakest climax of the lot. Episode 10 or 12 would have served as better finales with a little tweaking. If I remember correctly, the original order was for 13 episodes and it got extended to 15, so this might be an explanation to why it feels this way. The action is fairly by the numbers. While it looks like there is clearly more money on display here than say for Supergirl or The Flash, the action scenes aren't particularly exciting or inventive.

While I am not super high on the finale, I am mostly happy with how things wrapped up. I think they should have had Tal-Rho die tragically because I really don't think he's interesting enough to be brought back again. The arrival of Natalie Irons will surely be a source of some emotionally charged scenes. i hope there is some character bonding between the her and the brothers. Jonathan seemed pretty interested in meeting her when he saw videos of her. I do wonder how the show will continue to incorporate Smallville as a setting. Season 1 obviously had a very specific plot based reason to be in Smallville, given Edge's plot was based in Smallville. But I can't imagine every big bad will have Smallville based plot. But the characters are all settled in Smallville, with the Cushings and Lois buy half the Gazette and running it with Christy. So that's going to be an interesting balancing act that they have to do. I hope they can bring in some traditional superheroics as well because Superman rogues gallery is rich enough. Out of the episodes, I think 6-8 were my favorites, and the flashbacks in episode 11 were incredibly charming. While the season is not flawless I don't think it completely nailed the superheroic heights that it was aiming for, it was a really entertaining season of tv. An 8/10 for me.

[idristardis]

NCIS: New Orleans - Thoughts on S5 Thus Far....

So, I’ve been juuuuust a bit behind on several of my regular TV shows this year...including, well, pretty much everything. I’m still working my way through NCIS: LA, but it’s going at a slower pace because I’m trying to write at least a brief recap of every episode for that as I watch, and because I’m also further behind with that show to start with...but I actually managed to catch up on all of the current season of NCIS: NOLA over the last couple of weeks. (That was 19 episodes in about 14 days, if you’re counting...).

Though I’d gathered from spoilers prior to watching any episodes that Pride had made a miraculous recovery from his S4-ending shooting, I hadn’t heard much else, so I was able to approach the season with a pretty open mind. It’s not a completely comprehensive hashing through, but some Scratch that...this got long. A lot of my thoughts are below the cut....

The Good

-The shift for Pride to Belle Chasse and the regional SAC position. It’s the kind of change shows like this often tease having their lead actor make, and then don’t follow through on...kudos to NOLA for actually having him do it. (Though, they do seem find the flimsiest of reasons some weeks to bring him back to the team’s regular HQ). It makes sense that in the wake of his shooting he’d at least attempt to find something more stable - also it was great that they didn’t have him immediately win everybody in his new office over to his methods with a grin and some kouign amann. The change of pace, and the chance to grow into a new role, is actually good for him.

-The episode Tick Tock was incredibly strong from start to finish. Tight, suspenseful storytelling with an ending that was only just a bit predictable - but still pretty effective and emotional for all that.

-Jimmy - In the Blood, the episode where he was introduced, was solid, and I really like that they’ve kept him around.

-Hannah - the actress is a really great addition to the show, and I like that they’ve given her character a bit of a complicated history. They’ve developed it pretty thoroughly too and it’s refreshing that they have her and her husband really struggling with how their marriage works in light of the dangers of her career. It would have been simpler (perhaps) for the show to have them make a clean break, at least after Victor Zelko was dealt with - but it feels more real, and more interesting, that they are continuing to try to work things out.

-Rufus Nero - a delightfully aggravating match for Doc Wade. Whether he becomes a love interest or not, it would be great to have him recur - LeVar Burton is always wonderful and he made a great sparring partner for Loretta. The episode that introduced him, X, was also really strong and well-paced.

-Sebastian has proved to be surprisingly resourceful this season and has really developed as an agent. From cozying up to spies to translating rich-kid speak for Gregorio and geeking out with Oliver Crane - not to mention buying a house! - it’s been a good season for him so far.

-Isler! I had the epiphany that it would be him tailing Pride just a few seconds before he showed his face. I hope we’ll see more of him by the end of the season - and I’m sure with his tie-in to the Apollion plot, that we will - but it’s great that they brought him back now.

The Not So Good

-It would be great if they found more of a use for Jimmy plot-wise, other than just turning the Tru Tone into the place to be any night of the week. There is potential in his relationship to Pride and their respective memories of Cassius that has yet to be tapped. They got into it a bit shortly after they introduced the character, but then it was buried and hasn’t really come up again. Jimmy seems to have accepted a lot of things that bothered him earlier, and Pride had some things it seemed he wanted to say to Jimmy as well...and I would’ve liked to see some on-screen resolution of all of that.

-Kinda regret that they killed Cassius off. He spent so many of his other appearances on the show incarcerated that it seemed like the chance to do some really interesting things with him now that he was out and that Jimmy was in the picture was wasted. I mean, when you have Stacy Keach, you should really make the most of him!

-Avner - his motives in Survivor were shoved into the narrative out of nowhere, and that uninvited shoulder rub he gave Hannah in the episode’s flashback was a bit creepy. She certainly didn’t seem to welcome it, and it made me wonder if we were meant to think there was more to their relationship than just the collegial - or if Avner only wished there were.

-The Gregorio and Sebastian as roomies thing. Not sure it really develops either character in any way, and was only mentioned once for humor after they started living together and then has been largely dropped.

-Gregorio in general just feels like she’s “idling” a bit this season. Other than Desperate Navy Wives she hasn’t really been the anchor of any episode so far, and we haven’t seen much non-work life development for her in quite awhile. She deserves better!

-The episode set in the tiny town of Bovis - that the entire town would be in on that meth operation seemed like just a biiiiiit of a stretch.

The Puzzling And/Or Meh

-LaSalle has been a bit of an “idler” this season too...but the one centric episode he had, where he was trying to clear up his father’s tax issues, brought in a character (the accountant for his father’s company) that I thought we’d see/hear more of, probably as a love interest for LaSalle, but she’s disappeared. Why not weave her in more? (I’m not saying I want the show to replace Percy as his love interest...but if they’re going to tease this other character, why not follow through?).

-The Patton-centric felt a bit flat to me this season, probably because they spent so much time that episode with that NOPD cop. I thought that actor overplayed that role quite a bit - everything was too hammed up.

-Sutter/The Angel - started off as a cool concept, got ragingly irritating after awhile (since the audience could just tell that Pride was never going to take her hand), but then became heartbreaking when it turned out that she was sticking around for Cassius after all. Can’t really figure out what I feel about her in the end.

-The woeful underuse of the terrific Reggie Lee as ASAC Thompson - I’ve loved his work since he was the snarky, Sergeant Wu on Grimm. He’s barely been a presence, and didn’t have much to do other than scold pride when he has been around. The fact that the Apollion mission file was found in his office makes me think that there might be something we haven’t yet unraveled about Thompson and his connection to all of that...but we’ll see!!

The Upshot

-Most things have been good this season: additions of new lead, secondary, and guest characters (Hannah, Jimmy, Rufus, etc) who are interesting; old connections resurfacing for good or dubious purposes (Oliver Crane, Isler, this coming week, Elvis Bertrand); personal/life growth for Pride, and, to a lesser extent, Sebastian.

-But...though I think it was a good (and totally understandable) move for the character given the trauma he endured at the end of S4...moving Pride to Belle Chasse and into the SAC position has fundamentally changed the nature of the show. The past seasons have thrived on the tension between Pride’s out-of-the-box leadership style and his team’s varying levels of willingness to go along with his ideas (LaSalle usually was on board, Percy often questioned him, and Gregorio could go either way), as well as how all of that clashed with the much more straitlaced, protocol-driven directives out of Washington.

That kind of thing couldn’t go on forever, or every season would hinge on the same type of major conflict (i.e. Pride-vs-team, and Pride-and-team-vs-DC) and get repetitive...but remove Pride from the day to day life of the squad, and give him a position of much greater authority, and it makes it less necessary for the team to question him or disagree with him and less probable that they will. He’s no longer their direct boss - they’re having those conversations where everyone’s arguing their points on a more equal footing with Hannah (and several episodes have shown Pride looking thoughtful over having been displaced from this and other aspects of the team’s life). They then look to him for support or a new bit of perspective, but he’s less likely to be the source of conflict with the team. (Side note: he comes to the squad more than any other SAC we’ve ever seen...have we even seen another SAC on the show? But where that type of character would usually be an opponent, he’s usually there as a supportive force, meaning no/little conflict).

He’s also less likely to be the source of conflict with the DC brass - though he doesn’t fully conform to Belle Chasse’s expected norms, he is on their management-level team now...and it has only made sense for him to adapt to that role and get better at it, meaning that the more he fits in, the less there is to mine for conflict in the dynamic with DC. It’s realistic, but it minimizes the potential for drama.

It’s all good development for the characters - and exactly what they should be doing. Growing, evolving, expanding...but while it’s felt like a season of personal, individual growth for Pride, Khoury, and Sebastian...as a team, it feels like they’re in sort of a holding pattern...and Gregorio and LaSalle (and to some extent Patton and Wade) feel like they’re not really moving forward at all. I don’t know what I’d do differently...just that for all the good that the new structure with Pride in Belle Chasse has brought, it has leeched some of the dramatic tension out of the squad room.

What I’d Hope To See

-Further exploration of Pride and Jimmy’s dynamic and their respective histories with Cassius.

-A satisfying end to the Appollion storyline.

-Some meaty, fully fleshed out development for LaSalle and Gregorio (as individuals and/or as friends) outside of the casework.

-More Jimmy, more Rufus, perhaps a bit more of Sebastian’s spy flame Carmen.

-Definitive progress between Hannah and her husband.

-A new love interest for Gregorio (and/or some more non-work friends...she could actually reconnect with some of those ladies from Desperate Navy Wives).

-A season ender with a satisfying cliffhanger that doesn’t involve Pride’s life hanging in the balance.

What I know I Won’t See, But Can’t Help But Hope For

-A guest spot for Shalita Grant (I miss Percy - and PerSalle - so much!!)

[feelieking]

Season 11

Season 11 of the modern Doctor Who has now wound up, and I’ve been trying to collate my thoughts about it.  (Not to mention actually making myself write them down – gods, I hate the process of typing things up!)  It’s been an odd beast – pretty much any other season, I could tell you what I loved and what I hated, but I don’t think I loved or hated anything here.  Bear in mind that this post will have spoilers for the entire series and the New Year special.

 First thing’s first – Jodie Whittaker was a controversial casting choice (although I feel that a lot of the controversy was manufactured.)  She’s fantastic – right from the moment she falls through the train roof, she *is* the Doctor.  

 The three companions are all great but, as many other commentators have said, there are too many; character development – especially that of Yas – has really suffered.  Compare with season 10, when the first three episodes focussed hugely on Bill.  By the end, it really felt like we knew her.  (And as an aside, with no disrespect intended towards the current cast, how amazing would a series starring Jodie Whittaker and Pearl Mackie have been?)  While Graham, Ryan or Yas never spent a whole story locked in the TARDIS doing a science experiment, it still feels like we know them a lot less as people.  

 Possibly the most successful of the three companions has been Graham, whom we’ve seen dealing with the death of his wife and trying to build a relationship with his step-grandson.  A lot of commentators were sceptical about the casting of Bradley Walsh, but he has turned in a subtle a nuanced performance.  Ryan’s main character hook was his dyspraxia which, after the first episode, barely seemed to feature – a dyspraxic friend of mine has commented that he’s still waiting to see Ryan fall up the stairs.  Yas… has a frustrating family and wants more out of life.  That’s about as much as I can think of to say.  It’s a shame, because all three actors are fab – although it feels sadly ironic that, of the four main companion figures in the first episode, the most intriguing and well developed is the one who falls to her death.

 Visually, this series has looked gorgeous.  The cinematography is beautiful, especially the overseas location filming.  But most episodes have barely any guest characters, which oddly makes them feel empty and cheap.  Occasionally the lack of guest cast suits the tone of the episode – the Ghost Monument being the prime example – but oftentimes things feel pretty barren.  One visual element which I do feel disappointed by is the new TARDIS set – there are lots of fantastic ideas there, but over all it’s just not doing it for me.  The previous set, more than any other, felt like a space where people actually lived; this feels far emptier and, while there are lots of great individual elements on the console, the big chunk of “crystal” in the middle looks cheap and nasty.

 On the plus side, I love the new title sequence and theme tune.  The incidental music has been excellent as well, in spite of fears from some corners of twitter that there was some how an inverse relationship between melanin and musical ability(!)  Murray Gold was extremely talented and wrote some truly magnificent pieces, but sometimes his incidental music got too bombastic and intrusive. Segun Akinola has been a real breath of fresh air.

 As for the episodes themselves, the ones set in the past have tended to be the best.  The Withfinders was my favourite episode of the season, with a strong plot, proper emotion, and some meaty guest roles.  It was let down by the last ten minutes, where everything suddenly got really schlocky, which was a shame; it would have been nice if the fantastical elements of the script could have been given the same degree of care as the human elements.

 Rosa presented us with someone trying to subvert the course of history, and our heroes having to keep it on track, something that I don’t really think the series has done since the Meddling Monk stories back in the 60s. It was a novel approach that worked really well.  Some commentators have said that the episode was too heavy handed with its anti-racism message, but I’m not convinced that “racism is bad” is a topic that either could or should be approached with much of a degree of subtlety.  

 Demons of the Punjab was a beautiful episode, filled with emotion that could have easily been mawkish, but never was.  I feel it could have been made even better, however, if they’d been brave enough to do it as a pure historical, without any alien or sci-fi elements.

 The modern day and futuristic episodes were a mixed bag. The first two were probably the most successful, focussing on the Doctor and her companions and running them through the gauntlet.  Arachnids in the UK started off well, but fizzled out towards the end, and I don’t remotely buy the idea that slowly starving to death is a “humane” end.  I enjoyed Kerblam! and It Takes You Away a lot – the latter succeeded for me with its lovely moments between Graham and Grace, but suffered by abandoning its eerie haunted house plot and style a bit too early. 

The season finale was… underwhelming.  The Doctor saving the day with technobabble and throwing lots of levers in the TARDIS is always going to be disappointing, and Tim Shaw, despite having a really great voice, is a mediocre villain at best.  One of the big failings of this series that that there hasn’t been a really strong villain or monster for the Doctor t play against; the alien threats have either been schlocky, generic (hello Sniperbots), forgettable, or not a threat in the first place.  The return of the Dalek on New Year’s Day felt like a real step in the right direction in that regard (I loved the junkyard casing) but that was undercut by, again, too much of the episode involving the Doctor throwing levers in the TARDIS to sort things out, and the inexplicable deus ex microwave.

 Overall, the word I’d use to describe this season is mediocre – nothing sang, and nothing stank.  For me, Season 10 was the strongest series of modern Who by a country mile, so Season 11 had a tough job to follow it up.  There’s clearly a lot of potential here and, again, Jodie and the cast are superb, so I really hope that that potential is properly seized up for Season 12.  

[the-master-cylinder]

Russell was born in San Diego, California, the daughter of Constance (née Lerner) and Richard Lion Russell, a stock analyst. Three of her four grandparents were Jewish. Her maternal grandfather was journalist and educator Max Lerner. Russell wanted to be an actress since the age of eight and started acting in school plays. She appeared in a Pepsi commercial that was taped locally while in high school. After graduating from Mission Bay High School in 1981, she moved to Los Angeles and began taking acting classes before landing her first role. She did a masters program in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica and is a certified hypnotist and life coach, also from the University of Santa Monica.

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The day after graduating high school, with limited commercial and modeling experience. Russell set out for Los Angeles with a UCLA-bound girlfriend. She located a roommate, actress Diane Brody, via the campus bulletin board. Brody helped Russell line up acting classes and waitressing jobs. Accompanying an acting classmate to an audition, Russell walked away with representation. She was subsequently cast in an unapologetic PORKY’S clone titled Private School (1983)

Private School (1983) Chris from a girls’ boarding school loves Jim from a nearby boys’ boarding school. Jordan also wants Jim and plays dirty. Jim and 2 friends visit the girls’ school posing as girls.

Russell played Jordan Leigh-Jensen, “a spoiled rich girl willing to do anything to get her way.” As her romantic rival, the top-billed Phoebe Cates waged war for the affections of Matthew Modine. Critics excoriated the film’s leering sexism, but Russell’s recollections are pleasant. “It was like walking on air,” she recalled. “Phoebe Cates was my idol at the time, and she was so nice to me. We grew very close, and she was fun to work with.”

Phobe Cates, in fact, coached the novice actress who was nervous about her nude scene: “Phoebe said, ‘Oh, this is nothing-in Paradise (1982) I had nude scenes. To make matters more stressful, old acquaintances showed up on the day Russell was shooting her topless “Lady Godiva” scene. “I hadn’t seen these people in years,” laughed Russell. “They turned up on the set, outdoors in the middle of nowhere. The director made them leave. It was hysterical. I learned that day not to take it all too seriously.”

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She insists that reviews, citing herself as the film’s sole asset, caused no friction with leading lady Cates. Phoebe is very secure with herself, stated Russell “She should be. Look at her now! We didn’t pay any attention to critics.”

Offers promptly rolled in. One of the networks offered Russell a spot on any series she wanted Numerous agents called, Playboy asked her to pose for a pictorial on struggling actresses in Hollywood. Although she does not regret turning down Playboy, Russell admits that she, and her management, did not make the best choice of opportunities. Though she auditioned for smaller parts in higher profile filmy, she inevitably landed leads in B-movies.

Out of Control (1985) Teens (Martin Hewitt, Betsy Russell, Sherilyn Fenn) crash-land on an island, find vodka, play strip spin-the-bottle and run into drug smugglers

In Out of Control (1985), Martin Hewitt and Russell were cast as a prom king and queen who invite six of their classmates on a “grad night” chartered flight. The plane crashes and the kids acclimate themselves to survival on a deserted island. Most critics panned the film, but the Los Angeles Times and L.A. Weekly gave it good reviews.

“We filmed in Yugoslavia,” explained Russell. “It was fun. There were a lot of us around the same age… Martin Hewitt, Sherilyn Fenn. Russell remembered that Fenn, who debuted in the film, “was the youngest of us all and very sweet. We both liked Martin. I liked him for about two minutes the first day, and she ended up breaking his heart. The producer, Fred Weintraub, said, ‘Sherilyn is going to be huge-she’s going to break a lot of hearts. He was right. She’s worked very hard and she deserves her success.”

Russell played the title role in her third film, Tomboy (1985), Her character, Tommy Boyd, was a curvaceous auto mechanic with car racing ambitions. The movie was dogged by controversy: despite it’s claims of feminist affirmation, TOMBOY was peppered with the usual B-quota of sex and nudity.

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 Tomboy (1985)  A strong-willed female stock car driver challenges her chauvinistic crush to a race to win his respect- and get him into bed.

“It turned out all right, said Russell. “Actually, that movie surprised me. I’ve heard a lot of people really loved that movie. At first, I thought it was going to be kind of dumb but I’ve gotten great response. I saw it about a year ago and thought it wasn’t so bad.”

Avenging Angel (1985) was more of a challenge for Russell. The film served as a sequel to 1983’s ANGEL, about a high school student’s double life as a hooker. “That was a rough experience, because I didn’t understand the character,” recalled Russell. “I felt kind of unsure I was still very young and this had all come very fast, and I hadn’t really studied that much. I didn’t totally relate to the character. Angel wasn’t an everyday girl. It was something new to me, and I didn’t have time to do any research.”

Avenging Angel (1985) Molly, former prostitute, has managed to leave her street life with help from Lt. Andrews. She studies law and leads a normal life. When Andrews is killed by a brutal gang, she returns to the streets as Angel to find his killers.

Although ANGEL had been released only two years previously, the sequel’s storyline picks up five years after the conclusion of its predecessor, Producer Keith Rubenstein and director Robert Vincent O’Neil felt that Donna Wilkes, who played the title role as the first ANGEL, wasn’t credible as a college graduate. The sequel’s investors, however, insisted that Wilkes reprise her familiar role. But it was Wilkes, pricing herself out of the market, who finally broke the stalemate. Cast as a streetwise heroine, Russell drew unflattering reviews from critics.

“Queen of Schlock Wants to Abdicate,” announced the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. After AVENGING ANGEL, it appeared Russell was fed up with her movie career. “I’ve done four B movies and now I’m just gonna stop,” she told a reporter. “I’ve paid my dues, and four is enough.” Russell also related that a meaty role in PRIVATE SCHOOL blinded her to its exploitation elements. She was critical of her involvement in B-films, and pledged to stop making them.

During the next two years, Russell turned to television, performing guest stints on T.J. HOOKER MURDER, SHE WROTE, FAMILY TIES, and THE A-TEAM, “I had down time, she noted. “I didn’t really want to do more nudity. I didn’t want to do B-movies and be taking my clothes off.” A lack of good scripts also prompted Russell to decelerate her movie output.

Cheerleader Camp (1988) A group of cheerleaders become the targets of an unknown killer at a remote summer camp.

Russell wasn’t obligated to disrobe in her next film, Cheerleader Camp (1988) which was initially promoted as BLOODY POM POMS. The plot: cheerleaders, including centerfolds Teri Weigel and Rebecca Ferratti, are sliced and diced while attending a wilderness retreat. The slasher epic hardly adhered to Russell’s speculations about a future in A-movies. “CHEERLEADER CAMP came along, and I liked the character, the actress explained. “She was kind of cute. She was getting driven crazy, and I could keep all my clothes on because the Playmates around me took all their clothes off. It was fun, too, working in Sequoia National Forest. I’ve always made friends with every film I’ve done.”

Following the film, she renewed a past friendship with actor Vince Van Patten. “I met him at the Playboy mansion when I first moved to L.A., Russell recounted. “We dated a few times, and then I never heard from him again. He was involved with the tennis circuit. We both really liked each other, but at the time he wasn’t right. I broke up with my boyfriend five years ago, ran into Vince at the Hard Rock Cafe and the rest is history. The timing was perfect.”

Trapper County War (1989) Two city boys (Estes, Blake) get in trouble with a backwoods North Carolina family (Swayze, Armstrong, Hunky, and Evans) when they try to help an abused step-daughter (Russell). Bo Hopkins and Ernie Hudson are the good locals who attempt to help the boys.

Russell’s last turn as a teenage ingenue was Trapper County War (1989), an updated, sanitized version of DELIVERANCE. Playing the 17-year-old adopted daughter of a backwoods family, Russell served as the city slicker’s love interest.

In Delta Heat (1992), a film noir thriller shot two years ago in New Orleans, Russell was cast as a deceased drug kingpin’s daughter. Academy Entertainment recently released the film on video. “New Line wanted it.” smiled Russell, but the investors had already made a deal with Academy. I think it should have come out in theatres. It’s pretty good.”

Delta Heat (1992) An L.A. cop investigates the death of his partner in the swamps of Louisiana. Enlisting the help of an ex-cop who lost his hand to an alligator many years before.

In Amore! (1993), “It’s Jack Scalia and Kathy Ireland and me, but you wouldn’t know it because of my billing,” laughed Russell. “I’m definitely in the movie. In fact, it’s only me and Scalia in the first half of the movie, and we get divorced and Kathy Ireland comes in. It was my first real comedy.” As the film started to roll, Russell had something else in production. I was three months pregnant at start time, and kept getting bigger!,” she revealed. “I finished the movie when I was four and a half months, and the filmmakers never knew I was pregnant.”

Her husband, who has retired from tennis, is producing a movie adapted from his own script. Rewritten by Dan Jenkins (Semi-Tough), The Break (1995)is a family affair for the Van Pattens. “It’s my first small part in a really good movie,” beams Russell “It’s like ROCKY or BULL DURHAM with tennis. Vince plays the veteran coach, with this rookie kid that he has to coach for the summer. I play the love interest to the kid. I’m the older woman.” She laughs, reflecting upon her ten-year development from PRIVATE SCHOOL starlet to more mature character actress.

When addressed with questions regarding nudity, Russell replied, “If BASIC INSTINCT came my way. I’m sure I wouldn’t have turned it down. It depends on who’s in the movie, what kind of part it is, what the movie’s about. But, you know, I’m not getting those types of offers or scripts anymore, so I’m not worried about it.

“I hope to do good work, to do entertaining, enjoyable projects,” Russell continued. Then, with a glimmer in her eye not at all reminiscent of Arnold Schwarzenegger, she smiled and vowed, “I’ll be back…”

Interview with Betsy Russell

What is the difference between the filmmakers you were working with in your early career versus the filmmakers of today? Betsy Russell: That’s an interesting question because I was just reading a little blurb online about a director on a movie I did called ‘Out of Control’ [1985, directed by Allan Holzman], and he went on to do award winning things, documentaries and other films. The directors I work with now are amazing, talented and insightful, but I’ve also worked with directors before who have gone on to do incredible things. For example, the dialogue coach from Private School [Jerry Zaks] went on to a Broadway career. All the people I worked with were fine. I don’t like to compare one to the other, they are all different.

When you made “Private School” back in the early 1980s, the videotape revolution had just begun. What do you think of how your images from that film proliferated from VHS to DVD to the internet? What do you think of the ability to download virtually anything from the internet, including those pictures of your younger days? Betsy Russell: When I said I would do the topless scene, because it wasn’t in the original script for Private School. I remember thinking I’m 19 years old, my body is great and for the rest of my life I’m going to have something on film that the people will say, ‘yeah, she’s topless but that is my Mom, that was my Grandmother, that was my Great-Grandmother’s first film.’

I remember thinking this is kind of cool, why not? Just to have it out there now in the ‘anything goes’ era, with Playmates becoming TV stars and the like, I am proud of it, I’m proud of my body and I’m proud of the sort of free feeling that my character had in that movie, not inhibited whatsoever. It’s more of a European-type feeling, that the body can be a beautiful thing. There is reason to hide it.

You were beautiful then, you are beautiful now, nothing to worry about. Do you remember the name of the famous horse on which you rode to 1980s movie glory? Betsy Russell: No, because he almost killed me. I didn’t know how to ride very well and I got on it just to get to know the horse. We didn’t have a very big budget so that the stunt guys had gotten some kind of wild horse. The minute I got on the horse it took off with me. Of course, everybody was at lunch except for the stunt guys, the horse wranglers and me. I thought I was going to die, because it started to run out of the stable area. Somebody finally stopped it. So I don’t remember the name, but it ended up being a quiet, passive horse after that incident.

You were fairly busy in the 1980s with your career. Was there anything that you auditioned for or didn’t do that you think might have led to a different career track? Betsy Russell: Yeah, I was a favorite of a casting director name Wally Nicita, and she eventually became a producer. She was a big fan of mine after Private School, and there was a film coming up called ‘Silverado.’ I was shooting ‘Avenging Angel at the time and I had an audition. It was a night shoot, I was very tired and I didn’t really understand the ins and outs of the business, I relied more on my manager to take care of that, and he was learning to as we went along.

So they called for me at the audition for Silverado, and I didn’t pay attention to who had been cast in it. I just looked at it as an ensemble piece, and the other movie I was auditioning for was a ski movie, in which I would star. I just said let’s go for the bigger part. As luck would have it, the audition was in the same building as Wally Nicita’s office, and she kept saying how much the directors and producers of Silverado would love to see me. I told her no, I was here for the other audition. She looked at me like I was the stupidest person on the planet, and never contacted me for anything again. Everything happens for a reason. I always believe my career would have been different had I done that part. I can’t say if it would have been better or worse. I’ve had a good run.

Tomboy had your character as a mechanic. How did this occupation change your character from a typical character? Betsy Russell: It defined her. I was playing a girl who loves auto mechanics. My oldest sister was a mechanic growing up. She did all the lube jobs on the car – she was that type of person. It wasn’t far out for me to imagine myself as that type of character. That’s what she did. She was a tomboy who liked riding motorcycles and playing basketball.

What are your thoughts on the trailer for Tomboy showing you as a strong female, but then cutting to you in the shower? Betsy Russell: I’ve never really paid attention to that. I don’t know that I’ve seen it. I guess strong females still have to take showers. They still like to feel sexy, so I don’t think there’s one thing that should stop someone from feeling sexy and showing their body if that’s what they choose to do. I don’t think it makes any difference in the world.

Tomboy is arguably feminist. Was this a draw for you? Betsy Russell: Yes, I like playing strong characters. I thought it would be fun. I was probably twenty-one years old, so the idea of playing this type of character was great. I didn’t think that hard about it. I said, “Ok, this is another role, this is what she does, and I’m going to get into it.” I started working with the assistant basketball coach at UCLA, trying to learn a little bit of basketball. At that point in my life I wasn’t thinking that long or hard about which role to take. I did have a couple of offers with Tomboy; I had another offer for another movie. I picked this one. I’m sure that was a draw for me.

What do you think makes it a feminist role? Betsy Russell: She has a career that isn’t the norm for women. Usually women rely on men to do all the mechanical things. It’s kind of unusual for a woman to be a mechanic. I think it’s silly to be unusual, but I guess it is.

In the same vein, what role does feminism play in Avenging Angel? Betsy Russell: I barely remember that movie, but I know Angel carries a gun. She’s a tough chick. I saw that movie maybe one time. I don’t remember it well, but I had a lot of fun doing it.

There were a couple of stronger roles you did early on. Did you find yourself drawn to the stronger roles? Betsy Russell: Typically the leads in movies are stronger women. Nobody wants to watch a wimp for two hours. I played more of a leading lady than the sidekick. I don’t think I’ve ever played the sidekick. If given the chance, I would have. I did what I thought was good.

How did you get your role in Avenging Angel? Betsy Russell: I auditioned first, but then the director fought for me. The producer wanted the girl from the first movie. The director said he wouldn’t do the movie without me. That was nice.

Do you remember having a favorite line from Avenging Angel? Betsy Russell: No, but a lot of people tell me their favorite line from it, and I don’t remember anything.

What were your thoughts on Cheerleader Camp (1988) and Camp Fear (1991) and how have these thoughts evolved over time? Betsy Russell: Camp Fear was somebody called me and said, “Would you and your husband, Vince, like to do this little movie? You’re going to make a lot of money for three weeks shoot, and it’s going to go right to video.” I said, “Great, I want to make a lot of money. If nobody sees it, I guess it doesn’t matter. It’ll be fun to work with my husband.” We did it. Who knew that YouTube would happen. I’ve never seen the movie, so I have no idea. I’m sure I was terrible in it. It would be hard to be anything but terrible in it. I’ve always seen bits and pieces on YouTube. My voice is really high in it. We had fun. My brother-in-law is in that movie. I remember the actor playing the Indian could never remember his lines; we laughed so hard we almost fell off a cliff. That guy who played the Indian asked Vince to be his best man at his wedding. We barely knew him so that was funny. That happened back when they would say, “No one’s ever going to see it.” You’d do it. As an actor, if you’re not working, you want to just work. It doesn’t matter all of the time if it’s best project if you haven’t worked in a while. You have to put some money in the bank. That’s why I did that. Cheerleader Camp, I hadn’t offered this role called Bloody Pom Pom’s at the time. I remember thinking, “Oh my gosh, I don’t have to take any clothes off.” At that time, coming from Private School, Tomboy, and Out of Control (1985), I was tired of taking my clothes off. I wore those big nightgowns, and I just wanted to be taken seriously. That’s why I did that movie. I had a lot of fun filming it. As for Cheerleader Camp, we didn’t know we were making kind of a farce. Honestly, it was a little bit funny, but I took my character very seriously. We were rewriting scenes on the set five minutes before.

What are your views on nudity in film? Betsy Russell: I don’t have any negative views on it at all. In my twenties, I would say, “If it’s intrinsic to the character then I think it’s great.” I learned that word, intrinsic, just to say that. I really don’t have any problem with it. If it’s just thrown in there because it’s a low-budget movie and they’re trying to sell it, it’s really obvious. It takes you out, which isn’t always great. Sometimes it’s just right for what’s going on. It’s great that the actor or actress isn’t embarrassed to show it. If it looks good then it’s great. If it’s a person who looks terrible I would rather they keep their clothes on. If it’s important to the role and that type of film then it’s fine.

CREDITS/REFERENCES/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Femme Fatales v02n02 0038 Bad Ass Women of Cinema: A Collection of Interviews Chris Watson hollywoodchicago

Betsy Russell: 80’s B Film Princess Russell was born in San Diego, California, the daughter of Constance (née Lerner) and Richard Lion Russell, a stock analyst.

[racingtoaredlight]

Profiles in IMDb Greatness: Matt Ross

I love the Internet Movie Database. If I’m looking to Instagram stalk the pretty Italian lady from the second season of Master of None it’s a great outlet to find her real name. As such I enjoy looking over random performer pages and arbitrarily judging the scope and quality of their careers to determine if they merit entry into my vaguely defined IMDb Hall of Fame. Today’s enshrinee: Matt Ross

Fate and the Home Box Office television network conspired to serve up a perfect actor for inclusion in this hallowed Hall when as the fourth season of Silicon Valley was up and running while it seemed like American Psycho was on twice a day (and then like a month passed without my actually doing the post but it’s here now so leave me alone). Anyone who can both legitimately unnerve Patrick Bateman and make hostile corporate takeovers hilarious is working with a full deck as a performer.

First Listed Role: I already know this profile is going to be a winner since I’ve seen his first credited role, 1994′s PCU.

It’s been a great long while since I’ve seen PCU (so long ago that even with the picture I can’t remember what exactly Matt Ross did) but I recall it being entertaining enough while still thinking my buddies oversold the hell out of it. It’s a fun movie to look back on as a reminder that even with all the crybabies today annoyed they can no longer use racial slurs decrying political correctness is not a new phenomenon.

Also George Clinton rocks pretty hard in it if memory serves.

Most Recent Finished Work: The great Silicon Valley. That show sneaked up on me during the second season when I had a realization that I looked forward to it just about as much as any other show on TV and would regularly have your faithful writer laughing loudly like an idiot multiple times an episode.

On the show Ross has helped create one of the great villains of television Gavin Belson. Think a more insecure, outwardly evil Bill Gates whose tech giant company Hooli is a constant cloud over the doings of the show’s, for lack of a better word, heroes. A common trait with Ross’ best roles is being able to possess a certain oily sleaziness. Gavin Belson as CEO of a major corporation is more polished than the Alby Grants he’s portrayed but the running bit with animal props as board meetings is a perfect showcase for a hilarious lack of basic morality.

CSI/Law & Order/NCIS Guest Spots: In furthering being the perfect IMDb HOF entrant Matt Ross has a double dip of CSIs (no Law & Order surprisingly, but he does do more film work than a lot of the others so less available time I’d imagine).

From CSI: Miami we have Silencer.

Horatio and his team investigate a double murder at a concert, but unraveling the mystery becomes difficult when leads take them in two directions: the Mala Noche gang, and a pharmaceutical company.

Difficult to say where Ross’ character Paul Burton falls into this mess but if I had to guess I’d wager he’s aligned with the pill pushers than the Mala Noche gang. Being a shady pharmacy lab tech feels just right for him. I just hope it was George Clinton concert that claimed those two souls as a bit of an Easter egg to Matt Ross’ early work.

And then there’s CSI: Original Recipe with Meat Jekyll. As first I got excited thinking Ross was playing a character named Meat Jekyll before realizing it was just the title of the episode. An even bigger disappointment is not using Ross’ aforementioned ability to play sinister to be the Hannical Lector of the episode.

The crime lab reluctantly brings in imprisoned serial killer Nate Haskell after he claims to know the identity of "Dr. Jeckyll." Meanwhile, clues revealing his next and perhaps final victim are mailed to Dr. Langston.

Instead they gave that *sunglasses* MEATY role *yeah* to That Guy who was in Eight Men Out as one of the few players who didn’t get kicked out of baseball. Can’t trust a man who won’t take a gambler’s money in this reporter’s opinion.

Hall of Fame Ballot Submissions: Twelve Monkeys (maybe my favorite treatment of time travel as a concept and how you wouldn’t be able to change anything since it’s already happened in the future), Face/Off (I only watched about 20 minutes of this and shut it off but it’s such a famous goodbad movie that I included it, just couldn’t buy in to Nic Cage’s skin fitting around Travolta’s giant head), Oz (this post’s winner of the biggest “Oh shit, really?” work, he was one of the guards killed in the riot), American Psycho, The Aviator, Good Night and Good Luck, Big Love, Silicon Valley.

Big Love was a bit of a stretch here since by the last couple seasons I was outwardly hating it but Ross’ Alby Grant is probaby still the role I most associate him with when he pops up elsewhere due to how devastatingly creepy he was. Also I included Big Love for Bill Paxton so in the name of consistency it’s here again, plus this adds to Ross being the king of HBO.

The Aviator was another flick that HBO brought back into the rotation in the last few months that I hadn’t seen in forever and I’d forgotten he was in it. In a weird turn his character Odie is simply a competent airplane mechanic without any degenerate character tendencies, I’m sure it was his hardest role to pull off.

And what’s left to say about his turn in American Psycho, he’d know better than anyone that too much praise can be grating.

Miscellaneous Credits: New rule, if you play Johnny Cash in something, it gets mentioned here like with Lifetime’s Ring of Fire.

Suppose you’d have to ask someone else why this was made when Walk The Line had come out eight years earlier but hey, if they can keep rebooting Spider-Man this century than certainly the Man in Black should be celebrated as often as possible.

Highest Rated IMDb Entry: Goddamn right, the Silicon Valley episode Optimal Tip-To-Tip Efficiency that pulled the whole first season together and hinted at the heights it could reach. 9.4 stars, this episode fucks. I love this one sentence from the episode description:

The guys break out into a ridiculous argument

Yes they did, IMDb plot recapper, yes they did.

Lowest Rated IMDb Entry: I’m not about to go through every other post in this series to check but 5.4 for the worst (according to IMDb users) production one’s been in might be the new high water mark. Take a bow, A Deadly Vision. I’ll be keeping my eyes open to see if the Lifetime Movie Channel re-airs this.

A waitress who has psychic visions of murders before they happen is asked by a police detective to help find a serial killer.

Making this all the better? Matt Ross is indeed the killer and is billed simply as The Killer, just like with The Joker a menace can be more terrifying without any sort of tether to humanity. I’m now wondering to myself just how good Matt Ross could be as The Joker in something. Him and Ben Affleck are pretty much the same age so why not make him the Clown Prince of Evil for any standalone Batfleck film instead of Jared Leto’s ass. Just something to think about, Hollywood bigshots.

IMDb Fun Fact: Matt Ross is  6' 0½" tall.

I feel like I was pitching a perfect IMDb HOF post and then the Trivia section stepped to the plate and laid down a bunt that hugged the third base line of uninteresting tidbits of a great actor’s career. Shame.

IMDb HOF Members: Even though the ad wizards have decreed that only video is worthy of internet bandwidth it sure would be swell if the dear readers clicked back on any old posts they haven’t read yet and tell me how these used to be better before I became cynical and jaded beyond recognition.

Bob Balaban

Jim Beaver

Clancy Brown

W. Earl Brown

Reg E. Cathey

Gary Cole

Keith David

Cary Elwes

Noah Emmerich

Jami Gertz

John Hawkes

John Michael Higgins

Toby Huss

Allison Janney

John Carroll Lynch

Margo Martindale

David Morse

Joe Morton

Robert Patrick

Bill Paxton

Jon Polito

Alan Rickman

Stephen Root

Matt Ross

Alan Ruck

Peter Stormare

Daniel von Bargen

Next Time: Should I just do an actual Jami Gertz one? She’s been in there so long I can hardly remember what inspired the running gag in the first place.

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