Sheepdog hasn’t been released, yet.
No firm news on the actual date of release yet unfortunately but we can look forward to Virginia Madsen as Dr. Elecia Knox.
While we wait for release please take the time to visit the film’s Official Website, https://www.sheepdogthemovie.com/
Holidazed. Another year, another Christmas effort from Hallmark. And, another Christmas project for Virginia Madsen following on from Better Watch Out and Operation Christmas Drop, kind of.
If you’ve read up on those efforts from me already then you’ll already know I’m not a massive fan of the Christmas theme. But, as always I’ll give it a go.
Holidazed gets off to a good start, the first shot is of Virginia Madsen driving a Pink Cadillac through town, I mean as the start of these things go, I’ve seen a lot worse. OK. So, it’s not Virginia as such but her character, Connie.
We follow Virginia Madsen, well, Connie and her Pink Cadillac till she arrives home where we meet some of her family before which sees her married to Chuck (John C McGinley) with grown up kids all coming home for the holidays. From there, the story shifts focus, introducing other families in the neighborhood.
And that would be when we begin to understand the show a little. Each of the families introduced is a bit “quirky” and have their unique family dysfunctions. Gay couples that haven’t come out to their Grandma, divorced couples dealing with new partners and old friends with unresolved attractions meeting up again. All played out to little tunes prompting you to see the humor, or drama, in the situations, etc.
It’s Christmas, you know – Got to have these little adventures and put things under microscopes to see the error of peoples ways or they’d never get that redemption arc we’re all so desperate to see.
Yeah, I know. I sound a little jaded by these things—BUT—no, no buts—I’ve got nothing. I’m just not a fan of these kinds of comedy dramas at the best of times. Throw Christmas in, and I’ve still got nothing. Just not a fan of these kinds of comedy dramas at the best of times, throw Christmas in and I’ve still got nothing. Call me Scrooge, call me Grinch and it’d be nothing I’ve not heard before.
The drama for the Manetti-Hanahan family revolves around a long-running feud with a neighbor, one their daughter has just made worse by falling for the neighbour’s son. This upsets Chuck as head of the household, and the feud who then proceeds to throw jibes at her by calling her a traitor and referring back to his days in the armed forces.
There are 8 episodes in total of Holidazed, the first one introduces us to all the families in the neighbourhood, the next six episodes deal with each family as the main focus and the finale brings them all back together for the wrap up.
I’d hoped for some kind of crossover between the episodes, but there didn’t seem to be any. They are self-contained and all end on some kind of cliff hanger, normally involving some kind of shock to one of the members of the family as some kind secret or revelation is played out.
The Manetti-Hanahan family get their turn in the seventh episode, which gets introduced with Virginia introducing us to a previous Christmas Eve related event via a first person talk to the camera, which gives us more insight on why she’s trying so hard to make this one a success.
This episode picks up where the first one left off, following the usual formula—melodrama, escalating conflicts, and leading up to the inevitable Christmas Day reckoning.”
Although, to its credit Connie does have a line which hangs a hat on the whole thing within the first five minutes with “Is it too much to ask to have a Hallmark Christmas for a change?”, which I won’t lie – Did amuse me.
The rest of the episode delivers exactly what you’d expect. More drama is piled on as we learn that Connie is a bit more highly strung than normal as she’s waiting for a call from the Doctors about a test she had done a few days before. She missed the call from the Doctors with the results and she’s left hanging now till after the festive period.
Virginia Madsen is her usual excellent self here, falling back on her matriarch of the family role as she herds her wayward family into behaving themselves. In the first episode she even whips out a Behavioural Contract she wants her family to sign in an effort to enforce the Holiday spirit.
It’s not a bad thing to watch but nothing we’ve not seen her do before. And, she gets to flex her comedic side once again which is always nice to see. It’s an exercise in balancing exasperation and warmth in a way that makes Connie’s frustrations feel genuine rather than just sitcom-level antics. Just.
The eighth and final episodes brings the whole thing full circle and the resolutions to the dramas that have happened previously are all played out. It’s obviously an episode full of spoilers, but I will say it holds very few, if any, surprises.
There isn’t even any reference to the factg that both Virginia Madsen and John C McGinley both starred in Highlander 2 back in the day, I guess it’s still too soon for either of them to joke about.
To be fair to Holidazed, it’s well done for what it is. It’s obvious they aren’t for me, but I can respect them for what they are and a lot of people do like them, especially around Christmas. It’s harmless enough, the actors put in good, if not predictable turns.
Not great at the moment. Was streamed on the Hallmark Channel but, it’s too early for a physical release of it just yet. Guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens with this one.
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Lola is the directorial debut from Nicola Peltz Beckham in which she’s also the writer and the main star, all of which is quite ambitious for a first outing. The story Lola tells isn’t new, it’s the one about a small town girl who lives with an abusive family who dreams of getting away from it all.
We’ve seen it before, many times.
Lola is trapped in a life she didn’t want and nobody deserves. She lives at home with her Mother, Mona (Virginia Madsen), Stepfather, Trick (Trevor Long) and younger brother Arlo (Luke David Blumm).
All is not well within the household. Mona is white trash, pure white trash at that. The kind that puts on a God fearing front for the public but is an alcoholic, torn up bitter and twisted woman inside. Trick is the atypical hanger on stepfather on the scene who isn’t worth the space he occupies. It’s the kind of house where even the pet fish dies unnoticed in its bowl.
Unfortunately, Lola herself looks to be following pretty much the same path as her Mother, despite seemingly hating everything about her life. She works a dead end job during the day and in a strip club at night. She’s a borderline drug addict herself, begging and borrowing drugs off her ex boyfriend. She dreams of escaping the life she can see in front of her and making a clean break of it all.
So, why does she stick around?
Her little brother, Arlo. He needs someone to stick up for him and protect him. Arlo is only 9 years old but he’s showing signs that he isn’t going to be the norm. He likes to dress like his sister, wearing the same kinds of clothes and putting on makeup. Something that doesn’t sit well with Mona.
If all this sounds a bit too much like an exercise in box checking, then you’d not be wrong.
Let’s see what else we have.
We can always watch Lola slide into prostitution when she starts to lose her friends because she won’t tell anyone about the burden she has to carry on her shoulders.
And, then. Of course. When Lola is at her lowest point things get worse, and worse.
I’d be venturing into spoiler territory if I went on so I’ll stop here, if you do want to watch the film then I don’t want to ruin it. But, by about an hour in, you won’t care anymore and you’ll probably guess where this is all heading.
Lola isn’t likable, which would be fine if the film gave us something to latch onto. Instead, she feels like a character going through the motions, repeating her mother’s mistakes with no real self-awareness. She knows Mona is toxic but seems incapable of recognizing where she herself is headed. It’s frustrating to watch, especially when the cycle feels so avoidable.
Virginia Madsen takes her cues and runs with it. I mean, she’s properly engaged here and doing her damndest to make us not like her. And, deservedly so. Mona IS that Mother. She’s the one that has let herself slide into alcoholism and blamed everyone else for it. She is the piece of trash woman who left her Daughter to fend for herself and bring herself up. She is the very essence of everything that is wrong in an innocent girl’s life. Toxic and manipulative. All of it.
Honestly, it’s a little fascinating to see her flip the whole warm, nurturing mother persona she’s done in the past and just own this disaster of a character. It’s a bold move, and one she seems to have been working up to from roles in Anna Nicole and The Harry Quebert Affair, and she absolutely nails it this time around.
As for the rest of it, it’s not actually a poorly made film, far from it. It looks good, I think, the acting is mostly good, and as mentioned, in the case of Virginia Madsen, great. The visuals are a little over the top in places, there are some shots where they look too polished when they’re meant to be depicting something destitute and or grungy. Well, in my opinion at least.
Shortly after this movie was released I saw a lot of negative comments about it, I tried not to read them as it came out as I was making this website and I wanted to watch it cold. One of the things that I did see mentioned a lot about it was that it was “poverty porn”.
Having watched it, I can see what the critics meant by that. I sincerely doubt that Nicola Peltz Beckham has ever had to worry about any of this kind of stuff in her real life. Or, known anyone that had. She’s just taken a look at the people who do live these kinds of lives and tried to understand it. And, she can’t, there is no real world experience for her to draw on, and it shows.
Other than the performance put out there by Virginia Madsen, there is little to no reason to watch this film. She’s genuinely the best thing in the movie, and it’s an especially good addition to her showcase.
It’s just a shame it’s in this film.
Perhaps the greatest sin the film commits of all is, spelling Virginia Madsens name wrong…
“Virginia Madison” – I mean, it’s close…
Only available on VoD formats at the moment unfortuantely, SKY and Amazon both have it at the time of writing but you might need to check your local providers, or use a VPN to watch it.
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Although Prey for the Devil falls very firmly on the “Virginia Madsen films I don’t really want to watch” list, I sat down to watch this one with a little bit renewed hope that it might not be as bad as it seems. Mainly because The Haunting in Connecticut had taken me by surprise, and in my mind they’re the same kind of film.
I was wrong – They aren’t the same kind of film – But, I digress.
Released in 2022, Prey for the Devil tries to put a fresh spin on the somewhat tired exorcism genre, blending the old tropes with a few new twists and a little slip of flair.
In this world, demonic possession has become so prevalent that the Catholic Church reopens schools for teaching exorcism rites. Typically, nuns aren’t permitted to perform exorcisms, let alone be trained in them, but Sister Ann (Jacqueline Byers) catches the eye of Father Quinn (Colin Salmon), who sees potential in her and agrees to abandon the old ways and train her.
But it can’t be that simple, Sister Ann’s investment in the exorcism world is personal. Her mother was possessed when she was a child, and she has never fully recovered from the trauma. It isn’t long before her quest becomes a little too personal, before you can bless some Holy Water she finds herself face-to-face with the same demon that terrorised her family years ago: quelle surprise
Virginia Madsen takes on the role of Dr. Peters, she’s a Psychiatrist who insists that most “possessions” are schizophrenia and adds an element of doubt, and perspective, to the supernatural goings on. She plays the role pretty straight, it’s sort of her Mum thing in a more professional setting. There’s a warmth to her that “gets it” when it comes to what Sister Ann is going through, and has gone through previously. It’s a small role, but she makes the most out of it and you won’t come away with any complaints about her.
Which is nice for Virginia, but what about the rest of the film?
Well. It’s… Not good. I mean. It’s – There is something in the film. I don’t actually think it’s that bad of an idea for a film, but somehow it gets lost with a lack of original thinking. It’s nearly good, but it fails so hard that it becomes hard to watch. It’s the usual stuff you’ve seen before and ultimately it lets itself down. It’s not that you’re angry at it, but you’re disappointed.
I wanted to like it. I was rooting for it, I wanted it to hit me with something that would make my jaw drop. But, it didn’t. And it could have, I know it could have. It was so close.
So. With a heavy heart, it’s hard to recommend this one just as a watch.
Availabilty:
Good. No problems finding this on DVD or Blu-Ray in whatever country you’re in it would seem. Also available on multiple streaming services depending on your location, or access to a VPN.
Trailer:
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Ha. Obliterated.
I was half excited when I heard Virginia Madsen’s name associated with this one. New Netflix show, getting half decent reviews. Nice.
Unfortunately, I heard news of its cancellation before I watched it – One season, eight episodes and done. Life is harsh sometimes.
Obliterated is a show with a half decent, but kind of limited premise;
After stopping a bomb from going off in Las Vegas a crack team of elite special forces agents celebrate with a night on the town, maybe a little too hard. But, they’re early. A very real threat remains and now they’ve to stop it while still intoxicated.
I mean, we’ve all been there…
ANYWAYS – Virginia Madsen has a very, very small role in the Fourth Episode, “Walks of Shame”.
She plays the Mother (Marge McKnight) of one of the main characters, Chad McKnight (Nick Zano) in a flashback sequence seen at the beginning of the episode. She’s just sat on the couch, chilling with a beer and her son watching Rambo of all things.
And, it is what it is. It’s pretty well done, and even though you don’t know either character quite well there is an obvious vibe and chemistry to their relationship. The short conversation was probably meant to be expanded on at some point given the, mystery, of some of it, but we’ll not see that go further now. Not in this medium at least. Given the short amount of time these two are together you can’t help but give a little head nod to and appreciate the art.
Availability:
It’s on Netflix, obviously – HIGHLY doubtful we’ll get a physical release, but you never know.
Trailer:
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Give Me an A is a film born out of necessity. It’s not a film that has been years in the making or a script that’s been bouncing around Hollywood for a decade.
[ahem] Before I go any further, let me make it clear: this isn’t a space to debate the political implications of what I say next. This film is a direct response to one of the most heated legal and media debates of the last few years. I fully support the film-makers’ right to express their outrage and defend their stance, but I’m not interested in engaging in conversation about it here. [/ahem]
With that said, let me give you some background on the film:
Roe vs. Wade was a landmark Supreme Court decision made in 1973, recognising a woman’s constitutional right to have an abortion without excessive government interference. It established that women had the right to make personal decisions about their reproductive health, particularly during the first trimester, and it set a legal precedent that protected those rights for nearly 50 years.
The problem?
Roe vs. Wade was overturned in June 2022. For millions of American women, it felt like a slap in the face. A basic human right, to be crystal clear – a freedom over one’s own body – was taken away. To say that this left people in shock is an understatement.
Reactions were varied, but one woman, Natasha Halevi, knew how she wanted to respond. Using her creativity and art, she set out to make a film that tackled the enormity of the decision.
And thus, Give Me an A was born. Conceived and completed in just three months, the film had its first release at the end of September 2022. Quite the impressive feat.
Give Me an A is an anthology film, made up of 16 short films woven into a single narrative. Each short uses a different genre, but the theme remains the same: women’s rights and what it means to have their reproductive rights stripped away. These stories explore where we’ve been, where we are, and where a decision like this could lead.
Breaking up these shorts is a group of cheerleaders. But these aren’t the stereotypical, bubbly cheerleaders you might expect. At the start, they seem happy-go-lucky, but as the films play out, you can see their demeanour shift. They go from passive, excited spectators to determined young women, warriors, even. By the end of the film, there’s no doubt that these girls aren’t here to play.
Virginia Madsen plays their coach, guiding them through this emotional transformation. She’s barely on screen, but her presence still matters. Normally, I might call this a waste of her talent, but in this project, nothing goes to waste. Every contribution feels deliberate and meaningful.
It’s an odd film, but a necessary one. The messaging is clear for all. I would hope at least. But here’s where I have my doubts; the people who need to see this most probably won’t watch it. They’re often complicit in their own ignorance, and that’s a real shame. Each short is designed to make people think about what’s right and wrong, but the people that support this film will likely already be on the side of women’s rights.
That said, I believe the film absolutely needs to exist. It’s a beacon of solidarity for the countless women out there who need to know they aren’t alone in their frustrations.
In many ways, this is a film that shouldn’t need to exist. But here we are. I could rant about why that is, but I won’t. And, trust me, I’ve already moderated myself quite a bit while writing this.
Would I recommend this film? All day long to those who should, or need, to see it.
Availability:
Not as great as it should be. It’s available on some VOD channels and as a Blu Ray release courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome.
Trailer:
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I think of all the “new to me” films I’ve watched as part of this whole thing, The Portrait was one that was pretty close to the bottom of the list.
I’m not a fan of this particular type of horror, and I could tell from the trailer what kind it was going to be. And, you know… That’s OK – I won’t ever rubbish a film just because it’s not for me, but it doesn’t make me feel any better about watching them either. Truthfully, if Virginia Madsen’s name wasn’t attached I wouldn’t entertain it. BUT – I also had The Haunting in Connecticut in mind, I thought that was going to go one way and it didn’t, so…
The Portrait isn’t classed as horror, more a psychological thriller, but it amounts to the same thing in my mind. It’s a British film from 2023 and was released straight to digital markets.
Alex (Ryan Kwanten) suffers in an accident, he survives but he remains in a pretty much catatonic state and has no real memory of his life before. He’s alive but his interaction with the world around him is minimal at best. His wife, Sofia (Natalia Cordova-Buckley) is doing her best to look after him but is struggling.
In an attempt to jog his brain and his memory back into gear she takes him back to his family home in the hopes that being there will spark, something.
Not long after they arrive she comes across a portrait in the attic painted by a long dead relative of her husband. The thing is, he’s a dead ringer for her husband and Sofia becomes more and more convinced that something else is going on here the more she stares at it.
Not long after moving in, cousin Mags (Virginia Madsen) comes calling to check in. She seems to know a lot more about the family history and lets Sofia in on a few chilling details of the man in the portrait. It turns out he was gifted, but not so much of a nice chap – In fact he was pretty much run out of town not long after the portrait in question was finished.
From there, it’s pretty much Alex getting more and more out of character, Mags getting more and more mysterious and Sofia getting more and more concerned until things escalate and, well – Yes.
There aren’t many surprises to be had from this film unfortunately.
Virginia Madsen in this, isn’t at her best. But she doesn’t have much to work with either. Mags is almost like a Scooby Doo villain in this one (and not a good one like she played in Where’s my Mummy?), you know she’s up to no good – She might as well put a sign around her neck and ring a bell. All those sly and knowing looks she gives while employing every means of avoidance she can muster. You know the one.
Did I like it? – Well. I didn’t hate it. Would I recommend it? Well. Kind of, I mean if you like this kind of film, and I know lots do, then there are far worse examples of it out there you could go with, it’s actually quite a well made film. I think for me the story lets it down mainly.
Availability:
So far it’s not had a physical release so you’ll need to purchase it digitally if you want to see it. It’s available on Amazon Prime, or check your usual service to see if they have it.
Trailer:
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But wait! I hear you scream. “Virginia Madsen wasn’t in the new Candyman film!” you continue.
Yes, yes I know she wasn’t, but at the same time she technically is and all the other Virginia Madsen filmography pages include it so I am as well.
The 2021 version of Candyman is a sequel, reboot and or continuation of the original 1992 film. Once again the legend of the Candyman is investigated, this time by a young artist by the name of Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). He eventually comes up with an art piece for his exhibition entitled “Say My Name”, a reference to the Candyman legend.
This causes two art critics at the exhibit to start messing around and being clever and they inadvertently summon the Candyman back into existence, but this isn’t Daniel Robitaille, this is Sherman Fields (Michael Hargrove), another young man accused of a crime and unduly punished for it.
As the killing and mystery surrounding them grow deeper, so does Anthony’s curiosity of Candyman, he begins to dig deeper and eventually ends up looking into the events of the original Candyman movie, specifically Helen Lyle.
And this is where Virginia Madsen does appear, well, her voice at least – Anthony takes a file from the local library which has all the details of Helen Lyle and her investigation years before. Part of that file includes her original audio tapes, and there it is. Virginia Madsen’s voice in the new Candyman film.
Tadah!
It’s a stretch, I know – But like I said, everyone else is doing it – So…
I obviously would not or could not recommend this film based on Virginia Madsen’s role, and her acting here is literally something we’ve seen her do before. So, yeah. It is what it is here.
If you do want to check it out for this alone then the scene takes place at about 39 minutes into the movie in the movie.
The film itself? – Well – Yeah, if you liked the original film then you should get along with this one just fine. It hammers it’s point home with the least subtle brick you can imagine, but it’s worth a watch all the same. It’s a good continuation of the Candyman mythos and I hope they’ll make more going forward.
Availability:
Good, it’s relatively new and can be picked up on DVD and Blu-Ray quite easily.
Trailer:
[sigh] – Operation Christmas Drop is a film from Netflix, released in 2020 just in time for, surprise surprise – Christmas. It’s a Romantic Comedy Family film. As if you needed telling…
And, there isn’t any other way of saying this, but Christmas movies aren’t my thing, at all. Well, films like Violent Night pass the criteria checklist, but apart from that, no. The whole family friendly seasonal message of hope and good in the world, no.
So, while I did make an attempt at watching this movie then for the most part I might as well have not bothered. I got 45 minutes in and felt like I knew the whole plot anyways.
I’m not saying it’s a bad movie, I’m not qualified as I didn’t watch it – What I am trying to make clear is that it isn’t one for me. Much like Grace Stirs up Success and Hot to Trot before it, I’m about as far removed from the target audience as it gets.
That being said, it did give me reason to Google the whole “Christmas Drop” thing and I was pleasantly surprised to find it still does exist and happen, so that’s nice.
The plot of the movie is as predictably Christmassy as you can get. Something nice that usually happens is in danger of not happening. Person who is trying to stop the nice thing happening is eventually won round, and the nice thing happens with everyone smiling and being nice because, Christmas.
Virginia Madsen plays Congresswoman Bradford – She’s the main reason the Christmassy thing isn’t happening but she’s delegated Grinch duties to her subordinate, Erica (Kal Graham).
And, I know I’ve commented before on Virginia being typecast, but this one really does take the biscuit. Her role in this one is pretty much her role in Designated Survivor, even down the outfit we first meet her in. Black Suit with an American Flag pin. Which, I realise is pretty much the uniform for a US Senator, at least in my head, but. Yeah.
I mean, you couldn’t tell where I’d grabbed each of these from.
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(Designated Survivor is the one on the right…)
Virginia actually isn’t in the movie that much, which was pretty much the deciding reason for me to give up on it completely. And when she is in it, she’s pretty much a Kimble clone anyways. But more evil. Nothing we’ve not seen her do before, which again isn’t bad, but it’s nothing to go out of your way to watch the movie for anyways, fan or not.
And, of course by the end of the film the evil Virginia Madsen even gets a bit of the Christmas spirt herself.
Availability:
It’s a Netflix film and it’s still available, unlikely to ever see a physical release though, officially at least.
Gallery:
Trailer:
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One Day as a Lion is a film from the mind of Scott Caan, (son of James Caan). He wrote it and he stars in it alongside Frank Grillo and J, K, Simmons.
This was my first time watching this one, not a rewatch as most of them have been so far and while I did know it existed it was because of JK Simmons and not Virginia Madsen, it was on my radar to watch a bonus when I found out Virginia was part of the cast.
The film follows Jackie Powers (James Caan) as he makes his way to his sons court case in order to stop him doing some jail time. He feels badly that his son is following in his own foot steps and he’s determined that he won’t follow the same path.
But, to do that he has to do one more job. Because, don’t we all? Jackie is tasked with assassinating Walter Boggs (J. K. Simmons) because he owes a serious amount of money to Pauly Russo (Frank Grillo). Jackie isn’t the best at this kind of thing and it inevitably all goes wrong, all he actually does is succeed in pissing Walter off and almost accidentally takes one of the waitresses, Lola (Marianne Rendón) hostage while making his mistake.
It’s quickly apparent to Lola that she’s not in any real danger and she ends up wanting to help Jackie out after hearing his reasoning for doing what he’s doing. Lola decides one of the first things they should do is get some money and the best way she can think of doing that is conning it out of her Mother and this is where Virginia Madsen comes in, she plays Lola’s Mother.
She’s only in the film briefly but she certainly makes an impression. It’s another of those roles I’m glad to see her getting. One where she can actually act. Although I’ve watched too many of these kinds of roles together now at this point and while brilliant I am beginning to wonder about her being typecast, again.
From there we see the pair run into various adventures and scrapes with varying degrees of success. It’s sort of a typical road movie with the pair trying to do some good (in their own way) while being chased by the bad guys.
It’s quite an enjoyable film all told. It’s not the best film ever, but it’ll pass the time harmlessly enough. J. K. Simmons is always ace to watch, but like Virginia he’s not in the film as much as you’d like. Scott Caan I also have some time for, I liked him in Entourage and Hawaii 5-0 and so it’s good to see him in a big film. particularly one he wrote.
Virginia Madsen herself is also a fan of Scotts, she’d tell MovieWeb; “I really, really love Scott’s writing, I really responded to the script immediately. And I’ve been experimenting with comedy, which is not something that I was usually ever hired for. So it’s cool to learn a new skill later on”
Which is kind of cool for all involved.
Availability:
I’ve only ever seen it available on DVD as physical purchase, and that’s Region 1 only. It seems odd there is no Blu-Ray, but if it does exist I can’t find it. It’s available to buy on most of the popular streaming channels in SD, HD and 4K.
Trailer:
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