Tag Archives: 2024

Virginia Madsen in Holidazed

Holidazed

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.Virginia Madsen as Connie Manetti-Hanahan in Holidazed. She is seated in the driver's seat of a vintage car, gripping the large steering wheel with gloved hands. She wears a quilted green jacket, and her blonde hair cascades in soft waves over her shoulders. She has a warm, contented smile as she looks ahead, with the car's classic interior and a blurred suburban winter landscape visible through the window.

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.
Virginia Madsen as Connie Manetti-Hanahan in Holidazed. She is wearing a festive black sweater adorned with red cherries and green leaves, along with a red headband decorated with pearls. Her blonde hair is loosely styled with soft curls framing her face. She has a thoughtful, slightly amused expression as she listens to someone off-camera. The background shows a modern kitchen with a countertop and some appliances, while a blurred male figure in a brown jacket is partially visible in the foreground

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.
A festive family gathering scene from Holidazed. The group, including Virginia Madsen as Connie Manetti-Hanahan, is dressed in colorful Christmas sweaters featuring reindeer, snowflakes, and holiday-themed designs. They stand together in a warmly decorated living room with a beautifully lit Christmas tree and wrapped presents in the background. Some family members are smiling and posing, while young children sit on the floor in front, dressed in equally festive attire. The cozy holiday setting includes a large gray couch with throw pillows, Christmas decorations on the walls, and a warmly lit atmosphere.

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.

Availability:

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.

Gallery:

Trailer:

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Virginia Madsen in Lola

Lola

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).
A close-up of Virginia Madsen as Mona in Lola. She has long blonde hair styled in soft waves and wears dramatic false eyelashes and dark eye makeup. Her expression is serious and contemplative, with slightly pursed lips and an intense gaze directed off-camera. She wears a delicate gold necklace and a light-colored cardigan over a pink top. The background features a softly lit, floral-patterned wallpaper, adding a warm yet slightly melancholic atmosphere to the sceneAll 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.
Virginia Madsen as Mona in Lola. She wears a bold leopard-print blouse and a delicate gold necklace with a cross pendant. Her long blonde hair is styled voluminously, and she has dramatic eye makeup with a serious, contemplative expression. The background features stained glass windows, casting a soft glow, she is in a church. Her gaze is directed slightly downward, adding to the solemn mood of the scene.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 as Mona in Lola. She holds a beige corded telephone to her ear, her expression serious and intense. Her blonde hair cascades over her shoulders, and she wears a delicate gold necklace. The background reveals a softly lit kitchen with vintage elements, including an old-fashioned window and countertop items. The warm, muted tones of the scene enhance the emotional weight of the moment.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.
Virginia Madsen as Mona in Lola. She stands inside a small convenience store, wearing a brown coat with a fur collar and large hoop earrings. Her blonde hair is styled in loose waves, and her expression is serious yet contemplative. The store shelves in the softly blurred background are stocked with various items, and price signs hang from the ceiling, adding to the realism of the sceneOther 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…

In an unusual slip-up, the end credits of Lola list Virginia Madsen as “Virginia Madison” – I mean, it’s close…

Availability:

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.

Gallery:

Trailer:

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Virginia Madsen in Obliterated

Obliterated (Season 1 Episode 04 – “Walks of Shame”)

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”.Virginia Madsen as Marge McKnight in Obliterated, sitting on a beige couch wearing a plaid shirt. She has curly blonde hair and an expressive look while talking. A man in the foreground, slightly out of focus, is drinking from a beer bottle. The scene has a dim, warm indoor lightingShe 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.Virginia Madsen as Marge McKnight in Obliterated, resting her head against a man’s chest in an emotional embrace. She wears a plaid shirt, her curly blonde hair slightly disheveled. The man, wearing a white graphic t-shirt, has a solemn expression as he holds her close. The dimly lit room features a softly illuminated curtain in the background, adding to the intimate and comforting atmosphere
Availability:

It’s on Netflix, obviously – HIGHLY doubtful we’ll get a physical release, but you never know.

Trailer:

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