Tag Archives: Comedy

Virginia Madsen in Stuart Little 3

Stuart Little 3: Call of The Wild

Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Stuart Little 3, the raggedy little scamp of a mouse. Now. I won’t lie, before all of this Virginia Madsen site stuff I hadn’t seen the movie, and, honestly, had no real desire to either.

I saw the first one a looooooooooooooooong time ago, it was amusing, but not for me. The third film always seemed a bit odd to me. The third movie see It change to a fully animated affair compared to the previous two mix ups of live action and CGI. It also skipped the cinema entirely and went straight to DVD.

We still have Michael J Fox doing the mouse thing, Geena Davis doing the Mom thing and Hugh Laurie doing the Dad thing though, all is not lost.

In Stuart Little 3 we find Stuart and family heading off on a camping trip to Lake Garland. The whole family, including the cat, Snowbell Which, I guess is a bit odd, but we’re talking about a film about a talking mouse here.

Not long into their trip Stuart meets a skunk named Reeko (Wayne Brady) who isn’t the most favourite animal in the forest due to his association with “The Beast”, a female Cougar who is the leader of the forest around Lake Garland. The Beast is the character who sounds remarkably like Virginia Madsen.

I’m pretty sure there’s a joke to be had somewhere around here but I shall refrain from attempting any…

Stuart and Reeko end up making friends, with Reeko even being invited to the family dinner. But, it’s not long before Reeko Is showing everyone just why he’s not the most popular animal in the forest and after deciding that the food he got from the Little family wasn’t enough he hatches a plan to lure Snowbell into the forest for The Beast.

Stuart is obviously having none of this and sets off to save Snowbell, and cartoon based shenanigans ensue.

Virginia Madsen seemed to have a lot of fun making this movie. I guess it’s kind of a different role for her to be the out and out villain in a story. Well, not including her early femme fetale roles anyway. The Beasts character comes from a dark place, snarling, commanding and power hungry. Quite the contrast to most of her other roles around the same time period, and those both before and after. I’d quite like to see her play this kind of ‘evil’ role in live action at some point. I mean, this is a kids film and she manages to pull off evil in a family friendly way, imagine her let loose.
Virginia Madsen in Stuart Little 3I mean, it’s not the first time she’s taken the role of the villan in something animated, look at her Silver Sable in Spider-man, or Roulette in Justice League Unlimited. Let her have some proper live action over the top villany I say!

The movie itself, well. I’m a grown up and don’t mind the odd “kids” film when there is something in there for the adults as well. But this isn’t one of those films.

And, I have to say it was disappointing on a few levels, I don’t think that even as a kid I’d enjoy this film as much as the other ones. I don’t quite know what it was missing, but, something.

One for the collectors of Virignia Madsen to put on their shelves and possibly never watch, heh – One for most people to put on their shelves and never watch I’d imagine.

Availability:

You can trip over copies on eBay, Amazon and wherever else you normally shop if you aren’t careful.

Trailer:

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virginia madsen in nobody knows anything!

Nobody Knows Anything!

And so another film which I couldn’t get along with. This was another one that was actually my first time watching it. I’ve never fancied it, I’m not a fan of Ben Stiller or Janeane Garofalo or their comedy and it always put me off with those two being in it.

(To be fair one of my all time favourite films is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty with Ben Stiller, he gets more of a pass these days for that, but I’m still not a fan, really)

I zoned so far out of watching this film while I was watching it that at one point I genuinely wondered if I should just start again but I couldn’t bring myself to do it and just tried working it out.

Nobody knows anything is a comedy, in the very loosest sense of the word. I get the impression that it was trying to be *something*, but I don;t know what. I’d guess they were going for a satire vibe with a certain crowd when they were making it?

It’s a film about Hollywood and what it takes to get a film made there. Sarah Wilder (Alanna Ubach) wants to make a film, she thinks it’s going to be easy. Till she tries to get it done. She only has one proper contact in the industry in the form of her Uncle (Michael Lerner) who is has-been Screenwriter back in the day. He tries to help and she embarks on a ride through the weird and wonderful world of Hollywood, meeting various characters and getting into “situations” as she does.

It’s a film with a LOT of “names” in it, I mean, I’ve already mentioned Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo but joining the line up are; Margaret Cho, Kristen Johnston, Robert Englund, Mary Kay Place, Paul Dooley, Stephen Colbert, Tim Meadows,. MIke Myers. Fred Willard, Scott Thompson, Richard Kind, Mike Connors, Ed Lauter and of course Virginia Madsen.

Some are in it for a few seconds, some a few minutes.

It’s that kind of film. Like, it’s something special they all wanted to be involved in. Or, something. Like I said, I guess it’s some form of satire if you know that kind of world enough.

There is surprisingly little to be found on the film online, which is kind of telling. It doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page. Any reviews I could find were short and not-so-sweet, mostly, it just seems to have “been”.

I guess almost ironically, the movies title “Nobody Knows Anything” is actually a reference to a quote from William Goldman, an Oscar winning Screenplay Writer responsible for many a  film such as Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, the full quote is taken from a book he wrote, Adventures in the Screen Trade.

“Nobody knows anything. Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what’s going to work. Every time out it’s a guess and, if you’re lucky, an educated one.“

And, if nothing else this kind of proves his point. With all the star power floating around this film, it should, in theory, have been a lot better than it is.Virginia Madsen as the Prison Lawyer in Nobody Knows Anything! (2003), wearing a black blazer and gold earrings. She has a serious, focused expression while sitting in a room with barred windows, likely during a legal discussion.Virginia rocks up to do her bit quite late in the film, she’s a lawyer and doing her best to make the most of what she has to work with. It’s hard to make any real comment, I was definitely only half watching, despite Virginia and I was losing the will at that point.

Meh. Maybe some people will and do like this, I don’t. Not every film is for everyone, I get that, I mean I like Highlander 2 so maybe my opinion really shouldn’t count for anything…

Availability:
Region 1 DVDs are pretty easy to find, should you want to do…

Trailer:

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Title card for Modern Girls (1986), featuring bold, stylized typography with a neon-inspired outline. The title is set against a backdrop of the Los Angeles skyline, reflecting the film’s urban, nightlife-driven setting. The letters are filled with scenes from the movie, blending images of the main characters with the cityscape, emphasizing the film’s mix of youthful energy, fashion, and music culture from the 1980s

Modern Girls

Ahhhh. I rewatched this not long after Fire With Fire. I said when I wrote about that it was such an 80s movie you would have had to have been there to understand.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Modern Girls ups that ante to a whole other level.

Released in 1986 Modern Girls is very much an 80s film. It’s so 80s it would be hard to make the film today without it feeling like a parody. It is of course not a parody but instead  a true product of its time.

Moden Girls takes three women, or, girls, all in their early twenties, all working mundane jobsand all living life to their full in the Los Angeles nightlight. Kelly (our Virginia) works in a Pet Store and has a knack for being able to sell them,  Margo (Daphne Zuniga) works in telemarketing and we meet Cece (Cynthia Gibb) just as she’s getting fired from her job in a Department Store.Virginia Madsen in Modern Girls lounges on a vintage-style wrought iron bed in a pastel pink bedroom, resting her head on one hand while holding a red lips-shaped telephone. She wears a white tank top and shorts, with her legs playfully kicked up, adorned with white socks. The cozy room is bathed in warm, soft lighting from a bedside lamp, featuring frilly pillows, lace curtains, and a collection of '80s memorabilia on a nightstand, evoking a dreamy and nostalgic aesthetic.All looking for love in the wrong places, they’ve got the stereotypical 80s males all preening around them and out for what they can get. That’s not to say these ladies aren’t out for what they can get either, there is a game to be played and they are all in.

The main part of the film kicks in when Margo and Cece are getting ready to go out for the night, they’re almost ready but discover Kelly has gone without them, and taken Margo’s car to boot. Kellys date for the night, Clifford (Clayton Rohner) arrives to pick her up, she’s not there obviously, and the two girls convince him to drive them into town to find her.

What follows is a crazy, and probably impossibly implausibly long night as the girls (and Clifford) get dragged on a roller coaster of ups and downs invoiving mistaken identities, drug spiking, detective work, music video direction, car problems and various near sexual assaults.Virginia Madsen lies dramatically on a green pool table, surrounded by scattered billiard balls. She wears a sparkling, sheer pink dress with lace details and flowing fabric, evoking an ethereal, dreamlike aesthetic. Her voluminous blonde curls frame her face as she gazes upwards, her expression caught between dazed and glamorous, embodying the neon-soaked decadence of the '80s.Honestly, I thought I’d had some pretty funky nights myself till I started watching 80s films about nights on the town. There is enough here crammed into one night then most people will have in a month’s worth of nights out. Well, that or I’ve led a very sheltered life.

On a side note, I got about half way through this before I started wondering if a film like this would be made today. It deals with some pretty messy themes at times, especially when it comes to Kelly with the drugs and potential assaults. It was only a PG-13 in the US and has a 15 rating in the UK. I’m no prude when it comes to this kind of thing but the thought of watching it with my school going teenage kids doesn’t fill me with happy thoughts.A nighttime scene from Modern Girls (1986). Virginia Madsen, with voluminous curly blonde hair, wears a light pink, semi-sheer outfit with a flowing scarf, sitting in the passenger seat of a Jeep. She smiles playfully at the driver, a young man with tousled brown hair, dressed in a dark jacket, fingerless gloves, and a bandana around his neck. The neon-lit city streets blur in the background, evoking an '80s urban nightlife aesthetic.Virginia shines in this film though, her depiction of Kelly is spot on and I can’t think of anyone else who I’d rather have seen in the role. I think I was particularly impressed with her for Kely being so far apart from Lisa in Fire with Fire. I didn’t hate her performance in that, but it was a very different type or role and character, considering the two were released in the same year it’s all the more impressive. And then when you get to thinking about her other roles before in Mussolini, The Hearst and Davies Affair and A Matter of Principle, even more mind blowing.

Kind of interesting and a bit of accidental foreshadowing that one of the first times we see Virginia past the opening blurb stuff she’s lying on a bed reading about Bruce Willis, funny that in just a couple of years she’d be cosing up to him in Moonlighting, i had a little “ha” moment when I clocked it.

It’s a weird one to try and recommend. The eightiesness of it all kind of dates it, but not in a bad way. Modern Girls wasn’t really a success when it was released, but it’s done OK for itself in the home market and became a bit of a cult thing. There are many a webpage / blog post that think this film is one of the best things to come out of the eighties.

I’m sure if you were there and lived it then you’ll have an easier time enjoying it. It really is like a time capsule of a different time, different place and a different way of filmmaking. Even if you weren’t there at the time Modern Girls does have something to offer that way.

I’ve said it before and will no doubt say it again, sometimes you’ve just got to find out these things for yourself.

If nothing else you should watch Virginia in one of her more serious roles before you watch this to realise just how talented she is.

Availability:
It can be found on VHS if that’s your thing, it has had both a DVD and Blu-Ray release in recent years but they can be hard to find, and expensive.

I bought a copy on DVD from eBay, and paid well for it – I actually thought it might be fake because it had a “DVD-R” label on the back and the disc was blue. Turns out that it’s real. The DVD’s are made to order so they are legit – Just a heads up if you weren’t aware like I wasn’t.

Gallery:

Trailer:

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virginia madsen in long gone

Long Gone

Back on HBO on May 23, 1987 we got to see Virginia Madsen play up her more sensual side as Dixie Lee Boxx in the hit film Long Gone, based on a 1979 book of the same name by Paul Hemphill. Or, you might know it as Stogies, it went by that name in Europe.

The film is set in 1957 and revolves around The Tampico Stogies baseball team struggling to keep going. The team is owned by a corrupt family who are just in it to make as much money as possible from the team without wanting to put anything into it.

Despite this the team do their best to overcome all the challenges before them and prove they aren’t as down and out as everyone thinks they are, or would have them believe.

The story revolved around the Star Player and Manager of the Stogies, Cecil ‘Stud’ Cantrell (William Peterson), he’s the classic ageing player with only one or two chances to make it big in the game kind of character. Bit of a trope these days, but there we go.

Early on in the film we see him introduced to Dixie after she performs (or, mangles) the National Anthem at one of their games. She got the job after recently winning a beauty contest and has been crowned Miss Strawberry Blossom 1957. The fact that she does poorly with her rendition of the anthem is overlooked by the crowd, mostly because of her outfit. Bless her.
Virginia Madsen in Long Gone (1987), wearing a glamorous white strapless dress, long gloves, and a pink sash. She leans into a microphone, seemingly singing or speaking with intensity, while a group of baseball players in vintage uniforms watches from behind on the field.Virginia’s character isn’t as shallow as you might imagine being a Beauty Queen in an 80’s movie. Virginia plays her well as a woman with dreams, hopes and desires with an emotional edge – And she does it well. The way she interacts with Cecil and the rest of the team might be cliched these days, but it’s done well and you can never argue with the portrayal.

Cecil and DIxie get an introduction, they get together for a one night stand which turns out to be not what either of them want and over time they realise they are made for each other.

Before long the team takes on two new players, and they begin to realise they all want to make The Stogies the best they can be. They start winning and surprising everyone, and themselves. As the story moves on the team face a few home truths and their determination sees them winning against all the odds.
Virginia Madsen in Long Gone (1987), smiling warmly while wearing a cowboy hat and a halter top. Her curly blonde hair frames her face, and the dim, intimate lighting gives the scene a relaxed, charming atmosphere.If it all sounds familiar, then it’s probably because it’s a pretty much cut and paste sports story from around the eta, and beyond.

Which brings me to…The film came out a good long while before a similar, more successful film came along called Bill Durham with Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon. According to the iMDB trivia for the Long Gone Mrs Madsen sat in the same row as the Writer / Director of Bill Durham, Ron Shelton, at a Premiere of Long Gone and would see him taking notes.

“He sat there during the film taking notes, which I thought was entirely rude, then maybe four years later I’m reading (a script) for him and I said, yeah, I met you at the screening of Long Gone. He goes: ‘Oh, yeah, we stole every shot from your movie.’ Like he’s proud of it. I was like, grrrrr.”

Mr Shelton of course denies this, though he admits being at the Premiere.

The involvement with the movie stayed with Virginia, she’s expressed fond memories of it over the years since it was released and in particular working with William Peterson;

“I’ve run into him a couple of times, and it’s like we really shared something. We all have roots in this movie, and everybody still holds it in their hearts. People ask me what was my favourite film to work on … and it’s at the top of the list. One of the best times I ever had.”

Speaking with The AV Club in July 2013 she’d also have a little reminisce over the film;

“Oh, God, that’s arguably the best time I ever had on a movie. Well, no, it’s not my No. 1 best time, but it’s one of the best times, because it was me and [William] Petersen and just a bunch of guys out of Chicago. Just me and a baseball team. [Laughs.] And a girlfriend! I had a girlfriend to hang out with, and then it was all those boys. And it was so sexy! Oh, my God, the whole thing… It was a hot, sweaty summer in Florida, we had a cool director from Brooklyn, and the guys were just so much fun. It just ranks up there as one of the best.

That was a part where I was cast as a blond bombshell, but I got to be Virginia. I got to be the tough girl from Chicago, not playing the victim. She really was a character who owned her sexuality and didn’t give a shit what anybody thought. To learn how to flaunt it was very difficult for me, because I was modest, so sexier roles for me at that age were really hard for me to pull off, because I wasn’t comfortable. My sexuality was not overt, so to play it… When they would cast me in roles like that, I felt awkward. I felt totally unsexy. Like, I knew I looked sexy in Slam Dance, but I didn’t feel sexy. But when I was Dixie? Aw, man, I was a bombshell. [Laughs.] It was great. I had a big smile on my face for that one.”

In my opinion, Long Gone is good for what it is and when it was. It has a lot of heart, the characters are likeable and it’s never going to offend anyone. There are some, touchy, subjects given the film’s setting, particularly so when the KKK take exception to one of the players on the team being black. It’s handled well, especially for the time the film was made and an early show of progression in this kind of backward thinking. Still, it’s right to show this kind of mentality than shy away from it and it stands as what it is.

I’d definitely recommend a watch of the film, it still held my attention on a recent rewatch despite me having seen it several times over the years.

Availability:
Another film that despite many people having fond memories of hasn’t ever had an official DVD release. HBO apparently lost the rights to the film back in 2004 so it’s unlikely anyone else is going to pick it up at this point. But, you never know.

There are VHS copies floating around, and a home made dodgy DVD version that you can find on eBay and the like. It’s minimum effort but at least this one comes with a nicely made up case unlike some of the others which just arrive in a cardboard sleeve.

Of course, being a film this old you can find copies floating around the web and YouTube…

Gallery:

Trailer:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8hs2f3

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virginia madsen in creator

Creator

I’m just going to go ahead and say it. Creator is a goofy, goofy film. I just wanted to get that off my chest. It won’t be the last time we see Virginia Madsen in such a film, or the last, but I felt it should be said from the off.

Creator is a film from 1985, and it won’t be the first (or last) time I say this about a film on this site, but you can tell it’s from the 80’s.

OK, here we go… Deep breath…

Dr. Harry Wolper (Peter O’ Toole) is a Medical Professor teaching at a small college in Southern California. His wife died 30 years earlier and he’s obsessed with being able to make a lone of her. To help him achieve this he enlists the help of Boris Lafkin (Vincent Spano) and Meli (Mariel Hemingway).

Boris is smitten with a fellow student, Barbara Spencer (who else but Virginia Madsen) and Meli, smitten with Harry (53 and 24 at the time of filming – don’t mention the age difference!).
Virginia Madsen in Creator (1985), smiling while wearing a white lab coat over a yellow sweater. Her curly blonde hair frames her face as she stands near a glass door, with a reflection of people in medical attire visible behind her. The scene suggests her character's role in a scientific or academic setting.In exchange for Boris’s help appropriating Lab Equipment to help him with his experiments, Harry offers up advice on how to woo Barbara, although his advice is sometimes, interesting.
Virginia Madsen in Creator (1985), lying on a sandy beach in a blue swimsuit with button details. She rests her head on her hand, making a playful pout while gazing off to the side. Her curly blonde hair is tousled by the breeze, and a blue metal bucket sits nearby, adding to the relaxed summer setting.
Meli is there to donate her ovaries to Harry’s experiment in the hope he sees her as more than just an egg donor. Which, to be fair works in the end…

Hi-jinks and adventures ahoy as the film bounds on through it’s comedic vibe of love and resurrection until Barbara one day suffers a brain aneurysm and falls into a deep coma. It doesn’t look good and it looks as though the machine keeping her alive might be best turned off. Virginia Madsen in Creator (1985), lying unconscious in a hospital bed wearing a patient gown. A ventilator tube is taped to her mouth, and medical equipment surrounds her, emphasizing a critical moment in the film. Her blonde hair rests on the pillow as she remains unresponsive.Both Harry and Boris work their damnedest to stop that from happening and save the young beauty.

And, they all live happily after.

I did say it was goofy! But, I mean come on, look at that smile on Virginia Madsen there.Virginia Madsen in Creator (1985), sitting up in a hospital bed with a bright smile. She wears a white, ruffled blouse and has her blonde hair styled in two braids tied with red bands. The scene conveys warmth and optimism.It’s very nearly a good film, I think I should probably like it more than I do. And, I’ve a feeling it’s one of those that if you where around for at the time you might have a better opinion of it than I do. It’s not that I dislike it, I’m just not sure what it is at times. I wasn’t around to see it on release, it would be a good twenty or so years later when I was hunting down Virginia Madsen films to watch that I first found it on a discounted VHS tape. I got a DVD copy in the end and watched it again, but it still didn’t sit right.

I half watched it as part of the rewatch thing I’m doing but it didn’t hold my interest much, I weirdly remembered it quite well and in this day and age the “romance” between Meli and Harry stands out like a sore thumb and I found myself wondering if they’d even be able to film something like that today without causing the internet to uproar and a frenzied fit of keyboards.

The Eighties man, different times.

Creator is based on the novel of the same name by Jeremy Leven, the novel came out in 1980 and Jeremy himself would do the screen play for the film version, there are some changes but the idea remains the same.

Have to say, Peter O’ Toole is in FINE form in this film, no idea what goes on in that mans head but I’d watch him, watch paint dry if it existed. Huge fan of the man, proper old school didn’t care about who he was and what people thought about him.

Virginia Madsen is good as well, I mean – As good as she can be, it’s another early role for her and she’s just along for the ride on this one I’d imagine but you can’t complain about her performance in any way.

I guess for Virginia Madsen, Creator was a quirky stepping stone in her early career. It’s certainly not the film she’s best known for, and I vert much doubt she’d want it to be. But her natural screen presence shines through even in the relatively short amount of screen time and even in a world of far-fetched science experiments and unlikely romance.

If nothing else, Creator is a curious time capsule from the 80’s, and a reminder that even the most offbeat projects have their charm.

Availability:
Yeah, good – More or less freely available on DVD on the cheap and can be found on Streaming services to rent or buy easily enough.

Gallery:

Trailer:

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virginia madsen in moonlighting

Moonlighting

Moonlighting was a TV Comedy show that aired on ABC from 1985 to 1989. The focus of the show revolved the Blue Moon Detective Agency and it’s two owners, David Addison (Bruce WIllis) and Madeline “Maddie” Hayes (Cybill Shepherd). It was stupidly popular at the time and looking back on it, pretty groundbreaking in a lot of ways. I’m not sure if the world was really ready for Moonlighting at the time.

It’s hard to count just how many ways this one TV show changed the face of TV. It’s probably one of the first TV shows to be called a “dramaedy”  among other late eighties TV shows such as The Wonder Years and Mash. The show would constantly break the fourth wall with the characters regularly talking to the audience or referencing the scriptwriters. It’d film an episode in black and white forcing the producers to hire Orsen Welles to explain in an introduction. And, well the list goes on and on. If you’ve have an interest then I recommend doing some research into Moonlighting and the history around it.

In the dying embers of the shows final season we’d be introduced to Lorraine Anne Charnock, or Annie as she liked to be called. Enter Annie, enter Virginia Madsen. She’d debut her appearance in the 14th episode of the 6th Season, “When Girls Collide”.

Annie comes to town amid the final throws of the final breakup between David and Maddie, at this point in the story the pair have been split up a while and are both well on their way to being OK with it. Maddie is finally beginning to realise she’s over David once and for all.

David meets Annie in the elevator on the way to his office, unaware of who she is at the time.Virginia Madsen as Annie Charnock in Moonlighting, standing in a crowded elevator between Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. She wears a pale pink wrap coat and looks down with a weary expression, capturing the tense and awkward atmosphere of the moment.(Yes that is Demi Moore stood next to Virginia Madsen, no she wasn’t a character, it was just Moonlighting being Moonlighting as she was married to Bruce at the time.)

Maddie and Annie go out for a boozy lunch and the pair have a great time, they tease each other about relationships in the past and Annie tries to set up Maddie with anyone she can think of to help her get out of singledom. The two laugh their way back to the Blue Moon Office where Annie is introduced to David properly and he agrees to take the two women out on the town for a night of fun and frolics.Virginia Madsen as Annie Charnock in Moonlighting, standing in a bedroom while holding a dress on a hanger. She wears a delicate lace-trimmed corset and smiles warmly, her curly blonde hair loosely styled. An open closet filled with pastel-colored clothes adds to the intimate, lighthearted atmosphere.But, while they are out Maddie soon sees that David might be more over than she might like when his fun and frolics with Annie get a little too real. In a fit of jealousy and mad that David actually seems to be over her she tells David that Annie is married and he should leave her alone.

This of course does nothing to help and David ends up sleeping with Annie.

The story misses the next episode, mostly due to the episodes been shown in the wrong order, but it’s picked up again in “Eine Kleine Nacht Murder”, briefly. Maddie witnesses a murder and is almost a victim herself. Not that David seems to care that much. Maddie lies to Annies husband about what her cousin is up-to causing further tension.
Virginia Madsen as Annie Charnock in Moonlighting, smiling playfully while speaking to a man in pajamas with shaving cream on his face. She wears a loose-fitting gray blouse with statement earrings, her wavy blonde hair tousled. The warm, intimate moment captures the show’s blend of romance and comedy.
For what it’s worth, David and Annie do seem to be getting along well. I mean, we know the relationship is ultimately doomed but it’s nice to see that Annie gets a fair go at it.

And, then the Season and Series Finale rolls around, “Lunar Eclipse”. I don’t know if it’s because of the need to wrap things up quickly or not but the whole Annie thing is over and done pretty quickly.

Annies husband turns up to find out for himself what’s going on, David realises that he shouldn’t be with Annie and orchestrates a plan where she catches him in bed with someone else. The plan goes off perfectly and Annie storms off, back to her husband. It turns that David didn’t do the dirty deed with the lady in question, she was paid to be there and pretend.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnd. The End of Annie in Moonlighting as the show comes to an end.
Virginia Madsen as Annie Charnock in Moonlighting, looking surprised or concerned as she turns toward someone off-screen. She wears a brown blouse with a shoulder bag strap visible, her curly blonde hair framing her face. The dimly lit background suggests a tense or pivotal moment.The rest of the episode is Moonlighting being Moonlighting. As the show is coming to an end then sets start being dismantled around them, the two main characters wonder what’s the point being of their existence and set off to find answers. And, well… Yeah.

It’s actually really fun watching Virginia Madsen in this one, Shes a lot of fun, she’s full of sass and fits in perfectly with the rest of the cast. Nothing too dramatic for her to do other than be pissed at David at the end, but you know. It works.

Availability:
Eeeeh. It’s EXPENSIVE to pick up the show on DVD, but it can be found if you look hard enough.

HULU have the show to stream, if you’re in the right area, or have access to a VPN.

Weirdly, there doesn’t seem to be any dodgy copies you can find to watch online. There are bits and pieces but nothing consistent and certainly nothing to get your hopes up about.

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virginia madsen in frasier

Frasier Season 6 – Episodes 14, 21 and 22

Frasier is without doubt one of my favourite shows, it’s rare a TV show can make me laugh like this one does.

If you don’t know then Frasier follows, well, Frasier who is a Psychologist who works for a Radio Station and gives advice over the air. It’s a spin off from Cheers where the character would first be seen. Frasier lives with his Dad, Martin (the late John Mahoney), and his Dad’s care worker, Daphne (Jane Leeves). He has a brother called Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and the Producer of his Radio Show, Roz (Peri Gilpin) is often kicking around somewhere. They make up the core cast, along with Eddie the Dog, The show follows Frasier as he makes his way through life, normally from one blunder to another.

Virginia Madsen took a guest role on the show for three episodes in the sixth season. Technically, four episodes but the last two are Parts 1 and 2 and I’ve never seen them apart. The box set even plays them as one episode on the DVD.

She plays Cassandra Stone, she works at the same Radio Station as Frasier as a Public Relations Executive.Virginia Madsen as Cassandra Stone in Frasier, wearing a black satin robe and smiling as she waves. She stands in a warmly lit room with brick walls and framed artwork in the background.When we first meet her it’s in the episode 14 of the Season in an episode called “Three Valentines“. Frasier is out for the evening with Cassandra, but doesn’t quite know if he’s on a date or not. He’s had mixed signals and ends up sat at the table waiting for her unsure on if this is a Business meeting or not. Things aren’t any clearer after she arrives and Frasier spends the dinner confused. It doesn’t get any clearer. Virginia Madsen as Cassandra Stone in Frasier, wearing a sleek black satin dress and smiling warmly. She stands in a lively restaurant, engaged in conversation with Frasier Crane.Not even after Cassandra invites him back to her room to make things easier the next day for a meeting they are both going to.

And. not even after they end up in bed together…

We next see Cassandra in the 21st Episode, “When a Man Loves Two Women“. By this point Frasier and Cassandra are dating, but on random meeting with an old girlfriend, Faye, Frasier gets confused about who it is he really wants. Ultimately he decides that life with Faye is what he wants the most. Well, that is until he learns that Cassandra has being seeing someone else as well. This brings out the green eyed monster in him and he decides it is Cassandra that is the one for him. But, in typical Frasier fashion, once he sits down to talk to Cassandra he realises that it’s Faye he wants. Or, is it… Once he’s back with Faye he starts to doubt that decision as well.
Virginia Madsen as Cassandra Stone in Frasier, wearing a silky blue robe with black trim. She smiles playfully, brushing her hair back, while standing in Frasier's apartment.(C’mon Frasier – It’s a no brainer here, surely?- Right? RIGHT?)

Moving on to Episodes 23 and 24 – “Shutout in Seattle Parts 1 and 2“. Frasier has been seeing Faye for a good few weeks now, but he keeps calling her Cassandra by mistake, obviously she’s still on his mind in a big way (well, yeah, Frasier). He’s managed to cover it up so far by insisting that his Aunt is called Cassandra and that Faye reminds her of his Aunt. Faye seems to be OK with this, but then in a fleeting moment it all goes terribly wrong and Cassandra bumps into Faye, introducing herself as she does…
Virginia Madsen as Cassandra Stone in Frasier, standing in Café Nervosa wearing a stylish gray outfit with a matching purse. She smiles while speaking to a seated woman, as Frasier Crane looks on awkwardly.Game over Frasier, game over. You fool.

Although she has limited screen in time in all three shows, it’s an utter delight to see her in this kind of role. Sure she’s the sexy smart woman we’ve seen her do before, but just to see her shine in a proper comedy role is worth the price of admission. I honestly wish the Producers of the show had found a bigger role for her in this show, but I’ll take what I got.

Virginia Madsen throughly enjoyed her time on the show, speaking in 2013 with The AV Club she’d remember her time with the cast and crew fondly;

“When I did Cassandra, I wasn’t quite to the point where I was when I did Sideways, but I was just starting to turn my life around. I was still a good deal heavier than I wanted to be, but I was starting to get really healthy, Jack was a little bit bigger at that point, and life was all coming together, but I wasn’t getting any work. I wasn’t really getting movies that were… well, they were sort of pay-the-mortgage movies. So I decided that I would try and guest star in shows that I really liked, so that I could continue learning as an actor. Star Trek: Voyager was one of those, because I’m a huge Star Trek fan, and Frasier was another one, because I’m a huge fan of that show and because I wanted to learn about comedy. I’d never really done any comedy before.

So my agent called and asked if I could meet the show creator, and they said, “Well, we have an episode for her!” I was like, “What?!?” [Laughs.] I just got offered the part! And it was a three-episode arc for a season finale… or, rather, I did one episode, then they turned it into that. But I just couldn’t believe it. Those people on that show, it was like they were a theater company, and they made me feel like I was a part of the cast, not just a guest star. I’m sure that they could see that I was still very vulnerable at that time. I was not very confident. But I really wanted to learn, and they were just like, “Here, Virginia, we’ll show you how to do it! Come on the stage with us, we’ll teach you how to dance!” And they did! And that did so much for my self-esteem. To perform in front of a live audience was just icing on the cake, and I will always be grateful to those actors and the showrunner for giving me that chance, because it really created momentum for change… very big change…in my life.”

Frasier will be forever a part of her history, and Virginia Madsen will live on in Frasier history, even if by proxy. The first episode she was in, Three Valentines, is widely regarded as one of the best episodes as it featured the infamous scene of Niles getting ready for a date and things going disastrously wrong. It is genuine comedy gold and has me in creases each and every time I see it.

In fact, I don’t have a trailer or any other video for this page, so you can have a giggle at that instead…

Availability:
Excellent. The DVD’s for both the Season and the Full Series are easy to find, and cheap! – Not sure why but I feel like I stole both the Season box set and the series box set when I picked up mine.

The show is currently a part of the Paramount+ line up as well if you’re a subscriber, or as it seems there is a lot of this, you can probably find copies of the episode(s) to watch on YouTube as well.

Gallery:

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virginia madsen in ballad of the nightingale

Ballad of The Nightingale (Los-Angeles Cannes Solo Andata)

You got me. I haven’t got much clue what’s going on with this one. It seems not very many people on the Internet do. Not that I can find anyway.

The version(s) of the film I own are both called Los-Angeles Cannes Solo Andata. Which, in no language translates to Ballad of the Nightingale, that’d be “Los-Angeles Cannes One Way” – So no clue where that name even comes from.

The write up I can find about the film (using the Los-Angeles name) is basically the same on every site I came across;

“Mo (Virginia Madsen) is a prostitute living in Los Angeles. Having been badly abandoned by her boyfriend, she decides to change her life after seeing a report on the Cannes festival on TV. She leaves Los Angeles to look for a rich husband in the charming town on the French Riviera. She borrows money from an old family friend, a mob boss, and in exchange she agrees to take a package across the Atlantic. When the package is not delivered, the mafia sends two hitmen to kill her. In the meantime, Mo becomes friends with a young woman (Maria Grazia Cucinotta). The two women fall in love with the same man who will protect her young and naive Mo from the wrath of her underworld. Passions and misunderstandings along the Croisette in a brilliant debut comedy by Guy Greville Morris, director of commercials and video clips”Virginia Madsen as Mo Lewis in Ballad of the Nightingale, wearing a bold red blazer and dangling earrings. She smiles warmly in a dimly lit room with shelves and a chalkboard in the background.If I use Google to translate the text on the back of the case it comes back with;virginia madsn - ballad of the nightingale box textThe only other clue I can find about what this film is supposed to be on the Internet is on the iMDB Review Section for the film where user Manuel Pestalozzi tells us;

“This movie is available in Europe in a dubbed Italian version. Apparently it was made during the Cannes film festival of 1997, so there were a few stars at hand. Virginia Madsen actually gives a wonderful performance as a feisty American prostitute who is on the French Riviera for some mob business. Her brother Michael has a small part as a mobster. Virginia Madsen is teamed with Italian actress Maria Grazia Cucinotta who played the female lead in “Il postino”. The two beautiful yet very different ladies would have made a formidable team had the script amounted to anything. Unfortunately the movie is extremely boring and does not amount to much. But all the scenes with Virginia Madsen are great. Character actors like Seymour Cassel and Harry Dean Stanton also have small parts, and there is another attractive woman who looks like Kate Jackson.”

And he only gives it 2/10 anyways.

Though – As a side note – The review he gives the title is “For Die-Hard Virginia Madsen Fans Only”, which stuck with me when I read it a while back, and one of the reasons this site exists. True story. Thanks, Manuel.

I do own this film on DVD, twice. Both copies are different but both only have an Italian language soundtrack. It appears to have been filmed in Italian, but still have been dubbed. Which, is odd. I can only think the actors must have spoken terrible Italian?

Check out this scene to see what I mean. It does look like the actors are speaking their lines, to a degree but they’ve clearly been dubbed as well.

If the film exists on any format with an English soundtrack then I’ve not been able to find it, and trust me I’ve looked. But then again, if it was filmed in Italian then why would it?

I’ve never tried to watch it, there aren’t any subtitles so I’d have no clue what anyone was saying anyway. It’s cast isn’t bad at all either; Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Harry Dean Stanton and another team up with Virginia’s brother, Michael Madsen (she’d also share the screen with Harry and Michael in 1994’s Blue Tiger as well).Virginia Madsen as Mo Lewis in Ballad of the Nightingale (1999), sitting in an airport waiting area. She smiles while admiring a small object in her hand, wearing a black blazer.ANYWAY – If you can shed more light on this then I’d love to hear from you on it.

Availability:
It isn’t the hardest film to track down on DVD, not freely available but if you go looking then you should come across a copy. Though, it’ll likely be in Italian. While trying to find out more information on the film I have seen the odd copy floating around on VHS as well.

Gallery:

Trailer:
#Nope

🤷‍♂️

Title card for Electric Dreams (1984), featuring neon-style text glowing in pink, red, and yellow against a black background. The stylized font reflects the film’s 1980s aesthetic and its blend of romance, technology, and fantasy.

Electric Dreams

Ahhhhhhhh. Electric Dreams. I’ve such fond memories of this from when I was a kid, as I’d imagine many do. And, probably an early introduction to Virginia Madsen before I knew who Virginia Madsen was.

Electric Dreams is a film from 1984 about these new fangled things called “computers” and the horrors that can ensue by having them in your home, especially if you connect them up to the internet. And put out any literal fires they have by throwing alcoholic drinks on them.

The story of the film follows Miles Harding (Lenny Von Dohlen), an architect with a new idea on how buildings should be built to stop them being damaged in earthquakes. To help realise his vision he eventually succumbs to the idea of purchasing a computer to prove his model works. Clueless about computers (which to be fair, many where at the time) he ends up with all kinds of paraphernalia.

Around the same time Miles gets himself a new neighbour, an attractive young woman known as Madeline Robistat, played by Virginia Madsen herself. Madeline plays cello which we learn from her introduction, this of course isn’t without reason and something to hang a lantern on for later.Virginia Madsen in Electric Dreams (1984), lying on her side with a soft smile and a dreamy expression. Her curly blonde hair is illuminated by the light, and she wears a pale yellow sweater. The close-up shot captures an intimate, reflective moment from the film.Meanwhile Miles goes about setting up his new toy. He of course is pretty clueless about it all and even manages to spell his name wrong on the setup prompting the computer to think his name is “Moles”. It’s not long before the computer is all set up and Moles, Miles wants to get to work and he sets about downloading his whole company’s database to his new computer. Which, of course, the computer doesn’t like – It throws a fit, sets on fire and the only thing close to hand to put the fire out is a bottle of champagne

And, well – After being doused in fire and champagne – This, for, reasons, causes the computer to become sentient.

The computer of course doesn’t let this be known and keeps its secrets for itself. The pesky little thing. It sets about learning all it can independently while nobody is looking, but of course it gets bored and frustrated and it eventually lets itself slip and Miles finds out about his new room mate.

Interestingly many of the features that the computer has, weren’t commonplace at the time of filming. Today, it’s a different story but I was almost constantly questioning my sanity when watching.
Virginia Madsen in Electric Dreams (1984), wearing an elegant black dress and looking over her shoulder at a formal event. Her blonde hair is styled up, and she wears subtle jewelry. An older couple in evening attire stands nearby, engaged in conversation. The soft lighting and refined setting add to the sophisticated atmosphere of the scene.High tech hi-jinks ensue, the computer starts calling itself Edgar (Bud Cort) and tries its best to fit into the world. But, it can’t and so Edgar gets more frustrated and eventually mischief is the order of the day to an almost extreme level.

Being a technological film it’s obviously dated by its time now. You can pick holes in it all day long with even a basic understanding of computers. But, you know – For it’s time it doesn’t do a bad job.

Virginia Madsen is obviously a newbie in the movie, the acting isn’t going to win any awards. But, it doesn’t need to do. It’s not a film that takes itself too seriously, it’s feel good fluff and what it lacks in anything else it more than makes up for in charm. That being said, her character of Madeline is very likeable. Typical small town girl moving to the city kinda gal.

Virginia Madsen has spoken fondly of the film in interviews, in 2013 she’d speak to AVClub about the movie in its (now defunct) Random Roles series;

“Well, that was the beginning of everything… or, at least, it was my first leading role. And I was very spoiled on that movie, because it was such a lovefest that I now believe that every movie should be like that. We started out in San Francisco, and I had a mad, crazy crush on Lenny Von Dohlen. God, we were so… we were head-over-heels for each other. Nothing happened, and at this point, I admit it: I wanted it to happen. [Laughs.] But we both had other people in our lives. We were very young, so our pining for each other was great for the movie. And I’m still friends with Lenny to this day. He’s still one of my best friends.“

Of course, that was 2013. Sadly Lenny Von Dohlen would tragically lose his life in 2021 after a long illness. He was only 63 at the time.Virginia Madsen in Electric Dreams (1984), smiling as she walks arm-in-arm with a young man at a fairground. She wears a casual plaid jacket over a light blue top, while he wears glasses and a denim jacket, holding a stuffed penguin toy. The background is filled with festive lights, balloons, and a crowd, capturing a warm and playful atmosphere.It’s hard to recommend a watch if you’ve no nostalgic value of the film to fall back on. To me it’s almost like a hug from an old friend, but would I recommend it to someone who hasn’t seen it before and wouldn’t understand it for what it is?

Probably not, regretfully – The film needs a real update to be taken seriously in this day and age by anyone new.

On that note, Virginia Madsen told Kevin Pollak in a 2011 interview that she had bought the remake rights to this film, but couldn’t get anybody else interested in doing it with her. And, that’s a shame – The film / concept could be taken to such another level now. Not every film has to have AI killing mankind and taking over the world. Why can’t it fall in love with a beautiful woman once in a while? Even if it does get a bit stalkery.Virginia Madsen in Electric Dreams (1984), standing in a dimly lit room, gazing at a computer screen with a thoughtful expression. She wears a cozy off-white sweater, holding a blue folder in her arms. A bright desk lamp illuminates part of the scene, emphasizing the film’s technological themes and her character’s curiosity.Finally, I can’t end this without mentioning the title song to the movie. In my experience more people know the song than know the movie.

Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder would release “Together in Electric Dreams” which would become a bit of an anthem for a while. The song would spend 13 weeks in the UK Chart, peaking at number 3. In Australia it’d get to number 5, and in the USA it’d not quite do so well with it reaching number 20 at best.

In 2012 EDF Energy would use the song in advert for the UK which could bound the song back into the public’s conscience, and the charts. But, it’d only hit 46 this time around.

Availability:

Not bad actually for a film of its age. In 2017 Second Sight issued a re-release on Blu-Ray and DVD so it’s relatively easy to pick up a new copy of the film.

Older copies are also available on VHS and DVD, it’s not that unusual for Laser Disc copies to show up on eBay either.

It’s available on sites like Plex for free streaming. You can also buy it electronically on Apple TV and Amazon Prime. All the aforementioned options are  depending on your location, or your VPN.

Gallery:

Trailer:


Links:

Electric Dreams Fan Site

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Title card for Class (1983), featuring bold yellow text over an industrial parking lot with a white van and an orange sports car. The background includes a factory with smokestacks, setting the tone for the film’s contrast between working-class and elite prep school life.

Class

Everyone has to start their professional career somewhere, and 1983’s Class would be that somewhere for Virginia Madsen.

Her first role would be small but for most of the intended audience, an unforgettable one but one she has expressed regret at, or at least an “Oh. Ew. I don’t want to talk about that.” when asked about the movie in a 2013 interview with AV Club. She wouldnt go into much detail but she’ would say “Those guys were assholes. They were really shitty to me. It was bad. Bad memories.”

A few years later in 2017 AV Club would ask one of her co-stars, Rob Lowe, about the quote and he would back her up with “Her big part in that movie required her shirt to get ripped off, and looking back, it couldn’t be a more egregious, vintage, lowbrow, 1980s Porky’s-esque, shoehorned-in moment.”Virginia Madsen in Class (1983), standing in a school uniform while holding a tray of food. She has long blonde hair and wears a plaid skirt with a white blouse and a vest. Three other young women in similar uniforms sit on a couch, engaged in conversation. The setting is a warmly lit living room with vintage decor, emphasizing the film’s prep school atmosphere.Certainly not hard to imagine that the movie wouldn’t hold fond memories.

And, that’s fair enough. This kind of scene was common in 80’s Teen Movies, and It’s a scene that has clearly stayed with her over the years, a reminder of how the Hollywood machine sometimes capitalises on young talent without giving much thought to respect or boundaries.

Billed as a comedy-drama Class, is a weird kind of film. At least by today’s standards. It never quite knows what it is trying to be. When it’s funny, it’s. Well, actually not that funny but you can see the humour that they were trying to go for. And when it’s serious, it’s jarring at best.

The cast wasn’t anything to be sniffed at, or at least it wouldn’t be today. Joining Virginia Madsen and the aforementioned Rob Lowe in the credits are John Cusack, Andrew McCarthy, Jacqueline Bisset and Alan Ruck to name but a few.

It could be argued that if Class was made later in most of its cast’s career it would be written about as an ensemble piece.
Virginia Madsen in Class (1983), standing in a plaid school uniform skirt, white blouse, and vest, arguing with a young man in a black blazer. Her long blonde hair is flowing as she speaks with an intense expression. Several other students in suits react in the background, while an older woman sits nearby with a teacup, observing the confrontation. The setting is an elegant, vintage-style living room with large windows and floral curtains.The plot of the film follows the story of new to the school student, Jonathan (Andrew McCarthy), who is shown the way of the school, and world,  by Squire Franklin Burroughs,  the Forth (Rob Lowe), or “Skip” for short. Skip encourages Jonathan to come out of his shell, takes him to bars, encourages him to meet women and that kind of thing. Problem being that the first woman who comes across happens to be an older woman, and, rather predictably that older woman, Ellen (Jaqueline Bisset) turns out to be – Skips Mother.

Drama ensues, hi-jinks happen, other things kick off in the School and, you know the rest if you’ve ever seen an eighties American school film. And if you’ve not, you’ve not missed much.

Still, as I said – Everyone has to start somewhere, right?

This might not have been the dream or ideal start to a career for Virginia, but it was a learning experience in it’s own right, and thankfully one that wouldn’t define her career.

Availability:
Class isn’t hard to track down, heck I can’t tell you the amount of bargain bins and second hand shops I’ve seen the DVD in over the years. As for Blu-Ray, as far as I can tell it’s only ever had an American release but seems to be freely available at the time of writing.

Based on your location (or, use of VPN) you’ll probably be able to find it available on streaming services somewhere. Again, at the time or writing it’s available on both Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.

Trailer:

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