Party of Five Season 4

Tags

1990's, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jeremy London, Lacey Chabert, Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell, Party of Five, Party of Five Season 4, Paula Devicq, Scott Wolf

We rejoin the Salinger siblings navigating through new challenges that life presents in Party of Five Season 4. It may not reach the heights of Season 3, but it still has its moments to treasure. Be warned, spoilers may well follow in my review of this fourth season of the dramatic show.

Bailey(Scott Wolf) is on the mend and getting back to himself after his crippling battle with alcohol last season. He has been supported by Sarah(Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has forgiven him for involving her in the near fatal car accident months back. But Sarah’s parents don’t see it that way, they file charges of DUI against Bailey. As the trial gets underway and seeing that everyone is willing to sacrifice things for his mistakes, Bailey accepts a plea bargain which leads to a suspended sentence for him. Yet even though he’s making amends, he still finds that the impact of his actions follows him around and won’t let go. Luckily, he does discover a job that also ties in with what will happen to Sarah. Sarah moves out from her parents, feeling that they have victimized Bailey unfairly. Finding out that life independent can be difficult, she finds a place where she enlists Bailey to help her be a manager to an apartment block. The two are now pursuing a platonic friendship as they become managers and maintenance to the tenants of the building. Around this time, Bailey meets Annie; one of the residents who is also a recovering alcoholic. Yet is Bailey ready to commit to a relationship just as his recovery is starting to go well? Charlie(Matthew Fox) is now properly head of the family, having grown up into the role he never really wanted. As the season starts, he is annoyed that he can’t find some romantic happiness. He also bumps into Kirsten(Paula Devicq), who is now remarried to a doctor and back on track following her depression. And though Charlie begins a brief relationship with someone else, he still carries a torch for her. This however takes a backseat as Charlie’s tiredness that he thinks is down to his overworking is diagnosed as Hodgkin’s Disease. he at first only confides in Kirsten. His anger and scared mind are laid bare as he undergoes treatment and the family rallies around, though it proves to be a strain. Julia(Neve Campbell) and Griffin(Jeremy London) are married, with Julia returning from travels to life as a wife. Yet while happy to be married to Griffin after all the struggles, she is still attempting to find her identity. She must also deal with the fact that she feels a bit disconnected from her family, having spent so much time with them yet wants to cut out on her own. This leads her to try new things, yet ultimately makes her get a little bit selfish. Griffin meanwhile discovers his new business is not a cakewalk as he finds a cash flow problem and makes the mistake of accepting a loan off a seemingly helpful man, who becomes something of a loan shark. This leads to money woes for the two, with Julia having to do what she can to provide and Griffin attempting to get them out if this hole. All of this puts a massive strain on their union. Claudia(Lacey Chabert) is now in high school and trying to fit in, and finding it a hard slog. She is tired of people treating her like a small child and wishes to be taken more seriously. Finding that she must grow up more herself, especially after her hopes of romance with a boy are dashed, Claudia still resentfully acts out to get her family’s attention and due to a feeling of loneliness. Can the family hold it together and weather the storm?

Coming off such a dark and engrossing last season, I think it was inevitable that Season 4 might not measure up, it still has plenty going for it. Though I found some of the stories lacked the pull of past , there is still something immensely watchable about Party of Five. The main stories that I didn’t appreciate or enjoy was the one of Bailey getting with Annie, whose many troubles only posed more or a burden for a recovering Bailey . For one, Bailey had already gone through hell and back with his alcoholism, so why did they have to include Annie? It isn’t that the story is bad, it’s just that alcoholism was dealt with so realistically and honestly in Season 3, that it feels a bit superfluous to use it again. Other little sub-plots are decent and sometimes diverting, yet some of them go nowhere and end up superfluous. I did like later on when Charlie starts a romance with Daphne, an uninhibited woman who works as a stripper. They are opposites, but I liked the unpredictable vibe they have. The saving grace here is the overall impact of Charlie’s illness that bears heaviest and most deeply on Season 4.

The Salinger family repeatedly drift apart and then come back into closeness, just like any family does. And while the individual stories have their moments, the subject of family and its many facets is still the successful force of Party of Five. It’s been the main selling point and chief weapon in its arsenal and one that is still prevalent in the fourth season. The reliability and sometimes hard sacrifices are evident here, as the siblings realise how much their lives have changed and how things have turned out differently for each of them. Charlie’s battle with Hodgkin’s  and the reactions of the family to it are a manor dramatic high point, sensitively observed and credibly performed. Even though everyone has a different way of coping with the news, they all see that banding together, despite differences, is the only way to get their brother through his trying time. It feels like how a family would react; with obvious worries, trepidation and uncertainty, but all unite by a common love for their sibling. Plus, the inevitable fall out of these pressures, particularly confused Claudia’s acting out and skipping school, gives an emotional depth and honesty to it all. The Salinger’s are frequently at the brink of being pulled apart, but somehow manage to get through a hell of a lot. The writing ensures that we do care about their struggles in the long run and boy the show still knows how to get your emotions working. And special credit must be given to ‘Go Away’, the finest episode of the season. While Charlie awaits news of a crucial batch of tests, he, Bailey and Julia travel to a cabin they frequented as children. Claudia confides in Kirsten about her fears of Charlie dying, while at the cabin, the rest of siblings are dealing with their own struggles. old wounds are opened and slowly some resolution looks like it could be on its way, after much revealing conversation on how their lives have been impacted by their parent’s death. It’s one of those episodes that really allows things to be eventually expressed and for a bigger meaning to come in.

The ever dependable cast is on hand for great work that registers beautifully. Matthew Fox movingly displays the leadership Charlie has gained that is curtailed by the devastating blow of illness. He doesn’t want to admit that he is sick, but simply carry on as normal. Which is obviously going to be difficult, but you do feel bad on Charlie mainly due to the sympathetic work of Matthew Fox. Scott Wolf successfully charts Bailey’s recovery, that isn’t easy, but is worthwhile in establishing him again as a caring guy pulling his life back together. While he still has struggles, Bailey is now back to the amiable guy he was before, albeit one who has been through hell and managed to get himself sorted out. Neve Campbell is up to the task of making Julia both selfless and alternatively selfish, and yet you still can’t hate her. Julia is at the biggest crossroads of her life( wrestling with doubt and pangs of regret)  and feels that she has sacrificed enough for everyone else, making her occasional bout of self-absorption pretty reasonable. And as Campbell is adept at depicting the frequently misguided but longing Julia, you do feel for her. Lacey Chabert continues to impress as troubled Claudia, who is really having a rough time with everything that has transpired. She has for someone so young been through the wringer and Chabert is a mature performer who pulls off the melancholy confusion of Claudia. Jennifer Love Hewitt isn’t given as much to do as before, but her sweetness and sensitivity playing Sarah are still there in lovely fashion. And with regards to Jeremy London as the hopelessly unlucky Griffin, while the issue of him never amounting to anything is overplayed, London finds sympathy in there too. Paula Devicq returns more frequently here, and captures how Kirsten may be married, yet still has a love of Charlie that won’t ever go away.

So while it lacks some of the pull of past seasons, Season 4 of Party of Five has enough to recommend on the dramatic front.

Party of Five Season 3

Tags

1990's, Alexondra Lee, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jeremy London, Lacey Chabert, Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell, Party of Five, Party of Five Season 3, Paula Devicq, Scott Wolf

We return to the dramas of the Salinger family in Party of Five Season 3 . With more strife and issues at play than ever before, Season 3 is probably the best season so far, due to the astonishing maturity and how it isn’t afraid to grapple with weighty and dark subject matter. Be aware, spoilers may follow in this review.

Bailey(Scott Wolf) has graduated high school and is heading to college nearby. The thing is he’s feeling lousy and worthless as his best friend Will is leaving for a better college. Also present are the latent feelings of being inadequate over opportunities he’s had to sacrifice, like using his money to pay for tuition to save the restaurant at the end of Season 2 and having to settle for a college closer to home. He moves into a dorm and meets free-spirited Callie(Alexondra Lee), who he impulsively sleeps with and deals with his own shortcomings. After dutiful girlfriend Sarah(Jennifer Love Hewitt) learns of this and saddened by is increasingly erratic behaviour, she breaks up with him. All of this spills into a dependence on alcohol that amounts to dangerous levels. Charlie(Matthew Fox) and Kirsten(Paula Devicq) are finally making another go of things and it looks pretty rosy for once. That is halted when it is revealed that Kirsten has manic depression which started after the botched wedding several months back. It comes to the surface when her dissertation reveals that she copied work from somewhere else, resulting in her losing her prized job and PhD that she worked hard for. She starts to slip worryingly into the wraps of depression and out of control as an unprepared Charlie flounders. Eventually, Kirsten’s parents arrive and after a tug of war with Charlie, she is taken away psychiatric help. This leaves Charlie deeply saddened and lost, though he finds some companionship in a social worker called Grace. Still it’s Kirsten that Charlie wants most of all. Julia’s(Neve Campbell) love life and future are in doubt, with Griffin(Jeremy London) bailing again(before returning late in the game with a more positive and driven attitude). With high school soon to be over, Julia reconsiders going to college and living up to the label of always by the bookish one in favour of something different. The only thing is she doesn’t know what to do, after being so well so for so long academically. Claudia(Lacey Chabert) begins to feel left out of things and as the family is at loggerheads, she tries to bring them back together( for the sake of youngest brother Owen who as a toddler needs looking after) even though it shouldn’t be her responsibility. All of these events combine and threaten to tear the once close family completely apart.

As I’ve covered in the past when discussing Party of Five, it is a show that works on the emotions well. Yet it doesn’t feel contrived or overly manipulative because of the clarity of writing and content. Season 3 is no exception, albeit that is traverses darker territory than before. The Kirsten depression story line is honest and heart wrenching to watch as she slips into darkness and is eventually taken away for help, which devastates Charlie. It’s sad because Charlie wants to deal with it himself but is clearly out of his depth, despite the fact that he wants to help. If you don’t shed tears when Kirsten is taken away for treatment, you clearly need to examine yourself.

And big praise should be extended to the dealing with of Bailey’s drinking arc; which gradually begins to unravel, as opposed to all at once. The fact that time is taken to establish the slope that Bailey goes down through one drink here and a knock that influences a binge there, is exemplary and believable in how it tackles the insidious effects of alcoholism. A massive wallop and clout comes through in Season 3, with Bailey’s story the most dramatically and challenging one. Take for example ‘The Intervention’, which for my money is the standout episode of not just this season, but so far the show. the family, along with Sarah and Grace, confront Bailey and attempt to make him realise his destructiveness and drink problem. A real gut punch is present as everything comes spilling out with the strained family trying to save one of their own, but who may be beyond the point of rescuing. Things don’t go as you think they might in this heartbreaking episode that feels like a stage play, through the enclosed setting that scarcely leaves the house and the sheer intensity of the piece. Trust me, this episode will emotionally exhaust you with how deeply it pierces and how it doesn’t take the easy way out. And what follows as Bailey endangers Sarah makes for equally soulful and shattering viewing.

All in all, Season 3 darkest and most mature season so far. It starts slightly slow and some of the sub plots don’t quite add much at first, but gets into the groove of things quickly and with a sensitivity that’s been its chief asset. it still retains some of the earnest humour it has always had, but Season 3 is by far the most emotionally and bleak series so far and all the better for that. By the far the biggest theme that permeates from Season 3 is change. Whether it be Bailey’s spiral to Charlie’s growing backbone and Claudia’s reluctant maturity, transformation and challenging growth are the name of the game. Heck, even slacker Griffin returns and adopts a more positive and hopeful attitude than his usual

Scott Wolf delivers his most impressive performance so far as Bailey, who goes from the fun yet mainly responsible sibling to pathetic and angry drunk in devastating fashion. He honestly conveys the descent and feeling of being worthless that Bailey feels, as he’s always been the one to help but never really thought of himself. The boiling frustration reaches a maximum when his drinking spins out of control and Wolf’s tragic and heartbreaking performance only adds to the dramatic intensity. Matthew Fox turns in a sympathetic portrayal if Charlie, who is finally getting to be responsible after so long being anything but. Fox finds a genuine care in Charlie, that despite his stubbornness and less than ideal sense of support in the past, is still very apparent as he fights to keep the family in one piece. Neve Campbell hits the effective beats of capricious and mixed up emotions excellently, showing Julia as wanting to change and feel some form of release. After being the studious sibling for a long, she wants to let her hair down and live in the moment. Lacey Chabert as Claudia grows up quicker and assume some control, albeit of the reluctant kind that any young kid shouldn’t have to deal with. It’s something that weighs heavy on Claudia and Lacey Chabert is heartbreaking and strikingly precocious in how she presents the unwanted responsibility that Claudia must take on to preserve her family. And damn if she isn’t emotionally convincing when the drama hits. Appearing largely in the first half of the season and making a big emotional impact is Paula Devicq playing the depressed Kirsten. Trust me when I say she inhabits that crippling impact of the condition with moving clarity and pain, that it doesn’t even feel like she’s acting sometimes. Genuine decency and a capacity for forgiveness can be difficult to portray without becoming parody, but Jennifer Love Hewitt beautifully finds a convincing way to do it as supportive Sarah. Even though Bailey hurts her, she still wants to help him as she knows there is good underneath his drunken state. Alexondra Lee successfully appears as the free-living Callie, who isn’t as uninhibited as she makes out and grows weary of Bailey’s drinking. Jeremy London finally gets to be a bit more than scowling and handsome, finding a desire within Griffin to finally make something of life and not just be a lay about.

A dark and dramatic third season, Party of Five is at the top of its game with powerful acting and genuine heft. This allows it to be the best season so far.

Panic

Tags

2000's, Crime, Donald Sutherland, Drama, Henry Bromell, John Ritter, Neve Campbell, Panic, Tracey Ullman, William H. Macy

Film Title

Panic

Director

Henry Bromell

Starring

• William H. Macy as Alex
• Donald Sutherland as Michael
• Neve Campbell as Sarah
• John Ritter as Dr. Josh Parks
• Tracey Ullman as Martha

A crime drama with roots in themes of twisted family manipulations and the want to change, Panic is one of those movies that really takes you by surprise in my instances. Panic is an unexpected and extremely underrated gem of a film with a feeling of inexorable tragedy slowly coming out in its story of a man in midlife crisis of a most unusual kind.

Alex is a sad-eyed, middle-aged man who goes to see a psychotherapist named Josh Parks to get his life in order. Once there, he surprisingly reveals that he is actually a hit man who has been trained by his sly and corrupting father Michael since he has young. Dr. Parks listens in shock and dismay, but wants to know more if anything to possibly help a desperate Alex. Though Alex is a hit man, he doesn’t want to be one anymore. Yet as he is so scared of his imposing father and knows that it won’t be easy to just discard that part of his life, that he is currently undergoing a severe crisis of conscience. He keeps his deadly profession hidden from his wife Martha and young son to protect them, even though his relationship with his wife is on shaky ground as it is. Around this trying time for poor Alex, he encounters Sarah; a sprightly, sexually adventurous young woman who is completely forward and ever so neurotic. He finds himself drawn and infatuated with this kooky girl and this is one of the things that makes him want to quit. Yet just as he wants to tell his domineering father that he can’t do it anymore, the man gives him his next assignment. The man he is expected to kill is Dr. Parks, which throws everything out of control and puts more strain on the already pressured Alex. Alex is put through the wringer as he deliberates what he is going to do about the issues and dangerous circumstances surrounding him.

Henry Bromell adroitly directs this drama that involves crime, but is largely focused on the conscience of a man wanting to escape it all. Although the title suggests overt drama, it’s the internal struggle and scruples of the main character that elicit the most power and turbulence. Panic is a dark and engrossing study of warped family loyalty and pressure disguised by parental superiority. Everyone has a feeling when they are younger of being a good child and looking up to your parents, but what if your parents aren’t what you thought? That’s the main thing going on in Panic; Alex is smothered by his father’s dominance that he’s slyly held over him and employed in such a way that his son knows no different and is now suffering. We frequently get shots of important moments in a non-linear fashion that highlight the history of the characters, in particular how Alex was trained by his father in a scene where he has his young son shoot a squirrel as his first kill. Scenes like this are shocking( but not because they are bloody, no violence is explicitly seen) but for how it frames the father as a corrupting and malevolent presence over his son’s life that simply won’t let go of him in adulthood. There’s an exceptional back and forth between the past and present, filmed without the need for intertitles, as it respects the audience and can frequently be audacious. From what I’ve read about the movie, it was praised on release but never quite connected with audiences. This is a shame because Panic has much to offer movie fans, in how it mixes genres and has a certain haunting quality about it that stays with you. A peppering of black and ironic humour is sprinkled into Panic, particularly in how Michael discusses the business of killing people in a way that is so blasé yet menacing to his son and how the therapist listens with both a dumbfounded shock and yet inquisitive ear to Alex’s mournful confessions. Occasionally, the tone gets muddled but this is few and far between in an accomplished and atypical story that has a real poignancy. A lot of the success is down to the script written by director Henry Bromell, that fleshes out the dilemma of Alex and his predicament in a seemingly impossible situation. A moody and pulsing score is simply exemplary throughout Panic, hinting at the spiral of one man attempting to break out of his chains.

William H. Macy cuts a mournful and tired figure playing Alex; who wants out of the family business, but is buckling under the weight of everything on him. The ever so talented Macy wonderfully and subtly brings the nervousness and sadness of this man at tipping point out for the audience to see, which makes it a stellar performance of buried anguish and stifling anger. You couldn’t have asked for a better person for the role, as William H. Macy invests it with a real soulful melancholy. On hand to play the manipulative and quite horrid father is the always excellent Donald Sutherland. Like Macy, Sutherland’s approach to the character is a measured one that allows differing sides to emerge; from the seemingly genial and hospitable man to the ruthless and bullying father whose ingratiating manner starts to reveal his choke hold over his son. Neve Campbell stunningly stars as the catalyst for Alex’s need for change, exhibiting attitude, feistiness and that something else that is usually missing from other women roles in cinema. John Ritter excels as the shocked therapist whose curious about Alex and equally horrified, while Tracey Ullman gets across suspicion and a genuine feeling of being lost in her own life as her husband becomes distant from her for reasons she is ignorant of.

A compelling crime drama of morality and darkness, Panic makes its mark through the strong sense of purpose, direction and acting that give life to the unexpectedly melancholy rumination on family and crisis.

Scream 4

Tags

2010's, Alison Brie, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Erik Knudsen, Hayden Panettiere, Horror, Marley Shelton, Mary McDonnell, Neve Campbell, Nico Tortorella, Rory Culkin, Scream 4, Wes Craven

Film Title

Scream 4

Director

Wes Craven

Starring

• Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott
• Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers-Riley
• David Arquette as Dewey Riley
• Emma Roberts as Jill Roberts
• Hayden Panettiere as Kirby Reed
• Rory Culkin as Charlie Walker
• Erik Knudsen as Robbie Mercer
• Marley Shelton as Deputy Judy Hicks
• Alison Brie as Rebecca
• Nico Tortorella as Trevor
• Mary McDonnell as Kate Roberts

A return to the slasher series with a satirical edge, Scream 4 undoubtedly has its flaws. But it would be impossible to reach the heights of the influential first movie and if you look at it from a singular standpoint, Scream 4 is still rollicking and entertaining, albeit with problems. Plus, you’ve got Wes Craven on directing duties, Kevin Williamson back in the writing department and three of the principal actors from the original trilogy. And in those areas, Scream 4 rocks.

It has been ten years since the first spate of slayings in Woodsboro and Sidney Prescott returns. In the time since, she has written a self-help book and become a very confident woman whose no longer scared of her past. She stays with her Aunt Kate and cousin Jill, who is in her teens and surrounded by friends who adore the movies. Her return is part of her book tour and she reconnects with friends Dewey Riley, who is now the Sheriff and Gale, who is married to Dewey and whose career as a writer has somewhat stalled since moving back to Woodsboro a number of years ago. Dewey is having a good enough tenure as Sheriff of his hometown, while Gale has writer’s block and craves a new challenge. Yet as Sidney arrives, her old nemesis of Ghostface makes his presence felt with a rash of grisly murders, akin to the crimes perpetrated all those years ago. With a new generation of wise ass teens on the block, we learn that the killer may be trying to outdo the original in the way that most reboots do. That means it’s up to Sidney, an inquisitive Gale and Dewey to unearth the psycho before more blood is shed from the people Sidney holds dear to her heart. But just who is starting all these killings over again and what is the overall motive?

Wes Craven, that great iconic director of horror, is firmly in the director’s seat and his obvious expertise in the genre are at play. Though some of it feels stale, Craven has enough energy and style to make Scream 4 at least a worthy entry to the canon. In a sad footnote, Scream 4 was Craven’s last directing gig before his death and he left us with a good movie to go out on. While it has some problems, I will say that it has a bit more a better ratio with laughs and scares than Scream 3 did. meta and self referential areas are still pretty much intact, though they can lack some of the panache the other movies had.  Regardless, the many satiric jibes about endless glut of horror movies that attempt to outdo their predecessors by being outrageous and bigger are well-handled. The in jokes here are pretty amusing it must be said, as a new set of reboot rules come out to play. Because so much has changed in the world of movies and technology, Scream 4 can seem a bit forced as it is a totally different age from when the first three where hot. Saying that, quite a lot of the humour regarding us being such a dependent species on the Internet and the lives of others is particularly tart and barbed; something writer Kevin Williamson knows a lot about. Yet for all the mocking of conventions, it slips into many of them a lot more than necessary. Overall though, the script and return of Williamson are inspired and still very witty when it comes to be self-aware. Just that opening film within a film part is wildly entertaining as a send up to relentless sequels in the gore-filled genre. Seriously too, I loved the homages to the other films in the franchise; a lot of them really stuck in my mind and surprised me. Probably the most glaring flaw is the lack of interesting supporting characters, save for movie savvy Kirby, girl next door Jill and geeky Charlie . The rest of the teenagers are mere cardboard cut outs whose main purpose is to die extravagantly( though that does make the film more brutal and pretty scary it must be stated). The other main flaw within Scream 4 is that it overlong and could have been cut better, instead of dragging quite a big chunk of it out. I believe it’s a flawed movie, but it has some excellent moments that bring us back into the feel of the first troika of works. Marco Beltrami also returns on music duties and kicks up the action and winking to the audience that these movies are a dab hand at. The music has always been a big part of why I love these movies and this doesn’t disappoint, along with some side-swiping writing and inventive deaths.

The returning cast members slip back into the roles they know so well and do it with style. Neve Campbell once more impresses as perennial survivor Sidney, who is now older and more confident than ever before. Campbell portrays Sidney at her most hard-edged and ready for battle, even having a bit of sarcasm and as she’s faced this horror before yet refused to be the victim. That quality of overcoming adversity and personal growth has always been the most effective thing about Sidney Prescott, best embodied by the naturalness and heart of Campbell. She is still obviously terrified by events repeating themselves, but by now can take charge and kick ass with both attitude and soul. All bow down to Sidney Prescott and Neve Campbell for bringing this resilient character back to life. Courteney Cox gets to show that Gale can still be a fabulous bitch who wants her part of the glory solving the crimes, in typically defiant and amusing and near dangerous fashion. David Arquette’s puppy like enthusiasm is still there in funny ways, though it is tempered with a weariness now that the character is older. It was nice seeing these three characters return once more and still be interesting to watch. Emma Roberts is good as the cousin of Sidney, while Hayden Panettiere steals the show as the wise ass, movie buff Kirby. Exhibiting a sassy attitude and flirty sex appeal, she was a lot of fun to watch. Rory Culkin and Erik Knudsen are pretty OK as the movie geeks of the piece, though Culkin overshadows Knudsen because he appears more than him. The gorgeous Marley Shelton is unfortunately saddled with an uninteresting part of adoring police deputy who has a thing for her boss and Alison Brie majorly grates as the bitchy publicist with a big mouth and condescending persona. Nico Tortorella is pretty bland and not at all convincing as a creepy ex-boyfriend of Jill’s, while Mary McDonnell is completely wasted in her role as Sidney’s Aunt.

As flawed as it gets and lazy in some aspects it becomes, Scream 4 is largely an entertaining return to the series, aided by some inventive deaths and characters we know and love. Imperfect it may be, but any Scream is better than no Scream, even with some blemishes to its name.

Party of Five Season 2

Tags

1990's, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jeremy London, Lacey Chabert, Matthew Fox, Michael Goorjian, Neve Campbell, Party of Five, Party of Five Season 2, Paula Devicq, Scott Grimes, Scott Wolf

We return to the journey and lives of the Salinger clan in Season 2 of Party of Five. Building on the set up from Season 1, this sophomore installment is just as good in how it deals with tough themes and explores relatable events. Be warned, spoilers will follow.

Charlie(Matthew Fox) and Kirsten(Paula Devicq) are now engaged after many hiccups in their relationship and thinks seem to be improving. Yet more upheaval and chaos throws a spanner in the works and a multitude of things stand in their way. It culminates in Charlie getting cold feet and callings off the wedding, despite the fact that they love each other. Bailey(Scott Wolf) is still struggling to come to terms with the death of Jill, despite the best efforts of buddy Will(Scott Grimes) to bring him out of his shell. At first he largely doesn’t notice sweet Sarah Reeves(Jennifer Love Hewitt), who has an obvious crush on him. But even when he begins to date her, it becomes clear that Bailey is wanting to escape his life that he sees as hopeless. Sarah also has her own struggles, but thankfully brings out some happiness in Bailey. Julia(Neve Campbell) experiences a crisis of the heart regarding her nice boyfriend Justin( Michael Goorjian)and the bad boy Griffin(Jeremy London). Justin breaks up with her after finding out about her tryst with Griffin, then things become more complex for her and Griffin. Julia doesn’t know how to deal with her emotions that are tangled to say the least. It appears that she finally gets a grip on her love life once and for all by reuniting with Justin. Then something really drastic happens and Julia is thrown into a massive tailspin. Claudia(Lacey Chabert), who has now entered junior high school, finds it difficult to adjust to being older and the pressures of puberty. Hanging out with a troublemaker at school, Claudia begins to rebel a lot. And baby Owen is finally starting nursery, while still needing the mature caring of his siblings in the place of parents. It’s another eventful journey for the Salinger’s as life poses a lot on them, but hopefully through unity they can survive.

Just like I predicted, Season 2 expands on what the debut season set up, finding firm footing in giving more attention to the individual characters, as well as the whole thing of family. The arcs of the characters have depth and honesty to them, tapping into themes of change, lying, love and even the return of their long lost grandfather. And issues faced with honest rendering and impactful force are sexual harassment, teenage pregnancy and commitment, showing the show dealing with complexity and intimacy in a way it knows already in this early stage to manage. Balanced among this is healthy doses of humour that enliven events, yet never get too over the top and take away from the moving stories at its heart. While I don’t think there is anyone who has gone through all of the issues mentioned in such a short space of time, Party of Five boasts a gravity and slices of realism to ground it in the most effective way. You do give a damn about these people and it isn’t a chore to watch the tribulations they must do battle with. Even if some of the stories don’t work as well as others, the overall impact and high quality rise it above just common teen drama into something more moving.

The episode of the wedding is a pretty effective one of highs and lows as Charlie and Kirsten attempt to salvage something but are ultimately at different ends of the spectrum. It’s a real heartbreaking episode as you know the two are meant to be together but are both unsure of what the future holds. Reconciliation could be on the cards, but if so it’s not going to be an easy ride for either party. Equally as wrenching is the episode of Julia discovering she’s pregnant and faced with a very difficult decision. We get to see how everyone reacts to this news and how it impacts on young Julia.  Eventually settling on having an abortion, Julia then experiences a miscarriage that devastates her. As she has no female role model to confide in, she finds unlikely support in the form of the usually not so helpful Charlie. An honest and authentic atmosphere is present throughout this episode, highlighting the issues of teen pregnancy and abortion sensitively.

Scott Wolf rocks it playing the frustration and pain of Bailey, while imbuing a charm and energy that could be the characters saving grace. Once more, Wolf allows Bailey to be troubled, but not so much as we can’t relate to him on a personal level. Matthew Fox impresses again as Charlie; whose coping mechanism of pushing those he loves away makes for drama. scared that his while life has been planned our for him already and wanting escape is rendered excellently by Fox. Neve Campbell hits the right notes with an emotion driven performance as mixed up Julia. You genuinely buy into her turmoil and gamut of unfortunately difficult events she encounters. Campbell nails the intelligence of Julia, but like most people, the pangs of confusion, guilt and unfortunate turbulence are all evoked in her more than capable hands for us to see. Lacey Chabert mixes childlike innocence with playful maturity as Claudia, whose finding out that growing up and all it entails is rough business. Jennifer Love Hewitt joins the cast as the sensitive Sarah, who provides a love interest for Bailey. Possessing an adorable smile and a gentleness, Hewitt is touching and charming in equal measure. She immediately gels with the other members of the cast and slots in nicely as a kind-hearted girl. The main chemistry between the main cast is as splendid as the first season, boasting a deep believability that these people are related. Paula Devicq steps up as Kirsten. I mentioned in my last review that she was a tad wooden last season, but she really shakes at off here with a very good performance. She’s got a sensitive depth and emotive ability that is on full display and shows Kirsten becoming more conflicted over her feelings with Charlie that are frequently challenged and come to a dramatic head. Good support and humour is glimpsed with Scott Grimes returning as loyal best friend Will. Michael Goorjian and Jeremy London provide the two very different love interests for Julia; the sarcastic Justin and rebellious Griffin.

Another impressive season of Party of Five, this second part is an emotionally invested and finely tuned triumph, benefiting from the fine cast and writing.

Party of Five Season 1

Tags

1990's, Lacey Chabert, Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell, Party of Five, Party of Five Season 1, Paula Devicq, Scott Grimes, Scott Wolf

I recently found Party of Five on Netflix, having heard about it being popular in the 90’s. So I decided to give it a watch and I’m happy I did. Focusing around five siblings as they come to terms with the tragic death of their parents, it makes for earnest, moving and excellent television. What could have been an overly melodramatic concept, instead captures the things that young people go through smartly and with substance. Be warned, spoilers will probably follow in my overview of this promising first season.

It has been six months since the Salinger siblings lost their parents in a car accident and they are all still dealing with it. The orphans are oldest son Charlie(Matthew Fox); an immature, occasionally selfish 24-year-old who is appointed the head of the family; Bailey(Scott Wolf), the responsible but hapless 16-year-old; sensitive and awkward Julia(Neve Campbell); child prodigy Claudia(Lacey Chabert) and baby Owen. Each of them is trying to stay afloat and keep going with their lives, despite having responsibilities they are not ready for, thrust upon them. The shift in dynamics strains them all, as Charlie is not the most natural leader there is and frequently screws up. Bailey has to make sacrifices because of his maturity, which in turn causes his grades and teenage life to slide. Julia, who is a natural with poetry and writing, feels lost and begins to experiment with trying to be popular and accepted. And little Claudia, who is never far from her violin, is often the catalyst for mischief and sometimes soul-searching questions. The arrival of young Kirsten(Paula Devicq), who is hired as a nanny helps with things, yet gets equally complicated when her and Charlie become involved. The dramas and mounting pressures in their lives( loyalty, struggles to find oneself, love, keeping their father’s restaurant going and the nature of grief) is a constant burden as they really have no one to look up to. And with the many troubles of being a youth brings, it’s going to take a lot for them to get through everything that lies in wait for them. Through it all, the Salinger family, through frequently close to falling apart, manage to stick together through their respective grief and care.

There is something very organic about Party of Five; be it in the conversations of the characters or how they deal with things. Sure there is a lot of dramatic impact that is generated through the content, yet it feels very natural and how a family would be. The Salinger clan are relatable because of the way they are written, with the scripts fleshing out their tumultuous lives and fractured but alternately tight-knit closeness. The show stays on the right side of earnestness, only dipping its toes into sentimentality on the rarest of occasions. Originality is not what the show is going for, as it has the angst, hardships and relationships of adolescence in abundance. But that isn’t a deterrent from it, far from it in fact. Party of Five is a drama about the bonds of family and a mighty fine one at that. To be honest, lack of originality rarely bothers me when something is well made. The show isn’t attempting to be overly intellectual, and yet it does have significant clout when it comes to dealing with difficult issues sensitively. It’s the emotions that it really goes for and thankfully it never feels manipulative in how it elicits them. Too many dramas aimed at teenagers and young adults are superficial and shallow; Party of Five has a lot more on its mind and rises to a good level of genuine thematic material.  The inclusion of a soft guitar score is another thing that helps shape the show, with how it creeps in and nicely aids with its naturalness and calm.

The tropes of growing up and discovering the complexities of life, seen from Bailey’s unfortunately tragic relationship with a girl hooked on drugs that he can’t see at first or Julia discovering that her late mother, who she idolized, might have had an affair are just a few examples of what is covered. And while the show is eventful, it gives equal time to each of the characters stories, that often intertwine with each other. Not every episode is a knockout, but really when is that the case in any show? But the vast majority of the episodes depicting the struggles and journey of the Salinger family are engaging and filled with sincere emotional weight. And even though the main premise casts a tragic air over things, Party of Five is far from just an epic downer. It inevitably has a sadness to it that is well shown, but there is humour, drama and heartfelt reflection that round out events nicely. Life may be unfair and difficult for the Salinger clan, but the overall message is one of hope, even in the darkest circumstances. Season 1 is the set up of the show and it promises a lot more to come. I reckon Season 2, like most shows, will be the main step up and really hit its stride. Not that this debut season is a slouch, I feel it will become more expansive and build on the impressive building blocks that this has formed.

Scott Wolf leads as the reliable Bailey, who is the guy who fixes things yet often gets things wrong too. He is still a teenager at the end of the day, whose had to grow up fast and is more than a bit resentful of that fact. Bailey mainly represents the assertive but unlucky spine of the family and its core, which Scott Wolf unaffectedly brings out. It’s hard not to root for him, especially when the chips are down. Playing the part of reluctant guardian Charlie is Matthew Fox, who also impresses. Fox strikes the right balance between Charlie’s desire to live his life and the sacrifices that he’s had to employ to keep his siblings together. Charlie is a guy trying to assert authority, but being constantly challenged with the feeling that he’s not up to it, which is where Fox really hits the mark. Neve Campbell is incredibly convincing as Julia, whose always searching for herself and uncertain of her identity. This confusion is played very well by Campbell, who immediately gains our sympathies and successfully embodies the depth of Julia’s struggles with adjustment. Sensitivity tinged with melancholy colours the sensitive Julia, as her kindness and search for answers moves you. By far the best thing in Party of Five is how well the cast works together. They are immensely believable as a family going through change and the unfairness of life. From their interactions, misunderstandings and ties, we witness a family close to the edge but slowly pulling back up to some form of normality. Little Lacey Chabert is delightfully as the precocious Claudia, who is mature in many ways but still very much a child. She’s funny, petulant and at times wise beyond her years, all performed with effervescence by the young Chabert, who shows no sign of nerves when acting alongside older performers. Paula Devicq, while a bit wooden at first, certainly grows on you as the romantic interest of Kirsten, while Scott Grimes supplies humour as Bailey’s wise-cracking best friend Will.

A heartfelt family drama that never feels too forced or hackneyed, Party of Five is an honest and eminently watchable series that has me very much interested to see what future installments hold. If Season 1 is anything to go by, it must be good.

The Craft

Tags

1990's, Andrew Fleming, Assumpta Serna, Christine Taylor, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True, Robin Tunney, Skeet Ulrich, Supernatural Horror, Teen Movie, The Craft

Film Title

The Craft

Director

Andrew Fleming

Starring

• Robin Tunney as Sarah Bailey
• Fairuza Balk as Nancy Downs
• Neve Campbell as Bonnie
• Rachel True as Rochelle
• Skeet Ulrich as Chris Hooker
• Christine Taylor as Laura Lizzie
• Assumpta Serna as Lirio

A blend of supernatural horror and a teen movie, The Craft is the kind of film that will appeal to me always. Witchcraft and the awkwardness of being a teenage outcast mix for eventful results.

Sarah Bailey is a lonely teenager who moves from San Francisco to Los Angeles. She is a troubled girl who feels isolated and once tried to kill herself due to personal demons. She begins to attend a Catholic School not long after arrival. Sarah is ostracized from the main in crowd, but she gains the attention of a trio of misfits. The group contains goth leader Nancy, shy Bonnie and sarcastic Rochelle. The girls in question have been dabbling in witchcraft and after witnessing the latent abilities that Sarah possesses, Sarah becomes a part of their group and friends with the outcast troika. This ultimately completes their witches circle and they all begin to use magic to aid them in their own troubles( of which each girl has many). Sarah wishes for popular jock Chris, who bad mouthed her to everyone, to like her and finds that he morphs into her personal lap dog. Quiet Bonnie, who has burn scars on her body, sees them vanish away. Rochelle gets revenge on a racist bully by causing her hair to fall out. And Nancy wants liberation from her white trash life and this is granted when her abusive stepfather dies, leaving her and her mother with a lot of money from a policy he took out. While the girls use magic for their own means and it comes in very handy, events take a disturbing turn. They invoke the spirit of a deity named Manon, and it impacts on them all. This is especially true of Nancy, who craves the power magic gives her and results in a descent into mania. Sarah realises this and sees that she must confront Nancy. Yet this is not as easy as that and the girls are eventually drawn into dark conflict, with dire consequences.

Andrew Fleming presents a film that shows witchcraft in something of a different light to the usual Hollywood fodder. Often witchcraft in movies is depicted as something evil, whereas here it is shown as something that is powerful and depends on how you use it. He twins this with the themes of alienation and troubles that each of the girls had, showing that they are united by their shared experiences and that by using magic it is an outlet for their collected frustrations. Fleming’s direction is confident as he slowly ladles on layers of darkness due to the girls playing about with magic and getting their fingers burned. A smarter than expected script elevates the movie with the way it fuses the supernatural with the pains of growing up. These are captured with great work from the writing and performances. The effects used within The Craft are actually still pretty good, especially a hallucinating scene late in the film and the girls using the power of glamour( the ability to make one look like another). It helps that there isn’t an overabundance of effects used, instead the story takes the main stage. A 90’s soundtrack provides just the ticket for this excellent brew, further enhanced also by the score that has an almost otherworldly and spiritual pulse to it. There is also a lot of fun to be gleaned from looking at how 90’s the movie is and how cool it still remains.

A cast of 90’s sensations features in The Craft, ensuring greatness from the roles given. In the lead of troubled Sarah, Robin Tunney is very convincing at exuding a lonely sense of melancholy and terror as her observance of magic begins to alarm her. Tunney is a relatable presence on screen and probably the main one who you get to know best during the run. Making one hell of an impression and stealing the movie in my eyes is Fairuza Balk. For me, she is an actress who has always had an off-the-wall appeal about her and that is evident in the part of Nancy. She completely rocks the sullen demeanor and snarling attitude of the part, plus a dark charisma to boot. As the movie progresses, Balk is seen displaying a real sense of horror in the latter stages of the film as Nancy becomes psychotic. When The Craft finishes, it is Fairuza Balk who will be in the memory for her performance. Neve Campbell is very good as the shy Bonnie, whose years of feeling ugly have taken an impact. Campbell interprets the part well, charting the rise of Bonnie’s confidence that slowly morphs into sheer narcissism and arrogance. Completing the quartet of witches, Rachel True finds emotion and subtlety in the form of Rochelle, who has been the victim of racial abuse for a long time and finally gets revenge. Skeet Ulrich takes the part of Chris, who becomes Sarah’s slave yet gets out of control while Christine Taylor is nasty and bitchy as the popular bitch getting her comeuppance for her taunting of Rochelle. In a small but pivotal role, Assumpta Serna exemplifies wisdom and experience as a magic shop owner who warns the girls of magic’s danger, but to no avail.

An assured movie that is nicely performed and enjoyable on a number of levels, The Craft is one of those movies you can watch time and time again.

Wild Things

Tags

1990's, Bill Murray, Denise Richards, Erotic Thriller, John McNaughton, Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Theresa Russell, Thriller, Wild Things

Film Title

Wild Things

Director

John McNaughton

Starring

• Matt Dillon as Sam Lombardo
• Kevin Bacon as Detective Ray Duquette
• Neve Campbell as Suzie Toller
• Denise Richards as Kelly Van Ryan
• Theresa Russell as Sandra Van Ryan
• Bill Murray as Ken Bowden

Trashy, flashy, yet deliciously twisted and entertaining, Wild Things is not exactly going to go down as one of the best thrillers in the genre. But with twists a plenty and curve balls throwing you at every turn, it’s impossible not to be caught up in this sordid and deceptive film even if it is a hell of a guilty pleasure.

Sam Lombardo is a handsome and popular high school counselor trying to climb to the social elite of the paradise that is Blue Bay, Florida. He is lusted after by most women in town who wouldn’t mind a piece of him. One such girl is the bitchy but buxom Kelly Van Ryan, who has her advances rebuffed when she attempts to seduce him after washing his car for a fundraiser. Events take an unexpected turn when Kelly accuses Sam of rape. The once respected counselor’s life is torn to shreds by the accusations as they head to court. And to make matters worse, another student in the form of trailer trash punk Suzie Toller also accuses him of rape. Yet when the case arrives in courts, the real fireworks go off. What initially appears to be an open shut case becomes ever more complicated as Suzie reveals that the girls were lying to get back at Lombardo for dating Kelly’s harridan of a mother Sandra. With the case then apparently settled, everyone tries to go about their lives again. But Inspector Ray Duquette who was assigned to the case when the accusations were made is not so convinced that the case is over and smelling a rat, digs deeper into the sordid case. What he discovers is that no one is what they seem as beautiful but fatal women, multiple motives and double crosses collide in a steamy and seriously twisted game.

Straight off the bat, director John McNaughton gives us simultaneous shots of the murky Everglades and bikini-clad lovelies, to ensnare us into this world of money, lust and suspicion. And McNaughton is not above exploiting the body and pleasures of the flesh for the audience’s desire. I mean some of these scenes play out like something from an adult movie, tinged with a twisty plot thrown in. We have Kelly slinking out of a pool in a tight blue swimsuit, slowly combing her hair and patting herself down in slow motion. A vicious catfight between Suzie and Kelly that leads to a passionate kiss. And not forgetting the infamous menage a trois between Sam, Kelly and Suzie. For all its sleaziness and sometimes ridiculousness, Wild Things is actually quite a deceptive film that does leave you guessing who is telling the truth in a web of lies and lust, that is strangely reminiscent of Noir. It appears that from Wild Things that for all the alligators and snakes that populate the swamps, no creatures are as slimy as those in this movie. The horn and percussive drenched score further brings an erotic and dangerous pulse to the movie.

Considering the sometimes laughable B-movie dialogue on show, the actors at least look like they’re having a blast playing such dangerous and unpredictable characters. Matt Dillon has that smug grin that is called into question by accusations. Yet for all the seemingly pleas, Dillon makes Sam a character who you really aren’t sure whether to root for or hate. Kevin Bacon, who in my opinion can always be relied up to deliver, is great here as the inspector obsessed with busting open the unusual case and getting more than he bargained for. Neve Campbell plays it deceptively cool as the morally complex Suzie, who by turns vulnerable, lonely, strange and very elusive. Denise Richards is never going to go down as a great actress but she is suitably sexy and catty as the blue-blooded sexpot whose accusations set in motion the strange and unpredictable case. Theresa Russell is loose and unrestrained as Kelly’s mother who is prone to fits of rage and diva like antics. But it’s Bill Murray in a small role who has the most fun. As the ambulance-chasing, low-rent lawyer of Sam, Murray has a blast playing this quick-witted and slightly scheming guy.

Sleazy, erotic and dark-hearted, Wild Things is pure guilty pleasure, with a few neat twists thrown in for good measure.

 

Scream 3

Tags

2000's, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Deon Richmond, Emily Mortimer, Horror, Jenny McCarthy, Lance Henriksen, Liev Schreiber, Matt Keeslar, Neve Campbell, Parker Posey, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Scream 3, Wes Craven

Film Title

Scream 3

Director

Wes Craven

Starring

• Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott
• Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers
• David Arquette as Dewey Riley
• Parker Posey as Jennifer Jolie
• Scott Foley as Roman Bridger
• Patrick Dempsey as Mark Kincaid
• Lance Henriksen as John Milton
• Matt Keeslar as Tom Prinze
• Jenny McCarthy as Sarah Darling
• Emily Mortimer as Angelina Tyler
• Deon Richmond as Tyson Fox
• Liev Schreiber as Cotton Weary

The third entry into the original Scream Trilogy, Scream 3 doesn’t meet the standards set by the first Scream and second film. Yet it does wrap the series up with some witty humour and genuine scares. Scream 3 may be the weakest of the bunch as it falls into the trap of many horror clichés that the other films so greatly lampooned, but it does have some merits that make it enjoyable including the acting and suspense.

In the opening scenes, we see Cotton Weary has now become a major celebrity with his own talk show. As he is driving home one night after filming a cameo in the latest ‘Stab’ movie, he is contacted by none other than Ghostface who proceeds to kill his girlfriend. When Cotton arrives, he is beaten by Ghostface, who asks where Sidney Prescott is. Refusing to answer, Cotton is stabbed to death. Sidney, since the events of Scream 2 has isolated herself in the Californian mountains under tight security, hoping to escape the nightmares of her past encounters with Ghostface. Meanwhile, reporter Gale Weathers is drawn into the investigation of Cotton’s death after a photograph of Sidney’s mother is found near his body. It seems the killer has his own agenda by targeting the stars of the latest ‘Stab’ movie in the order in which the die in the script and an interest in drawing Sidney out of her cocoon with some revelations about her late mother. Reuniting with Dewey, Gale begins to investigate the relevance of Maureen Prescott’s pictures with the added help of Jennifer Jolie, the flighty actress playing Gale Weathers in the ‘Stab’ flick. As the body count begins to pile up, Sidney realises she must break out of her isolation and once more face off with Ghostface in order to rid herself of the pain he has caused her. Yet as we are told via Randy’s video message, with this being a trilogy all bets are off and the usual rules of the horror movie have now been turned upside down.

As I previously mentioned, Scream 3 does not match the heights of the film before it. Part of this is due to the script, which for the first time isn’t written by Kevin Williamson. Whereas he managed to balance the horror and the humour, this one features too much comedy in it and the film suffers as a result. The descent into horror conventions is also a downside as the characters in the past two movies where self-aware of these and mocked them. At least we have Wes Craven’s direction which helps to create many suspenseful moments including a haunting scene in which the isolated Sidney dreams of her mother dressed in ghostly white, who warns that everything she touches dies. Adding to the suspense of the picture is once again the gothic score of morose chanting and slithering drums.

For all of its flaws, at least we have the talented principal cast to fall back on. Neve Campbell once again brings strength and underlying vulnerability to the role of Sidney, who realises that to exorcise her nightmares she must do battle with Ghostface. We see the growth of Sidney in this film and how she can now capably defend herself when threatened with her mind as well as her fists. Courteney Cox shows how Gale has softened but still can’t resist getting her hands on the latest news scoop. She has excellent chemistry with David Arquette as Dewey as the two quietly resume their romance whilst overcoming obstacles. Out of the newer cast, Parker Posey steals the show as Jennifer Jolie, who believes she is better than the real Gale Weathers and has interesting ways of getting into character. She is funny and fawning with her over the top remarks and highly strung personality that really give the film a jolt of much-needed humour. The rest of the supporting cast, which includes Patrick Dempsey, Jenny McCarthy and Emily Mortimer are unfortunately lumbered with uninteresting roles and are purely there to be the victims of Ghostface. Even Liev Schreiber who played Cotton so well in Scream 2 is murdered within 10 minutes of the film starting.

So all in all, Scream 3 doesn’t make as much of an impact as the first two movies. But saying that it does have some effective scares and performances that manage to wrap up the trilogy in a good but not great way.

Scream 2

Tags

1990's, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Elise Neal, Horror, Jada Pinkett, Jamie Kennedy, Jerry O'Connell, Laurie Metcalf, Liev Schreiber, Neve Campbell, Omar Epps, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Scream 2, Timothy Olyphant, Wes Craven

Film Title

Scream 2

Director

Wes Craven

Starring

• Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott
• Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers
• David Arquette as Dewey Riley
• Jamie Kennedy as Randy Meeks
• Jerry O’Connell as Derek
• Liev Schreiber as Cotton Weary
• Timothy Olyphant as Mickey
• Elise Neal as Hallie
• Sarah Michelle Gellar as Cici Cooper
• Laurie Metcalf as Debbie Salt
• Jada Pinkett as Maureen Evans
• Omar Epps as Phil Stevens

Following on from the first Scream movie, Scream 2 is a sequel that doesn’t diminish the impact of the first. Rather it expands on the greatness of the first by fleshing out the characters, making the deaths more elaborate and poking fun at the usual run of bad sequels that follow on from a successful horror movie.

Two years after the gruesome events at Woodsboro, survivor Sidney Prescott is now a college student who is trying to put the pain behind her and start again. This seems to be going relatively well as she is still good friends with movie nerd Randy, has new best friends in the form of funny Hallie and film lover Mickey and a sensitive boyfriend named Derek. She is even excelling at acting and her first production is coming up very soon. This attempt at letting go of the past is shattered by the news of two murders by someone in a Ghostface costume at the screening of ‘Stab’, a movie based on the book by Woodsboro survivor and newswoman Gale Weathers. The media turn its attentions to the college and Sidney as the body count begins to rise. On top of this, Cotton Weary( the man Sidney accused of murdering her mother) arrives on the scene looking for fame and forgiveness from Sidney. With a  copycat killer beginning to replicate the past murders committed by Ghostface, Sidney is still very much the target for the twisted psychopath’s sinister games. Banding together with returning police officer Dewey and the opportunistic Gale, she must once again do battle with Ghostface if she wants to survive the brutal events that surround her. But who can Sidney really trust as the killer continues to strike in increasingly brutal ways? Witty in jokes on sequels, a much higher body count and believable characters make Scream 2 a worthy sequel.

Wes Craven continues to direct with assurance and atmosphere as well as capturing the post-modern ideas of film sequels and the expectations. The satiric script complements this by upping the stakes in terms of the gore and violence in the film, whilst commenting on the debate surrounding whether we are too easily influenced by violence in the media. Ironically, a key scene involves film students discussing the declining qualities of horror sequels. Scream 2 thankfully doesn’t fall into this category because of its mix of dark laughs, elaborate deaths and commendable work from the cast. Whilst the dark humour is kept intact, the horror is perfectly balanced with it and generates some chilling sequences and a genuine shock or two. These include Sidney performing Cassandra as part of her acting major and being stalked by someone who resembles Ghostface and Gale trying to evade the killer in a pulse-pounding chase by hiding in a recording studio as he gets closer and closer. The score once again is an eerie listen with melancholy percussion and strings capturing Sidney’s fear of everything starting again and the resilience she must use to face her enemy the second time around.

Neve Campbell contributes another impressive performance as the heroine Sidney. We see how strong she has become since her first encounter with Ghostface but also the hints of vulnerability that lie beneath the surface. Campbell imbues Sidney with a very human quality that makes her a relatable heroine thrust into these brutal circumstances and trying to find the best way to survive it. Courteney Cox is similarly effective as Gale, who for all her ruthless ambition is actually quite scared underneath it all. Her budding romance with Dewey is a highlight as they bicker with one another but can’t deny the spark. David Arquette is earnestly charming as Dewey, who now walks with a pronounced limp following his almost fatal encounter with Ghostface in the first movie. Jamie Kennedy yet again provides trivia and movie lingo as the lovable Randy, whilst Liev Schreiber is suitably menacing and fame hungry as Cotton Weary. Timothy Olyphant and Elise Neal both make impression in their roles as two of Sidney’s college friends and Jerry O’Connell is sensitive as Sidney’s new boyfriend Derek. Sarah Michelle Gellar has a small but memorable role as the gorgeous sorority sister menaced by Ghostface. Laurie Metcalf is twitchy and fawning as the news reporter Debbie Salt who idolizes Gale. Jada Pinkett and Omar Epps are the two students whose graphic deaths spark the media circus.

Satirical and bloody in equal measure, Scream 2 is proof that sequels don’t necessarily herald the death of a franchise.