Tag: Vera Farmiga

Five Days at Memorial—No Emergency Exit

Written by Diana Paul on September 18, 2022. Posted in Television reviews. 2 Comments on Five Days at Memorial—No Emergency Exit

Five Days at Memorial is an Apple TV+ eight-episode miniseries that premiered on August 22 of this year. Based on the multiple-award winning 2013 book by journalist Sheri Fink, this series revisits the tragic and hellish events that occurred at Memorial Medical Center over five days: August 28 – September 1, 2005—during Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans, Louisiana. As floodwaters begin threatening the lower hospital floors at Memorial Medical, electricity is cut off and backup generators fail, temperatures soar to over 100 degrees and food...

The Commuter –Train to Hell

Written by diana on July 8, 2019. Posted in movie reviews. 1 Comment on The Commuter –Train to Hell

The Commuter Action thrillers are not a staple in my movie-going diet. Nonetheless, I like the ones Liam Neeson stars in , and The Commuter fits his murder conspiracy/ abduction genre. Insurance salesman Michael MacCauley (Liam Neeson’s character) is a 60-year-old ex-cop turned insurance salesman who commutes to midtown Manhattan every day, familiar with almost all of the other passengers. On the train home, Michael meets a mysterious woman named Joanna (the always-excellent Vera Farmiga), who claims to be a psychologist researching distinct classifications of personality...

“Bates Motel”–Season Four: A Masterpiece

Written by diana on November 1, 2016. Posted in Television reviews, Unhealed Wound. 1 Comment on “Bates Motel”–Season Four: A Masterpiece

“Bates Motel” continues to be A&E’s number one drama of all time. I think it is a modern masterpiece! I’ve reviewed the first three seasons earlier this year (see my June 13, 2016 review, Bates Motel, Seasons 1-3: A Mother-Son Obsession) and thought there was nowhere else to go with the plot except to the classic Hitchcock film, “Psycho”. I am so wrong. Continuing to push boundaries of what constitutes a dysfunctional, hypersexualized relationship between mother and son, in Season Four we see Norma (Vera Farming) and Norman (Freddie Highmore) play off...

“Bates Motel”, Seasons 1-3—Mother-Son Obsession

Written by diana on June 13, 2016. Posted in Television reviews. 1 Comment on “Bates Motel”, Seasons 1-3—Mother-Son Obsession

Norman Bates The ongoing television series, A&E’s “Bates Motel” is a prequel to “Psycho”, the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie (1960). In “Bates Motel” we see the backstory of Norman Bates and the unfolding of his relationship with his mother, Norma, and half brother during his adolescence. The first season received critical praise, especially for Vera Farmiga who plays the mother, Norma Bates, who was nominated for a 2013 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The series continues to be A&E’s number one drama series of all time among adults in the...

“Safe House”–A Safe Bet

Written by diana on February 21, 2012. Posted in movie reviews, Unhealed Wound. 2 Comments on “Safe House”–A Safe Bet

It seems only fair to see a dick-flick after having recommended rom-coms for Valentine’s Day. And did I pick a winner–my husband gave it a 10, which is very rare for him. The movie is “Safe House” and it stars and is produced by the exceptional Denzel Washington. No ordinary action-pic–although it has ample car chases, staccato bursts of exploding bombs, violent fights with guns and knives, and impossible jumps from one rooftop to another–there are still enough surprising plot twists to keep you surprised throughout. The story is fairly routine–I...