V.C. Andrews "Dawn" (episode one)

 This is a Lifetime 2023 thriller, based on the Cutler book series by Virginia Andrews. There are four feature length episodes and the first is "Dawn". It was directed by Linda-Lisa Hayter, and stars Brec Bassinger, Khobe Clarke and Donna Mills. 

Dawn Longchamp lives with her poor family who need to move when her dad gets work as a janitor of a posh school for rich kids, offering Dawn a place there as a student. Her mother becomes ill and dies, leaving Dawn, her big brother James, baby sister Fern and their grieving dad, who is quickly arrested. A shocked Dawn learns that she was kidnapped as a baby and her family were not her own real family. Dawn is sent to live with her real family, the Cutlers.

She makes troubling discoveries. Her natural grandmother Lillian Booth is cruel, and the school bully Clara is her own sister, giving her free reign to torment her in the house. What's more uncomfortable is her half brother Phillip! Her natural mother Laura is sickly, unloving with too many issues. The quiet "mother's boy" dad is Randolph who is son of Lilian and deceased William Cutler. Dawn can't wait to leave them, so takes the first opportunity out there by going to college in New York, which changes her life again.  

She stays in contact with her adopted family who are all apart, either in jail, the army and in foster care, while Dawns' own life has also been completely turned upside down. I rate this episode 9/10 for excitement and lots of juicy drama. 

What I liked about this episode was Dawn's new friend Trisha the dancer, a breath of fresh air from the madness.

What I didn't like about it was grandmother Lillian Cutler and how evil she behaved towards Dawn.

Blood Strawberry 

The Wedding Planner

 This is a book review. Title of the book is "The Wedding Planner" by author Danielle Steel. Published in 2023 by Delacorte Press in the US and Pan Macmillan in the UK. The fictional genre is contemporary romance. 

Set in New York, a successful wedding planner called Faith is like a fairy godmother, who can spin dream weddings and help people's weddings become amazing for them. She's often confiding in her twin sister Hope, and her friend/employee Violet. Even though she can run her business really well and is extremely popular, sought after by the very rich, she herself keeps insisting she'll never marry. Past bad relationships ended any ideas of that.

Her clients are a very eccentric bunch, who want this and that done for their wedding. There are the Alberts, who are really super rich parents making decisions on what their daughter's wedding should look like. They've asked for over-the-top things and their daughter will be the bride, who has allowed them to control everything apart from the dress. She soon confides in Faith that she's pregnant. The idea of a pregnant bride will upset her parents. It then unfolds that her dad was misbehaving so her parents split up and called off the wedding, or left it in suspense for now. Then there are other couples who include Punch and Judy type couple with abusive Doug and his victim/fiancé Phoebe.   

Overall the book was filled with repeated phrases and cardboard characters. Reading this was like eating a bowl of sugar. There was hardly any drama and no decent beginning, middle or end. It went nowhere, reading like a documentary, dragging on and filled with boring dialogue. It was repetitive, slow and very sickly. A lot of childbirths throughout the novel in detail featuring pop-up characters. I rate this novel a 1/10 even aware the author is a bestseller and written many books over the years. It's taken me four days to read and now it's going into the bin.

My personal likes is the idea of flower horses and swans. 

My personal dislikes is the rest of the book

Blood Strawberry                                                             

Cast a Dark Shadow (1955)

 

This is a British film noir thriller made in 1955, directed by Lewis Gilbert. The cast includes Dirk Bogarde, Margaret Lockwood, Kay Walsh and Robert Flemyng. 

Teddy is a young man obsessed with money and the idea of killing his rich wife, who he had only just married. Despite his evasive and polite manner, he appears suspicious. Then he meets another wealthy older woman who seems cautious at first but falls in love with him. He's not returning the same emotions and again he's only after her money. 

There's an appearance of pop star Lita Roza, who sings "Leave me alone" in the nightclub. There's a reference to the story of Bluebeard, about an evil man who keeps his dead wives in a chamber. Lockwood is tough and sassy, who isn't going to be taken advantage of. I rate this fun crime movie a 7/10.

My personal likes is most of it from the beautiful home decor, the cute pet birds and the amusing comments by Freda as she makes her greedy husband shrink!

My personal dislikes is How monstrous Teddy really is.

Blood Strawberry      

Wizards of the Lost Kingdom

This is an Argentina/ US low budget 1985 fantasy film,by Trinity Productions. It was directed by Hector Olivera and Alan Holleb. It stars Bo Svenson, Vidal Peterson and Thom Christopher. Written by Ed Naha. 

Simon is a magicians son forced to leave the castle when it's overtaken by the evil wizard. He loses a very important ring and goes on a quest with his trusted Yeti monster friend Gulfax. The princess is kidnapped,  the king was brutally slain, and the world is about to enter chaos. There is little good left in the world, so it's a tense mission through strange landscapes. 

Even though this film is called a "family action fantasy" on IMDB, there's nudity so please be warned. Snippets from another Roger Corman film "Deathstalker" was used in this to make the prologue. Parts of the film if hilarious without even trying to be funny. I rate this amusing fun film a 5/10. 

My personal favourites is the battle between the winged manticore and the goddess! That was just epic and funny. I also liked the house of the hobgoblin, it looked out of place. I also found a lot of the creatures very interesting.

My personal dislikes was the fact I couldn't understand what Gulfax was saying.

Blood Strawberry