One of my all time favourite films was recently screened on E4; Sleeping with the Enemy starring Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergen and Kevin Anderson. As a fan of Julia Roberts this one probably one of the first films I saw her in (other than the obvious Pretty Woman) and despite its sometimes flawed plotlines I can’t help but find myself still enjoying it just as much as ever.
The storyline revolves around Julia Roberts character Laura Burney and her abusive husband Martin (Patrick Bergin). Laura struggles to live with the demands of her violent and obsessive husband who to the outside world seems like the perfect catch. Laura finds herself living life in a constant state of fear, and is waiting for the perfect opportunity to escape the evil clutches of her husband.
When she finally gets her chance to break away, she fakes her own death and flees the town going undercover with a new name and soon finds a completely new way of life.
She begins to make friends and becomes close to drama teacher Ben, the complete opposite of her ex husband he’s everything she has ever wanted but when Martin later learns that he wife is not dead he begins to start a search for her that will not end until he finally gets her back home with him where he believes she belongs.
The film has some great “feel good” moments such as the “Brown Eyed Girl” scene which livens things up midway through but also deals with some much darker issues surrounding abusive relationships and domestic violence.
Patrick Bergin plays the menacing Martin very well, actually making you believe at times that he is the monster that his character represents. Julia Roberts also does a fantastic job of playing Laura, who changes from someone too scared to be herself into a confident and happy young woman as the film takes its journey.
If you are a fan of Julia Roberts, chances are that you will probably have already seen this film, but if you haven’t managed to catch it yet it may be a little dated now but is definitely still worth a watch if you have a spare hour or two on your hands!
Full cast list for Sleeping with the Enemy: Bonnie Johnson, Claudette Nevins, Elizabeth Lawrence, Graham Harrington, Harley Venton, John Lindley, John Ward, Julia Roberts, Kevin Anderson, Kyle Secor, Marita Geraghty, Nancy Fish, Patrick Bergin, Patt Noday, Ron Reedy, Sandi Shackelford, Sharon J. Robinson, Tony Abatemarco.
If you have been watching Film 4 lately you may have caught Saturday’s showing of one of the latest and most anticipated horror sequels ever. Providing a great mix of comedy and slasher horror Freddy Vs Jason is a movie that horror fans had been dying (excuse the pun) to see made for years.
What has been created is a kind of bizarre world that combines Jason Voorhees reality and Freddy Kruger’s all in one.
With the townsfolk now plying their unsuspecting children with dream suppressant pills to keep Freddy at bay he must find another way to break out of the Purgatory he finds himself trapped in. Of course that’s where Jason comes in, Freddy manages to tap into his energy and get Jason to do his nasty work for a while, once again installing fear into the hearts of teenagers and adults alike allowing him to break into “Or world” once more and stalk the dreams and reality of his chosen victims.
The best thing about this movie has to be the fact that it gives the fans exactly what they wanted. They didn’t want to see some long drawn out storyline, instead they preferred to see Jason and Freddy fight long and hard to see who would come out on top.
The movie certainly delivers, with some great scenes involving Jason and Freddy together it is almost more comedic rather than scary to watch as they tear chunks out of each other in some brutal and yet fun shots.
The supporting cast in the movie is made up largely of “trendy” young teenagers including Destiny’s Child star Kelly Rowland in her feature debut and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps) alongside Monica Keena and Jason Ritter. Robert Englund once again resumes his role as Freddy (no-one could do it better) and we see Ken Kirzinger a well respected stuntman take on the role of Jason.
Freddy Vs Jason definitely pays homage to the 80’s slashers we associate them with, bringing back that almost cheesy dialogue and a storyline that although manages to keep us entertained isn’t exactly going to win any awards for originality, but let?s face it, did we really expect it to?!
In my opinion the movie is well worth a watch for the Freddy Vs Jason fight scenes alone, as well as the wonderfully OTT ending which is not to be missed. In short, if you are a fan of horror and loved Friday The 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street you have no reason to dislike this movie!
Full cast list for Freddy vs Jason: Alex Green, Alistair Abell, Anysha Berthot, Blake Mawson, Brendan Fletcher, Brent Chapman, Chris Gauthier, Chris Marquette, Claire Riley, Colby Johannson, Colton Shock, David Kopp, Eileen Pedde, Evangeline Lilly, Gary Chalk, Jacqueline Stewart, Jamie Mayo, Jason Ritter, Jesse Hutch, Joëlle Antonissen, Katharine Isabelle, Kelly Rowland, Ken Kirzinger, Kevin Hansen, Kimberley Warnat, Kirsti Forbes, Kyle Labine, Laura Boddington, Lochlyn Munro, Monica Keena, Odessa Munroe, Oscar Gutiérrez, Paula Shaw, Robert Englund, Robert Shaye, Sarah-Anne Hepher, Sean Tyler Foley, Sharon Peters, Spencer Doduk, Spencer Stump, Taryn McCullock, Tom Butler, Tony Willett, Viv Leacock, Zack Ward.
We’ve had a dramatic time of it in Eastenders recently!
We saw Max almost get buried alive by his long suffering wife Tanya who after having a shock change of heart went running back to her husband’s aid dragging him out of the shallow grave she had attempted to leave him to die in.
After an emotional heart to heart Max finally shows some sign of remorse and agrees to leave the square so that Tanya can get her head together and take care of her kids.
One thing she doesn’t count on however is just how persistent Shaun will be in order to keep the woman he has fallen head over heels for. Does Tanya know what she’s getting herself into by shunning psycho Shaun’s advances? Only time will tell.
There seems to be more changes ahead in Albert Square over the next few weeks!
We saw Pat and Peggy away on a girl’s day out only to be interrupted by two very familiar faces in the form of Ricky and Diane Butcher. The two of them immediately realised that something must be wrong with Frank. They were proven to be correct in their suspicions when as the week’s episodes progressed we learned that Frank had died. This prompts the return of some very familiar faces.
Returning back to the square for the funeral is the conniving character Janine, and when it’s soon proved to be possible that she may have her own ulterior motives for being there Peggy is determined to expose her. Along with Ricky and Diane we also see Bianca make a shock return to the square with her 4 kids in tow! Dubbed as the Jackson 5 the family are sure to create havoc once again in the square and I wonder how long it will take before Ricky and Bianca get back together?
Their fiery relationship was once the talk of the town, and surely the writers will be planning some big storylines to see the two of them reunite. I don’t think it will be plain sailing though as Ricky seems to have grown a bit more of a backbone this time round and maybe less likely to be at Bianca’s beck and call.
Keep tuned into Eastenders all week, the action kicks off tonight (Tuesday April 1st) and we will see plenty of familiar faces make their temporary and not so temporary returns to the show!
Recent cast list for Eastenders: Aaron Sidwell, Adam Woodyatt, Alan Mckenna, Alan Perrin, Alex Avery, Alex Francis, Amanda Drew, Amanda Ryan, Amy Noble, Andi Osho, Andrew Frame, Andy Greenhalgh, Angela Wynter, Anna Karen, Annabel Scholey, Anthony Mark Barrow, Ash Varrez, Ashley Horne, Avin Shah, Babita Pohoomull, Barbara Windsor, Bart Ruspoli, Belinda Owusu, Ben Smith, Betty, Bobby Davro, Brett Fancy, Catherine Bailey, Celia Robertson, Cerrie Burnell, Charlie Brooks, Charlie Clements, Charlie G. Hawkins, Charlie Jones, Cheryl Fergison, Christine Ellerbeck, Christopher Ellison, Clara Salaman, Clare Moody, Cliff Parisi, Corey Smith, Cressida Whyte, Daisy Beaumont, Daniel Llewelyn-Williams, Dave Hill, David Baukham, David Schaal, David Spinx, Derek Martin, Diane Inman, Diane Parish, Edward MacLiam, Elaine Tan, Elizabeth Rider, Emma Barton, Eva Alexander, Gemma Bissix, Gillian Wright, Glen Cooper, Goran Kostic, Guy Morris, Gyuri Sarossy, Hazel Holder, Heather Cave, Helen Coombe, Himesh Patel, Ian Burfield, Ian Morris, Irina Diva, Jade Sharif, Jake Wood, James Alexandrou, James Doherty, James Forde, James Hillier, James Hoogland, Jamie Borthwick, Jamie Treacher, Jan Uddin, Jane Slaughter, Jem Wall, Jennifer Taylor, Jillianne Foot, Jo Joyner, Joe Swash, John Bardon, John Partridge, Jonah Russell, Judy Cornwell, June Brown, Justin Marosa, Kara Tointon, Karen Ascoe, Kay Bridgeman, Kellie Shirley, Kerryann White, Kika Mirylees, Kyte, Lacey Turner, Laila Morse, Larry Dann, Laurie Brett, Leena Dhingra, Leonard Fenton, Liam Noble, Linda Henry, Lisa Ellis, Lisa Turner, Lorna Fitzgerald, Louis Decosta Johnson, Louise Fullerton, Lucy Robinson, Madeline Duggan, Maisie Smith, Mandana Jones, Maria Thomas, Matt Di Angelo, Matthew Ashforde, Matthew Bearne, Maz Nieviarovski, Melanie Cameron, Melissa Suffield, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Michael Keating, Miles Anderson, Mohammed George, Morgan Crowley, Naomi Ryan, Natalie Cassidy, Natalie Dakin, Natasha Gordon, Nicholas Ball, Nick Sampson, Nicola Cowper, Nina Wadia, Nitin Ganatra, Olga Fedori, Olivia Grant, Pam St. Clement, Patsy Palmer, Paul Maddaford, Penelope Beaumont, Perry Fenwick, Peter Forbes, Petra Letang, Phil Daniels, Philip Bosworth, Phillipa Peak, Pooky Quesnel, Rachel Coombe, Ray Brooks, Rebecca Sarker, Ricky Groves, Rita Simons, Robert Kazinsky, Rory Jennings, Rudolph Walker, Ryan Philpott, Samantha Janus, Sarah Briggs, Sarah Coomes, Scott Maslen, Shona McGarty, Sian Webber, Sid Owen, Simon Lowe, Simon Meacock, Siobhan Hayes, Sophie Lawrence, Sophie Thompson, Stephanie Street, Stephen Bent, Stephen K. Amos, Stephen Lord, Steve Chaplin, Steve Hansell, Steve McFadden, Stuart Laing, Sylvia Syms, Tania Rodrigues, Tanya Franks, Tex Jacks, Thomas Law, Tiana Benjamin, Tim Faraday, Tim Hudson, Trish Cooke, Ulric Browne, Will Mellor, Yasmin Wilde, Zahra Ahmadi.
The Reaper is a new show to come to E4 recently and despite a bit of a slow start, it seems to have taken off really well! It stars Bret Harrison as Sam, who has spent his life wondering why his parents let him have such an easy ride in life.
He seems to be able to get away with doing pretty much whatever he likes and is generally happy to take the easy way out of any situation.
Sam eventually drops out of school and winds up in a boring deadbeat job and wastes his time drooling over his beautiful work colleague Andi Prendergast (Played by Missy Peregrym) along with his best friend Bert “Sock” Wysocki (Tyler Labine) they think they have the perfect life as a pair of slackers.
Things soon take a dramatic turn of fate however, when on his 21st birthday Sam learns a shocking secret about his past that will change his life forever.
It is revealed that Sam’s parents sold his sold to the devil (Played by Ray Wise) and now his oh so easy life is about to get a whole lot more complicated when the devil comes a knockin’ and tells Sam that he must obey his wishes from now on, and become a bounty hunter, finding and trapping the souls who have escaped from hell.
Sam reluctantly accepts his fate, and takes his first mission along with the help of his best friend ‘Sock’ and his ex girlfriend Josie. The gang soon begin to realize the importance of what they are doing and armed with a different ‘Vessel’ each week to suck up the souls of evil (these range from a dirt devil to a toaster throughout various episodes!) Sam finally begins to embrace life as ‘The Reaper’.
I must admit, I wasn’t too sure about this show when it first started; I had visions of it being cheesy and over the top. Whilst it is both of those things at times, it still manages to be genuinely funny and often very dramatic! The fact that each week Sam must use a different Vessel to trap his victim’s souls is fantastic; when he gets the dirt devil vacuum cleaner on the first episode you realize that this has potential to be truly genius TV!
As the episodes have progressed this has turned out to be an innovative and exciting series that looks set to become a cult classic. Initially booked for a 13 episode run, I’m hoping to see more series being made in the future and looking forward to finding out what lies ahead for Sam and his friends!
A great mix of comedy and drama that’s definitely worth checking out! Catch it weekdays on E4.
Full cast list for The Reaper: Allison Hossack, Andrew Airlie, Bret Harrison, Christine Willes, Colby Johannson, Donavon Stinson, Jake D. Smith, Jessica Stroup, Jill Teed, Ken Marino, Kyle Switzer, Marci T. House, Michael Ian Black, Missy Peregrym, Ray Wise, Rick Gonzalez, Scott Patey, Tyler Labine, Valarie Rae Miller.
