Christina Ricci Lizzie Borden Film & Show (2014 & 2015)

 Lizzie Borden Took An Axe (2014)

C – 87m
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 / 1.78:1 – Widescreen
A.K.A.: Lizzie Borden Took An Ax
Writer: Stephen Kay
Dir.: Nick Gomez
Starring: Christina Ricci, Clea DuVall, Gregg Henry, Stephen McHattie, Shawn Doyle, Sarah Botsford, Jeremy Akerman, Brett Donahue, John Dunsworth and Andrew Gillies.

The true story of Lizzie Borden, a woman tried and acquitted in the 1892 murders of her father and stepmother. “Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks. When she’d seen what she had done, she gave her father 41.” The premise is simple the acting is solid. The only thing out of place is punk rock – ish music playing in a film set in 1892. Still, this reviewer enjoyed the film that did it first: A Knight’s Tale (2001). So why complain too much with it here? Christina Ricci and the cast are capable but the presentation is average. This spawned the limited series: The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015), A.K.A.: Lizzie Borden: The Fall River Chronicles.

Rated: [TV–14]
Available on DVD & Digital Copy 

The Lizzie Borden Chronicles: The Complete Series (2015)

C – 337m
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 / 1.78:1 – Widescreen
AKA: Lizzie Borden: The Fall River Chronicles
Exec. Prod.: Christina Ricci
Starring: Christina Ricci, Clea DuVall, Cole Hauser, Dylan Taylor, John Ralston, Jeff Wincott, Jonathan Banks, John Heard, Kenneth Welsh, Stephen McHattie, Bill Carr, Chris Lawrence.

Fictionalized account of the actual events and people surrounding Lizzie Borden after her controversial acquittal of the double murder of her father and stepmother in 1892. Vivid characters help boost this above the original movie, Lizzie Borden Took An Axe (2014). The stories of the episodes are even more lively than that of the film and the body count is greater than two, which helps. Not for the squeamish but not the most violent thing to view either. Christina Ricci, as always in this reviewer’s opinion, is in good form and she commendably produced this project. This was a limited run series. 

Available on DVD & Digital Copy

Theatrical Addams Family Films (1991 & 1993)

The Addams Family started off as a comic. There were several iterations of it on television (subject of another blog) and a pair of theatrical films in the 1990’s of it. Below are the reviews of the 1990’s theatrical films.

The Addams Family (1991)

C – 99m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen (Theatrical Ratio) / 1.78:1 – Widescreen (Blu–ray Ratio)
Characters By: Charles Addams
Screenplay By: Caroline Thompson and Larry Wilson
Exec. Prod.: Graham Place
Prod.: Scott Rudin
Co–Prod.: Jack Cummins
Assoc. Prod.s: Bonnie Arnold and Paul Rosenberg
Dir.: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya, Elizabeth Wilson, Judith Malina, Carel Struycken, Dana Ivey, Paul Benedict, Christina Ricci, Jimmy Workman, Christopher Hart, John Franklin, Joe Zimmerman, Steve Welles, Richard Tanner, Marc Shaiman, Bruce Holman, Barry Sonnenfeld and Benny Wills.

Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long–lost uncle.  “They’re creepy and they’re kooky, Mysterious and spooky… The Addams Family.” Smart adaption of the comic and television show for the big screen that helped send Christina Ricci into superstardom. A perfect blend humor, spookiness and sentiment… The only complaint is that it has a slow pace in the middle of the film. Followed by: Addams Family Values (1993). 

Trivia: After the film’s release children would always recognize Raul Julia as Gomez Addams when he was out in public. He was reported to have said that this always brought a smile to his face. The Addams’ house was built for $100,000.00. In the television series Fester Addams was Morticia’s uncle, here he is Gomez’s brother. Bruno Kirby offered his fat suit from: The Godfather Part II (1974), to Christopher Lloyd to play Fester in. Sir Anthony Hopkins turned down the role of Uncle Fester. Early makeup tests for Gomez included dark circles around his eyes to match Fester’s. These were eliminated before filming, though they still show up in publicity material and on the cover of the film.

The original script left it unknown if Gordon / Fester was actually Fester. The cast nominated Christina Ricci to make a plea to Scott Rudin and Barry Sonnenfeld to convince them to have the reveal be that Gordon was Fester. The only member of the cast who, “didn’t care,” was Christopher Lloyd, according to Sonnenfeld. This was Barry Sonnenfeld’s directorial debut. Tim Burton was originally set to direct. One of Christina Ricci’s favorite characters she ever played was Wednesday Addams. Ricci was 11 years old when the film came out. Paul Rudnick did rewriters on the script and went on to write Addams Family Values (1993). Kim Basinger was set to play Morticia but dropped out to do another film. 

Oscar® nominated for: Best Costume Design. Golden Globe nominated for: Best Actress – Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical – Anjelica Huston.

Rated: [PG–13]
Out Of Print on VHS and Laserdisc but Available on Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy 

Addams Family Values (1993)

C – 94m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen
A.K.A.: Addams Family 2
Characters By: Charles Addams
Screenplay By: Paul Rudnick
Exec. Prod.: David Nicksay
Prod.: Scott Rudin
Assoc. Prod.: Susan Ringo
Dir.: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Cusack, Christina Ricci, Carol Kane, Jimmy Workman, Carel Struycken, David Krumholtz, Christopher Hart, Dana Ivey, Peter MacNicol, Christine Barasnski, Barry Sonnenfeld, Nathan Lane, John Franklin, Vickilyn Reynolds, Cynthia Nixon, David Hyde Pierce, Peter Graves, Ian Abercrombie and Tony Shalhoub.

            The Adams Family tries to rescue their beloved Uncle Fester from his gold–digging new love, a black widow named Debbie. This reviewer will call this, “The John Hughes Sequel to The Addams Family (1991)”, as it focuses on the kids at camp. Well done but the story once again drags a tad. And who doesn’t want to scalp the all too happy camp counselors?

Trivia: Nathan Lane, who cameos as a Police Officer here, played Gomez on Broadway in: “The Addams Family”. Michael Jackson was signed to write and perform a song for this film and do publicity for it. He did complete the song, however, due to his molestation accusations the song was never used and the rest of the contract was scrapped. The Thanksgiving Play took two weeks to film.

Oscar® nominated for: Best Art Direction – Set Decoration. Golden Globe nominee for: Best Actress – Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical – Anjelica Huston.

Rated: [PG–13] – Macabre Humor
Out Of Print on VHS and Laserdisc but Available on DVD & Digital Copy

The Casper Trilogy

Casper (1995)

C. – 100m.
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen.
Starring: Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, Cathy Moriarty, Malachi Pearson, Eric Idle, Ben Stein, Don Novello, Fred Rogers, Terry Murphy, Joe Nipote, Joe Alaskey, Brad Garrett, Dan Aykroyd, Rodney Dangerfield, Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson and Devon Sawa.

A paranormal expert and his daughter stay at a mansion in Maine while they try to rid it of three mischievous ghosts and one nice one. But are they helping the wrong entity? 

Trivia: Turing the filming Christina Ricci, Bill, Pullman, etc. had to speak to tennis balls, as the ghosts were C.G.I.ed in later. A piece of fishing line filled in for Casper during the scene where Kat gets dragged out the window and taken to the lighthouse. And finally: This is the second movie where Christina Ricci’s love interest, in this case the human form of Casper, is played by Devon Sawa. The other was: Now And Then (1995). 

Rated: [PG] – Mild Language & Thematic Elements.
Out Of Print on VHS & Laserdisc, but Available on Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy.

Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997)

C. – 90m.
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 – Fullscreen.
A.K.A.: Casper II: Ghost Central Station, Casper: The Beginning
Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Lori Loughlin, Michael McKean, Sherman Hemsley, Brian Doyle–Murray, Casper Van Dien, James Earl Jones, Pauly Shore, Michael McDonald, Jeremy Foley, Bill Farmer, Jess Harnell, and Jim Ward.

Casper tells the story of how he became a friendly ghost. A little less spirited than the title would suggest but still an easy watch. Story takes a back seat in this one while cameos abound.

Trivia: Ben Stein and Rodney Dangerfield previously appeared in Casper (1995).

Rated: [PG] – Language, Crude Humor & Threatening Situations.
Out Of Print on VHS but Available on DVD & Digital Copy.

Casper Meets Wendy (1998)

C. – 90m.
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 – Widescreen.
Starring: Cathy Moriarty, Shelley Duvall, Teri Garr, George Hamilton, Hilary Duff, Vincent Schiavelli, Michael McDonald, Travis McKenna, Patrick Richwood, Alan Thicke, Casper Van Dien, Pauly Shore, Jeremy Foley, Jim Ward, Bill Farmer, Jess Harnell, Norm MacDonald, Joel Ross and Ben Stein.

Casper the friendly ghost teams up with Wendy the witch (Hilary Duff) against an evil warlock (George Hamilton). A very entertaining third entry in the series is a step up from its predecessor. A spunky cast make this a delight to watch. Note that George Hamilton’s flamboyant performance as the wicked warlock keeps this from getting too scary for young viewers.

Trivia: The voices of the ghosts from Casper: A Spirited Beginning (1997) are back along with Casper Van Dien and series runner Ben Stein. This was Hilary Duff’s television debut. And finally: Cathy Moriarty, who plays Wendy’s Aunt Geri here, played Carrigan in the first Casper (1995).

Rated: [PG] – Mildly Scary Scenes, Some Thematic Elements & Language.
Out Of Print on VHS but Available on DVD & Digital Copy.

Mothers & Daughters (2016)/Fathers & Daughters (2016)

Mothers And Daughters (2016)

C. – 90m
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 – Widescreen
A.K.A.: Mothers Day
Starring: Selma Blair, Luke Mitchell, Christina Ricci, Ashanti, Sebastian Siegel, Courteney Cox, Sharon Stone and Susan Sarandon.

Interwoven vignettes of motherhood seen through the eyes of a photographer who is herself, pregnant. Typical run of the mill tapestry film has a few funny and touching moments. The pacing is slow and it takes time to get started but there is a satisfactory conclusion to it. If for no other reason, it is worth watching because of the cast.

Rated: [PG – 13] / [NOT RATED] – Some Mature Thematic Elements & Brief Drug Use.
Available on DVD & Digital Copy

Fathers And Daughters (2015/2016)

C. – 116m
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 – Widescreen
Starring: Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Aaron Paul, Diane Kruger, Bruce Greenwood, Jane Fonda and Octavia Spencer.

A Pulitzer Prize winning author struggles with being a widower and a father after a nervous breakdown, while, 27 years later his daughter struggles to forge connections of her own. Ultimately a sad story is an interesting character study and a strong contender for showing to psychology, psychiatry and social worker students. Fine acting by a great cast and an interesting set of characters make this a film worth watching.

Rated: [R] – Some Sexual Content / References
Available on DVD & Digital Copy

Christina Ricci Teen Movie Summer 1995 Double Feature

Gold Diggers: The Secret Of Bear Mountain (1995)

C. – 94-m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen
Starring: Christina Ricci, Anna Chlumski, Polly Draper, Diana Scarwid, David Keith, Gillian Barber, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Jewel Staite, Andrew Wheeler and Jennifer Hale (as Carren Learning).

A city girl (Christina Ricci) moves with her mother to where her mother grew up and makes friends with a tomboy (Anna Chlumski). Together they solve the mystery of Bear Mountain, Molly Morgan, treasure and find out what friendship is all about. “Some friendships are worth a fortune,” isn’t just the tagline for this film in this reviewer’s opinion. A coming of age story that isn’t afraid to be somewhat dark and yet capture the happy abandonment of such things that teen friends can experience when they are together. The warmth of the film brings nostalgia to this viewer even many decades after first seeing it. 

Trivia: Christina Ricci revealed that she wished she had never starred in this film on Watch What Happens Live in a segment titled: “Never Should Have.” Christina Ricci and Ashleigh Aston Moore starred as friends in Now And Then (1995).  And finally this was the film debut of Jewel Staite.

Rated: [PG] – Mild Language & Thematic Elements, Including A Child’s Exposure To Domestic Abuse.
Out Of Print on VHS and Laserdisc but Available on DVD & Digital Copy. Should be on Blu–ray.

Now And Then (1995)

C. - 100m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen
A.K.A.: The Gaslight Addition, Dear Friends
Starring: Demi Moore, Gabby Hoffmann, Rosie O’Donnell, Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, Melanie Griffith, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Rita Wilson, Walter Sparrow, Cloris Leachman, Hank Azaria, Bonnie Hunt, Rumor Willis, Devon Sawa and Brendan Fraiser.

A group of teen girls growing up during the summer of 1970 have some summer fun and form a life-long bond. Years later, in 1991, they reunite for one of them being pregnant and giving birth to a baby. I am convinced that this should be considered part of the strongest teen coming-of-age stories from the 1980’s. The, “adult,” cast is perfectly fitted to the, “teen,” cast in appearances. While the story is simple the way the cast plays it makes one wish they were around when these teens were growing up, even if they are far removed from it. It has the feel of a John Hughes film without actually being that. The story of life long friendships may seldom play out in real life but it always makes for a feel good film. Another annual must-watch film; suggested for summer viewings!   

Trivia: Reportedly, in the scene where Chrissy punches Roberta in the face for pretending to drown, Christina Ricci forgot to turn her head and wound up actually getting punched in the face full force by the late Ashleigh Aston Moore. This shut down production for a few days due to Ricci being badly bruised. Incidentally, Ashleigh Aston Moore had to gain 20 pounds for this film. Also, this was one of two films she made with Christina Ricci in 1995, the other being: Gold Diggers: The Secret Of Bear Mountain (1995). Additionally, Christina Ricci’s love interest in this, Devon Sawa, was also her love interest in the same year’s Casper (1995). It is also reported that Christina Ricci and Gabby Hoffmann are best friends in real-life. And finally: Notice that every time the teen women play, “Truth Or Dare,” they always pick truth.  

Rated: [PG–13] - Adolescent Sex Discussions
Out Of Print on VHS and Laserdisc but Available on DVD & Digital Copy. Should be on Blu–ray.