On any given day, the Lifetime Movie Network will play a made-for-TV movie that features a woman scorned, and sometimes, she will kill to get what she wants. But so often, those women are killing for a man they are dangerously obsessed with, and I just can’t relate.

But MSN Movies currently has a count down of film’s famous fatale femmes, including The Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz, Maleficent of Sleeping Beauty and, my personal favorite, Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes in Misery. While I can’t relate with these women either, I can understand why they might take issues with the ones they love to hate (Dorothy killed the Witch’s sister — that’s certainly worth some cinematic revenge.)

MSN’s list got me thinking of a few other favorite characters that happened to be murderers (or perhaps just misunderstood.)

Hedy in Single White Female

Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as Bridget Fonda’s new roommate who gets obsessively weird in the worst way. As Hedy, Leigh perfectly began to become a creep, emulating Allie (Fonda) in every way — as if stealing her signature auburn pixie cut wasn’t enough. On her quest to become Allie’s doppelganger, she manages to kill her boyfriend, her neighbor, and her poor puppy. … continue reading

Olivia Wilde is going to play Jack Black’s love interest in the new biblical-times comedy The Year One. I am going to let the full weight of that news sink in while you stare at a picture of Olivia. Please, take your time. I’ll wait.

And, for comparison, here is Jack Black.

OK, now side by side.

So, yeah, what’s wrong with this picture? God, could there be a better example of the schlubby guy/hottie girl formula that has become the on-screen Hollywood couple du jour? I’ve railed (and railed) against these pairings for what seems like forever now. It’s not just the aesthetic that bothers me. Heaven knows a book is more, so much more, than its cover. But it’s the inequity of this equation that infuriates me. Where are the schlubby girl/hottie guy movies? And, since we’re dreaming big, how about the schlubby girl/hottie girl flicks? … continue reading

I've seen the trailer for Margot at the Wedding a few times now, and I'm actually looking forward to seeing the film (I think we all know that repeated viewings of trailers usually have the opposite effect). Yeah, yeah, Nicole Kidman is in it (what isn't she in? Girlfriend needs to take a break.), but I'm more intrigued by the return of Jennifer Jason Leigh.

… continue reading