Scream Queens – Mikes Film Talk

Chelsea: Lea Michele Naked on Broadway

Chelsea Handler on Netflix

Chelsea managed to keep the political portion of the show down to a minimum as Ms. Handler paid tribute to the “soon-to-be-departing” president and his family. She also pointed out Michelle Obama’s impressive guns.

The highlight of this episode was definitely Lea Michele, although Plaschke and Miller, both Reggie and T.J. were a close second. The former Glee star and regular on FOX’s Scream Queens was a brilliant first guest.

She was on the show principally to plug her second season appearance on Scream Queens. Lea talked about getting naked in front of Chelsea. They also talked about her nude cover for the UK edition of Women’s Health.

Chelsea congratulated her on the cover, where she shows a bit of side-boob and her bare bum, and Lea talked about how easy the shoot was. Although she did admit that appearing naked on the cover was not thought through very well.

She was relaxed on the photo shoot and explained that she had been naked on Broadway. The actress spoke of zeroing in on audience members who looked uncomfortable with her nudity.

Michele also revealed that for the session she did not put a pasty over her “pikachu.” Chelsea explained that she would never feel comfortable enough to bare her pikachu. Talking about going to the beach, she explained about sand and Lea agreed.

After talking about partying and that Lea seems to be a “goody-two-shoes” they moved on to talk about Scream Queens. Chelsea revealed that co-star Taylor Lautner will be on the show later on and about John Stamos not aging.

Lea told stories about working with men who have to take their shirts off and how they frantically diet before hand. Michele then moved on to the insecurity of men, “especially if they have weird d*cks.”

The interview finished with mutual admiration from both women and Lea praised Chelsea’s “t*ts. Michele jokingly said she had the chest of a 12 year old boy.

Next up was Seymour, Chelsea’s father. He asked when she was going to have a baby.

Sports was represented by Reggie Miller and sports journalist for the LA Times Bill Plaschke. The two men were a brilliant double act. Despite Lea Michele being a hard act to follow, both men gave good interview.

The subject of Colin Kaepernick came up and Reggie, an Air Force “brat” and he professed that he is 100 percent Team Kaepernick. After Chelsea throws a magazine at Bill, they moved on to most valuable player in women’s basketball and Reggie’s sister Cheryl Miller beating him regularly at one-on-one.

Finally, T.J. Miller arrived in a dog suit, which seemed to have two tails, and Chelsea introduced the actor as a polymath. Miller seemed to be somewhat distracted before they played a game where Chelsea asked him trivia questions.

Miller’s portion was entertaining and he trotted out facts that impressed the audience and Chelsea.

This was an impressive episode. Every single guest delivered in terms of being amusing, with the possible exception of Bill. (Chelsea did describe the man as being the most unfunny person in the world.)

Lea Michele set the tone of the show and all the other guests stepped up their game. Laura Wasser appeared to explain what “off the record” means in the “Know Your Rights” segment.

Chelsea airs Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays on Netflix.

Guests:

Scream Queens: Two Hour Finale – Kitchen Sink Time (Review)

Watching the two hour season finale of Scream Queens, where it was definitely “kitchen sink” time in terms of homages, nods and winks to the horror genre and plot twists, one thing became painfully clear. After glancing midway through the two episode ending at Facebook the real meaning of Billie Lourd’s earmuffs was revealed.

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The social media site showed that a character in the entire first season of Scream Queens; Chanel #3, was in fact played by the real life daughter of “Princess Leia.” Billie Lourd is Carrie Fisher’s offspring and obviously the earmuffs were there to parody ( Or honor?) the hairstyle that launched an attack on a Death Star…

Scream Queens is clever. That has been apparent since episode one. But this clever? The mind boggles. Certainly each episode has a plethora of homages and moments that are intended to spoof the slasher genre from here to tomorrow, but the depths of these “hidden” moments are impressive.

Beyond the fact that this revelation resulted in a real face palm moment, although in my defense there was something about those earmuffs that was tantalizingly familiar over and above the fact that it made Lourd look ridiculously cute, this was proof positive that Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk were super geniuses. (Three points if you can guess where that phrase comes from…)

The combined episode finale, where Dorkus and The Final Girl(s) were slapped together could mean that FOX have opted not to bring back the series or that the network wanted to make room for Christmas programs. Regardless of the reason, fans of the show were given a two hour treat where only commercials interrupted the fun.

Sadly, in the first episode it was “so long Pete,” after his character reveals that he was one of the killers. No more Matthew McConaughey impressions, that were so spot on, and Grace is spared by the Red Devil that leapt in to kill Pete.

SQ-S1_112-sc21-pp_0060_f_hires1 — RIP Pete

*Spoiler alert*

Hester was the other killer. Of course she was, this became glaringly obvious when it was revealed that “gay” Boone was a twin. Dark-haired boy and dark haired girl made sense, in terms of viewer logic versus the show’s DNA results.

Still, the amount of “killers” in the show was pretty impressive and we are not talking about Gigi, Boone and Hester. Dean Munsch kills her ex (framing his “Mia Farrow” girlfriend) and Chanel Oberlin “accidentally” killed the cook (with a little help from Hester.). Not to forget that Munsch, while not killing Hester and Boone’s mother, and Grace’s dads girlfriend, did cover up the fact of her death.

Standout moments:

Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis) telling Hester that she knows that she is the real killer. The dean tells the murderer that she is going to turn her in. Hester counters with the above information and that she will turn in Munsch as payback. The two stand glaring at one another until Munsch smiles and agrees not to turn in Hester. Smiles all around and hands are shaken.

The juror angrily scratching out the “not guilty” verdict after Chanel Oberlin’s vitriolic rant against the jury of “hippos.”

Chanel Oberlin and Chanel #3 standing at Dorkus’ bedside discussing who she looked like after the acid incident and #3 triumphantly announcing that is as Toxic Avenger she was thinking of.

“Cujo dog-costume.”

Nickelback.

Exploding pizza guy.

The evil computer generated laugh before the pizza guy explodes.

There are many more, too many to include in one review that already needs to cover two episodes that FOX cobbled together for a finale.

Back to the plot, Emma Roberts apparently will never leave the Palmer Asylum although with a Red Devil in the building the chances of Chanel # 3 or 5 making it out are slim as well.

It is hard to spotlight any one performer who really killed it in the finale. Many had their moments. Jamie Lee Curtis talking to Hester and explaining that there were some things just burned into her memory :

“…like Joe Theismann’s injury and Two Girls One Cup.”

Drinking coffee when that particular line cropped up in the episode resulted in caffeine being spewed across the table in a crowded fast food outlet. Such comedic utterances are brilliantly indicative of the writing for this season.

A perfect example lies in the dialogue between Wes and Grace where he uses the word matriculate, this in a setting where multi syllable words are not part of the main characters’ vocabulary.

It goes without saying that Denise Hemphill being allowed to live is beyond criminal. However, since the series is a parody of parodies, or a spoofing of spoofs, it does make a certain amount of sense. Scream Queens is a small screen Scary Movie, Not Another Teen Movie, Hot Shots!, Part Un and Part Deux, and the list goes on…So perhaps there is method behind the annoying madness.

Lea Michele steals the show, in her long expository reveal, and who knew that the gal from Glee could be that damned funny? Overall the show’s ending was funny and perfect for the tale. While Michele takes the limelight as Hester explaining all the mechanization behind her murdering spree, with brother Boone, mad props go to another Kappa Kappa Tau sister, Chanel # 3.

SQ-S1_112-sc21-pp_0005_f_hires1 — Those Princess Leia ear muffs…

At the trial, as the “updated” verdict is read, # 3 sports a beam of satisfaction that she has, at last, got something in common with daddy (Charles Manson). At one point she even waves majestically at the crowd in the courtroom.

While FOX is being quite cagey and not revealing whether the show will be renewed for a second season, the first ended with a bang (see what we did there) and gave fans a finale to be proud of. Scream Queens may be over now, but it will not be forgotten.

Scream Queens was funny, campy, extreme, very non-PC and addictive. While we may not get Billie Lourd back, if the red devil goes on to slice and dice the two other Chanel’s, but if the FOX is with us, we just might.

Scream Queens: Black Friday – Stating the Obvious (Review)

Scream Queens has, thus far, been a lot of fun to watch. Black Friday, with the start of the episode featuring Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts) torturing the poor downtrodden American overweight and unwashed who watch helplessly as she scoops all the best bargains is on par with the level of comedy this show has to offer.

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Scream Queens has, thus far, been a lot of fun to watch. Black Friday, with the start of the episode featuring Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts) torturing the poor downtrodden American overweight and unwashed who watch helplessly as she scoops all the best bargains is on par with the level of comedy this show has to offer. .The storyline, of the girls deciding to murder Dean Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis) with its Rasputin theme was brilliant.

Right up until the writers decided to treat the viewer as though they had the same intelligence levels as the characters in Kappa Kappa Tau, or the single remaining Dickie Dollar Scholar Chad Radwell (Glen Powell). Stating the obvious, Hester (Lea Michele) goes on to state the obvious connection in case, you know, the viewer missed the whole Rasputin thing.

The gags still worked, Hester does wait until after the Cryosauna fails to work but once she tells the group about the “mystic monk” and the many attempts to murder the man, along with the fact that the man managed to partially free himself before drowning after being, poisoned, shot, beaten and thrown in the frozen river where his body was later found, the urge to slap the writer became almost unbearable.

Still the remaining bit of the storyline worked until that lame scene between Chanel and Munsch as the deserted pool. Was it just this viewer who found that to be a yawn to the nth? Perhaps someone found it to be entertaining but is just did not flow…

Standout moments:

Chanel Oberlin being shot with the crossbow and surviving. Funny and revealing.

Denise Hemphill finally getting a gun and becoming a) A real cop and b) the chief of police and c)failing to shoot the red devil when she has the chance. For the first time since her introduction, Hemphill was actually funny rather than annoying as hell.

*Sidenote* This was, however, a missed moment. The red devil lets off the crossbow bolt and misses Denise by a mile killing another cop instead.

Chad Radwell attempting to recruit Pete Martinez (Diego Boneta) to the very empty frat house and kudos to actor Glen Powell for being able to say Dickie Dollar Scholars repeatedly without messing up. (Any bets as to how many takes this scene took?)

SQ_111_sc.8_PP_0016R_hires1 — Dean Munsch and ZayDay talking Gigi’s roasted head.

ZayDay Williams (KeKe Palmer) tearfully admitting that the roasted head of Gigi Caldwell, aka Jess Meyer, (Is this a reference to Halloween? Michael Meyers?) actually smelled pretty tasty…

Pete and Grace’s dad bonding over researching Gigi’s past and the sex talk between Wes and Grace who then decides that she is ready to bed Pete…

Honorable Mention:

The whole cryosauna bit had to a be an obvious nod and wink to Jason X where the indestructible baddie from the Friday the 13th franchise is cryogenically frozen and then comes back to life in space. Nice touch.

SQ_111_sc.24_25_26_26_PP_00396R1_hires1 — Dean Munsch getting her Jason X on…

Thoughts:

Overall the episode was a bit like its title. Like Black Friday, which is full of desperate people trying to buy things on sale and then feeling let down when they miss the bargain of a century, the episode feels like a bit of a let down.

Pete appears to be confessing, a least twice, that he is “one of the killers.” (There are more than two remember?) So there is still that person on the other end of the cell phone who must also be a murderer. Points given for keeping the suspect list high.

The bit where Grace and Chanel both decided to kill the dean and poison her was a nice touch, as was Wes’ zeroing in on Gigi’s (Jess’) liking his playlists.

And finally…Anticlimactic is the best way to describe the pool scene between Chanel #1 and Dean Munsch. Granted, the series, which has not been approved for another season yet, has only one more two-hour episode left in its first run but that was just blah.

This was the penultimate episode since FOX has combined the final two episodes for a finale. Usually, the slamming together of the season’s last two segments is a bad sign. In this case though it may just be FOX trying to get the series over before Christmas TV begins.

Certainly Ryan Murphy is planning on a “Sleepaway Camp” theme for season two, but whether this transpires or not has not been confirmed by the network. FOX have not greenlit giving the series another chance to air next year.

Scream Queens is a funny, irreverent look at sorority horror films and the series shows what can be done with a splendid mix of comedy and slasher horror. The two hour finale airs on December 8. Tune in and see who makes it to the end, four, or, as Oliver Hudson has hinted, five.

Scream Queens: Thanksgiving – Bring Me the Head of Gigi Caldwell (Review)

The Scream Queens Thanksgiving episode should have been titled Bring Me the Head of Gigi Caldwell. While the whole Thanksgiving Agatha Christie reveal scene at the Kappa Kappa Tau meal felt like one long buildup for the diners to see that Gigi lost her head to the remaining red devil killer.

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The Scream Queens: Thanksgiving episode should have been titled Bring Me the Head of Gigi Caldwell. While the whole Thanksgiving Agatha Christie reveal scene at the Kappa Kappa Tau meal felt like one long buildup for the diners to see that Gigi lost her head to the remaining red devil killer.

It has to be said that only this series could blend the kid’s game Duck, Duck Goose into a Miss Marple/Hercule Poirot “the killer is” dinner scene so seamlessly. After Dean Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis) delivers her evidence to prove the Chanel # 3 (Billie Lourd) is her prime suspect, the dean pats the sorority sister on the head saying “Goose.” Then, following the rules of the children’s game, # 3 gives her evidence (being “it”) that Munsch is the killer.

The Thanksgiving scream queens, plus one, at the house then do a round robin as various protagonists point the accusatory finger at their choice suspect. Note: The idea of naming the killer was Dean Munsch’s brainchild. Episode 110 of Scream Queens has the various sorority sisters heading out to attend celebrations away from the house only to return. The girls then partake in the “mystery dinner party” reveal game suggested by the dean.

Hester (Lea Michele) pops up alive and well at the Radwell family feast, after being pushed down the stairs last week by Chanel Oberlin in the sorority house. The Radwell family tree is chock full of various versions of Chad, in other words the entire clan turn out to be snobby, snotty and downright nasty.

*Sidenote* Did anyone else notice that Julia Duffy (Newhart, Shameless) who played mommy Radwell, looked an awful lot like Brit entertainer Jennifer Saunders‘ character in Shrek 2?

Standout moment:

Grace’s dad Wes (Oliver Hudson) confessing that he was in the meat locker because of his new diet.

“Paleo diet. It works.”

“Paleo.”

Standout Moment Deux:

The brilliantly vicious and tacky Pictionary game at Chateau Radwell:

“Snore, uh, uh, um, um, whore! Neck brace whore! ”

(Radwell family cheers)

“Neck brace whore!”

SQ_110_sc15_1522R_hires1 — Neck brace whore (Lea Michele) Chad (Glen Powell) and Chanel # 1 (Emma Roberts)

Of course the episode’s crowning moment (See what we did there?), which allows all the participants at the Kappa Kappa Tau Thanksgiving dinner to scream in horror, is the appearance of Gigi Caldwell’s decapitated head in place of the “pardoned’ Tiburon.

Missed Opportunity:

Pete’s list of evidence, which actually revealed that Grace’s dad, is the father of the recently deceased Boone, was not done in his “Matthew McConaughey” voice. Would have been perfect guys, and you missed the chance to bring Diego Boneta all the way home.

Coulda, shoulda, woulda…eh fellas?

Near Miss:

Chanel # 3 and her Thanksgiving meal of Swinson’s TV dinners. This gag was a “close but no cigar” joke that did not quite work. There was the sound of gears meshing in thin air as the whole thing felt like a near miss instead of the spot on humor this series is known for.

Scream Queens: Thanksgiving was, overall, humorous well paced and a little annoying. If felt like that long, and massively irritating, “Little Bunny Foo Foo” joke. All build up and too long a wait for the punch line.

At the start of the episode, where Gigi hands the electric carving knife to the remaining red devil killer, the audience know that this grown up sorority sister has goofed. It was, from the moment that the costumed serial killer “revved” the blade, fait accompli that Caldwell’s severed head was going to turn up.

Unfortunately, by the time that Gigi’s “John the Baptist” entrance is made the viewer has almost forgotten the buzzing carving knife.

Scream Queens does still deliver in the comedy department though. Curtis’ vitriolic and acid tongued college kid hating dean is still brilliant and continues to amuse:

Chanel # 3: “Then Dean Munsch.”

Munsch: “Than. Not then… Than. Have you ever even cracked open a book? Or attended a class? (snorting) God. I hate you people.”

SQ_110_sc41pt0497R_hires1 — “Then Dean Munsch…” (Billie Lourd)

As the list of suspects dwindles; both Gigi and Boone are now dead, the last red devil killer is still at large. However, as the late Ms Caldwell stated in an earlier episode, her team of serial killers are not the only homicidal maniacs haunting the college grounds and eliminating sorority sisters.

Scream Queens airs Tuesdays on FOX. Tune in to see who the next victim will be.

Scream Queens: Ghost Stories (Review)

Scream Queens: Ghost Stories reaches a pinnacle with its homage riffs when using the water device from Kill Bill Vol. l (the one in the Lucy Lui and Uma Thurman duel in)

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Scream Queens: Ghost Stories reaches a pinnacle with its homage riffs when using the water device from Kill Bill Vol. l (the one in the Lucy Lui and Uma Thurman duel) not once but twice, as Denise Hemphill tells two Japanese ghost stories set in the bathroom. This episode marks the first time that Hemphill (Niecy Nash) has scored a “win” with this viewer, although it was disappointing to see the most annoying character of the series still living at the end of the episode.

(Never has the sight of red and blue toilet paper – red equals throat slit and blue equals strangling – evoked such euphoria…)

Chanel #3 (Billie Lourd) sees “dead gay Boone” sans his Joaquin Phoenix disguise and tells the rest of the Chanel’s that he is haunting her. This prompts Hemphill to tell ghost stories, two of which are Japanese with one called “The Kappa” (which is a play on words…get it?) and one tale features the red roll of toilet paper and the blue one. The other has a hand reaching up from the toilet and grabbing the person on the convenience and dragging them into the sewers to die.

Ghost story gags aside, the body count is quite high, Earl Grey buys it, Hester, aka Chanel # 6, aka Lea Michele, dies and dead gay Boone is killed for real this time. (It has to be said that the “dead gay Boone” thing was funny and one kept expecting the follow-on of “Say that fast three times” to turn up.)

By the end the show, Chanel Oberlin (Emma Roberts) has claimed her second victim. She boots Hester down the stairs and the neck-brace girl lands at the bottom with a subtle neck crunching sound While Ms. Bean (the cook Chanel kills by frying her face off) may have been accidental, Chanel # 6 was definitely on purpose.

Gigi is shown, again, to be the “mastermind” behind the red devils and Boone one-half of the twins born that fateful night, from the death seen at the start of the series. Dean Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis) confirms that two babies were born that night. Gigi almost gets taken out of the equation by “not-dead” gay Boone but his twin stabs him instead.

Missing from this episode were Grace’s dad Wes (Oliver Hudson) and Pete (Diego Boneta) which begs the question: Are they the other murderous team?

Gigi mentions in another episode that there is another murderer, or murderers, “competing” with their death/revenge spree. The last red devil, the “sibling” who murdered Boone, is still unidentified and could well be Pete, or an as yet unidentified female from Kappa, like Chanel #5, with her toothy vagina…

Wes Gardner is odd enough to be a suspect as a player on the other “team” although it is pretty apparent that Dean Munsch is at least a murderous partner of the other serial killer team running around on campus. So she and Wes could be killing to their own agenda…

In terms of comedy/horror Scream Queens rocks it out of the park each week. Ryan Murphy, Iain Brennan and Brad Falchuk have come up with a cast of characters who are all nitwits of the finest order. While some are more devious than others, the average brain power of each one, if combined with all the other characters on the show, could not think their way out of a damp paper bag.

It is this combination of challenged intellect and vacuous self centered narcissism to the nth degree that makes the characters so funny. This also allows the creators free reign on plot twists, homages, full-on slap-stick and bad puns.

Line of the episode:

Gigi: “Boone… you are… the weakest link.”

Scream Queens is addictively funny and worth every laugh filled minute. The series airs Tuesdays on FOX and is a delicious treat from the team that brought the world Glee and American Horror Story.

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