Thursday, October 2

Movie Review: Lizzie Borden Took An Axe (2014)

Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
Released: 2014
Genre: Drama, Murder Mystery
Rating: Unrated (I would give it an R or a PG-13)
Directed By: Nick Gomez

Where I Got It: Watched on Netflix


SUMMARY (Since they give a crappy one everywhere, I shall write my own):
Based on the true murders of 1892 and the girl who may have or may have not committed the murders. Lizzie Borden is a young girl, who wants to be free to be a modern woman, but she is stuck with at home with her sister, over-bearing Father, and her cranky Step-mother. One morning, Lizzie happens to find the bodies of Mr and Mrs Borden and it looks like someone got a little axe friendly.


TRAILER:

CAST:
Christina Ricci - Lizzie Borden
Billy Campbell - Andrew Jennings
Clea DuVall - Emma Borden
Gregg Henry - Hosea Knowlton
Stephen McHattie - Andrew Borden
Shawn Doyle - Marshall Hilliard
Sara Botsford - Abby Morse

Review:
When I heard this movie was coming out I jumped for joy! This murder case is one of my "favorites". It's odd to have a favorite murder case, but I've always been fascinated by the case. Especially for the fact that she gets acquitted even though there are loads and loads of evidence against her. The woman is an interesting woman...there is something wrong with her.

ANYWAYS....

Back to the movie. I was shocked to see Christina Ricci starring as Miss Borden and I was a little worried. However, she was fantastic!! She has that innocent look about her, but she played the crazy lady perfect. Just certain looks and certain things she says and how they say it is scary. It's subtle, but its there. I would nominate Christina Ricci for an Emmy for her performance. Haunting, but fantastic.  

The rest of the cast was decent. The guy playing the Papa Borden was creepy though. It's not that the character was creepy, but the guy was a little creepy. Maybe that's why they picked him? IDK - but he was odd....a perfect father for a psycho. hahaha.

A lot of people have complained about modern music being used throughout the movie...I oddly liked it. They had some obscure stuff, but I found it worked pretty okay. Not choices I would make. See what people are forgetting is that 1) this is not a new concept (it's been done in thousands of movies), and 2) they are trying to appease a younger audience to watch a "historical" movie. Many people do not like historical pieces, so they try to lighten it up with bright cloths and modern music. It's the way of the world. I would be content with authentic clothing and authentic music only, but hey, its refreshing to see new music and colorful garb. :) 

The way they TOLD the story was interesting. It's makes you unsure yourself if she did the crime, but you know she did. It's a mind play. Is it the way I would have told the story? Nah, but it worked. I hated the ending. It was very anti-climatic. It's hard to describe...but it was....boring....and IDK. You just have to watch it and see what I mean. It was just weird and I didn't like. 

In the end, I liked this movie. Is it Movie of the Year? Nah. It was a fun watch though! I loved Christina Ricci in this and I really wish she would've been nominated for some award. The rest of the cast was decent....not who I would cast for each adjoining role. I don't mind the actress who played Emma, but she doesn't AT all resemble the family. Lizzie and Papa Borden are small framed and skinny; the girl they got playing Emma was tall and very beefy (not in a fat way, but thicker). It just seemed an odd choice. I like the actress herself, but not for that role. ANYWAYS, the ending was my biggest complaint. It annoyed me and seemed a last minute thing they added on. Just....ugh. I would recommend this to those that like Historical movies and for those that like a little murder mystery (even though it is not a mystery at all) in their lives. Out of five stars, I stamp this with 4. It's more like 3.5, but I rounded. 

Favorite Character(s): Lizzie (creepy girl) and Emma (I felt bad for her)
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Papa Borden (he was a creeper - both the actor and the character in some parts)
Re-watch? Sure.