Learn the real meaning of Jail Bait: Bates Motel (Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore)

I'm watching Bates Motel and thinking this is The Goldbergs with guns.

The prequel to Psycho, Bates Motel examines the guilt-ridden relationship between Norman and his mother, Norma Bates. Yes, I said that. Norman and Norma.

It's that same kind of ludicrous, over-the-top awfulness that makes the show so spectacularly creepy.

It reminds me of a course I took at UT on horror when I learned that the very things that make us happy will also scare us to death. Think about it: clowns, dolls, mannequins.

The show does a great job of explaining why Norman, played by Freddie Highmore, is so screwed up. Partly his mother, partly his genetics, partly his mental state, he couldn't look more like Anthony Perkins.

Norma Bates, played by Academy-award nominated Vera Farmiga, is like a hyperbolic mash-up of Donna Reed and Mad Men's January Jones. One minute she's like a streak of sunlight; the next, she's swirling debris in her wake. And then there's her obsessive cleaning.

And it has a weird, anachronistic feel to it with its smart phones and 50s dressware. The set is an incredible recreation of Hitchcock's set.

One fun fact, after reading the trivia on the IMDb site, I learned that the house is based on an Ed Hopper painting, The House by the Road.

With 3 seasons under its belt, its a great show to binge watch.

Watch it on Amazon Prime Instant Video.

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The Girl Who Played with Fire - Steig Larsson

I just finished the second book in "The Girl" series by Steig Larsson, "The Girl Who Played with Fire."

Resurrecting the two main characters from the previous book, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, this suspense novel centers around the death of an investigative journalist and his partner.

He was writing about exposing high-ranking officials who were participating in white slavery while his partner was writing her Ph.D. dissertation on the same topic. Blomkvist's magazine, The Millenium, agrees to publish the book and has retained the journalist on staff.

Interestingly, and a sadly prophetic turn of events, Blomkvist comes to a point in the novel where he must decide whether he will continue to publish the novel despite the deaths of the researcher and author.

In the mean time, Lisbeth is making a new life for herself after Blomkvist broke her hard little heart. Turning 25 and wealthy after hacking into a corrupt corporate mogul's overseas bank accounts, she has stifled her sadistic court-appointed guaridan and has taken to traveling the world over the next year.

But when she returns to Sweden she finds that the court-appointed guardian seems to now be seeking revenge.

I found this book to be far superior to the first one.

First, the translation was better and not so stilted as the first one, making for a more fluid novel. Also, Lisbeth is far more sympathetic in this novel. In the previous novel, she comes off as a bit of an android. Which, is typical if you have Asperger's Syndrome, as she does. In this one, her character starts to losen up and Larsson seems to have found his inner female voice.

In this novel Larsson starts to dissect her personality and delve into her character, all which become pivotal to the mystery.

Brilliantly plotted, I did not have an inkling to the solution until about 3/4's of the way through and then I still was not quite sure how it was all going to end.

This is the second novel in a 6-series set. However, Larrson passed away after finishing the 3rd novel so that all that we have of the remaining 3 are plot outlines.

The remains of his estate and the profits from the novels do not got to his partner of over 10 years since they were not married and he did not leave a will. All of the proceeds from the award-winning novels and the ensuing movies are going to his father and brother, who have felt no compunction to give her anything.

Larrson was a political activist in Sweden, fighting the right-wing extremism and Nazi organizations. An expert in his field, he often lectured around Europe, including Scotland Yard. And avid writer, these books were his first foray into fiction.

Ne le dis à personne (Tell No One) - based upon a Harlan Coben Novel (2006)

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I love Harlan Coben's mysteries--I think he is a terrific writer. In fact, this book, Tell No One, was the first of his that I had read. Impressed by the innovative plot line, quick style of writing and the profound way in which he wrote about love, I was hooked on his books.

When I stumbled across a film adaptation of the book, Tell No One, on Netflix, I had to watch it.

A French film, the director Guillaume Canet did a superb job of translating this book to film.

Alexander and Ann are married to one another after spending their childhood together. After a long week-end, they return to their cabin by the lake. They take a late-night swim and are lying on a raft, when they argue. Ann swims to the shore, walking into the darkness. Suddenly, Alexander hears a scream. He leaps into the water and climbs onto the dock only to be attacked and knocked unconscious.

The film picks up eight years later, to the day. Alex is alone and Ann is dead, murdered by a serial killer. That day, Alex is checking his e-mail when he receives a message. When he opens it, a video begins to run. There is Ann, alive and well.

The chase begins.

A very tricky plot that spans a life time, the screenplay, written by Coben and two French writers, Guillaume Canet and Philippe Lefebvre, masterfully interweave three different time periods: childhood, the time of the murder and eight years later.

The movie stars François Cluzet, who plays Alex. Kristin Scott Thomas, from the movie the English Patient, plays Alex's sister's lover. The cast is very good with all of the actors working together effortlessly. Paris is lovely, as usual, and the cinematogrophy only enhances its looks.

There is strong language, violence and brief nudity. French subtitles.

The Orphanage / El Orfanato (2007) - Spanish

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With 31 wins and 30 nominations, this Spanish gothic thriller is excellent.

A woman returns with her husband and her adopted, ailing son, Simón, to her childhood orphanage. Odd sounds begin to emanate from the house and the little boy, Simón, has two imaginary friends.

You guessed it--he sees dead people.

But his parents just think he is playing. So they ignore Simón and continue with their plans to open up a home for children with special needs.

In the meantime, an old woman comes to visit, hinting at a knowledge of the orphanage's past and a penchant for Simón.

The day of the opening, she gets into a fight with her little boy and orders him to stay in his room. Later, when she comes back to bring him down to the party, she looks for him. Suddenly, she is attacked by a child wearing a scarecrow mask and locked into the bathroom.

When she is finally released from the bathroom, Simón has disappeared. For six months they search, but to no avail. What happens next is astounding . . .

NOTE: the trailer makes it look more gorey than it actually is--it is more suspenseful and mysterious than "BOO! scary". There are maybe two gross scenes but you have plenty of warning and can hide your eyes.