After three months in a coma, Grace wakes up with her husband, Paul, and mother by her side. The doctor believes Grace made a remarkable recovery until Paul mentions their daughter, Taylor, canceled her date to see Grace. Grace laughs because her 12-year-old can’t be dating. Then Paul tells Grace that Taylor is 17. Grace lost five years of her life. But Taylor isn’t the only change. Over five years, Paul became a successful relationship guru to the stars, and Grace started a profitable restaurant. They live in a large home with plenty of money. Grace comes home and tries to get reacquainted with her life. Paul tells Grace that her sister, Lisa, has taken care of things since Grace was in a coma. And they are all happy to have Grace back. Grace gets a phone call from an unknown number saying the person missed kissing her. She tells him the wrong number and hangs up. Days later, a man comes into Grace’s restaurant and tries to kiss her. Grace pulls out a knife. He tells her they’ve had an affair for over nine months. His name is Kyle, and he left his wife to be with Grace. And Grace planned to leave Paul after Taylor went to college. He tells her to check the secret messaging app on her phone for proof. Grace goes on the app and sees messages for months, and Lisa confirms the affair. Grace tries to break it off, but Kyle swears never to let Grace go. Can Grace keep Kyle away from her marriage, or will her newfound world implode?
Wow, what a ride. When you think you know the plot, it provides another twist. No matter what you think, it’s right and wrong. Don’t be surprised if you hit the rewind button more than once to keep up. With a wife, a sister, and a lover, Grace’s picture-perfect life spins out of control quickly, and you will love every minute of it.
Director Mark Gantt’s sophomore Lifetime offering A Deadly Price for Her Pretty Face, as you might recall, made quite the splash with me for its intense story and exceptional cast and characters. With his debut to the channel being a 2015 true crime biopic (Murder in Mexico: The Bruce Beresford-Redman Story), his first full-on Lifetime thriller proved a smashing success. So when I learned about his latest thriller The Secret Life of a Celebrity Surrogate, I was in eager anticipation. While a few issues keep it from reaching Deadly Price‘s level, there’s still plenty here to make it a worthwhile follow-up to Gantt’s previous thriller.
Something Secret Life and Deadly Price share in common is atmosphere. After a cold open that shows us how bad things will get, Secret Life quickly-but-effectively builds up its story before throwing us into a ticking bomb scenario. It doesn’t take long for Olivia to realize something is off with the Von Richters, and the viewer is left watching with bated breath to see when it’ll all hit the fan. The incredible cinematography also does a great job of setting Secret Life‘s mood. Andrew Russo finds a way to frame the beautiful Von Richter estate and the surrounding nature in a way that, despite its serene appearance, you can feel the tension brewing just beneath the surface. That tension builds up into an explosive third act, capped off with an enthralling climax that hits you with one last twist that is sure to surprise many.
With a talented cast playing well-defined characters against the backdrop of an action-packed drama, Secret Life is another great thriller courtesy of Mark Gantt–and serves as a stellar behind-the-camera debut for Courtney Henggeler.
Though I couldn’t help but imagine a sequel in which Hayden Von Richter sues them for custody and says that because he has scads of money he’d be a much better parent to raise the girl (who after all is biologically his child as well as Olivia’s!), The Secret Life of a Celebrity Surrogate was actually one of the better Lifetime movies I’ve seen recently. Writer Henggeler manages to create multi-dimensional characters out of these people instead of falling on Lifetime stereotypes (though she’s guilty of the flaw of a lot of Lifetime screenwriters in going insanely over-the-top at the end); Ava in particular comes off as a figure of real pathos, stuck in a toxic marriage, a downward career spiral and deep-seated feelings of inadequacy as a woman because she can’t reproduce au naturel — though when her dark side comes out I couldn’t help but think that if someone were remaking The Wizard of Oz the Wicked Witch of the West would be a perfect comeback role for her. Gantt manages to get some genuine Gothic atmosphere out of the situations and the moderne environments they take place in (though Edgar G. Ulmer’s 1934 film The Black Cat remains the most convincing movie ever made in terms of reproducing a Gothic atmosphere in high-tech modern architecture!), and despite its ridiculous title this film is surprisingly entertaining, well-acted throughout and several cuts above Lifetime’s norm for this sort of story.
After her ex leaves her devastated, Olivia is desperate to flee the city to get a fresh start. She is contacted by an old friend offering a very lucrative opportunity and Olivia agrees to be the surrogate for a very successful actress. Olivia is welcomed into her home and pampered in the lap of luxury. But appearances can be deceiving, when she finds out that Starlet and her husband are harboring some very dark secrets.
Directed by Mark Gantt Written by Courtney Henggeler Produced by Ross Kohn and Nancy Leopardi Director of Photography Andrew Russo
The Secret Life of a Celebrity Surrogate is a film that’s very much of the moment. We live in a society that is obsessed with celebrities, even faded ones like Ava and Hayden. We also live in a world where ordinary people — like Olivia — can actually connect with celebrities via social media. At the same time, though people may not always be quick to admit it, we all secretly suspect that most celebrities are actually crazy and probably have a dungeon underneath their mansion. Even our favorites are often suspected of harboring dark secrets, as seen by the eagerness of the twitter mob to cancel their former heroes. As such, we can all relate to Olivia’s willingness to be a part of Ava and Hayden’s seemingly glamorous life while, at the time, Ava and Hayden’s “quirks” serve to confirm what we’ve always suspected about what goes on behind closed doors in Beverly Hills and on Park Avenue.
The Secret Life of a Celebrity Surrogate strikes a good balance between thriller and satire. It embraces the melodrama while also retaining enough self-awarness to be fun. Brianne Davis and Carl Beukes are both entertainingly sleazy as the celebrity couple from Hell while Carrie Wampler is sympathetic and likable in the role of Olivia. This is an entertaining Lifetime movie that will be enjoyed by anyone who has ever looked at a celebrity tweet and thought to themselves, “What a weirdo.”
After her ex leaves her devastated, Olivia is desperate to flee the city to get a fresh start. She is contacted by an old friend offering a very lucrative opportunity and Olivia agrees to be the surrogate for a very successful actress. Olivia is welcomed into her home and pampered in the lap of luxury. But appearances can be deceiving, when she finds out that Starlet and her husband are harboring some very dark secrets.
Directed by Mark Gantt Written by Courtney Henggeler Produced by Ross Kohn and Nancy Leopardi Director of Photography Andrew Russo
Talk about a fun twist! With so many storylines involving surrogacy, it’s hard to differentiate them. However, this movie does just that. It becomes a mystery with breadcrumbs throughout the story to give the viewers clues to Ava’s motives. Also, Liv’s ability to see the writing on the wall sooner than most Lifetime leads is a selling point. She tries to enlist the help of Cassidy and their chef, Peter, but both are too entangled with the couple. You will clutch your pearls when Ava and Hayden make Liv public enemy number one, terminate the contract, and punish Liv. This movie is worth the watch.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars
Don’t think for too long – Cassidy
Hey, it’s me. How soon can I be on that flight? – Liv
Do Dancing with the Stars, they said. What’s the worst that can happen? – Ava
How was your flight? How is your drink? Do you want to have our baby? – Hayden
Let’s just say, they are pretty good at getting people to do whatever they want – Peter
After her ex leaves her devastated, Olivia is desperate to flee the city to get a fresh start. She is contacted by an old friend offering a very lucrative opportunity and Olivia agrees to be the surrogate for a very successful actress. Olivia is welcomed into her home and pampered in the lap of luxury. But appearances can be deceiving, when she finds out that Starlet and her husband are harboring some very dark secrets.
Directed by Mark Gantt Written by Courtney Henggeler Produced by Ross Kohn and Nancy Leopardi Director of Photography Andrew Russo
Emotional performances and a constant air of tension drive this excellent abduction thriller.
For model Amanda Archer (Cassie Howarth), her daughter Zooey (Marie Wagenman) is the one thing keeping her sane as she finds herself struggling to stay afloat. In addition to having to rely on modelling gigs and waiting tables to pay her way through medical school, Amanda finds herself battling her vindictive ex-husband Nick (Hans Christopher) for custody of Zooey. So when Amanda’s agent finds out about a profitable modelling gig for her, Amanda is quick to take it.
But soon after arriving at the shoot, Amanda finds herself drugged, tied up, and taken to an isolated cabin by brothers Shawn and Tyler (Kevin Fonteyne and Shawn Pyfrom). As it turns out, the shoot was a ruse in order to lure Amanda into a trap, and she’s now being held hostage by the brothers in an effort to collect a ransom. Terrified of both her captors and what will become of Zooey in her absence, Amanda does all she can to survive and find a way to escape and get back home to her daughter….
Coming off the heels of the premiere of the emotionally driven Escaping My Stalker, Lifetime presents another thriller that doubles down when it comes to the emotional side of its story and characters. In the case of A Deadly Price for Her Pretty Face, however, the emotions hit especially hard due to the heightened sense of tension that the film creates for itself and allows to permeate throughout its runtime. This tense mood is further aided by strong performers, well-written characters, and a plot revolving around a plethora of emotionally moving topics, including: domestic abuse, abduction, and maternal fears.
As played by Cassie Howarth, Amanda Archer is a well-rounded protagonist who, despite spending a great deal of the film under bound captivity, refreshingly doesn’t become a cliche damsel in distress. While the way she’s initially lured into her abduction may tempt some to decry her as naive, Amanda’s character arc following her abduction has her naturally transitioning from scared victim to fierce woman fighting to escape and be reunited with her daughter. This not only leads Amanda to begin working to orchestrate her escape, but also to start doing what she can to assert some level of control in a situation that she was previously at the complete mercy of, with Howarth bringing a flair to the scenes when Amanda proves to Shawn that she’s not as helpless as he initially believed her to be.
Another defining trait of Amanda’s and one that brings heart to the film is her love and devotion to Zooey in the wake of her divorce and custody struggles. Howarth and Marie Wagenman are well-cast as a mother and daughter who love each other and can’t bear life without the other, with the scenes we see of them making clear the love that exists between Amanda and Zooey. The film also allows us a few brief glimpses into Amanda and Zooey’s troubled lives with Nick, with one scene revolved around Zooey leaving things ambiguous enough to where you wonder what occurred, but have no doubt that this young girl is far from safe and happy in his care. Through these scenes, you feel for both Amanda and Zooey’s situations and watch in dread as Amanda’s abduction threatens to separate them permanently.
Going on to the film’s other primary characters, Amanda’s abductors Tyler and Shawn are played excellently by Shawn Pyfrom and Kevin Fonteyne. While Tyler and Shawn a standard set of kidnapper characters (the reluctant accomplice vs. the psychotic and unpredictable aggressor), Pyfrom and Fonteyne bring more than enough to each brother’s personality that their oft-seen character types get a new life breathed into them. Fonteyne clearly has a blast during Shawn’s moments as a callous and borderline sadistic tormentor, while also bringing emotional depth to the moments when Shawn’s malicious front drops to show a hidden soft side for his brother and the situation they’re in regarding his health. Pyfrom, meanwhile, grows more and more sympathetic as the film presses on, with his health predicament and history with Shawn allows us to see that he’s essentially as much a prisoner of his unstable brother’s plans as Amanda is. Howarth and Pyfrom develop strong chemistry as they find themselves both struggling to survive their ordeal, which brings a strong poignancy to the way their arc together ends.
In secondary cast members, Hans Christopher brings as much fervor to the monstrously abusive Nick as Fonteyne does with Shawn, allowing the audience to hate and fear him just as much as everyone in his life does. Amber Lynn Ashley and Jason Coviello are thoroughly lovable as the level-headed and compassionate Detective Alverez and take-no-BS Detective Coomler respectively, and Nick’s second wife Darcy is given a surprising character arc that is played well by Brytnee Ratledge. While her introduction seems to be setting her up as a vain and callous woman turning a blind eye to her husband’s behavior, we later see that Nick’s treatment of Darcy heavily mirrors the way we see him abuse Amanda in flashbacks to their marriage. Darcy also mirrors Amanda in terms of their character growth arcs over the course of the film: while Darcy starts the movie meekly submissive to Nick, she ends the film willing to stand up to him for both herself and Zooey.
Much like Escaping My Stalker, A Deadly Price for Her Pretty Face is a Lifetime thriller that fires on all cylinders: a tense mood that keeps you glued to the screen, a strong cast playing equally strong characters, and a lead heroine that you sympathize with as she finds herself caught in a nightmarish situation before cheering her on as she fights to escape it. For a Lifetime thriller that brings equal parts action and emotional resonance, A Deadly Price for Her Pretty Face is a definite much-watch that is about as perfect as a film can be.
In this Film Courage video interview, Actor/Writer/Director/Photographer Mark Gantt on when nothing is happening here is how to get a movie project off the ground. He shares how he got the Sony Crackle show The Bannen Way off the ground with collaborator/co-creator Jesse Warren.
Today’s guest is Mark Gantt. He’s a man of many talents, actor, director, writer, and producer. He’s best known for co-creating, producing and starring in the award-winning The Bannen Way for Sony Pictures Television. Financed by Sony’s Crackle distribution arm, this unique web series/feature film had a compelling cast which included Michael Ironside, Academy Award nominees Robert Forster and Michael Lerner, and Emmy winner Vanessa Marcil.
HI PRESENTS: JOURNEYS – featuring stories of artists in different stages of their careers. Adam Rotenberg chats with our friends Mark Gantt (who teaches the Immersive career administration class) and his wife and business partner, Brianne Davis (currently starring in The History Channel’s original series “SIX”). From their first meeting in acting class to becoming forces in the industry, these multi-hyphentates talk about their determination, their drive, and how their support for one another makes them a true power couple!
It’s true; I hate waiting for sh*t to happen. I’ve sort of made a name for myself for being the guy that doesn’t wait for things to happen and creating my own career. I was fortunate enough to have some success with a unique (at the time) web series/feature film called The Bannen Way, which I co-created and starred in for Sony’s Crackle.com. I developed the project with Jesse Warren, writing every day for six months and producing two five-minute episodes. Three years later we had produced and launched the show on Crackle and it was distributed worldwide via VOD, Amazon, iTunes and DVD. So far… so good right?
But the journey has only just begun really. That project took up three years of my life, we worked tirelessly, 24/7 and put our hearts and souls into it. When we were finished, the age-old question kept popping up from everyone, “What’s next?” — What’s next??? We just finished this insane project, under budget, on time and with pretty good success. Wasn’t that enough? I was really thinking that, I was taking it so personal that people wanted to know what I was doing next. I was burnt out and excited at the same time.
What happened — What happened is I slipped back into the old thinking. The idea that someday, someone with some clout in Tinsel Town would ‘discover me.’ I really thought that with the success of Bannen I’d have no problem getting that lead role in a TV series or great role in an indie feature that goes to Sundance or Tribeca. I completely forgot why I was creating the show in the first place — I HATE WAITING.
Luckily my friend and producer on Bannen, Bailey Williams was there to wake me up. We went back to the grind, developing our own ideas, optioning others, putting together pitch documents and began the pitching process. We were so close on several projects but, for one reason or another just didn’t happen. During that time, amazing collaborations came my way. I hooked up with web series creators like Wilson Cleveland (LEAP YEAR, THE TEMP LIFE), Yuri Baranovsky (BREAK A LEG, LEAP YEAR) and Taryn O’Neill (AFTER JUDGEMENT, BLACK BOX TV). I also hooked up with indie feature team of Steve Peros (FOOTPRINTS, THE UNDYING) and Sybil Temtchine (AUDREY, THE CAVERN) on a comedy series called ANNIE TAKES OFF and Scott Richter on another called WHOA! — we’re in post on sizzle reels for both of these projects.
I currently have eight projects “at Various Stages of Development,” as Dov S-S Simens would say, yes I’ve taken his two day course and he’s a character. I’ve got projects in all phases from idea stage, script, pre-production and three in post-production. I’m currently pitching a TV series, THE PROGRAM, created by Matt Lutz. We shot a ten minute pilot presentation and now we’re producing it with Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner (GRIMM, HOT IN CLEVELAND) and showrunner David Simkins (WAREHOUSE 13, GRIMM) It’s been a huge learning experience and I love all the guys on this project.
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