Lifetime's VC Andrews Movies Topic (Flowers In The Attic, The Dollangangers, The Casteels, etc) - General Discussion

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I remember some weird that where whenever Madame Marisha visited, they pretended that Cathy's husband was away and that Chris was visiting while that happened. And Madame questioned it and her questions confused Bart. Did that happen? I can't believe I would make up something that screwed up, but I could be mixing it up with one of her other books.

They changed actors in this movie right? Why are they willing to age up Heather Graham, but not anyone else?

Close. Madame Marisha never visited them in California until her surprise visit in ITBT. Until then, Cathy & co visited the East Coast once a year. Cathy always had excuses about why Paul was at home in California (mostly his heart). Madame M knew that Chris was living with Cathy in California but she assumed Paul was still alive because Cathy never told her that he died. As I mentioned in my previous post, that makes no sense since they all lived in the same small town in South Carolina where people were gossiping about everyone.

When Madame M came to visit in ITBT, she started asking Jory questions about his "dad," Paul because she suspected Cathy's story was not true. Madame M barely looked at Bart. He wasn't a dancer or related to her so she didn't give one flying fuck about him except for noticing that he was a little psycho (which I can't blame her for because he did weird stuff like try to stab her dress with scissors as she walked by).

It's kind of hilarious that the only actor they have kept for the first three movies is Heather Graham, arguably the weakest one in the bunch.

[Maharincess]

I can usually suspend reality to watch stuff like this but Heather Graham being Jason Lewis' mom was just too much.

They should have used a different actress. I liked seeing Smith Jerrod again though.

[KaveDweller]

Close. Madame Marisha never visited them in California until her surprise visit in ITBT. Until then, Cathy & co visited the East Coast once a year. Cathy always had excuses about why Paul was at home in California (mostly his heart). Madame M knew that Chris was living with Cathy in California but she assumed Paul was still alive because Cathy never told her that he died. As I mentioned in my previous post, that makes no sense since they all lived in the same small town in South Carolina where people were gossiping about everyone.

When Madame M came to visit in ITBT, she started asking Jory questions about his "dad," Paul because she suspected Cathy's story was not true. Madame M barely looked at Bart. He wasn't a dancer or related to her so she didn't give one flying fuck about him except for noticing that he was a little psycho (which I can't blame her for because he did weird stuff like try to stab her dress with scissors as she walked by).

It's kind of hilarious that the only actor they have kept for the first three movies is Heather Graham, arguably the weakest one in the bunch.

 

Thanks for the refresher....your memory is fantastic.

[RedheadZombie]

When they made FITA, they made a point of saying they want to make it faithful to the books hinting the first movie (from the 1980's) wasn't up to snuff. So much for that promise.

 

I thought FITA was decent, but it's almost unforgiveable that Chris and Cathy's sex scene was consensual, rather than rape (as it was in the book).

 

Regarding no incest in My Sweet Audrina, I think it's heavily implied throughout the book that Vera was molested by their father.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Thanks for the refresher....your memory is fantastic.

Ha, I obviously read these books way too many times in my younger years! I never thought the knowledge would be the least bit useful though! Well, if you count pointing out the differences between the books and Lifetime movies as useful. Edited April 7, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[GHScorpiosRule]

Y'all know I'm not watching this because it's on Lifetime...and I've been burned by them TWICE.

 

But I have to ask...I seem to recall in the book that Julian, smashed Cathy's toes? her knee? so she couldn't dance anymore, right before his own accident which led to his suicide? Or am I misremembering? And if he did, did the movie show that--because I do remember it ended her dancing career.

[TattleTeeny]

Regarding no incest in My Sweet Audrina, I think it's heavily implied throughout the book that Vera was molested by their father.

 

I actually recently reread this and I got no inkling of that whatsoever. He barely acknowledged her.

 

But I have to ask...I seem to recall in the book that Julian, smashed Cathy's toes? her knee? so she couldn't dance anymore, right before his own accident which led to his suicide? Or am I misremembering? And if he did, did the movie show that--because I do remember it ended her dancing career.

 

He jumped on her toes, but I don't think it ended her career. She also, I believe, had a recurrent knee issue from the time she was a teenager.

Edited April 7, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[psychoticstate]

No, I don't think Julian jumping on her toes ended her career although I do think he broke them.  Cathy decided she no longer wanted to dance professionally without Julian.   And yes, Cathy had a tricky knee from adolescence.

 

I didn't hate IFBT but I didn't love it either.  I felt like it was too rushed.  If you hadn't read the book, I don't think you would have a feel for these characters at all.  We were given no real insight into Cathy and Chris' relationship, no real indication of how important dance was to Cathy and that she began writing her books once she was no longer able to dance.  Who would even know that Chris was a doctor, other than him commenting on Cindy's biological mother's condition? 

 

As another poster noted, this version had Corrine much too pretty and glamorous.  In the book, her face was scarred from her own scratches and she wore only black, shapeless dresses.  She also sat in hard, wooden chairs and gave herself no creature comforts.  There was also a longer period between Jory and Bart meeting Corrine and her confession to Bart as to who she was.  Bart also had a longer progession toward his crazy Malcolm-ness.

 

I am glad they elected not to use the Apple storyline.  I also felt that while the adults were fairly unmemorable and without a lot to do, other than John Amos, who was appropriately creepy, the kid playing Bart was fantastic, as well as the actor playing Jory.  While movie Jory did not jive with the book Jory I had in mind, at least not physically ( I always pictured a dark headed mini Julian), I do think his general demeanor and attitude were spot on. 

 

I didn't like that the movie had Jory and Melodie having sex in the attic.  That never happened in the book.  It's been ages since I read the book so hopefully someone else can help out -- why exactly didn't Jory tell Cathy and Chris about The Lady in Black?

 

I think parts of this were better than POTW - - my biggest gripe with POTW was that so much was changed and/or edited from the film version.  POTW had the greatest passage of time take place in the book, so that's really an impossible task with a 2 hour film (not including commercials.)  ITBT felt as though it didn't quite get there, that something was lacking from keeping this as entertaining as FITA.

 

I will watch Seeds of Yesterday next weekend but from the previews, it appears they aren't aging the actors who are playing Cathy and Chris, which seems insane to me. In SOY the book, Chris is 54 and Cathy is 52.  No way in fresh hell would the current Chris and Cathy pass for those ages.   

 

I still hold out hope that Lifetime will decide to do a televised version of Garden of Shadows, which I thought was the best book outside of FITA and POTW.

Edited April 7, 2015 by psychoticstate

[GHScorpiosRule]

Thanks TattleTeeny and psychoticstate.

 

It's been years since I read the books, but Julian stepping on Cathy's toes is still in my mind. But I was fuzzy about what ended her dancing career.  I also remember from the book, why she named Jory...Jory...J for Julian and ory, for Cory.

[RedheadZombie]

I actually recently reread this and I got no inkling of that whatsoever. He barely acknowledged her.

 

It's been a long time so I can't give specific instances of what I'm referring to, but the recap blogger with the link posted here on page one, agrees with me.  Vera was extremely promiscuous from a very young age, and certain things are said that imply their father molested her.  I don't think he ever acknowledged her as his daughter, but it's possible to both neglect and molest a child.

[TattleTeeny]

I know it's possible; I'm just saying I read that book so many times and never saw that at all, regardless of the recapper's opinion.

Thanks TattleTeeny and psychoticstate.

 

It's been years since I read the books, but Julian stepping on Cathy's toes is still in my mind. But I was fuzzy about what ended her dancing career.  I also remember from the book, why she named Jory...Jory...J for Julian and ory, for Cory.

I don't know that she did any big productions after that--I just can't remember. And she went full-on Bart-chasing and party-dress re-creating too, so maybe she could have done more but didn't because of, you know, vengeance! But she did have a dance school and I think she danced on her own, so at the very least her toes still worked in a ballet capacity, if not a famous one.

Edited April 7, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[ElectricBoogaloo]

No, I don't think Julian jumping on her toes ended her career although I do think he broke them. Cathy decided she no longer wanted to dance professionally without Julian. And yes, Cathy had a tricky knee from adolescence.

Julian broke a few toes on each of her feet but because he didn't break her big toes (which would have made dancing en pointe much more difficult/painful after revovery), it was not a career ending injury. Cathy decided to retire not because of her toes but because shortly after Julian stomped on her toes, he died plus she had recently found out that she was pregnant with Jory so she wanted to be the best mother ever (sad to know that Jory was born of that violent night when Julian raped and beat Cathy in Spain so she wouldn't go home for Chris's graduation).

One of the huge things from the books was Cathy repeatedly saying that she would never let one of her children feel neglected or unloved which is why changing the point of view in ITBT was important because it was obvious that Bart felt very insecure even before Corrine moved in next door. John Amos took advantage of that but Bart already felt neglected and unsure of Cathy's love. He also had daddy issues before he found out about Chris being her brother (Cathy told him that Paul was his father).

Cathy had a dance school shortly after Jory was born but it was mostly teaching little kids so it didn't require much dancing from her. I remember later in POTW she mentioned that she still did her "ballet exercises" which I assumed meant that she mostly did barre work, not that she was putting on pointe shoes and dancing regularly in the studio.

The ballet school she had in California sounded like she had more older students (meaning older than the baby ballet kids at her school in Virginia) and she must have rehearsed a lot to dance Coppélia. That scene where she falls during the show always cracked me up. Ballerinas often sew the ribbons together before a performance (as opposed to just tucking them underneath as you would do before class) to ensure that the ends won't come loose. And even if they do come loose, it would only be the end of the ribbon after the knot so it's not very long. I can't imagine a former professional ballerina would (1) not sew the ends of her ribbons before a performance (2) have 12" ribbons hanging off the knot so that another dancer could step on them and cause a fall.

Edited April 8, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[DangerousMinds]

HATED this. But it reminds me that I never really liked the book either.

[Avaleigh]

So I just started watching this shitshow and am sort of enjoying how silly and ridiculous it all is. I laughed out loud when Corrine said to Bart, "You make it sound as though I'm crazy" with a little giggle. It's like, yeah honey, crazy is probably a nice way of putting what you are. 

 

Heather Graham is so terrible here it's blowing my mind. The dialogue is admittedly bad but I still feel like her acting is making it worse. And why the hell do they keep making her say John Amos instead of simply John or Amos. I kind of love how all of the older characters are drinking from the same soap opera fountain of youth. 

 

IIRC they've aged up the kids. I want to say that Bart and Jory were both younger in the books than they are in the movie. 

 

So far I wish that there was more between Chris and Cathy as far as having them talk about everything they've been through. I do appreciate how they've touched a bit on how Cathy is slightly mad and still incredibly damaged from the time in the attic. I don't think we really got any of her craziness in the Petals movie. Since they skipped over the Paul stuff we didn't see her hoarding the food or anything like that. Seeing her kind of recreate the attic of Foxworth was a little unsettling. I thought Chris's reaction to the attic was pretty funny too like he knows Cathy is a little unhinged.

 

Madness doesn't run in the Foxworth family it fucking gallops. ( Jimmy Fallon?)

 

Holy crap, I'm just now getting that the guy who is playing Cathy is the guy who played Smith on Sex and the City. He sort of reminded me of Paul Walker and I was trying to place where I'd seen him and it finally clicked for me. He's still good looking but he seems to have this expression on his face where he's constantly bewildered or something. 

 

This movie sucks so far but since my expectations are as low as they can possibly be I can't say that I've been disappointed. I will say that I like the overall look of the movie with all of the shadows and mist. That's all I've got.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

IIRC they've aged up the kids. I want to say that Bart and Jory were both younger in the books than they are in the movie.

The actor who played Bart is 14 and the actor who played Jory is 16 so that is definitely a contributing factor. In the books, Bart is almost 10 and Jory is 14 at the beginning of ITBT which makes it more believable/understandable that Bart would be such a crazy kid and that Jory would initially keep his brother's secrets.

Edited April 9, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Avaleigh]

Lol at Corrine telling John Amos that he's a damned servant and that he's fucking crazy. It's like he totally is and she's right but it still sounds rather rich coming from her. 

 

The young actor playing Bart is surprisingly good. I honestly think he's probably the best actor in the bunch.

 

Well, I've definitely had a few cheap laughs. 

[ktwo]

Lol at Corrine telling John Amos that he's a damned servant and that he's fucking crazy. It's like he totally is and she's right but it still sounds rather rich coming from her.

I was yelling at John Amos to tell Corinne that he was family and not just a servant. Both then and when she told him he reminded her of her mother. He was the Grandmother's cousin!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Well, third cousin once removed to Corrine so distant family but still family. Heh, and her husband in the book - I guess that counts too!

 

Heather Graham was an even worse actress than usual. The way she pronounced Amos drove me crazy. All of her line readings were so bad. The fact that they didn't try to age her was ridiculous. She was supposed to be 60 but the only thing old about her was having her hair in a bun. And what happened to the black rags she wore to punish herself? Is the leopard print supposed to tell me that she's one of those cool grandmas? I guess at least that lace veil hid her terrible blank facial expressions.

 

I couldn't tell what year it was supposed to be. Like was the polaroid supposed to be a sign of Corrine being rich but cheap? Or that she likes vintage stuff? Or that this movie doesn't take place in 2015?

 

I found John Amos to be less creepy in this movie than he was in the book. He seemed like a garden variety weirdo rather than the super creepy creep he is in the book.

 

I agree that Smith Jerrod is not looking as good as he used to and there is something in his expression that makes him look perpetually surprised these days. Young Jason Lewis was hot so I could see him as Chris in POTW but current Jason Lewis? No. It pains me to say that because I remember the hotness of Smith Jerrod. But part of me loved the casual way he told Cathy, "It's just valium, darling." Ha! But that was enough for her to start popping pills like candy.

 

What kind of parents have sex with their bedroom door open? And it's not like their kids are toddlers. They are teenagers who can wander around the house at any hour. Close the door, damn it! And Jory? If you are going to sneak your girlfriend into the attic to have sex while everyone is home, at least close the attic door! And Bart? If you storm out of the house, don't leave the door open. Slam it shut!

 

There were some funny moments though. When Corrine gave Bart the bow and arrow he wanted, I loved that he and John Amos took the plate of cookies with them to the barn. I was cracking up that John Amos was sitting in the barn reading by the light of a million candles. And what was with Corrine giving Bart a massage while he was gardening? I laughed when John and Bart were having this serious talk/argument while John was wearing those huge gardening gloves.

 

Some of the changes they made were minor (like making Clover a German shepherd instead of a miniature poodle). Others, like Bart wanting a snake instead of a pony, weren't major but were still unnecessary (I guess a snake was more dramatic). My guess is that they made Jory blonder to make him look more similar to Cathy and Chris, emphasizing Bart being different. And why wasn't John Amos married to Corrine in this movie? But then there were nonsensical changes. Why would Corrine tell Bart that she is his grandmother and then try to gaslight him when he asked about the painting of Chris if she was truly trying to protect him? Making him think that he's crazy is going to protect him? And what was with Chris being the angry brash one, locking Bart in the attic, throwing glasses on the deck, letting Madame M blackmail him for years without telling Cathy, yelling at Corrine when he was always the one who gave in to her and Cathy was the one who hated her and was impulsive? In the movie, Cathy came off as pretty passive instead of the one who was always railing against Corrine.

 

John Amos said that Malcolm wasn't "born to all of this" and no one expected him to amount to anything, but in Garden of Shadows Malcolm tells Olivia that Foxworth Hall is 150 years old and that Malcolm grew up there so sorry, John Amos, Malcolm was a spoiled rich kid. I loved when Madame M tried to spill the tea to Jory and he told her he already knew. HA!

 

This movie was terrible but of course I am going to watch the next one too.

Edited April 9, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Snow Apple]

I couldn't tell what year it was supposed to be. Like was the polaroid supposed to be a sign of Corrine being rich but cheap? Or that she likes vintage stuff? Or that this movie doesn't take place in 2015?

 

FITA was set in the 50's so ITBT must be in the 70's or early 80's.

[TattleTeeny]

What kind of parents have sex with their bedroom door open? And it's not like their kids are toddlers. They are teenagers who can wander around the house at any hour. Close the door, damn it! And Jory? If you are going to sneak your girlfriend into the attic to have sex while everyone is home, at least close the attic door! And Bart? If you storm out of the house, don't leave the door open. Slam it shut!

 

Maybe everyone is so damaged from being locked up that they simply cannot bear to close doors anymore!

[psychoticstate]

In the movie, Cathy came off as pretty passive instead of the one who was always railing against Corrine.

 

 

Truth.  I also hated how they had Cathy popping pills every two seconds . . . and yet went nowhere with it.

 

The adult characters were pretty vapid and useless.

 

Years ago when I read the books I figured out that ITBT should have been taking place in the early 80s and SOY would have been taking place in 1999.

 

Too much time on my hands . . .

[ElectricBoogaloo]

FITA was set in the 50's so ITBT must be in the 70's or early 80's.

ITBT is supposed to take place in 1984. My comment above was more about the fact that the movie didn't make it clear from the sets or wardrobe when it takes place. The polaroid camera was especially weird because although people were definitely using them in the 80s, No one was using the dinosaur model that Corrine, a very wealthy woman, had.

Truth. I also hated how they had Cathy popping pills every two seconds . . . and yet went nowhere with it.

The adult characters were pretty vapid and useless.

Years ago when I read the books I figured out that ITBT should have been taking place in the early 80s and SOY would have been taking place in 1999.

Too much time on my hands . . .

I thought the pill popping would lead to Chris yelling at her about being an addict but...nothing. Well, nothing but Cathy opening that pill bottle every five seconds.

It felt like the movie reversed Chris and Cathy's personalities. In the books, she is the one who is still angry at Corrine while Chris is the calm level headed one who asks Cathy to forgive Corrine and stop obsessing about the past. In the movie, Chris is the angry aggressive one which makes no sense. I also don't buy that he would have hidden years of being blackmailed by Madame M. Cathy was the one who kept things from Chris but he was always pretty upfront with her.

Ha, it it makes you feel any better, I made a list of all the dates in the books when I re-read them in college! There was actually an error in Seeds of Yesterday so the ages are off by two years. I can't wait to see Cathy and Chris allegedly in their 50/ with no ageing makeup at all.

I feel bad asking this but was Jason Lewis always this bad an actor? Was I so distracted by his hotness that I didn't notice it on SatC? The acting from everyone was pretty uniformly terrible. I felt like the director said, "Pretend you're in sixth grade and this is a play are doing. No, not even in the cafetorium. Just in the classroom with a fee parents sitting in the back. Now can you make your acting even worse than that?"

Edited April 9, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[StaceyNotStacie]

Finally watched this today.  It had been at least 20 years since I had read the books, so I had forgotten a lot from this book.  I remembered that it took place from Bart's point of view and that Corinne had lived next door to Cathy and Chris, but forgot a lot of the little details.  I thought that the boys who played Bart and Jory did a good job with their roles, especially the actor who played Bart.  I thought the acting in this one was much better than the previous two, with the exception that this one didn't have the grandmother.

 

I really hope that Lifetime decides to eventually make the book based on Olivia's story.  

[methodwriter85]

 

Ha, it it makes you feel any better, I made a list of all the dates in the books when I re-read them in college! There was actually an error in Seeds of Yesterday so the ages are off by two years. I can't wait to see Cathy and Chris allegedly in their 50/ with no ageing makeup at all.

 

The woman playing Cathy is 34/35.

 

I only really plan on watching the last one because I want to do very naughty things to James Maslow.

Edited April 10, 2015 by methodwriter85

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yes, and in the previews for Seeds of Yesterday it's obvious that they have made no effort to age either Cathy or Chris who are supposed to be in their 50s so they look about the same age as adult Jory and Bart.

 

According to the earlier books, Cathy says she was born in April 1945 and that Chris is 2 years and 5 months older making his birthday November 1942. The very first sentence of Seeds of Yesterday states that Cathy and Chris are 52 and 54, so according to their ages the year should be 1997, exactly 40 years after they first came to Foxworth Hall in Flowers in the Attic. But according to the books, Jory was born on Valentine's Day 1970 and Bart was born in July 1974. At the beginning of Seeds of Yesterday, Bart is supposed to be turning 25 (which is when he gets his inheritance from Corrine) and Jory is 29 which means it is 1999 and Cathy and Chris should be 54 and 56.

Edited April 10, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Aymery]

The actor who played Bart is 14 and the actor who played Jory is 16 so that is definitely a contributing factor. In the books, Bart is almost 10 and Jory is 14 at the beginning of ITBT which makes it more believable/understandable that Bart would be such a crazy kid and that Jory would initially keep his brother's secrets.

Did you mean to say the Jory actor (Jedidiah Goodacre - what a name!) is 26? That's what the internet tells me. He is remarkably well developed for a 16-year-old. They had the same issue with the actor who played Christopher in the first movie. I believe he was still a teen but spent waaayyy too much time in the gym to pass for a 14-year-old.

That nitpick aside, the movie was about as good as it gets given the source material, which was already the weakest book IMO. Heather Graham was dire as ever; I honestly can't explain why they keep her on the cast. Is she genuinely that big a draw? Thankfully she won't be in the last installment.

Did they already slap on old age makeup on Jason Lewis because he was looking rough. No wonder they don't feel they need to age him up for Seeds of Yesterday. He could easily pass as James Maslow's dad, although can't say the same for Cathy.

The only way from here is up, so I guess we'll see what this weekend holds. I wasn't a fan of the book either, so I'm curious to see what they make of it. I wish they'd make Garden of Shadows, which I personally liked. Maybe the time period makes it difficult, covering such a long timeframe as it does. But if they're willing to portray Heather Graham over a 25-year period I don't see why they can't do the same for the actors who might play Malcolm and Olivia.

Edited April 10, 2015 by Aymery

[Jamoche]

Wow, I only read the first book back in high school, but from the description of the twists and turns it sounds like Lifetime could make a miniseries or even a full ongoing soap opera out of all these plots.

[iMonrey]

Just got around to watching ITBT. This was definitely my least favorite book in the series, because it was primarily told from Bart's POV and he was about 10, so the whole thing is written in a 10-year old vernacular and it's an irritating read, to say the least. I also hated the way everyone treated him with kid gloves especially after he tried to hurt Cindy and they thought he had killed the dog. 

 

As far as the acting goes, I'd say it was on par with the first two Lifetime movies. Serviceable but unimpressive. But I'm not sure how much the actors can be faulted for this. The dialogue is so stilted. I feel like the stories just don't translate well to the screen. 

 

I think the main problem with ITBT was all the changes they made to POTW. There's no reference to who exactly these kids think their fathers are. In the book Bart thinks he father is Paul Sheffield. Who does he think his father is in the movie if Paul died years before he was ever born? Did they tell him his father was Bart Winslow but not explain who he was? I guess Jory knew who his father was since he knows his grandmother, but who does he think Chris is? If they think Chris is Paul Sheffield's younger brother do they even know who Paul Sheffield was or what role he played in their parents' lives?

 

It might have been interesting to use the same actor who played Chris in FITA as Jory in this movie.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I think the main problem with ITBT was all the changes they made to POTW. There's no reference to who exactly these kids think their fathers are. In the book Bart thinks he father is Paul Sheffield. Who does he think his father is in the movie if Paul died years before he was ever born? Did they tell him his father was Bart Winslow but not explain who he was? I guess Jory knew who his father was since he knows his grandmother, but who does he think Chris is? If they think Chris is Paul Sheffield's younger brother do they even know who Paul Sheffield was or what role he played in their parents' lives?

ITA that the changes they made in POTW forced some of the changes/holes in ITBT. Jory's parentage was never a secret because that was all out in the open (Cathy was married to him, they danced together professionally, she knew Madame M from the time she moved to South Carolina).

 

Bart's father was a secret because Cathy couldn't just tell him, "I slept with my mother's husband and then the stork brought you!" In the book, she had a convenient excuse because she married Paul after Bart died. But in the movie, Paul died before Cathy even met Julian so there was no way to make him the faux father. In the movie, Bart clearly knew that Chris was his stepfather, not his biological father, but there was no indication that Cathy and Chris had told him anything about his bio dad. In the book, ten year old Bart already had questions about Paul, who he believed to be his biological father so it makes no sense that fourteen year old Bart in the movie was entirely clueless about his father or had never asked any questions.

 

My guess about Chris in the movie is that they probably still told the boys that Chris was Paul's younger brother so that they would have an explanation for the Sheffield last name when they got old enough to ask more questions. They probably could have gotten away with telling the kids that Chris was just a completely unrelated stepfather with no ties to Paul, which would work in the short term, but making him Paul's brother would explain if the kids ever saw any pictures of Cathy and Chris together as teenagers or in their early 20s. I was totally cracking up at the letter Jory found in the attic from Chris on Cathy's 13th birthday,

 

But yeah, making those changes to POTW forced a lot of unnecessary plotholes in this movie. It really doesn't help that ITBT is one of my least favorite books in the series. I understand why VC Andrews changed the POV for this book because we needed to see that despite all of Cathy's earlier inner monologues about how she would never let any of her children feel unwanted, unloved, or neglected, that is exactly what she did to Bart, something that we would not have seen if the book had been from her POV. It was also interesting to see her relationship with Chris from a different POV since in the first two books, she said Chris was always actively pursuing her and she was just this sweet innocent sister constantly fighting him off. I think having Jory's POV was good too because we got to see how learning the truth about Cathy and Chris affected a normal person (as opposed to how it affected Bart who was already a basketcase).

 

Despite these understandable reasons for centering the story around Jory and Bart, it is still one of my least favorite books in the series. I'm not a huge fan of Seeds of Yesterday either because Bart is such a dick and Cathy becomes such a judgmental hypocrite about Cindy (heaven forbid that a 16 year old have sex with her 18 year old boyfriend, completely disregarding the fact that when Cathy was the same age she was having sex with her legal guardian who was 25 years older). Suddenly Cathy is lecturing Cindy about not having sex until she's married. You know, because Cathy totally waited to have sex until she got married!

[Snow Apple]

Anyone else see the Seeds Of Yesterday scene clips on youtube? One is of Jory dancing (hot), and the other......wasn't in the book.

[bluvelvet]

Anyone else see the Seeds Of Yesterday scene clips on youtube? One is of Jory dancing (hot), and the other......wasn't in the book.

Okay I was just about to ask that question here, I don't recall Cindy ever

trying to seduce Bart

in the book. However I haven't read the book in years. I do remember wondering if Bart had some inappropriate feelings for Cindy though.

I think I saw some lines around Cathy's eyes so I think that's their version of aging up.

Edited April 11, 2015 by bluvelvet

[methodwriter85]

Bravo to James Maslow for camping it up and entertaining the hell out of me.

[Snow Apple]

I've rolled my eyes about changes, but I was glad they excluded the character of Joel. 

[portfino]

This was trash but it was entertaining trash which I can't say for some of the others.

 

The competition was brutal (MTV Movies, Game of Thrones, etc.) but if it did OK, I could see them trying to extend this with another couple of movies. Especially if Devious Maids suffers another drop in ratings.

[bluvelvet]

What in the world did I just watch ? Seriously....

That being said I agree if was entertaining even though it didn't resemble seeds of yesterday except on the surface. The chick who played Melody was horrible in the scene where she was crying at Jory's bedside but yet I felt she did well in the depression scenes.

The guy who played Bart was good and he did have chemistry with Cindy even though they never went there in the book.

Still puzzled as to why they made Jory a blonde.

Disappointed in the ending, it was my favorite part of that last book, I wanted to see Cathy redecorate the attic and Jory finding the letter she wrote. She was devastated when Chris died and we didn't really see any of that.

[Maharincess]

That sucked. The others sucked too but at least they kept me entertained and watching.

This one was just bad. So very bad.

I have no clue who played Bart and whoever he is he's young enough to be my son but damn that boy was hot!

[methodwriter85]

 James Maslow, of a boyband called Big Time Rush, born July 16th, 1990. God, I loved that he just went with the campiness and didn't try to make this "serious".

 

I loved all his little "jokes" about Jory being the golden boy that weren't really jokes at all. He did a good job seething in jealousy.

Edited April 13, 2015 by methodwriter85

[Queena]

I guess this was Seeds of Yesterday. It was my 2nd least favorite book. I sta5started to not watch the movie, and then I saw the actor playing Bart. They did a very good job casting him. What a handsome young man!

Chris on the other hand, I pictured a bit more handsome.

Please Lifetime, Heaven. Please do it right, please! I don't know who should play Heaven, but I do know that it had better not take place in a town.

[psychoticstate]

I watched this live last night and, surprisingly, I didn't hate all of it.  I did think it was worlds better than POTW or ITBT, which may not be saying much.

 

James Maslow was fantastic.  He captured 25 year old Bart's craziness and general fucknuttery to a T.  He was also smoking hot.

 

I didn't like the Foxworth Hall used in FITA and I didn't like it here.  It was nearly as impressive, grand and cold as the mansion I invisioned from reading the books.  This one reminded me of a hunting lodge.  A nice lodge, sure, but nothing that was the envy of everyone in Virginia. 

 

This presentation left it unclear as to whether or not Bart sabotaged the Samson & Delilah production, resulting in Jory's paralysis.  As I recall from the books, Joel sabotaged the set.

 

Cathy and Chris looked exactly the same freaking age they did during ITBT.  WTF, Lifetime?  They are both supposed to be in their fifties.  Could you not age the actors just a little bit?  I guess because Chris was wearing cardigan sweaters with elbow patches was supposed to do the trick? 

 

Cindy was godawful.  The very worst part of the movie to me was how they made Bart and Cindy fall in love with each other.  Just ewwwwwww.  I get they aren't blood related and I understand we are talking V.C. Andrews and FITA and whatnot but they were raised as brother and sister.  That NEVER happened in the book. 

 

I also felt that you didn't get any idea of time passing or how much.  In the book, if I'm remembering correctly, Jory's twins were 2 or 3 when Chris died.  And Toni and Jory had married and were expecting a baby together when Cathy died.   

 

As bluvelvet posted above, book Cathy was devastated when Chris died - - as she should have been.  Chris was her one constant for her entire life.  She would have been lost without him.  No way would Jory, Toni, the twins, Bart and Cindy left Foxworth Hall and left Cathy there alone.  That made ZERO sense.  It was as if she had become Corinne No. 2, wandering around alone in an empty house with everything covered by sheets.

 

Not a word was mentioned in ITBT or SOY that Cathy was writing books.  Why?   This was very important to the series.

 

As far as the actor and actress playing Chris and Cathy, I don't think anyone could have lived up to the stunning beauties Cathy told us they were in the books.

 

I am holding out better hope for My Sweet Audrina.

[TigerLynx]

I thought the point of Chris and Cathy being so stunningly beautiful was because they were supposed to resemble Chris Sr. and Corrine who were also incredibly beautiful, and Malcomb and Olivia had told them they would have horribly deformed children because of the incest (recessive genes and God's punishment for their sins).  Instead Chris Sr. and Corrine had four gorgeous children, and it was being locked in the attic for years that caused Carrie's physical problems.  Having Chris, Cathy, and Corrine merely be blonds for the movies didn't really convey that well at all.

[scootypuffjr]

bluvelvet:

Disappointed in the ending, it was my favorite part of that last book, I wanted to see Cathy redecorate the attic and Jory finding the letter she wrote. She was devastated when Chris died and we didn't really see any of that.

 

My DVR cut off early and I never read past POTW.  (I didn't even know Chris had died in a car accident.  History does seem to repeat itself in the VC Andrews universe.)  Can someone please take pity on me and describe how it all ended in greater detail?  It does sound very touching, and I would be interested to know.

Edited April 13, 2015 by scootypuffjr

[Snow Apple]

Although it gave me pause, I was surprising fine with Bart/Cindy. Maybe it was because I caught the subtext and 'shipped' them back when the book first came out; when I was too young to even know what 'shipping' was. Or maybe I'm just used to the nuttiness of the movies by now and it's more fun to just accept it and go with the flow.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

bluvelvet:

My DVR cut off early and I never read past POTW. (I didn't even know Chris had died in a car accident. History does seem to repeat itself in the VC Andrews universe.) Can someone please take pity on me and describe how it all ended in greater detail? It does sound very touching, and I would be interested to know.

In the book after Chris dies, Cathy goes on living for a while but she misses him too much. She goes up to the attic and recreates some of the things that she and the kids made when they lived upstairs. She leaves a note saying that she loves everyone but that Chris needs her more than they do. She says she didn't reach all her goals (like being the best ballerina) but that she managed to convince Bart that he had the right father and that it's never too late for that (even though Bart didn't have this revelation until after Chris died). Jory finds her in the attic holding the letter. She died of loneliness for Chris or just lost her will to live without him.

[StaceyNotStacie]

I watched Seeds of Yesterday this morning and thought it was pretty good.  It has been years since I had read the books and I had to google the plotline to jog my memory of the book.  The casting wasn't too bad (loved the guy who played Bart), although for some reason I didn't care for the guy who played older Chris in the last two movies.  I would have preferred that they used the actor who played Chris Sr. in the first movie.

 

Lifetime was replaying all of the movies today and I rewatched the first two.  Who was the person with the gun at the end of the first movie who let the children leave?  Was that John Amos or a random staff member?

 

I really hope they make the final book in the series.  Lifetime must have found a goldmine in these VC Andrews books.  They could do a series a year and they could have movies for years with all of these book series.  

[TigerLynx]

The guy that played Bart was excellent.  He just went with the craziness, and it worked.

 

I think ITBT and SOY could have been one book.  Then GOS would have been the prequel that filled in the blanks/history of Malcolm, Olivia, Chris and Corrine.

 

Although it gave me pause, I was surprising fine with Bart/Cindy.

 

 

I figured this was just going to be the family thing going forward.  Even though Bart/Cindy didn't get together in the book.  A recurring theme through the books was that Malcolm's crazy, abuse, sexual deviance, religious fanaticism, etc., followed his decendents and screwed up their lives long after his death.

 

I thought Cathy had horrible taste in men.  I could never understand why she stayed with Julian, or fell in love with Bart.  I always wondered if Paul (not a real great choice there either) encouraged her to marry Chris after he died not only because he knew Chris/Cathy were still in love with each other, and Cathy couldn't have any more children, but also because he was worried about what kind of abusive freak she would end up with if she wasn't with Chris.

 

I wasn't expecting Bart to end up in a good place at the end of SOY.  I was expecting it to be revealed that it wasn't just John Amos and Joel pouring their religious hell and damnation stuff in his ear, and finding out about Chris/Cathy being brother and sister, and Chris Sr./Corrine being half-uncle/niece/half-brother/sister, but that the recessive genes that are more likely to be present with incest (even if it's a generation removed) can kick in at any time, and that was also causing some of Bart's mental issues.

[bluvelvet]

So another issue I had with the movie. Cathy and Chris being siblings is a secret, yet in the movie we have the executor reading the will and saying that Corrine's son Chris will continue handling the estate and we have a party where people are whispering about Cathy , Corrine's daughter coming to the party many years ago. We also have Cathy and Chris openly living as husband and wife so how is it that people couldn't figure it out.

I remember in the book Cindy knew but I can't remember how she found out.

Edited April 14, 2015 by bluvelvet

[Snow Apple]

I remember in the book Cindy knew but I can't remember how she found out.

In the book, Cindy just knew. Just one of those facts growing up and it was never kept as a secret from her. There wasn't a "finding out" scene.

 

One thing that bothered me about the prequel (Olivia's book) was the note in the beginning saying that she's writing her story down to set the record straight because of Cathy's books. But Olivia died long before Cathy ever wrote or published those books.

[TigerLynx]

Not only did Olivia die before Cathy's books were written, but the fact that Malcolm was an abusive monster to Olivia and her children, Alicia, etc., and Chris Sr./Corrine were half-uncle/niece and half-brother/sister, did not change the fact that Olivia was a despicable abusive monster to Chris, Cathy, Carrie and Cory.

[iMonrey]

Yeah somehow the idea of Bart and Cindy having sex weirds me out even more than Chris and Cathy. Go figure.

 

I really didn't seen anything happen that would make Bart so abruptly change his tune except maybe we're supposed to think Chris's death was some kind of epiphany for him. The way he was acting by the end of the movie he should have been locked away.

[Snow Apple]

Yeah somehow the idea of Bart and Cindy having sex weirds me out even more than Chris and Cathy. Go figure.

 

I really didn't seen anything happen that would make Bart so abruptly change his tune except maybe we're supposed to think Chris's death was some kind of epiphany for him. The way he was acting by the end of the movie he should have been locked away.

I think Bart/Cindy seem weird because we don't see their point of views and inner thoughts like we did Cathy; we don't see the "why." Also, Cathy and Chris were locked up. Bart and Cindy had a "normal" childhood with the entire world population in front of them to develop relationships.

 

Even in the book, Bart's turnaround was too little too late for me. It was just too sudden. Even with Chris' death, there still needed time for him to reflect and realize he needed to change. It seemed like the police broke the news and, bam, Bart realize he loved Chris after all and becomes good.