The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater

I haven't reviewed a film on Imdb in several years, but this one is worth a few words. First of all, I found the writing to be very good, full of wit and timing. That's what impressed me most... that and the acting of the lovely Lorrisa Julianas. I was so pleased when I found out she was the writer as well. Low budget, yes, but the writing is what elevates this film. Please don't be thrown off by the ridiculous low ratings, it's actually pretty good entertainment.

The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater is a solid, well acted film that is very effective. Although I think the movie could have been a bit shorter overall, the characters are unique, and it turned out to have more emotion than I expected which made for a powerful film. The cinematography was excellent along with the writing. Check it out.

I'm a big fan of Shannon Brown and I've seen a lot of this work. When he shared this on facebook I was excited to check it out. It wasn't at all what I anticipated as I assumed Shannon was the star of the movie as I've grown accustomed to seeing him as the lead in most things he's cast in. It's very clear from the jump that the star of this movie is Lorissa Julianas. And when I say star, she explemplifies this in every way possible. I've seen her before in a few of the films featuring Shannon, but not like this. She leaves no doubt that she is more than capable of carrying a movie. She is strong, vulnerable and funny and she plays the overqualified genius to perfection. The male lead O'Sullivan is strong as well, a very likeable character that you want to pull for that is worthy of leading man status and I have no doubt we'll be seeing more of him. Then Brown's character which is more of strong supporting role but a role I've never seen him play before as he plays the heroin's gay best friend. This would be an easy role to play campy, over the top and cheap but there is nothing cliche' about his portrayal. Brown showcases his range once again as his choices are very refined, nuanced and still hysterical which meshes wonderfully with the high brow comedy, high society theme of the overall story. I assume the gay community will appreciate that. But as much as I am a fan, Julianas clearly steals the show and I have no doubt we'll see her carrying a movie again in the future. I commend her and her husband, first time director Cj Julianas, for creating a perfect piece to showcase Lorissa's immense talent while still delivering high quality indie fare. There is very little to criticize with this movie. A couple of the performances didn't quite hit home and the pacing could use a little boost in some areas but these are minor issues that barely take away from the overall viewing experience. This will certainly be one of those movies I watch again.

I won't lie, upon only half paying attention reading the plot of The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater. The words that stuck out were "Mafia" "Ex lover" "Extortion" "You have 30 days" "Embezzled Art collection" "MMA fighting priest" and of course "DOMINATRIX.... who plays by her own rules" ( I added that last part but it's true!!!) All those words that stuck out reading the summary, decided the trailer deserved my attention. To which it usually doesn't go past that point. ESPECIALLY With medium budget indie films. But they somehow made it to the next round. Renting It wasn't going to break the bank, and I said "hey! if I don't like it? I'll just turn it off, maybe try again later, or get done some of the work I need to do and have it as background noise... needless to say I'm behind on said work... I'm sorry! I really don't want to come across as arrogant or like my opinion is valid. Because we all know those who can't do anything become film critics. But I truly didn't think I was going to like this movie as much as I did. I'm going to buy the flick regardless, but honestly debating whether I should just but the digital or seek out a physical format of the movie (which is what I prefer, I don't know, owning a movie you're able to hold just means more to me.) The final chapter in the adventure of a movie and it's fate of either getting screened or reamed... well... it's writing a review... and here we are. Keep in mind, even if I think a movie is watchable, I usually won't bother writing a review. Note, even movies I think are terrible where my review is to purely warn others, even at that, the review is still a few short sentences of "do not do this to yourself! I watched it already! I was violated by this movie so you didn't have to be as well" There's so much that goes into why this movie deserves to be appreciated. The writing, the production, the acting, all done down to a T with precision and perfection. Obviously this movie didn't have a mega block buster budget, but given what they were given with what they were able to give. It was able to keep me invested without noticing it wasn't a Marvel Movie. Especially the acting. (When I watch movies I like to watch the background actors. It goes unnoticed when you're fixated on the characters the scene is centered on, as you normally should. But when you focus on the substance of whats going on behind the context, and the actors in the background who's characters don't have an existence beyond these few short moments. Who they are and how their story won't and doesn't mean anything. Are just a cog in the machine, an algorithm, their story isn't suppose to exist. Most of the time it causes you to find a glitch in the matrix and they look like background actors. But I didn't feel that way watching The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater. The acting is what truly made this film intriguing and able to be invested in. Especially and nothing without out Lorrissa Julianus. Lorrissa's performance bringing to life and portraying the character of Ava Moriarty, the story's main protagonist. Was not only believable, but give me butterflies, and at times give me butterflies. Let's just say if Ava was in my life? I would forget the safe word on purpose. I'm mostly familiar with Lorrissa's voice involved in a great deal of my favorite video games and small roles in movies like "Marked" "the husband" and "every 21 seconds". The charm, wittiness, and sense of humor her charisma projects on screen (not to mention absolutely gorgeous). She is truly underrated in her field and well on her way to becoming a DOMINATING force in the indie world. I highly recommend The Misadventures of Mistress Maneater. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love...

Ava Moriarty is a really memorable, bigger-than-life character, convincingly and luminously portrayed by Lorrisa Julianus.

I think Ava should star in her own Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series, with emphasis on her as academic prodigy and art/history expert. Unfortunately they, i.e. the Hallmark brand, would probably shy away from her striking and hilarious dominatrix dimension.

Impressive how the artwork featured in the plot was done by the lead actress herself.

Not really satisfied with both main characters' backstory, "big reveal's." Came off as forced and unbelievable. The overall resolution of the plot was another head-scratcher--WTF! It felt like the writer or production ran out of time/money and just threw away the ending.

I do hope though to see more of and by Lorrisa Julianus. She's a real talent.