I'll Be Watching

Lifetime movies are my guilty pleasure and I enjoy every one of them even with some of the ridiculous plot lines, corny lines and horrible acting. This blew away my expectations. The acting was great. It was dark. It was thrilling. All the things I personally love. The only reason I knocked off two stars is I wish that they kept the mystery of who it was a little longer. Maybe even revealing who he was at the end in the bar. That would have made for a good aha moment. I definitely recommend this movie.

I've watched over 75 LMN movies and this is my #1. It was a thriller, had a love story, great plot, and a happy ending! Great job!

Overall, I'll Be Watching is a fantastic thriller, sure to unnerve even the most dedicated of Lifetime viewer. But on top of that, the film offers a strong message of female empowerment and has a strong cast that helps deliver that message from both sides of the gender spectrum. I'll Be Watching serves as proof of what Lifetime is capable of and is something I hope they continue to strive for when it comes to their movies.

Score: 10 out of 10 purple roses

So here's the thing: Lifetime movies are terrible. And fun. I leave them on during my work-from-home workday as entertainment in the background, because they require low emotional and intellectual investment. They always feature a lead woman, with a support cast. Bad things happen to the woman, but she takes control of the situation and in the end, always prevails without the help of any of her supporting cast.

One thing Lifetime movies never have: Sexual violence. Despite having stalkers and murderers in every movie, the movies just don't go there. And I appreciate that. These are silly romps that are intended to pump you up, and sexual violence would take away from that. And honestly, sexual violence is often the easy, expected thing to include in this kind of script. Ninety-nine percent of tv and movies, when they want to create a dramatic plot involving a woman, just resort to sexual violence against her.

This one has sexual violence and sexual trauma to the lead character. I hate it. It's one of the few Lifetime movies that goes there. Just putting it out there, because people don't often recognize how cool and noteworthy it is that Lifetime typically avoids it.

I'LL BE WATCHING (TV Movie) 6 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2:15 min

BASIC PLOT: Kate Riley (Janel Parrish) is finally getting her life together. Aging out of the foster system, she's now enrolled in Portland Community College. She's working hard to find her place in this world, when the worst happens. Someone notices her... And it's not the type of attention anyone wants. It starts out with bloody roses left on her doorstep, and escalates into violent professions of love and admiration. Kate is assigned a group of dedicated detectives to watch over her, but in the end, it's not enough. Now Kate's on the run, and the stalker has decided to punish the women of Portland until she returns. Can Kate finally stop running long enough, to make a life? Or will her stalker always be watching?

WHAT WORKS: *GREAT USE OF VISUAL METAPHORS Throughout the movie, the filmmakers shine a baby spot on the stalker's eye. It's a fantastic visual metaphor, it reiterates the fact that the stalker is always watching. Also, they use a lot of purple in the background lighting. This is a nod to the roses the stalker leaves, and the book the movie's based on, "The Purple Rose", by Christi Walsh

*BETTER THAN AVERAGE FRAMING OF SHOTS This film has some outstanding shot set ups, especially for a made-for-tv movie. The filmmakers took the time to do things properly, the result elevates this out of the realm of the low budget TV movie. Excellent decision making from Jodi Binstock (director) and Alexander Yellen (cinematographer).

*GREAT USE OF MUSIC The haunting songs used throughout the movie accentuates the creepy atmosphere of the film. I wish more low budget filmmakers would realize the power of good music.

*EXCELLENT PERFORMANCES FROM EVERYONE Everyone here does a great job, the standouts are Conner Marx, as the stalker, Rob Estes as Detective Paine, and Janel Parrish as Kate Riley.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *WE NEED TO TEACH OUR WOMEN TO BE STRONG Kate tries, and fails at being a fighter. I'm not sure if this a fail of the book, the screenplay, or our society, but I'm sick of seeing weak women on my TV. I realize Kate tries to find her strength, but in the end, she needs men to save her. It's pathetic! We need to teach our daughters to NOT BE AFRAID in situations like these, and to put that knife where it belongs, BEFORE he has a chance to use it. We do that by showing women it's possible. Entertainment can affect change! I do not understand how this is written by a woman (Sydney Ortman) for a female audience, yet it still has the protagonist this weak. As a viewer, and a woman, I'd like to see more storylines where the woman saves herself (like Fatal Flip (2015)), instead of women having to be victimized first, before they attempt to find their inner strength, and still have to be rescued by a man.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *This movie has it's good points. It's an above average TV movie, the acting, directing and cinematography are all better than you'd normally see. It's a good story, but with a weak ending. If watching weak women constantly need saving is your thing, then you'll probably like this. If you're like me, and are sick of seeing timid women repeatedly rely on men for everything, you should probably give this a pass (or at least be prepared to throw things at your TV).

CLOSING NOTES: *THIS IS A MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE FILM, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.