REVIEW: 'Killer Coach'

Well, the Olympics are over, and the biggest headlines came from U.S. splashman Ryan Lochte's misbehavior. Well, his antics -- as bad as they were -- are nothing compared to the title character in "Killer Coach."

This stalker sports flick premiered a few weeks back and is part of a great Sunday line-up on the Lifetime Movie Network (airing at 9 p.m. CST). It focuses on high school super swimmer Samantha (the gorgeous Javicia Leslie), who is feeling the pressures of balancing athletic and academic excellence. It doesn't help that her mom (Keesha Sharp) is her coach and she has a very needy boyfriend (Cameron Jebo). Enter assistant coach Bryce (Tom Maden) who knows a thing or two about the breast stroke ... and he's a decent swimmer too.

Samantha is pretty much at a breaking point but connects with swim stud Bryce. He helps her pool performance, then proceeds to seduce her. Samantha instantly regrets their fling and tries to cool things off. It doesn't take a psychic to predict where this is going. Bryce is yet another Lifetime clinger. He texts, calls and stalks the heck out of poor Samantha. And in true Lifetime fashion, Bryce spends a lot of time wrecking her life with a secret video of their tryst and additional dirt.

"Killer Coach" is pretty much "Swimfan"-lite. The coach is more conniving than an actual killer, and it takes a while before he even attempts to murder anyone. Still, Jebo is an excellent villain. As Bryce, he exudes charm yet desperation. Leslie and Sharp might be the most beautiful mom-daughter duo I've seen in a Lifetime flick! They have great chemistry on screen, and Leslie in particular is excellent as the confused victim of Bryce's charms.

Admittedly, it's pretty typical of Lifetime stalker movies, but is still entertaining. Good performances and a well-paced story make this a solid entry into Lifetime's collection of movies about one-night stands gone wrong.

"Killer Coach": Directed by Lee Friedlander; Starring Javicia Leslie as Samantha; Keesha Sharp as Gina; Tom Maden as Bryce; Cameron Jebo as Lucas; Madison Iseman as Emily; Taylor Keene as Tracie 

Celebrating Eric Roberts!

Today is Labor Day, and perhaps no actor works harder than the legendary Eric Roberts. Turn on any channel right now, and you're sure to find him in a great movie. Of course, he's a Lifetime staple, and tonight, the network premieres his latest masterpiece "Stalked By My Doctor: The Return."

It's not often that Lifetime movies actually get a sequel, but the original "Stalked By My Doctor" rocked, so it's well deserving of a second chapter.

Today, LM Mental celebrates the legendary Mr. Roberts, the man with the best hair on Lifetime. Here's a rundown of some of his best movies:

1) "Stalked By My Doctor" - Gotta start with this one. Roberts is extra creepy as the perv physician with a God complex. He's also a Stage 5 clinger! He already is a bit needy, but when he saves a beautiful teenager's life, he hears wedding bells. Never mind that her mom is even younger than him, this doc is in love ... and insane.

2) "Fatal Desire" - Robert is a good guy in this one, and he's great. This is one of those movies warning against online relationships. Roberts plays nice guy Joe who falls for Tanya (Anne Heche). They fall in love ... and lust. This affair has some repercussions though. According to Tanya, her husband is an abusive thug, which leads Joe to make a tough decision regarding his future with her.

3) "The Wrong Roommate" - Roberts has a small but good role in this one. Again, he plays a good guy. He's Floyd, the concerned professor friend of fellow educator Laurie (Jessica Morris). Laurie has just gone though a bad break up with cheating hubby Mark (William McNamara). So, she and her niece have some room to spare in their awesome mansion. She starts renting out a room to hunky artist Alan (Jason Shane-Scott). Guess what! That's is a major mistake as he's a dangerous thug! Floyd tries to play detective, but winds up as a victim of Alan's wrath.

4) "A Fatal Obsession" - We only get a few minutes of Roberts in this thriller, but he's awesome. He plays an alcoholic author whose career is on the skids. He's married to a photographer (Tracy Nelson) and a dad to a nice teen. Still, he can't get his act together. He's an abusive lout, so they flee his wrath. He follows, but with a new face and identity.

"Stalked My Doctor: The Return" promises to be a great Labor Day movie, so tune in this evening at 7 p.m. (CST).

REVIEW: "Unwanted Guest"

I never took college friends home with me. Our house was small, my dad was grumpy and I am pretty sure my mom would be bent out of shape regarding cleaning the house and having enough food.

So, the psycho in "Unwanted Guest" would have been screwed had she tried to latch on to me like a crazy leech. That doesn't mean that this movie did not resonate with me...in fact, I LOVED it. It's one of the coolest Lifetime thrillers I've seen in a while. 

So, the plot focuses on the super nice Christine (Valentina Novakovic), who invites nerdy Amy (the incredibly awesome Kate Mansi) to her home for the holidays. Apparently, Amy doesn't have a place to go ... and needs a place to hide because she killed someone on campus.

While cops investigate the university murder, Amy makes herself right at home in Christine's mansion. Her mom (my "Daily Show" crush Beth Littleford) is a real estate queen and dad (Ted King) is a super lawyer, so these folks are loaded! It doesn't take long before Amy trades her huge glasses for a nightie and sets her eyes on dear old -- incredibly horny -- dad.

So, Christine falls ill thanks to some poison from pre-med student Amy, and mom is later made a victim. Also at risk is Mr. Chips, Christine's pet hamster!!! Dad, however, is slowly seduced by Amy, so he's safe for a while.

The sexual tension and violence builds to a boiling point, and this movie begins to rack up a body count -- and plenty of tight T-shirt and lingerie shots thanks to Amy. It's pretty typical of Lifetime flicks, but this movie is definitely a classic! Mansi is particularly effective as the sociopathic seductress, flashing that gorgeous smile while unleashing her wrath. King also shines as the the model for a mid-life crisis. Props also go to Littleford and Novakovic who watch on helplessly while Amy destroys their family.

Of course, this slice of excellence is brought to us by legendary producer/director Fred Olen Ray!

It's on Lifetime again at 10 p.m. and is sure to be a network staple. It's definitely one of my recent favorites, so keep an eye out for it alongside other gems about nutty roommates and home wreckers.

Not on Lifetime: "The Boy Next Door"

What better way to kick off the first day of school than with a review of "The Boy Next Door," a tale of a teacher/student relationship gone wrong?

Of course, illicit teacher-student relationships are all over the news. NONE of the convicted educators I've seen on TV, however, look anything like this movie's star, Jennifer Lopez!!

In "The Boy Next Door," J-Lo plays a teacher seduced by a student! Now that's a switch from what we see on the news! Of course, the kid who puts the moves on her also happens to be a raging psychopath!

So, the plot focuses on recently divorced school teacher Claire Peterson (J-Lo). Of course, we're expected to believe that guys aren't beating her door down to get a date! Still, she is unlucky in love, but does have a cool BFF in fellow teacher Ms. Lansing (Kristin Chenowith) and a nice (yet nerdy) son Kevin (Ian Nelson). And the cheating ex (John Corbett) is still hanging around trying to make nice with the woman he betrayed.

Enter new kid in town Noah (Ryan Guzman), who moves in with his uncle -- next door to Claire. He becomes buds with Kevin, who is bullied at school, and pulls the Eddie Haskell routine with all unsuspecting adults. When he's not playing nice, he's appealing to Claire in the classroom with his passion for Homer. Oh, he also watches her undress though her window. 

When Claire has the house to herself, he drops by for dinner, wine and some sex. Yes, Claire is so lonely -- even though she's the most beautiful woman in town and possibly the country -- that she is attracted to a high school student. Don't worry! He's legal (19), so this isn't a completely demented movie. Well, any man 19 or 91 would be obsessed with someone that looks like Claire. And any woman with half a brain would realize that sleeping with a student is very bad news. So, she breaks it to him that this was a one-time fling and it's over. Guess what? Noah's not having it! So, he goes on a rampage stalking her, making sure he gets assigned to her class, then seducing her son's crush.

Claire is worried about keeping her job and sanity throughout this ordeal. Of course, any Lifetime movie aficionado can see where this is going, so I won't deliver the spoilers. I will encourage viewers to stick with this movie through its excellent - and graphic - climax! 

I'd be surprised if this doesn't make it on Lifetime or LMN soon. In the meantime, catch it in full unedited glory on HBO. It's violent, steamy and all around awesome! It airs next at 6:25 p.m., Aug. 31 on HBO Signaure and again at 10:40 p.m., Sept. 4 on HBO 2.

REVIEW: 'Sorority Nightmare'

Greek life can be a nightmare. Swallowing goldfish ... drink-a-thons ... weird initiations ... and the list goes on when it comes to the horrors of joining frats or sororities. Well, leave it to Lifetime to exploit the crazy lives of sorority sisters. Last night, "Sorority Nightmare" premiered on Lifetime (and it airs again tonight at 6 p.m. CST) and may have scared numerous co-eds out of pledging Greek organizations.

"Sorority Nightmare" (also titled "Twisted Sisters") follows college freshman Sarah (Sierra McCormick). As if college wasn't hard enough, Sarah also is a bit traumatized after losing her sister in a car wreck. Still, she's off to a great start! She has a cool, cute roommate Jodi (Sara Kapner) and is a possible shoe-in for popular sorority Psi Kappa. After all, her mom (Bridget White) was a member, so she's a legacy pledge.

Super student Daisy (Cassidy Gifford) rules this sorority with an iron fist ... often holding a glass of champagne. She forces her sorority sisters to do wild stuff like eat cigarettes and loves to humiliate non-Greeks. So, she's not exactly a barrel of laughs ... but Sarah is drawn to her anyways! Sarah eventually makes it into Psi Kappa, and finds love with track stud Liam (Anthony Del Negro).

Still, something isn't quite right with the Psi Kappas. Daisy is out of control, and weird stuff starts happening ... sorority rivals are duck taped to trees, people are beaten, professors are forced out of the college. It's a mess, but Sarah is clueless ... for a while.

So, there's not much more to say without giving away the movie! So, check it out today and judge for yourself. Gifford pretty much rules the film as the sadistic sorority tyrant! And McCormick is effective as the confused co-ed, who can't free herself from Daisy's grasp. Good performances from Del Negro as the overly nice boyfriend and Kapner as the quirky roommate.

"Sorority Nightmare" is a fun Lifetime movie ... not too dark, and with enough kitsch to keep audiences interested although it takes a while for things to heat up. It's brought to us by the fine folks at Synthetic Cinema, who brought us "The Murder Pact."

"Sorority Nightmare": Directed by Devon Downs and Kenny Gage; Starring Cassidy Giffords as Daisy, Sierra McCormick as Sarah, Anthony Del Negro as Liam, Sara Kapner as Jodi, Anthony Del Negro as Liam, Bridget White as Alice and Katie Sarfie as Maria.

Not on Lifetime: "Intimate Agony"

Before the Lifetime network scared kids out of sex with movies like "She's Too Young," network television was keeping grown-ups out of bed with gems like 1983's "Intimate Agony." Both movies deal with the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, but "Intimate Agony" is definitely a more memorable film considering its all-star cast.

This movie originally aired on ABC (when networks aired plenty of cool made-for-TV flicks) and featured Anthony Geary (a big star at the time thanks to "General Hospital) as Dr. Kyle Richards. He arrives to a community in the Hamptons and makes a shocking discovery ... nearly everyone has herpes!! His playboy buddy Tommy (Mark Harmon in an awesome role) has no doubt been spreading them to his tennis pupils. Married businessman Nick (Brian Kerwin) also has them ... and he's married to a very pregnant wife. Real estate mogul Dave Fairmont (Robert Vaughn perhaps creating a blueprint for Donald Trump) discovers his teen daughter is infected. And Dr. Richards' possible love interest Marsha (the always amazing Judith Light) finds out that her last lover has given her this STD.

Richards wants to create an awareness campaign, but money hungry Fairmont thinks that a herpes scare will impact his real estate deals! The kindly doctor also wants to counsel those who have been infected, but that's easier said than done. Once diagnosed with the disease, everyone feels like the walking dead. Still, Dr. Richards knows that education is the key to preventing and coping with the disease.

Honestly, I never saw myself spending an afternoon watching a movie about herpes, but "Intimate Agony" is pretty good! Yes, it's a bit on the soap opera-side considering its sudsy leads (Geary, Light, Harmon), but it's well made with compelling stories that are linked together. And it's never too preachy ... letting Geary's good guy doctor lead the discussion on the consequences of venereal diseases.

I remembered when this movie popped up on TV back in the early 80s ... with a stern "Parental discretion is advised" warning. This was just before AIDS/HIV was in the headlines, so the thought of a herpes story may seem outdated. Still, the material is handled with a mix of sensitivity and melodrama. As the headlines suggests, this is not on Lifetime (but could be). It's actually on YouTube! See below for a link to the full feature. The quality isn't exactly HD, but check it out anyways. It definitely holds up thanks to solid acting from the star players.

REVIEW: 'Indiscretion'

Sex and politics don't mix. It's pretty certain that anyone connected with public office needs to keep it in their pants. Last night's Lifetime premiere of "Indiscretion" is proof of that!

Directed by John Stewart Miller, "Indiscretion" is a steamier than usual Lifetime flick about an affair gone wrong ... and deadly! Is there really any other way for these things to turn out on Lifetime?

Mira Sorvino is Veronica Simon, the gorgeous wife of rising political star Jake (the ageless Cary Elwes). Together, they're parents to super teen Lizzy (Katherine McNamara). So, the Simons are one big happy family, right? Well, Jake's run for the senate is leaving Veronica feeling somewhat neglected and Lizzy is definitely in need of of some parental guidance.

Enter Victor (Christopher Backus), a charismatic artist who meets Veronica at a party then promptly seduces her. Victor and Veronica enjoy a two-day fling, and she finally comes to her senses and realizes she belongs with her family. Well, Victor is in love! Really! After two days of awesome sex, he believes that they belong together ... forever!

So, it's not long before the long-haired artist begins popping up at the least convenient times. He also shows her a whacked out sculpture he made in her likeness. Oh ... he's also a former soldier who knows how to handle a gun. Things get even more tense when he befriends would-be senator Victor.

This movie is like a cross between "Fatal Attraction" and "Unfaithful." And it's sexier than the average Lifetime movie. It probably helps that the sexy leads (Sorvino and Backus) are married! And the surprise ending is definitely a departure from the usual Lifetime fare.

Good acting all the way around in this movie. Sorvino is awesome the wife caught between a rock and hard body, and Backus is perfect as the psycho, oversexed artist. Elwes does a solid job as the unassuming politico. McNamara and Sorvino are a credible mother-daughter combo with the former shining as the rebel kid.

"Indiscretion" is on again today at 6 p.m. (CST) ... and likely later this week. It's definitely a smart and sexy thriller with a solid cast. Check it out...but not with the kids in the room.

"Indiscretion": Directed by John Stewart Miller; Starring Mira Sorvino as Veronica; Cary Elwes as Jake; Christopher Backus as Victor; Katherine McNamara as Lizzy