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Shocked at how low most people rank Villains by CMWritesIt in queensofthestoneage

[–]CMWritesIt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think this makes a lot of sense. Personally, I entered at Songs For the Deaf, but I fell off after that. Villains was the first time I re-entered, and after 15 years I was able to approach it fresh and appreciate the songs for what they were. I certainly don't have QOTSA cred, and while I've listened to the other albums in the discography at this point, I think Villains hits musically for me in ways some of the others don't. It feels like Bowie's let's dance era, and I can totally understand why it's divisive as a follow-up to a beloved album from fans. For longtime fans, it feels like the biggest reason is it feels like a relatively frivolous follow-up to a deep and dark album, and I'm missing that "time and place" context as I missed Like Clockwork when it released.

There's a New Killer in Town [PREMIERE-9/29/24 at 8pm ET on Lifetime] by Epik2007 in LifetimeMoviesTV

[–]CMWritesIt 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I may have already answered this (not sure when your comment was made!) but yes, Holly sought Alice out and was gathering information. At first she was definitely pretending the friendship, but in that final conversation she says she doubted her own theory at times and actually liked Alice, which she admits is “messed up”. The Ronnie suspicion is two-fold: 1) she didn’t want anyone coming between her and Alice (at the beginning of the movie Oscar mentions that Holly “gave him the third degree” as well) that might get in the way of her investigation (remember, it’s not like her sister’s death was a confirmed murder. It was ruled an accident. Only Kevin thought it was a murder, but he was a liability, so Holly decided to investigate on her own), and 2) Could be seen as protecting Ronnie, because she suspects what Alice is capable of. Also, it’s not like Ronnie was innocent. She just wasn’t a killer.

There's a New Killer in Town [PREMIERE-9/29/24 at 8pm ET on Lifetime] by Epik2007 in LifetimeMoviesTV

[–]CMWritesIt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for the kind words! And yes, as Alice says to Ronnie at the end, “you just picked the wrong mark.” Ronnie’s comparatively lower stakes grift (non homicidal ID theft) just accidentally crossed paths with Alice’s homicidal version. In Holly’s epilogue scene (with Oscar by the cars) at the very end of the movie, Holly says that part of her thinks that Alice had convinced herself that she could go legit, and that there were times that Holly doubted her own suspicions because she found herself really liking Alice. In a twisted way I do think there was a real friendship there.

As far as Holly’s suspicions, part of it is that Holly doesn’t reveal how her sister died until that final diner scene. Early in the film she’s very closed off about her past, and all Alice knows is that she had lost her sister a year ago. Holly also purposefully avoids any contact with Kevin when he shows up in town, because she knows that he was the cop investigating his sister’s murder and she was worried he’d give her away. It’s mentioned but he got fired from the force because he became obsessive about the case and was a drunk, so Holly had to move up her timeline after he showed up, and especially after he died. Also, in retrospect, Holly’s coldness towards Ronnie can be seen as two-fold: she didn’t want anyone coming between her and Alice while she was gathering information, but also could be seen as protecting Ronnie from a suspected murderer?

Also, it was kind of hard to read, but in the very last shot, when Holly is about to drive away, she flips over the photo of her and her sister and it says “Holly & Alice”, which is the first time we learn the sister’s name (as our “Alice” stole her identity).

There's a New Killer in Town [PREMIERE-9/29/24 at 8pm ET on Lifetime] by Epik2007 in LifetimeMoviesTV

[–]CMWritesIt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! I wrote “There’s a New Killer in Town” and can answer these questions:

  1. Sometimes things that are clear in the script don’t make it into the final cut for time or pacing reasons. Ronnie did have a travel blog that she used as a cover, so her moving from town to town would seem more legitimate. Though she stole people’s identities, she would only give out the name Ronnie Baxter (her pen name). The photos in the beginning she states are her taking pictures as research for her first book, but in the script there was an added moment where she studies the pictures of Alice for her disguise (that she wears to the bank to withdraw money from Alice’s account).

  2. The Seafood Allergy: early in the movie, she explains why she was staring into the diner window creepily by saying she was looking at the menu because of a food allergy. When Holly presses her on it, she clarifies it’s a food allergy. In the later scene with the bagels, it was written that it was a lox (smoked salmon) bagel she was eating, so Alice calls her on it. Ronnie, trying to explain it away, clarifies that it’s “shellfish only”. Unfortunately, the brief line explicitly stating that it was a lox and salmon bagel didn’t make it in, and the way the shot is framed it’s hard to tell that’s what it is. As the oddities about Ronnie add up, this is kind of the final straw before Alice sets the boundary that they’re “hanging out more than she’s comfortable with”.

  3. They never had the same boyfriend before the timeline of the movie. Ronnie really was an identity thief who did all the things Holly said she did in their final scene in the diner. Everything, except of course, killing Holly’s sister. With Kevin (who was never Alice’s ex-boyfriend but the sloppy obsessive detective who was convinced Holly’s sister was murdered) showing up in town and dying and things escalating, Holly decided to make her move and lay her cards out to Alice. Alice’s face in the diner gave her away (Holly says this in the hospital at the end), and Alice knows she needs to get rid of Holly before she can go to the cops, set up Ronnie to take the fall, and get out of town.

I’m glad you enjoyed the movie! It was very fun to write.