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(02/06/18 8:00pm)
American Crime Story’s most recent episode may be the darkest yet. Episode 3 focuses on Andrew Cunanan’s movements and motives. This episode also focuses mainly on the Miglin family. The Versace family is not featured in the episode nor are they mentioned. Andrew’s killing spree continues with two more victims, along with his evading the authorities.
(02/05/18 3:43pm)
by Conner Tighe
Warning: This review may contain spoilers for this episode and previous episodes of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
American Crime Story’s most recent episode may be the darkest yet. Episode 3 focuses on Andrew Cunanan’s movements and motives. This episode also focuses mainly on the Miglin family. The Versace family is not featured in the episode nor are they mentioned. Andrew’s killing spree continues with two more victims, along with his evading the authorities.
Marilyn Miglin, the well-known perfume saleswoman, is seen selling her products on QVC Network. She later calls her husband Lee to tell him that she’s coming home. If you recall from the last episode, Lee was Andrew’s client while he was in Miami. It’s obvious Marilyn is on a trip of some sort. Marilyn arrives at the house and Lee is nowhere to be found. Her neighbors help search the house and eventually the search leads the neighbors to the garage. Lee’s body is found and a scream is heard in the distance. Marilyn quietly mutters, “I knew it.” The past few opening scenes for American Crime Story have been very moving and this one is no exception.
The Miglin family are well-known in Chicago and are obviously wealthy. A series of flashbacks shows that Andrew is in town and he calls up Lee to inform him. Lee agrees to Andrew coming over for a “visit”. Marilyn is leaving for her trip to promote her perfume products. She asks Lee to come with her, but he refuses. Andrew arrives a few hours later and Lee tries his best to impress him by telling him about a new project of construction he wants to start. Andrew implies that Lee is not impressive, and their visits are strictly business. Lee clearly doesn't like this answer and he asks to have sex with Andrew. Andrew leads Lee into the garage and gags him. Andrew then informs Lee that he’s about to kill him. He says he will stage the crime scene to “disgrace” him so that the world will know that Lee is living a lie. Andrew then repeatedly stabs Lee and leaves with his Lexus.
The setup of this scene and Andrew’s insanity was done very well. Andrew is shown to be even more violent than we anticipated. He’s ruthless and has little regard for human life. Andrew shows little remorse or emotion for killing Lee and continues his journey. We don’t know exactly where Andrew’s destination is, but he appears perfectly happy and calm. Lee’s phone in his Lexus is later used as a tracking device for the FBI. They almost identify his location, but Andrew realizes what’s happening and smashes the antennae on the car. Once again, the authorities are left with no clues on Andrew’s whereabouts.
The police attempt to question Marilyn on possible suspects for her husband’s killer, but she refuses to talk about it. She only cares about catching the killer herself. The police question the possibility that Andrew could be the killer and inform Marilyn of this. Marilyn doesn’t know or care who Andrew is. The police are left with no leads except for Andrew’s abandoned Jeep a few blocks away. This is the vehicle Andrew used to get to Chicago. It seems at this point in the show that Andrew is toying with the authorities. He knows he’s smart enough to evade them and he wants them to know that. Meanwhile, Andrew is in search of a new vehicle.
Andrew arrives at a park and searches the area for a possible vehicle. He spots a middle-aged man leaving in a red pickup truck. Andrew follows him to his house. He comes through the door demanding his car keys. The man agrees to his demand and asks Andrew not to hurt him. Andrew later takes the man down to the basement in the house and tells the man to get on his knees. The man claims that he has a son and a wife and wants to see them again. But before the man can continue, Andrew shoots him in the back of the head. Andrew leaves with the man’s truck.
Featured image from Laughing Place
(02/04/18 6:36pm)
Warning: This episode may contain spoilers for this episode and previous episodes of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
(01/30/18 11:54pm)
by Conner Tighe
Warning: This episode may contain spoilers for this episode and previous episodes of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
Episode two of American Crime Story season two adds some much-needed pieces to the Versace puzzle. New pieces of the plot become clearer and more background is brought into the light with Andrew Cunanan. This episode mainly focuses on Andrew’s slowly dwindling sanity along with some history between siblings Donatella and Gianni Versace.
It is surprising to find out that Gianni was sick. Gianni and his partner Antonio had an open relationship which led to Gianni contracting AIDS. This revelation causes hardship between Donatella and Antonio. Donatella wants what is best for Gianni, but he is unwilling to give up Antonio. The big reveal here is that Gianni was already dying before he was killed. The issue of running Versace after Gianni’s death is put into question. Donatella does not feel ready but decides to run the company.
The episode provides emotion right off the bat. Donatella does her best to stay out of the press when Gianni passes. She brings him a nice suit and dresses him for his viewing, but he is later cremated. His ashes are sent with Donatella on a plane back to Italy. She then mentions all the hardships her brother had to face during the AIDS epidemic. Gianni had claimed he was HIV negative to the press. As viewers, we know this simply isn't the truth. The writing here is brilliant because it provides a glimpse into the struggles Gianni faced. His open relationship with Antonio was difficult to accept and he was dealing with internal decisions. He was more than a celebrity and fashion designer.
Andrew Cunanan continues to evade the authorities with ease and checks into a hotel in Miami. Cunanan's obsession with Versace has led him to follow up on everything he has ever made or accomplished. This becomes obvious in a conversation with Ronnie, a local in the Miami area. Andrew’s personality changes so frequently within the episode it is hard to decipher his true intentions. At this point he makes his money by becoming a local escort for wealthy men.
His friendship with Ronnie quickly dwindles and Ronnie is left dumbstruck by Andrew’s change in behavior. Andrew has a layout of his own movements on the wall and realizes he needs to move on. At this point it becomes obvious that he is also a compulsive liar. He tells everyone a different story about his life and dreams. It makes us realize that even we as the audience don’t know who Andrew really is. He’s very cunning and is good at staying under the radar.
Andrew’s lifestyle leads him to the gay culture in Miami, Florida where he is learning to take advantage of young, naïve men. He is very open about his sexuality. His hiding from the authorities leaves him hurting for money, hence the escorting. Adding this to the episode demonstrates just how dangerous Andrew truly is; he will say and do whatever to gain someone’s trust but will also break someone's trust just as easily. He is beginning to form patterns of behavior which the FBI starts to recognize. This episode is more about the background of the characters rather than the events taking place. This is done very well using both the past and the present.
Featured image from Laughing Place
(01/25/18 9:45pm)
On the new season of American Crime Story, Ryan Murphy takes another stab at an infamous event in America’s history. Gianni Versace’s death shocked the country and produced the largest failed manhunt in American history. Since we are living in a time of constant scandalous revelations, it’s only appropriate that this story be told now as a form of justice for the victims. There are notable cast members in the show including Darren Criss, Penélope Cruz, Ricky Martin and Édgar Ramírez. There was substantial hype for the season and the premiere lived up to it. Let’s take a look at what made last night’s episode so brilliant.
(01/25/18 6:54pm)
(01/24/18 9:42pm)
by Conner Tighe
On the new season of American Crime Story, Ryan Murphy takes another stab at an infamous event in America’s history. Gianni Versace’s death shocked the country and produced the largest failed manhunt in American history. Since we are living in a time of constant scandalous revelations, it’s only appropriate that this story be told now as a form of justice for the victims. There are notable cast members in the show including Darren Criss, Penélope Cruz, Ricky Martin and Édgar Ramírez. There was substantial hype for the season and the premiere lived up to it. Let’s take a look at what made last night’s episode so brilliant.
The opening scene of the show is a good place to start. We, as the audience, watch Versace go through his morning routine. During this time we also are introduced to Andrew Cunanan. We slowly watch as Cunanan goes crazy and behaves erratically. We don’t understand why he’s acting this way. Versace goes to buy a newspaper and returns to his villa when he hears someone approach him from behind. Andrew cocks his handgun and fires. Versace responds simply with “No.” This is a powerful opening to the show and an instant attention grabber.
The acting is superb in this episode and characters are introduced relatively quickly. Andrew Cunanan is not all he appears to be after we learn he is a sociopath. He tells the story of when he first met Versace and his admiration for his way of life. His fixation on Versace is creepy and he is very clever with his killings. Versace was only the fifth victim of Cunanan’s. Versace’s partner Antonio D’Amico shows extreme sorrow when he learns of his lover’s death. He consults with Gianni’s sister Donatella about the future of Versace’s company.
I can see this show turning into a binge marathon as each episode is roughly an hour long. The first episode alone was well-done and the acting was amazing. Each character had their own role to play with very little character overlap. The backstory was important to the plot and easy to interpret and understand. For those who don't know the story behind Versace’s death, this show is a great way to look into the details, specifically the mind of madman Andrew Cunanan. It’s also important to mention that the show provides a face to the name. For those that are familiar with the story already, the show goes beyond just descriptions of the victims.
Featured image from Laughing Place
(12/29/17 11:00pm)
Every year produces a relentless heaping of blockbuster films that sell fantastically, but how many of them are actually good is another question entirely. Though the major circuit may have been a little bit short on masterpieces this year, it was by no means empty. We got another great Pixar movie, a beautiful shoutout to The Room, and the best M. Night Shyamalan film in a long time. We also caught a whole host of independent films at Heartland Film Festival this year, some of which were made in our own backyard. So as it turns out, the year of The Disaster Artist wasn’t such a disaster after all.