I have long lusted after actor Johnathon Schaech, but we can thank Jessica Lange, (or maybe we should thank Joan Crawford) for inspiring this Actors & Skin feature on Jonathon. I have been mesmerised watching Lange's portrayal of Crawford in Feud. Sarandan is good, but Lange's understated, but nuanced turn as Joan Crawford as been a highlight. My first introduction to Crawford was Mommie Dearest, and it was only the past year or two I have seen the actual actress on film. After Dearest, it is nice to see Lange really highlight the icon's quirks by brilliantly focusing on the quieter moments.
Feud had me keeping an eye out for older Lange films on the movie channel. I have seen most of her big movies, including her turn in King Kong, which I felt was fare better than Peter Jackson's green screen reliant remake. I had never seen 1998's Hush though, until last weekend. The film has a few similarities to Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, with a wacko main character tormenting another woman. In Hush, Lange played the wacko and although the movie got dismal reviews, I found it enjoyably bad enough to watch.
'Even in the world of bad movies, there are rules of engagement. Bad like Showgirls bad can be enjoyable. Bad like Hush (TriStar) bad is just depressing, a grim chore: When you watch this failed horror thriller — which has been under studio doctors’ care for some two years, undergoing futile title changes and reshoots — there’s no respite from the odor of flop sweat stinking up the screen'
Entertainment Weekly 1998
Unlike Showgirls, which I enjoy re-watching now and then, only a drinking game would have me watching Hush again. There were so many odd edits and cuts that there are many thing to drink to. The changing sizes of Paltrow's baby bump was laughably noticeable, and if you took a shot every time Paltrow went from wearing a wig to her natural hair, you would be drunk before too long.
I did not know when I started to watch that Lange's son was played by the oh so beautiful Johnathon Schaech. Paltrow's wig aside, he held my sole focus each time he was on scene. Johnathon is so stunning, one can hardly hold his Southern Mama's burning loin's against her. She wasn't exactly subtle, hosing her shirtless son down in one the films most ridiculous, yet gratifying scenes.
Hosed
Feud had me looking to work my way through Jessica Lange's body of work, and Hush has me wanting to work my way through Jonathan...and his body of work! I think I'm going to start with That Thing You Do, How to Make an American Quilt and by the looks of the scene in the skin piece below, Poison Ivy 2 seems a must...
Still smokin hot in a recent shot
