Freddie Highmore in “Bates Motel.” Freddie Highmore and Kerry Ehrin Closing In On Checkout Time at Bates Motel by Jay S. Jacobs Season four of the acclaimed drama Bates Motel has taken some turns for the strange and the dark. This should not surprise us too much – after all the main characters of the show are Norman and Norma Bates, arguably the most dysfunctional son and mother duo in pop culture, their horrific relationship cemented in our minds through a short final segmen

Nestor Carbonell in “Bates Motel.” Nestor Carbonell and Carlton Cuse Watching Over Bates Motel by Jay S. Jacobs Things are really ramping up on Bates Motel, the best show you may be missing on TV. The fourth season has been had a whirlwind of actions and repercussions as the series sets up its penultimate season. The legendary mother and child characters, Norma and Norman Bates (Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore) are increasingly at loggerheads as Norman’s mental condition se

Freddie Highmore & Vera Farmiga star in Bates Motel Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin Dark Days at Bates Motel by Jay S. Jacobs It’s always dangerous trying to update a masterpiece, so people were understandably concerned when A&E announced a few years ago that they were creating a modern-day prequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s horror classic Psycho.  Two years later, though, it is hard to remember why we were so concerned. With the strong acting of Acade

Vera Farmiga stars as Norma Bates in the A&E series “Bates Motel.” Vera Farmiga and Kerry Ehrin Checking In To Bates Motel by Jay S. Jacobs It takes a certain amount of self-confidence to take on an iconic character and try to make it your own. Therefore, it must have given Vera Farmiga pause when she was offered the role of arguably the most infamous mom in film history, Norma Bates, the bitter and shrill mother of serial killer Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 196

Mary-Louise Parker in “Weeds.” Mary-Louise Parker Learns A Lot About The Spiderwick Chronicles by Brad Balfour It may have required an intoxicant for actress Mary-Louise Parker to play the perplexed mom who learns about The Spiderwick Chronicles the hard way – through an attack from goblins – she eventually gets a handle on the fantastic situation behind this incredible tale. Parker is no stranger to playing a distraught mom who has to rise to the occasion; as the star of the

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (2005) Starring Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor, Missi Pyle, James Fox, Deep Roy, Christopher Lee, Adam Godley, Franziska Troegner, Annasophia Robb, Julia Winter, Jordan Fry, Philip Wiegratz, Blair Dunlop, Liz Smith, Eileen Essell, David Morris, Nitin Ganata and Shelley Conn. Screenplay by John August. Directed by Tim Burton. Distributed by Warner Brothers Picture