Faith and Sweet Liberty
Today America celebrates its independence. Honestly, between the embarrassing and dangerous totalitarian tyrant in the White House and the coronavirus spreading like wildfire through the heartland and Deep South, there isn’t much to celebrate these days. So let’s celebrate something we can all get behind: Michelle Pfeiffer in Alan Alda’s largely forgotten midlife crisis film … Continue reading Faith and Sweet Liberty
Vampire Lovers
“Just to let him get the full inventory I eased out of my very mini-skirt and tight—but tight—sweater. Get the picture? Jimmy did. ‘I’ve got three parts for you’ he said.” That’s actress and Hammer horror legend Ingrid Pitt, in her extremely entertaining book Ingrid Pitt’s Bedside Companion for Vampire Lovers. In that passage she’s … Continue reading Vampire Lovers
Breathless Forever
I’ll bring the wine, you bring your scarred psyche. Dr. Chase Meridian, from the late Joel Schumacher’s extravagant blockbuster Batman Forever (1995), will never be mistaken for some of Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman’s finest work. That’s neither here nor there, though, when you’re talking about the deliciously campy performance she delivers as the good doctor. Breathless … Continue reading Breathless Forever
The Pfeiffer Woman
“Yeah, I’m free everyday. It’s in the Constitution.” – Stephanie Zinone, Grease 2 “What scares me isn’t how short life is, no, it’s the pain, all the pain. I don’t understand why there has to be any pain.” – Sukie Ridgemont, The Witches of Eastwick “What are you, the last civilized man?” – Laura Alden, … Continue reading The Pfeiffer Woman
Gale Weathers, Forever
Part of why I love Wes Craven’s Scream movies so much is they star not one, but two, female survivors: Sidney Prescott and Gale Weathers. Gale is so crucial. She starts the first film an opportunist, leveraging tragedy for careerist goals. Then, when she gets real, so does she. Her humanity blooms and we root … Continue reading Gale Weathers, Forever
More Than You Know
I don’t know what’s going on most days, lately. Everything has been really difficult, for three months straight now. Everyone is in so much pain, and those that aren’t are either oblivious or selfish and hateful, and all of these reasons are depressing. So I spend a fare amount of time staring at the computer … Continue reading More Than You Know
Still Some Kind of Wonderful
Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) probably shouldn’t have worked. Arriving at the end of John Hughes’s successful run of teen movies in the 1980s, on paper it looks like nothing more than a gender-swapped re-do of Hughes’s Pretty in Pink (1986). The behind-the-scenes production history is full of chaos, with original director Martha Coolidge being … Continue reading Still Some Kind of Wonderful
On My Mind
“And why not? It could be your brother too, or your sister, or your children. I want justice for all of them. And I want justice for all the people whose lives are bought and sold, so that a few big shots can climb up on their backs, and laugh at the law, and laugh … Continue reading On My Mind
Return to Crystal Lake
With the original Friday the 13th (F13) celebrating its fortieth anniversary recently, I decided to revisit the film that launched the franchise, and then wound up rewatching the next seven sequels after that. This was an impromptu marathon, perfectly made for these lockdown times, but one I’m glad I embarked upon, even if I’m feeling … Continue reading Return to Crystal Lake
Into the Night
We all have movie genres we love, but many of us take it a notch deeper, even, with an all-abiding affection for certain subgenres that most casual movie viewers might not even recognize as existing. Usually though, once you notice them, you can’t stop seeing them everywhere. The “one crazy night” subgenre is pure manna … Continue reading Into the Night
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