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 shit 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 →

Oh, (Fair)Child: The Seduction

A friend recently texted to tell me he was watching the episode of Magnum, P.I. guest-starring sultry '80s legend Morgan Fairchild. Even all these years later, an appearance by Morgan Fairchild in just about anything is something best friends make sure to alert each other about. Especially if said friends are Gen Xers, for whom … Continue reading Oh, (Fair)Child: The Seduction →