Hope Floats 1998 Directed by Forest Whitaker Welcome back to Movie Monday. Before we dive in, the usual disclaimer applies: everything that follows is my own opinion, shaped entirely by my own experience with this film, and none of it is meant as a criticism of anyone who watched Hope Floats and genuinely loved it. … Continue reading The Worst 19 – Hope Floats
Film Criticism
From Joke Writer to American Icon: The Filmmaking Evolution of John Hughes
I have a specific memory of watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off for the first time and thinking — probably at an age when I wasn't yet sophisticated enough to articulate this — somebody made this movie who actually remembers what it feels like to be young. Not young in a generic, greeting card sort of … Continue reading From Joke Writer to American Icon: The Filmmaking Evolution of John Hughes
The Rules of Horror: Scream and Its Meta Approach to the Genre
There's a moment in the original Scream — released on December 20, 1996 — that I remember hitting me like a cold splash of water to the face. It's not the opening scene, though that's genuinely one of the greatest sequences in horror history. It's not the reveal of the killers, either. It's a quieter … Continue reading The Rules of Horror: Scream and Its Meta Approach to the Genre
Before the Cape: Supergirl, Sincerity, and Why We Decided to Hate It First
Before Supergirl ever reached theaters, thousands of people had already decided whether it deserved to succeed. That's a strange way to experience stories. Somewhere along the line, we stopped letting movies surprise us and started treating them like arguments we were expected to win. I saw Supergirl this weekend. I thought it was very good. … Continue reading Before the Cape: Supergirl, Sincerity, and Why We Decided to Hate It First
Surviving the Night: The Friday the 13th Saga
There is a specific kind of commitment required to watch all twelve Friday the 13th films. It is not the same commitment demanded by, say, reading Tolstoy or learning a second language. It is more the commitment of a person who has looked at the weekend stretching out before them, sighed contentedly, and decided that … Continue reading Surviving the Night: The Friday the 13th Saga
12 Characters I Hate From Movies I Love
Let me be clear about something right off the bat: I have excellent taste in movies. I do. I'm not going to sit here and pretend otherwise. But even the most beloved films — the ones you'd fight someone over at a dinner party, the ones you can quote in your sleep, the ones that … Continue reading 12 Characters I Hate From Movies I Love
The Confusing Middle 