There is a moment near the end of the original Halloween (1978) that tells you everything you need to know about Laurie Strode. She's exhausted, she's terrified, and she has just survived what should have been an unsurvivable night. Dr. Loomis has shot Michael Myers off a balcony, and Laurie sits on the stairs, sobbing … Continue reading She Who Will Not Die: The Enduring Legacy of Laurie Strode
Film
The Worst 24 – The Three Stooges
The Three Stooges 2012 Directed by Peter & Bobby Farrelly Welcome back to Movie Monday. Before anything else, the standard disclaimer: everything that follows is my own opinion, arrived at through my own experience with this film, and is not meant as a slight against anyone who watched The Three Stooges and genuinely enjoyed it. … Continue reading The Worst 24 – The Three Stooges
The Crossover Success of TV Stars in Film
There's an old Hollywood rule — unspoken but very much understood — that says if you want to be taken seriously as an actor, you don't do television. Film was art. Television was wallpaper. It was background noise you watched while eating dinner, the thing you settled for when the movies weren't calling. For decades, … Continue reading The Crossover Success of TV Stars in Film
The Worst 25 – Weekend at Bernie’s II
Weekend at Bernie's II 1993 Directed by Robert Klane Welcome back to Movie Monday, where we continue our methodical, occasionally painful journey through the films that have earned their place at the bottom of my Flickchart rankings. Before we get into it, the usual disclaimer applies: everything that follows is purely my own opinion. If … Continue reading The Worst 25 – Weekend at Bernie’s II
The Worst 26 – Once Bitten
Once Bitten 1985 Directed by Howard Storm Welcome back to Movie Monday, where we continue the slow, occasionally bewildering descent through the films that have earned the dubious distinction of ranking among my least favorites on Flickchart. As always, I want to be upfront before we get into it: everything that follows is purely my … Continue reading The Worst 26 – Once Bitten
The Silberman Problem: Why Terminator 2’s Psychiatrist is the Real Villain
In 1994, I spent several weeks as a patient at St. Alban's Psychiatric Hospital in Radford, Virginia, being treated for anorexia nervosa. I was fourteen years old, terrified, and desperately needed help. What I got instead was a pharmaceutical experiment. My assigned psychiatrist never really saw me—Aaron, the kid who loved Back to the Future … Continue reading The Silberman Problem: Why Terminator 2’s Psychiatrist is the Real Villain
When Oscar Winners Make Terrible Choices: A Bowfinger Meditation
I rewatched Bowfinger recently for the first time since 1999, and two things struck me immediately. First: I'd completely forgotten how funny that movie is. Second: I usually can't stand Eddie Murphy in multiple roles, but something about his performance as Jiff—the nerdy, eager-to-please stunt double—absolutely works. There's a scene where Steve Martin's desperate filmmaker … Continue reading When Oscar Winners Make Terrible Choices: A Bowfinger Meditation
Disney 23 – The Rescuers
The Rescuers 1977 Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, and Art Stevens Welcome back to Movie Monday! As we do every first Monday of the month, we're setting aside the cinematic disasters for a palate cleanser. This month we're visiting Devil's Bayou with Disney's 1977 adventure The Rescuers — a film I have genuine affection … Continue reading Disney 23 – The Rescuers
The Worst 27 – Borat
Borat 2006 Directed by Larry Charles Welcome back to Movie Monday, where we continue the long and occasionally humbling march down the list of films that have consistently lost head-to-head battles in my Flickchart rankings. As always, I want to be upfront about something before we get into it: the contents of this post are … Continue reading The Worst 27 – Borat
Jurassic Park: The Revolution of Visual Effects in Cinema
There's a moment early in Jurassic Park — you know the one — where Dr. Alan Grant's jaw goes slack, he reaches over and physically turns Ellie Sattler's head to look in the same direction as he is, and the two of them just stare. John Williams' score swells. A Brachiosaurus crests a hill, impossibly … Continue reading Jurassic Park: The Revolution of Visual Effects in Cinema
The Confusing Middle 