‘Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon’ (2006) a smart but thin satire
Frightening Friday (Movie review): This B-grade slasher answer to “American Psycho” can only ride its single joke so far.
Comedy
‘Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon’ (2006) a smart but thin satire
‘The Good Girl’ (2002) illustrates danger of obsession with one person
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): Mike White riffs on “Catcher in the Rye,” but this Holden’s worldview is tragically narrower.
Idiosyncratic ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ (2004) is still flippin’ sweet
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): Jared and Jerusha Hess find laughs via presentation in this postmodern high school outsider comedy classic.
‘Ghost World’ (2001) gets more substantial on repeat viewings
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): The best movie of the first year of the millennium works on additional levels as time goes by.
‘Throw Momma from the Train’ (1987) a decent throwaway comedy
On a Hitchcock kick (Movie review): In one of the more interesting Hitchcock riffs, DeVito and Crystal play out the “Strangers on a Train” premise.
‘Grave Encounters 2’ (2012) goes humorously meta
Frightening Friday (Movie review): The Vicious Brothers write a smart sequel commenting on their own work and the genre as a whole, but scares are sacrificed.
‘Garden State’ (2004) makes melancholy feel so good
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): A great soundtrack, melodrama, quirky folks and a smoothly understated romance make this a coming-of-age gem.
‘QualityLand’ (2017) hits uncomfortably close to reality
Book club book report: Steady doses of humor make this a fun read, although the author understands the problems more than the solution.
Coming-of-age story exhilarates in tasty ‘Snack Shack’
Movie review: Director Adam Rehmeier’s personal connection to 1991 Nebraska City shines through in one of 2024’s best films so far.
‘What a Girl Wants’ (2003) gives viewers what they want: Firth and Bynes
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): This cute culture-clash comedy stands as Bynes’ best film, as a teenager tracks down her absent father.