‘House of Wax’ (2005) doesn’t melt under pressure to be a good romp
Frightening Friday (Movie review): Though the events are far from plausible, this remake serves up effective chills in the “weird small town” vein.
Teen Drama
‘House of Wax’ (2005) doesn’t melt under pressure to be a good romp
Character exploration takes a backseat in rompish ‘Chucky’ Season 2 (2022)
‘Child’s Play’ flashback (TV review): The show is filled with pop-culture riffs but isn’t interested in going deep into the soul of its many Chuckies and humans.
‘Chucky’ makes a killer move to prestige TV in Season 1 (2021)
‘Child’s Play’ flashback (TV review): Falling short of the writing and acting of influences like “Hannibal” and “Cobra Kai,” these eight episodes are nonetheless bizarrely watchable.
‘Bride of Chucky’ (1998) successfully hitches to post-‘Scream’ era
‘Child’s Play’ flashback (Movie review): Mancini and a game cast find the perfect horror-comedy balance in the saga’s fourth installment.
Chucky becomes clunky in dour, timid ‘Child’s Play 3’ (1991)
‘Child’s Play’ flashback (Movie review): Though the production values remain high, the storytelling discipline is shoddy in the third Chucky tale.
‘Buffy: The Bewitching Hour’ (2023) a treat for Tara fans
‘Buffy’ flashback (Book review): Ashley Poston goes back to Season 3 for a tricky novel about what Tara was doing in her senior year of high school.
‘Against the Darkness’ (2024) duly wraps Blake’s ‘Frankie’ trilogy
‘Buffy’ flashback (Book review): This is ultimately an unremarkable “what if” saga about Willow having a Gen-Z Slayer-witch offspring.
Coughlan goes to head of the class in ‘Teaching Mrs. Tingle’ (1999)
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): In his schizophrenic dark comedy, Williamson understands (and perfectly casts) the teens more than the adult.
This is how it is in suburbia: ‘American Beauty’ still does 1999 proud
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): Even in a year of “Office Space” and “American Pie,” “American Beauty” stands out as something beautiful.
Fun-loving filmmakers invite audience along for ‘EuroTrip’ (2004)
Throwback Thursday (Movie review): Not as substantial as other raunch-coms of the era, it’s nonetheless good-natured and breezy.