"Thelma" (2017) - [8/10] - Day 342 of #Movies365

Remember the scene in "X2: X-Men United" when Iceman had to tell his parents that he was a mutant? It's what took the subtext of "X-Men" to pretty darn close to text, confirming that the films were a gay allegory all along. It doesn't scream it in your face, but for the time, it was a big deal for a mainstream movie to include a coming-out narrative, even as metaphor. Of…

"The Land of Steady Habits" (2018) - [9/10] - Day 341 of #Movies365

If pressed to name my favorite filmmaker working today, I'd have to say it's Nicole Holofcener, writer/director of "Enough Said," "Please Give," "Friends with Money," "Lovely and Amazing," "Walking and Talking," and now, "The Land of Steady Habits." I love Nicole Holofcener so much, that when I saw Netflix had released her newest film, it took me months to watch it, because I could only watch it…

“Eighth Grade” (2018) - [9/10] - Day 97 of #Movies365

I remember eighth grade. I remember making a fake AIM profile to prank my friend into thinking I was a cool older guy with a car (user name: coolguywithacar16). I remember having three different prescriptions for acne treatment (one pill, one wash, one cream). I remember being in the rain, telling a crush I loved her, and her shouting, “You don’t know what love is!” before running away.

It was…

“Mandy” (2018) - [2/10] - Day 171 of #Movies365

Boy, oh, boy, was I pumped for “Mandy.” A stylish pseudo-horror revenge movie with Nicholas Cage giving (I was told) one of his best performances in years. I was on board, I was sold, I was ready to sit down and have a very good time. 

Friends, dear readers, I hated this movie. 

“Mandy” is one of my least favorite kinds of movies. It’s an overlong, slow, masturbatory exercise in style…