tongueincheek

Aside from these three actresses being absolute top-shelf talent, the chemistry between Christina Hendricks and Manny Montana is absolutely explosive and so taut. It's what's keeping me tuned in as well. The back and forth between them is some kind of foreplay because you can tell they're both intrigued, and it's not necessarily sexual (oh but it is). For the first time, Beth is exerting her agency, it's about choice -- no matter how terrible her decisions are -- she is fully in a position of making them of her own volition and she doesn't have to answer to her husband. She feels like she's on some even playing field with Rio (even when she's really not), and his interest is clearly piqued by her always meeting him chin to chin. It's really fun to watch.

Jessica Rothe of HAPPY DEATH DAY is going to be a star. I give her a minimum of two more years of par-for-the-course type projects before she gets that breakthrough. And Blumhouse would be crazy not to do the sequel, which according to her, turns the movie into a BACK TO THE FUTURE type franchise that I'd be totally into.

Michael Stuhlbarg's monologue is one of the most visceral and breathtaking moments on screen I've seen in the past 12 years or so.

This was in my top 20 films of 2017 as well, and I agree that it was severely overlooked. The movie really creeps up on you, and its horrifyingly appropriate ending perfectly shows how the pendulum swings both ways with social media. Aubrey Plaza was pitch perfect - tragic and heartbreaking. I also thought Elizabeth Olsen and Wyatt Russell really carved out some nice nuance to their roles as well. And O'Shea Jackson, Jr. was an absolute prince. If you haven't seen it yet, or want to watch it again, it's streaming on Hulu now.

Considering Culhane has been with the family for ten years, and Monica and Fallon have been close friends (if not "best friends") since they were young, I'm assuming the two have had some casual exchanges over the years. I love that they're seemingly heading into the direction of having the Colbys become (hopefully worthy) adversaries to the Carringtons, with Jeff working to avenge for his father and family. Monica's just being straight petty, but I'm glad she's finally in the game here. Regarding her and Culhane, he should really know better, but I guess he doesn't really owe Fallon anything at this point. It's very obvious they're working towards Michael being Fallon's long (end)game. I suspect they'll be reunited, or at least on that path by the end of the season.

One of my favorites of the year. Just a gem of a directorial debut from Greta Gerwig. I've actually seen it twice. I had to call my mom after I watched it -- I cried (sobbed!) and thanked her. The film really hit close to home - I also went to Catholic school in Sacramento, and shared that same romanticized lens of the world that Lady Bird had. The mother-daughter relationship humbled me: I can't recall a movie in my lifetime (I'm 29) that so clearly conveyed my own relationship with my mom. It made me feel a little exposed. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf were pitch perfect (Laurie EARNED her pending 'Supporting Actress' nom), and Beanie Feldstein elevated every scene and moment she had. The whole cast was really fantastic. And Empress1 - I completely agree with your points about Danny's sexuality and Miguel - those elements of the story were handled just right. The movie's just hysterical too. I went from crying because I was laughing too hard, to just plain crying. Also, Tracy Letts', "Oh fuck" towards the end of the movie is one of the best line readings I've seen on screen this year.

I also got from the chokehold that it was a callback to the earlier conversation during dinner, when Jeremy is talking to Chris about MMA fighting and how you have to be three steps ahead of your opponent. Chris observes two times Jeremy's move to block him from grabbing hold of the door to open it; on his third attempt to grab open the door, he knows Jeremy his going to use is leg to kick it back closed, and that's when he stabs him.

Every single day Sarah Gadon isn't cast in everything is another day of misfortune to me. How she hasn't broken out yet when she's generally the highlight of anything she's in is just gobsmacking to me. Hoping "Alias Grace" is what will do it.

Agreed, though I'm still fine with that last scene being interpreted as either a dream of the day he's released, or his actually getting out on parole. The film deliberately plays into the tropes of the very movies that inspired it, so of course we were going to get that perfectly packaged ending with its strong, moral message. I think a more realistic ending would've been having Baby come back to the diner after 5 years to see Debra, or have him seek her out, finding her some place else with some ambiguity as to what their connection would be after that time has passed.

Fabulous news! Echoing this to also shout out that their entire creative team is all women.

I actually loved Excess Baggage - I thought she and Benicio had hot chemistry.

I really love Mandy Moore's career trajectory -- it's been up, down, all over the place, but she has been working consistently since her teen, pop star days and it's finally paying off.

I mean, I definitely would've appreciated if the female characters had been given much more depth, and speaking specifically to Debora - Lily James is charming enough with such an engaging screen presence (I realize this is subjective), I was with her from point A to B. Some of my favorite dialogue in the film was between her and Baby. I think the only thing that really threw me off was trying to give her that little (BARELY) "badass" moment when she attempted to hinder Buddy and went after him with whatever that was...Baby still had to shoot him to protect her. I wish Eiza Gonzalez and Lily James had more interactions on screen as well. They were so cute together during the press tour and have been peddling a Thelma and Louise version with their characters. I'd LOVE that.

The Bronco? More plausible to me than the fact that even if 5 years had passed, Debora could afford a classic car like the one she picked him up in at the end.

On this front -- I'd so be down for a spin-off prologue that revisits Buddy and Darling's story -- how they met, what led to their falling madly in love and into this underbelly of Atlanta crime. Edit for additional thoughts... I think a proper sequel could be done catching up with Debora and Baby (Miles) -- I can buy that perhaps Baby has kept his eye on Doc's nephew Sam. Perhaps it's a good 10 years since Baby has been out of prison, Sam has gotten himself pulled into the undercurrent of the same world that his uncle was embedded in. Now he's trying to get out, and Baby drives again with the goal of helping Sam get out.