The Ultimate Ranking of the "Scream" Franchise

By: Christopher James

What is the best Scream movie? Who is the best Ghostface? What movie has the best opening? Read to find out!

The Scream franchise isn’t just a top-notch series of slasher films. It’s a chronicle of the changing tropes within the horror genre. Over 26 years, the five Scream films have expertly scared the pants off audiences, while also commenting on sequel, trilogy and reboot culture. The fifth film, confusingly or pointedly just titled Scream, opens this week in theaters. Glenn Dunks already gave us his full review. Like him, I’m also a huge fan of the series and excitedly binged the franchise again this week with friends.

With every new film, I fell more and more in love with the saga of scrupulous reporter Gail Weathers (Courtney Cox), the dopey yet charming Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and the ultimate “final girl” at the center of it all, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell). In the background of all the movies is the "Stab" franchise-within-a-franchise, a slasher series that's always about the previous film and continues to mythologize Sidney Prescott and the rest of the Woodsboro gang. All of the films, do a great job introducing new characters, new kills and new tricks for the shifty, gumby-esque Ghostface.

So what’s the ranking of the five Scream movies? SPOILERS ahead for the first four films (we’ll refrain from spoilers for the 2022 film, but if you want to go in super cold, don’t read yet!).

Click to read more ...

Tweetweek

I would like to give this proposed movie all the Oscars now, plz and tx.

BEING THE RICARDOS but about the week leading up to the filming of the AMC ad

— Jorge Molina (@colormejorge) January 14, 2022

The Lost Daughter, possible casting for that Madonna biopic, Lady Gaga drunk on fake booze, Andrew Garfield in a pool, imporant news from Lee Grant, Oscar hosting funnies and more after the jump...

Click to read more ...

What are you watching this weekend?

What have you been watching? Chez moi we're eagerly awaiting the Yellowjackets finale but other than that it's been a movie cramming 'things i missed' kind of week. I hope to have my top ten up list up Tuesday and then the subsequent film bitch awards begin. Recent screenings have included The Harder They Fall, Lunana A Yak in the Classroom, Test Pattern, The Tender Bar, and Annette. From the chatter online it looks like 5cream (read Glenn's spoiler-free review) and The Tragedy of Macbeth (read my NYFF review ) are the most common viewing choices this weekend. Is that true for you or you seeking out vintage titles? Do tell in the comments. 

FYC: Gaby Hoffmann in "C'mon C'mon"

by Lynn Lee

Gaby Hoffmann doesn’t make it look easy.  Motherhood, that is.  Neither is she a drama queen about it.  As down-to-earth Viv – sister to thoughtful, sad-eyed journalist Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) and mother of Jesse (Woody Norman), the precocious 9-year-old Johnny looks after for a time – she just shows and tells it like it is, with an honesty, humility, and humor that’s as refreshing as it is rare to see on screen.  And that, precisely, is why she’s the secret weapon of C’mon C’mon, and why she should be in the running for Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

That she isn’t even in the conversation is due as much to the nature of C’mon C’mon as Hoffmann’s performance...

Click to read more ...

Makeup and Hairstylists Guild Nominees

by Nathaniel R

Somehow in this very very very very overcrowded precursor award week, we missed the announcement of the Makeup and Hairstylists Guild nominations. The most curious thing to ponder is the differential between Oscar's makeup branch and this much-larger guild. While for the most part their lists are similar, Being the Ricardos scored two nominations here but did not make the 10-wide Oscar finalist list. The reverse was true of Nightmare Alley which was nowhere to be seen on this guild nomination list yet Oscar gave it the thumbs up in their first round of voting. West Side Story received only 1 nod here but made Oscar's list. (The complete shunning of both The French Dispatch and The Green Knight from this guild and Oscar's parallel branch feels absurd but awards season gonna awards season, you know?)

Click to read more ...