MaryAnn’s quick take: A spineless dystopian action drama that defaults to a dangerously irresponsible both-sides-ism; Civil War’s pretense of “objectivity” is unfair to the journalist protagonists the film thinks it’s championing. Read the review…
directed by women
Cat Person movie review: her too - The cringe of modern relationships stinks up this antiromance. Its bald truths, all but ignored in pop culture, about how women navigate romantic and sexual relationships with men, demand to be heard.movies for the resistance
How to Blow Up a Pipeline movie review: it means the earth to them - A heist drama, incendiary and intense, with planetary stakes. These young people are desperate, with nothing to lose, and everyone older than them made them this way. Nihilism is their only optimism.21st-century sci-fi
Arcadian movie review: they mostly come at night, mostly - It exists safely within the vast subgenre of postcollapse afterscapes, but it does what it does well, with nicely drawn characters, a sense of cultural mythmaking, and freakishly unsettling creatures.loaded question
loaded question: what movies beyond ‘Mary Poppins’ deserve a rethink of their official ratings? - What older movies might warrant a rethink, either to acknowledge their suitability to audiences of all ages or to restrict them to more discerning adults?streaming watchlist
curated cinema: zombies with a ticket to ride - 2016’s Train to Busan leaves US Netflix soon; on Studiocanal Presents in the UK (and lots of other services on both sides of the Atlantic).classic film virgin
classic film virgin: Top Gun (1986) - Cold War propaganda that is weirdly apolitical. Sunny, breezy homoeroticism that is surely unintentional. What a hoot this is! Mostly not in a good way, but its impact on pop culture cannot be denied.maryann’s news…
- behold the Beyond the Sight & Sound Canon (I’m one of the critic contributors)
- Loaded Question taking a break for a while
- my picks for tonight’s 96th Academy Awards (the Oscars for 2023’s films) (winners indicated)
- loaded question: what movies beyond ‘Mary Poppins’ deserve a rethink of their official ratings?
- loaded question: what location, specific or general, inevitably makes you think of a line of movie dialogue?
- loaded question: what are your memories of ‘Star Wars: The Phantom Menace’ as we approach its 25th anniversary?
- now make donations via PayPal even without a PayPal account
- loaded question: what’s an article of clothing from movies/TV that you covet?
- loaded question: what’s a notion you hold about pop culture (movies, TV, comics, whatev) that you know is unreasonable but can’t shake?
- OFCS 2023 awards nominees announced (updated with winners)
who is maryann, anyway?
all posts, newest to oldest
- Arcadian movie review: they mostly come at night, mostly
- curated cinema: zombies with a ticket to ride
- The Trouble with Jessica movie review: mortgaged souls
- curated cinema: when fame kills art
- Civil War movie review: a craven view from nowhere
- curated cinema: taking “Christian film” (but not Christians) down a notch
- Late Night with the Devil movie review: haunted by an AI specter
- behold the Beyond the Sight & Sound Canon (I’m one of the critic contributors)
- Wicked Little Letters movie review: the cheek is in the mail
- Loaded Question taking a break for a while
- curated cinema: a previous trip to Arrakis
- my picks for tonight’s 96th Academy Awards (the Oscars for 2023’s films) (winners indicated)
- Dune: Part Two movie review: shifting sands
- loaded question: what movies beyond ‘Mary Poppins’ deserve a rethink of their official ratings?
- Madame Web movie review: absurdly tangled