watch it: “Hot Dog Etiquette”
Happy Fourth of July to everyone in the U.S. To everyone else: I’m sorry it’s just a regular work day for you.
(Technorati tags: Hot Dog Etiquette)
obsession
|
boyfriend
|
i'm psyched
|
i'm dreading
|
enemy
|
|
 (need an explanation?) |
|||||
advertisements
July 4, 2008
more below the ad... scroll down...
what I’m watching
| region 1 | region 1 | region 1 | region 2 |
 
|
 
|
 
|
 
|
recent comments
July 4, 2008
screencap Friday: what the flick? #26
Friday fun! Here’s a screen capture from one of the DVDs in my collection (and it’s definitely from a movie, not a TV show). Guess the movie for fun and, well, fun. No prizes, just bragging rights.
(I totally forgot to do a screencap Friday last week -- sorry!)
July 3, 2008
the GI Joe movie was low on my must-see list, till now
Damn, looks like I’m gonna have to see the GI Joe movie next summer, because Christopher Eccleston is playing the bad guy, Destro:
Loves me a villain in a sharp suit.
(Technorati tags: Christopher Eccleston, Destro, GI Joe)
Anglo Saxon Attitudes (review)
Rue Britannia
There’s satire, and then there’s Anglo Saxon Attitudes, which makes satire look like ice cream cake and balloons. When I think “satire,” I generally expect a bit of sarcastic laughter, but man, this 1992 British TV miniseries, just out on DVD for the first time, didn’t make me laugh once. Not even a snort of derision. Which isn’t to say that it isn’t worth checking out: just expect the blackest, snidest, most unfunny application of the concept of satire you’ve ever seen.
the dumbest DVD I’ve ever come across
I chose to highlight the Leo one because I’m a Leo, and I’d like to imagine that the workout consists entirely of a bit of a luxurious feline-esque stretching followed by a long nap.
But hey, there’s an Astrology Workout for your sign
(Technorati tags: Astrology Workout)
July 2, 2008
quickie giveaway: ‘The Wackness’ prize pack
QUICK RULES: You’re eligible to win if 1) You have not won anything from me in 2008; 2) You have a U.S. mailing address; 3) You enter once and only once.
The “historical” (early 1990s) teen dramedy The Wackness -- the 2008 Sundance Audience Award winner from up-and-coming writer-director Jonathan Levine, starring Sir Ben Kingsley and Famke Janssen-- arrives in theaters on July 3. To celebrate, I’ve got a prize pack from the film -- a T-shirt, soundtrack, and poster -- to give away, courtesy of Sony Classics.
Enter by using this link to send your name and U.S. mailing address.
(Visit the movie’s official site.) (Watch a trailer.)
ENTER BY: 11:59pm Eastern time, Monday, July 14.
Winners are chosen at random from all eligible entries received.
NOTE: Your email address and mailing address will be used ONLY for contest purposes. You will not be added to any mailing lists; you will not be spammed as a result of entering. All contest entries are discarded at the end of the contest period.
(Technorati tags: Wackness, giveaway)
British ‘Doctor Who’ fan hurts my American feelings
WARNING: Major spoiler about the latest episode of Doctor Who -- which has not yet aired in the U.S. -- follows. Don’t read further if you don’t want to know what’s going on.
So, on Monday the British press finally started commenting on that shocking ending of “The Stolen Earth”... such as Gareth McLean in his TV&Radio blog at guardian.co.uk, who talks more about the wonders of keeping anything secret in today’s gossipy, wired world than he does about the possibility that David Tennant may be leaving the show. Which is certainly valid commentary to be made. How we didn’t get one whiff of this twist is truly astonishing.
continue reading "British ‘Doctor Who’ fan hurts my American feelings" »
RIP Don S. Davis, 1942-2008
Oh no! Actor Don S. Davis, probably best known for his role as General Hammond on Stargate SG-1, died Sunday morning. GateWorld has all the details, and a tribute.
I saw Davis in person only once, at I-Con a few years ago. He seemed to a generous man who appreciated how lucky he'd been in his creative life, and of the legacy his roles on Stargate and Twin Peaks would leave him with.
(Technorati tags: Don S Davis)
check out the AWFJ superhero poll
Speaking of Hancock, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, of which I am a member, has just conducted a poll of its members regarding superhero movies and what women do (or don’t) see in them. The poll results are here -- I wrote the introduction -- and it’s open for comments.
(Technorati tags: superheroes)
on ‘Hancock’ and regular-Joe-ness
How awesome it is, anyway, that The Movies’ regular Joe is now a black man? I’m talking about Will Smith, of course, and it’s arguable that he has been Hollywood’s go-to guy for the Everyman role since at least 1996’s Independence Day, but it really became inescapably notable in 2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness and last year’s I Am Legend.
And now with Hancock -- opening today -- is, in many way, all about how a Regular Guy would deal with the complications of superpowers (hint: not well).
A black president is one thing; a black Everyman is a step way beyond that, and we’re already there.
(Technorati tags: Will Smith)
July 1, 2008
Hancock (review)
Hero Is as Hero Does
I thought: Brilliant! Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before? A reluctant superhero? Fantastic! Who asks for his superpowers, anyway? It would be a burden, wouldn’t it, about five minutes after the ability to fly wears out its welcome, which would be about ten minutes after you find you can fly in the first place? And by reluctant I don’t mean like those annoying Fantastic Four people, who appear to enjoy their powers but merely hate it when all the little people beg them to save the world when it interrupts their lunch. I mean: How come it took so long for someone to invent Hancock, who’s just a regular, ordinary guy who doesn’t want Society looking to him to round up all the bad guys and smile for the camera while doing it?
my week at the movies: ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army,’ ‘Man on Wire,’ ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth,’ ‘Harold’
I loved the first Hellboy, cuz it was so crazy mad insane, in a good way. So I’m a little bit psyched for Hellboy II: The Golden Army [opens wide July 11]. When I was at Comic Con in New York in the spring, it seemed like this was the movie that prompted the biggest geekgasms among the crowd. Could this be the biggest movie of the summer? After seeing the miracle of Wall-E, it’s hard to see how... but we’ll see.
In 1974, some French dude strung a high wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and took a stroll between them. Man on Wire [opens limited Juy 25] is his story, told in documentary form. As a New Yorker post 9/11, I anticipate a strange and poignant mix of appreciation for New Yorker-style audacity and sorrow for the loss of a couple of ugly buildings made beautiful by hindsight and grief. *sob*
June 30, 2008
no! Robert Carlyle to replace David Tennant on ‘Doctor Who?’
From the Internet Movie Database:
Trainspotting star Robert Carlyle is in talks to take over from David Tennant as TV time traveller Dr. Who.Tennant is rumoured to be leaving the cult BBC TV show at the end of the current series in 2009 and speculation about his replacement is pointing to fellow Scot Carlyle.
Although Tennant has refused to confirm whether he will be quitting his role as the Time Lord, tough guy Carlyle hasn't ruled out stepping into his place.
He says, "Would I do it? Possibly."
I like Carlyle just fine, but Noooooooo!!!!!
(Technorati tags: Doctor Who, David Tennant, Robert Carlyle)
Jeffrey Donovan and Bruce Campbell on the new season of ‘Burn Notice’
Burn Notice, USA’s comedic spy show and one of my favorite shows from last summer, returns for its second season on July 10 at 10pm Eastern (Season One is now on DVD). Last week I participated in a phone press conference with stars Jeffrey Donovan, who plays burned intelligence agent Michael Westen, and Bruce Campbell, who plays Michael’s slightly shady pal Sam -- and these funny guys talked about their characters and the women they interact with, the challenges of shooting in Miami, and more. Here’s their take on seeing the show from the other side of the camera.
(I’ll have a sneak preview of the first two episodes of Season Two next week.)
continue reading "Jeffrey Donovan and Bruce Campbell on the new season of ‘Burn Notice’" »
oh, and another thing...
Another standard email I receive at least several times a week starts out along these lines: “I don’t know if you’ve seen [insert name of current hot movie here]...”
I make no secret of what movies I have seen. Everything I’ve seen gets listed and graded -- with a green, yellow, or red light -- in the “recent screenings and hot movies” bit in the righthand column. (The odd movie with no light, in the sections running down the top movies at the box office, means I haven’t seen the film so I can’t grade it, but in the name of accuracy in those box office listings, the title has to be there.) All those current theatrical releases also get listed in the current on-the-fly ranking of the year’s movies (the in-progress 2008 one is here). Now, it’s true that I don’t always add movies to the ranking as quickly as they end up in the “recent screenings and hot movies” -- and if it happens, as it does from time to time, that it looks like I’ve forgotten to add something to the ranking that’s already got a green, yellow, or red light, then feel free to remind me to do that.
But, you know, there’s no reason not to know whether I’ve seen a recent or upcoming film or not. It’s all right here for you amusement/annoyance/whatever.
for everyone who has somehow failed to grasp this fact: I am a woman
Someone in comments recently assumed that the review she was commenting on was written by a man. It’s not worth pointing out this commenter or this review specifically because this happens all the time: I get emails or comments from readers who assume that they are addressing a man.
So I must ask this:
How does anyone not realize that I am female? My name -- my very feminine name, not a “Chris” or a “Pat” or any other name that is gender unspecific -- is right there in the banner across the top of every page. My name appears again right under my picture at the very top of the righthand column. I may not be the most attractive woman in the history of the world or even someone a gossip magazine has dubbed the Sexiest Woman Alive at this point in time, but I’d like to think I at least look like a woman. How is it in any way unclear that I am not?
June 29, 2008
‘Doctor Who’ blogging: “Forest of the Dead”
(tons of spoilers! don’t read till you’ve seen the episode! and no comments from party poopers -- this is a love fest only / previous: Episode 8: “Silence in the Library”)
Today I watched “The Stolen Earth” for the first time (if you must comment on that one before I get around to proper-blogging on it, please do so here), and the “Forest of the Dead” for the fourth or fifth time. So I’m, you know, kind of a basket case at the moment. Kind of still picking up the pieces of my brain from one side of the room and the pieces of my heart from the other.
continue reading "‘Doctor Who’ blogging: “Forest of the Dead”" »
‘Doctor Who’ not-blogging: “The Stolen Earth”
No. No no no no no no. No no no no no no no no no no. No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.
This cannot be. There’s no way. No freakin’ way. It would have to have been the biggest secret ever, plus the biggest misdirection campaign ever. So there’s no way. Right? Tell me I’m right.
I was pissed off right at the beginning, when I was ready to call Russell Davies evil for the UNIT-in-New York thing, because I’m doing UNIT in New York -- it’s mine. But that pales in comparison to how the episode ends. Which just makes me want to collapse into endless spasming of moaning, “No no no no no no no” for a week until we find out how this ends, which I’m going to have to spend the week telling myself won’t be the way this looks.
Evil. Davies is evil. He cannot possibly ever get any more evil than this. Except, he probably can, next week.
Bastard.
If there needs to be a riot and drawing-and-quartering, I’ll lead it.
(Feel free to spoil in the comments, and so don’t read the comments if you don’t want to have it all ruined for you.)
(Technorati tags: Doctor Who)
June 27, 2008
Wall-E (review)
Soul of the Machine
Remember that Spike Jonze Ikea commercial from a few years ago, the one that made you feel sorry for the discarded desk lamp? Wall-E is like that, except where the Ikea ad was a parlor trick -- a magnificent, ingenious parlor trick, but still a parlor trick -- Wall-E is art. Hell, it’s philosophy -- it’s practically religion.
June 26, 2008
teaser trailer for ‘Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog’
I’ve been dying for a first look at Joss Whedon’s new project, and here it is:
Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.
via the official fan site; keep watching the skies at DrHorrible.com for any movement
(Technorati tags: Doctor Horrible, Joss Whedon)
June 25, 2008
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (review)
American Ideals
I hate that this is so astonishing that it’s worth mentioning, but it is: Almost every name in the opening credits of Kit Kittredge: An American Girl is female. The director, Patricia Rozema (who made the 1999 Mansfield Park); the screenwriter, Ann Peacock (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), working from stories by Valerie Tripp; the producers, much of the creative team... It’s almost a precise reversal of what we typically see, which is mostly male names with a spattering of women among them. Someday this will not be noteworthy, but we’re not at the day yet, and so this is kind of wonderful to see.
continue reading "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (review)" »
bias update
obsession: still Doctor Who (most recent episode blogging: “Silence in the Library”)
boyfriend: David Tennant as the Doctor (see my summer of Tennant and Hamlet)
psyched: Dark Knight (though it’s going to make me very sad, too)
dreading: Meet Dave (the trailer makes me cringe)
enemy: Mike Myers in The Love Guru, because no one over the age of 12 should find penises so hilarious
(Technorati tags: Doctor Who, David Tennant, Dark Knight, Meet Dave, Mike Myers, Love Guru)
Wanted (review)
From Dilbert to Die Hard
The ultimate geek’s dream of a movie? It could be Wanted. I’m feelin’ it, and it feels pretty good.
And I don’t mean because all the geeky guys have here Angelina Jolie, whom they seem to like to drool over. She frankly scares me... though I think a lot of the geeky guys like her because she scares them too. And I don’t mean because we girls -- and a few of the guys, I guess -- have here Scottish actor James McAvoy, sporting a new American accent and making a dynamic transition from Merchant Ivory-esque indie heartthrob to Hollywood action hero. If you’re the kind of girl, like me, who might have thought it would be sort of awesome to throw, oh, I dunno, Mr. Darcy into Die Hard, well, this is almost it. (And I have to confess that, as huge a fan of McAvoy’s as I am, I kinda didn’t think he had “Hollywood action hero” in him -- but he pulls it off beautifully.)
June 24, 2008
watch it: “Original Elephant Painting”
Wow:
There seems to be some debate over whether or how much the elephant “artist” here may have been coached or trained, but I’d like to think it’s as real and authentic as can be, that this represents another sentient creature saying “I am.” (I just posted something about communicating with other sentient creatures here.) But of course, the very fact that I really want something to be true instantly sends up a warning flag in my head and switches my skepticism into overdrive.
(Technorati tags: elephant painting)
Wide Sargasso Sea (review)
Before She Was Mad
I don’t care what anyone says, Wide Sargasso Sea is Jane Eyre fan fiction. Literary critics can play up Jean Rhys’s classic 1966 novel however they want: it’s a critical reimagining, it’s a feminist takedown, whatever. It can be all those things, it can be a great novel, but it’s still fan fiction.
June 23, 2008
my week at the movies: ‘Wall-E,’ ‘Fly Me to the Moon,’ maybe more
My whole week at the movies is almost entirely up in the air at the moment because I started jury duty this morning (more about this at my scratchpad blog, MaryAnnJohanson.com). Which means I cannot plan for any daytime screenings. So, at the moment, until I know how the rest of the week will fall out, I’m left with not much more than Wall-E [opens wide June 27], because it’s screening in the evening. And that one movie could well be enough to satisfy my movie jones for quite a while.
I saw all sorts of preview footage from the film at New York Comic Con back in the spring, and it made me sob with joy at how beautiful it is. Pixar’s Jim Morris, at Comic Con, quoted director Andrew Stanton, who described the movie thusly:
continue reading "my week at the movies: ‘Wall-E,’ ‘Fly Me to the Moon,’ maybe more" »
me: official slacker, I guess
I’m in this book. I think. I mean, author Lisa Chamberlain interviewed me while she was in the process of writing Slackonomics: Generation X in the Age of Creative Destruction, and I was invited to the book launch party, so I’m figuring something of what I spoke to her about being an independent thirtysomething creative person in the 2000s ended up in the book. Even if I didn’t end up in the book, though, I’m looking forward to reading it, because Lisa and I are definitely sympatico on the whole Gen X thing. From her intro (which is available on her blog for the book):
Slackonomics is not an academic white paper; it is written for people who, for example, understand family dynamics from watching “Married With Children” and “The Simpsons.” It is written for women who got in touch with their post-feminist rage through riot grrrl music and Thelma and Louise. It is written for people who might have dabbled in Corporate America, but found themselves working at one time or another in an entirely new arena or as free agents without having exactly planned for it. It is written for people who, regardless of whether they have taken a traditional route to marriage, parenthood, and homeownership, still don’t exactly feel (or look or act) like “grown-ups.” It is written for people with a sense of humor, who long ago developed an appreciation for the absurdity of life. (Pardon me if this is starting to sound like an Internet dating ad.) In other words, this book is a portrait of a generation, not a screed; it is descriptive not polemical. It is written for people interested in understanding the context that shapes our lives and how this generation will influence the future.
Russell Crowe as George Carlin?
Holy crap, Keith Olbermann just ran this little bumper promoting his upcoming story on the death of George Carlin, featuring some old footage of Carlin when he had to be in his 40s, maybe, and I swear to God, I thought he was Russell Crowe. Look:
The biopic is inevitable... and how awesome would Crowe be in the role?
(Technorati tags: George Carlin, Russell Crowe)
who I am
I'm MaryAnn Johanson: writer and ponderer in New York City who drinks too much wine and thinks way too much about such inconsequences as movies, TV, books, and the meaning of life.
[email me]
• contributor, Film.com
• member, Online Film Critics Society
• member, Alliance of Women Film Journalists
• member, International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences
• visit my scratchpad blog, MaryAnnJohanson.com
• read my Doctor Who fan fiction
photo by David Speranza
(postings feed)
monthly archives
recent screenings and hot movies
| just opened | |
 | Diminished Capacity |
| The Wackness |
 | Hancock |
| Kit Kittredge: An American Girl |
| box office top 5 | |
| Wall-E |
| Wanted |
| Get Smart |
| Kung Fu Panda |
| The Incredible Hulk |
| top limited releases | |
| Mongol |
| The Visitor |
 | When Did You Last See Your Father? |
| Kit Kittredge: An American Girl |
| Then She Found Me |
| coming soon | |
| Man on Wire |
| Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D |
 | Harold |
| Hellboy II: The Golden Army |
| Fly Me to the Moon |
| A Thousand Years of Good Prayers |
| now playing | |
| The Love Guru |
| The Happening |
| You Don't Mess With the Zohan |
| Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull |
| The Fall |
| Young@Heart |
| Quid Pro Quo |
| Sex and the City: The Movie |
| The Strangers |
| Dreams With Sharp Teeth |
| Iron Man |
| The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian |
2008 screening log
new on dvd
| 07.01 | |
| Vantage Point [buy] |
| City of Men [buy] |
| Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns [buy] |
| Mad Men: Season One [buy] |
| Anglo Saxon Attitudes [buy] |
| Heathers - 20th High School Reunion Edition [buy] |
| 06.24 | |
| In Bruges [buy] |
UK Who wrote: "I thnk its super that you guys love..." [more]
• ‘Battlestar Galactica’ blogging: “Revelations” (37)
celticdragon wrote: "Bit late posting here, but doesn't ..." [more]
• Hancock (review) (15)
Dan Duquette wrote: "What's with all of 2008's movies st..." [more]
• Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (review) (8)
Dan Duquette wrote: "I like to attribute values such as ..." [more]
• Wall-E (review) (54)
Clayj wrote: "Um, it was WALL-E, the crude, boxy ..." [more]
• screencap Friday: what the flick? #26 (4)
MaryAnn wrote: "The Count got it: It's *Office Spac..." [more]
• bias update (5)
Mathias wrote: "Psyched is a gross understatement f..." [more]
• the GI Joe movie was low on my must-see list, till now (8)
Shadowen wrote: ""Ray Park plays Snake Eyes. Interes..." [more]
• watch it: “Coal” (2)
Mimi wrote: "This slays me. Thanks for the tip...." [more]
• Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight (review) (24)
NecroMantis wrote: "its really simple. Lord of the Rin..." [more]
• the dumbest DVD I’ve ever come across (4)
Cathryn wrote: "So, as an Aquarian, will I just not..." [more]
• ‘Doctor Who’ not-blogging: “The Stolen Earth” (61)
Weimlady wrote: "PS to Carey--The Face of Boe part o..." [more]
• check out the AWFJ superhero poll (1)
JSW wrote: "Even Bruce “Incredible ..." [more]
• The Happening (review) (51)
Ryan wrote: "Wow, that You Tube parody is better..." [more]
• The Strangers (review) (38)
MaryAnn wrote: "Oh, for the 18 thousandth time, thi..." [more]