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04.11.01: They're at it again over at the A&E message board.
Coming attractions: More AFI 100, SOMEONE LIKE YOU, BLOW, BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY, and HORATIO HORNBLOWER: RETRIBUTION.
04.05.01: It's not the-flick-filosopher-sucks.com, but it's close. Just in time for the debut of the newest Horatio Hornblower movies, I come across a clueless thread on A&E's message board berating me and my review of THE DUCHESS AND THE DEVIL, the third Hornblower film in the first series. It gets funnier as it goes -- my favorite bit involves one Horatiac's fevered imaginations of what I must look like: an impotent, 400-pound male.
The gals over at the A&E board were in a tizzy because I gave 'em a little smack for being so damn juvenile in their circle-jerk slobbering over Ioan Gruffudd. Now, there's nothing wrong with a bit of slobbering -- I've certainly done it myself -- but if you're going to be so public and so relentless about what should essentially be a private activity (or one, er, disguised as film criticism), then I say: Do it in style, like Meg Wood at her site Boyfriend of the Week. Absolutely freaking hilarious stuff... plus she covers most of my best guys.
Speaking of Mr. Gruffudd, I scored a little interview with him. It's here. He's cool.
Oh, and the new HORNBLOWERs are MUTINY, which debuts Sunday, April 8, on A&E, and RETRIBUTION, debuting Sunday, April 15; both films 8pm Eastern.
Wow. A hate thread devoted to yours truly. I feel like I've finally arrived, at last, on the Net.
Coming attractions: Entries in the AFI 100, SOMEONE LIKE YOU, BLOW, and HORATIO HORNBLOWER: RETRIBUTION.
03.30.01: Sorta short notice, but if you're in the area this weekend, you might want to stop by: I'll be at the science fiction convention I-Con, at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, on Long Island, talking about movies and hoping to shake hands with my fellow guest Ted Raimi, brother of Sam and Joxter the Mighty ("He is very tidy!") himself.
I know I said I was gonna review HEARTBREAKERS, but guess what? I'm not. Or, okay, I will: It sucks. Avoid.
Have they started advertising the new HORNBLOWER movies on A&E yet? One of the nice perqs of being a critic is getting to see stuff early -- I've already seen Horatio in action in these two new flicks, and I'll be reporting on them next week. Plus, I have a little interview with Ioan Gruffudd to share.
Coming attractions: More AFI 100 movies, SOMEONE LIKE YOU, BLOW, and, of course, those two new HORATIO HORNBLOWER flicks.
03.23.01: Well, it seems The Film Geek is well and truly toast. His domain, filmgeek.com, has apparently transferred ownership (according to Whois) and is now pointing to some useless excuse for a portal site. Don't give the new owners the satisfaction of thinking they've gotten their money's worth by checking it out. Farewell, Geek.
Coming attractions: More AFI 100 movies, HEARTBREAKERS, TOMCATS and SPY KIDS.
03.16.01: Despite the fact that the last three-and-a-half years of my life have been preoccupied with watching, thinking about, and writing about film, the main export of the state of California, I kinda always doubted that it -- the state of California, that is -- actually existed. No more. I've taken a brief respite from the snow and the cold and the gray of an NYC winter in sunny, warm, sunny, warm Southern California. And I can now attest from personal experience that yes, L.A. is definitely here. I wonder if people who've never been to New York question its reality...
Coming attractions: More AFI 100 movies, HEARTBREAKERS, and TOO MUCH SLEEP.
03.09.01: I'm very slowly changing over all the pages at the site to use server-side includes, which means that file extensions will be changing from .html to .shtml. I'm going to try to keep at least some of the old files up with redirects to the new pages, but that may get unwieldy. So if a page seems to have suddenly disappeared, trying adding that "s" into the URL.
I wish I'd known in the beginning that the site was gonna get so big and unmanageable -- I'd have planned for this. Damn.
Coming attractions: More AFI 100 movies, MEMENTO, ENEMY AT THE GATES, and my Oscar predictions.
03.02.01: I don't know what's happened to Rick Ferguson's Film Geek -- the site's been down for weeks now, and I have no way to get in touch with him except via his filmgeek.com email address. As soon as I know something, I'll let you all know.
You know those people who talk loudly during movies? Turns out they're offering a useful service, or so Untitled Document would have us believe. (Warning: satire ahead.)
Coming attractions: More AFI 100 movies, more Shooting Gallery movies, 15 MINUTES, COMPANY MAN, and MEMENTO.
02.23.01: If there's one thing I hate about being a movie critic, it's February. What is it with Hollywood and late winter? I guess it's a combination of not wanting to distract audiences from the Oscar hopefuls, which are still going strong, and needing to hold back the good films for next fall's award season, but goddamn, I'm about ready to chuck it all and go live in the woods. I had moderate hopes for 3000 MILES TO GRACELAND, but, well, you'll see. I figured you can't go wrong with a Brendan Fraser flick, but, well, I was wrong there, too.
I'm seeing MEMENTO next week -- I'm hoping it'll rejuvenate me. And 15 MINUTES has some potential. Mostly, all I can say is: Thank the gods for The Shooting Gallery and their indie series. I'd be slitting my wrists but for them.
Coming attractions: More AFI 100 movies, THE MEXICAN and 15 MINUTES.
02.16.01: Have you voted for The Flick Filosopher in The Golden Pixel Award yet? Just click on the graphic above. (No longer active as of 03.02.)
Coming attractions: More AFI 100 movies, 3000 MILES TO GRACELAND, and the start of the spring Shooting Gallery Film Series.
02.09.01/Part II: I just got back from recording an interview with the BBC's Dan Damon, for the current-affairs radio program Broadcasting House. If you want to hear me yack about the deep cultural significance of THIRTEEN DAYS, click over to the Beeb's site and listen in via RealMedia. You can listen live (though obviously my conversation will be taped) this coming Sunday, 02.11 -- the show starts at 10am GMT (that's 5am on the East Coast of the U.S. and 2am in the West) or you can check out the archived show for a week after it airs. If you're actually in the BBC's listening area, the show is on BBC Radio 4 FM. Your tax pounds at work.
02.09.01: I'm doing the SF convention thing again. Next weekend, February 16 to 18, I'll be a guest at Boskone, the annual gathering of the New England Science Fiction Association in Boston. I'll be talking about movies and hanging out and partying and generally getting into as much mischief as possible. If you're in the area, stop by and say hi.
Coming attractions: More AFI 100 movies and SWEET NOVEMBER.
02.08.01: Back in September I picked my top 11 movies of the year, to that point, for comparison when I finally put together my best-of-the-whole-year list. (The idea was to see how the films of autumn, when what the studios' believe are the year's best films are traditional released, would affect my list.) Read that preliminary list, and then note how many of those films are still on my final list: Four of those films from early in the year are still there; another four earned honorable mentions; and one was actually released last February, though I didn't see it until this fall's rerelease.
I don't know what that means, if anything. Just thought I'd point it out.
Coming attractions: HANNIBAL, SAVING SILVERMAN, and more AFI 100 movies.
02.02.01: I've got a new Mutual Appreciation Society going with the guys who run TruthInStuff.com. Here are some dudes who really understand genre movies -- science fiction, fantasy, horror -- and why they are much more than the disposable junk so many cineastes dismiss them as. Check them out, if you don't already have them bookmarked, and let them know I sent you.
Coming attractions: My Best of 2000 list, more AFI 100 movies, and HANNIBAL.
01.31.01: Cinemarati, the new guild for online film journalists that I've had my fingers in for months now, has finally launched. Our site is still Version 1.0, but you'll find links to reviews of current films by member critics and a whole slew of regular features debuting over the course of February. Cinemarati is unique among critics organizations in that our process for voting on our annual awards takes place right out in the open: you can watch in our forum, the Cinemarati Roundtable, as our nominees get winnowed down to the winners (which will be announced next week). And there are lots of other fun and serious discussions going on at the Roundtable, too. Stop by.
Coming attractions: THE WEDDING PLANNER, HEAD OVER HEELS, VALENTINE, and my choices for the Best of 2000.
01.19.01: Congrats to Mel, from Pittsburgh, PA, January's winner of a Flick Filosopher t-shirt and fridge magnet. Each month, I pick someone from the roster of my announcements-only mailing list to receive these sorta-valuable prizes.
I've been in computer hell the last week, as my old desktop Mac developed a potentially serious illness and I began the torturous process of switching over to a lovely new iBook. Trying to get old SCSI devices -- like the external hard disk that held all my backed-up data -- to talk to a USB-equipped laptop was like that bit in APOLLO 13, when they had to get that square CO2 filter to fit into the round filter receptable. Ack!
Coming attractions: More AFI 100 movies.
01.12.01: One of the things that has been keeping me crazy busy lately is getting Cinemarati: The Web Alliance for Film Commentary up and running. As one of the founding members, I can tell you that I'm very excited to be part of this ratpack of some of the best film critics on the Internet. The Cinemarati Roundtable is going to be the cool place to hang out online for serious film fans -- in fact, it already is. Though the site has not officially launched yet, the Roundtable is open for business, so pull up a chair, order a drink, and let the bon mots fly. Right now, the other Cinemarati and I are discussing the best (and worse) of Film Year 2000, in preparation for bestowing the first annual Cinemarati Awards in early February.
Coming attractions: STATE AND MAIN, CHOCOLAT, THE PLEDGE, and SNATCH.
01.03.01: Okay, it's January, but there's no reason why December Movie Madness can't continue. I saw a ton of films between Christmas and New Year's, and you're gonna hear about 'em all, starting with this bunch today. (And I'll still add a few more reviews to A Very Flick Filosopher Christmas, too.)
Coming attractions: STATE AND MAIN and CHOCOLAT.
12.22.00: Did you know that August 19 is the birthday of Commander Will Riker of the U.S.S. Enterprise? Sounds like the perfect day for a STAR TREK movie. Did you know that William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were married on November 28? SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, anyone?
On January 1, I'll launch Movie-a-day.com, 365 days of movie trivia and historical tidbits... and film recommendations to accompany them. Now you'll never be at a loss wandering the aisles at Blockbuster, trying to figure out what to rent.
Coming attractions: TRAFFIC and THIRTEEN DAYS.
12.21.00: I'm writing an article about online film critics for a print Internet magazine (I'll post a link to the online version once it appears). As a reader, obviously, of an online film critic, give me your impression of onliners: What draws you to online critics? Do we offer a perspective you can't get anywhere else, or is it just easier to get to us online than it is to pick up a newspaper or magazine? Do we supplement your print reading on film, or is online the only place you get your fix? Does it bother you than most of us onliners are not getting paid for what we do, or do you think that makes us freer to say what we want? Email me as soon as possible -- my deadline is rapidly approaching. I can't promise you'll be quoted, but I'd appreciate any input you can offer.
Up next: THE FAMILY MAN.
12.20.00: Ohmigod. Remember all the speculation over the PHANTOM MENACE trailer -- when it would debut, which films it would be attached to? Well, New Line Cinema is putting LORD OF THE RINGS fans out of our misery. The company has announced that the first theatrical teaser trailer for the trilogy will debut on January 12, 2001 -- you'll have to buy a ticket for THIRTEEN DAYS to see it. Maybe I'll review the LOTR trailer like I did the one for PHANTOM...
On deck: CAST AWAY and THE FAMILY MAN.
12.14.00: The first year-end awards have been announced: The New York Film Critics Circle has given its kudos to the best everything of Film Year 2000 -- you can check out its choices here.
Being a film critic in New York City (or Los Angeles) in December can be hell -- a helluva lot of fun, but also just plain hell. Possible Oscar contenders the studios have been hoarding get released in a flood. I've been going to screenings like crazy, and I've got a stack of screener videos and DVDs to go through, so from now through the end of the year I'm just gonna plow through reviews like mad (while still trying to get to as many Christmas movies as possible). Plus, a fun new section of The Flick Filosopher will be debuting on New Year's Day. Plus, I'll have some other exciting movies- on- the- Web news to reveal by year's end. Oy. I'll sleep in January.
Coming up: THE GIFT and O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
12.08.00: Are you a gal? Do you want to make movies? Then check out the Directing Workshop for Women at the American Film Institute. The AFI will select up to eight women to attend an intensive hands-on training workshop in which they'll direct a short narrative project shot on Digital Betacam. This isn't a program for amateurs -- it's designed for women who already have some experience in the performing or media arts. The application process for the 2001 workshop has just opened, and you can find the forms you need and more information at www.afionline.org.
Still to come: THE HOUSE OF MIRTH and THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE.
12.07.00: Congrats to Julie in New York City, December's winner of a Flick Filosopher t-shirt and fridge magnet. On the first of every month I pick someone from the roster of my mailing list upon whom to bestow these boons. The list is the low-volume, announcements-only way to keep abreast of what's going on here -- I send out a little notice whenever I update the site. Don't you wonder what you're missing?
Up next: PROOF OF LIFE and THE HOUSE OF MIRTH.
12.04.00: Another cheer for BRONX CHEER, my romantic-dramedy screenplay -- it received an Honorable Mention in the Television/Movie Script category of the Writer's Digest 2000 Writing Competition. The millions should start rolling in any minute now.
On deck: PROOF OF LIFE, VERTICAL LIMIT, and THE HOUSE OF MIRTH.
12.01.00: An actual review of the gigantic new assortment of reader Mail, from an actual reader: "Reader mail kicks ass." Nuff said.
Coming up: QUILLS, PROOF OF LIFE, VERTICAL LIMIT, and selections from the New York Film Festival.
11.28.00: It's official: I can no longer keep up with the volume of email this site generates. So I can no longer promise that I will respond to every comment or suggestion that youse guys share with me. I do read everything and will continue to do so, and I will still try to answer as many letters as I can, but don't be hurt if you don't hear back from me. Here's a promise, though: If you ask me a question that's answered in my FAQ, you can be virtually guaranteed that you won't get a reply from me.
As a consolation prize, I've posted a huge new batch of reader Mail... so huge it extends over 5 long pages. Enjoy.
The New to Video/DVD page is updated today, too. Start your Christmas shopping now!
Still to come: QUILLS, A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, and selections from the New York Film Festival.
11.22.00: Hello to all the lovely people I met at Philcon this past weekend. I had a great time talking about Roger Corman's contribution to filmmaking, the art of bad movies, and the SF/F novels I'd like to adapt for the big screen. And my fellow fans actually listened to me like I was an expert or something. I gotta do more cons -- they're good for my ego.
I had my biggest traffic day ever this past Monday, almost 9500 page views, thanks in part to my review of THE GRINCH -- people do love to read reviews of bad movies. So another hello goes to all you newcomers to The Flick Filosopher. Stick around -- we have some serious fun here.
Up next: QUILLS, A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, and selections from the New York Film Festival.
11.17.00: It's Thanksgiving time, and you know what that means: THE WIZARD OF OZ on TV. The cable network TNT has it this year -- it's airing this coming Sunday, November 19, at 7 pm and again next Saturday, November 25, at 8 pm (times are Eastern and Pacific). After the movie, stay tuned for WE ALL DREAM OF OZ, a short special that features folks like Ron Howard (director of this week's THE GRINCH), Michael Douglas (star of the just rereleased WONDER BOYS), Susan Sarandon, Ashley Judd, Linda Fiorentino, Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow (stars of this week's new film BOUNCE), Nora Ephron, Anne Archer, Dermot Mulroney, and others sharing their memories of the classic film.
On deck: 102 DALMATIANS, QUILLS, and selections from the New York Film Festival.
11.13.00: Through the holiday season, I'll be updating A Very Flick Filosopher Christmas, finally getting to the films I had hoped to review last year and didn't, and adding some new ones to the list, including, of course, THE GRINCH. If you have a favorite Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's film you'd like me to take a look at, let me know.
Coming up: THE GRINCH, BOUNCE, and those dang New York Film Festival flicks.
11.09.00: With two new reviews of sci-fi films today, it seems like a good opportunity to mention that next weekend, Friday November 17 through Sunday November 19, I'll be appearing as a guest at Philcon, the annual convention of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society. I'll be sitting on panels on Friday night and on Sunday, talking about SF and fantasy movies, and I'll be wandering around the con on Saturday, too, with a Flick Filosopher badge on my lapel for easy identification. If you're in the Philly area, stop by and say hi.
Congrats to Gail from Chester, NY, November's winner of a Flick Filosopher t-shirt and fridge magnet, just for being a member of my announcements-only mailing list. I pick someone at random every month to win these somewhat valuable prizes.
Still to come: CHARLIE'S ANGELS and selections from the New York Film Festival.
11.02.00: Bummer. The finalists for the Online Journalism Awards were announced yesterday, and I wasn't one of 'em. On the up side, my screenplay BRONX CHEER won second place in the Feature Comedy category of the Jury of Your Peers 2000 screenplay competition, which is judged by screenwriters. You win one, you lose one.
Hey, all you movie-trivia buffs: Help me out with a project I'm working on. Can you recall any specific dates mentioned in movies? I'm thinking along the lines of the date HAL 9000 was activated, mentioned in 2001, and the date SkyNet started the war against humans, mentioned in THE TERMINATOR. Obviously, I don't need those dates, but any others you can provide will be a big help to me. Dates from story mythology are okay, too, even if they aren't mentioned in a film, such as the date the Blair Witch filmmakers disappeared. Oh, and they can only be dates in the Earth calendar (January to December), even if they're in the future. In other words, the Imperial Galactic calendar date that Han Solo was born won't work -- the date Captain Kirk will be born will work. I'll clue you all in to what the project is about soon.
Did anyone listen in on The Don and Carla Show on Halloween night? What did you think?
Up next: CHARLIE'S ANGELS, RED PLANET, and from the New York Film Festival, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, CHUNHYANG, and THE HOUSE OF MIRTH.
10.30.00: The cable network American Movie Classics is the old-movie lover's best friend... and this week it's the classic-horror-movie lover's best friend. It started on Friday, but there's still time to catch the last two days of AMC's, well, monster 58-movie Halloween marathon, which includes the granddaddies of horror flicks, Universal classics like DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, THE MUMMY, and THE WOLF MAN. Online, check out what AMC is calling the first "converged" film festival. At MonsterFest, you can view rare film scripts, read internal studio memos about the making of the marathon films, and take QuickTime VR tours of movie sets; for the less historically minded, there are trivia and Shockwave games and a sweepstakes -- the grand prize is a trip to the world premier of THE MUMMY RETURNS, sequel to last year's comic-horror THE MUMMY.
Don't forget: Tomorrow night, on Halloween, join me on The Don and Carla Show as we chat about, appropriately enough, fear. You can listen in on the show at http://www.donandcarla.net, and you can participate in the conversation via email, at doncarla@vtc.net, or by phone at 520-845-2288. The show begins at 6pm Mountain Time, which is 8pm Eastern 7pm Central, 5pm Pacific.
Attention Kmart shoppers: I have a lost little email here. It tried looking for its owner -- Geoff McLain, who used to be at the email address gmclain@pris.bc.ca -- but it came back to me, bereft and lonely. Would Mr. McLain kindly get in touch with the management to claim his email?
On deck: THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE, CHARLIE'S ANGELS, and from the New York Film Festival, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, CHUNHYANG, and THE HOUSE OF MIRTH.
10.27.00: Geez: go away for a coupla days and stuff just piles up. On top of the backed-up email I've been slogging through, I've gotta get to a whole buncha flicks opening today that I would have spread out over the week. So it's a big update today.
Since it's almost all indies today, I thought I'd mention that an indie documentary I reviewed a while back -- BOOKWARS -- will be playing at a couple of venues in Southern California in November, and there are some additional screenings scheduled in West Virginia and on Long Island. Get all the details at the film's official site.
I've added a new recommended site to my Links page: Harry Warren Music.com. Fans of Warner Brothers musicals of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s know Warren as the man behind more hit songs than the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, or Rodgers & Hammerstein. Get the whole scoop on Warren at this almost frighteningly comprehensive site.
Cool: The Flick Filosopher is featured in the new book, 300 INCREDIBLE THINGS FOR SENIORS ON THE INTERNET. I'm good for younger folks, too.
Coming up: A Halloween spookfest; CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, CHUNHYANG, and THE HOUSE OF MIRTH, from the New York Film Festival; and THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE.
10.18.00: I had so much fun at the New York Film Festival that I've applied for press credentials for Sundance. Actually receiving them is a long shot, so keep your fingers crossed for me.
Those NYFF flicks I keep promising are still coming, but I am taking a well-deserved little break before I get to them. I will be away from a computer, away from screening rooms, away from everything in the wilds of Arkansas -- yes, Arkansas. So don't look for any new updates to the site till mid next week sometime.
Still to come: A slew of old Universal monster movies, in celebration of Halloween, and entries from the New York Film Festival, including THE HOUSE OF MIRTH and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.
10.16.00: We're just madly in love with the Prince of Darkness these days, aren't we? Seems you can't walk into the multiplex lately without bumping into the Horned One himself, scheming and plotting onscreen for reasons that are usually unclear. LOST SOULS is so bad that you have to wonder whether someone shouldn't have hocked his own soul to ensure success; THE EXORCIST should be a wake-up call to Hollywood that less is still more (but it won't be); and Showtime is riding on those demonic box-office coattails with its Original film POSSESSED, which debuts next Sunday, 10.22, at 8PM Eastern. After the premiere, at 10PM, log on to SHO.com to chat with star Timothy Dalton. He doesn't play Satan, unfortunately -- that would have been simply too delicious.
For people who are weird on a smaller, more human scale than those demonically possessed, check out the nutjobs of SIX DAYS IN ROSWELL, A HOLE IN THE HEAD, and URINE: GOOD HEALTH. These documentaries about people with some very strange hobbies can be purchased directly from their distributor, Beatnik Home Entertainment. Check 'em out -- they're a hoot.
Up next: THE HOUSE OF MIRTH; CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON; PAY IT FORWARD; and BEDAZZLED.
10.13.00: Congratulations to Art in Montreat, NC -- he's October's winner of a Flick Filosopher t-shirt and fridge magnet. Every month I send these goodies to someone on my mailing list, just for being cool enough to have signed up to receive little announcements whenever I update the site.
You don't need to wait to win to get your hands on these souvenirs -- you don't even have to be on the roster of the mailing list. You can order them directly from me -- see here for details. You can even pay with a credit card via PayPal, and if you're new to Pay Pal, they'll give you $5 just for joining. So you could get one of my fridge magnets for free, and still get change. (Or you could join and not buy anything and keep the $5.)
But who needs another t-shirt, right? That's probably why I still have so many of them sitting around. So, coming soon, more Flick Filosopher goodies, including mugs. Lots of you have been asking for mugs. You better buy 'em.
On deck: LOST SOULS, THE EXORCIST, and from the New York Film Festival, THE HOUSE OF MIRTH and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.
10.11.00: Forget trick-or-treating. Spend Halloween night with me -- half an hour of Halloween night, anyway. I'll be a guest on the Internet radio program The Don and Carla Show. The topic for the evening is "Can Fear Be Fun and Good?" I'll post another reminder as the date gets closer.
Coming up: BILLY ELLIOT, LOST SOULS, and from the New York Film Festival, THE HOUSE OF MIRTH and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.
10.06.00: I've got a bunch of new DVD reviews up at Apollo Guide: BANDIT QUEEN, DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN, HAROLD AND MAUDE, THE KENNEL MURDER CASE, and NANCY DREW... REPORTER.
Still to come: THE HOUSE OF MIRTH, THE CONTENDER, and BILLY ELLIOT.
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MaryAnn Johanson.
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