handcrafted by maryann johanson (human) | 100% free of AIs and algorithms
The term “outside artist” has never been so apropos, or so wistfully sad, as it is in the case of Henry Darger, who spent his childhood in a home for “feeble-minded children” and his adulthood in near seclusion, working as a janitor and, in secret, on a 15,000-page novel with accompanying — and epic — … more…
When precisely 4400 people — some of whom have been missing for half a century — appear in the Pacific Northwest in a spectacular cosmic event, unaltered and unaged and with no memories of where they’ve been, the world is stunned and mystified and afraid. Were they abducted by aliens? Why were they returned? Set … more…
For bored, stifled East German teens in the 1970s, Red Army Faction terrorists on the other side of the Berlin Wall became heroes to be cheered, much to the consternation of their good-communist elders. Inspired by an infamous RAF kidnapping of a high-profile industrialist, high-schoolers Anna (Susanne Bormann) and Marcus (Fabian Busch) hatch a plan … more…
It’s this: *The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou* is like a Bugs Bunny cartoon for grownups. Okay, yes, Bugs Bunny cartoons were for grownups anyway, but I mean like *really* for grownups, no pretending, no kidding, a giddy lark that’s hilarious in a snort-milk-out-your-nose kind of way and yet weirdly, unexpectedly poignant too.
The world has been awaiting the definitive Hanukkah comedy, and after taking a look at *The Hebrew Hammer,* I can reveal: The world is still waiting.
Following are the 226 theatrical releases for 2004 I ranked on the fly during the year. The ranking is now final, and any 2004 releases that I might catch in the future will not be ranked. The ranking includes only theatrical releases — made-for-cable and made-for-TV movies are not ranked, nor are older films I … more…
If Tim Burton made a Harry Potter movie, it might look something like this gothic wedding cake of a flick, all evil curlicues and black lace, gray skies and itchy taffeta, notorious villains and innocent orphans. Jim Carrey (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is at his misanthropic peak as Count Olaf, the hilariously vain … more…
Ah, blast from my geeky childhood! I cut my SF teeth on stuff like Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and now Buck has arrived on DVD, with a vengeance, you might say. This is 30 hours of chunky homestyle sciffy goofiness, all 32 episodes from the 1979-81 run of the show … more…
Perhaps only the French, though, who suffered so grievously as a nation in the Great War, could get away with *A Very Long Engagement,* a labor of love for *Amelie* director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, based upon Sebastien Japrisot’s novel. Here we have a film that combines a particularly Gallic comic sensibility — replete with oddball characters among which even the fiercest, hardbitten soldiers and such, have a delicate but earthy charm — with the horrific nightmare of the trenches, a film about what is arguably the worst war ever that manages to leave you not despairing at the cruelty of humankind but inspired by the hopeless hope that allowed those caught up in it to survive.
As the Chinese say, Ai-ya! The Grudge and The Ring were but dainty appetizers to the cinematic feast that is this mercilessly disturbing film — director Kim Jee-Woon may just have cemented Asia’s position on the bleeding edge of horror. Shocking in more ways than you’ll ever anticipate, this story of two good sisters and … more…
sample sponsored post (sponsored) - Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce quis risus odio.
