handcrafted by maryann johanson (human) | 100% free of AIs and algorithms
From This Day… in Jewish History, I learned this about November 27: 1936: Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels declares that film criticism is henceforth banned, freeing the Nazi-controlled German film industry to pursue its own agenda, which includes blatantly anti-Semitic films. That’s a startling concept to hear today, when we’re being told that film … more…
Yesterday, the Online Film Critic Society — of which I am a member, and I serve on its Governing Committee — announced our favorite Thankgiving-themed movie (go here to learn which film we picked). Now it’s your turn: What’s your favorite Thanksgiving-themed movie? These are the movies we chose among: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Dutch … more…
Fred Topel yesterday at Sci Fi Wire pondered the Oscar chances of The Road, which could be a serious contender this year. In its favor: its grim subject matter, its awards-season debut, the powerful performances by Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee, and its home at The Weinstein Company — where the folks are known for … more…
The Guardian is reporting that Peter Jackson has ramped up the violence in The Lovely Bones after test audiences demanded more blood: Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson has revealed that he had to shoot new footage for The Lovely Bones after early test screening audiences complained that a death scene was not violent enough. The film … more…
You might have thought that Tucker Max might have taken a hint from the fact that his toddler’s temper tantrum of a flick, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, was rejected not only by critics but by audiences: it has earned only $1.4 million and never managed to muster a wider release than 266 … more…
I’ve always got piles of books around me: books to read, books I’ve read and mean to write about at MaryAnnJohanson.com (and never seem to find the time to do so), books I feel like I should read but keep getting shifted to the bottom of the pile. I’ve also sometimes got more than one … more…
The beginning of the beginning of the end for Lost, um, began yesterday with the announcement of the debut date for the final season: February 2, 2010. As Michael Ausiello at EW’s The Ausiello Files notes, 02022010 does sound like another puzzle number the show’s gonna throw at us. He goes on to name those … more…
The Center for Science in the Public Interest released a new study yesterday on the calorie and fat content of popular movie snacks. The upshot: It’s hard to picture someone mindlessly ingesting three McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with 12 pats of butter while watching a movie. But according to new laboratory analyses commissioned by the nonprofit … more…
Cinematical yesterday posted “The Top Five Reasons to See Twilight: New Moon,” which includes: Michael Sheen. Speaking of the Volturi, Michael Sheen plays their leader. Sheen’s been around for years, and is certainly no stranger to performing in broad-appeal films, but his recent starring roles in Frost/Nixon and The Queen have made him one of … more…
The 20 pictures in contention for five nominee slots — up from three in recent years — for the upcoming Academy Awards in the Best Animated Feature Film category have been announced. They are: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Astro Boy Battle for Terra Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Coraline Disney’s A Christmas … more…
sample sponsored post (sponsored) - Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Fusce quis risus odio.
