film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
A simple story about friendship. A revisionist Western reworking fables of masculinity and frontiers. A softly savage deconstruction of the American dream, of capitalism itself. An astonishing movie.
Kelly Reichardt cowrites and directs First Cow; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
Elizabeth Banks cowrites and directs Charlie’s Angels, starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
Whitney Hamilton writes, directs, and stars in historical drama Union; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
Solid, old-school man-versus-nature adventure melodrama, with a simmering green awareness; rollicking, smart, breathtaking, and sobering.
This is no stuffy costume drama but a richly lived-in visit to early-19th-century England that is rough, bawdy, often funny, and more often unsettling.
