film criticism by maryann johanson | 25 years: 1997–2022
UPDATED: Winners are indicated with ♦s. I made informed guesses in 20 of the 24 categories; of those, I guessed 12 correctly. (Well, 13, really, except that in the animated short category in the original version of this page, I had both “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” and “Logorama” checked … more…
Audrey Tautou looks *amazing,* surrounded by women who flounce around like fluffy Edwardian fruit cups. But moments like that — in which you really feel the impact of Chanel’s legacy — are, *tant pis,* all too rare…
You’ve seen Paul Schneider in movies like Lars and the Real Girl and Away We Go, and he’s in Parks & Recreation on NBC, which just had its second season premiere last night. And now he’s starring in Bright Star, Jane Campion’s new movie about the poet John Keats and his romance with Fanny Brawne, … more…
It’s Quentin Taratino’s biggest opening ever in Britain, too: 1. Inglourious Basterds: £3.6 million (NEW) 2. The Time Traveler’s Wife: £.92 million (2nd week; drops 35%) 3. G-Force: £.65 million (4th week; drops 30%) 4. Aliens in the Attic: £.64 million (2nd week; drops 51%) 5. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: £.598 million (actual … more…
Okay, I know they’re guinea pigs, but that doesn’t alliterate with the boy wizard: 1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: £2.9 million (3rd week; drops 44%) 2. G-Force: £2.5 million (NEW) 3. The Taking of Pelham 123: £1.8 million (NEW) 4. The Proposal: £1.5 million (2nd week; drops 54%) 5. Ice Age: Dawn of … more…
Take a break from work: watch a trailer… This must be the international trailer: even trailers for arthouse releases that will get limited play in the U.S. and Canada never get subtitles — they get cleverly edited to eliminate any dialogue that will suggest that the film is not in English. And I’m glad I … more…
