film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
A ramble with appealingly messy people rethinking their priorities that is perhaps more charming and touching than it might have been if this pandemic summer didn’t have so many of us doing the same.
Andrea Berloff writes and directs The Kitchen, starring Elisabeth Moss, Melissa McCarthy, and Tiffany Haddish; more… [This post is for Patreon patrons only for the first month.]
Snappy, snappish historical drama about the partition of India rings with sly humor, dry cynicism, and a smack of relevance for today’s divisive politics.
[This post is not behind the paywall.]
Brutal yet sensitively rendered, putting a human face, if a fictional one, on an issue that rarely gets one. Almost Dickens for the 21st century.
[This post is not behind the paywall.]
[This post is not behind the paywall.]
Perverse. Completely perverse. And completely seductive. Do I love it, or is it evil? Is it a wrong thing if it’s both?
So much to love in this Brit kiddie sci-fi adventure, with its brilliant concept that really works on a small budget and a real sense of place.
Indie science fiction with a rare humanism, a scientific and emotional mystery with a solution Hollywood wouldn’t dare go anywhere near.
