film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
Beautiful in its style, enraging in its substance, this skewering of the FBI’s surveillance of the civil-rights icon is essential for understanding the near-term roots of white supremacy in America.
This astonishing assemblage of vintage footage, some never before seen, may be unspoilable (we know how it ends) but it’s still hugely suspenseful, and beautifully immersive visually and emotionally.
Snappy Sorkin-esque banter, 80s nostalgia, and Hugh Jackman in a bad wig yet still hot as hell. But also an enraging, ironic look at how a reality-TV resume ended up becoming a legit qualification for the American presidency.
A quietly horrifying, solidly entertaining medical procedural that makes no bones about the terrible damage American football causes to its players.
I only recently discovered this memorial to U.S. President John F. Kennedy…
A hugely entertaining biography of one of the great observers of the American century whose witty, bitter obstinance offers essential criticism of the U.S.
Stuff I found on the Net today (and one from yesterday).
Mark Gatiss treats the legends of Doctor Who’s creation as only a longtime fan can, in a lovely tribute full of the exasperated acceptance that rose-tinted hindsight brings.
This poignant and painful ensemble drama about the lesser-known figures caught up in the JFK assassination reminds us that history happens to regular people, too.
