question of the day: Has this been the worst summer for movies ever, or does it just feel that way?
Even the moderate financial hits have been, for the most part, ugly, boring, and creatively tapped out, even grading on the summer-blockbuster curve.
handcrafted film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
Even the moderate financial hits have been, for the most part, ugly, boring, and creatively tapped out, even grading on the summer-blockbuster curve.
Jesus could make a couple of loaves of bread and a few fish feed a crowd. But only Hollywood can make a weekend last seven days. Recently I wrote a piece for Film.com about Wednesday openings for films, what the purpose of them is, and if they make sense. The context was: Why move Knight … more…
Every week my browser gets cluttered up with tabs for stuff that I stumble across and figure I might be able to use as a Question of the Day or a WTF Thought for the Day or grist for some other post. And inevitably, I end the week with most of that material unused. But … more…
Last week the Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz action comedy Knight and Day opened on a Wednesday, ostensibly to avoid the Friday opening, two days later, of the Adam Sandler “family” comedy Grown Ups. It looks — to my eyes, having seen both films as well as examined the marketing of them — as if the two … more…
Every week my browser gets cluttered up with tabs for stuff that I stumble across and figure I might be able to use as a Question of the Day or a WTF Thought for the Day or grist for some other post. And inevitably, I end the week with most of that material unused. But … more…
U.S. AND CANADA/OPENING WIDE Knight and Day: Tom Cruise does some spy stuff and runs around a lot, while Cameron Diaz does a lot of screaming and runs around like a girl. If you can’t make it to the multiplex, try: • The 39 Steps (1935): Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll are mismatched maybe-spies in … more…
At the tender age of eight I was ruined forever for sex with anyone other than pirates and scoundrels by Han Solo. I am now irrevocably imprinted with the impression that there is nothing hotter than a thigh holster. *drool* Even this Han Solo toy is extra hot thanks to the inclusion of the thigh … more…
*Knight and Day* may have generic characters doing generic things in generic situations, but it’s got Movie Stars with huge white smiles looking pretty and being blandly inoffensive in exotic foreign locales. What’s that? You need more than that? Why do you hate Hollywood?
The caps are for extra urgency, to make you watch this now, before it has to be updated in a few minutes, when Knight and Day is released and downloads into your eyeballs more cinematic moments of Tom Cruise running: (via Cinematical)
Reader Feh in comments following my review of Killers asks: MaryAnn, do you have any insight into the ripoff pattern? Why do Hollywood movies tend to come out in pairs? Killers/Knight & Day, Abyss/Leviathan, Deep Impact/Armageddon. Feh then links to a story titled “11 Identical Movies Released at the Same Time” — which dates back … more…