handcrafted film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
Take a break from work: watch a trailer… Speaking of Lars von Trier’s latest… You’d think people would know by now not to go to remote cabins in the woods. Nothing good ever happens in remote cabins in the woods. And goodness, you certainly don’t go with Willem Dafoe: that’s just a recipe for horror. … more…
The Independent runs down the list of films that have been banned around the world for such reasons as extreme violence, religious blasphemy, explicit sex, and other outrageousness. They’re all the usual suspects you’ve probably heard about before as controversial: A Clockwork Orange, Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Caligula, and so on. I’m not sure … more…
Remember how it was in school, when all the loud, rowdy boys got all the attention of the class… and the teacher? That dynamic extends ways beyound school. Melissa Silverstein at Women and Hollywood notes precisely the same thing happening at Cannes, where the few women directors haven’t generated much news but the loud, rowdy … more…
BEST DIRECTOR Lars von Trier, Dogville Ever a risktaker, Lars von Trier took one of the biggest risks onscreen in 2004 with a determinedly uncinematic film that was also unabashedly political — a breathtaking and refreshingly daring combination in an era of play-it-safe “entertainment.” Setting his cast and his scene on a bare, black-box stage, … more…
Damn, but I had a good time at the movies this year. I sat through a lot of cinematic toxic waste, it’s true, but I also had a tough time winnowing down my best-of list to only ten films: the top 25 or 30 films in my annual ranking delighted me, made me laugh, moved … more…
