film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
We know how it is: You’d like to go to the movies this weekend, but you’ve been turned into a frog and know you won’t be able to see over the seat in front of you, not even with a kiddie booster seat. But you can have a multiplex-like experience at home with a collection … more…
We know how it is: You’d like to go to the movies this weekend, but you were planning to fly around the globe this weekend. But you can have a multiplex-like experience at home with a collection of the right DVDs. And when someone asks you on Monday, “Hey, did you see Amelia this weekend?” … 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…
Oh, but this is a sucker punch of a movie, harsh and sere and so thoroughly unsentimental that it seems to have active contempt for lesser movies that pander to the audience’s desire to walk out of the theater feeling good and happy and that all is right in the world. This is like winning the lottery and getting hit by a train on your way to cash in your ticket. This is not for anyone who feels the need to escape real life at the multiplex. This *is* real life, as real as film gets. You are warned.
