film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
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…
Devin Fararci at CHUD.com posted a provocative essay recently decrying the dreary mainstream tastes of those who call themselves movie geeks these days: For the last couple of years I’ve been trying to wrap my head around an increasingly vocal segment of our readership – people who seem to hate weird, offbeat, unique and difficult … more…
Here are the most quotable movie lines of the year 2009. No ranking — newer quotes are posted at the top. [Warning: May contain spoilers.] “I’m craving a burger. Is that strange?” –Sergeant Matt Thompson (Guy Pearce), as he puts on his bomb suit, The Hurt Locker “If he wasn’t an insurgent, he sure the … more…
Everyone loves a kick-ass mutant: 1. X-Men Origins: Wolverine: £6.7 million (NEW) 2. Hannah Montana: The Movie: £2 million (NEW) 3. State of Play: £.982 million (2nd week; drops 35%) 4. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: £.977 million (NEW) 5. 17 Again: £.53 (4th week; drops 48%) (actual numbers, not estimates) It’s the biggest opening of … more…
Nice. I dunno why British audiences seem to like grownup movies more than American audiences, except that I am clearly a biast Anglophile who thinks everything is better in England. What other explanation could there be: 1. State of Play: £1.5 million (NEW) 2. Monsters vs. Aliens: £1.08 million (4th week; drops 48%) 3. Fast … more…
Observe and Report, Uninvited, State of Play, Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel, Paul Blart Mall Cop, Outlander, Doctor Who, Shaun of the Dead, Encounters at the End of the World, Werner Herzog, Shifty, City Rats
The tweens have spoken, again: 1. 17 Again: $23.7 million (NEW) 2. State of Play: $14 million (NEW) 3. Hannah Montana: The Movie: $13.4 million (2nd week; drops 59%) 4. Monsters vs. Aliens: $13.2 million (4th week; drops 39%) 5. Fast & Furious: $11.8 million (3rd week; drops 57%) actual numbers, not estimates I said … more…
Oh, the burn: 1. Hannah Montana: The Movie: $32.3 million (NEW) 2. Fast & Furious: $27.2 million (2nd week; drops 62%) 3. Monsters vs. Aliens: $21.8 million (3rd week; drops 33%) 4. Observe and Report: $11 million (NEW) 5. Knowing: $6.4 million (4th week; drops 21%) actual numbers, not estimates Never underestimate the breathtaking power … more…
The latest installment of my “Week in Women” column is up over at the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. It features a discussion of the date-rape scene in Observe and Report, so if you’re up for some heated debate, head on over.
‘I thought this was gonna be funny,’ says a character at one vital point in *Observe and Report,* ‘but it’s actually kinda sad.’ Bingo!
