film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
The 20 pictures in contention for five nominee slots — up from three in recent years — for the upcoming Academy Awards in the Best Animated Feature Film category have been announced. They are: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Astro Boy Battle for Terra Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Coraline Disney’s A Christmas … more…
Oh dear. What’s happened to Hayao Miyazaki, the master of beautiful, poignant, deeply weird and profoundly philosophical Japanese animation? Has he lost his touch? Is the magic gone?
We know how it is: You’d like to go to the movies this weekend, but you’re worried that you won’t be able to find a humans-only multiplex now that the aliens have arrived and are swarming all over like they own the place. But you can have a multiplex-like experience at home with a collection … more…
Oh my, that’s a nasty poster, ain’t it? Inglourious Basterds (opens in the U.K. on August 19, and in the U.S. on August 21) is gonna be even more brutal than the trailer makes it look, I think. The question is whether Quentin Tarantino gets the balance of gore and humor right… I’m gonna attend … more…
Fun for Wednesdays! We look at an image from an upcoming movie and write snarky, witty, or otherwise entertaining captions for it. No prizes, it’s just for fun. Ponyo, from the Academy Award-winning director and world-renowned Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki, is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid.” Here’s a peek: … more…
The Best Picture category at the Oscars is gonna be wider than it has been before, what with a doubling from five to ten slots for nominees for 2009, but is it still a stretch to expect a movie with geek cred to get a nom? I’m not so sure. If I hadn’t sworn off … more…
