film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
Devoid of personality and soul, this hellish Frankenstein monster of processed entertainment product wallows in a stew of borrowed ideas and imagery and does absolutely nothing fresh with them.
A few hints of stagnation aside, this franchise remains a terrifyingly trenchant dystopia. A brutal vision of an America not far removed from our own.
We know how it is: You’d like to go to the movies this weekend, but it’s the last weekend of the summer and the last chance to burn dead animals on the barbecue — yum! — before the cool weather sets in. But you can have a multiplex-like experience at home with a collection of … more…
You’ll love what someone considers as constituting the “ultimate” collection of science fiction movies: Escape From New York, Mad Max, Rollerball (the original, I’m assuming), The Abyss, Alien, Aliens, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Fantastic Voyage, The Fly (not sure which one), Independence Day, Journey to Center of the Earth, The Neptune Factor, Planet … more…
About half my best-of’s for 2002 were clear and ready choices, films I fell instantly in love with, that completely blew my mind, that utterly awed me in their fabulosity — I’ll leave it as an exercise to the reader to figure out which those were. Filling out the rest of the list was tough … more…
