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FlickFilosopher.com

handcrafted film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997

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Ron Howard

The Grinch movie review: he’s not much of a mean one, actually

Thu, Nov 08, 2018
14 comments

Candy-colored slapstick and kindergarten-level humor make this perfectly suitable for small children, and perfectly bland and inoffensive to the adults accompanying them. Somehow, I don’t think Dr. Seuss would entirely approve.

| 14 Comments

dreaming of a female-gazey Han Solo movie…

Sun, May 27, 2018
5 comments

…maybe one directed by a woman who understands why we love this scoundrel.

| 5 Comments

Solo: A Star Wars Story movie review: where has our scoundrel gone?

Wed, May 23, 2018
89 comments

A Star Wars–flavored juice drink* of a movie (*contains 10% real juice) that tells us nothing of significance we didn’t already know about Han Solo, in an incarnation that lacks his essential charisma and precarious danger.

| 89 Comments

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years documentary review: yeah yeah yeah

Thu, Sep 15, 2016
13 comments

There’s not a lot new here, but the vintage footage is fab, as is the much-needed reminder that the supposedly innocent past was hardly innocent at all.

| 13 Comments

In the Heart of the Sea movie review: here be monsters (and whales)

Wed, Dec 09, 2015
8 comments

Solid, old-school man-versus-nature adventure melodrama, with a simmering green awareness; rollicking, smart, breathtaking, and sobering.

| 8 Comments

The Martian movie review: life on Mars

Mon, Oct 12, 2015
44 comments

An excellent complement to the novel, simplifying the science without dumbing it down yet retaining the suspense and urgency of its interplanetary stranding.

| 44 Comments

Boyhood movie review: time in a cinematic bottle

Fri, Jul 11, 2014
14 comments

An audacious coming-of-age tale unique in the history of cinema; deeply moving and beautifully authentic.

| 14 Comments

1976: Hunt vs. Lauda (aka Hunt vs. Lauda) review

Tue, Jan 07, 2014
no comments yet

As with the semifictionalized Rush, this documentary look at the first superstars of Formula One is gripping even if you couldn’t care less about racing.

| Leave a comment

Rush review: man + machine vs man + machine

Mon, Sep 16, 2013
4 comments

A thoroughly magnificent film on every level, with astonishing performances by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl; one of the very best films of 2013.

| 4 Comments

Rush trailer: drive fast in circles and then explode

Tue, May 28, 2013
1 comment

Apparently men turn to dangerous athletics in order to express their emotions and existential rage.

| 1 Comment
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