handcrafted film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
A complete upending of the western, about not wide open spaces but close-in intimacy, with an unusual female gaze and a hugely provocative dare to gender expectations. Both ironic and transformative.
A triumph of science fiction storytelling: a sweeping tale of mythological scope told with astonishing FX wizardry that brings emotion and intelligence to nonhuman people.
Supernatural slasher haunts a live-action role-playing game. The cast is clearly having fun, but none of it rubs off on us.
There’s way too much crass and crude for this third outing in the series to do much beyond stoke juvenile disgust with human bodily functions…
The name is a little misleading. These 10 45-minute episodes aren’t just in HD: they’re in color. Hardly anyone even knew most of this footage existed, and it is amazing to see.
We know how it is: You’d like to go to the movies this weekend, but you’re too busy cooking your way through Julia Child’s magnum opus and blogging about it to get out of the house. But you can have a multiplex-like experience at home with a collection of the right DVDs. And when someone … more…
UPDATE: I was planning to see The Time Traveler’s Wife (opens in the U.S. and the U.K. on August 14) next week, but I just learned of an earlier screening… tonight. So I’ve got a double feature tonight: Eric Bana melting through time, and then G.I. Joe. Should be fun! So now the buzz on … more…
David Twohy hopes you’re not as smart as he is. In fact, he’s counting on you being kinda dim.
Take a break from work: watch a trailer… I so thought Announcer Guy was gonna say this island was “as beautiful as it is deadly.” Oh, man, does the trailer give away the fact that Tim Olyphant is the killer?… [waits] Ah, it’s not meant to be a secret: Olyphant is not a secret psycho: … more…
There’s nothing wrong with fantasy. Movies are fantasies. But I’m so tired of male fantasies constantly being catered to while female fantasies are all but ignored.
