handcrafted film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
I’m not sure if Les Grossman, the foul-mouthed Hollywood producer Tom Cruise brought to hilairous life in Tropic Thunder, is such a good idea to star in his own movie, but it’s happening whether we like it or not. Via EW: Stiller released this statement today: “Les Grossman’s life story is an inspiring tale of … more…
This is the metric by which I ended up measuring *Iron Man 2*: By the time it was over, did I actually *want* to see it again this weekend with my geek gang? And the answer ended up being Yes…
Bidness is boomin’ for the Nazi killers: 1. Inglourious Basterds: $38.1 million (NEW) 2. District 9: $18.2 million (2nd week; drops 51%) 3. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: $12.2 million (3rd week; drops 45%) 4. The Time Traveler’s Wife: $9.7 million (2nd week; drops 42%) 5. Julie & Julia: $8.8 million (3rd week; drops … more…
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…
My luck at predicting the Oscar may not have been so hot this year — though I’m not sure it ever is — but I did get one thing sorta right. I said over at Film.com on Friday that if there was going to be an upset this year, it would be in the Best … more…
Out January 26 in Region 2: • Tropic Thunder [buy at Amazon U.K.]. From my green light review: [I]nventively clever in its sendup of the self-involvement of pretty much anyone who’s anyone in Hollywood, but does the sending up through lots of the kind of aggressive outrageousness Stiller’s own movies have taught us to expect … more…
Here are the most quotable movie lines of the year 2008. I didn’t mean to hold these till the movie year was over — it just sort of happened that way. I’ll return to posting quotes as I hear them for 2009. No ranking — quotes are posted in reverse order of movie release dates, … more…
December can feel overwhelming, for movie watchers, with all the awards contenders flooding the arthouses — if you’re in New York and Los Angeles — and multiplexes this holiday season. But it’s always true, too, that films from earlier in the year manage to get notice from critics groups in the pre-Oscar-nominations territory… and some … more…
How does an outlet like Reel Suave get such a prominent link at the IMDB? The site has lots of prominent links at IMDB as a “news source.” I don’t begrudge anybody their links. But this review wrongly credits Ethan Coen as a screenwriter — it’s Etan Cohen, a completely different person — and worse, … more…
Oh please please please let it be true that Ben Stiller is done with the humiliation ‘comedies’ and is getting back to his roots in smart satire.
