film criticism by maryann johanson | handcrafted since 1997
Ugly, sordid, and proud of it, with less than no justification. “Meet the Feebles meets Who Framed Roger Rabbit” conveys a far greater sense of dignity, cohesion, and purpose than this witness movie deserves.
Puts CGI, IMAX, and 3D (and Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to perfect use. Everything here comes with a vertiginous thrill and a delightful enchantment.
You will be shocked, I am sure, to discover that Big Oil has put its profits before all else (including you).
Insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from the ruthlessly forced faux charm of a witless, sloppily assembled, lazily crafted movie that believes it can get away with such shoddiness because it’s ‘for kids.’
Take a look back at an old trailer… It’s refreshing to see a trailer admit it right up front: this is a movie about sex and violence. I bet James Cameron’s Avatar won’t combine live action and animation with the same goofy panache as this flick did. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is available on DVD … more…
Tony Scott’s updating of The Taking of Pelham 123 opens on Friday, and it turns out that it’s a remake that actually makes sense: Technology and practices — in the fields of filmmaking, subways, commmunication, and law enforcement — and culture have changed enough that this new film is different enough from the original to … more…
All this weekend! 5 movies I’m psyched for in December and 5 reasons why. No. 1: The Tale of Despereaux [opens in the U.S. and the U.K. on December 19]. 1. He’s a cute little mouse with big ears, and he’s wielding a sewing needle as a sword. How adorable is that? (Actually, the first … more…
Honestly, I’d pay cash money to see either Neeson or Ewan McGregor on his own read from the phone book, and the two of them together is almost too delicious to bear. His Obi-Wan unfortunately doesn’t have an awful lot to do, but McGregor wastes no opportunity to be brilliant, reigning in a young man’s impetuousness with a Jedi-in-training’s emotional control — that these two opposing forces are at war within him is clear throughout the film.
