Articles written by Daniel Johnson

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About me - Daniel Johnson

I am an avid fire watcher, poet and comedian. Also critic, lowly benefit MC, and soap user.

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Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Star Trek (2009): 1 of 28
STAR TREK (Dir. J.J. Abrams, 2009) Sporting the most positive pre-release buzz since THE DARK KNIGHT, Gene Roddenberry's vigorous vision proves itself yet again in a dazzling spectacle of a sure to be Summer blockbuster. This is extremely impressive after the diminishing returns of the last few films of the franchise featur... More..
Entertainment > Hollywood & Movie Industry Alternate movie endings: Why sometimes it's not 'The End': 1 of 14
HE END...OR WAS IT?Anyone with a casual interest in film knows that sometimes a movie has more than one ending shot. Sometimes as an afterthought but most of the time after initial test screenings were greeted with negative reactions. Fatal Attraction is a classic example. In the original version Michael Douglas's adultery co... More..
Entertainment > Movie News & Previews 2007 Upcoming blockbusters: Movies to look forward to: 1 of 13
Hey kids - here's the top 5 movies to look forward to (and get our hopes too WAY up for) in 2007 :1. THE SIMPSONS MOVIE (Dir. David Silverman) Yep, I know there are a lot of cynics out there ragging on the alleged declining quality of the show and forecasting the worst for this long awaited project but I'm a hardcore fan of t... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Get Smart: 1 of 11
GET SMART (Dir. Andrew Fleming, 2008) It's not a bad idea to resurrect the character of Maxwell Smart - the bumbling Agent 86 of CONTROL immortalized by the late Don Adams in the 60's sitcom Get Smart - but it is remarkably uninspired to bring him back just to be the makeshift hero of yet another ginormous action movie formul... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US Politics (Other) Michael Moore: His contributions to film and politics: 1 of 10
Michael Moore at the Full Frame Film Festival April 3rd, 2004"I'd like to share with you the rest of my Oscar speech" Michael Moore offered to his rapt audience shortly after his introduction by noted documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker. The Full Frame Film Fest crowd responded in applause and laughter. It seems that nobody... More..
Entertainment > Movie Genres Comparing and ranking James Bond movies: 1 of 7
For the bloggosphere geek record, and because I feel many of my fellow film bloggers and readers haven't grown up with 007 like I have, here's my favorite films featuring the original international man of mystery:1. FROM RUSSIAWITH LOVE (Dir.Terence Young, 1963) Despite the heavily derived from Hitchcock's NORTH BY NORTHWEST ... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: 1 of 7
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Dir. Andrew Dominik, 2007)Despite some good word of mouth in its theatrical release last fall this got majorly overlooked even in the nonsensical "is the Western still alive?" debate that some critics indulged in. At the years end it made a number of top ten lists an... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Observe and Report: 1 of 7
Last weekend on Saturday Night Live, Kristen Wiig playing an audience member in a Q & A, said to host Seth Rogen: "You're in a second mall cop movie? Good luck with that!" It was an obvious dig at his new movie, but once you get past the seemingly similar premise, Rogen's deluded schlub of a character recalls such an alie... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: American Gangster: 3 of 20
In this fictionalized account of real events Denzel Washington potrays Frank Lucas, a real life Harlem heroin kingpin in the late 60's to mid 70's who was originally from my home-state (he was born in Washington, North Carolina and there are scenes set in Greensboro). Lucas rules the streets by smuggling drugs from Vietnam in... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: I Am Legend: 14 of 70
I AM LEGEND (Dir. Francis Lawrence, 2007)I was planning on skipping this flick but some friends thought it would be good mindless fun one recent eve. They were right - this Will Smith fighting zombies spectacle (big enough to warrant an IMAX release) isn't too dumb for fun. Mind you, it considers itself to be too highbrow to ... More..