Articles written by Daniel Johnson - Page 5

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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: Capitalism, A Love Story: 3 of 6
This time out filmmaker/muckraker Michael Moore brings his tried and trusty methods (idyllic 50's stock footage, Baby Boomer-era hit songs, a megaphone, stern evil unemotional old white men, and bringing it all back home to Flint, Michigan) to the financial crises of the last few years. "There's gotta be some kind of a rebel... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: (500) Days of Summer: 3 of 6
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER (Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zoey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloe Moretz. Dir. Marc Webb, 2009) I'm just going to say up front that I found this boy meets girl... movie to be an absolute winner. The tagline: This is not a love story. This is a story about love is apt because it isn't a rom com though... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Half Nelson: 3 of 6
HALF NELSON (Dir. Ryan Fleck, 2006) A student (Shareeka Epps) at an inner-city high school walks in on her white 20something-year old teacher (Ryan Gosling) smoking crack in the girl's locker room. They form an unlikely friendship and get worrisome windows into each other's troubled lives. Epps is growing up too fast of deal... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Hamlet 2: 2 of 4
HAMLET 2 (Dir. Andrew Fleming) Poor Steve Coogan. Like his fellow brilliant Brit blokes Simon Pegg and Ricky Gervais he's finding it hard to carve out a niche in the American comedy movie marketplace dominated by Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, and the ever present Apatow academy. This didn't make much of a dent when it came out ... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Whip It (2009): 2 of 4
The phrase "the directorial debut of Drew Barrymore" may not get most cineastes excited, especially as the Oscar prestige season looms, but it shouldn't alarm or offend them either. Barrymore presents a surprisingly solid 80's style formula film that's cute enough to overshadow its ultimate predictability. Protagonist Ellen ... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters: 2 of 4
Once I was angered to find that Leonard Maltin in one of his bulky film guides described MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL as being "for fans only". This was absurd - I've met many people who say that's the only Python movie or project they like so it is inaccurate to label it that way. That said this odd flat looking animated... More..
Entertainment > Movies (Other) Annoying anachronisms in modern movies: 1 of 2
One of the only flaws in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN(which if it's not the best film of the year - it'll do 'til the best film of the year gets here) set in 1980, is that a Carl's Jr. restaurant with a current day sign complete with cartoon smiley face star logo can be seen in the background. Also a modern Domino's Pizza typeface... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten: 1 of 2
JOE STRUMMER: THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN (Dir. Julien Temple, 2007)Tracing Joe Strummer's life from a "mouthy little git" to "punk rock warlord" (Strummer's words) Julien Temple's lively and loving documentary is full of insights and powerful ideology that render it immediately essential. As the frontman for the seminal British... More..
Entertainment > Movie Reviews Movie reviews: The Graduate (1967): 1 of 2
This season Mike Nichols' latest film CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR is making its run in the theaters but it's another Nichols' movie released 40 years ago to the day (Dec. 21st, 1967) that I'm writing about here - THE GRADUATE. That's right, the much beloved classic that featured a young Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock - a colle... More..
Entertainment > Album Reviews Album reviews: I'm Not There(original soundtrack), by Various Artists: 1 of 2
I'm Not There (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack produced by Randall Poster, Jim Dunbarm and Todd Haynes) Dylan covers (and collections of such) have been commonplace ever since the era when he first became a household name. Some are the product of a an artist or a band showing off their hipster literary chops (Judy Collins... More..