top of page
MJ @ THE MOVIES
Your Go-To Source

Home: Welcome
Search


REVIEW. BLACK BAG: James Bond for the Mensa Crowd, but in a good way.
The first time I entered writer-director Steven Soderbergh's fast-paced, upscale urban world was thirty-five years ago when I watched his...

MaryAnn Janosik
Mar 235 min read
Â
Â
Â


MJ's Oscars After Party: "The Good, the Bad and the Chalamet."
Did you stay awake? Last night's Oscar show was another hodge podge of fun, whimsy, tedium and surprises, and clocked in at 4 hours, 19...

MaryAnn Janosik
Mar 38 min read
Â
Â
Â


MJ's Oscar Picks 2025: Part Deux. "Short movies got no reason..."
With apologies to Randy Newman and all those wonderful filmmakers who work in the non-feature format, we have another eclectic collection...

MaryAnn Janosik
Feb 245 min read
Â
Â
Â


MJ's Oscar Picks 2025: The Wildfire Edition
Based on last year's response to "I'm Just Ken," I'm following up with another Oscar-related parody. Not one of this year's Original Song...

MaryAnn Janosik
Feb 2468 min read
Â
Â
Â


REVIEW. "As Demi Moore Uses THE SUBSTANCE, Death Becomes Her."
NOTE: Spoilers may occur, otherwise the review wouldn't make sense. But, given the date of this posting, some of you may have already...

MaryAnn Janosik
Feb 16 min read
Â
Â
Â


REVIEW. THE BRUTALIST lives up to its name... but not in ways you might think.
I remember the first time I saw Gone With the Wind. I must have been ten or twelve years old and the movie was returning to theaters for...

MaryAnn Janosik
Jan 197 min read
Â
Â
Â


REVIEWS. Two Very Different Women: THE LAST SHOWGIRL & HARD TRUTHS.
At first blush, the story of an aging Las Vegas showgirl (Pamela Anderson) and a depressed black woman of similar age living in London...

MaryAnn Janosik
Jan 1510 min read
Â
Â
Â


MJ's View: How might the Golden Globes, SAG Noms - and California Wildfires - Impact Oscar?
Well, that was fun - last week's usually uninspired, often tedious, generally unimpactful Golden Globe awards. First-time host,...

MaryAnn Janosik
Jan 129 min read
Â
Â
Â


REVIEW. NICKEL BOYS: Worth a look, even if the view isn't always clear.
Back in 1990, the often acerbic New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael snidely commented that first time director Kevin Costner's new epic...

MaryAnn Janosik
Jan 45 min read
Â
Â
Â
MJ's Top Five Movies of 2024 and More.
NOTE: As of this writing - and not coming to a Chicago theater until after the new year - I had not yet seen Nickel Boys and The...

MaryAnn Janosik
Dec 30, 20248 min read
Â
Â
Â
REVIEW. BABYGIRL: Romy & Samuel's Erotic, if Clichéd, Rendez-Vous.
NOTE: There is a spoiler alert identified ahead. I'm already imagining the memes. Nicole Kidman slurping milk from a dish, getting down...

MaryAnn Janosik
Dec 28, 20247 min read
Â
Â
Â


REVIEW. "Timothée Chalamet Goes Electric in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN."
Some of you know that movies about celebrities/artists who are still alive and/or who left lots of audio-visual documentation of their...

MaryAnn Janosik
Dec 26, 20249 min read
Â
Â
Â


REVIEW. THE PERFORMANCE: In the Shadow of the Holocaust, Life is Just a Bowl of Peaches... or Something.
What if you could realize your heart's desire? No limits. You'd have everything you ever wanted... but it'll cost you. The price? Your...

MaryAnn Janosik
Dec 16, 20246 min read
Â
Â
Â
MJ's VIEW: What to look for during awards season.
With the Golden Globes nominations set to be announced Monday, December 9, I thought I'd stick my prognosticating neck out and make a few...

MaryAnn Janosik
Dec 8, 20244 min read
Â
Â
Â
REVIEW. Emilia Pérez: Listen. Écoute. This audacious genre-crossing film will steal your heart.
I wish I had seen this movie on the big screen, but it only played for about a week in theaters. Here 's the film that should have...

MaryAnn Janosik
Dec 6, 20245 min read
Â
Â
Â
REVIEW. WICKED: It's not easy being green... but it's also about the Benjamin's.
Nickels and quarters and dime, oh my! Record receipts not just once, but twice? Longer and bigger and more CGI! I can't help but wonder:...

MaryAnn Janosik
Nov 25, 20248 min read
Â
Â
Â
REVIEW. "A Real Pain is 1000 Miracles of Pure Joy...and Sadness."
Woody Allen lives! Well, sort of. Just when I thought Allen's quintessentially morose, if arguably loveable, neurotic putz might fade...

MaryAnn Janosik
Nov 24, 20247 min read
Â
Â
Â
REVIEW. "SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE Speaks Volumes About Catholic Abuse."
Since the late 18th century, a network of "asylums" for fallen or penitent women was run by Ireland's Magdalene sisters. Later known as...

MaryAnn Janosik
Nov 10, 20245 min read
Â
Â
Â
REVIEW. ANORA: Cinderella Meets Pretty Woman? Da Nyet Naveral.
About thirty minutes into Anora , my husband leaned over and whispered, " This is the movie that won the Palme d'Or (at this year's...

MaryAnn Janosik
Nov 9, 20245 min read
Â
Â
Â
REVIEW. In HERE, Home is where the Heart...er, Camera is.
The first time I visited Spain, I remember walking into the magnificent Cathedral of Toledo and suddenly being overwhelmed with emotion....

MaryAnn Janosik
Nov 3, 20247 min read
Â
Â
Â
Home: Blog2
Home: Subscribe
bottom of page