http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/articles.sec-8382-1-film-reviews.html By MaryAnn Johanson

There’s a thing that makes me very sad about Star Trek Into Darkness. It’s not the perfect geek storm of an opening gambit that evokes not only the old-school boldly going adventures of the crew of the starship Enterprise,]]> By Scott Renshaw

What if Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby didn’t have to carry the burden of “The Great Gatsby”? That’s not just some Zen koan-like riddle intended to inspire deep meditation; it’s a question about the way we look at a movie ]]> By MaryAnn Johanson

The least interesting thing about the otherwise hugely entertaining Iron Man movies is, ironically, Iron Man. The suit of powered flying armor, that is. Hiding Robert Downey Jr. behind a metal mask an]]> By Scott Renshaw

Somewhere, somewhen, our culture became openly antagonistic to poetry. And that’s making it too easy to dismiss Terrence Malick for the wrong reasons.]]> By Scott Renshaw

Robert Redford hasn’t exactly been shy about his passionate, progressive political commitment over the years. So why does it seems so hard for him to make movies about passionately committed people ]]> By MaryAnn Johanson

Go on! Indulge in the very best movie-promo tie-in ever: the Oblivion-branded Mandatory Memory Wipe, available at the concession stand. Then walk into Oblivion with no recollection of 2001: A Space Odyssey ]]> By Scott Renshaw

For all those who found themselves perplexed beyond measure by Shane Carruth’s 2004 debut feature, the infinitely mind-bendy time-travel yarn Primer: It’s not nearly as complicated keeping]]> By Scott Renshaw

At a pivotal moment in the new Jackie Robinson biopic 42, Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford) tries to console Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), who’s furious over the abuse and humiliation he’s required to]]> By Scott Renshaw

With the constant drone of the 2012 campaign season still ringing in our ears, it’s hard to imagine building a heroic narrative out of political advertising. ]]> By Scott Renshaw

In June 1993, I stood in line at a Northern California multiplex with my then-roommates, awaiting our showtime for Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. One of them in particular had been giddy for weeks leading up ]]> By Scott Renshaw

If I were to distill my gut reaction as the final credits began to roll on my first viewing of Abbas Kiarostami’s Like Someone in Love, it would look something like this: “Wha?”]]> By Scott Renshaw

Provocateur: It’s such a loaded, even lazy term. Sure, it might seem to apply to Spring Breakers writer/director Harmony Korine as much as it would to any filmmaker. ]]> By Scott Renshaw

Sure, I’m a critic—but I’m also an American, and I don’t like seeing our institutions in peril. Which is why Olympus Has Fallen had me muttering angrily to myself: “Why couldn’t this have been the latest Die Hard movie?”]]> By Scott Renshaw

Funny—like former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s legendary line about pornography—is an “I know it when I see it” proposition. Often, nothing will kill a joke faster than trying to analyze it. ]]> By Scott Renshaw

With the arrival of 56 Up, I think it’s fair to ask: Has Michael Apted’s now-legendary documentary series become more theoretically fascinating than actually fascinating?]]> By Scott Renshaw

Let’s not put too fine a point on it: Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky saved Damien Echols’ life. That wasn’t their intent when they started making a documentary that came to be called Paradise Lost, ]]> By MaryAnn Johanson

So, it turns out in Oz the Great & Powerful that the man behind the curtain is even smaller and less mighty than Dorothy had discovered in the Emerald City. ]]> By Scott Renshaw

As soon as the closing credits for Jack the Giant Slayer began to roll, I knew I was in dangerous territory. Once again, I was about to enter the “lighten up” zone.]]> By Scott Renshaw

Bet as many Lincolns as you can on Daniel Day-Lewis. Anne Hathaway will be carrying away a gold statuette for dreaming a dream. And you can Argo to the bank on Ben Affleck’s film as a Best Picture favorite.]]> By Scott Renshaw

If you want to get an ironic dose of contemplating the passage of time, consider this: Feb. 12 marked the 20th anniversary of the release of Groundhog Day in 1993. ]]>