Category: zPennyRants

The campaign for the 2008 Oscars officially began yesterday (10/17/07).  How do I know?  Because yesterday I received my first “For Your Consideration” letter.  In the next three months, my e-mail & snail mail inboxes will be flooded with letters, screeners, & chum of many varieties, all of which I will receive because I am a member… Continue reading 10/17/07: Campaigning for ’08 Oscars Begins!

     Another dream came true last night when I had my second chance to chat real time with one of my idols: Maggie Renzi. I chatted with Maggie the first time when John & Maggie came to Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center as part of their “John Sayles Retrospective” tour in 2002. This was the very FIRST interview… Continue reading CIFF ’07 Event: Sayles/Renzi’s HONEYDRIPPER

Capsule review by J.R. Jones (From the Chicago Reader)  The Jane Austen Book Club   “The movie equivalent of a toenail-painting session, this adaptation of Karen Joy Fowler’s best seller centers on a group of unhappy women (Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace) and one mystified man (Hugh Dancy) who convene… Continue reading Jim Jones on THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB

From Stephen Holden’s review of The Nanny Diaries in the NEW YORK TIMES: “Just before the big bad wolves — the rich and powerful — are about to devour the Little Red Riding Hoods in these books [Nanny & Prada], they see the light and parachute into improbably soft landings…”  Penny rants: OK, putting Prada… Continue reading Stephen Holden on THE NANNY DIARIES

When you’re a film critic, Oscar Night is a bit of a bore. We’re like political pundits energized by the primaries; from long experience, we know that by the time election night rolls around, most of the important issues have already been decided. So my biggest day of the year is the day that Oscar… Continue reading 07 Oscar Rant for Digital Filmmaker

“A year ago we visited with Chicago Film Critic Jan Huttner, who was not at all happy about the Oscar nominations of 2006; and here is it 2007. Everything went as planned for DREAMGIRLS, except the eight nominations did not include one for Best Picture. We’ll talk about this and much more. The Oscar nominations… Continue reading 07 Oscar Chat with Engster

Follow link to read Jan’s Oscar Picks for 2007   http://www.films42.com/oscar_picks/2007_oscar_picks.asp

Follow link to read Jan’s Oscar Picks for 2006 http://www.films42.com/oscar_picks/2006_oscar_picks.asp

Follow link to read Jan’s Reflections on Oscar 2006   http://www.films42.com/oscar_picks/oscar_reflections-2006.asp

Follow link to read Jan’s Oscar Picks for 2005   http://www.films42.com/oscar_picks/2005_oscar_globes_picks.asp

Follow link to read Jan’s Oscar Picks for 2004   http://www.films42.com/oscar_picks/2004_oscar_picks.asp

THIS WAS THE CRITICAL YEAR! Read all the details contained in Jan’s Reflections on Oscar 2004, then read Jan’s award-winning article in Women’s eNews. Thanks to coaching from WeN’s excellent editor Alexandra Poulos, this article took first place in the “Best News Writing for the Web” category at the 2005 NFPW Annual Meeting. The judges were particularly… Continue reading Jan’s Reflections on Oscar 2004

Follow link to read Jan’s Reflections on Oscar 2003   http://www.films42.com/oscar_picks/oscar_reflections2003.asp

Follow link to read Jan’s Oscar Picks for 2003   http://www.films42.com/oscar_picks/2003_oscar_picks.asp

Follow link to read Jan’s Oscar Picks for 2002   http://www.films42.com/oscar_picks/2002_oscar_picks.asp

Follow link to read Jan’s Oscar Picks for 2001   http://www.films42.com/oscar_picks/2001_oscar_picks.asp

Follow link to read Jan’s Oscar Picks for 2000   http://www.films42.com/oscar_picks/oscar_picks.asp