Top Ten 2012 - Brandy McDonnell
1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. Django Unchained
3. Argo
4. Looper
5. Beasts of the Southern Wild
6. Brave
7. The Dark Knight Rises
8. Robot & Frank
9. Lincoln
10. Safety Not Guaranteed
Brandy McDonnell
Brandy McDonnell writes features and reviews movies, music, events and the arts for The Oklahoman, Oklahomas statewide newspaper, and NewsOK.com, the states largest news Web site.
Raised on a farm near Lindsay, Okla., she started her journalism career in seventh grade, when she was elected reporter for her schools 4-H Club. Taking her duties seriously, she began submitting stories to The Lindsay News, and worked for the local weekly through high school.
She attended Oklahoma State University, where she worked for The Daily OCollegian and earned her journalism degree with honors.
She worked for three years at small Oklahoma dailies The Edmond Sun and Shawnee News-Star. In 2002, she joined The Oklahoman as a features reporter, writing about movies, the arts, events, families and nonprofits. She moved to The Oklahomans entertainment desk in 2007.
In 2004, she won a prestigious Journalism Fellowship in Child & Family Policy from the University of Marylands Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
Along with her membership in AWFJ, she also is a founding member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle.
Articles by Brandy McDonnell
AWFJ Women On Film - Is ‘Ex-Wife’ Part of Kathryn Bigelow’s Job Description? - Brandy McDonnell comments
If Bigelow’s low-budget but excellent independent film has to play the proverbial second fiddle to a mega-blockbuster that has become the top-grossing movie of all time, that’s one thing. That’s life. That’s just the way it is. Money equals power.
But please, for the love of the 19th Amendment, tell me that we’re not going to spend the rest of awards season hearing about the big showdown between Cameron and his ex-wife. Read more>>
AWFJ Women On Film - Brandy McDonnell’s Top Ten of 2009
1. “Inglourious Basterds.”
2. “The Hurt Locker.”
3. “Up in the Air.”
4. “(500) Days of Summer.”
5. “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.”
6. “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”
7. “Up.”
8. “District 9.”
9. “Invictus.”
10. “The Brothers Bloom.”
And, for the annotated version: Read more>>
AWFJ Women On Film - “The Hurt Locker” - Brandy McDonnell reviews
Finally, the battle to bring an effective and engaging Iraq war movie to the screen has been won. read more>>
AWFJ Women On Film - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Brandy McDonnell reviews
Unfortunately, the slogan “more than meets the eye” does not apply to the slam-bang action sequel “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”
AWFJ Women On Film - The Pixar Picture - Brandy McDonnell comments
As thousands of balloons lift Carl Fredricksen’s house in the new film “Up,” the sky seems to be the limit for Pixar Animation Studios, the still-young Hollywood powerhouse behind the 3-D animated adventure. Read more>>
AWFJ Women On Film - “Dance Flick” - Brandy McDonnell reviews
For the good of humanity, someone needs to stop the Wayans clan from procreating — or at least from using their offspring, siblings and other relatives to make bad movies. Read more>>
AWFJ Women On Film - Matthew McConaughey on “Girlfriends” - Brandy McDonnell interviews
LOS ANGELES — Before he presented the entertainer of the year prize to Carrie Underwood at last month’s Academy of Country Music Awards, Matthew McConaughey regaled the crowd with a story about using George Strait to pick up chicks. Read more>>
AWFJ Women On Film - “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” - Brandy McDonnell reviews
Even the masterful storytelling of Charles Dickens can’t turn away the “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” from the dreaded fate of banal predictability. Read more>>