Posts tagged Guest Critic series
GUEST CRITICS #27: A Bad Mom's Christmas

In a return engagement for a zany sequel, Every Movie Has a Lesson welcomes back the four fine ladies and working moms of the "TTC" (Terrific Teacher Committee).  Say hello again to Donna Ferretti, Kelly Johnson, Manda Torres, and my own wife, Mrs. Thanh Shanahan, the purveyor of this website's "Pillow Rankings" section.  Sixteen months ago, they reviewed Bad Moms on this website as "Guest Critics."  

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GUEST CRITIC #26: Murder on the Orient Express

Fellow Chicago critic Jeff York is a delight to talk to on any and all topics, but our movie chats have become truly special.  Jeff was able to view and review Kenneth Branagh's remake of Murder on the Orient Express. He's a self-professed fan and cover-to-cover expert on the Agatha Christie source novel and the previously celebrated 1974 film adaptation.  His review will do better informative service than mine ever would. 

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GUEST CRITIC #25: It

Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews is an emerging film critic tackling both written and video reviews.  His YouTube channel is must-watch and automatic-subscribe material.  Emmanuel is one of the co-directors with me of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle. Between us two busy Chicago critics and working fathers, Emmanuel and I are orchestrating a trade of "guest reviews" for each other's sites.  Horror is not my cup of tea and he was all over It.

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GUEST CRITIC #24: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Steve Clifton acknowledges that his relevance in today's culture is barely recognized.  I'm right there with him, but, both he and I continue to pretend people like us.   Maybe you will too.  The film critic of Popcorn Confessional and regular columnist Feelin' Film is my latest GUEST CRITIC reviewing "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword."

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GUEST CRITIC #23: Snatched

For his debut GUEST CRITIC appearance on Every Movie Has a Lesson, please welcome Steve Pulaski, a fellow member of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle.  This young man has been a film critic since 2009, self-taught and reviewing films throughout his academic career.  Steve Pulaski currently writes for his personal forum, The Steve Pulaski Message Board, as well as Influx Magazine, where he serves as the lead film critic of the website.  The guy cranks out 300 reviews a year, which is an insane pace and triple what I do over here in the same amount of time.

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GUEST CRITIC #22: The Fate of the Furious

Between us two busy Chicago film critics and working fathers, Emmanuel and I are orchestrating a trade of "guest reviews" for each other's sites.  I was swamped last week and I was unable to see "The Fate of the Furious."  He missed Chris Evans' vehicle "Gifted."  My review of that will go on his site and his review of vehicular mayhem arrives right here:

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GUEST CRITIC #21: Fifty Shades Darker with Sharon Mulyk

Two years ago, Sharon Mulyk graced this website with her guest review of “Fifty Shades of Grey” and we were all made better people for it.  I couldn’t let the sequel come around without inviting her back for “Fifty Shades Darker.”  Enjoy our newest GUEST CRITIC post!  

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GUEST CRITIC #20: John Wick: Chapter 2

Shameful as this sounds, I have not seen the first "John Wick" and I was not a place to catchup before "John Wick: Chapter 2." Meet Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews.  He is an emerging film critic tackling both written and video reviews.  His YouTube channel is must-watch and automatic subscribe material.  Emmanuel is a colleague of man with the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle (CIFCC).  Eman is a big fan of the first and the second one impressed him greatly.

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GUEST CRITIC #19: Office Christmas Party

Say hello to Mr. and Mrs. Jake and Kimberly Narens!  Kim is a former co-worker of mine from back in the day.  She was the art teacher and I was a fourth grade teacher at the Lloyd Bond campus of Chicago International Charter Schools during its inaugural school year in 2009-2010.  We have both moved on to other jobs since then and also become first-time parents.  While I am still in Chicago, she and her husband now call the sultry heat of Chandler, Arizona home.  I'm guessing they don't miss shoveling snow.

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GUEST CRITIC #18: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Give a warm, Show-Me-State welcome to Mr. Shane Bowen.  Shane is a fourth grade teacher in the St Louis area.  Like so many educators (myself included), Shane flexes a creative muscle outside of the textbooks and paper-grading.  Mr. Bowen also writes novels as a hobby.  Shane recently started his own publishing company, Out the Window Books at www.outthewindowbooks.com.  This man has talent and knows the power of a good beer and a good movie.  Enjoy this review of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

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GUEST CRITIC #17: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

I'm calling in the big guns for this latest "Guest Critic" entry.  The man you will read tonight is full-fledged fellow film critic with his own podcast.  Fancy pants!  Meet Blaine Grimes, a new Oklahoma resident by way of Texas.  I became social media acquaintances through another Texan, friend of the page and all-round critic himself, Tim Day of "Day at the Movies."  We have enjoyed following each other's work and pestering Tim Day every since.

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GUEST CRITIC #16: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

As busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me.  As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, there are other experts out there.  Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy.  Sometimes, they save me $9 and you 800+ words of blathering.  My latest "Guest Critic" is a high school classmate of mine, Kelly Meents.

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