This past week, I was cordially invited and honored to join a panel on the "Kicking the Seat" podcast hosted by Ian Simmons. As always, Ian is joined by his regular wingman David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel. We left a seat warm for mutual friend Emmanuel Noisette of E-Man's Movie Reviews, but he couldn't make it. Ian, David, and I have talked comic book movies before, so it was only proper to get together for Justice League.
Read MoreTwo fine gentlemen of strong opinions that I've conversed with and debated often through my participation over at the Feelin' Film Podcast are Gabriel Green and James Hamrick, the creators and hosts of the "Underrated Podcast." Their aim is field listener and guest selections of films that fit the underrated billing reflected either by low box office results or low critical review aggregate scores. My pick and our show's topic was Ben Stiller's 2012 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Read MoreI joined Jeff York recently as his guest for a special 20th-anniversary 35mm screening of 1997's Oscar-winning L.A. Confidential at the storied Music Box Theatre as part of the Noir City Chicago Festival. As an added treat, author James Ellroy was in the house to kick things off with an expletive-laden bang. After the screening, he and I hunkered down in Frio Gelato near the theatre to share our admiration and examination of Curtis Hanson's masterpiece.
Read MoreFellow CIFCC critic and director Jim Alexander of Reel Talker extended the invitation for me to co-host a new episode of his podcast. On this installment of the Reel Talker podcast, Jim and I discuss the July movie releases and which we consider hits or flops. Also, he and I disclose our Top 10 movie lists through the halfway point of 2017. Jim and I had very different picks, chock full of surprises!
Read MoreKathryn Bigelow's new film Detroit deserves the attention and lightning rod attraction it hopes to receive. Her historical drama is unrelenting in weight and topical in its parallels to similar and remaining mistreatment still happening today. On the same night as seeing an advance screening, three critics got together to unpack and reaction to Detroit. Aaron White, one of the hosts of the Feelin' Film Podcast, invited me and fellow Chicago critic Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews to put our thoughts and feelings into words.
Read MoreYouTube creator extraordinaire Mike Crowley of the "You'll Probably Agree" channel, a.k.a. YPA Reviews, invited me as an on-camera guest for the second time. This past May, we ranted on the overrated qualities of Terrence Malick. This time, we throw down on all things Dunkirk, including full reviews, fighting and tempering Christopher Nolan fandom, and the state of art house vs. Netflix. Mike's show can be digested in three parts: the Dunkirk review, the sidebar talk on Nolan, and the full uncut version of all topics.
Read MoreI had the honor and pleasure this past week to join a league of movie-loving dads talking about a true fathers' movie: 1983's Mr. Mom. Host Patrick Hicks orchestrated myself and fellow regular Feelin' Film contributor Jeremy Calcara in a lively discussion covering the film, dad jokes, how our own upbringing informed our own parenting styles, our tremendous wives, and what makes this John Hughes film worth revisiting.
Read MoreIf you're like me and friend-of-the-page Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews, you might be feeling masterpiece-labeling pressure and Dunkirk review fatigue. For Emmanuel, guest extraordinaire Harry Egbo, and I, the film didn't resonate with us emotionally, but we had plenty of superlatives to talk about mingling with the challenges and questions. This is a SPOILER-FILLED audio discussion and the ethnic music in the background is all bonus gravy!
Read MoreSome movies move some people while leaving others scratching their heads. Welcome to an incredible movie therapy session. Aaron White of the Feelin' Film Podcast and I do our best to tell you what A Ghost Story is, and isn’t, so that you can decide if it’s worth your time. It will either frustrate you or leave you haunted. Listen now to this episide of "Feelin' It" to find out which you’ll be.
Read MoreThrough my collaboration with the folks at the Feelin' Film Podcast, I have had the pleasure of crossing virtual paths with Chad Hopkins, the host of The Cinescope Podcast. He cordially invited me on as a guest for a podcast talk on John Avildsen's The Karate Kid as an off-shoot sample of American values just in time for Independence Day.
Read MoreFeelin' Film host Aaron White and I hashed out our thoughts on Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled, debuting this weekend in theaters after wowing the Cannes Film Festival last month. It hit Aaron more than it hit me, but this counts as a wickedly entertaining remake from Coppola. We try to inform you so you can decide whether this seductively complex, yet simple, film is one for you.
Read MoreIn Episode 4 of the new Reel Talker podcast, fellow CIFCC director Jim Alexander and I discuss The Mummy, I, Daniel Blake, My Cousin Rachel, and It Comes at Night newly arriving to theaters. In part two, we talk about the week's new Blu-ray/DVD releases and hot topic movie trends from the week. Listen and enjoy!
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