The sleepaway setting has long been a comedy and horror staple, from Meatballs, Friday the 13th, and The Parent Trap to Heavyweights and full-on satires like Wet Hot American Summer, and the delightful and crass new comedy The Floaters follows that in the same vein. It doesn’t matter the specialty or type of camp, assembling a hodgepodge group of characters is a foolproof and fast way of multiplying the classic coming-of-age arc we know and love.
Read MoreFor their 236th episode, two sword-wielding film critics, two chainmail-wearing dads, and two gore-friendly school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, continue on a sword-and-sandal deep dive by pairing together a pair of remakes of some 1980s cult classics. Last year in 2025, streaming services (and too few theaters) were graced with reboots of Red Sonja and Deathstalker.
Read MoreLucky Strike makes two cardinal mistakes in its first two scenes, which, in turn, dilute the rest of the movie. It’s a shame, too, because The Last Castle and The Contender director Rod Lurie, filming in the thick woods of Bulgaria, utilized striking wintery location shooting to put his actors through their paces and make us feel every cold snap of this movie’s little piece of the famed Battle of the Bulge during December of 1944.
Read MoreAs aforementioned, the premise of Rose of Nevada, bobbing our two strapping young men to the mercy of the seas of time, carries the “potential” of a story. Unfortunately, potential can only reach so far without actual progress. Try as George McKay can to unravel with his wide eyes to find an exit for Nick from this spiral, the oddness and downright tediousness of the plot never reach a true mindfuck level.
Read MoreWith the grand release of Toy Story 5, Mike Crowley of the You’ll Probably Agree website and YouTube channel wanted to look back at the entire series while giving an initial review of the fifth entry. Joining as guests were fellow Chicago Indie Critics members Al and Linda Lerner of Movies and Shakers. Representing three different generations and critics, we each brought a unique perspective and appreciation to all things Toy Story.
Read MoreFor the Carolina Caroline screenplay to even entertain these more mature themes is a testament to its quality and uniqueness amid the sea of film noir and neo-noir mirrors and imitators. Anyone can put a hot girl and a studly man together with a couple of guns and fire off some ill-advised bullets and Cupid’s arrows. Samara Weaving and Kyle Gallner, like their characters, forge something stronger than a fleeting fling, and that weight means the world.
Read MoreFor this movie, the foreboding existence of a big, bad sea monster capable of thorough destruction is enough. There’s no need to channel Michael Bay or Roland Emmerich and blow every cinematic wad in the world. No massive crowds are running for their lives ahead of massive property damage. No one is screaming, “It’s the Kraken!” That’s improved patience and confidence to make your own thrills count.
Read MoreFor their 235th episode, two film critics, two dads, and two school teachers who definitely have the power, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, are starting to scratch a sword-and-sandal itch. Semi-included in that subgenre, and just in time for the remake/reboot, is 1987's Masters of the Universe from Cannon Films. Starring the beloved and out-of-his element Dolph Lundgren, one of our hosts was absolutely the target audience for this nearly 40 years ago, and the other is watching it for the first time in 2026.
Read MoreFor their 234th episode, two wannabe TV critics, two resident dads, and two interning school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, enjoy the second week and episode pausing from cinema to spread some love to prestige television. Last week, they covered Season 1 of HBO Max's The Pitt. For this episode, they recap and react to the recently completed second season.
Read MoreViewers of Iglesias’s film may or may not immediately subscribe to the notion of spirits and ghosts among us, which will strengthen or fray their connection with the story, depending on where they fall. There’s not so much a need for someone to take the matriarch’s place, but more of finding someone to match her presence.
Read MoreFor their 234th episode, two wannabe TV critics, two resident dads, and two interning school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, enjoy the second week and episode pausing from cinema to spread some love to prestige television. Last week, they covered Season 1 of HBO Max's The Pitt. For this episode, they recap and react to the recently completed second season.
Read MoreFor their 232nd episode, two well-molded film critics, two non-Aussie dads, and two special effects school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, have secretly found a little sub-niche over the years for their show, where they find an obscure, forgotten film and get the chance to move its Rotten Tomatoes score with their podcast's submitted review. This week, 1986's "F/X" gets the treatment.
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