Getting into the numbers, I reviewed twenty four-star films and twelve five-star gems. That means my final "10 Best" list are all champs with two that had to be bumped to lead the next ten. From there, my four-star reviews were ranked from 12-20 and then honorable mention. In keeping with the hook of my website, each of my "10 Best" are presented with their best life lesson and linked full reviews. Enjoy!
Read MoreIt has to be said every year, but the slowest season of the box office year are the months of January and February. It's a dumping grounds for studios in slow months of cold weather and foot traffic at the multiplexes. These are movies that aren't good enough for awards qualification and the holiday audiences of December or for the chipper personality of spring. It's cold, slow, and drop off from awards frenzy.
Read MoreDuring the shift from December to January, I enjoy retracing what I reviewed and enjoyed from the previous year, but the trailers and previews for next year's films are starting to make an impact. I can't help but look ahead. Every year, I wrote an "Most Anticipated List." 2015 looks wildly loaded with must-see films. Let's make a new list for a new year. Here are my 15 most anticipated films of this new year. Enjoy!
Read MoreHere are three lists of the worst movies of the 2014, as ranked by Every Movie Has a Lesson and fans of the website. Enjoy and Happy New Year! Let's turn the page to a new year.
Read MoreHere is your lineup of films coming your way in the slow months of January and February. Add these to your calendar or print and slip this list on the fridge. As always, release dates shift all of the time, so be aware. Enjoy!
Read MoreHere's my official list of my top 10 movie scores with three unbreakable ties. I can't call them the "greatest," but I'll put my list next to anyone's and defend my choices. My friends and followers kind of poked the bear and encouraged me to make and rank my own list. Well, I love a good challenge and I knew this one would be easy. Movie scores and I get along.
Read MoreHere is the master calendar for the upcoming holiday movie season releases for November and December of 2014. Be sure to check ahead at theaters because release dates shift all the time. Print this out, pin it, or put it on the fridge for the next two months. Enjoy your holidays and enjoy these movies!
Read MoreIn accordance with the rules placed on me with my press credentials, I am not allowed to publish and post full reviews of the films I saw until their official U.S. distribution and release date. For some movies, that's happening now with the festival itself and for others that holding stretches into 2015. I would love to lay out everything, but I can't and you have to be patient. What I am allowed put out are capsule reviews: brief takes and short critiques that offer a taste of the full meal. Here are capsules for all of the films I attended from the 50th anniversary schedule. Each are listed with their anticipatory U.S. release dates for when you will find my review.
Read MoreAs 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, sometimes a simple sentence or two from a friend says it all. 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. In a new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for quick-hit movie reviews.
Read MoreUPDATED: September 11, 2015 with updated and new movie inclusions (after original post from the 10th anniversary in 2011) and a new section of faded and relaxed sensitivity. I plan to make this an annual post and study.
Read MoreI hope this big post and 200-song playlist finds you and serves you well. It's been quite the passion project for me to build, on and off, over the last year and a half. Thanks for letting me merge sounding like a parenting blogger and a movie in one post. Please share this column with your friends with kids. It's all not just for babies either. If you like this kind of music, it works great in the car or at the office as well. As a school teacher, I used to play this in my elementary school classes all the time. It's excellent music for creativity and focus for all ages. Enjoy!
Read MoreFor those website followers that don't know me on social media, I've become a first-time father in the past year-and-a-half and have a second child on the way due this fall. For this column, I might turn into a parenting blogger more than a movie critic, but bear with me. I think you will like it.
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