I enjoy tracking the trends and changes on my annual Awards Tracker, but once we get to crunch time before the Academy Awards, the cash flow takes over. I want my promise of "stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool" to become more ironclad every year. Betting websites and odds-makers, like those at SportsBettingDime.com, can put spin some monetary probability into predicting the future Oscar winners.
Read MoreTogether at The Century Bar of the Landmark Century Centre Cinema, fellow CIFCC critic Jeff York and I critiqued the ten short films nominated for the 90th Academy Awards for Best Live Action Short Film and Best Animated Short on the "Page 2 Screen" bost on the International Screenwriters' Association network. Both categories of contenders boasted impressive range and buried treasure. Enjoy our reviews and discussion!
Read MoreWe all know that Vaping is taking over the world, but did you know that due to its popularity, Vaping devices are being introduced into movies, TV shows, and even Video Games? It’s true! This infographic piece from Grey Haze takes a look at where vaping has popped up on the big and little screen and see which Vaping device each character is using and what that tells us about them. Enjoy!
Read MoreNowadays, just about anyone can make a blockbuster movie. You don’t need crazy budgets or a wealthy backer, you can do it yourself with relatively little expenditure. This guide and infographic from MoneyPod shows you how. Enjoy!
Read MoreThe 26 film critics, myself included, and voting members of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle completed their final ballots in 21 categories for their second annual CIFCC Awards. Leading all films with four awards is Get Out from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions, including three awards for Jordan Peele and his many hats. A24 and Focus Feature’s Lady Bird from director Greta Gerwig follows with three wins, including Best Independent Film.
Read MorePlenty of regular everyday people make New Year's Resolutions, but I think bigger entities, namely movie makers and movie moguls, need to make them too. Annually, including this seventh edition, this is my absolute favorite editorial to write every year. I have fun taking the movie industry to task for things they need to change. You would hope Hollywood would learn from those lessons going forward. Alas, here we go again! Enjoy!
Read MoreThe end of the year brings grading and reflection points for both the school teacher in me and the film critic. Looking at the online Trapper Keeper portfolio called Every Movie has a Lesson, I published 126 full film reviews in 2017, topping last year’s 114 and setting a new high mark. Here’s my definitive list of the "10 Best" films of 2017. True to this website’s specialty, each film will be paired with its best life lesson. Enjoy!
Read MoreFor an elevated feeling, combine the buzz of a gambling win with the real-life thrill of victory that comes from spectator sports. Betting on sports is like double the juice when you combine fandom with fun. Over in the arena of movies, my specialty, sports betting has been a popular plot point within the genre of gambling movies. Here’s my list of the top ten best sports betting films, peppered with little salutes and recommendations.
Read MoreThe ballot nominations have been tallied and here are the finalists in every category. Our 25 critics will be voting on these awards between December 24-30. If you were in our shoes, who would you pick? The Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle has opened up a FAN BALLOT on Google Forms found here in this post.
Read MoreCapping off their second year as a recognized awards-voting body, the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle, a group which I helped found and participate as a proud member, has announced their nominees for the second annual CIFCC Awards. The 26 voting members completed ballots with the goal of three final nominees in 21 categories. They will commence a final round of voting ending on December 29, 2017 with winners announced on December 30, 2017.
Read MoreThe brand new Disney/Fox merger looms large in the business of Hollywood. There's a great deal of big ugly implications, but there are some nice developments that come out of it as well. One of those is more Marvel Comics characters coming under the Marvel Studios umbrella at Disney. Suitably, they belong together and the new possibilities of team-ups and crossovers are mouth-watering and eye-popping.
Read MoreFrom Oliver Stone’s epic Wall Street to the hilarious Trading Places and the Scorcese hit The Wolf of Wall Street, the topic of finance has inspired many a classic film. Courtesy of ABCFinance, find a handy infographic of 10 Best Films about Finance below. We’ve also analyzed the books to discover how well each film did at the box office, compared to their monetary budget. In the film world of finance, alongside tales of highs, lows, and even humor, there’s definitely some money to be made!
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