In the spirit of any press counting as good press, Every Movie Has a Lesson was mentioned in a news piece on ComicBook.com recently as one of the first and few Rotten Tomatoes-approved critics to give Toy Story 4 a negative or “rotten” review,. Cameron Bolomolo was reporting on the first wave of negative reviews hitting the Toy Story 4 Tomatometer, spoiling a 100% rating. Dubious as some might find it, it was still an honor to be noticed and mentioned respectfully.
Read MoreTHIS WEEK'S QUESTION: With 2019 almost half-over, what is the best movie performance of the year so far?
With June soon swooning to July, critics will start making their halfway and “so far” lists of films and performances. David Ehrlich put performances on the table to measure for this week’s survey and an outstanding list was built. I love the selection of Lupita Nyong’o from Us. She would be my 1A choice, but I was wowed this weekend by Ann Lupo in a little movie call In Reality which just won the top award of the debut Rom Com Fest in Los Angeles. Give this week’s survey a look.
Read MoreIt with Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast where I no longer feel like an island after watching and review Toy Story 4. He and I sat next to each other at the screening and both shared a great deal of chagrin afterwards. We put that together for his latest podcast episode against the positive interventions of David Fowlie of Keeping It Reel and Emmanuel Noisette of E-Man’s Movie Reviews. In addition to talking out the highs and lows of the movie, I was invited to share my experience this past week of being one of the extremely few “Rotten” Rotten Tomatoes reviews for Toy Story 4. Great conversations here for my 20th appearance on Ian’s fine sh Give it a listen!
Read MoreTHIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Best animation studio. Ghibli or Pixar. Pick one and only one and why.
Full disclosure: I’ve never seen a Studio Ghibli film, but I know their reputation and impact. I know what they stand for and how much they have inspired other creators, including the fine folks at Pixar. With Pixar settling too often for sequels lately (and this was before Toy Story 4), I feel like a small measure of their quality and importance has faded or shrunk a little. I voted on principle in the blind to what I felt was more important.
Read MoreThree-fourths of the “comic counsel” crew of Ian' Simmons’ Kicking the Seat podcast came together to talk after F. Gary Gray’s Men in Black: International. Emmanuel Noisette of E-Man’s Movie Reviews, Ian, and myself vented on how this summer is not making lemonade with the lemons that have been rolling through this summer. Our surprise and exasperation really shows from the retread tone and mostly vacant fun of this franchise reboot. Listen to our podcast session and commit it to memory!
Read MoreIn my social media circles of participation, I discovered members of the website 25YL, which is short for “25 Years Later.” They specialize in theory and analysis across personal experiences and creative influences spanning all sorts of media forms and genres. I answered an open call for writers and my press credential standing here in Chicago helps me see films early and give the site timely content. Look for my mainstream and Netflix Original film reviews appearing often as a staff writer.
Read MoreTHIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What is the best movie ever about TV?
This week’s pick for me was an instant no-brainer. Sidney Lumet’s masterpiece satire has evolved from being a sarcastic time capsule to a modern-day cautionary tale we’re nearly living. I do have to love these other picks included this week and I most especially need to clear out that blind spot for Broadcast News. Summer break can’t get her soon enough.
Read MoreThe “comic counsel” dais of Ian' Simmons’ Kicking the Seat podcast was burnt to the ground and resurrected from the ashes at the ShowPlace ICON X theater after watching the culminating send-off that was supposed to be Dark Phoenix, the final Fox X-Men film. David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel, Emmanuel Noisette of E-Man’s Movie Reviews, myself, and four hot new microphones makes this post-film discussion sizzle. Come and enjoy our back-and-forth. Critic and proud!
Read MoreTHIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What is the best movie cameo ever?
Keanu Reeves just got done dropping jaws and metaphysical truths in Netflix’s Always Be My Maybe this past weekend. It got David Ehrlich to wonder was was the best cameo ever. I was heartset on Alec Baldwin from Glengarry Glen Ross, but he’s technically a billed member of the cast. After that, it came down to Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder or Christopher Walken in Pulp Fiction. You can read my pick and criteria below from the survey article. Many great picks from the other critics boost the list!
Read MoreTHIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What is the worst movie ever and why?
Not too many critics are taking too kindly to Disney re-imagined Aladdin. I see the appeal, but it’s far from a great remake. That said, it’s far from the worst too. By golly, have there been some stinkers. This week’s IndieWire critics survey from David Ehrlich polled for the ugliest of the ugly and got ten selections. For the second survey in a row, I went to the 1990s, this time for Gus Van Sant’’s reviled Psycho remake. Misguided isn’t even the beginning of it. Any other choice here was going to be a distant second for me.
Read MoreWith guns blazing and some fun editing, Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat was kind enough to invite me for his podcast roundtable for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. I came into this as a neophyte where I hadn’t seen any of this series before prepping for the third. David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel and Emmanuel Noisette of E-Man’s Movie Reviews and to this circle and we all approach this one quite uniquely. Reload with us and enjoy the critiques!
Read MoreTHIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What is the best Keanu Reeves performance and how does it speak to his unique persona?
With the third John Wick film dropping this week, the question was an easy softball matching the film’s star. Keanu Reeves has had one interesting and steady career. The peaks are far spaced between his breakout with Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Speed, The Matrix, and John Wick, but he’s as steady as they come. I went with the dark and seedy stuff that made him break his deadpan persona for my survey pick. Second place would have been the little-seen The Watcher where Reeves plays an enigmatic serial killer.
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