For their 217th episode, two analytical film critics, two saber-rattling dads, and two missile-dropping teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, hop into a little bit of the simmering 2025 awards season with a hotly debated contender from Netflix. The gentlemen share a great divide for the political thriller A House of Dynamite, the latest white-knuckle film from The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow. Podcast bombs are exploding everywhere!
Read MoreFor their 216th episode, two haughty film critics, two non-painting dads, and two gold-digging teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, roar back from a short October haitus with a movie that doesn't try to shout back whatsoever. Stratching off a mutual Stanley Kubrick blind spot, the boys sat through 1975's wannabe opus Barry Lyndon and strive to discuss the thematic pull and shread of a point amid the off-the-charts craftsmanship of the respected cinematic master. There is a clear lover and hater on this one.
Read MoreFor their 215th episode, two principled film critics, two non-veteran dads, and two warrior teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, return from a short October haitus for the first of two episodes celebrating their “Best Member Podcast” nomination from the first annual Astra Awards. The film of choice is Alex Garland's electric 2025 military thriller Warfare.
Read MoreIt took receiving a Google Alert on my name to see that my 2022 review of the time travel romance Press Play was recently quoted and cited on the media site ComicBook.com. Staff Writer Allison Schonter wrote a piece about Press Play giving love to its at-the-time budding star (and now gilded Marvel Cinematic Universe hero) Lewis Pullman and the movie’s excellent soundtrack.
Read MoreIt took receiving a Google Alert on my name to see that my 2012 review of Clint Eastwood’s simple and mild baseball film Trouble With the Curve was recently quoted and cited on the media site FandomWire. Senior Writer Diya Majumdar wrote a piece about Trouble With the Curve standing as clapback answer to Bennett Miller’s 2011 revered Moneyball and the style of statistically-centered baseball scouting it champions.
Read MoreIan Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel has enjoyed this chances to review physical media releases alongside new theatrical releases and classics. He and I are on the press list for Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, which nets us some preview copies of many of their physical media offerings. For a new episode of Ian’s “Featured Extras” series, enjoy myself, Ian, and David Fowlie of Keeping It Reel appreciating the craftsmanship and speed of the Brad Pitt vehicle F1: The Movie.
Read MoreThe event featured fellow Canadian Ryan Reynolds holding court with a dais that included moderator Kevin McCarthy, Candy’s Chris, and special Chicago guest Jim Belushi. Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel also attended and invited me, David Fowlie of Kicking the Seat, and Cati Glidewell on The Blonde in Front to talk about the excellent film.
Read MoreFor their 214th episode, two bumbling film critics, two clueless dads, and two coffee-passing teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, had very few movies circled on their calendar for the summer of 2025. Beyond the comic blockbusters, and even in front of them in some cases, The Naked Gun was one of them. Both hosts took to a film series rewatch this summer before indulging in the work of Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson to convince us this style of comedy wasn't lost or dead
Read MoreOne of the many critcs groups I have become a member of over the years is the International Film Society Critics, an international group numbering over 100 film critics. Recently, they embarked on a project to answer this past summer’s very viral and publicly voted “100 Best Films of the 21st Century ” from The New York Times with a curated “so far” list of their own, ranked and selected by IFSCA members.
Read MoreAfter a two-month siesta thanks to the rigors of the teacher day job, I found myself back on the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel hosted by Ian Simmons. The cinephile world was set ablaze at the end of September with much-ballyhooed release of Paul Thomas Anderson’s new multi-genre opus One Battle After Another. The film has been enjoying all the recency bias and proclamations that it’s the best film of the year and the titan to beat at the Oscars.
Read MoreAs I have grown in press credentials and professional affiliations nationally, I have found myself landing in circles with other film critics of various levels. Recently, I was included in a poll for voting critics for Jordan Ruimy of World of Reel, a fellow Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. His survey was to collect picks for the best films of Steven Soderbergh from over 100 critics and other industry folk.
Read MoreFor their 213th episode, two AI-fearing film critics, two hominid dads, and two bored teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, venture into the prophetic and distant science fiction of 24 years ago by way of 57 years ago. Those that can do the math can deduce they’re talking about Stanley Kubrick’s cornerstone epic 2001: A Space Odyssey. This was an egregious blindspot for Will and a contrarian hate spot for Don, who’s tried many times to embrace it
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