I had the pleasure to be joined by the team of John Robinson and El'Ahrai Stanek of The Harvey and Bob Show podcast and LodgeCon 2017. We hosted a panel on genre and fantasy films together. Afterwards, El'Ahrai and John live-recorded their weekly podcast from the event and I was privileged to be a guest participant.
Read MoreYours truly was asked to host a film-centered panel and I wholeheartedly accepted the chance to back a friend. The topic will be "The State of Genre and Fantasy Films" and I will attempt to hold court on the matter. I'm not going alone though. I have enlisted two Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle colleagues and fellow genre film fans to join me, John Robinson and El'Ahrai Stanek, of "The Harvey and Bob Show" podcast based in Woodridge, Illinois.
Read MoreMatching my signature niche, I pitched the Feelin' Film website on writing a weekly column on the serious and farcical life lessons learned each week from either the current film releases or the prevailing movie industry trends of the moment. Since mid-January 2017, that idea has become the column "What Did We Learn This Week." My weekly column features commentary and content I don't post anywhere else, not even here.
Read MoreThis past week, I was given the outstanding opportunity to be an in-studio guest on WGN Radio's "The Nick Digilio Show" with host and fellow movie critic Nick Digilio. The main reason for my appearance was to represent the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle as one of the co-directors and co-founders to talk about our inaugural CIFCC Awards happening on January 8. I announced the full list of CIFCC nominees and made the exclusive announcement of two of the award winners on Nick's show.
Read MoreIn the same taping as our back-and-forth boosting or spiking "Passengers," host Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat brought a group of film critic peers to put a bow on 2016. Ian, David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel, Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews, Harold Egbo, myself, and a pre-taped Pat McDonald of Hollywood Chicago came together to answer a few key pre-selected questions and compare our reflection on the year that was.
Read MoreSeveral Chicago film critics got together earlier this week for a "year-end" roundtable hosted by Ian Simmons for his "Kicking the Seat" site and podcast. We had just gotten out of an advance screening for "Passengers" and were brimming with positive and negative opinions that couldn't be contained, creating a second reason for Ian to turn on the mics and recorders. Enjoy Ian, Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews, Harold Egbo, David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel, and myself as we challenge the gravity and go on a trip for "Passengers."
Read MoreAfter attending a last-minute press screening of "Moana" for a plus-one Date Night with my wife and "Pillow Rankings" cohort Thanh Shanahan, I was cordially invited by "Kicking the Seat" film critic and friend-of-the-page Ian Simmons to once again be a guest on his stellar podcast. This 173rd episode was my first solo flight with Ian and we shared a highly enjoyable back-and-forth at the Golden Nugget Pancake House about strong female characters, Candyland conundrums, the appetizing animated short "Inner Workings," the ever-present Dwayne Johnson bump, mythology comparisons, Katherine Helmond tributes, and much more.
Read MoreAfter an advance screening of "Doctor Strange," I was invited to participate in a post-film round table podcast hosted by Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat. After a brief eulogy for deceased comic book artist Steve Dillon, I was one of four Chicago film critics chatting about our feelings, opinions, and reactions to "Doctor Strange" with tangents on other Marvel Cinematic Universe entries, tropes, and tendencies.
Read MoreAfter an advance screening of "Finding Dory," I was invited to participate in a post-film round table podcast hosted by Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat. I was one of five Chicago film critics chatting about our feelings, opinions, and reactions to "Finding Dory" with tangents on Pixar, Burger King (our lucky location for the podcast), and even "The Gilmore Girls." Ian does outstanding work putting these shows together and I was highly honored to be included. I hope to be a guest again in the new future! Enjoy the show!
Read MoreFilm critics El'Ahrai Stanek and John Robinson are two Chicago area podcasters that have been reviewing films and talking shop on their "Harvey and Bob Show" since 2006, longer than most of us have been blogging or writing. As a founding director of the new Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle (CIFCC), I was invited to come and take part in their weekly podcast. Between the 14-minute mark and the 47-minute mark, El'Ahrai and John interview us about how we started the CIFCC, our backgrounds, and our goals going forward.
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