For their 193rd episode, two suburbanite film critics, two nanny-gawking dads, and two accosted school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, circle back to a cinematic cottage industry found in the 1980s and 1990s of so-called domestic terror: stories that preyed on the pearl-clutching fears of the upper middle class. One of the best to get the audience's blood boiling was 1992's The Hand That Rocks the Cradle directed by the late Curtis Hanson and starring Rebecca De Mornay.
Read MoreFor their 192nd episode, two haughty film critics, two betrothed dads, and two classical school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, refine their usual viewing to discuss possibly unexpected from their norm, but something with extreme class. We're talking about director Joe Wright's sumptuous 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, starring Kiera Knightly in her prime stardom.
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Freelancer and fellow film critic friend Ben Silverio and his Chicago-based podcast co-host Ansel Burch invited me back for my second stint as a month-long guest on Time 2 Party podcast. They specialize in time travel films. Last time in the fall of 2024, I went romantic with Somewhere in Time. This time around, I move it up the more present era with the vastly underseen 2022 Hawaii-set romantic drama Press Play starring Clara Rugaard, Lewis Pullman, and a stellar soundtrack!
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Mike Osborn and Curtis Menke of the irreverent and laugh-filled podcast “Let’s Talk About Flix are weekly appointment laughs for me and pod I support on Patreon. Mike and Curtis have become two full members of the Chicago Indie Critics group that I co-direct. For the second year in a row, I was honored to be asked on as the return guest during their “Patreon Picks” month. For that guest’s choice theme, I brought them 2018’s The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot starring Sam Elliot. Enjoy our chat! Follow their show on podcast platforms and YouTube!
Read MoreFor their 191st episode, two Secret Service film critics, two sweaty dads, and two counterfeit school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, seep into the seedy side of nefarious crimes of money and the slimy side of Los Angeles with William Friedkin's 1985 stunner To Live and Die in L.A. Our guys always make time for a Willem Dafoe blind spot and this was a winner, thanks to the detailed mystery and the bold swerves orchestrated by the director.
Read MoreFor their 190th episode, two enlisted film critics, two centerfold dads, and two non-silent school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, pull up their anchors, load their guns, and take on an 1990s action movie classic! Steven Seagal (and us) never had it better than 1992's Under Siege, co-starring Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey. This was director Andrew Davis's audition tape for The Fugitive, and it becomes comical how much Seagal is squeezed out of his own movie. We talk about all the warheads of Under Siege and more!
Read MoreFor their 189th episode, two romantic film critics, two pretty dads, and two school teacher with hearts of gold, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, cover one more Oscar contender before the big awards. With Sean Baker's Anora surging up the Oscar odds charts with wins at the Critics Choice Awards, BAFTAS, and the top guilds for producers and directors, they felt the opportunity was there to announce their own tepid response to the new frontrunner. As a special pairing and point of comparison, our guys call on the edgy whimsy of 1990's Pretty Woman to weave in extra layers of discussion.
Read MoreFor their 188th episode, two patriotic film critics, two winged dads, and two reformed Marvel Schill school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, swoop in to sing what appears to be minority praises for the new Marvel Cinematic Universe film Captain America: Brave New World. The movie might be bombing with critics, but we think there's plenty to love and enough exciting content for a trip to the big screen before settling for an afternoon on Disney+ in three months.
Read MoreFor their 187th episode, two digitized film critics, two dads who fight for the users, and two Master Control school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, squeeze together a TRON double feature to cover the landmark 1982 original Tron and its pumped-up 2010 sequel Tron Legacy. Will was a first-timer to The Grid, while Don was happy return to the films' wondrous digital abyss with a newbie.
Read MoreFor their 186th episode, two glamorous film critics, two substance-abusing dads, and two out-of-control school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, catch up to the recent Academy Award nominations to discuss The Substance! Filmmaker Coralie Fergeat's celebrity thriller, rife with body horror and Hollywood commentary has wowed audiences and critics alike as an exemplar of its genre worthy of Oscars and a validation measure for the career of Demi Moore. Here how our guys breakdown the hype.
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Every year, there seems to be one (or more) big Oscar contender that completely misses my heart, mind, and understanding. I see them and I don’t understand their universal acclaim and often-overinflated hype. For 2024, the highest of those movies is The Brutalist, starring Best Actor Oscar frontrunner Adrien Brody. He is excellent, but the rest of the movie is not. I was chuffed enough to go on the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel hosted by Ian Simmons to speak on it.
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As so often has happened for me, critics meet other critics in virtual places creating a little network of acquaintances and cheerleaders for fellow creative people. I met William Eguizabal of FilmSnobReviews years ago and we hit it off with or similar clashing styles of expertise mixed with saltiness when necessary. William recently invited me back as a guest for his “Snob Cast” podcast with his multi-talented co-host Chai Simone. This time the topic was gangster and organized crime movies where the panel chose many diverse favorites.
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