Too busy heading to the beach over the holiday weekend to read a lengthy review? Listen and watch instead in under 8 minutes. Next up in my "Movie Classroom" video series on the Every Movie Has a Lesson YouTube channel is Baywatch where I heap praise on all things jiggle, sizzle, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Read MoreOver 40 feature-length and short films, many of which making their Chicago premieres, graced the main screen of the Music Box Theatre this past week-and-change as part of the fifth annual Chicago Critics Film Festival. It was an honor and pleasure to be be granted press credentials to cover the event. Here are my collected capsule reviews of the short film programs.
Read MoreAre my reviews too long to read? Do you want something you can watch or listen to instead? Check out my "Movie Classroom" video series. Hot off the processor, here's my second and newest whiteboard video version of my complete movie review of Alien: Covenant on the Every Movie Has a Lesso YouTube channel! Like and subscribe!
Read MoreMike Crowley's YPA Reviews was soliciting for participants and topics for a video series of discussions highlighting guest-chosen overrated films, performers, and filmmakers. I nominated myself and the highly regarded auteur of Terrence Malick and a meeting and a rant on camera was born. Enjoy both the refined and uncut versions of our enlivened talk below!
Read MoreSteve Clifton acknowledges that his relevance in today's culture is barely recognized. I'm right there with him, but, both he and I continue to pretend people like us. Maybe you will too. The film critic of Popcorn Confessional and regular columnist Feelin' Film is my latest GUEST CRITIC reviewing "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword."
Read MoreFor his debut GUEST CRITIC appearance on Every Movie Has a Lesson, please welcome Steve Pulaski, a fellow member of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle. This young man has been a film critic since 2009, self-taught and reviewing films throughout his academic career. Steve Pulaski currently writes for his personal forum, The Steve Pulaski Message Board, as well as Influx Magazine, where he serves as the lead film critic of the website. The guy cranks out 300 reviews a year, which is an insane pace and triple what I do over here in the same amount of time.
Read More“Love, Lies” plays upon the decaying dichotomy orbiting the two women as they vie for love and validation against dignity and betrayal. It’s impossible not to feel the emotions imbued into the punctuating moments of expression through song that fully embody the conflict and romantic encumbrances weighing on the characters. The music is the vital and resonating fiber that unites the period atmosphere with the stirring portrayals of talent.
Read More100% of you right now are reading this review via the internet on either a computer or a mobile device. Like it or not, you and I leave digital footprints everywhere we go. The new pseudo-dystopian thriller “The Circle” incites the over-obvious social media and data-mining fears of our present surveillance society of sharing and shines them up into a shiny and engrossing yarn of mainstream entertainment. Fiction or not, it’s the kind of film that may or may not irk you enough to take that Facebook sabbatical you keep saying you’ll do.
Read MoreNo matter what faith (or absence of faith) you carry into this film’s experience, you will respect the positive efforts of the real-life ministries featured in “Faith in the Big House.” Lives are changed before your eyes and it’s not all Bible-thumping. To that end, it is wholly refreshing to observe a Christian point-of-view that holds its peers of different denominations and, more importantly, itself strictly accountable for this kind of communal service.
Read MoreBetween us two busy Chicago film critics and working fathers, Emmanuel and I are orchestrating a trade of "guest reviews" for each other's sites. I was swamped last week and I was unable to see "The Fate of the Furious." He missed Chris Evans' vehicle "Gifted." My review of that will go on his site and his review of vehicular mayhem arrives right here:
Read More"Colossal" is every bit a monster movie, but it’s not the monster movie you expect. Yours truly joins Feelin' Film host Aaron White to discuss the various genres that this film creatively blends together and to talk through some of its deeper themes.
Read MoreThis week, I joined host Aaron White on the "Feelin' Film" podcast channel for a Minisode on "Kong: Skull Island." Mr. White was just pimped with full press credentials this past week in the Seattle market and we were both lucky to see "Kong: Skull Island" early. Listen for a lively and free discussion about the return of Kong to the big screen.
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