MOVIE REVIEW: Cars 3

Wendy's founder Dave Thomas once said: “It all comes back to the basics. Serve customers the best-tasting food at a good value in a clean, comfortable restaurant, and they'll keep coming back.”  Apply that telling quote of ease and simplicity to Cars 3 as a perfect parallel.  The savvy creators at Pixar know how to package a quality product of with clean and clear values that gain brand loyalty from wide audiences.  Returning to its Americana roots, Cars 3 rediscovers the franchise’s successful foundation of wholesome heart.

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MOVIE CLASSROOM: It Comes at Night

The new film from Trey Edward Shults needs to be scene to be believed.  There is hype and highmindedness beyond the horror film marketing of It Comes at Night.  That said, it will scratch many heads at the same time.  Here is my newest YouTube "Movie Classroom" video review using the ShowMe iPad app and iMovie.  Enjoy!

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MOVIE REVIEW: My Cousin Rachel

Roger Michell stiffens his upper lip from his Love, Actually and Notting Hill fare to tackle a costume drama with My Cousin Rachel.  Oddly enough, this film can stake a serendipitous claim as the second Michell-directed film about “kissing cousins” after Hyde Park on the Hudson.  Unfortunately, more than a little uncomfortable laughter of preposterousness pokes out of this film while trying to portray itself as flowing romantic drama.  That’s not going to sweep anyone.

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MOVIE REVIEW: I, Daniel Blake

I, Daniel Blake is unabashedly a “bleeding heart” film on literal and figurative levels.  If this was a Hollywood film, it would be overrun with shouted speeches and orchestrational swells trying to manufacture emotional peaks.  Fluff like that is unnecessary if you have the right poetic realism,  For Loach, that’s second hand and he picks the right soapbox placement and thickness.

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MOVIE CLASSROOM: Updated archive on YouTube channel

In returning to my "Movie Classroom" series of interactive whiteboard video reviews with new vigor, new skills, and new tools, I wanted to bring back and upload my old video attempts to my Every Movie Has a Lesson YouTube channel.  In a massive file drop, I recently uploaded 29 of my past Movie Classroom videos from 2014, including winners like Whiplash and Birdman.  Head over and reminisce on some fine films and commentary by yours truly.

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MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on Episode 3 of the "Reel Talker" podcast hosted by Jim Alexander

Episode 3 of the Reel Talker Podcast is all about Wonder Woman. I was invited again to join Jim Alexander, my fellow co-founder and co-director of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle.  Jim brings up his frustrations with the early Wonder Woman critic reactions while I discuss my favorite moments of the film and why I think it can be an inspirational movie. We also debate where Wonder Woman ranks among DC movies. All that and more in the Reel Talker podcast!

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MOVIE REVIEW: It Comes at Night

Take the title of the film whatever way you wish, be it literally with the lurking threats of nightfall in this landscape or figuratively with the visions and nightmares one has while alone with their thoughts before sleeping.  It Comes at Night is tightly comprised of excruciating moral challenges that escalate with time.

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MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Kicking the Seat" podcast talking "Wonder Woman"

This past week, the Kicking the Seat Podcast reunited a super-team of critics to discuss Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman! I was invited by the KtS host Ian Simmons to join himself, David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel, and Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews after an advance screening at the ShowPlace ICON X at Roosevelt Collections.  As always, I'm honored to be invited by Ian, a gracious host like no other.

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MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on Episode 2 of the "Reel Talker" podcast hosted by Jim Alexander

Fellow Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle co-founder and co-director Jim Alexander of The Movie Blog and The Young Folks recently started his own personal website dubbed Reel Talker.  He has fired up a weekly podcast where he reviews current theatrical films, new Blu-ray and home media releases, and the hot movie news and trends of the week.  Jim invited me to guest on his second episode.

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MEDIA APPEARANCE: Reviewing "Baywatch" on Super News Live from Creators Media

I was invited to be a contributor on their weekly Super News Live program on Facebook.  The page has a whopping 474,000+ likes!  One of their new segments collects quick reviews and hot takes of current new film releases from site contributors like myself.  Check out your boy batting second in this video talking Baywatch.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Churchill

Brian Cox one of the most underappreciated character actors in the business today.  He has been an accomplished and terrifically versatile mainstay through all levels and genres of film for over thirty years since turning our heads as cinema’s first Hannibal Lecktor in Michael Mann’s Manhunter.  Cox is a consummate performer, brimming with fervid screen presence.  From Braveheart to Super Troopers, he is never the weak link to any picture.  Churchill offers a rare lead performance from Cox and, like the chameleon he’s always been, he reminds us of his indomitable intensity.

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MOVIE CLASSROOM: Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is a movie worth standing up and cheering for.  Here is my interactive whiteboard "Movie Classroom" film review for the summer blockbuster.  Please like and subscribe to my work on the Every Movie Has a Lesson YouTube channel.  SIDENOTE APOLOGY: My mispronunciations are terrible. I'll be looking at myself in a mirror for a week saying Themyscira, Themyscira, Themyscira... hoping to summon Greek Beetlejuice...

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