MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on "Kicking the Seat" podcast talking "Black Panther"

Due to scheduling hurdles, the usual comic book film roundtable called in by the Kicking the Seat Podcast hosted by Ian Simmons had to merge their voices over the fun for an extended and perky podcast to cover Marvel's record-shattering blockbuster phenomenon, Black Panther!  Ian was joined by myself, David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel, and Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews.

Read More
OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2018: My full and official list of predictions

All of the tea leaves on my 2018 Awards Tracker have been read.  The analysis and breakdown.  My seven editorial columns of detailed picks are complete using my head more than my heart.  These aren't my personal choices of what "should" win.  It's what I think "will" win because you and I have got Oscar pools to dominate!  Here's my complete and master list of predictions for the 90th Academy Awards.

Read More
OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2018: The race for Best Picture

Throughout the awards season, I’ve been tallying the minor and lead-up award winners in all of the Oscar categories on the 2018 Awards Tracker as a big source of my prognostication data. In this seventh post, we look at the race for Best Picture.  As I say every year, stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool! 

Read More
OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2018: The male acting awards

Throughout the awards season, I’ve been tallying the minor and lead-up award winners in all of the Oscar categories on the 2018 Awards Tracker as a big source of my prognostication data. In this sixth post, we look at the races for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.  As I say every year, stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool! 

Read More
OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2018: The female acting awards

Throughout the awards season, I’ve been tallying the minor and lead-up award winners in all of the Oscar categories on the 2018 Awards Tracker as a big source of my prognostication data. In this fifth post, we look at the races for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.  As I say every year, stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!

Read More
OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2018: The writing and directing categories

Throughout the awards season, I’ve been tallying the minor and lead-up award winners in all of the Oscar categories on the 2018 Awards Tracker as a big source of my prognostication data. In this fourth post, we look at the screenplay and directing awards.

Read More
OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2018: The visual and artistic categories

Throughout the awards season, I’ve been tallying the minor and lead-up award winners in all of the Oscar categories on the 2018 Awards Tracker as a big source of my prognostication data. In this third post, we look at the visual and artistic categories that include cinematography, production design, editing, visual effects, costume design, and makeup and hair-styling.

Read More
OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2018: The minor film categories

Throughout the awards season, I’ve been tallying the minor and lead-up award winners in all of the Oscar categories on the 2018 Awards Tracker as a big source of my prognostication data. In this second post, we look at the minor film categories of foreign film, documentaries, animated films, and short films.

Read More
OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2018: The music and sound categories

Throughout the awards season, I’ve been tallying the minor and lead-up award winners in all of the Oscar categories on the 2018 Awards Tracker as a big source of my prognostication data. In this first post, we look at the musical and sound categories that include the original score, original song, sound editing, and sound mixing.

Read More
MOVIE REVIEW: Annihilation

Before it even debuted, Annihilation, wunderkind filmmaker Alex Garland’s big studio follow-up to Ex Machina, was labeled “too intellectual” and “too complicated.”  Come what may, the film is quite exactly those two qualities and then some.  However, what might be a smearing hindrance for some is a emblem of brilliancy to others.  Because the film could land either way, the intrigue and anticipation surrounding Annihilation couldn’t be better.  You will undoubtedly get your mind’s worth and your money’s worth stepping up the cerebral challenge of this film.

Read More
MOVIE REVIEW: Game Night

In many respects, the degree of difficulty to make the cheesy entertaining is not very high.  Laughs of the low-hanging fruit variety are easy to come by and guilty pleasure films are created all the time.  The real challenge is to make the cheesy, and the laughs that come with it, unexpected and fulfilling.  Flush with snickering hilarity and scoring plenty of points for swerving surprises, Game Night is infectiously entertaining with any cheese it serves.

Read More
MOVIE REVIEW: Rogers Park

Constantly bucking stereotypes made about the perceived flaws of the Second City, the progressive and affluent enclave of Rogers Park statistically contains the highest level of racial diversity in Chicago.  It is as great a place as any in the urban metropolis to tell a blended story of the hardened hearts within hard-working people.  A blanketing sunrise over the freshwater surf of that aforementioned Great Lakes welcomes viewers to Rogers Park.

Read More