crowdvscritic

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JUNE 25

Ballerinas and street dancing, sunrises and sunsets, lovers falling in and out of love…June had it all, but only 10 can make the Round Up. These are my top Crowd and Critic pop culture picks for the month in the order I experienced them.

June Crowd-Pleasers

1. Ballerina (2025)

Because flame throwers don’t get enough attention in action movies! Listen to my full review on the The Carney Show on KTRS. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

2. Bunheads (2012-13)

Between Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amy Sherman-Palladino created another dramedy that deserved more than a season. When Vegas showgirl Sutton Foster elopes and is widowed in the pilot, she sticks around his small town to help teach at his mother-in-law’s (Kelly Bishop) dance studio. Teen drama, regular ballet performances, and tons of cameos from Gilmore favorites make this an easy binge. Though I’ve seen bits and pieces over the years, as an eight-year host of a Gilmore Girls podcast, I’m embarrassed to say it took me this long to watch all the way through!

3. Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (2025)

You should know by now I’m all in on The Hunger Games, but you can’t blame me when Suzanne Collins keeps writing unputdownable thrillers. Even though we learned the results of Haymitch’s Games in Katniss’s books, Collins found a new angle into his teenage experience. Instead of watching the Capitol burn to the ground (or rise from the ashes as in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), we are watching the unsexy part of a revolution. Haymitch’s story is about not giving up the fight even if there’s no telling when the harvest of your seeds will be reaped. 

4. F1: The Movie (2025)

Joseph Kosinski’s new sports drama borrows quite a bit of its structure and ideas from Top Gun: Maverick, but hey, didn’t every single person on planet Earth like that movie? Kosinski is establishing himself as one of our greatest modern thrill makers, this time by giving the audience an authentic experience behind the wheel. Though Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Sarah Niles, and (especially) Damson Idris are scene-stealers, Brad Pitt is reminding us why he’s been a star for so long. His performance is one part Moneyball, one part commentary on his own celebrity, and one part Paul Newman homage, and it’s just the center of gravity this film needs to prevent skidding into melodrama or self-seriousness. You can watch more in my KMOV review. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

5. M3GAN 2.0 (2025)

I have mixed feeling about artificial intelligence. I worry it’s making the world dependent on Big Tech, proliferating plagiarism, reducing improvement of our critical thinking, and infringing on artists’ livelihoods. But also, I guess it’s pretty funny when M3GAN dances? Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6.5/10

MORE JUNE CROWD-PLEASERS // Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (2025) combines ecological study with a murder mystery // I’m jumping on the bandwagon and confirming The Dave Matthews Band puts on a good show // It’s no Jaws, but Jaws 2 (1978) is still pretty fun! // Did you know there’s a creature feature starring Mahershala Ali, Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Walton Goggins, Topher Grace, and Danny Trejo? It’s called Predators (2010) // Tommy Lee Jones is unhinged in Under Siege (1992)

June Critic Picks

1. The Life of Chuck (2025)

Not everything works in this Stephen King adaptation, but it’s rare to watch something with no idea where it’s going. With that in mind, I’ll keep plot description to a minimum to preserve surprises, but I will tell you the opening is act is suspenseful, the second act is magical, and the last is curious. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mark Hamill threw his hat in the ring for a Best Supporting Actor run this year. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

2. The Plot Thickens Season 5: Decoding John Ford

In my favorite season of The Plot Thickens sofar, the Turner Classic Movies podcast explores the enigma who was John Ford, including his impact on creating our views on American history, his service in World War II, and his volatile relationships with his collaborators. 

3. Materialists (2025)

Materialists fits in within canonized romantic comedies like Broadcast News, His Girl Friday, Pride & Prejudice, Working Girl, and You’ve Got Mail because of its depth of insight into the overlap between romance and money—and because it’s just such a darn pleasure to watch. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

4. The Ballad of Wallis Island (2025)

Is this Civil Wars fan-fic? No matter the inspiration, Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan’s folksy duets are wonderful, and Tim Key is a scene-stealer I hope to start seeing more of. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

5. Before Sunset (2004)

Once upon a time when the Facebook Relationship Status mattered, "It's Complicated" must’ve existed for relationships like Jesse and Celine’s. Nine years after their brief encounter in Before Sunrise, a chance meeting makes them question everything that’s happened since then. In just over an hour’s tour through Paris, they discuss love, art, family, and commitment, and somehow that’s enough to put us on the edge of our seats the whole time. Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

MORE JUNE CRITIC PICKS // SABLE, fABLE by Bon Iver (2025) is the chill vibe I’ve been looking for // Jackie Brown (1997) is new upper tier Tarantino for me // Atonement (2007) is another Joe Wright beauty // In the best tracks on I quit by Haim (2025), their most rock-forward album yet explores our own immaturity and inability to commit

Also in June…

I continued my Best Picture Project with this year's winner, Anora. Spoiler alert: I'm more mixed on it than the Academy.

I reviewed the live action remake of How to Train Your Dragon for ZekeFilm and for KMOV.

I added two films in my Round Up this month to my Letterboxd list of every movie I remember making me cry (which I know is missing many that made me sniffle before I joined Letterboxd). You can also follow on Letterboxd to keep up with what I’m watching in real time before next month’s Round Up.

Photo credit: Sunrise on the Reaping, Plot Thickens. All others IMDb.com.

[crowdvscritic]

crowd // ANORA (2024)

Photo credits: IMDb.com

Ani dreams of more than this. 

Her source of income may involve frequent removal of her clothing—and even that just keeps the lights on—but she thinks her future may change when she meets Russian nepo baby Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn) while on the clock. In a Pretty Woman-esque deal, he offers Ani (Mikey Madison) $15k for her company for a week, but 7 days later, they keep finding excuses to stay together. Could his wealth and status finally be the key to her financial liberation? Or will he disappoint her like every other attempt she’s made to forge a future? 

Both my Crowd and Critic Reviews for this Best Picture winner will return to the same theme: Sometimes you can’t help but get in your own way. The words I heard other people use to describe Anora during Awards Season included “hilarious” and “fun,” but I could only agree with fellow viewers when they switched to describing the “stressful,” “tense,” and “sad" moments. 

I also heard Anora described as a more realistic Pretty Woman, which misses most of what I love about Garry Marshall’s Cinderella tale. Of the two, Anora was the film in which I struggled to suspend my disbelief in the tragedy to find the comedy. Everyone has their own limits—apparently mine lands somewhere beyond the hate satire of Jojo Rabbit and teen murders of Heathers but not as far as Ani’s tragicomic misadventures. A young woman stuck between the rock of the whims of a flippant Russian oligarch’s son and the hard place of a competitive, low-paying strip club? Even if both of these situations are of her own volition on some level, I can’t ignore the financial and social desperation for even a moment of its nearly two-and-a-half-hour run. (Mild spoiler alert: Romanticizing a second potential relationship with someone who physically assaulted her doesn’t help. End spoiler alert.) Perhaps that’s a testament to writer/director/editor/producer Sean Baker’s ability to build empathy for people ignored by society at large, which worked exceptionally in The Florida Project, but it makes this story a tough hang.

Bottom line: Our most recent Best Picture winner has a compelling premise, but boy, is it a downer.

POPCORN POTENTIAL: 6.5/10 

[crowdvscritic]

critic // ANORA (2024)

Photo credits: IMDb.com

The second part of how I can’t get out of my own way: Do movies like Anora perpetuate the consumption of women’s bodies as a commercial product? 

That certainly was not Sean Baker’s intent, and in the age of intimacy coordinators, I have no reason to believe Mikey Madison or anyone else rest of the cast were put into situations à la Last Tango in Paris. The script is self-aware about the tough realities a woman like Ani faces, and though I will watch Pretty Woman more times than Anora before I die, it’s not because I believe Vivian Ward’s romantic escape to a new life is anything more than a yuppie fantasy. Any human story is a story worth telling in some fashion, especially for vulnerable people. 

And yet: The medium is the message. Madison’s lead performance is a force announcing a new leading lady in Hollywood, and one I endorse as Best Actress-worthy in spite of my tepid response to the film as a whole. But are the frank onscreen depictions of Ani’s work reducing the cast to their bodies instead of their character work? In a perfect world, we’d all be mature enough to accept human bodies as a part of life, but we all know that’s not the world we live in. Research shows women in films are still objectified more, dressed more provocatively, shown without clothing more often, and speak less than men in film. There’s also the long-standing discussion: Because women are rewarded so often with Best Actress statues for roles in which they disrobe, does this mean Hollywood more or less demands they do this to be celebrated? Three of the five Best Actress winners of the 2020s have met this criterion, while none of the Best Actor winners have revealed as much skin, if any at all. 

While fellow Best Actress winner Emma Stone’s work in Poor Things and Madison’s performance here provide a valuable humanization of women trying to make their way in the world through illegal means, I struggle with the subtext that their line of work isn’t just inevitable but valuable. Those in the oldest profession will always be more vulnerable to violence, and legalizing it would likely make trafficking easier, thus putting more people in those vulnerable positions against their will. We need more movies that humanize people like Ani, but since we live in the world where advertising, online “communities,” billionaires, and media moguls openly promote violence against women, does showing her at work actually undercut the film’s message? Perhaps to a hammer everything looks like a nail, but I’m not the only one concerned about modern media’s connection with violence and a broken dating culture.

Bottom line: Anora leaves me with many mixed feelings. Mikey Madison is a bright new star, but its vision feels disconnected from its execution.

ARTISTIC TASTE: 7.5/10

[crowdvscritic]

round up // APRIL + MAY 25

8 reviews for ZekeFilm, 4 KMOV appearances, and 2 radio segments—it’s been a busy spring! April and May have been filled with solid action films, sketch comedy, and lots and lots of good reads. These have been the pop culture moments and items bringing me joy this season in the rough order of when I experienced them.

April + May Crowd-Pleasers

1. Triple Feature - 2025 Action Thrillers: The Accountant + The Amateur + A Working Man 

Choose your fighter: Ben Affleck, Rami Malek, or Jason Statham. Your motivation: Murdered colleague, murdered wife, or kidnapped family friend. Your villain: Mexican cartel, terrorists, or Russian mobsters. Your second: Jon Bernthal, Laurence Fishburne, or no one because you’re a solo act. Honestly, I’ll take all of the above, even Malek as a skinny Jason Bourne/twitchy Jack Ryan in The Amateur (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10). You can read my full ZekeFilm review of The Accountant 2 (9/10 // 7.5/10), and watch my review of A Working Man (9/10 // 7/10) on KMOV:

2. Thunderbolts* (2025)

Thunderbolts*  may not be a game-changer for superhero movies or for the MCU, but it does feel like a reset in the right direction, and here's where it ranks for me in the MCU. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

3. SNL Round Up

You have three agenda items to make your weekend immediately better…

A) Add some silliness to your day with these Saturday Night Live sketches:

“Mascara Commercial” (5014 with Lady Gaga)

“Weekend Update: Lord Gaga on His Unwavering Support for His Wife Lady Gaga” (5014) - Truly shocking this hasn’t been an SNL bit before

“Big Dumb Line ft. Joe Jonas” (5015 with Mikey Madison)

“Monologue” (5016 with Jack Black)

“Indiana Jones” (5016)

“One Uppers” (5016)

“Weekend Update: Ego Nwodim on the White House Correspondents' Dinner” (5016)

“Monologue” (5017 with Jon Hamm)

“Check to Check Business News” (5017) - Too relatable

“Weekend Update: Chen Biao on Trump's China Tariffs” (5017)

“Monologue” (5018 with Quinta Brunson)

“Will and Todd’s Radical Experience” (5018)

“Forever 31” (5018) - Again, too relatable

“Service Dogs” (5019 with Walton Goggins) - I am pro-real dogs on live television

“Weekend Update: A Guy Who Just Walked into a Spiderweb on Trump's Tariffs” (5019) - Again (again), too relatable

“Scarlett Johansson Is Saved…” - I don’t usually share promo bits, but this one got me 

"Local News Stories” (5020 with Scarlett Johansson)

“Please Don't Destroy - First Class ft. Bad Bunny” (5020)

B) Check out the Questlove-directed music documentary Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music on Peacock. Even though it’s self-congratulatory, the mash-up montages are worth the price of admission.

C) And still riding on the high of SNL 50, these GQ articles capture a cornucopia of memories from every era of the series: 

"SNL 50 Reminded Us Why Saturday Night Live Still Matters," GQ.com (2025)

“50 Saturday Night Live Cast Members Talk About What It’s Like to Audition for Saturday Night Live—And How They Celebrated Getting Hired,” GQ.com (2025) 

“50 Saturday Night Live Cast Members on Their All-Time Favorite Sketches,” GQ.com (2025)

“50 Saturday Night Live Cast Members Reveal Their Favorite Saturday Night Live Cast Members,” GQ.com (2025) 

“50 Saturday Night Live Cast Members Talk About the Greatest, Weirdest Sketches You Never Got to See,” GQ.com (2025)

“50 Saturday Night Live Cast Members Recall Their Most Unbelievable, Thrilling, and Embarrassing Guest-Host Encounters,” GQ.com (2025)

4. Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney (2025-)

It’s unclear to me why more clips aren’t available from the new season of Everybody’s Live—which 12 episodes later I still think is a worse title than Everybody’s in L.A.—but don’t let that stop you from watching every weird, wonderful episode from start-to-finish. (Trust me, you don’t want to miss Richard Kind behaving like Gene Simmons after a “head injury.”) Who thinks to interview Michael Jackson’s chimp? Who is willing to share their failure in booking Bone Thugs-N-Harmony? Who thinks to have 11 actors from Death of a Salesman perform its famous monologue simultaneously? Every week John Mulaney and his writers give me something I never knew I wanted, and I can only help they’ll return for another season of hanging up on callers, discussing dinosaur skeletal construction, and encouraging men to Know Your H. 

“11 Willy Lomans”

“Netflix AI Executive Assistant“

“John Mulaney's Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Story”

“How Ray Lewis Changed John Mulaney’s Life"

“Bubbles Jackson Interview”

“The Making of a Charli xcx Joke”

“John Mulaney Does Not Think Dinosaurs Are Put Together Correctly”

“Terminator 2 Stunt Performer Focus Group”

“Ayo Edebiri’s Letterboxd Review of Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney”

“John vs. Richard Kind's New Girlfriend”

“What If Seinfeld Was Phish”

"Who are John Mulaney and Andy Samberg Based On?”

5. Karate Kid: Legends (2025)

Karate and kung fu team up for the best Karate Kid since 1984 in this legacy sequel. Read my full review for ZekeFilm or watch my KMOV review for more.

MORE APRIL + MAY CROWD-PLEASERS // Honeybee by BØRNS (2025) has become a go-to part of my spring soundtrack // The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop (2024) brings insight into the challenging careers of actors and dancers in addition to must-read behind-the-scenes stories from the set of Gilmore Girls //Companion (2025) is a sneakily thoughtful horror movie about using and abusing people (and thankfully, light on the horror) // Please put Dave Bautista in more junky action movies like The Killer’s Game (2024) // G20 (2025) isn’t my first choice for a movie in which Viola Davis plays the President, but it’s pretty fun for fans of White House Down and 24 // Music for People Who Believe in Love by Joe Jonas (2025) proves heartbreak pop needn’t be malaise

April + May Critic Picks

1. Warfare (2025)

This real-time war film starring the next generation of Hollywood leading men is light on story but heavy on realism. Watch my KMOV review. Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. Slouching Towards Bethlehem by John Didion (1968)

Joan Didion’s writing has been one of my blind spots, but I’d happily continue looking into her work. This collection of essays is full of California nostalgia (Californiostalgia?) and observations on the cultural changes of the ‘60s, especially the tour de force title work. Other highlights: a tribute to the myth of John Wayne (“John Wayne: A Love Song”), proof every decade complains they live in the worst era for film (“I Can’t Get That Monster Out of My Mind”), the weirdness that is Las Vegas (“Marrying Absurd”), and a journey through my own brain’s organizational hierarchy (“On Keeping a Notebook”).

3. Roaring: Art, Fashion, and the Automobile in France, 1918–1939 at the St. Louis Art Museum

So nice I drove by twice! The St. Louis Art Museum’s current featured exhibit (running through late July) showcases post-World I, Jazz Age, and Great Depression automobiles, fashion, furniture, photography, and art that captures the massive world change in these two decades. My biggest takeaway? I wish we showed the same level of attentive craftsmanship and creativity on what we use every day.

4. The Phoenician Scheme (2025)

Can I explain the financial scheme motivating and structuring this father-daughter road trip? Goodness, no. But even if this isn’t my favorite Wes Anderson comedy, it’s no end to his hot streak. Michael Cera is hopefully a new permanent addition to his troupe of players, the visual patterns are still divine, Benedict Cumberbatch’s eyebrows are perfection, and it’s a perfect use of a small dose of Tom Hanks. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

5. Good Reads

As of late, I’ve been reading about trends in…

…culture shifts: 

“Why America is Turning Into a Nation of Homebodies,” FastCompany.com (2025)

“Mental Health Crisis ‘Means Youth Is No Longer One of Happiest Times of Life,’” TheGuardian.com (2025)

“The Rise Of Stationerycore: Why A Digital Generation Is Falling In Love With Analogue,” forbes.com (2025)

“Young Men and Women Are Taking the 'Gender Gap' to Staggering New Levels,” NBCNew.com (2025)

“What to Make of These $690 Flip-Flops,” NYTimes.com (2025)

…political echo chambers: 

“A Top 'Washington Post' Columnist Resigns, Accusing Publisher of Killing Piece,” NPR.org (2025)

“The SAVE Act Would Disenfranchise Millions of Citizens,” AmericanProgress.com (2025)

“How Democratic Gen Z Activists Lost the Gen Z Vote,” vox.com (2025)

“Your Home Without China,” NYTimes.com (2025) 

...politics on screen:

“The New ‘Deep State’ Television,” slate.com (2025)

“The Sudden Weirdness of TV Presidents,” NYTimes.com (2025)

“Chris Evans’ Captain America Wasn’t Expected to Save Us. So Why Is Anthony Mackie’s?” HollywoodReporter.com (2025)

“The New Captain America Movie Isn’t Great. But Don’t Call Him a D.E.I. Hire,” NYTimes.com (2025)

…pop culture, including The Muppets—you’re welcome: 

“Netflix Is Gobbling Up World Literature. What Could Go Wrong?” NYTimes.com (2025)

“What Is Recession Pop? Why Kesha's New Single Heralds Return of Late-2000s Jams,” USAToday.com (2025)

“The Marketing Hurricane of Wicked Says a Lot About Our Culture,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“The Movies We’ve Loved Since 2000,” NYTimes.com (2025)

“Lively vs. Baldoni Has Already ‘Changed Hollywood Publicity Forever,’” HollywoodReporter.com (2025)

“Why Hollywood Feuds Aren’t What They Used to Be,” HollywoodReporter.com (2025)

"How to Finally Divorce Your Toxic Sports Team,” GQ.com (2025)

“Charles Grodin Finally Reveals His Brief Tryst With Miss Piggy,” vulture.com (2011)

MORE APRIL + MAY CRITIC PICKS // The West Wing Weekly podcast convinced me to check out Bulworth (1998), and I don’t think I can add anything more to their insightful discussion // Okay, JFK (1991), you convinced me Lee Harvey Oswald wasn’t the only shooter // Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951) would make a great double feature with Challengers // Journey for Margaret (1942) and Bright Star (2009) have joined the long (and embarrassing) list of movies I remember crying in // I know why Children of Men (2006) and Melancholia (2011) are on the Big Picture podcast’s list of the Best Movies of the Century // Dorothy Dandridge has “it” in Carmen Jones (1954) // I’ve now seen all of Nora Ephron’s writing/directing credits, and Silkwood (1983) is another great character study of a real life heroine // Cool Hand Luke (1967) has that ‘60s vibe // Phantom Thread (2017) gives new meaning to the idea of getting high on ‘shrooms // Little Miss Sunshine (2006) is slight but sweet // Cinema Paradiso (1988) is nostalgic and even sweeter

Also in April + May…

I’m as shocked as you are Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning didn’t make my top 10 Round Up,  but the heavy exposition weighed down its specular stunts. Read the full review I tag-teamed on with Jim Tudor for ZekeFilm. 

Can something be deeply stupid if it knows it? Another Simple Favor made me wonder. ZekeFilm review

Friendship has some chuckles in store for everyone, but it’s more descriptive than informative. ZekeFilm review

The 20th anniversary of Pride & Prejudice gave me an excuse to rave about one of my all-time favorites. KMOV segment

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life would’ve been even more aptly titled Bridget Jones Wrecked My Life. ZekeFilm review

On KTRS’s The Carney Show, I reviewed the romantic drama On Swift Horses, which is…one of the worst new movies I’ve seen this year. Listen to my review, plus another plug for Novocaine.

On KTRS’s Max on Movies, I helped Max introduce a variety of interviews with Gilmore Girls actors he’d never aired before with tons of Gilmore discussion and fun facts. Listen to the feature.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // MARCH 25

A third Round Up in a row with two book recommendations? New York and LA in one month? If it were for all these action, rom-com, and Turner Classic Movies recommendations, I’d ask, who am I?

March feels like the true kick-off of the new year at the movies with the exit from Dumpuary and the Oscars nailing the coffin on last year. Though the box office has been slow, there have been a handful of bright spots to recommend from this month, plus a fun Oscars telecast no one seems to have major gripes about. (Little gripes? Don’t worry—you can find them if you want them.) For me, though, March highlights were visits to both the coasts, including my own visit to the Dolby Theatre. Here’s hoping my April Round Up will have more new releases to feature than this one!

March Crowd-Pleasers

1. Novocaine (2025)

With his giant grin, Jack Quaid doesn't just unite his parents’ best features—he’s also got an excellent countenance for comedy. He brings the heart and much of the comedy to this high-concept action-adventure which finds creative (and squeamish) ways to dream up all the pain you can’t inflict on his nice guy protagonist. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

2. Mayhem by Lady Gaga (2025)

As I said upon the release of 2020's Chromatica, my favorite Lady Gaga modes are A Star Is Born/Joanne singer/songwriter and Love For Sale jazzy standards crooner, but are her pop jams becoming a new close third? Like that pandemic album, Mayhem reminds me more of ‘80s synth pop than what's on pop radio today or on her early pop records. Anything inspired by peak Madonna, Flock of Seagulls, and Depeche Mode is a win for me! 

3. One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin (2024)

Academic Rob and struggling novelist Natalie meet as the Maid of Honor and Best Man for their best friends’ union, but like in Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pride and Prejudice, and When Harry Met Sally…, it takes some time for them to realize they might be a great match for more than wedding planning. Funny and swoon-worthy, this is a new oops-I-stayed-up-way-past-my-bedtime classic.

4. The Six Triple Eight (2024)

What this true World War II story lacks in subtlety it makes up for in its attention to detail. When the U.S. Army’s only Black women’s battalion is assigned to deliver 17 million pieces of mail in 6 months across Europe and back home, the task seems impossible. I’m sure you know, though, that since this movie was made, it means they accomplished something remarkable. To the man sitting next to me on that flight out of New York: Yes, I was covering my face because I was crying watching this on my iPad. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10

5. The Gorge (2025)

From the studio that brought you Best Picture winner CODA, Martin Scorsese's possible swan song Killers of the Flower Moon, and—most relevantly—Argylle comes a film greater than all of them put together! Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller co-star in a spy flick/rom-com/action-adventure/horror story/conspiracy thriller so bonkers it’s perfect. Ideally this would've come out in 2004, flopped at the box office, and then become a TNT classic made for stopping on when flipping through cable in a hotel. Is this good? No. But with tone changes every 20 minutes, it’s never boring and often surprising. The less you know beforehand the better! Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6/10

MORE MARCH CROWD-PLEASERS // Though Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music by Rob Sheffield (2024) veers too often into personal anecdotes, the analysis of how she fits into the history of popular music is what you hope for from a Rolling Stone writer // The low-budget high school noir Brick (2005) proves Rian Johnson has always had it // No one will get as much pleasure out of this show as my dad, but I also had fun in Reacher Season 3 // I will watch as many mopey, indie soundtracked romances à la Like Crazy (2011) you will give me

March Critic Picks

1. The 97th Academy Awards

Though I was cooler on Conan O’Brien as a host, this year’s Oscars was about as solid as a show you could hope for without an “I’m Just Ken” performance. Until someone makes a compilation of all the good-natured jokes at Timothée Chalamet’s expense, here’s a round up of my favorite moments of the night: 

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Wicked/The Wiz/The Wizard of Oz Mash-Up Opening Performance

John Lithgow is disappointed by your long speeches

Kieran Culkin wins Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain

Andrew Garfield and Goldie Hawn present Best Animated Awards

Bowen Yang dresses the part for the Best Costume Design award

Nick Offerman and Amy Poehler’s brief reunion and her presentation of the Best Screenplay awards

Scarlett Johansson and June Squibb (or is it Bill Skarsgård?) presenting Best Makeup 

Ben Stiller tries to keep his head on stage while presenting Best Production Design

Firefighters deliver the biggest burns of the night

Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan present Best Picture

2. Double Feature - Steven Soderbergh 2025 Features: Presence + Black Bag

Steven Soderbergh has been making great films in 100 minutes or less since 1989, and the found footage ghost story Presence (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) and suave spy thriller Black Bag (9/10 // 8/10) are two more in his canon. Read my full review of Black Bag for ZekeFilm.

3. The Last Five Years on Broadway

I could also just say, “Broadway!” On a recent work trip, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see my first Broadway show, and you know I can’t say no to a Jo Bro. Nick Jonas co-stars in the two-hander musical with Adrienne Warren and her amazing pipes. Though I don’t think this show is an all-timer for me, the criss-cross timeline structure is a fascinating structure, even if it reduces the opportunity for duets, which is the musical highlight of the show. Given its intimate scale, I doubt this show will ever tour, which is the experience worth of a trip halfway across the country.

4. The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)

Barbara Stanwyck adds yet another title to my Letterboxd list “’40s Gals Just Trying to Live Their Best Lives BUT SOCIETY.” In a thriller that would’ve fit nicely with my Gothic Movies marathon a few years ago, Stanwyck thinks her troubles disappeared when she marries wealthy artist Humphrey Bogart, but will his secrets tear them apart? Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8/10

5. TCM’s Falling in Love at the Movies: Rom-Coms from the Screwball Era to Today by Esther Zuckerman (2024)

In a surprise to exactly zero people, I’m almost certain I’ve seen more of the movies mentioned in this Turner Classic Movies Volume than any other at first read. (While Zuckerman mentions fewer titles than some books in the TCM library, I’m not sneezing at my seeing 70% of the 240+ films she name checks. #NerdAlert) But the book isn’t just a list of titles—it’s an insightful analysis of archetypes like the High-Maintenance Woman and the Man in Crisis, as well as motifs like the meet-cute and deception. As always with titles under the TCM banner, there’s great insight into how the films of yesteryear inspire today’s titles and how themes and characters have changed over time. 

MORE MARCH CRITIC PICKS // Bewitched by Laufey (2023) reveals a ‘50s/‘60s crooner stuck inside a Gen Z body // June Bride (1948) captures many of the highs of the archetypes explored in the Zuckerman’s TCM book // Though the film didn’t hit all the marks for me, the All We Imagine as Light (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Topshe (2024) does // On her debut album, LaVern Baker (1957) captures some of my favorite sounds of the decade

Round Up Recap // Gilmore Girls, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Étoile: The Amy Sherman-Palladino Multiverse Panel at PaleyFest

Apparently the only thing that I need to convince me to head to the West Coast is Amy Sherman-Palladino! Two years ago I swung by the Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard to catch her, Rachel Brosnahan, and Alex Borstein on a panel to discuss the final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. My SO IT’S SHOW? co-host Kyla and I returned to see those three ladies along with more stars of the Sherman-Palladino Multiverse, including Gilmore Girls stars Lauren Graham and Kelly Bishop. Amy and husband Daniel Palladino continue to be some of the wittiest people alive, and the joy everyone on stage felt in each other’s company radiated to the very last row of the balcony where we were seated. Seeing all of them together and getting a preview of the Palladinos’ new series Étoile? That’s worth a 36-hour trip to Los Angeles!

Photo credits: Lady Gaga, One-Star Romance, The Last Five Years, Falling in Love at the Movies. PaleyFest my own. All others IMDb.com.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // FEBRUARY 25

Somebody has to say it: The most garbage time of the year in the Midwest lasts from the second week of January through the third week of March. Give or take a few days, this cold, gray purgatory makes every house a competitor for ugliest on the block with their bare trees and chaff lawns. November and December at least provide twinkly lights, gifts, and some of the best meals of the year; the start of the year, however, is peppered with low-key, sporadic holidays known for heart-shaped chalk. Thank goodness for indoor activities like romantic comedy marathons, digging into the TBR pile, and celebrating the only holidays we can count on: Galentine’s and Adam Drivertine’s.

The indoor season is also a great excuse to rewatch a favorite TV show, which is the inspiration for a new segment: Round Up Recap. Typically this Round Up only focuses on new-to-me pop culture, but every once in awhile something I've experienced before but I’ve never written about stands out to me in a new way. For the first edition of this quick Recap segment, I’m revisiting LOST for the first time since its finale 15 years ago. Spoiler alert: It’s as great as I remember. We still have a few weeks of garbage weather ahead of us—maybe it (or one of the other warm locales on this list) is just the tropical getaway you need to survive.

February Crowd-Pleasers

1. Paddington in Peru (2025)

It wouldn’t have been surprising if there had been too much time or change to recapture the magic, but there’s something about Ben Whishaw’s mansuete expression and something about Paddington's eyes that reminds me too much of the family dog to complain. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. Double Feature - Diane Keaton Leads a Trio of Funny Ladies: First Wives Club (1996) + Hanging Up (2000)

Diane Keaton with Lisa Kudrow and Meg Ryan? Or Diane Keaton with Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler? Why not both? In First Wives Club (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10), Hawn, Keaton, and Midler team up for revenge on the husbands who left them for younger women. In Hanging Up (8/10 // 7/10, continuing my 2025 Nora Ephron project), Keaton, Kudrow, and Ryan reunite to work through their issues at their father’s (Walter Matthau) deathbed. Let’s get Diane Keaton leading another trio again STAT!

3. SNL 50

Did you have any doubt this would make my list? It’s the closest thing to a high school reunion I’ve ever felt the need to attend, and it’s confirmation I want to continue digging into the earlier years of the show to understand how American culture has evolved in the last five decades. These were my highlights: 

“Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter: Homeward Bound” - A collab I never knew I needed!

“50th Monologue” - Steve Martin has been one of the funniest people alive for 50 years—how??

“Physical Comedy” - These montages were a great glue to hold this nostalgia fest together

“Audience Q&A” - Sue me, I thought that Ryan Reynolds joke was funny

“New York 50th Musical” - Adam Driver as a hot dog! Adam Driver as a hot dog!

“Bronx Beat” - The return of sweatah weathah!

“Weekend Update: Bill Murray Ranks His Best Weekend Update Anchors of All Time” - Is it my new dream to be roasted by Bill Murray? 

“Weekend Update: The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With and Drunk Uncle” - The second collab I never knew I needed!

“50th Anniversary Goodnights” - Since I’m a weirdo and this is one of my favorite parts of every episode, this felt like a super-sized warm hug

4. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)

My sobbing through the last 45 minutes of the fourth Bridget Jones movie says more about me than it does about the fourth Bridget Jones movie, but it also doesn't say nothing about the fourth Bridget Jones movie. A quick scroll through this blog will reveal I’m a newer fan of Bridget’s clumsy mishaps and romantic tribulations, and I didn’t need years of nostalgia to fuel my emotional journey through her grief. Hugh Grant returns as a scene-stealer, and one of the biggest lessons here is Chiwetel Ejiofor should be in more rom-coms. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

5. Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

As one of the biggest fans of You’ve Got Mail fans I’ve ever met, why did I wait so long to watch Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan’s first team up? When terminally ill Joe decides to go out with a literal bang by jumping into a volcano, he encounters more obstacles than you’d think. Though he’s still no stranger to SNL, I’d love to see Tom Hanks tackle another kooky comedy like this again, and heck, I’d just love to see Meg Ryan regularly working again (even if not in three roles in the same feature). Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

MORE FEBRUARY CROWD-PLEASERS // Back in Action (2025) is an above-average Netflix family action flick // Last Breath (2025) is a tight thriller that knows how to use its star power to find heart in a procedural docudrama

February Critic Picks

1. Paterson (2016)

This year’s Adam Drivertine’s selection! For the few of you unaware of this annual event, this is the holiday my friend Bailey and I invented to celebrate the works and career of Adam Driver. (Read more on the history of this holiday on Letterboxd.) Because he’s a GOAT in the making, this is a movie about a bus driver poet with a rascally dog and a quirky wife and chance encounters that he pulls together with another magnetic performance. Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 9/10

2. I’m Still Here (2024)

Of this year’s ten Best Picture nominees, I’m Still Here may be the most traditional Oscar bait. At its best, it explicates a chapter in time without making it feel like a trawl. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

I also stopped by KMOV to give an overview of the Best Picture nominees this month, including I'm Still Here. Watch the segment.

3. The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor (2018)

I’m not drawn to self-help books, but the science around happiness and joy is fascinating. (See also: Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee.) Anyone who takes the time to demonstrate that rest is meaningful, a healthy work-life balance produces better work, and treating people well has tangible benefits, well, that’s an MVP. This was assigned reading at the office that ended up feeling like a gift.

4. Andromeda by Therese Bohman (2025)

Sofie and Gunnar are technically nothing more than co-workers, but their mutual understanding in spite of a generational gap is rare. There’s little in the way of plot—it’s more a mood of Sehnsucht. Bohman’s dreamy prose made for a quick read I couldn’t put down.

5. Gone Girl (2014)

Much of this thriller was spoiled for me in the last decade—that didn't matter a bit. Rosamund Pike’s performance lives up to the hype, and neither its twists nor its exploration of women’s stereotypes have aged a bit. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

MORE FEBRUARY CRITIC PICKS // Matchstick Men (2003) may not be Ridley Scott’s claim-to-fame, but it’s another reminder of his steady hand as a director // On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2025) lets newcomer Susan Chardy develop an excellent, restrained lead performance in 90 minutes

Round Up Recap // LOST

I told myself when LOST wrapped up in 2010 that I should wait to rewatch it until I couldn’t remember most of the plot. Thank you Past Me! Though the special effects have aged like you’d expect from turn-of-the-Millennium television, this plane crash survivor drama is as great as I remembered. Some of the best episodes feel like reading great literature, and the episode “Greatest Hits” wrecked me as badly as it did in 2007. You might say this series ruined me as a teenager—it led me to believe most adults are interested in growth, maturity, and 17th century philosophers, all three of which I’ve discovered are quite lacking in many of us. The first four seasons are about as perfect an action-adventure series as you could hope for on network TV (with a 20-plus-episode order, no less); the last two seasons with a sci-fi bent may be uneven as they try to tie up dozens of loose threads, but the highs are just as high. I doubt I’ll be able to wait 15 years to watch it again—I’m missing Sayid, Hurley, Charlie, Claire, Sawyer, Juliet, and even Jack and Kate already.

Also in February…

I also rounded up my voting for the St. Louis Film Critics Association Best of 2024. If you're on the home page, just keep scrolling, or read it all here.

I stopped by KMOV to review Paddington in Peru as well as Captain America: Brave New World. While I won’t defend it as an all-time MCU great movie—you can see where it ranks in the MCU for me on Letterboxd—I wasn’t as disappointed by it as it seems most people were. Watch the full review. 

Photo credits: Happiness Advantage, Andromeda. All other IMDb.com.

[crowdvscritic]

behind the scenes // ST. LOUIS FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS (2024)

I like to think voting in the St. Louis Film Critics Association has more Stilgar vibes than Feyd-Rautha vibes. Which is to say, more “As it is written!” and less “May thy knife chip and shatter!”

Though the 20-ish of us are all passionate about our favorite films, we haven’t resorted to knife duels to the death to determine winners (yet). This is my third year voting, and this is the largest batch of nominees yet. In 2022 we nominated 43 films in 23 categories, in 2023 we nominated 44 films in 24 categories, and this year, we nominated 53 films in 26 categories. Boy, I felt that increase. Though I had seen more new releases in 2024 than in previous years, there were still 28 titles I missed before my peers made them nominees. (And frankly, a few of them were barely on my radar, which highlights the varied marketing budgets available to different kinds of films.) I was able to squeeze 16 of them in the week between nominations and final voting, thus viewing the required 3-film minimum in every category except Horror. (The films I never got to: Alien: Romulus, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, Heretic, I Saw the TV Glow, The Last Showgirl, Late Night With the Devil, Longlegs, No Other Land, Queer, The Substance, Sugarcane, and Will & Harper. I did end up covering my eyes through much of The Substance after it was nominated for Best Picture, though!)

In the past, I’ve described our voting process and my ballot strategy. Little has changed since my 2022 and 2023 ballot round ups, so this year I’m keeping a pretty tight focus on the films themselves. As it is written: May thy watchlist grow ever longer!

Best Technical(-ish) Awards

Because these categories are so specific and varied, this is the time to let personal favorites shine or to acknowledge the merit in less-liked contenders. Re: the former, I wish Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (which achieved many stunts practically) and Fly Me to the Moon (which sported an impressive wardrobe) had earned more attention for their efforts. Re: the latter, I couldn’t deny the Challengers score or the production design in The Brutalist even though those films didn’t work as a whole for me.

A few more thoughts: 

I’m surprised Blitz and Saturday Night didn’t make more of a splash this Awards Season

It was a lackluster year for soundtracks. Even though I listened to Mean Girls and This Is Me…Now more than once on my own time, I was surprised I couldn't think of anything to surpass them on my list

Say what you will about Megalopolis, but I was never once bored! Even with a bonkers final product, Francis Ford Coppola is a master craftsman

Best Genre(-ish) Awards

These are the categories that inspire most of my frantic binge-watching between nominations and final voting. Of the 16 titles I watched in that week, 8 were in these categories, as were 9 of the 12 films I never found time for. (As always, I couldn’t vote in the Horror category because nothing inspires me to watch the minimum three films needed to vote.) Some of this is a matter of taste: I’m not drawn to documentaries in my free time, and though I did watch more than four last year, I didn’t think they deserved nominations. (Piece by Piece featured great animation, but it revealed nothing new about Pharrell). Some of this is because of the weak marketing for international films before the thick of Awards Season: I don’t remember hearing much, if anything, about Do Not Expect… before my peers nominated it, and I struggled to find a way to watch Dahomey.

A few more thoughts: 

You shouldn’t be surprised if you know anything about me that I had already seen all the Action and Comedy nominees before nominations were announced

I overestimated the reputation of Gladiator II and Rebel Ridge among my peers, and I underestimated their love for Deadpool & Wolverine and Hundreds of Beavers

Let the record show I was underwhelmed by Emilia Pérez as far back as December

My final vote for Best Comedy was one of my toughest picks. I almost voted for Saturday Night (which made me laugh more), but I ultimately selected the sharper script of A Real Pain

My major discovery in the week between nominations and final voting was The Seed of Sacred Fig, which ending up making my top 10 of the year

Best Performance Awards

Here’s where my love for my top 10 films of the year—okay, and the Minions—shows. I wish performances like Josh Hartnett’s in Trap had a shot in the dark during Awards Season, and I’m baffled at the lack of campaigning for Javier Bardem in Dune: Part Two. While I’m not surprised, I hate that the Academy slept on The Bikeriders and Civil War in multiple categories.

You'll also notice the first of our two new categories this year: Best Voice Performance. I doubt our nominations will overlap so much in the future, but there were a lot of fans of Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot for its inaugural event. 

A few more thoughts: 

Hard Truths was one of those barely-on-my-radar movies, but Marianne Jean-Baptiste wowed me so much she earned one of my few final votes outside my original batch of nominations

Like Soundtrack, Supporting Actress was a category I struggled to come up with strong candidates for, but Jennifer Lopez came through for me yet again. While I loved Nickel Boys, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor’s role was very supporting 

Best of the Best Awards

Will Anora, The Brutalist, and A Complete Unknown stand the test of time? The consensus of this moment suggests so, though anyone who has followed Awards Season knows pop culture’s short memory. (I’m publishing this before Oscar night—it’s possible I’ll eat these words in just a few days.) You can tell from the small overlap between my top 10 and our cumulative top 10 that my taste varied from the consensus, but if I’d seen The Seed of the Sacred Fig sooner, it would’ve bumped Twisters off my list.

A few more thoughts: 

 Our second new category for 2024 was Best First Feature, which along with Best Scene, added five unique nominees

That Civil War scene feels like THE scene of 2024

My affection for Nickel Boys has only grown as Awards Season has continued

More of the Best of 2024

Check out more on the St. Louis Film Critics Association site

See the full list of our picks on Letterboxd

Read my personal list of the best films of the year

And add those films to your watchlist on Letterboxd

[crowdvscritic]

round up // DECEMBER 24 + JANUARY 25: CROWD vs. CRITIC vs. CHRISTMAS!

Well, that’s a wrap…on 2024, and on SO IT’S A SHOW!

After 8 years and 7 seasons filled with 200-ish pop culture references, Kyla and I celebrated our love for Gilmore Girls with one last pop culture reference and a lap down memory lane. Though it’s a bittersweet goodbye (unless, you know, Gilmore Girls returns with another revival season), I'm grateful for every minute we podcasted together. And the best way to keep from crying because it's over? Laugh because you're watching His Girl Friday! Listen to our final episode (or, you know, our whole series) on Spotify, Apple, or any other podcast platform. You can also browse our episode history on our Tumblr.

Though that was the biggest pop culture moment for me this winter, it wasn’t the only memorable one. Between discovering new holiday favorites to finally getting to watch some of the best films of 2024, there was so much to recommend I had to revisit the same format I used in 2020 and 2023: Crowd vs. Critic vs. Christmas! In addition to my top five Crowd-Pleasers and Critic Picks, I rounded up five Christmas Treats that may become annual traditions. But if holiday recommendations coming after Groundhog Day feels too weird for you, don’t miss my top film picks of 2024, many of which we’ll be discussing through the Oscars next month. 

December + January Crowd-Pleasers

1. Double Binge - Old People Solving Crimes: Only Murders in the Building Season 4 + A Man on the Inside (2024)

Only Murders in the Building isn’t slowing down on the jokes four seasons in, and that's helping green light projects like Ted Danson’s new Netflix sitcom. In a perfect world, his private detective activities in a nursing home would be 22-episode series order with holiday storylines, bottle episodes, and inconsequential subplots, but I’m grateful for any opportunities for legends like Danson and Mike Schur to make television.

2. Moana 2 (2024)

While it’s not as polished as Moana, this sequel is a lot of fun. Watch my review for KMOV. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10 

3. Behind the Screens by Inaki Aliste Lizarralde with Neal E. Fischer (2023)

This illustrated coffee table book imagines detailed floor plans of your favorite TV sets, including Friends, Gilmore Girls, The Golden Girls, and Mary Tyler Moore. A perfect housewarming gift!

4. SNL Round Up

Before SNL 50, catch up on these sketches…

"Gladiator II: The Musical" (5008 with Paul Mescal) - This is a smidge saucier than I prefer, but the concept is perfection

"Mall Santas" (5009 with Chris Rock)

"Weekend Update: A Bald Man on a U.K. Court Harassment Ruling" (5009)

"Five-Timers Club Cold Open" (5010 with Martin Short)

"Stand-Up Monologue" (5011 with Dave Chappelle)

"Immigrant Dad Talk Show 2" (5011)

“Monologue” (5012 with Timothée Chalamet)

"Weekend Update: Andrew Dismukes and His Puppet Dad on Crazy Families” (5012)

5. You’re Cordially Invited (2025)

Speaking of SNL, Will Ferrell is still one of the funniest people alive, and that’s still on display in this new family-focused rom-com on Prime with Reese Witherspoon. Catch my review on KMOV. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10 

December + January Critic Picks

1. Best of 2024

In 2024, the films that aligned with my taste tended to orbit the same questions. What does justice look like? How do we navigate generational conflict? And can institutions be saved in spite of their flawed systems? I’m drawn to stories with a clear point of view and characters who make strong choices, but I have little interest in preaching or provocation for its own merit. There were certainly more than 10 films that reflected those qualifications, so alongside each of my top 10 films, I’m recommending an honorable mention for a double feature. Read all of my picks for 2024 at ZekeFilm.

2. An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis (1961)

Lewis’s book pulled together many of the ideas I had on my mind as I was writing my Best of 2024 piece. Though keeping up with his many dense literary references kept me on my toes, I’m grateful this 20th century thought leader took his time to walk us through how he assessed art.

3. The Good Half (2024)

Stories about mopey writers + Nick Jonas = a very specific Venn diagram of my interests. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Blitz (2024)

I’m surprised this Steve McQueen World War II bildungsroman didn’t make more of an Awards Season splash given its tight script and high production values. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

5. Double Feature - Written by Nora Ephron: Heartburn (1986) + My Blue Heaven (1990)

In 2025 I am working way through the films Nora Ephron wrote and/or directed I've missed, and this double feature was a great way to kick the project off. Heartburn (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10) recounts Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson’s marriage of cynical writers from pasta-seduction-meet-cute to fixer-upper-house-turned-possible-homewrecker. My Blue Heaven (8.5/10 // 7/10) forces a cartoonish mobster (Steve Martin) into witness protection, but it may be the mild-mannered agent (Rick Moranis) protecting him and small town he’s hiding in at greater risk because of his antics. 

MORE WINTER CRITIC PICKS // To its credit, I was never once bored in Megalopolis (2024)! // Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024) is moving celebrity documentary even if you don’t have a deep connection with Reeve // I will never watch The Substance (2024) again because, frankly, I just can’t hack the needles and body horror, but its insight into how women’s bodies are discussed and viewed has stayed with me

Christmas Treats

1. Ski Party (1965)

Is Frankie Avalon’s cross-dressing holiday the silliest of all the snowy films I watched this year? Definitely, but it’s hard to complain when James Brown makes a musical cameo. Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 6/10

2. By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)

This early Doris Day role brings the Meet Me in St. Louis vibes. Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

3. Holiday Seasoning by Jimmy Fallon (2024)

The radio-safe hits are pretty standard, but I would take a whole album of comedy duets like “Hallmark Movie” (with Cara Delevigne), “One Glove” (with Will Ferrell), and “New Year’s Eve Polka” (with “Weird Al” Yankovic).

4. Hot Frosty (2024)

This silly Netflix rom-com is a pretty perfect execution of a Hallmark movie for people who don’t like Hallmark movies. Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 6/10

5. Do You LIke Apples Christmas Movie Draft

I stopped by the Do You Like Apples podcast to discuss and draft our all-time favorite Christmas movies. While the voting for the best lineup has closed, I think we all know who won… Listen to the episode.

Also in December + January…

I took a deeper dive into a film I recommended in my November 2024 Round Up, Nickel Boys. Though the Academy has shown plenty of love toward films focusing on the mid-century struggle against Jim Crow (even awarding one Best Picture), Nickel Boys looks and feels nothing like them. Read my full review for ZekeFilm.

I'm updating my watchlist in real time on Letterboxd, where you can find a full lineup of everything I watched to celebrate the Christmas season from November to January.

Photo credits: Behind the Screens, C.S. Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Do You Like Apples. All others IMDb.com.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // NOVEMBER 24

Fair warning: November was a lot for me, which is why yet another Round Up is coming at least a full week into the next month. My go-to answer to “How are you?” has become, “I’m hanging in there!” With three weekends out of town, two funerals, and one more election that disappointed me in the deepest of ways, I’m back to a season when the lyrics to “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” feel like Taylor Swift has ripped out that broken heart and reset it to melody. 

I know that’s a less pleasant answer than you hoped for when you asked how I was, so perhaps you’ll be relieved to hear only one of my pop culture top 10 this month made me cry. Between Glicked weekend, Awards Season powering ahead full steam, and the Eras Tour (finally!), there was plenty to look forward to and get a respite from the heavy stuff. 

November Crowd-Pleasers

1. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

After 16 years of listening, 11 albums (depending on how you count), 2 previous tours, and countless attempts to get tickets to previous shows, I finally made it to the Eras Tour! As I noted in my review of the filmed concert last fall, my deep wish is for an up close, intimate show from an artist who has inspired me for so long, and would’t you know it? Sharing her attention with 70,000 other people is a certified way to remind you that will never happen. But it’s a bittersweet reality check to scream the “Cruel Summer” bridge at the top of your lungs in a crowd of friendly people as enthusiastic as you are. Seeing The Tortured Poets Department live brought it to life in a new way I hadn’t imagined, hearing "marjorie" live became a grief processing moment, and I’ve decided I need to find more excuses to wear sequins. Until I find another excuse, I’ll be flipping through The Eras Tour Book on my coffee table.

2. SNL Round Up

D-O-M-I-N-G-O! If you don’t want to get him stuck in your head, maybe don’t enjoy Marcello Hernández’s most memorable character yet in clips from SNL or from Sabrina Carpenter’s show. But if you don’t mind a catchy tune bringing a a smile to your face at random times during the day (or cathartic laughter to get through election season), don’t skip these: 

“2024 Pre-Election Cold Open” (5005 with John Mulaney)

“Stand-Up Monologue” (5005)

“What’s That Name: Election Edition” (5005)

“Port Authority Duane Reade” (5005)

“Weekend Update: The Couple You Can't Believe Are Together” (5005)

“Little Richard” (5005)

“Beppo” (5005)

“New York City Council Campaign” (5005)

“SNL for Trump Cold Open” (5006 with Bill Burr)

“Stand-up Monologue” 

“Calling Dad” (5006)

“Babymoon” (5007 with Charli xcx)

3. Wicked: Part One (2024)

Wicked: Part One is the spectacle you’d hope from a smash musical. Sequins! Vocal runs! Large-scale choreography! Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are excellent successors to Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, hitting goosebump-worthy notes and harmonies. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Gladiator II (2024)

Like 2000’s Best Picture winner, Gladiator II is both brutal and exhilarating, but its boldest stroke is finding ways to surprise us after decades of cable viewings of the original. And is any director as great at creating battle sequences than Sir Ridley Scott? Read my full review for ZekeFilm and watch my Glicked weekend reviews for KMOV. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 9/10

5. Music by John Williams (2024)

Because sometimes it’s nice to just watch a documentary that can be summed up as, “A nice man is really talented!” Any opportunity to give a genius like John Williams to pontificate on his work is an excellent use of time and film. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

MORE NOVEMBER CROWD-PLEASERS // The Peter Pan National Tour finds fun and surprising ways to freshen up the classic story for the stage // The Fire Inside (2024) is an easy recommendation for any sports movie fan // Nightbitch (2024) finds a new (and humorous) angle on motherhood for mainstream movies // The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat (2024) is for the Mystic Pizza girlies

November Critic Picks

1. The Apprentice (2024)

I feared this would be a self-righteous diatribe, but instead it feels like watching The Godfather Part II or Attack of the Clones. The miracle is you don’t have to have see anything else in the franchise for this to feel like its own holistic work thanks to fully realized performances from Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong that never turn into caricature. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

2. A Real Pain (2024)

In one of 2024’s top awards contenders, Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin update Planes, Trains & Automobiles with more gravitas and some of the best performances of the year. Watch my full review on KMOV. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

3. The West Wing Weekly Political Film Fest

I was surprised to discover I’ve never recommended The West Wing Weekly podcast in a Round Up, but thanks to Hrishikesh Hirway and Joshua Malina’s new virtual film fest, I’m able to correct that oversight. The duo bring their trademark wit and political insight to their discussions of previous Round Up recommendations like Dave, Dr. Strangelove, A Face in the Crowd, Judas and the Black Messiah, and Network, as well as new-to-me worthwhile watches like The Candidate (1972).

4. Chicago National Tour

Because everybody’s doing choreography, but not as well as this show! Few stage shows inspire so much thought about bodily movement (individually and corporately), justice, and the American dream. The songs really are all that jazz and a bag of chips, too.

5. Good Reads

What I’ve been reading about lately includes…

…pop culture (duh):

“Twisters Press Tour Measured F-5 on the Brisket Scale,” vulture.com (2024) 

“The 100 Greatest Westerns of All Time,” IndieWire.com (2024)

“The 'Absurd' Real-Life Sting Operation That Inspired a Movie,” BBC.com (2024)

“Charli XCX and Lorde’s Conflict Resolution is the Year’s Most Powerful Pop Moment,” TheGuardian.com (2024)

“The Growing Gender Divide, Three Minutes at a Time,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“Fall Is for Gilmore Girls: The Data Says So, and Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino Agrees,” HollywoodReporter.com (2024)

…work:

“Comedian John Mulaney Brutally Roasts SF Techies at Dreamforce,” SFStandard.com (2024)

“Night Owls’ Cognitive Function ‘Superior’ to Early Risers, Study Suggests,” TheGuardian.com (2024)

“CEOs Made Nearly 200 Times What Their Workers Got Paid Last Year,” APNews.com (2024)

“The Right to Disconnect Has Started, Giving Australians Legal Cover to Stop Responding to Emails and Calls After Hours,” ABC.net.au (2024)

…money:

“Housing Experts Say There Just Aren't Enough Homes in the U.S.,” NPR.org (2024)

“Owning a House in the U.S. Is Now the Most Expensive Since 2007, New Report Finds,” TIME.com (2024)

“You'll Need More Than $100,000 in Income to Afford a Typical Home, Studies Show,” NPR.org (2024)

“How Gen Z Ended Up in So Much Debt,” bloomberg.com (2024)

…family:

“Couples Therapy, but for Siblings,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“The Unspoken Grief of Never Becoming a Grandparent,” NYTimes.com (2024)

…fashion:

“The 30 Most Stylish People of the Last 30 Years,” InStyle.com (2024)

“What’s Going On With Pants? Everything, It Turns Out,” Vogue.com (2024)

“Is a $910 Fleece Actually Worth It?” NYTimes.com (2024)

…politics and the Internet:

“Drowning in Slop,” NYMag.com (2024)

“The Taylor Swift Way to Defuse a Troll,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“Trump’s Evangelical Supporters Just Lost Their Best Excuse,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

MORE NOVEMBER CRITIC PICKS // Nickel Boys (2024) is extraordinary and devastating // Martha (2024) revealed new layers to an icon I thought I knew // September 5 (2024) is a standout add to the journalism film canon // Kingdom of Heaven (2005) is a new-to-me add to the Christian film canon

Also in November…

You know I don’t wait to start start watching Christmas movies until after Thanksgiving. If you’re looking for recommendations, feel free to browse through my annual rewatches and new discoveries on Letterboxd.

Photo credits: Taylor Swift, West Wing Weekly, Chicago, Good Reads. All others IMDb.com.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // SEPTEMBER + OCTOBER 24

A few years ago, I rounded up September, October, and November together with a “Sad Girl Autumn” theme. Since I'm rounding up September and October more than halfway through November, I think you can guess this year's theme: “Busy Girl Autumn.” 

Autumn is my busiest season at my 9 to 5 and as a film critic, and this year, I added moving on top of it followed by an international trip within a week. (All good things, all good things, but I can’t say I recommend it.) The bad news: That means I had less time to review for ZekeFilm or KMOV. The good news: Long plane rides are perfect for catching up on movies I’ve missed, SNL’s 50th season is off to a solid start, and Iceland’s landscapes live up to their reputation. So while my cuticles look ratchet, my basement is dedicated to unpacked boxes and unhung artwork, and a day with no activities sounds luxurious, cinema is still cinema, baby! These were the pop culture bright spots in these two months.

September + October Crowd-Pleasers

1. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Still a gem, that Winona Ryder. Sure, it has at least one (if not three) too many plot lines, but when you’ve got Willem Dafoe hamming it up as a TV cop and Michael Keaton hamming it up as much as he ever did, it's hard not to have a good time. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. The Abyss (1989)

This was my one James Cameron oversight without “Piranha” in the title, and it wasn’t what I expected. As a late ‘80s release, I assumed it would be a dark, thrilling turn in the style of Aliens or the Terminator films. Instead, it’s a sentimental, thrilling adventure closer to Avatar or Spielberg’s alien films. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10 

3. SNL Season 50 Round Up

After lamenting an uneven season last year, it seems this relatively green cast has found its groove. These are the sketches I laughed at and shared most this fall: 

“Harris and Trump Rallies Cold Open” (5001 with Jean Smart)

“Spirit Halloween” (5001)

“Weekend Update: Baby Hippo Moo Deng on Fame” (5001)

“Stand-Up Monologue” (5002 with Nate Bargatze)

“Washington's Dream 2” (5002)

“Sábado Gigante” (5002)

“Golf Tournament” (5002)

“Family Feud Election 2024 Cold Open” (5003 with Ariana Grande)

“Monologue” (5003)

“Bridesmaid Speech” (5003) - If I had a dime for every time I've sung, "At the Marriott, Googling Domingo..."

“Weekend Update: Monica a Happy Amazon Employee on Prime Day” (5003)

“Weekend Update: Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher on Oasis' Reunion Tour” (5003)

“Maybelline” (5003)

“Weekend Update: Sarah Sherman on the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show” (5004 with Michael Keaton) - More crass than I usually prefer, but she captures a lot of my feelings about this event

“Horror Choreographer” (5004)

Keep scrolling for more Saturday Night love.

4. LaRoy, Texas (2024)

We (and that includes me) don’t appreciate Steve Zahn enough. This is the second movie I’ve watched this summer about a sad sack guy getting mistaken for a hit man, but this is the one that felt authentic to human emotion. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

5. It’s What’s Inside (2024)

The less you know about this Sundance hit before you watch it, the better. All you need to know this indie thriller is a twisty fun (and nightmarish) take a college reunion weekend. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

MORE SEPTEMBER + OCTOBER CROWD-PLEASERS // Knox Goes Away (2024) makes dementia the true assassin’s adversary in Michael Keaton’s second feature // Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) + Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016) may not feel necessary, but I can never watch Colin Firth and and Hugh Grant’s pathetic fistfights too many times // I’m not sure The 355 (2022) is my dream team up for Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz, Diane Krueger, and Lupita N’yongo, but I’ll take it. Girls deserve junky spy thrillers, too! // OUCH by Honne (2024) is filled with the good vibes I’m looking for

September + October Critic Picks

1. Double Feature - Mid-Century Spy Thrillers Starring Butch and Sundance: Torn Curtain (1966) + Three Days of the Condor (1975)

How did I not know that Alfred Hitchcock directed Paul Newman and Julie Andrews, you jagweeds? The underseen Torn Curtain (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8/10) runs a smidge long, but it still has plenty of Hitchcock flair. I also love when I watch an older movie and accidentally stumble upon a skeleton key for some of my modern favorites (like Mission: Impossible and Bourne), which is what I discovered in Three Days of the Condor (8.5/10 // 8.5/10). Though Butch’s pal Robert Redford finds himself caught in a romance that hasn’t aged well with Faye Dunaway, he's also caught in a conspiracy I can’t resist. 

2. The Dead Don’t Hurt (2024)

Westerns aren’t my jam, so anytime one captures me, I know it’s special. This revisionist Western takes an unusual (and fascinating) angle as Viggo Mortensen and Vicky Krieps’s romance is interrupted by the Civil War. Instead of the man-at-war-missing-his-home story (which we’ve seen so many times our minds can fill in the gaps) we watch the woman-abandoned-at-home-by-a-greater-cause story, which has consumed less of our cinematic history. Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

3. Queen Christina (1933)

Greta Garbo is radiant as ever in this historical romance. When I turned this on, I did not expect to discover Princess Diaries 2 is a remake! Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Saturday Night (2024)

If you’ve read any of these monthly Round Ups before, then you know I am the target audience for a film about the first episode of Saturday Night Live. What a treat that it doesn’t only capture the feeling of contained chaos the sketch comedy show is known for! With musings on the creative process within a for-profit environment and the clash of egos that runs the world of entertainment, it’s not just funny and, at times, crass—it’s thoughtful and thrilling filmmaking. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

5. Iceland!

Like my cousin Meredith, I’m not a big nature girl, which made my recent trip to Iceland unlike the list of museums my trip round ups usually become. Iceland is newer at the tourism game, and many of its museums feel like they’re still finding their footing. These were the ones that felt the best use of our time:

Perlan - an interactive museum focused on the natural wonders, wildlife, and geological history of Iceland

Hallgrimskirkja - A church with unique architecture in the heart of Reykjavik

Reykjavík Art Museum Kjarvalsstaðir - A small art museum largely focused on the works of landscape expert Jóhannes S. Kjarvals 

The real highlights of the country are its natural wonders like: 

The Golden Circle, including Gullfoss Falls (a giant, scenic waterfall), Þingvellir National Park (where the North American and European tectonic plates meet), and the Great Geysir (which is the origin of our word “geyser”) 

The Northern Lights - We enjoyed a nighttime boat tour right outside Reykjavik with spectacular views

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon - An opportunity to get a closer look at a glacier and icebergs

Blue Lagoon - This may be a touristy spot, but this geothermal pool is a destination for a reason

Snæfellsnes Peninsula - A region of scenic mountains, volcanoes, and beaches

Don’t believe me? Just watch Batman Begins, Interstellar, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, or any other film made in Iceland to get an idea of its beauty.

MORE SEPTEMBER + OCTOBER CRITIC PICKS // I’m not a monster, so yeah, Philadelphia (1993) made me cry // Karma is the guy in the ring coming straight home to me in Cain and Mabel (1936) // The End We Start From (2024) certified my membership to the Jodie Comer Fan Club //  I was relieved when it became clear I didn’t need to see Joker: Folie à Deux, but at least it gave us the great standards album Harlequin by Lady Gaga (2024) as well as a thought-provoking conversation on The Big Picture podcast about how we discuss film online // Just listen to Leon by Leon Bridges (2024)—you’ll thank me later

Also in September + October…

For ZekeFilm, I reviewed the new romance starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, We Live in Time, which was good but not as great as I hoped it would be.

I also reviewed Venom: The Last Dance for Zeke, which was…not even good.

Photo credits: Iceland my own. All others IMDb.com.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // AUGUST 24

I try not to get too personal here, but this month it’s hard not to reflect when given an outlet. 

This month I turned 32. I celebrated my first year at a job, and I'm months from a completing 10 years of grown-up work. Kyla and I are planning to record our final bits of our Gilmore Girls podcast SO IT’S A SHOW? after seven years. Pending nothing falls through, I’m about to move out of my first home into a new one. And through exactly zero effort on my part, I achieved my dream of becoming an aunt when my first nephew was born.

Because of that little guy and because I’m now the age of Lorelai at the start of Gilmore Girls, I’m thinking about what I would tell my younger self. (I’m also going through my annual Gilmore rewatch at the moment, so forgive me as, like the Gilmores, I can’t help but think about my life through a pop culture lens sometimes. And like Kathleen Kelly, I often ask, “So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?") When I started Crowd vs. Critic, I was closer to Rory’s age at the start of the series (16), and I identified with her through much through my 20s. I knew one day my responsibilities would look more like Lorelai’s, but I had no idea how much I’d identify with her personality and character arc. I’m sure you’re questioning nature vs. nurture here—is this because I’ve spent more than a decade watching and analyzing the show? Or because the Palladinos and series writers were keen observers of women between the ages of 16 and 32? I imagine it’s a bit of both.

A few things I’d tell my teenage self: 

You won’t leave mean girls behind when you graduate. Even decades later, you’ll be haunted by the moments you crushed others, and your heart will swell remembering people who invited you into the circle.

You’ll figure out how to fix your hair, touch up your makeup, and paint your nails, though by the time you’ve gotten the hang of it all, it won’t feel as important as it does to you now. 

Not that you have everything figured out. You’re still working on body image, finding your voice apart from others, and work-life balance, just to name a few. 

You don’t realize it yet, but you’re an anxious person. Loosening up doesn’t mean you’re slacking, making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re failing. Your life doesn’t look like you expect it will at 32, but you’ve worked to make a lot of it joyful, and I think you’d be proud of a lot of it.

Follow what brings you joy and energy. Trust your taste even if it feels too idiosyncratic or too “girly.” You’ll still love Audrey Hepburn, John Hughes movies, and Taylor Swift when you’re 32 and still growing up now.

Drop what feels like a burden, even if it feels like something you “should” be interested in. Except for your taxes—definitely do your taxes.

Speaking of taxes, adulting sucks sometimes, but your heart won’t die like you fear it might. Long before 32, you realize you wouldn’t trade the freedom of adulthood or that you like yourself better every year to be 16 again. 

SLEEP. Dear me, if you don’t remember anything else on this list, this one piece of advice will improve every area of life, especially during your freshman year of college.

The rest of this post is going to look much more like a typical Round Up, though I’d be remiss to skip one final reflection. In these 5 years of Round Ups and 12 years of Crowd vs. Critic, I've become a better writer, largely because I just keep doing it and hitting “publish” even when I’m not sure each piece is perfect. (Actually, I’m sure—they’re not perfect.) I’m less generous in my reviewing, though I hope it's because my knowledge of film is deeper and my watching is more adventurous, not because I’m a snob. I haven't tired of the concept of Crowd vs. Critic, either. Who knew I'd still be writing about movies and making pop culture recommendations all because of one afternoon at the theater to see Snow White and the Huntsman?

August Crowd-Pleasers

1. The Paris 2024 Olympics

The ‘lympics are back, baby! After a lackluster pair of games muted by a pandemic, they returned with a vengeance narrated by Snoop Dogg’s dulcet enthusiasm. As I’m not qualified to discuss the athletic performances—though, you know, they seemed pretty good to me—I’ll focus my Olympic Round Up on, yes, the memes.

Trying to capture all of Snoop Dogg’s moments of brilliance would be like trying to funnel all the grains of sand on Earth into a trinket dish, but these are a good start:

“Here Are All the Things Snoop Dogg Is Doing at the Paris Olympics,” complex.com

“Watch Snoop Dogg Freestyle to 'Gin & Juice' While Horse Trots Out for Olympics Event,” EW.com

“Snoop Dogg's Badminton Highlights Are Exactly What the Olympic Sport Needs,” NBC.com 

“Pure Gold: Snoop Dogg’s Best Moments at the Olympics So Far,” RollingStone.com

“Fans Can't Get Enough of Snoop Dogg’s ‘Adorable’ Reaction to Meeting a French Bulldog,” Parade.com

But Snoop Dogg wasn't the only highlight. This was the Olympics of memes: 

“These Memes Are Winning The 2024 Paris Olympics,” forbes.com

“How Paris 2024 Became the Most Memed Olympics Ever,” TheConversation.com

“Tom Cruise(d) Into the Olympics Closing Ceremony,” Esquire.com

“Breakdancing Raygun, Tom Cruise's Closing Ceremony Stunt and the Most Meme-able Moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics,” Yahoo.com

And these are a few more Olympic insights sans memes worth recommending: 

“Inside the Creation of the U.S. Gymnasts’ Paris Olympics Leotards,” WashingtonPost.com

“‘Our Billion-Dollar Olympic Lab’: What NBC Is Taking From Paris to L.A.,” HollywoodReporter.com

“Hosting the Olympics Costs Billions. What Does a City Get Back?” NYTimes.com 

2. Trap (2024)

We need more guys like M. Night Shyamalan who make mainstream movies weirder by just doing whatever they want and not caring if anyone else thinks they're cool. (Baz Luhrmann is also great at this.) Don’t think too hard about the plot mechanics here—just go along for the ride as serial killer Josh Hartnett (cooking!) watches the stadium walls closing in at a concert. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

3. It Ends With Us (2024)

I didn't know I had 1000 words in me on this weepy, but here I am mentioning Douglas Sirk and Spitgate and 2007's Waitress all in one breath in my review for ZekeFilm. I also did my best to quickly sum up the red carpet drama in my review for KMOV. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Honey by Isabel Banta (2024)

Inspired by Ashlee, Backstreet, Britney, Christina, Destiny, Hilary, Lindsay, Jessica, Kelly, Mandy, Mariah, NSYNC, and insert-your-fave-pop-act-of-the-late-‘90s-and-early-‘00s here, Isabel Banta’s debut novel examines how the music industry consumes and destroys young people (especially women) in the pursuit of another Top 40 hit. It’s more salacious than I prefer, but I couldn’t stop thinking about its insight into how women’s bodies are reduced to their elements both for publicity and to be jeered at—you might call it stripping them and selling them for parts. Though women have greater agency on the Billboard charts now than they did 25 years ago, it will make you remember Taylor Swift couldn’t buy back her catalog from Scooter Braun and Sabrina Carpenter getting slammed for love triangle gossip.

5. Double Feature - 2024 Streaming Romances feat. Middle-Aged Women Falling for Famous Men 16 Years Younger Introduced to Them by Their Daughters: The Idea of You + A Family Affair

In romantic drama The Idea of You (Crowd: 8.5 // Critic: 6.5/10), Anne Hathaway falls for a thinly-veiled Harry Styles (Nicholas Galitzine), which would be perfect if her insecurities weren’t making her second-guess every step of their May-December relationship. In romantic comedy A Family Affair (9/10 // 7/10), Nicole Kidman falls for an A-list movie star (Zac Efron), which would be perfect if he wasn’t her daughter’s (Joey King) demanding boss. Idea doesn’t stick to its own plot logic and Affair leans into clichés, but they’re both a good time if you come with an open heart. Both should have been theatrical releases!

MORE AUGUST CROWD-PLEASERS // The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) proves Guy Ritchie can't return to the stylish espionage well too many times // Tommy Boy (1995) is the platonic ideal of a Saturday Night Live cast movie // Why did this rom-com fan wait so long to watch the charming Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)? // The Secret of Us by Gracie Abrams (2024) shows a promising future for an up-and-coming singer-songwriter // I wonder if we’re all going to agree we slept on the fun action-comedy The Instigators (2024) in a few years

August Critic Picks

1. Sing Sing (2024)

Each year there is one film I dub the Official Ugly Cry of Taylor Blakes Everywhere, and I hope this is it because I don't think I handle another until 2025. (Previous recipients include The Father, The Iron Claw, tick, tick...BOOM!, and Women Talking.) This prison drama made me think of The Shawshank Redemption and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I’m not sure if this will be an all-timer like those, but it’s a good sign we won’t be forgetting Colman Domingo’s incredible lead performance through Awards Season. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

2. The Hollywood Hack Podcast Series (2024)

Remember when North Korea hacked Sony because of a James Franco/Seth Rogen comedy? This three-part series covers one of the weirdest pop culture moments of my lifetime that I had also almost completely forgotten about. Like all of Brian Raftery’s reporting for The Big Picture, it’s full of thoughtful interviews and analysis on how it paved the way for the next decade of pop culture. 

3. Hollywood Black: The Stars, The Films, The Filmmakers by Donald Bogle (2019)

This book from the Turner Classic Movies library chronicles the history of African-American cinema decade by decade, listing more than 800 films that chronicle the progress and setbacks for Black Hollywood. Bogle tracks evolving stereotypes, career opportunities, and thematic depth starting with the dawn of moving pictures in 1903. All have improved greatly—and the book ends on an optimistic note with its publication just after Black Panther, Get Out, and Moonlight—but a book like this provides phenomenal context for issues and criticisms we still discuss today. Another must-read from TCM!

4. Double Feature - Hollywood Black Recommendations: Stormy Weather (1943) + To Sir, With Love (1967)

I have a lot of titles left to watch mentioned in Hollywood Black, but I’m glad I prioritized these two before they expired on my DVR. In Stormy Weather (Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 8/10), Lena Horne and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson fall in and out of love as they pack in the musical performances with major Black performers of the day (like Fats Waller and the Nicholas Brothers). In To Sir, With Love (8.5/10 // 8.5/10), Sidney Poitier wrangles a rambunctious classroom of London teenagers, inspiring them to treat others (and themselves) with respect. Both are susceptible to corny genre motifs, but their lead performances are radiant. 

5. Double Wedding (1937)

Because Myrna Loy and William Powell are still chemistry GOATs! As per usual, Powell and Loy are meant to be in this romantic comedy, but first they have to restore her sister’s (Florence Rice) relationship with a mild-mannered nice guy (John Beal) after she decides she’d rather be with the caddish, charming Powell. An underrated ‘30s screwball rom-com! Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

MORE AUGUST CRITIC PICKS // Even a lesser Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers feature like Follow the Fleet (1936) is filled with phenomenal dance sequences // Even a lesser sequel like Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024) is filled with phenomenal stunt work // Even a lesser version of The Thin Man like Star of Midnight (1935) is filled with wit when William Powell is paired with Ginger Rogers

Also in August…

In our (probably) penultimate episode SO IT’S A SHOW?, Kyla and I researched the inspiration for Rory Gilmore’s journalistic aspirations, Christiane Amanpour. And to do this research, we go to the most important primary sources we could find: sub-par Hollywood sequels! What inspired Amanpour to become a journalist? Is she a good role model for Rory? And what did she think of the Gilmore Girls revival on Netflix? Listen to ep. 142 to find out.

I stopped by KMOV for a Fall Preview to share four September and October films I’m excited for: 

Photo credits: Olympics, Honey, Hollywood Hack, Hollywood Black. All others IMDb.com.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JULY 24

An unofficial July theme: optimism! 

From a rom-com about the possibilities of the Space Race, silly Minion antics, movie theaters making a comeback, traveling to new places, and the most exciting Olympics in years, things are looking up. July is also a great time to take stock of the year’s movie output. The writers at ZekeFilm rounded up our individual top five films and named our cumulative top five in our Best of the Year (So Far) piece. (I also did a deeper dive on my favorite film so far.) I'm not saying we've found the joy of a dull moment of precedented-ness, but these Round Up of pop culture picks gave July a more relaxed, celebratory feeling.

July Crowd-Pleasers

1. Fly Me to the Moon (2024) 

If you’ve ever watched a romantic comedy baked in misunderstandings, secrets, and false identities—think Pillow Talk or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days—then you know the appeal of Fly Me to the Moon. Romances are about chemistry, which Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum have to spare, and comedies require a light touch, which is just what this semi-real retelling of the first moon landing needs. Read my full review for ZekeFilm or watch my review on KMOV. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. Despicable Me 4 (2024)

I have no new insight into this cinematic universe, and the plot points are so becoming interchangeable you could just read my review of 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru to understand what I thought of Despicable Me 4. All I know is Minions make me feel like I’m a giggling 6-year-old again, and I don’t care about the lack of innovation as long as that lasts. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

3. Twisters (2024)

The joy of Twisters is that in spite of its empyrean spectacle, it always stays grounded. Also, Glen Powell (and Brisket). Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Thelma (2024)

Imagine The Beekeper if Phylicia Rashad decided to go after the scammer criminals herself. Also, imagine she was 93 years old and could only use resources available to nonagenarians. June Squibb is hilarious as a grandma who doesn’t know when to quit, and Josh Margolin’s debut feature finds a sweeter center than Jason Statham did earlier this year. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

5. A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

All hail sequels that are much better than they need to be! Though, in this case, keep your hails to a whisper. Lupita N’yongo, Joseph Quinn, and one endearing feline prove this franchise has legs—albeit spindly alien ones—and a heart outside the single family we saw in the first two chapters. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

MORE JULY CROWD-PLEASERS // About Time (2013) is an underseen rom-com that graciously does not overthink its time travel mechanics // I have never seen a commercial for Paddington (2014) or Paddington 2 (2017) that made me want to watch them—why were these charming, clever movies hidden behind gross-out jokes in their marketing? // The Great Debaters (2007) and The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) prove Glen Powell has always had it, and both films have plenty to recommend apart from his small roles // Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) may not be as vibrant as in the '80s but it does capture the same fun // Is Andrew McCarthy’s navel-gazing documentary Brats (2024) preoccupied with a therapeutic exploration of self? Is it extremely watchable for anyone with a love for 1980s popular cinema? Yes, and YES.

July Critic Picks

1. London! 

“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford.” That Samuel Johnson quote is overused for a reason. This month I returned to the United Kingdom for the first time since a three-week study abroad trip in 2012. A few activities were repeats from my college days (Harrod’s, National Gallery, Westminster Abbey), and I’ve now seen Six on two continents (great on both). Aside from a quick day trip to Stonehenge and Bath, the rest of my time was spent in London, discovering new coffee shops with baked goods on every corner and packing in as many museum visits as possible. If you’re headed across the Pond anytime soon, these are my top new-to-me cultural picks: 

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

Christian Heritage City Walk Tour

Churchill War Rooms

The Design Museum, specifically Barbie: The Exhibition

High tea at The Rosebery in the Mandarin Oriental

National Portrait Gallery, especially the exhibit Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens

Natural History Museum, specifically the dinosaur fossils because Jurassic Park rules

Portobello Road Market, including standing in front of the Notting Hill Bookshop asking it to love me 

Roman Baths

St. Paul’s Cathedral, though make sure you’re warmed up before attempting to climb to the top

Stonehenge

Victoria and Albert Museum, which is extra special when you wait in the gift shop line behind Tessa Thompson, who seems just as lovely in person as she does on screen

2. Double Feature — Classic Espionage Thrillers: Saboteur (1942) + Mirage (1965)

Because we all need more plot twists in our lives. In Saboteur (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Robert Cummings is framed for sabotaging the U.S. war efforts and goes on the run to discover the real culprits in true Hitchcock fashion. In Mirage (8/10 // 8/10), Gregory Peck realizes he’s lost two years of memories and goes on the run to discover the real conspiracy in similar fashion to Charade (since they share a screenwriter and co-stars).

3. Gambit (1966)

Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine are trying to pull off an art heist in swinging ‘60s style. What else do you need to know? Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

4. Making Movies by Sidney Lumet (1996)

Before The Big Picture podcast celebrated Sidney Lumet’s 100th birthday, I read his memoir/filmmaking guide and wished I’d read it years ago. The director of Network and The Verdict explains his filmmaking philosophies and techniques without getting too inside baseball or talking down to us. It feels like joining him in production meetings, sound stages, and editing rooms. I won’t look just at his work differently—these insights will impact my perspective on all watching going forward.

5. Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony

So far this Olympics has felt like the burst of joy and optimism I’ve wanted the Olympics to feel like since 2020, and the opening ceremony was full of all the pomp, circumstance, spectacle, sparkle, fireworks, Lady Gaga, and Minions I could ask for. 

MORE JULY CRITIC PICKS // Wicked Little Letters (2024) is a fun twist on the Parable of the Two Sons // The gender politics of Forever, Darling (1956) are silly today, but boy, did Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball have chemistry! // Death on the Diamond (1934) is a silly murder mystery set on the baseball diamond, but I can’t resist the St. Louis Cardinals as heroes // When Ladies Meet (1941) lets Joan Crawford shine in a rom-com

Also in July…

As Kyla and I continue the final season of SO IT’S A SHOW?, we dig into references Gilmore Girls makes to Sylvia Plath and The Bell Jar in ep. 141. What is the tragedy that Rory and Lorelai allude to? Is Gwyneth Paltrow any good at playing this poet in a movie? And why does Rory love her work so much? No need to finish that copy of The Bell Jar that’s been sitting half-read on your nightstand for years—we’ve got all the answers!

Photo credits: London my own. Making Movies. All others IMDb.com.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JUNE 24

This post is late 'cause I'm a writer, Though Austin Butler's cute in The Bikeriders, Who didn’t have time for post creation Before my big summer vacation. And it marks the 12th year Of this little blog now. With a 283rd post, I’ve know I got it down. Too bad anxiety don't do it for ya, John Wayne, he dream came trued it for ya, Bad Boys rebooted up for ya. Now I’m singin' Sabrina all night, oh, Is it that sweet? I guess so. Type it up, down, left, right, oh, Switch it up like Nintendo. Crowd vs. Critic, I know That's that me espresso

June Crowd-Pleasers

1. Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)

The fourth Bad Boys is functioning on three levels: 

It reminds us just how fun buddy cop comedies can be.

It’s a soft reboot of the franchise. 

It’s testing the waters for Will Smith’s future.

Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

2. “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter (2024)

It may be technically too early to call the race for Song of the Summer, but it’s going to take a major earworm to dethrone Sabrina Carpenter’s caffeinated pop hit for me. I’ve started playing it on repeat and daydreaming dance routines while driving—is it that sweet? I guess so.

3. Inside Out 2 (2024)

This sequel works because t’s a logical next step for Riley’s growth, but also because of its precision in identifying the competing emotions of middle school. That’s a lovely subversion of the neat endings in most family entertainment, and like most every Pixar entry, it did make me cry. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

4. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (2019)

The narrator—a cousin of Arrested Development's—informs us this is a story about a bank robbery gone wrong. It’s also a story about realtors, falling in love, rabbits, therapy sessions, bedroom closets, police work, bridges, and strange coincidences. It’s a laugh-out-loud ensemble (with some scenes so non sequitur I could imagine them in the best Adam McKay movies) and a sentimental rom-com (with some scenes reminiscent of Nora Ephron’s tone). 

5. Behind Enemy Lines (2001)

This action movie based on a true story more than lives up to its title. When Owen Wilson’s cocky Navy pilot gets caught, yes, behind enemy lines, he then, yes, has to go through a Top Gun-inspired arc. But neither Wilson nor Gene Hackman are phoning in what could’ve been a paint-by-numbers war film, which makes it both thrilling and poignant. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

MORE JUNE CROWD-PLEASERS // House Rules by Myquillyn Smith (2023) isn’t the restricting guide the title suggests but a collection of 100 decorating inspirations // Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013) make me miss Adam McKay’s true comedy days, when his political views made his jokes more poignant instead of overwhelming the intent of his script // Poms (2019) is a fun entry in the recent trend of Older Screen Lady Legends Doing It For Themselves subgenre (See also: 80 for Brady) // I.S.S. (2023) is more thoughtful than a junkie space thriller needs to be // In the Land of Saint and Sinners (2023) is a classic Western that just happens to be set in Ireland // Snack Shack (2024) is more crass than I prefer, but what works has American Graffiti vibes

June Critic Picks

1. The Bikeriders (2024)

It’s like Austin Butler overheard Robert Redford say, “Paul Newman and I are the handsomest white men who have ever been on screen,” and he said, “Hold my comb.” Butler knows he’s beautiful, and so does writer/director Jeff Nichols, who based The Bikeriders on a book of photography. Nichols also knows how cool guys in leather jackets look while smoking and riding motorcycles (even if we consciously know all of those things are dangerous clichés) and that it takes someone as gorgeous as Butler to make us believe a skeptical woman like Jodie Comer’s Kathy would sell her soul to have him. It’s one of best films of the year so far, and you can hear more thoughts in my review on KTRS's Carney Show. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

2. Double Feature - ‘40s Rom-Coms With With Political Twists: Without Reservations (1946) + State of the Union (1948)

In Frank Capra’s State of the Union (Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10), Spencer Tracy is considering running for President of the United States with the help of lover Angela Lansbury and to the chagrin of wife Katharine Hepburn. In Mervyn LeRoy’s Without Reservations (8/10 // 8.5/10), famous author Claudette Colbert is road-tripping incognito (much like she did in It Happened One Night) after falling hard for returning soldier John Wayne. In both romances, politics are the force driving apart the couples we’re rooting for, and in Reservations, you also get a perfect rom-com BFF in Don DeFore. 

3. The Cross of Lorraine (1943)

About the same time Casablanca came out, Peter Lorre played a supporting role in another World War II adventure filmed as people were escaping the Nazis in real life. This French POW drama (also co-starring Gene Kelly) walked so that Steve McQueen could jump that motorcycle in The Great Escape. Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Broadcast News (1987)

What’s a girl to do when she has no time to write a valedictorian speech? And what’s a girl to do when she has to choose between two terrible love interests while working in the world of TV journalism? In ep. 140 of SO IT’S A SHOW?, Kayla and I are digging into the ‘80s romantic dramedy Broadcast News and trying to figure out what the hey it has to do with Rory’s graduation in Gilmore Girls. Why is Lorelai comparing Rory to Holly Hunter? What ethical controversy (if you can even call it that) could make Holly Hunter break up with a dreamy news anchor? And how much do we love The Incredibles? Listen in for a special report on all of these stories.

5. Fancy Dance (2023)

Part mystery, part character drama, all Lily Gladstone star power. Fancy Dance overlaps in plot and theme with Killers of the Flower Moon, but Gladstone has created a completely different character stuck in a world of crime and custody battles. Watch my full review on KMOV. Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

Also in June…

I reviewed Janet Planet for ZekeFilm, which was the opposite of Snack Shack: On paper it's a film I should've loved, but I didn't care for the execution.

Photo credits: Anxious People. All others IMDb.com.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // MAY 24

Who cares what the calendar says? Ryan Gosling has declared summer is officially here! 

Between longevity of the “Beavis and Butt-Head” Saturday Night Live sketch I shared last month, his extremely fun red carpet appearances, and the wonderfully fun The Fall Guy,  he’s been everywhere, and I have no complaints about it. 

But The Fall Guy and the other new releases in this Round Up aren’t the last summer movies to look forward to. I stopped by KMOV to preview some of the movies I’m most excited for this summer, including a star-studded rom-com set in the ‘60s, a legacy sequel action spectacular, a mystery starring a recent Best Actress nominee, and a prequel for a genre I rarely like. Let’s take on the summer as Ryan Gosling commands in The Fall Guy: “Jean-Claude, attaqué!” 

May Crowd-Pleasers

1. The Fall Guy (2024)

Most movies go to great pains to hide their seams, but not The Fall Guy. And who needs to when a behind-the-seams look can be so fun? Summer 2024 is starting off with a bang because it’s a blast both as an action-adventure and as a romantic comedy, making it one of the easiest movies to recommend to just about anyone. Read my full review for ZekeFilm or watch out my review for KMOV. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA (2024)

It’s not hyperbole to say I adored this weird and wonderful talk show experiment. Experts on palm trees and coyotes did most of the talking, Bill Hader and Pete Davidson couldn’t stop giggling, and John Mulaney kept asking about what kinds of cars people drive. Only a handful of clips have been added online from this live six-episode series…

"The Map of Los Angeles"

"Reverse Borat"

"Oh, Hello Manson Tour"

"Nepo Babies"

…but if Mulaney ever decides to resurrect his late night format of taking calls, discussing non-urgent topics, and creating sketch comedy with his friends and seismologists, I’d watch it every night.

3. IF (2024)

Not everything about the logic of IF hangs together, but one of the beauties of an original world is not being encumbered by mythology and continuity. IF is about dreaming big, and it’s for kids and families who want to be dazzled by a story imaginative in every sense of the word. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. SNL Round Up

That’s a wrap on season 49! These sketches will be holding me over till the Saturday Night Live’s golden jubilee begins in the fall: 

“Teeny Tiny Statement Pin” (4618 with Dua Lipa)

“OBGYN” (4618)

“Hot Ones with Beyoncé 2” (4619 with Maya Rudolph)

“Weekend Update: A Woman Who Insists She's Not Mad” (4619)

“Monologue” (4620 with Jake Gyllenhaal)

“Dad Has a Cookie” (4620)

“Fast Fashion Ad” (4620)

“NYPD Press Conference” (4620)

And if you're still laughing at "Beavis and Butt-Head" from Ryan Gosling's episode last month, don't miss these behind-the-scenes articles about the viral fave:

“Heidi Gardner Couldn’t Prepare for What She Saw,” Vulture.com (2024)

“Ryan Gosling’s Viral Beavis and Butt-Head Skit Was 5 Years in the Making,” gizmodo.com (2024)

5. Zillow Gone Wild (2024-)

@ZillowGoneWild has been one of my best Instagram follows for years, so you know I’m all in on the HGTV series. Can you live inside a former missile silo? Did you know a real-life house inspired the dwarfs’ cottage in Snow White? How would you renovate a 17,000 square-foot church to make it a home? Host Jack McBrayer is stopping by the craziest Zillow listings (and more than once in my hometown of St. Louis), which you can imagine inspires hilarious commentary along the way.

MORE MAY CROWD-PLEASERS // Olivia Rodrigo’s bonus tracks on GUTS (spilled) (2024) are five more album-worthy pop-punk bangers and folksy bops // Even though I find puppets unsettling, the Prime rom-com Música (2024) is proof Camila Mendes has the “it” factor and writer/actor/director/musician Rudy Mancuso should direct a full-blown musical // Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) is the least successful of the modern Apes franchise, but I’m still in on this dystopian adventure world // It’s a shame Rutherford Falls (2021-22) was cancelled just as it was finding its groove in Mike Schur’s canon with its big ideas like The Good Place, its small town cast of characters like Parks and Recreation, and its problematic lead like The Office // Angela Lansbury time travels to the Antebellum South in a mystery with thorny issues still relevant today in Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man (2001)

May Critic Picks

1. The Way We Were (1973)

After a longer-than-planned hiatus, SO IT’S A SHOW? has returned! We’re breaking our typical mold in our seventh and final season (much like the seventh season of Gilmore Girls—IYKYK), and after a quick catch up in ep. 137 (though not without plenty of discussion of what the Palladinos are working on right now and a new Gilmore children’s book), we dig into our newest pop culture reference. In ep. 138, we’re discussing the the ‘70s weepy The Way We Were, which features a Palladino-esque heroine, Robert Redford in a cable knit sweater, heartache, laugher, and Communism all in one neat package! We discuss the cultural changes in parenting since then, why the Gilmores reference this movie several times in the series, and yes, Robert Redford in that cable knit sweater. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

2. Persuasion by Jane Austen (1817)

Jane Austen—you ever heard of her? She’s pretty good! Though it always takes me a minute to get into the rhythm of her writing, her characters and plotting never disappoint. This romantic comedy focuses on lovers separated by society reuniting almost a decade later, and as always, their story is funny and swoon-worthy.

3. Audrey Hepburn in Paris by Meghan Friedlander (2024)

I have admired Audrey Hepburn as a performer, fashion icon, work-life balance enthusiast, and humanitarian since I was 15, and the creator of Rare Audrey Hepburn has captured the beauty of each of those roles in her first book. With a journalistic attention to detail, Meghan Friedlander reports on the sets, theaters, and fashion houses Hepburn graced during her frequent visits to France. This book is both a unique biography and a gorgeous coffee table book that fans of Hepburn, fashion, and film history won’t want to miss.

4. Thelma & Louise (1991)

Kyla and I also chatted about the crime classic Thelma & Louise on SO IT’S A SHOW?. What does this movie have to say about female friendships? What did we think of THAT ending? And is Rory totally a Thelma? We discuss that and more in ep. 139. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

5. Good Reads

Recently I’ve been reading and thinking about…

The movies…

“Ryan Gosling’s Best Co-stars Are His Jackets,” Vulture.com (2024)

"The Power of the Planet of the Apes,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“‘Mum Knew What Was Going On’: Brigitte Höss on Living at Auschwitz, in the Zone of Interest Family,” TheGuardian.com (2024)

Men and women…

"Trying to Decipher a Man’s Mind? Now There’s a Name for That,” WashingtonPost.com (2024)

“Why Your Big Sister Resents You,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“Executive Women Are Wearing Sequins to Work. ‘I Made the Decision to Be Seen,’ WSJ.com (2024) 

“The Menstrual Mood Disorder You’ve Never Heard About,” TIME.com (2024)

“Scientists Calculated the Energy Needed to Carry a Baby. Shocker: It’s a Lot,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“Australian State Appoints Official for ‘Men’s Behavior Change’ as Outcry Over Violence Against Women Grows,” CNN.com (2024)

America…

“How America Got Mean,” TheAtlantic.com (2023)

“Why Americans Suddenly Stopped Hanging Out,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“A Map of Which States People Want to Stay In, Move To, or Leave,” AtlasObscura.com (2024)

“How to Be Less Busy and More Happy,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“America’s Best Decade, According to Data,” WashingtonPost.com (2024)

Asia…

“China’s Age of Malaise,” NewYorker.com (2023)

“How China Miscalculated Its Way to a Baby Bust,” WSJ.com (2024)

“China Is Pressing Women to Have More Babies. Many Are Saying No,” WSJ.com (2024) 

“Overworked South Koreans Unwind With Pet Rocks—‘Like Talking to Your Dog,’” WSJ.com (2024)

“The Land That Doesn’t Need Ozempic,” TIME.com (2024) 

The Internet…

“Our Entire Society Is Becoming Addicted to Sports Gambling,” NewRepublic.com (2024)

“Hold Your Clapbacks,” ChristianityToday.com (2024)

“Stop Filming Yourself at the Gym Already,” WSJ.com (2024)

“Is Uber Strangling the Restaurant Business?,” insights.som.yale.edu (2024) 

MORE MAY CRITIC PICKS // The Moulin Rouge! National Tour finds new ways to update my beloved musical // Like all Douglas Sirk films, Magnificent Obsession (1954) looks incredible // Sofia Coppola and Celine Song chatted on the A24 podcast, and they spoke to my soul // Amy (2015) is making everyone wonder why Back to Black was ever made (keep reading for more on that new biopic) // Born to Kill (1947) is an underrated film noir // Caroline Polachek’s album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You (2024) is scratching the Imogen Heap itch I’ve had for awhile now // The scandals Ryan Gosling and George Clooney are caught up in The Ides of March (2011) already feel quaint, but I’m still thinking about days later

Also in May…

Young Woman and the Sea is a little choppy, but it’s good pick for family movie night. Read my full review for ZekeFilm.

I watched my worst movie of the year so far, the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black. Read my full review for ZekeFilm or watch my review on KMOV.

Photo credits: Zillow Gone Wild, Persuasion, Audrey Hepburn, Good Reads. All others IMDb.com.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // APRIL 24

Big ensembles, the queens of pop, rocky romances, and love-it-or-hate-it pop culture artifacts—they’re all here.

We're on the eve of summer blockbuster season, but we’ve already seen several strong releases, including one below I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m still thinking about in December. Keep scrolling through this Round Up for the top comedies, classics, and action thrillers I experienced April in the order I experienced them...

April Crowd-Pleasers

1. Monkey Man (2024)

Part John Wick, part Rocky, and part something all its own, Dev Patel’s feature directorial debut is a brutal revenge thriller action fans will love. Watch my full review for KMOV.  Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

2. SNL Round Up

Just last month I was low-key mourning an underwhelming season of Saturday Night Live, but then Kristen Wiig and Ryan Gosling came to revive my hopes with two of the best episodes in awhile. Start with “Beavis and Butt-Head” or just cue up both episodes and watch start-to-finish.

“Five-Timers Monologue” (4916 with Kristen Wiig) 

“Jumanji” (4916)

“Weekend Update: Aunt Linda on the Latest Hit Movies” (4916)

“La Maison Du Bang!” (4916)

“Monologue” (4917 with Ryan Gosling)

“The Engagement” (4917)

“Weekend Update: Resident Boyfriend Michael Longfellow on Weaponized Incompetence” (4917)

“Weekend Update: Caitlin Clark on the WNBA Draft” (4917)

“Beavis and Butt-Head” (4917)

“Erin Brockovich” (4917)

“Doctor” (4917)

“Papyrus 2” (4917)

3. Upgraded (2024)

This update of Working Girl set in the art world is, to put it bluntly, just super cute. Camila Mendes has the star power to lead movies bigger than Prime originals (including the winning charisma needed for the best rom-coms), and we could use Marisa Tomei in more of everything. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 6.5/10

4. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)

It’s not every day I get to mention The Guns of Navarone in a review. This movie is selling itself to you (and your dad) as an opportunity to watch Superman and Jack Reacher kill a bunch of Nazis, and with Guy Ritchie directing, this action-adventure is plenty fun. Read my full review at ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

5. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-21)

Thanks to Southwest Airlines, I've seen a smattering of the eight seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but with the first four seasons now on Netflix, April became the month to watch it all the way through. Like Mike Schur’s other sitcoms (The Good Place, The Office, Parks and Recreation), the joke rate is exceptionally high and the characters are lovable and idiosyncratic. If a sitcom filled with Halloween heists, umpteen references to Die Hard, and the silliest possible cases for police offers sounds like your jam, you won’t be disappointed, either. 

MORE APRIL CROWD-PLEASERS: If you can roll with the half-developed plotting (and a few cruder-than-necessary moments) in the stylish Lisa Frankenstein (2024), this ‘80s-set homage to Heathers is a lot of fun. // When I tried to watch High Fidelity (2000) as a teenager, I quit about 30 minutes in because John Cusack’s man-child protagonist was so unlikeable. I’m glad I gave it another chance as an adult so I could realize that’s the point. // Jake Johnson’s feature directorial debut Self Reliance (2023) is successful as both a comedy and a thriller. // How to Marry Keanu Reeves in 90 Days by K.M. Jackson (2021) is a frothy BFFs-to-true-loves rom-com filled with celebrity cameos. // Smokey and the Bandit (1977) is way more fun than a movie about greedy lawbreakers should be.

April Critic Picks

1. The Lost Weekend (1945)

The Best Picture Project continues with Billy Wilder’s first bout of Oscar glory. Read my Crowd and Critic reviews (or just keep scrolling to the previous post if you’re on the home page.) Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 9/10

2. Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé (2024)

The problem of writing about Beyoncé is it’s boring to just keep finding new ways to say, “She’s really good at this!” I could write about the sincerity the coming-of-age heartbreak in “16 CARRIAGES,” the epic nature of the bookends “AMERICAN REQUIEM” and “AMEN,” the innovation on “JOLENE” and “BLACKBIIRD,” and the absolute banger that is “YA YA.” (The only real surprise is I’ve found a second Post Malone song I like.) Because I’m a film critic and not a music critic (or much of a country fan), I recommend checking out the Los Angeles Times review for more context on how this fits into her canon and the history of country music.

3. The Heartbreak Kid (1972)

Why is this rom-com from Elaine May so hard to find? Because my local library is awesome, I’ve now finally seen Charles Grodin get married and then think he may have met the real love of his life (Cybill Shepherd) on his honeymoon. More than five decades later, May’s hilarious and cringey film still has plenty of insight into men’s and women’s relationships (and sunburns), and (minor spoiler alert) its ending is a perfect companion to The Graduate. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9.5/10

4. Civil War (2024) 

I saw someone on Letterboxd call this movie a Rorschach test, and boy, oh boy, that’s an undersell. Civil War is brilliant not because of the political statements it’s making if for no other reason than it makes very few of them. This photojournalist road trip is about the impossibility of complete objectivity, but more than that, it’s about the destructive nature of hostile disagreement. An alliance between California and Texas is writer/director Alex Garland deliberately telling us not to get hung up in our moment’s political issues—if we are so convinced of our own self-righteousness, we’ll lose everything we claim to be fighting for. The Jesse Plemons performance is my premature pick for Best Scene of 2024. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

5. The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift (2024)

The prophet has come down from the mountain. Somewhere in my third listen, The Tortured Poets Department snuck up on me. I thought this would be another evermore: worthy of mad respect, but too lugubrious to be a frequent relisten outside of “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.” While that tragic bop is the current contender for the top spot in this year's Spotify 100, “The Tortured Poets Department,” “Clara Bow,” “Fortnight” (now only the third Post Malone song I’ve ever liked), and “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” will also certainly be in my annual playlist—and that’s just Side A! On Side B, the Daedalian lyrics of “The Black Dog,” “imgonnagetyouback,” “So High School,” “I Hate It Here,” and “I Look in People’s Windows” elevate their sad stories into awe-inspiring strings of words. Whom she and her collaborators are writing about is beside the point; even at billionaire status, Swift’s heartbreak, regret, hope, and indignation are as relatable as ever, sp she can write about high school as long as she likes. Because I’m a film critic and not a music critic, I recommend checking out Variety’s review for more thoughtful (and perhaps more objective) prose about this collection of poetry.

MORE APRIL CRITIC PICKS: Unfaithfully Yours (1948) is an early entry in the Symphony Conductors Dealing With Marital Issues Cinematic Universe that paved the way for Tár and Maestro. // Frank Capra’s semi-forgotten early feature Platinum Blonde (1931) fits right in his legacy of class-conscious rom-coms. // The spectacle of Cleopatra (1963) still dazzles even now.

Also in April…

I checked out the new time travel romance on Hulu, The Greatest Hits, which definitely took inspiration from High Fidelity. Read my full review for Zekefilm.

Photo credits: Beyoncé. All others IMDb.com.

[crowdvscritic]

crowd vs. critic single take // THE LOST WEEKEND (1945)

Photo Credits: IMDb.com

What’s one weekend away? For an alcoholic, torture.

Struggling writer Don (Ray Milland) is dreading a trip with his brother Wick (Phillip Terry), who monitors what he imbibes. He keeps a covert stash in the crannies of their New York City apartment, but it won’t be easy to sneak it out of town alongside his brother and his girlfriend Helen (Jane Wyman). Part belligerence and part willful ignorance convinces him perhaps it’s best not to go at all. A weekend spent only with himself—and a few fellow bar patrons—would be better.

CROWD // One of the reasons I love movies is they’re the closest to time travel we’ll ever get. Like Harry Potter dunking his head into the Pensieve, a screen always reveals more than the filmmakers intended because it's a literal portal into the past. The Lost Weekend’s portrayal of alcoholism feels melodramatic today, borderline heavy-handed, but in 1945, The New York Daily News called it "the most daring film that ever came out of Hollywood.” Turner Classic Movies notes it had a special relevance in a year when soldiers were returning from a traumatizing war, and it was “the first to treat drinking seriously and not play it for laughs. Gone were the inebriated Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man movies.” Just a few years later in 1949, Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell died when she was was hit by a drunk driver. When Malcolm Gladwell explored it on his podcast Revisionist History, he observed, “The fact that his drinking might have been the reason he was speeding somehow didn't seem to occur to many people... but in the mentality of the time, the driver was irrelevant. He was as unlucky as the victim." All that to say, how we feel about alcoholism has changed in the last eight decades. 

Though the context feels foreign today, the characters do not. If you’ve ever known someone struggling with crippling mental health issues, watching Helen and Wick waffle between support for Don and total exasperation will feel too familiar. You’ll also recognize the truth in Don’s statement that there are two versions of himself—the one who would love to be a writer, and the one who believes he’s a failure. One version wants to be the man Helen deserves and a responsible brother who pays the rent, but the other cons and manipulates them, even swiping the maid’s paycheck for his habit. (Writer/director Billy Wilder would create another unstable, manipulative character in Sunset Blvd., but Norma Desmond would add a sinister edge.) Even if The Lost Weekend doesn’t feel congruent with modern depictions of substance abuse, it’s still moving because its heart is empathetic to those struggling as well as their friends and family. 

POPCORN POTENTIAL: 7/10

CRITIC // That success is largely thanks to the cast. In another film, Don could have been a villain or comic relief—here is treated with as much care as Milland took in preparing for the role. His commitment is an early example of the strategy many Best Actor hopefuls still take today, volunteering a physical transformation to become this character. In addition to changing his diet to lose weight, he took the initiative to stay in Bellevue Hospital for a time (where some of the film was shot, though Bellevue later regretted it) to experience their treatment of alcoholics. Though he was unsuccessful at achieving drunkenness, he was successfully mistaken as public day drinker by acquaintances who were gracious enough to mention it to the press. Without Milland, Matthew McConaughey might have still lost weight for Dallas Buyers Club, Brendan Fraser might still have gained weight for The Whale, and Leonardo DiCaprio might still have gone through the tortures of The Revenant, but perhaps Milland's win is the source code for actors going to extremes to show commitment to their craft. 

In addition to nominations for editing and cinematography, Billy Wilder won his first Oscars for writing and directing The Lost Weekend. (He’d already lost five times, including for Ninotchka and Double Indemnity, and he’d win four more for Sunset Blvd. and The Apartment. Yeesh, what a career!) A Best Score nod brought to the tally to 7 total nominations, though that’s less impressive when you know the Academy recognized 47 nominees in 3 different music categories for the year of 1945. (The following year each category was narrowed down to the traditional five.) 

One more indicator of the Ghost of Oscars Yet to Come: The Lost Weekend is the first social issues drama to win Best Picture. Previous winners danced around what is now a staple during Awards Season, but Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Grand Hotel were really slice-of-life character dramas, The Broadway Melody and Going My Way were really musicals, and It Happened One Night and You Can't Take It With You were really comedies, although all six of those titles were conscious of money, class, marriage, and religion. The Lost Weekend is the first winner about everyday people facing a present day challenge not set during war or a historical period. For the first time, the Academy affirmed the value of a "small" story with its highest honor, giving dignity to people and concerns that could be mistaken as unimportant.

ARTISTIC TASTE: 9/10

[crowdvscritic]

round up // MARCH 24

This March Round Up is one of the most media-diverse I’ve ever published. Two books! Two miniseries! One museum! One telecast! And somehow, most of them eventually come back to the same topic: movies. 

Now that the Oscars have named their 2023 victors (“My eyes see Oppenheimer!!!”), it feels like the 2024 movie year has finally started, and one major Awards Season contender is already out. (Keep reading to see if it is Kong x Godzilla!) Three of my top 10 picks this month are new films, but this brief pause between Awards Season and summer blockbusters means I have time for indulgent activities like reading books and playing Turner Classic Movies roulette on the DVR. May lulls like these between your busy seasons be just as enjoyable with these pop culture faves…

March Crowd-Pleasers

1. The Fury by Alex Michaelides (2024)

You know it’s a good book when it’s already past your bedtime, you see that you have 100 pages left, and still say, “Yeah, there’s no way I’m not finishing this tonight.” I made this my January Book of the Month because it sounded like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (my favorite movie of 2022), but this doesn’t center on a Benoit Blanc-style detective. At the center is a charming, unreliable narrator (one I kept picturing as John Mulaney) recounting the murder of a starlet (whom I kept picturing as Carole Lombard) while on vacation with her friends and family. I read 75% of this murder mystery set on a private Greek in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down!

2. Road House (2024)

Thank goodness Jake Gyllenhaal seems to be losing interest in prestige projects because he’s best when he’s a lil’ crazy. That’s just one reason this Road House is even more fun than the original. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 7/10

3. Barbie: The World Tour by Margot Robbie and Andrew Mukamal (2024)

I have referenced Barbie in almost every Round Up since it came out, and I'm not slowing down now. This new book from Margot Robbie and her stylist Andrew Mukamal catalogs each of her Barbie press tour looks inspired the doll’s historical closet, giving side-by-side comparisons the head-to-toe looks on the doll and on Robbie. With designers’ sketches and insight into how Robbie and Mukamal made their sartorial choices, it makes for a gorgeous coffee table book.

4. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Big things go smash! I stopped by KMOV to chat about the newest Godzilla/Kong team-up with Joshua Ray, which won’t send you away smarter but probably in a better mood. Watch the full review. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 4/10

5. SNL Round Up

I’m noticing my Saturday Night Live Round Ups are shorter this year, which is probably thanks to a greener cast. But I am always rooting for Studio 8H, and these three were worth re-watching and sharing in the text thread: 

“Detectives” (4913 with Sydney Sweeney)

“Loud Table” (4913)

“Moulin Rouge” (4914 with Josh Brolin)

More March Crowd-Pleasers: Morgan Freeman, Keanu Reeves, and Rachel Weisz get caught up in a murder plot surrounding a new energy source in Chain Reaction (1996) // Before Zodiac, Kurt Russell was a Miami Journal reporter investigating a serial killer in The Mean Season (1985)

March Critic Picks

1. Art in Bloom at the St. Louis Art Museum

Every spring SLAM invites floral artists to create arrangements inspired by pieces in the museum’s collection. As always, this event inspires me to look at works I’ve seen dozens of times in new ways, and I always discover flowers that make me wish my thumbs were more verdant.

2. Dune: Part Two (2024)

Dune is weird, but I love that it hasn’t stopped it from sourcing an endless supply of memes. Even more, I love that a vision as grand as this one has taken root in pop culture, that a new crop of young actors are catapulting movie stardom into the next generation, and that this epic is as concerned with philosophy and the craft of filmmaking as much as blockbuster-style spectacle. Crowd: 8.5/10 // 9/10

3. The Sixties (2014)

And now I’ve finally finished CNN’s decade miniseries. Though these series aren’t revolutionary—The Sixties episodes include “The War in Vietnam,” “The British Invasion,” and “The Space Race”—they provide more depth and insight than a Wikipedia article with plenty of interviews and primary source footage. (And perhaps too much insight with an 85-minute episode about the JFK assassination, which is steeped in more conspiracy theories than are worth mentioning.) Each of CNN's decade series has impressed me with the connections drawn to today, and The Sixties is no exception.

4. The 96th Oscars

It’s a treat when the consensus is that the Oscars ceremony was…good? It’s been a few years since that was the popular opinion! Not only were the winners a pretty solid selection, but most of the bits worked, most of the musical performances were solid, and it finished…early? These were my favorite moments during the brisk evening:

Past Best Supporting Actress winners celebrate this year’s nominees and winner, Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Past Best Supporting Actor winners celebrate this year’s nominees and winner, Robert Downey Jr.

Past Best Actor winners celebrate this year’s nominees and winner, Cillian Murphy

Past Best Actress winners celebrate this year’s nominees and winner, Emma Stone (even though I was rooting for Lily Gladstone)

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito rib Michael Keaton and present Best Visual Effects to the charming Godzilla Minus One crew

John Cena demonstrates the value of our Best Costume nominees

Kate McKinnon and America Ferrera present Best Documentary (though they’re not always sure which films are fact and which are fiction)

Ryan Gosling (and many more Kens) perform “I’m Just Ken”

“My eyes see Oppenheimer!!”

5. The Power of Film (2024)

Onetime UCLA professor Howard Suber walks us through some of the most popular and memorable films in history in this new Turner Classic Movies miniseries. He explains why they’ve passed the test of time, analyzing storytelling motifs and themes like destiny, love, heroes vs. villains, and paradox. I’m still thinking about some of his insights (e.g. there are no good characters, only good character relationships), and I compiled the 275 films he uses as examples on in a Letterboxd list.

More March Critic Picks: A Letter to Three Wives (1949) is a light-on-its-feet melodrama about three women wondering which of their husbands is about to leave them // Naughty Marietta (1935) pulls off the princess-with-a-mistaken-identity rom-com trope with a dash of music // A Double Life (1947) is a killer thriller (pun intended) about the dangers of taking inspiration from Othello in real life // Before Mr. Deeds, Gary Cooper was a more earnest small town simpleton who stumbles into millions in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) // Susan Hayward more than earns her Oscar for her performance based on a semi-true story about a woman on death row in I Want to Live! (1958) // Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor didn’t make me cry like the remake does, but their relationship in Father of the Bride (1950) is still sweetly moving 70+ years later // Even if it didn’t star Rock Hudson and Lauren Bacall, Written on the Wind (1956) would still look phenomenal because it’s directed by Douglas Sirk, but thank goodness they both get to cook in his Technicolor vision

Also in March…

I chipped in on a ZekeFilm piece on the Oscar-nominated live action shorts with a paragraph about Wes Anderson’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”

I also reviewed the perfectly pleasant Kung Fu Panda 4 for ZekeFilm…

…and for KMOV, where I also made some Oscar predictions before the big night.

Photo credits: The Fury, Barbie. Art in Bloom my own. All others IMDb.com.