Posts in GUEST CRITIC
GUEST CRITIC #25: It

Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews is an emerging film critic tackling both written and video reviews.  His YouTube channel is must-watch and automatic-subscribe material.  Emmanuel is one of the co-directors with me of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle. Between us two busy Chicago critics and working fathers, Emmanuel and I are orchestrating a trade of "guest reviews" for each other's sites.  Horror is not my cup of tea and he was all over It.

Read More
GUEST CRITIC #24: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Steve Clifton acknowledges that his relevance in today's culture is barely recognized.  I'm right there with him, but, both he and I continue to pretend people like us.   Maybe you will too.  The film critic of Popcorn Confessional and regular columnist Feelin' Film is my latest GUEST CRITIC reviewing "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword."

Read More
GUEST CRITIC #23: Snatched

For his debut GUEST CRITIC appearance on Every Movie Has a Lesson, please welcome Steve Pulaski, a fellow member of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle.  This young man has been a film critic since 2009, self-taught and reviewing films throughout his academic career.  Steve Pulaski currently writes for his personal forum, The Steve Pulaski Message Board, as well as Influx Magazine, where he serves as the lead film critic of the website.  The guy cranks out 300 reviews a year, which is an insane pace and triple what I do over here in the same amount of time.

Read More
GUEST CRITIC #22: The Fate of the Furious

Between us two busy Chicago film critics and working fathers, Emmanuel and I are orchestrating a trade of "guest reviews" for each other's sites.  I was swamped last week and I was unable to see "The Fate of the Furious."  He missed Chris Evans' vehicle "Gifted."  My review of that will go on his site and his review of vehicular mayhem arrives right here:

Read More
MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on "The Harvey and Bob Show" podcast from LodgeCon 2017

I had the pleasure to be joined by the team of John Robinson and El'Ahrai Stanek of The Harvey and Bob Show podcast and LodgeCon 2017.  We hosted a panel on genre and fantasy films together. Afterwards, El'Ahrai and John live-recorded their weekly podcast from the event and I was privileged to be a guest participant.

Read More
GUEST CRITIC #20: John Wick: Chapter 2

Shameful as this sounds, I have not seen the first "John Wick" and I was not a place to catchup before "John Wick: Chapter 2." Meet Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews.  He is an emerging film critic tackling both written and video reviews.  His YouTube channel is must-watch and automatic subscribe material.  Emmanuel is a colleague of man with the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle (CIFCC).  Eman is a big fan of the first and the second one impressed him greatly.

Read More
GUEST CRITIC #19: Office Christmas Party

Say hello to Mr. and Mrs. Jake and Kimberly Narens!  Kim is a former co-worker of mine from back in the day.  She was the art teacher and I was a fourth grade teacher at the Lloyd Bond campus of Chicago International Charter Schools during its inaugural school year in 2009-2010.  We have both moved on to other jobs since then and also become first-time parents.  While I am still in Chicago, she and her husband now call the sultry heat of Chandler, Arizona home.  I'm guessing they don't miss shoveling snow.

Read More
GUEST CRITIC #18: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Give a warm, Show-Me-State welcome to Mr. Shane Bowen.  Shane is a fourth grade teacher in the St Louis area.  Like so many educators (myself included), Shane flexes a creative muscle outside of the textbooks and paper-grading.  Mr. Bowen also writes novels as a hobby.  Shane recently started his own publishing company, Out the Window Books at www.outthewindowbooks.com.  This man has talent and knows the power of a good beer and a good movie.  Enjoy this review of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

Read More
GUEST CRITIC #17: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

I'm calling in the big guns for this latest "Guest Critic" entry.  The man you will read tonight is full-fledged fellow film critic with his own podcast.  Fancy pants!  Meet Blaine Grimes, a new Oklahoma resident by way of Texas.  I became social media acquaintances through another Texan, friend of the page and all-round critic himself, Tim Day of "Day at the Movies."  We have enjoyed following each other's work and pestering Tim Day every since.

Read More
GUEST CRITIC #16: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

As busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me.  As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, there are other experts out there.  Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy.  Sometimes, they save me $9 and you 800+ words of blathering.  My latest "Guest Critic" is a high school classmate of mine, Kelly Meents.

Read More
MEDIA APPEARANCE: Panel participant on the "Kicking the Seat" podcast talking "Doctor Strange"

After an advance screening of "Doctor Strange," I was invited to participate in a post-film round table podcast hosted by Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat.  After a brief eulogy for deceased comic book artist Steve Dillon, I was one of four Chicago film critics chatting about our feelings, opinions, and reactions to "Doctor Strange" with tangents on other Marvel Cinematic Universe entries, tropes, and tendencies.  

Read More
GUEST CRITIC #14: Lights Out

Horror films are not my strong suit.  My CIFCC colleague Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews loves them.  I enlisted him to share his website's review of "Lights Out" on mine.  I shared my "Fathers and Daughters" review with him last week.  Scratching backs!

Read More