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Anyone But You & Avatar: The Last Airbender | Awesome Friday Podcast!
This week on the show, we’re looking at the new Shakespeare-adapted rom-com Anyone But You and the new live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Listen to find out how they each hold up! Listening Links: This week, Matthew & Simon went on an actual trip to an actual cinema to see Christopher Nolan’s film […]
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Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Once Again Fumbles the Source Material | Exclaim!
As with any adaptation, Avatar walks a tricky line, seeking to please fans of the original material and appeal to new fans. Showrunner Albert Kim has publicly said that one of his goals was to broaden the appeal to an adult audience, citing Game of Thrones as an example of the tone he’d like to set — a tone […]
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Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent Review: The Iconic Franchise Comes to Canada | That Shelf
[T]his reliance on archetypes and such a well-established formula is both the show’s biggest weakness and its greatest strength. It’s either “another Law & Order…” or “Another Law & Order!” That might seem like a fairly narrow distinction, but it’s true. Once again, this is a franchise with enough episodes under its belt that if you […]
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The King of Comedy | The LAMBCast
This month’s selection as Movie of the Month came from a list of Blind Spots submitted by the host. A Martin Scorsese flop from 1983, which has grown in stature over the years, “The King of Comedy” starring Robert DeNiro. DeNiro is the frustrated, Rupert Pupkin, obsessed with becoming a comedy great. However, when he […]
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I.S.S. & The Taste of Things | Awesome Friday Podcast!
Greetings programs! We’re back after a week away and talking about the new outer space set thriller I.S.S. and then catching up with France’s official submission for the Best International Feature Oscar, The Taste of Things. Our opinions are both the same and different about both of these movies, and one of them garnered a […]
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‘Shōgun’ Is a Grand Epic Without Focus | Exclaim!
… [T]he series contains many great performances and an excellent production design that make it worth watching. Everything from the costumes to the CG cityscapes feel as considered and authentic as possible, and for those of us who appreciate stage violence, this has its fair share. Shōgun is a good show — but it sometimes feels […]
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Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom & The Beekeeper | Awesome Friday Podcast!
This week on the show we’re catching up with the last CDEU film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and then we move on to Jason Statham’s new action movie The Beekeeper. Both of these movies are more fun than you think; join us to find out why! Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2024/02/podcast-aquaman-and-the-lost-kingdom-the-beekeeper/ This week’s bonus chat has us […]
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Oscars Special: The 2024 Academy Awards Predictions & Preferences | Awesome Friday Podcast!
Greetings programs! It’s that time of year, the Oscar Nominees have been announced! This week, we’re breaking down our preferences and predictions for (almost) every category of the 96th Academy Awards. Some of our choices line up, and some of them don’t, so take a listen to see if you agree with Matthew, Simon or […]
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2024 Pandora International Critics Awards
This is my third year as a voting member of the Pandora International Critics, and this years awards have now been announced. I’m both proud and excited that Past Lives took the top prize and the Filmmaking Breakthrough Award, as well as recognizing Charles Melton, Andrew Scott, and Sandra Hüller, who, in my opinion, haven’t […]
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2024 Oscar Nomination Reactions (#266) | Contra Zoom
The 2024 Oscar nominations have now been announced with Oppenheimer, Poor Things, Killers of the Flower Moon, Barbie and Maestro leading the pack. We go over the big categories and discuss what we think of the crop of nominees including who our pleasant surprises were and biggest snubs. Joining the show is Matthew Simpson, one […]
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Dredd | The LAMBCast
Hear ye, hear ye, all rise for the Honorable Lambcast. Enter and be judged. This week, the guests of the Lambcast are the Law. We decide if the 2012 version of Judge Dread is Dreadful, thus being sent to an iso cube for eternity, or if it is “Not Guilty” and can, therefore, continue to […]
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Sight Unseen Review: New Canadian Detective Show Has A Unique Hook | That Shelf
Every excellent detective show needs a hook. Sometimes, the detective is a rogueish outsider or has a particular personality quirk or compulsion. In Sight Unseen, ace detective Tess Avery (newcomer Dolly Lewis) abruptly loses her ability to see. At first, in denial of this, she puts her partner Jake (Daniel Gillies) in peril and lets […]
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Eileen & Next Goal Wins | Awesome Friday Podcast!
This week on the show, we’re covering the just-released thriller Eileen, starring Thomasin McKenzie and the incomparable Anne Hathaway, which Matthew first saw at Sundance 2023, and then finally follow up with Taika Waititi’s latest sports underdog story Next Goal Wins. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2024/01/podcast-eileen-next-goal-wins/ This week’s bonus episode, available to all paid Patreon supporters, starts with […]
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Echo & Lift | Awesome Friday Podcast!
Greetings programs! Join us this week as we look closer at the new Marvel Cinematic UNvierse series Echo and then the new F Gary Gray heist film Lift, which stars Kevin Hart. We liked one of these things more than the other. Listen to find out which! Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2024/01/podcast-echo-lift/ This week’s bonus conversation is a […]
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Echo Review: Marvel Tries To Answer Criticisms With Mixed Results | That Shelf
The television entries of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been, to date, mostly pretty good. While not 100% successful, they have each tried new genres and expanded the universe in interesting ways. While they have performed well with most audiences, there are some that have been dissatisfied with them. Aside from claiming they suffer from […]
I am a Rotten Tomatoes-approved, freelance film & television critic and podcast host from Vancouver, Canada! I am a co-founder of the Cascadia Film & Television Critics Association and a voting member of the International Film Society Critics, Pandora International Critics, and the Online Film & Television Association.
I maintain bylines at Exclaim!, Awesome Friday!, That Shelf, ForReel, Movies We Texted About, KeithLovesMovies, and I can be heard regularly on the Contra Zoom Podcast and The LAMBCast.
