-
The Burning Season & May December at Whistler Film Festival 2023 | Awesome Friday Podcast!
Greetings, patrons! This week, we’re covering the 2023 Whistler Films Festival, one of the most interesting festivals in the Pacific Northwest because it so often features great Canadian content. We’re covering our usual two films, both playing as part of the fest. First up is the new Canadian relationship drama The Burning Season and then Todd Haynes’ new Natalie Portman & Julianne Moore starring drama May December. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2023/12/podcast-wff-2023-the-burning-season-may-december/ This week’s bonus episode for Patreon supporters has us discussing formative experiences with video gaming, and as Warner Brothers continues their campaign of destroying their own reputation by deleting content, we…
-
The Criterion Shelf: Pre-Code Divas | That Shelf
Criterion Shelf is an ongoing collaborative retrospective of classic films, helmed by Bil Antoniou, tackling curated collections on the Criterion Channel. For November 2023, the topic was the curated list ‘Pre-Code Divas’, a list of films featuring strong women characters dealing with leering men and racy subject matter, at least by 1930s standards. Several of these films would go on to be cited as evidence in the creation of the Hays Code – the self-imposed content guidelines for film implemented by the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, which would remain in place from 1934 to 1968. This month,…
-
Five Nights at Freddy’s & Jawan | Awesome Friday Podcast!
This week on the show, we’re reviewing the latest video game film adaptation, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and the latest from superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Jawan. Also, join us for this week’s bonus show, free for all listeners! Join us! Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2023/11/podcast-five-nights-at-freddys-jawan/ Greetings, patrons -and everyone else! – this week on the bonus show we have an extended conversation about Loki, which is fantastic for a bunch of reasons. Then, Simon asks about what we think might have happened with The Lost World: Jurassic Park and why it’s nowhere near as good as Jurassic Park, and then we talk about…
-
Anatomy of a Fall & The Marvels | Awesome Friday Podcast!
This week on the show, we’re looking at Anatomy of a Fall and the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Marvels. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2023/11/podcast-anatomy-of-a-fall-the-marvels/ Greetings patrons! This week for your bonus show we end up talking at length about movies that we have bought blind and ended up loving, and also the best film scores. It’s a fun episode, and a little long, and we hope you enjoy it! Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/november-19th-93234428
-
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Review: New Series Adds Depth and Breadth To The Monsterverse | That Shelf
And what of the Titans? Interestingly, the show isn’t really about the Titans per se, so they don’t show up quite as much as you might anticipate. However, when they do, they show up like the forces of nature they are. There are a few new monsters we are introduced to and, naturally, Godzilla appears a few times, including one moment that literally gave this writer goosebumps. Legendary and Apple have put a lot of money and care into this production, and it shows. Between the performances, the monsters, and the writing, Apple has another hit on their hands for fans…
-
The Killer & Monarch: Legacy of Monsters | Awesome Friday Podcast!
Greetings programs! This week’s show sees us taking on the newest David Fincher movie, The Killer and the new Godzilla TV series from AppleTV+, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Join us! Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2023/11/podcast-the-killer-monarch-legacy-of-monsters/
-
The Marvels Is Out-of-This-World Fun | ForReel
The loudest, most vocal section of fans decrying that “the MCU is in shambles” is interesting because their analysis depth is inconsistent and shallow. In the former sense, they’ll watch something like Black Widow, Ms Marvel, or She-Hulk and loudly exclaim that the MCU is doomed while simultaneously looking at projects like Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 3 and Loki and preach quality. In the latter sense, most of the stuff they don’t like has women and people of colour in the lead (as opposed to mostly white men), is bright, colourful, and fun (instead of dark and self serious),…
-
Reel Asian Festival: We Will Be Brave | That Shelf
It also follows them as they create art installations and experiences for their community, portrayed with noble intent. Unfortunately, the impact of these events is never investigated excepting how it affects the The Good Guise themselves. Herein lies the biggest problem with We Will Be Brave: its scope feels too limited. These five men are having healthy conversations, and to their credit, they are making forays into the community, but the full impact is never shown. This documentary may spark to some of that, but it would be nice to know that the mental health check-in phone booth they create early…
-
A Haunting in Venice & Quiz Lady | Awesome Friday Podcast!
Greetings programs! This week, we’re taking on two films new to Disney+: Kenneth Branagh’s latest Poirot mystery, A Haunting in Venice, and the new Awkwafina & Sandra Oh starring comedy Quiz Lady. Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2023/11/podcast-a-haunting-in-venice-quiz-lady/
-
The Criterion Shelf: Grindhouse Gothic – Roger Corman Directs Edgar Allan Poe | That Shelf
Criterion Shelf is an ongoing collaborative retrospective of classic films, helmed by Bil Antoniou, tackling curated collections on the Criterion Channel. For October 2023, I contributed a write-up of the classic film Masque of the Red Death from the Roger Corman-directed Edgar Allan Poe cycle of films starring Vincent Price. If you grew up in the 1980s and 1990s with Tim Burton movies (and the music video for Thriller), a specific version of Vincent Price is probably fixed in your mind. The incredible thrill of watching films like this one, or (almost) any of the Corman-Poe cycle films, is the realization…
-
Bottoms, Fair Play, & Pain Hustlers | Awesome Friday Podcast!
Greetings programs! We’re back after an impromptu hiatus! To make up for it we’re talking about three films on the show: Emma Seligman’s Bottoms, Chloe Domont’s Fair Play, and David Yates’s Pain Hustlers. Join us! Link: https://awesomefriday.ca/2023/10/podcast-bottoms-fair-play-pain-hustlers/
-
The Killer Hits the Mark | ForReel
Fassbender is excellent throughout, both on screen and in voiceover. His character speaks confidently in voiceover about the need for detachment and calm, cool, dispassionate professionalism. On-screen, the character appears to be that, except for all the moments the tumult of emotions beneath the surface peek through (which is a lot). Playing that contradiction with such a fine degree of difference is no easy task, and Fassbender again shows that he’s one of our best working actors by threading that needle expertly. Link: https://thisisforreel.com/home/movie-review-the-killer-hits-the-mark
-
Die Hard 2: Die Harder Minute 122 – Business Dealing of Politics | MovieRob Minute
Rob is back with Matthew Simpson of Awesome Friday as they get to the rolling cast credits and find a typo. Link: https://movierobminute.com/2023/10/27/movierob-minute-season-5-die-hard-2-die-harder-minute-122-business-dealing-of-politics/
-
Die Hard 2: Die Harder Minute 121 – Hoo-Rah | MovieRob Minute
Matthew Simpson of Awesome Friday returns with Rob to continue to peruse the credits of all the people who contributed to this film credited and uncredited. Link: https://movierobminute.com/2023/10/26/movierob-minute-season-5-die-hard-2-die-harder-minute-121-hoo-rah/
-
Die Hard 2: Die Harder Minute 120 – Most Canadian Security | MovieRob Minute
Another episode discussing another minute of the film Die Hard 2: Die Harder with MovieRob! Link: https://movierobminute.com/2023/10/25/movierob-minute-season-5-die-hard-2-die-harder-minute-120-most-canadian-security/
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.
