Monday, December 30, 2019

Critically Acclaimed #108 | The Best Movies of 2019!


It's not exaggeration to say that 2019 has been one of the most exciting years for movies in a long, long time. So what films managed to stand above the rest, and make CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED's lists of THE BEST MOVIES OF 2019...?

Listen to the latest episode to find out what film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold selected, from blockbuster genre films to acclaimed dramas to obscure films that hardly anybody else is talking about!

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Friday, December 27, 2019

The Two-Shot | Elves and Krampus!


It's a very special holiday presentation of THE TWO-SHOT, a podcast that's usually at the Schmoes Know Network but is airing on the CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED NETWORK this week!

You've never seen a Christmas horror movie as bizarre as ELVES, a film about a homicidal elf with a motive so weird you probably won't believe it even if you see it! It's one of the worst Christmas movies ever made, and it's the perfect double feature with the modern holiday horror classic KRAMPUS, about a family of jerks who run afoul of the spirit of the holiday's creepy counterpart!

Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold review the notorious movies YOU tell them to every week on THE TWO-SHOT, and use those infamous turkeys to introduce you to some of the greatest motion pictures ever made by making wild double features!

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Sunday, December 22, 2019

Critically Acclaimed #107 | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Cats, 1917 and Little Women!


STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER is such an enormous motion picture, for better or worse, that we have to save it for last!  

This week on CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold review the baffling new big budget musical CATS, the ambitious new World War I thriller 1917, Greta Gerwig's superlative new adaptation of LITTLE WOMEN, and - in a spoiler-free review, followed by a review full of spoilers - the ninth official chapter in the STAR WARS saga! 

Cats - 2:47 
1917 - 32:31
Little Women - 50:24
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (No Spoilers) - 1:11:49
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Spoilers) - 1:42:23


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Friday, December 20, 2019

Canceled Too Soon #175 | Heil Honey I'm Home! (1990)


Just imagine you're watching TV in 1990, and suddenly, right in the middle of primetime, you find yourself watching a "wacky" sitcom about Adolf Hitler! It really happened, and the legend of HEIL HONEY I'M HOME!, which lasted only one episode, was born.  

But was HEIL HONEY I'M HOME really the most offensive television series in history, or was it a scathing political satire in the vein of THE GREAT DICTATOR, THE PRODUCERS and JOJO RABBIT? 

Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold dive into one of the most notorious CANCELED TOO SOON series ever in this very special 175th episode!

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The Two-Shot | Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny and Dead of Night!


You may THINK you've seen the worst Christmas movie ever made, but you probably haven't seen SANTA AND THE ICE CREAM BUNNY. 

This week on THE TWO-SHOT, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold watch this unbelievably cheap and off-putting family film about Santa Claus sweltering in the Florida sun and pushing around farm animals, while he tells little kids the story of Jack and the Beanstalk for no reason. It's a nightmare we tell you. A NIGHTMARE. 

But it's the perfect double feature with one of the best horror movies ever! DEAD OF NIGHT is a classic anthology film about a series of ghost stories which connect in a truly terrifying way, including a Christmas installment and the scary ventriloquist doll to end all scary ventriloquist doll!

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Thursday, December 19, 2019

We've Got Mail #10 | Buster Keaton vs. Charlie Chaplin!


It's an all-new episode of WE'VE GOT MAIL, the podcast where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold answer YOUR letters!  

This week, Bibbs and Witney consider if John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN is overrated, debate time travel movie paradoxes, pick a side between Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, and reveal what a typical day for a film critic is like!

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Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Critically Acclaimed #106 | Jumanji: The Next Level, Uncut Gems, Richard Jewell, A Hidden Life, Bombshell, Black Christmas, 6 Underground and A Christmas Love Story


There are so many movies coming out in December, we had to do at least one mega-sized episode! (Maybe even two, but we'll get to that.)  

This week on CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold review the new blockbuster JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL, Adam Sandler's best movie in over a decade UNCUT GEMS, Clint Eastwood's latest biopic RICHARD JEWELL, Terrence Malick's long-awaited return to form A HIDDEN LIFE, the all-star Fox News exposé BOMBSHELL, the controversial horror remake BLACK CHRISTMAS, Michael Bay's surprise Netflix action-thriller 6 UNDERGROUND, and a surprisingly classy Hallmark movie A CHRISTMAS LOVE STORY!  

Jumanji: The Next Level - 3:58  
Uncut Gems - 16:25  
Richard Jewell - 26:26  
A Hidden Life - 37:19  
Bombshell - 56:27  
Black Christmas - 1:09:15  
6 Underground - 1:28:28  
A Christmas Love Story - 1:37:59 

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Monday, December 16, 2019

The Iron List | The Best Christmas Movies Ever!


Every month on THE IRON LIST, the Patrons of the Critically Acclaimed Network get to pick a topic for a giant-sized episode! And this month, since it's December, they picked THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER!  

Join film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold as they highlight some of the most beloved holiday movies ever made and a bunch of films that don't get nearly enough love every holiday season! 

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Friday, December 13, 2019

Canceled Too Soon #174 | The New Partridge Family (2005)


Emma Stone is an Academy Award-winning superstar, but before she was world famous, she was a reality tv contestant who won her first acting gig on THE NEW PARTRIDGE FAMILY! It was a VH1 reboot of the beloved 1970s musical sitcom, and even though it had a huge build-up it only lasted one episode.

Was THE NEW PARTRIDGE FAMILY... canceled too soon? Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold cover this forgotten chapter of TV history in the latest episode of the podcast, and also endure the insufferable horrors of the reality television contest that jumpstarted Emma Stone's career!

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Thursday, December 12, 2019

The Two-Shot | Red Sonja and Yes, Madam!


The first theatrically-released live-action Marvel feature film wasn't HOWARD THE DUCK! If you wanna get technical, it was RED SONJA, an adaptation of a character created for the CONAN THE BARBARIAN comic books, and unfortunately it's not considered very good. At all. 

This week on THE TWO-SHOT, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold revisit this cult sword-and-sandal film starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and pair it with one of the most important action movies that many American audiences never saw: YES, MADAM!, the motion picture debut of action superstar Cynthia Rothrock and the first starring role for motion picture legend Michelle Yeoh!

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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

We've Got Mail #9 | A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), Revisited!


It's an all-new episode of WE'VE GOT MAIL, the podcast where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold answer YOUR letters!  

This week, Bibbs and Witney talk about whether the remake of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is actually as bad as its reputation, their favorite and least favorite romantic movie tropes, the difference between dubbing and subtitles, and a heck of a lot more!   

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Critically Acclaimed #105 | The Aeronauts, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, In Fabric, Little Joe, and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby!


It's the first week of December and that means a bunch of eccentric movies are coming out! 

This week on CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold review the new releases THE AERONAUTS, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, IN FABRIC, LITTLE JOE and A CHRISTMAS PRINCE: THE ROYAL BABY!  

One of those films is one of the best movies of the decade! The others... less so.   

Plus, William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold say goodbye to the legendary character actor Rene Auberjonois! 

R.I.P. Rene Auberjonois - 4:23 
The Aeronauts - 14:32 
Portrait of a Lady on Fire - 31:31 
In Fabric - 45:31 
Little Joe - 55:32 
A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby - 1:13:32

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Sunday, December 8, 2019

The Two-Shot | All the 'Harry Potter' Movies!


The plucky adventures of a boy named HARRY POTTER took the whole world by storm, and not just because he could - if he wanted - conjure up a tempest! 

This week on THE TWO-SHOT, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold review all ten of the HARRY POTTER movies so far, including the eight original movies and the first two films in the FANTASTIC BEASTS series!

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Friday, December 6, 2019

Canceled Too Soon #173 | Deadly Class (2018-2019)


And you thought your high school was bad? You're lucky you didn't have DEADLY CLASS, a school for assassins run by Benedict Wong ("Doctor Strange"), populated by adolescent murderers and future criminal overlords! 

This ultraviolent series aired on SyFy and was based on a comic book by Rick Remender and Wesley Craig, and even though it was produced by Joe and Anthony Russo (the directors of "Avengers: Endgame") it got canceled after only one season.

Was DEADLY CLASS... canceled too soon? Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold enroll in this strange series and praise the kick-butt soundtrack, but hand out demerits for not being nearly as punk rock as it thinks it is.

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Thursday, December 5, 2019

We've Got Mail #8 | The Best Teen Movie of the 2000s!


It's an all-new episode of WE'VE GOT MAIL, the podcast where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold answer YOUR letters!  

This week, Bibbs and Witney talk about why THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA should be a movie, the best teen movies of the 2000s, the best movie beards and why streaming isn't such a bad thing after all. And more, more, MORE!  

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Monday, December 2, 2019

Critically Acclaimed #104 | Knives Out, I Lost My Body, The Two Popes, Atlantics and More!


Our knives are out, but we're not complaining! This week on CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold review the new releases KNIVES OUT, I LOST MY BODY, ATLANTICS and THE TWO POPES! 

Also this week, Bibbs and Witney catch up on some big movies one or both of them missed earlier in 2019, including BOOKSMART, ROCKETMAN, MARRIAGE STORY, THE REPORT and DORA AND THE LOST CITY OF GOLD!

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