Critically Acclaimed #135 | Olivia de Havilland, John Saxon, The Rental, Radioactive, Yes God Yes, and The Deer Hunter

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED may not be discovering new elements, but they sure are analyzing a whole lot of elements in new and classic films!

Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold are reviewing Dave Franco's new slasher THE RENTAL, Marjane Satrapi's biopic about Marie Curie RADIOACTIVE, and Karen Maine's coming of age teen comedy YES, GOD, YES!

But first, they say goodbye to the Hollywood legends we lost this week: Olivia de Havilland, the star of THE HEIRESS and THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, and John Saxon, the star of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and ENTER THE DRAGON.

Also this week on THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED STREAMING CLUB, Bibbs and Witney finally catch up with one of the most controversial war movies of all time, THE DEER HUNTER! It's the film that changed the way Oscar campaigning worked forever, and introduced the world to one of the deadliest and most irresponsible games ever conceived.

Give it a listen!

My Dinner With My Dinner With Andre (with Screen Drafts!)

William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold are inviting fascinating people to watch MY DINNER WITH ANDRE, a film about fascinating people having a conversation, and have their own conversation about it!

This week's guests are Clay Keller and Ryan Marker, the hosts of the SCREEN DRAFTS podcast! Follow them on Twitter at @ScreenDrafts and check out their Patreon at Patreon.com/ScreenDrafts.

Give it a listen!

Canceled Too Soon #194 | Spider-Woman (1979-1980)

When Disney Plus launched it came with a gargantuan bevy of animated Marvel superhero shows from across time and space, and a lot of them were potentially CANCELED TOO SOON!

This week, critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold explore the failed 1979-1980 animated television series SPIDER-WOMAN, a superhero with vaguely spider-like powers who (in the show, not so much the comics) runs a magazine and fights monsters and mad scientists and for some reason hangs out almost exclusively with an incompetent and sexist photographer!

Give it a listen!

Your Critically Acclaimed | A Star is Born (1954)

Our Patrons have the power to sponsor an episode of CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED of their choice, and we're calling it YOUR CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED!

In this episode, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold have been asked to review A STAR IS BORN, the first (and possibly the second) remake of a classic Hollywood tale about a young rising star who falls in love with an aging mentor, whose alcoholism destroys his career just as her own is taking off.

The 1954 version was directed by George Cukor and stars Judy Garland and James Mason, and it's considered a Hollywood classic, but is it really better than the celebrated Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga version? 

Let's find out!

Star Wars: Episode Zero - Jurassic Park!

Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold are working backwards through film history, using STAR WARS as the starting point!

This week on EPISODE ZERO they sneak into Steven Spielberg's JURASSIC PARK, a blockbuster monster movie about genetically-engineered dinosaurs that run amok at eat people! George Lucas cited JURASSIC PARK as the film whose effects proved that his visions for the future of STAR WARS were possible, and it's also a bona fide classic in its own right.

Give it a listen!

We've Got Mail #39 | What's the Point of Buying Physical Media...?

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 the bizarre Brucesploitation genre, movies that actually play better at drive-in theaters, movies that were funnier when they were edited for TV, which public domain movies are worthwhile, and why it's still a good idea for people who really love movies to invest in physical media!

Give it a listen!

Critically Acclaimed #134 | Shelf Life, Bad Boys for Life, Bad Education, Onward, The Painted Bird, Marathon Man!

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED is playing catch-up this week!

Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold dig back into the rest of 2020 and review some of the biggest films they missed the first time around: BAD BOYS FOR LIFE, BAD EDUCATION and ONWARD! They also review the new release THE PAINTED BIRD and explore recently unearthed Paul Bartel movie SHELF LIFE, which is being released for the first time EVER after being finished over 25 years ago.

And this week on THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED STREAMING CLUB, Bibbs and Witney try to keep pace with the classic thriller MARATHON MAN! It's a political thriller starring Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider, William Devane and Sir Laurence Olivier, about a history student who gets a lot of cardio, who also gets embroiled in a post-WWII conspiracy!

Give it a listen!