Canceled Too Soon #137: 'John from Cincinnati' (2007)

Not every HBO series is a hit! Some of them are "John from Cincinnati," a philosophically and theologically ambitious drama about a burnout family of professional surfers who encounter miracles, and the mysterious and ambiguous title character, and may - or may not (who knows) - usher in a new wave of enlightenment. Maybe. Or maybe it's just weird.

This week on CANCELED TOO SOON, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold try to decode this bizarre and short-lived television experiment from the producer of "Deadwood," and figure out if it's brilliant, pretentious or both!

Give it a listen!

Critically Acclaimed BONUS: Oscars 2019 - Winners, Losers and Controversies!

Two steps forward, two steps back: The Academy Awards have been announced and it's one of the most exciting, diverse, impressive group of winners in history... except for films like "Green Book" and "Bohemian Rhapsody," which stink and dragged the whole night down. But hey, at least "Black Panther," "BlacKkKlansman" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse" won, right? Right?

Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold delve into one of the most unusual Oscar ceremonies on record, to figure out what worked, what sucked, and which winners the Academy will eventually be proud or ashamed of.

Give it a listen!

Critically Acclaimed #68: All the Smokey and the Bandit Movies!

Burt Reynolds was one of the most charismatic movie stars in history, and he was probably never more popular than when he was The Bandit. In the "Smokey and the Bandit" movie series, Reynolds seduced the wonderful Sally Field, evaded comic relief lawmen and wrote a whole new - somewhat problematic - saga about the American South.

In this week's CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold review every single one of the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies, including the four made-for-tv films that nobody talks/knows/cares about! They also review the brand new releases "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" and "Fighting With My Family," and dish about their latest impressive match in "The Movie Trivia Schmoedown!

Give it a listen!

Critically Acclaimed #67: Crash and The Glass Shield!

There are some who claim that Paul Haggis's "Crash" is the worst Best Picture winner of all time, and you know what? Maybe. Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold take a look back at one of the most embarrassing chapters in Oscar history, and explain why Charles Burnett's "The Glass Shield" tackles the same issues, ten years earlier, in a smarter and more exciting way!

Also this week, William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold present their predictions for this year's Academy Awards, and review the new releases "Alita: Battle Angel," "Happy Death Day 2U," "Donnybrook" and "Ruben Brandt, Collector!"

Give it a listen!

Canceled Too Soon #136: 'Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince' (1983)

The lovable doggie hero Benji got his own TV series! And for some reason it was a mashup of "Star Wars," "The Fugitive" and Harmony Korine's "Gummo!" It was the ongoing saga of a young alien prince hiding out on Earth, as he's chased by intergalactic hunters and repeatedly rescued by a goofy-looking robot and a plucky homeless dog: "Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince!"

It's one of the weirdest shows we've reviewed in a very long time, so buckle up and start listening to film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold as they unearth this bizarre TV artifact from the 1980s, and decide once and for all if it was... CANCELED TOO SOON!

Give it a listen!

UPN's Lying Promos to 'Star Trek: Voyager'

[The following article was sponsored and assigned by our Patreon subscriber Canadian Keith. To learn how to sponsor and assign articles to William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold for publication at Critically Acclaimed, visit our Patreon page.]

Trekkies in the 1990s remember UPN quite well. Paramount's wildly unsuccessful network, which lasted for 11 years and lost the studio nearly $800 million, only ever produced a small handful of hits. Over the years, show after show opened and closed on the network, some of them called the worst of all time (UPN was responsible for 1998's “The Secret Diaries of Desmond Pfeifer,” a tasteless sitcom set in the Lincoln White House). By the time of the great Viacom split in 2005, the UPN was a walking corpse, forced to merge with the equally beleaguered WB Network. The resulting network, The CW, was only slightly stronger than the two of them combined.

Witney Seibold Reviews 'Alita: Battle Angel'

“Alita: Battle Angel,” based on a manga by Yukito Kishiro, famously incubated for many years in the nest of James Cameron. Cameron's plans were ambitious, natch; he penned an “Alita” bible, planned multiple sequels, wrote a screenplay with Laeta Kalogridis, and positioned the project as the next revolution in sci-fi special effects. But Cameron eventually became distracted with his multi-film “Avatar” project, and ultimately handed directing duties to Robert Rodriguez.