Canceled Too Soon #116: 'The Mayor' (2017)

What happens when an entertainer runs for public office as a publicity stunt, and accidentally wins the election? You'll find out in... real life, actually, but you'll also find out in "The Mayor," a sitcom starring Brandon Micheal Hall as a hip hop artist who gets a crash course in civics when he unintentionally embarks on a career in politics.

"The Mayor" is an optimistic show about the practicalities of local politics, a quality that may be encouraging but hardly salacious enough to build a big audience. But with a great cast including Yvette Nicole Brown ("Community"), Lea Michele ("Glee") and David Spade (who is David Spade), is it possible that this one-season wonder was... Canceled Too Soon?

Listen to the episode to find out, in the last episode of our "Suddenly, Last Season" theme month. Sick around, because SCARYTOBER is about to begin!

William Bibbiani Reviews 'Hell Fest'

In "Hell Fest," a serial killer runs loose in a Halloween-themed amusement park, killing whoever he wants in front of tourists who think it's all part of the show. It's a new slasher movie from director Gregory Plotkin ("Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension"), starring Amy Forsyth ("Channel Zero"), Reign Edwards ("MacGyver") and Bex Taylor-Klaus ("Scream: The TV Series") as college students whose night of faux-horror revelry gets interrupted by actual horror.

In his review of "Hell Fest" at The Wrap, William Bibbiani says the film "captures all the fun and excitement of wandering aimlessly through an amusement park with boring people you don't like," and critiques nearly everything about the film, except for Bex Taylor-Klaus, a.k.a. "the only member of the cast who can muster up any energy."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Hell Fest" at The Wrap

Top Photo: CBS Films

William Bibbiani Reviews 'Bad Times at the El Royale'

Writer/Director Drew Goddard ("The Cabin in the Woods") returns with the elaborate crime comedy "Bad Times at the El Royale," starring Jeff Bridges, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson and Cynthia Erivo as mysterious strangers whose paths and pulpy storylines converge when they all spend the same night as a kitschy border hotel.

In his review at The Wrap, William Bibbiani says "Bad Times at the El Royale" is "a heck of a lot of fun to watch, but it runs through its bag of tricks too soon," arguing that the film's mysteries are more interesting than their solutions.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Bad Times at the El Royale" at The Wrap

Top Photo: 20th Century Fox

Witney Seibold Reviews 'The Old Man & The Gun'

Robert Redford, in what he says is his final motion picture performance, stars in "The Old Man & the Gun" as a bank septuagenarian bank robber on one last spree. Sissy Spacek co-stars in a film by David Lowery ("A Ghost Story").

In his review at IGN, Witney Seibold says "The Old Man & the Gun" is "welcoming, approachable, relaxed and affable," and calls the film "a fitting swan song" for Robert Redford.

Read: Witney Seibold Reviews "The Old Man & the Gun" at IGN

Top Photo: Fox Searchlight

William Bibbiani Reviews 'The Oath'

Ike Barinholtz ("Blockers") writes, directs and stars in "The Oath," a dark new comedy about a very near future, in which Americans are asked to sign a loyalty oath to the President of the United States. Chris (Barinholtz) and Kai (Tiffany Haddish) are a married couple who try not to let the fact that America is devolving into fascism change them, but find their principles tested over a difficult holiday weekend with their conservative family, which turns to violence when someone alerts the authorities to Chris's "unAmerican" beliefs.

In his review of "The Oath" at The Wrap, William Bibbiani says "Barinholtz's film excels at recreating the simmering, day-to-day panic of contemporary American life," but that the film "loses its nerve" in the end.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "The Oath" at The Wrap

Top Photo: Roadside Attractions

Critically Acclaimed #46: 'The Tuxedo' and 'The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit'

Jackie Chan is an international superstar, a kung fu legend who starred in and directed some of the best action movies ever made. "The Tuxedo" just isn't one of them. It's a disappointing and alarmingly sexist action-comedy that represents one of Chan's worst American movies. So why is it the perfect double feature with Stuart Gordon's heartwarming adaptation of Ray Bradbury's "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit?"

You'll find out on this week's episode of Critically Acclaimed! And you'll also get reviews of the new releases "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" and "The Sisters Brothers." Hurray!

Give it a listen at Podcast One!

Seven Films That Suffered from the Worst Possible Timing

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

I shouldn't need to iterate this, given the current shape of online discourse surrounding “bad” movies, but Vondie Curtis Hall's musical “Glitter,” the 2001 feature film vehicle for pop sensation Mariah Carey, is, to this day, often considered one of the worst films of its decade. As of this writing, it boasts a 7% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it was nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards, winning the award for Worst Actress. What's more, “Glitter” was a financial flop, having made only three-quarters of a million dollars on its opening weekend, finishing at 11th place.

Canceled Too Soon #115: 'Blood Drive' (2017)

The year is 1999, it's the distant future, and a cross-country road race has captivated the nation. The racers are all serial killers, their cars only run on human blood, and its host is an unstoppable foppish ghoul. That's the premise of "Blood Drive," a one-season-wonder television series from SyFy, and every episode plays out like a different grindhouse cult classic genre.

"Blood Drive" is one of the most outlandish television series ever developed, but could it be that it as also... really, really good? Could it be that "Blood Drive" was even... Canceled Too Soon?

You'll find out in the latest episode of the Canceled Too Soon podcast!

Give it a listen!

The Canceled Too Soon Monthly Movie: 'A Deadly Adoption' (2015)

Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig are two of the biggest comedy stars on the planet, and they secretly filmed a Lifetime Original Movie in 2015. Audiences expected something wacky and satirical, but what they got was "A Deadly Adoption," a straight-up, no-nonsense thriller in which Ferrell and Wiig play a troubled married couple who invite a pregnant woman into their lives, only to become mired in kidnapping and betrayal.

Patrons of Canceled Too Soon will learn all about "A Deadly Adoption" in a new episode of The Canceled Too Soon Monthly Movie, where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold unearth and review fascinating (and sometimes long-forgotten) TV movies, mini-series and specials. "A Deadly Adoption" makes for a fascinating episode, as it will take some serious debating to figure out just how much of this movie was meant to be taken seriously, let alone whether it's any danged good.

The Canceled Too Soon Monthly Movie is a Patreon-exclusive podcast, but you can listen right now for a $5 monthly pledge! You'll also get more bonus podcasts, the chance to vote for future episodes and the power to assign articles to Witney Seibold and William Bibbiani!

Listen: The Canceled Too Soon Monthly Movie - A Deadly Adoption

Top Photo: Lifetime

William Bibbiani Reviews 'The Sisters Brothers'

John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix are "The Sisters Brothers," a pair of gunslingers who take on a new assignment, only to wind up wandering the wild west fighting the elements, spiders, assassins, and each other. It's a sprawling new comedy from director Jacques Audiard ("A Prophet"), which also stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed.

In his review at IGN, William Bibbiani argues that "The Sisters Brothers" came seem a little aimless, but he praises the film for its thoughtful portrayal of old western archetypes, and argues that "John C. Reilly has his best role in decades." 

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "The Sisters Brothers" at IGN

Top Photo: Annapurna Pictures

The Canceled Too Soon Monthly Movie: 'The Owl Service' (1969-1970)

What would 'Twin Peaks: The Return' look like if it was a kids fantasy series from 1969? It would look a heck of a lot like "The Owl Service," a surreal and avant garde live-action mini-series about adopted siblings who get involved in a supernatural love triangle that threatens to destroy them, amidst a cacophony of surreal storytelling decisions and creepy nightmare imagery.

Patrons of Canceled Too Soon will learn all about "The Owl Service" in a new episode of The Canceled Too Soon Monthly Movie, where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold unearth and review fascinating (and sometimes long-forgotten) TV movies, mini-series and specials. And they're going to have an argument about "The Owl Service," because one of them liked it and the other one definitely did not.

The Canceled Too Soon Monthly Movie is a Patreon-exclusive podcast, but you can listen right now for a $5 monthly pledge! You'll also get more bonus podcasts, the chance to vote for future episodes and the power to assign articles to Witney Seibold and William Bibbiani!

Listen: The Canceled Too Soon Monthly Movie - The Owl Service

Top Photo: Granada Television

Witney Seibold Reviews 'The House with a Clock in Its Walls'

Jack Black and Cate Blanchett star in "The House with a Clock in Its Walls," a paranormal fantasy directed by Eli Roth ("Death Wish"), about an orphaned by who moves in with his uncle, who is a warlock. Along with their neighbor, a witch with a mysterious past, they investigate a mysterious clock that was built with ominous intentions. Based on the novel by John Bellairs, "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" co-stars Owen Vaccaro ("Daddy's Home 2") and Kyle MacLachlan.

In his review of "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" at IGN, Witney Seibold is "missing a lot of vital charm and wonderment," but says the "exciting and scary" final act makes up for the film's flaws.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" at IGN

Top Photo: Universal Pictures

William Bibbiani Looks Back at 'The King of Comedy,' the Film That Inspired the New Joker Movie

The upcoming movie about the comic book supervillain The Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, has its roots in one of the most disturbing motion pictures of the 1980s. Martin Scorsese's "The King of Comedy," starring Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard, was released to positive reviews and disappointing box office numbers in 1983, but eventually became one of the filmmaker's most celebrated accomplishments, a disturbing satire of celebrity adulation and delusional fandom.

In his latest article for IGN, William Bibbiani looks back on one of Martin Scorsese's masterpieces, and explores how it already plays like a Joker movie to begin with.

Read: William Bibbiani Explores "The 1980s Cult Classic That Inspired the Joaquin Phoenix Joker Movie" at IGN

Top Photo: 20th Century Fox

William Bibbiani Reviews 'The House with a Clock in Its Walls'

Jack Black and Cate Blanchett star in "The House with a Clock in Its Walls," a paranormal fantasy directed by Eli Roth ("Death Wish"), about an orphaned by who moves in with his uncle, who is a warlock. Along with their neighbor, a witch with a mysterious past, they investigate a mysterious clock that was built with ominous intentions. Based on the novel by John Bellairs, "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" co-stars Owen Vaccaro ("Daddy's Home 2") and Kyle MacLachlan.

In his review of "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" at The Wrap, William Bibbiani says that Eli Roth's film "falls short of Halloween classic territory, but not by much," and argues that despite some narrative hiccups, it's "easily Eli Roth's best motion picture."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "The House with a Clock in Its Walls" at The Wrap

Top Photo: Universal Pictures

Critically Acclaimed #45: 'Pinocchio' and 'The Magnificent Ambersons'

Roberto Benigni won two Academy Awards for his heartbreaking World War II comedy "Life is Beautiful," but his next film was a disastrous and off-putting adaptation of "Pinocchio" with an English dub that should qualify as some sort of felony. But for some reasons, we think it's the perfect double feature with Orson Welles' butchered, but still incredible adaptation of Booth Tarkington's "The Magnificent Ambersons!"

Why do they go so well together? You'll have to listen to the episode to find out. And you'll also get reviews of the new releases "The Predator," "A Simple Favor," "Mandy," "The Children Act" and "Bel Canto" as a bonus!

Give it a listen at Podcast One!

Canceled Too Soon #114: 'Living Biblically' (2018)

Can this film critic live his life 100% by The Bible? Can a sitcom get anything right about The Bible or film criticism? We'll find out in the latest episode of Canceled Too Soon (the show where we review TV series that lasted only one season or less), because we're reviewing the recent television failure "Living Biblically!"

This short-lived sitcom, based on a non-fiction book by A.J. Jacobs, takes a different lesson from The Bible and takes it 100% literally every single week, with a dramatically overqualified cast desperately trying to make the wonky high-concept work.

Was "Living Biblically" canceled too soon? Listen up and find out!

Give it a listen!

William Bibbiani Reviews 'Bel Canto'

Terrorists take hostages in "Bel Canto," including an opera singer played by Julianne Moore and a businessman played by Ken Watanabe, and spend the next several months living with their abductees in strange isolation and forming unusual bonds. The new film, based on the novel by Anne Patchett, comes from director Paul Weitz ("Mozart in the Jungle").

In his review at The Wrap, William Bibbiani says "Bel Canto" makes "almost no impression whatsoever," and that the adaptation "can't quite back up its noble themes and competent performances."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Bel Canto" at The Wrap

Top Photo: Screen Media Films 

William Bibbiani Explains Why 'Predator' is the Most Subversive Action Movie of the 1980s

John McTiernan's "Predator" is often considered a shining example of the kind of musclebound, brainless and badass action movies that the 1980s had to offer. But what if this sci-fi classic was actually about tearing down the entire action genre, and was covertly undermining everything that action movie fans liked about it?

In his latest article for IGN, William Bibbiani runs down the many subversive elements of the original "Predator," and celebrates the film for taking the macho cheese genre down a peg.

Read: William Bibbiani Explains Why "Predator is the Most Subversive Action Movie of the 1980s at IGN

Top Photo: 20th Century Fox

William Bibbiani Reviews 'A Simple Favor'

Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively star in "A Simple Favor," a new comedy-thriller from director Paul Feig ("Bridesmaids"), about a mommy blogger who befriends a more affluent, stylish woman who promptly disappears. As our hero investigates the mystery, layers peel off both women's lives, revealing shocking truths and all-new mysteries.

In his review at IGN, William Bibbiani says "letting this witty thriller get the best of you is half the fun," and praises the performances, costume design and Feig's direction.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "A Simple Favor" at IGN

Top Photo: Lionsgate

Witney Seibold Reviews 'Level Five'

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

Back in the 1990s the world was teetering on the cusp of a technological boom that led to profligate consumption of cellular phones, a dot-com bubble encouraged by the promise of online life, and a video game culture that we are now more deeply entrenched in than ever. Virtual reality was, practically speaking, still on the horizon, but the concept had been introduced, and it promised to be the Next Big Thing in human evolution. 

During this technological epoch – marked by a joyous consumer enthusiasm for new widgets and toys – many artists, writers, and storytellers took the opportunity to become wistfully philosophical about the state of human consciousness, and many began to ask questions as to the ultimate end to technology. 

Are we simply making our lives easier and easier to the point of mental stagnation? Are we using technology to eventually gain ultimate mastery of all Creation, making ourselves into God? If we can replace actual reality with a convincing facsimile, will actual reality cease to be important? Is it moral to replace the real with the manufactured? And isn't that, perhaps, the very nature of Platonic metaphysics? That we live in a world of ideas? Will technology help us know more, or simply allow us to create the world afresh with the old ideas we already have? 

William Bibbiani Reviews 'Mandy'

Nicolas Cage stars in "Mandy," a hallucinogenic revenge fantasy inspired by Death Metal and 1980s pulp fantasy novels, from director Panos Cosmatos ("Beyond the Black Rainbow"). Andrea Riseborough ("Battle of the Sexes") and Linus Roache ("Vikings") co-star in a film that's ultraviolent, ultra-acted, and ultra-trippy to look at.

In his review at The Wrap, William Bibbiani says "visually, aurally, symbolically, it's a heavy motion picture that may be too much for some audiences to handle," but praises the film for having "a thoughtfulness at the center of all this extremity."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Mandy" at The Wrap

Top Photo: RLJE Films

Critically Acclaimed #44: 'Lady in the Water' and 'Bind'

M. Night Shyamalan directed some of the most popular original sci-fi/fantasy films of the last 20 years. He's also directed some notorious stinkers, like "Lady in the Water," in which writer/director Shyamalan casts himself as a writer whose work is destined to save the world, but only if he can be visited by a water sprite, and if that water sprite doesn't get eaten by a grass wolf who isn't afraid of monkeys made out of trees who write all the supernatural laws.

It's a goofy movie, so why is "Lady in the Water" the perfect double feature with Eskil Vogt's brilliant, but underseen Norwegian mindbender "Blind," about a woman who recently lost her vision and is recreated the world around her in fiction?

You'll find out in this week's episode of Critically Acclaimed! You'll also get our farewell to the late, great Burt Reynolds, and our reviews of the new releases "The Nun," "Peppermint" and "I Am Not a Witch!"

Give it a listen at Podcast One!

William Bibbiani Reviews 'The Predator'

Predator is back, and this time it's got a "the." Shane Black, the director of "The Nice Guys," directs and co-writes the latest sci-fi/action/horror hybrid, with an alien hunter crash-landing on Earth, losing its precious cargo, and fighting a team of comic relief mentally ill soldiers to accomplish its mission. Boyd Holbrook ("Logan"), Olivia Munn ("The Newsroom"), Keegan-Michael Key ("Keanu"), Sterling K. Brown ("Hotel Artemis") and Jacob Tremblay ("Room") co-star.

In his review at The Wrap, William Bibbiani says "The Predator" is "the worst movie in the 'Predator' series that doesn't have 'Alien vs.' in the title," and critiques the film's shoddy editing, silly mythologizing, bizarre attitude towards mental illness and its disturbing treatment of co-star Olivia Munn.

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "The Predator" at The Wrap

Top Photo: 20th Century Fox

Canceled Too Soon #113: 'Will' (2017)

It's time for SUDDENLY, LAST SEASON! Every September on Canceled Too Soon, William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold dedicate an entire month to review television shows that were canceled the previous season, and they're kicking this year off with a doozy: "Will," a hip new biographical series about the life of William Shakespeare, with anachronistic rock music, anachronistic history, sex and violence and teen angst.

How does "Will" hold up to the works of Shakespeare? How does it hold up to history? And is it so good it's good, so bad it's good, so bad it's bad? You'll have to check out the podcast to find out, because this show is too weird to describe in just a couple of paragraphs.

Give it a listen!

William Bibbiani Reviews 'The Ghost of Peter Sellers'

In the new documentary "The Ghost of Peter Sellers," director Peter Medak ("The Changeling") looks back at the catastrophic production of his pirate comedy "Ghost in the Noonday Sun." Suffering from weak screenwriting, low budgeting and a star who actively attempted to sabotage the film at every turn, the film was such a monumental failure that it didn't get released until ten years after its completion, and the filmmaker says the experience has haunted him for decades since.

In his review at The Wrap, William Bibbiani describes "The Ghost of Peter Sellers" as "an amusing collection of tragicomic anecdotes," but says the original film's obscurity and Peter Medak's dedication towards vindicating his own role in the production suggests that "the film was made by Medak, for Medak."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "The Ghost of Peter Sellers" at The Wrap

Top Photo: Vegas Media

Witney Seibold Reviews 'Peppermint'

Over the course of the last decade, Jennifer Garner has played a doting, put-upon suburban mom in nearly a dozen films. Starting with “Juno” in 2007 – in which Garner played a woman desperate to have a baby – Garner has appeared time and time again as the capable matriarch of various families. In “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” she dreamed up her ultimate child. In “Men, Women & Children,” she was an overprotective cyber-stalking mom. She went on to play similar mom characters in films like “Miracles from Heaven,” “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” “Nine Lives,” “The Tribes of Palos Verdes,” and, most recently, “Love, Simon.” She even played the tragically lost wife of Jason Sudeikis' widower in “Mother's Day.” 

When it comes to moms, Garner has run the gamut. This is a dramatic shift from her earlier action heroine days that included the TV series “Alias” and the maligned superhero flick “Elektra.”

With Pierre Morel's “Peppermint,” America's most prolific cinematic mom finally gets back to her roots in her very own ultra-violent vigilante thriller. And, just like many of the ultra-violent vigilante thrillers offered by her male contemporaries (most notably Liam Neeson, star of “Taken,” also directed by Morel), “Peppermint” is morally irresponsible to a wild degree, pretty chaotic, and plenty dumb. If you're tired of dumb thrillers featuring aging Hollywood men throwing punches at scowling bad guys half their age, here is a version of the same thing featuring a capable woman in her prime in the lead, but with all of the genre's glorious fatuousness intact.

Witney Seibold Reviews 'Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business'

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

As a young man,
I plug into the tube,
But the stench of all that pretense
I cannot muddle through.

I lay on my back
And scan the radio
All that comes out my speakers
Is a steady syrup flow.

I suck information through the holes in my skull
As my belly gurgles hungry, my mouth is always full.

          "Antipop" by Primus

In 1984 – when Ronald Reagan was president, when Macintosh was posed to take over the tech world, when pop entertainment was poppier than ever – there naturally arrived a wave of essays and thinkpieces on George Orwell's eponymous novel. 

Up until that point, A.D. 1984 had previously been associated with political dystopia and governmental control of a citizen's unconsciousness, all thanks to Orwell's frantic – and all too plausible – warning. When the year itself finally arrived, pundits and thinkers all around the world – writing in the pages of political rags and entertainment magazines – began to compare the dark future of Orwell's imagination to the actual present state of the world, offering compare/contrast articles, both to the positive and to the negative. 

How powerful wast he government in the actual 1984? How much were we being spied upon or controlled? How did the real world's news language resemble Orwell's Newspeak? How much was cultural rebellion tolerated, and how much was silenced?

William Bibbiani Reviews 'Peppermint'

Jennifer Garner stars in "Peppermint," a new revenge thriller directed by Pierre Morel ("Taken"), about a suburban mom who becomes a vigilante after her family is gunned down by drug dealers, and a corrupt legal system denies her justice. John Gallagher Jr. ("Hush"), John Ortiz ("Kong: Skull Island") and Juan Pablo Raba ("Narcos") co-star.

In his review at IGN, William Bibbiani says that "Peppermint" struggled with the problematic elements of the story, but that Jennifer Garner "brings an eager, frustrated determination to every action sequence, and proves - as if she needed to - that she should have been a gigantic action star this whole time."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "Peppermint" at IGN

Top Photo: STX Films

William Bibbiani Ranks the 'Conjuring' Movies From Worst to Best

The blockbuster "The Conjuring" franchise is spiraling into a complex series of interconnected horror thrillers, with sequels and prequels that expand on the characters and mythology, and introduce new demonic forces that are determined to destroy humanity.

In his latest list for The Wrap, William Bibbiani ranks all of the films in the "Conjure-verse," including "The Conjuring," "The Conjuring 2," "Annabelle," "Annabelle: Creation" and "The Nun," to see which films work, which ones fail, and why.

Read: William Bibbiani Ranks the "Conjuring" Films From Worst to Best

Top Photo: Warner Bros.

William Bibbiani Reviews 'The Nun'

Taissa Farmiga ("American Horror Story") and Demian Bichir ("The Hateful Eight") star in "The Nun," the latest spin-off of the blockbuster "The Conjuring" horror movie franchise. In this prequel, a priest and a nun investigate a mysterious death at an isolated convent, and discover a supernatural presence desperate to escape into our world.

In his review at The Wrap, William Bibbiani declares "The Nun" an "absurd, inept, but watchable horror mishmash," with "a b-movie adventure sensibility that would be charmingly silly, were it not for the repetitive horror sequences."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "The Nun" at The Wrap 

Top Photo: Warner Bros.

William Bibbiani Reviews 'At Eternity's Gate'

Willem Dafoe stars as Vincent Van Gogh in Julian Schnabel's unconventional biopic "At Eternity's Gate," which highlights the tragic author's social anxiety and artistic process. Oscar Isaac co-stars as painter Paul Gauguin, in a film directed by director and famed painter Julian Schnabel ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly").

In his review at The Wrap, William Bibbiani praises Willem Dafoe's "towering, vulnerable performance," and Schabel for creating - with the exception of one heavy-handed scene - "a natural, immersive motion picture that conveys the experience of being, living with, and painting like Vincent Van Gogh."

Read: William Bibbiani Reviews "At Eternity's Gate" at The Wrap

Top Photo: CBS Films

Critically Acclaimed #43: 'The Flintstones' and 'Streets of Fire'

"The Flintstones" was a hit animated series about cave people whose lives eerily resembled the classic sitcom "The Honeymooners," and decades after it left the air, it became a blockbuster live-action movie starring John Goodman, Ric Moranis, Elizabeth Perkins, Rosie O'Donnell, Kyle MacLachlan, Halle Berry and Elizabeth Taylor. And it's awful. Just awful.

So why is the live-action version of "The Flintstones" the perfect double feature with Walter Hill's cult classic 1950s-themed rock and roll action thriller "Streets of Fire?" You'll just have to listen to this week's episode of Critically Acclaimed to find out!

Plus, new reviews of "Kin," "Let the Corpses Tan," "The Little Stranger," "Operation Finale" and "Searching," and more of your letters!

Give it a listen at Podcast One!

William Bibbiani Ranks Every Jack Ryan from Worst to Best

With the new television series "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan," John Krasinski ("A Quiet Place") becomes the fifth actor to assume the role of the CIA analyst who repeatedly saves the world from international disaster. But how does his portrayal stack up against Alec Baldwin ("The Hunt for Red October"), Harrison Ford ("Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger"), Ben Affleck ("The Sum of All Fears") and Chris Pine ("Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit").

In his latest ranked list at IGN, William Bibbiani pits each Jack Ryan against each other, factoring in both the quality of the portrayal and the quality of the adaptation. 

Head on over to see how John Krasinski stacks up and which Jack Ryan is the ultimate on-screen version of the character!

Read: William Bibbiani Ranks All The Jack Ryans from Worst to Best at IGN

Top Photo: Amazon