You've probably read her books, seen her 1970s tv series, and binged her new CW series, but do you recall the most '90s NANCY DREW of all?
And was it... CANCELED TOO SOON?
William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold solve these mysteries, and ponder the depressing head canon of Scott Speedman, in an all-new episode dedicate to the history of NANCY DREW, and a syndicated series most people never heard of, and which might have been really good? Or, you know, it might not.
Give it a listen and find out!
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 explore Douglas Trumbull's SILENT RUNNING, a sci-fi epic starring Bruce Dern as an environmental activist who defies orders to destroy Earth's last remaining forests!
With a screenplay by Michael Cimino (THE DEER HUNTER) and Stephen Bochco (NYPD BLUE), and early effects work by STAR WARS vfx pioneer John Dykstra, SILENT RUNNING inspired the creation of R2-D2 and even the tv series MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000!
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Orson Welles may be best known for directing classic films like CITIZEN KANE, TOUCH OF EVIL and CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT, but he also had his own talk show! For one episode! That never got picked up by a network!
THE ORSON WELLES SHOW featured special guests Burt Reynolds, Angie Dickinson, and The Muppets, along with their voice Jim Henson and Frank Oz! It sounds like an amazing show, so could it be that it was... CANCELED TOO SOON?
Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold are about to find out!
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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 what the difference is between film criticism and television criticism, the rarely discussed problem with recommending films on streaming, why Star Wars should start adapting Shakespeare and the movies that inspired them to learn more about movies!
Email us at letters@criticallyacclaimed.net, so we can read your correspondence and answer YOUR questions in future episodes!
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CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED has the hottest new movies this week!
Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold review Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae rom-com THE LOVEBIRDS (Netflix), the eye-popping sci-fi spectacular BLOOD MACHINES (Shudder), David Lynch's new short FIRE (POZAR) (YouTube), the anime anthology film MODEST HEROES (Netflix), and the unusual new documentary THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF (Hulu)!
And this week on THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED STREAMING CLUB, Bibbs and Witney are forced to revisit the 1988 cult oddity HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN, in which wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper plays the last virile man on Earth, who has to rescue women kidnapped by humanoid frog monsters in order to perpetuate the species!
Is there any way that's actually a good movie? Anyway at all?
Give it a listen and find out!
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 explore the gorgeous and contemplative story of DERSU UZALA, a Russian film directed by Japanese master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa! This true story about a cartographer who befriends a small, uneducated, but impossibly brave and wise man in the wilds of Siberia was the direct influence for the creation of Yoda, and some of the most iconic moments in STAR WARS.
And it may also be the key to unlocking the deeper meaning behind the different planets we visit in the franchise!
Give it a listen!
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 they owe Mighty Man and Yukk an apology, the movies they grew to love, the future of film festivals after the pandemic, how to watch director's cuts, the movie sequels we can't believe are real, and the difference between slasher movie violence and action movie violence!
Email us at letters@criticallyacclaimed.net, so we can read your correspondence and answer YOUR questions in future episodes!
Give it a listen!
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 it's a little not the nose, because they picked THE BEST DYSTOPIAN MOVIES EVER!
Join film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold as they highlight the films about sci-fi societies that explore the failures of the past, our anxieties about the present, and our terrors about the future! From well-known classics like METROPOLIS and 1984 to off-the-wall picks like CHERRY 2000 and ROBOT JOX!
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CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED has the biggest new movies this week! Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold review the animated Hanna-Barbera reboot SCOOB!, the bizarre Tom Hardy/Josh Trank passion project CAPONE and the character drama MOTHER'S LITTLE HELPERS!
And this week on THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED STREAMING CLUB, Bibbs and Witney dig up the third CG-animated film ever made, Dreamworks' bizarre kids movie ANTZ! It was a blockbuster smash when it came out, but without the benefit of historical context, does it still work today?
Give it a listen and find out!
The fourth annual CANCELED TOO SOON AWARDS are finally here! Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold highlight the best, the worst and the weirdest failed TV series they've reviewed in the last year, featuring cult classics, forgotten oddities, and missed opportunities aplenty!
Who will win this year's Soonies? There's only one way to find outt: by listening to this mammoth mega-episode!
Give it a listen!
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 what they miss most about local video stores, the best films adapted from stage plays, the little moments in movies that amazed us, books should have been adapted by women a long time ago, and why we may need to expand our conversations about a filmmaker's gaze!
Email us at letters@criticallyacclaimed.net, so we can read your correspondence and answer YOUR questions in future episodes!
Give it a listen!
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED has a metric ton of movies this week! Film critics William Bibbiani are reviewing new releases from all over the streaming world, along with a murder mystery classic that'll make any fan of KNIVES OUT happy!
This week on CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, Bibbs and Witney explore the new the amazing LGTBQIA+ rom-com THE HALF OF IT, the First Nation zombie thriller BLOOD QUANTUM, the rodeo drama BULL, the exceptional Brian Dennehy drama DRIVEWAYS, the lesbian coming of age drama CLEMENTINE, the prurient horror-comedy PORNO, and the crime comedy ARKANSAS!
And this week on THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED STREAMING CLUB, Bibbs and Witney explore the excellent but largely forgotten murder mystery GREEN FOR DANGER, now streaming on the Criterion Channel!
Give it a listen!
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 explore the fantastical world of KING KONG, the original 1933 blockbuster action/horror epic that pioneered new visual effects, new techniques in sound design, and an innovative musical score that's still influential today!
How did KING KONG break new ground, is it overdue for a reevaluation, and why is it - for better and worse - one of the key precursors to STAR WARS?
Give it a listen and find out!
Everyone on Earth blacks out at the same time and gets a vision of their own future!
It's FLASHFORWARD, a short-lived series that combines OEDIPUS, LOST and 24 to create a distinctive blend of drama, mystery and action, with an all-star cast including Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Gabrielle Union, Dominic Monaghan, Ricky Jay, Courtney B. Vance, Shohreh Aghdashloo and more!
FLASHFORWARD may have been ambitious, but was it... CANCELED TOO SOON? Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold explore the past and possible future of the series in an all-new episode!
Give it a listen!
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 blockbuster filmmakers who have been forgotten by the mainstream, dance movies, trucker movies, issues in international cinema and podcast cats!
Give it a listen!
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 revisit THE WIZARD OF OZ, a towering, epic production which - like STAR WARS - pioneered new effects and technologies, and inspired a ceaseless wave of imitations and homages! Bibbs and Witney break down the genius of THE WIZARD OF OZ and the many ways it directly and indirectly inspired scenes, characters and ideas in STAR WARS.
Give it a listen!
