Critically Acclaimed Network

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Critically Acclaimed #344 | Tron: Ares, Deathstalker, Good Boy, The Smashing Machine, Play Dirty, After the Hunt, Anemone, Orwell: 2+2=5, Vicious, 100 Meters Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Bibbs and Witney review Disney's latest attempt to make TRON happen, TRON: ARES! Plus, the sword-and-sorcery reboot DEATHSTALKER, the dog-in-a-haunted-house movie GOOD BOY, the Dwayne Johnson Oscar-hopeful THE SMASHING MACHINE, Shane Black's Amazon crime caper PLAY DIRTY, Luca Guadagnino's topical all-star drama AFTER THE HUNT, Daniel Day-Lewis's first film in eight years ANEMONE, Bryan Bertino's evil box movie VICIOUS, the Orwellian documentary ORWELL: 2+2=5, and the anime track-and-field drama 100 METERS!

Tron: Ares - 2:40

Deathstalker - 29:28

Good Boy - 50:12

The Smashing Machine - 59:22

Play Dirty - 1:08:55

After the Hunt - 1:23:12

Anemone - 1:32:15

Orwell: 2+2=5 - 1:45:00

Vicious - 1:58:15

100 Meters - 2:06:48

Review Round-Up - 2:13:30

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This Ain't No Game #1 | Trivial Pursuit: Silver Screen Edition (1983) Oct 03, 2025

Show notes

The idea for THIS AIN'T NO GAME (named after the classic SUPER MARIO BROS: THE MOVIE tagline) is simple: We track down and play retro table top games, but only the ones related to movies! It could be movie trivia, official tie-ins, card games, even role-playing games if we find a fun one!

For our pilot episode, Bibbs and Witney scrounge up the beloved TRIVIAL PURSUIT: SILVER SCREEN EDITION, which was released in 1983. Which means there are no trivia questions about movies after 1983, so some of the questions could be very tricky, and some of the answers might not be accurate anymore!

If you like this episode and want us to make more, YOU HAVE TO LET US KNOW. Otherwise we'll think you hated it and we'll stop! So tell us in the Patreon comments, find us on social media, add a review on Apple Podcasts, write us an email or a postcard, whatever works for you.

And if you have any suggestions for old movie-themed board games or card games or RPGs we should play, let us know that too!

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Critically Acclaimed #343 | One Battle After Another, Him, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, Listers: A Glimpse into Extreme Birdwatching, The Lost Bus, Dead of Winter, The Strangers: Chapter 2 Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

Bibbs and Witney review Paul Thomas Anderson's ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, the football horror movie HIM, the Colin Farrell/Margot Robbie fantasy romance A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY, the birdwatching documentary LISTERS: A GLIMPSE INTO EXTREME BIRDWATCHING, Paul Greengrass's wildfire disaster movie THE LOST BUS, the Emma Thompson/Judy Greer crime thriller DEAD OF WINTER, and Renny Harlin's THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 2!

One Battle After Another - 3:00

Him - 38:20

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey - 54:12

Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching - 1:09:53

The Lost Bus - 1:25:20

Dead of Winter - 1:36:14

The Strangers: Chapter 2 - 1:42:45

Review Round-Up - 1:58:25

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The Iron Liszt #69 | The Best Film Scores Ever! Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

Because YOU demanded it, Bibbs and Witney present their picks for THE BEST MOVIE SCORES EVER!

Classics! Cult favorites! Oddball entries you'd never have thought of! This episode of THE IRON LISZT (get it?) has it all!

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We've Got Mail #186 | Is Sinners a Horror Movie? (Yes!) Sep 22, 2025

Show notes

Bibbs and Witney are back and answering YOUR emails, about how to defend SINNERS against accusations that it's not a horror movie, the moral obligations of feature film adaptations, the best meta casting in history, and more! Plus, more of your favorite trans characters in film and television!

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Alonso Duralde, Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas! | The Critically Acclaimed Interview Sep 19, 2025

Show notes

Our beloved fellow film critic Alonso Duralde is here to talk HAVE YOURSELF A MOVIE LITTLE CHRISTMAS, the newly revised version of his classic ode to Christmas films!

Alonso Duralde, who also wrote HOLLYWOOD PRIDE: A CELEBRATION OF LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION AND PERSEVERANCE IN FILM, wrote the original and indispensable guide to Christmas movies, and now 15 years later he's back with an updated edition that includes the decade-and-a-half of holiday flicks that followed!

Bibbs interviews Alonso about his classic book, the Christmas movies that did and didn't make the cut, and a heck of a lot more. Make sure you BUY ALONSO'S BOOK and check out his podcast LINOLEUM KNIFE, which helped inspire our very own podcasts!

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Critically Acclaimed #342 | The Conjuring: Last Rites, The Long Walk, Spinal Tap II, The History of Sound, Twinless, The History of Sound Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

Bibbs and Witney review the blockbuster horror sequel THE CONJURING: LAST RITES, the Stephen King adaptation THE LONG WALK, the comedy legacy sequel SPINAL TAP II, the dark comedy TWINLESS, and folk music queer romance THE HISTORY OF SOUND! Plus, we talk a bit about why we haven't reviewed DEMON SLAYER yet!

Demon Slayer (whoopsie!) - 1:42

The Conjuring: Last Rites - 6:53

The Long Walk - 33:57

Spinal Tap II - 47:37

Twinless - 1:02:55

The History of Sound - 1:11:44

Review Round-Up - 1:23:54

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We've Got Mail #185 | The Trans Characters Who Mean the World to Us Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

We're talking about what EDDINGTON really has to say about the COVID lockdown, why F1: THE MOVIE is different from Akira Kurosawa's SANJURO, the many fictional trans characters we love and care deeply about, the best songs by (sigh) Dev2.0, what would happen if Gizmo ate after midnight in GREMLINS, and the importance difference between Bakersfield and Barstow!

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Critically Acclaimed #341 | The Toxic Avenger, Caught Stealing, The Roses, The Thursday Murder Club Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

Bibbs and Witney review the Troma remake THE TOXIC AVENGER, Darren Aronofsky's crime comedy CAUGHT STEALING, Jay Roach's dark comedy THE ROSES, and the all-star cosy mystery THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB!

Because it's the CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED podcast, that's why!

The Toxic Avenger - 2:05

Caught Stealing - 35:08

The Roses - 54:50

The Thursday Murder Club - 1:06:42

Review Round-Up - 1:20:47

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The Iron List #68 | The Best Horror Movies of 1990! Aug 28, 2025

Show notes

Because our patrons demanded it, Witney Seibold got to pick the topic for this month's episode of THE IRON LIST!

Join him - and yes, even William Bibbiani - for a look back at the many great horror movies from one of the most underappreciated eras in the genre, including some of the scariest and silliest films ever made! It's THE BEST HORROR MOVIES OF 1990!

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