For their 198th episode, two avenging film critics, two reject dads, and two asterisk-owning school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, arrive at the opening big hitter of the summer of the 2025. As usual, Marvel Studios staked claim the first week of May release slot for Thunderbolts. The self-described "lapsed" Marvel shill and the Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic who graded the movie to a minority "rotten" rating couldn't be farther apart on this one.
Read MoreFor their 197th episode, two non-musical film critics, two vampiric dads, and two enthralled school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, turn their gaze and their microphones to the big April hit of Ryan Coogler's Sinners starring Michael B. Jordan. Our two fellas walked away very impressive with every aspect of this wild genre mashup. They see myth and relevance with every pluck of the movie's dobro.
Read MoreFor their first Pateon exclusive episode, two lovestruck film critics, two "Crazy for Swayze" dads, and two ditto-making school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, check off a few delightful and dreamy boxes with an opposite on the 1990 smash hit Ghost. The movie has been in Don's all-time Top 10 for decades, and Will---coming off a 1990 binge with his recent first-time viewing of Pretty Woman---finally caved to curiosity and pressure to check off the Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg vehicle from his list of blind spots. Say ditto with them as they expound long-held and newfound praise for one of the romantic greats
Read MoreFor their 195th episode, two imposter film critics, two murderous dads, and two non-Italian school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, stay in the monumental year of 1999 for one more week with another cornerstone film. Lapped at the time by the likes of The Matrix, American Beauty, Magnolia, and Fight Club, stands the late Anthony Minghella's salacious The Talented Mr. Ripley starring the early white-hot coals of Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Read MoreFor their 194th episode, two beatnik film critics, two Cold War-curious dads, and two robotic school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, turn it back to the great year of 1999 to love on a flop that turned into a classic. Brad Bird's The Iron Giant has gone from being trounced at the box office to being an animation exemplar for all ages, and our guys are here to admire its popularity and quality.
Read MoreFor their 193rd episode, two suburbanite film critics, two nanny-gawking dads, and two accosted school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, circle back to a cinematic cottage industry found in the 1980s and 1990s of so-called domestic terror: stories that preyed on the pearl-clutching fears of the upper middle class. One of the best to get the audience's blood boiling was 1992's The Hand That Rocks the Cradle directed by the late Curtis Hanson and starring Rebecca De Mornay.
Read MoreFor their 192nd episode, two haughty film critics, two betrothed dads, and two classical school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, refine their usual viewing to discuss possibly unexpected from their norm, but something with extreme class. We're talking about director Joe Wright's sumptuous 2005 adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, starring Kiera Knightly in her prime stardom.
Read MoreEvery now and then for the big new releases, Rotten Tomatoes will collect the tip-of-the-spear “first reviews” and highlight them in an editorial news column piece. If I can get my work in fast enough and it gets noticed, I have the chance of being selected and included in these round-up features. Recently, I was cited twice for Captain America: Brave New World.
Read MoreFor their 191st episode, two Secret Service film critics, two sweaty dads, and two counterfeit school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, seep into the seedy side of nefarious crimes of money and the slimy side of Los Angeles with William Friedkin's 1985 stunner To Live and Die in L.A. Our guys always make time for a Willem Dafoe blind spot and this was a winner, thanks to the detailed mystery and the bold swerves orchestrated by the director.
Read MoreFor their 190th episode, two enlisted film critics, two centerfold dads, and two non-silent school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, pull up their anchors, load their guns, and take on an 1990s action movie classic! Steven Seagal (and us) never had it better than 1992's Under Siege, co-starring Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey. This was director Andrew Davis's audition tape for The Fugitive, and it becomes comical how much Seagal is squeezed out of his own movie. We talk about all the warheads of Under Siege and more!
Read MoreFor their 189th episode, two romantic film critics, two pretty dads, and two school teacher with hearts of gold, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, cover one more Oscar contender before the big awards. With Sean Baker's Anora surging up the Oscar odds charts with wins at the Critics Choice Awards, BAFTAS, and the top guilds for producers and directors, they felt the opportunity was there to announce their own tepid response to the new frontrunner. As a special pairing and point of comparison, our guys call on the edgy whimsy of 1990's Pretty Woman to weave in extra layers of discussion.
Read More
