This episode is part of my Alabama Pilgrimage series, where I interview friends who traveled with me through the important sites of the Civil Rights Movement. Each episode, one pilgrim shares their memories and reflections from the trip, starting with myself. We hope you will enjoy listening to each of these stories.

Today's pilgrim is Dr. Lafayette Maxwell. Dr. Maxwell is a graduate of Duke Divinity School and has a doctorate from the Virginia Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology. He's currently a professor at Shaw University, a pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, and frequent guest presenter of the Black Empowerment National Broadcast. 

Dr. Maxwell shares his memories of growing up in the Black Bottom neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a place where he felt the love of his community all around him. Today he wants to instill that same sense of pride and community in the spaces he lives and serves. His memories are vivid, appealing, and joyful. From being a pastor to work as a radio broadcaster and DJ, Dr. Maxwell operates with a sense of purpose. I think I could have listened to his stories all day. He has gone on two pilgrimages. 

If you would like to learn more about the Alabama Pilgrimage, visit the DurhamCares website. You can connect with Dr. Maxwell through is email address: [email protected].

The music in this series is entitled Brothers and Sisters by Alana Jordan on Pixabay. 

This episode is part of my Alabama Pilgrimage series, where I interview friends who traveled with me through the important sites of the Civil Rights Movement. Each episode, one pilgrim shares their memories and reflections from the trip, starting with myself. We hope you will enjoy listening to each of these stories.

Today's pilgrim is Bev Iber. Bev is a gemologist who has a love for Africa. She lived in Kenya for 8 years mining gemstones. She has owned many businesses including the most recent one in Fearrington Village for 21 years. Bev often processes revelations or difficult subjects through the gathering of beads into jewelry that can be worn and used to pass on the message. Bev shares about her life growing up in Texas, as well as the pieces of jewelry she was inspired to make after visiting the Legacy Museum and seeing the haunting 3D images of bodies buried at the bottom of the ocean. 

If you would like to learn more about the Alabama Pilgrimage, visit the DurhamCares website at durhamcares.org.

The music in this series is entitled Brothers and Sisters by Alana Jordan on Pixabay.

The NC Film Critics Association (NCFCA) announced their Best of Cinema Nominees for 2025. And for the third year in a row, I’m joined by fellow NC Film Critics to gab about the nominations and share our hopes for the winners’ circle.

The NCFCA is made up of 69 members who either work or live in the Tar Heel state. To see the full list of nominations, as well as previous years' winners, visit ncfilmcritics.org.

The final winners will be announced on January 26, 2025. Stay tuned until then. 

About Anthony Holden: Anthony is part of NC Film Critics and is a Detroit-transplant who loves movies. In addition to writing movie reviews, he's a co-host on the Double Feature: Versus podcast, a show where two cinephiles clash heads on two competing films with a similar theme. Anthony recommends you check out PRESENCE, directed by Steven Soderbergh, or RESURRECTION, directed by Bi Gan. Find Anthony: Website: 8bitwaffles.com; IG and Twitter: @BlakCinephile; YouTube @doublefeatureversus or Apple podcasts @double-feature-vs.

About Andrew Eisenman: Andrew is the incoming Community Engagement Coordinator for the NC Film Critics. He currently writes for Elements of Madness and Pontificator.org. You can also find Andrew on Bluesky @AndrewJEisenman.bsky.social. Andrew recommends you watch DOGS ON THE SENDERO, directed by Michael Flores, and EEPHUS, directed by Carson Lund.

About Pruett Norris: Pruett Norris is a journalist and film critic based in Asheville, N.C. He writes for online publication 828newsNOW about all manner of things, but his output can be broken down as "breaking news to movie reviews," with a side of broader arts and entertainment coverage. Pruett recommends you watch THE MASTERMIND, directed by Kelly Reichardt, and EDDINGTON, directed by Ari Aster. You can find Pruett at 828NewsNow.com.

About Lindsey: Lindsey Dunn is a film critic with membership in both NC Film Critics and Southeastern Film Critics. She loves all things Cobra Kai, Netflix Dark, indie horror, and any stories about complicated relationships. You can find her at 1ofmystories.com and most social channels @1ofmystories. Lindsey recommends you watch THE UGLY STEPSISTER, directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, or BRING HER BACK, directed by Michael and Danny Phillippou.

Do you believe? Believe it or not, it's the end of an Era. The Stranger Things Era. For almost a decade now, we have been enraptured by this TV show. While mileage may vary, there's not a person on this Upside Down planet who hasn't been impacted by this show to some level. 

To commemorate the occasion, I'm joined by three guests. Together we make a Core 4, who discuss the finale and then celebrate the show as a whole. Put on your electrode caps, toast an Eggo, and join Harrison, Raul, Vera and I for an epic podcast. We cover our top moments from the finale, top critiques, top characters, top quotes, and top needle drops. We then take a step back and name our top ten moments from the show as a whole, plus name our crowdsourced top ten from listeners. 

Along the way, I get educated on Toy Story and get mansplained about how old I am. 

About Harrison: Harrison Martin is the founder of Flixfrog, a blog reviewing film and television. He got a part-time job at Regal Cinemas to make watching movies more convenient (OK … free). Even after leaving his job at Regal Cinemas, Harrison would drive hours to any advanced screening in the hopes of someday becoming a certified critic. Since then, the website has grown into a small business venture including reviews, articles, digital content, and much more. You can find Harrison on Twitter @movieguru23 or @flixfrog.

About Raul: Raul is a Puerto Rico born, New England raised narrative enthusiast who is obsessed with the art of visual storytelling. In his life stories are what got him through; the ones he told himself, the ones others shared, & the ones he absorbed from movies, TV, and books. He studied film in Florida and eventually applied himself to criticism before launching Minorities Report-- an outlet focused on increasing diversity in the press space. In his mind there are two indisputable GOATs, David Fincher & Tom Brady, and no one can convince him otherwise but he sure does love it when people try. You can find Raul on Twitter or IG @mreportpod or find his podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/33cYS65Tml3S6zvRcJHdd4

About Vera: Vera is a Toronto native who works as a freelance sign language interpreter. She's a proud CODA, movie fan, and mom. Vera is also the Foreign Correspondent and Ghoul Scout Troop Leader for the Fear of God podcast. Find Vera on TikTok or IG @veepats. 

About Lindsey: Lindsey Dunn is a film critic with membership in both NC Film Critics and Southeastern Film Critics. She loves all things Cobra Kai, Netflix Dark, indie horror, and any stories about complicated relationships. You can find her at 1ofmystories.com and most social channels @1ofmystories.

Harrison Martin aka Flixfrog returns for a discussion on Stranger Things season 5, part 2. While our opinions differ on if this part was better than part 1, we both had things we liked about this newest selection of episodes. We approach the finale with hope and a prayer that this beloved show will end things on a high note.

We break down the character arcs, the un-proposal from Jonathan and Nance, the make up between Steve and Dustin, the coming out scene with Will, and the satisfaction of seeing Max wake up.

There's much more, but we do take a pit stop to discuss our favorite snacks and end with our outstanding character awards. All this, and more awaits those who enter. Mellon!

It's the final episode of Welcome to Derry, Winter Fire. We finally see how 1962 resolves and witness the foretold "final twist" that reveals why the Muschiettis are releasing the three seasons in backwards order. Would you believe it's time travel?

But before we get to the time travel plot, there are character arcs to resolve. Who lives? Who dies? Who tells the story? Not everyone gets character justice, but Steve and I do our past to articulate the truth about the big finale.

Although the Muschiettis have promised two more seasons, we have yet to hear an official announcement. But hopefully soon. In any case, thank you for joining Steve and I on another recap series.

It's the penultimate episode of season 1, The Black Spot. It's the episode everyone has been waiting to happen -- the supposed big hurrah. Only it turns out, there's a second hurrah coming that could be even more important to this show's lore. We talk about that decision and why it doesn't quite compute (for Lindsey at least). 

Now, don't get me wrong. The Black Spot incident was delivered with terror and intrigue. The event was perpetrated by societal racism that will linger through in the Derry water for eternity. However, then introducing a plot twist that leads to a threat of It being unleashed outside the borders of Derry undermines the terror of the Black Spot and could make it seem less than. And plus, hasn't it been hinted at that the entity's power used to be stronger in the past? We will see how this all resolves next week. 

Ready for a crawl? Or a piece of special pie? Harrison Martin, otherwise known as Flixfrog, came back to 1 of my Stories to help me make sense of the final season of STRANGER THINGS. Netflix gonna Netflix, so, of course, they had to release the season in three parts, outdoing their previous two-part release. Fair enough. 

Both of us had waned in our enthusiasm for the show and weren't sure what to expect. But we loved re-entering the world and discovering the big reveal of part 1. 

Life in Hawkins has taken a turn. The whole town is under quarantine and part of the city is closed up in a military occupied zone called MAC-Z. The Byers family is shacking up with the Wheelers for an undisclosed reason. Robin and Steve have new jobs at the SQOWK radio station, and whole gang uses the station as a rally point and operation center for their secret mission to find Vecna in the Upside Down. Murray plays Santa Clause and keeps the group equipped and operational for their special projects. The whole crew participates in these projects and knows to hup-to whenever Donna Summers' Upside Down plays. That's the call signal. Eleven and Hopper are living in the outskirts of town, helping Eleven train. Poor Max is still in a coma, with Lucas faithfully visiting her and keeping that Kate Bush light on. Finally, we have Holly Wheeler, always the kid sister in the background, playing a new unusual role. 

The military is on the hunt for Eleven, but Eleven and the gang find Vecna before everything they hold dear is taken away? 

The next three episodes drop on Christmas Day, and the finale drops on New Year's Eve, with theatrical releases happening in some cities. Do you have your tickets? 

About Harrison Martin: Harrison Martin is the founder of Flixfrog, a blog reviewing film and television. He got a part-time job at Regal Cinemas to make watching movies more convenient (OK … free). Even after leaving his job at Regal Cinemas, Harrison would drive hours to any advanced screening in the hopes of someday becoming a certified critic. Since then, the website has grown into a small business venture including reviews, articles, digital content, and much more. You can find Harrison on Twitter @movieguru23 or @flixfrog

With only three episodes left, Welcome to Derry gives us the gift of a moment of calm before the storm. Yes, the kids and adults are left reeling after their interactions with It/Pennywise in the sewer, but there's a moment of reprieve as Ronnie reunites with her dad and the Black soldier blow off some steam at the newest dive in town, The Black Spot. 

Not everyone is having a good time though, certainly not Lilly, Dick Hallorann, or the Hanlon family. We also get a pretty big reveal in regards to a certain employee of Juniper Hill, Ingrid Kersh. As usual, we go through our Easter eggs, our MVP, our rating, and the character beats that made us scream, laugh, and lean forward. Next week's episode is gearing up to be a big one, The Black Spot. This is where all the junk will go down. Will the Muschiettis be able to land their paper plane on Main Street? Have to wait a whole week to find out. 

In the realm of cinema, expectations can often lead to disappointment, especially when beloved stories are adapted for the screen. In this podcast, we delve into Lindsey's experience of watching two recent films, Wicked: For Good and The Running Man. Both films have made their mark in the box office, but do they live up to the hype?