On Episode 229 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we celebrate Christmas by answering the question, Is this a Christmas movie?

Rico and Jess discuss the a slew of movies that can be considered Christmas movies, like Gremlins, The Nightmare Before Christmas… and Iron Man 3? Listen in to hear us state our cases, saving the best for last—Die Hard.

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On Episode 228 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we get our ho-ho-ho back on our review of Violent Night, starring David Harbour and John Leguizamo.

Rico and Jess discuss this bloody 2022 Christmas movie, talking through their unique theater experiences, the wildly entertaining David Harbour as Santa, how they nailed two different tones in the movie, the goriest deaths, the possibility of a sequel, potential titles for said sequel, and more in spoilers.

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Action Adventure

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On Episode 227 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we celebrate Thanksgiving by dedicating an entire episode to prolific writer Nora Ephron.

Rico and Jess talk through Ephron’s early life and how she got into Hollywood as a screenwriter, discussing her biggest works, like When Harry Met Sally…, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail, including fun facts, favorite moments, and Nora’s impact on the films.

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Romantic Comedy

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On Episode 226 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we visit the ancestral plain on our review of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, starring Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Tenoch Huerta, and more.

Rico and Jess discuss the most-anticipated MCU release this year, talking through the impressive performances from Letitia Wright and Angela Bassett, the portrayal of Namor and the Mesoamerican representation, the amazing new music from Ludwig Göransson, the issues with a few new characters and the third act, *that* mid-credits scene, and more in spoilers.

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Superhero

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On Episode 225 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we prep for the upcoming Wakanda Forever release by doing a snake draft with friend of the pod Jake Christie from the MCUniversity Podcast and Dalbin Osorio from Badlands/TOJ and Murphy’s Multiverse.

Rico, Jess, Jake, and Dalbin go 10 rounds in a serpentine draft, drafting non-MCU movies with at least two members of the MCU! Find out what each picked and why, and stick around to hear what just missed the cutoff!

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Superhero

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On Episode 224 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we hit pause on reviewing a new movie and each rank our top 5 spooky SZN movies.

Rico and Jess share their respective lists, which end up (of course) being wildly different. Jess chooses more comfort movies that evoke the spirit of the season, while Rico goes full horror and thriller. Listen to find out what they chose and what just missed their lists!

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On Episode 223 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we surrender to no one on our review of Black Adam, starring Dwayne Johnson.

Rico and Jess discuss a movie that’s been in the works since 2007, talking through the startlingly bad storytelling, the charmless performance from Johnson, some preachy characters, Zack Snyder aesthetic, *that* mid-credits sequence, and more in spoilers.

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Superhero

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On Episode 222 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we ditch the new releases and rewind it back to 2006 to cover The Prestige, starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman.

Rico and Jess discuss this oft-forgotten Christopher Nolan flick, talking through how Nolan managed to snag the film rights, the major themes and brilliant writing, what else was competing in theaters in 2006, the incredible supporting cast, which includes Michael Caine, David Bowie, Andy Serkis, and Scarlett Johansson, the best scenes and lines, and more.

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Drama

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On Episode 221 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we sing to a corpse on our review of Amsterdam, starring Christian Bale, John David Washington, and Margot Robbie.

Rico and Jess talk through one of Rico’s most anticipated movies of 2022, discussing the bizarre plot and writing, the preachy themes, awful acting from Washington and Taylor Swift, and more in spoilers.

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Drama

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On Episode 220 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we put a spell on you—again—on our review of Hocus Pocus 2, starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Rico and Jess discuss the Disney+ sequel, including the recycled plot, the good and bad comedy, and terrible writing, before transitioning into Rico’s first impressions of the Netflix release Blonde with Ana de Armas and getting into a small argument over the best Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs).

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Family

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