The Unenthusiastic Critic

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Some are born film critics, some become critics, and some have film criticism thrust upon them. Each week, Michael (The Unaffiliated Critic) convinces his reluctant wife Nakea (The Unenthusiastic Critic) to sit down and watch a classic film that nearly ev

Chicago, Illinois


    • Nov 30, 2021 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 1h 12m AVG DURATION
    • 104 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Unenthusiastic Critic

    BLOOD SIMPLE (1984) & BOUND (1996)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2021 76:34


    We're celebrating #Noirvember with a neo-noir double-feature from two sets of cinematic siblings, The Coen Brothers and The Wachowski Sisters.

    THE WITCH (2015)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2021 102:57


    Something wicked this way comes, as The Unenthusiastic Critic's 2021 Halloween Movie Marathon comes to a conclusion with Nakea's first viewing of Robert Egger's new horror classic.

    INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2021 64:03


    It's podcaster versus pod-people as The Unenthusiastic Critic's 2021 Halloween Movie Marathon continues with Philip Kaufman's creepy conspiracy story of conformity as a communicable disease.

    ERASERHEAD (1977)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2021 75:03


    The Unenthusiastic Critic's 2021 Horror Marathon continues with David Lynch's darkly disturbing debut feature.

    AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2021 72:09


    Things get a little hairy as The Unenthusiastic Critic's 2021 Halloween Marathon gets underway with John Landis's comedy-horror hybrid.

    KING KONG (1933) & GODZILLA (1954)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2021 92:23


    On a new episode of the podcast, we witness a clash of the titans, as The Unenthusiastic Critic meets two timeless movie stars for the very first time.

    FACE/OFF (1997)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2021 74:02


    We have met the enemy and he is me, as I use a MAGA conspiracy theory as an excuse to introduce Nakea to John Woo's preposterous action thriller.

    RISKY BUSINESS (1983)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2021 58:50


    Sometimes, The Unenthusiastic Critic just has to say "What the f——." So on this week's episode, we're watching Tom Cruise's breakout movie Risky Business (1983).

    THE SILENT PARTNER (1978)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2020 57:13


    We're finishing our "Christmas-Adjacent" marathon with Daryl Duke's unjustly forgotten crime thriller.

    CHILDREN OF MEN (2006)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2020 57:04


    The Unenthusiastic Critic watches the perfect movie for Christmas 2020: Alfonso Cuarón's dystopian (but strangely hopeful) nativity story.

    MOONSTRUCK (1987)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2020 51:10


    The Unenthusiastic Critic is looking for the holiday spirit in Norman Jewison's Christmas-adjacent romantic comedy.

    SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2020 61:16


    This #Noirvember, we're serving a cookie full of arsenic, as The Unenthusiastic Critic enjoys her first viewing of Alexander Mackendrick's cynical cinematic masterpiece.

    DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2020 57:09


    In 1990, Kevin Costner's epic western was widely hailed as major progress in Hollywood's representation of indigenous people. But what will The Unenthusiastic Critic make of it 30 years later?

    THE STRANGERS (2008)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2020 57:53


    There's no place like home, as The Unenthusiastic Critic's 2020 Halloween Movie Marathon concludes with Bryan Bertino's harrowing home-invasion thriller.

    HEREDITARY (2018)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2020 76:30


    What's scarier than family? So we're talking about Ari Aster's breakthrough horror movie this week, as The Unenthusiastic Critic's Halloween movie marathon continues.

    REBECCA (1940)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2020 81:52


    We're headed back to Manderley as The Unenthusiastic Critic's 2020 Halloween Movie Marathon continues with Hitchcock's Oscar-winning suspense classic.

    THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE (2001)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2020 61:53


    The Unenthusiastic Critic's Halloween Movie Marathon continues with Guillermo del Toro's classic wartime ghost story.

    PHANTASM (1979)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2020 84:52


    The Unenthusiastic Critic's 2020 Halloween Movie Marathon gets underway with a viewing of a creepy cult classic.

    DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS (1995)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2020 51:36


    This week we're revisiting Carl Franklin's sorely under-appreciated neo-noir, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this month.

    SPIRITED AWAY (2001)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2020 73:22


    This week we're getting Ghibli with it, as we sit down for The Unenthusiastic Critic's first viewing of Hayao Miyazaki's weird and wonderful animated classic.

    BATMAN (1989) AND BATMAN & ROBIN (1997)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 11, 2020 80:44


    This week, we're watching a dynamic duo of movies: the film that started Hollywood's love affair with superheroes, and the film that almost ended it.

    DRESSED TO KILL (1980)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2020 86:29


    The Unenthusiastic Critic is dressing down Brian De Palma's controversial thriller, released 40 years ago this week. Will she find it brilliant, offensive, both, or too ridiculous to be either?

    HAMILTON (2020)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2020 77:11


    The Unenthusiastic Critic is back, to face the ultimate test of her musical-hating convictions.

    ROPE (1948)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2020 84:50


    The Unenthusiastic Critic is contemplating murder, as we sit down for Alfred Hitchcock's taut exercise in sustained suspense.

    DINER (1982)

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2020 73:07


    This week, Nakea and I are making much ado about nothing, as we revisit one of the most influential comedies of the 1980s.

    FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (1971)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2019 78:24


    If I were a rich man, The Unenthusiastic Critic would probably be less resentful about having to watch a Broadway musical on her Christmas vacation.

    KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2019 51:57


    The Unenthusiastic Critic is contemplating divorce—not for the first time—as we sit down for her first viewing of Robert Benton's Christmas-tangential classic on its 40th anniversary.

    THE APARTMENT (1960)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2019 77:41


    A serious comedy about loneliness, infidelity, predatory men, workplace harassment, and attempted suicide? Sounds like the perfect Christmas movie for The Unenthusiastic Critic.

    CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2019 78:10


    The Unenthusiastic Critic is making first contact with Steven Spielberg's sci-fi classic, and asking the question: Is it about a space-age prophet, or just an intergalactic deadbeat dad?

    AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN (1982)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2019 82:42


    This week we're discussing "Magical Negroes," and The Unenthusiastic Critic is eyeballin' Taylor Hackford's 1982 romantic military melodrama.

    THE BIG SLEEP (1946)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2019 69:52


    The Unenthusiastic Critic is celebrating #Noirvember with Bogie & Bacall in Howard Hawks' adaptation of Raymond Chandler's classic detective story.

    FRIDAY (1995)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2019 46:17


    In honor of the great John Witherspoon's passing, we're f–ing up the rotation this week, as Nakea introduces Michael to a '90s comedy classic.

    THE LOST BOYS (1987)

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2019 65:00


    Sleep all day, party all night, never get old, never die. It's good to be the Unenthusiastic Critic.

    PHENOMENA (1985)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2019 65:18


    The Unenthusiastic Critic is bugging out, as our Halloween Movie Marathon continues with Dario Argento's weirdest movie.

    DON'T LOOK NOW (1973)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2019 75:06


    Our horror marathon continues with Nicolas Roeg's masterpiece of grief, marital disintegration, and impending doom. (In other words, it's business as usual for The Unenthusiastic Critic.)

    A QUIET PLACE (2018)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2019 65:51


    It's quiet in here—a little TOO quiet—as The Unenthusiastic Critic continues her 2019 Horror Movie Marathon with John Krasinski's muffled monster movie.

    FRANKENSTEIN (1931) & BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2019 78:48


    It's alive! The Unenthusiastic Critic's 2019 Halloween Movie Marathon gets underway with a classic creature double-feature from the golden age of the Universal movie monsters.

    SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE (1989)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2019 63:26


    We're recording our deepest, most intimate thoughts on Steven Soderbergh's seminal debut feature, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

    BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2019 53:09


    The fall's probably gonna kill us, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Newman and Redford's quintessential buddy western with The Unenthusiastic Critic's first viewing.

    ARMAGEDDON (1998)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2019 83:52


    It's the end of the world as we know it, and it can't come fast enough for The Unenthusiastic Critic, as she endures her first viewing of Michael Bay's disaster porn.

    THE DARK CRYSTAL (1982)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2019 53:18


    It's the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, muppetational episode of The Unenthusiastic Critic yet.

    ARTHUR (1981)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2019 53:23


    This week, The Unenthusiastic Critic is caught between the moon and New York City, as we sit down for Steve Gordon's dipsomaniacal comedy.

    APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2019 58:38


    The Unenthusiastic Critic is venturing into the heart of darkness for her first viewing of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, released 40 years ago this week.

    EASY RIDER (1969)

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2019 63:09


    The Unenthusiastic Critic is firing all of her guns at once at a counterculture classic.

    LIVE AND LET DIE (1973)

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2019 84:56


    Last year, the Unenthusiastic Critic met Sean Connery's James Bond. Now, she's ready for Moore.

    REAL LIFE (1979)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2019 71:58


    We're celebrating the 40th anniversary of Albert Brooks' seminal, and absurdly prescient, comedy.

    POINT BREAK (1991)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2019 98:27


    Surfing? Bank robbery? Homoerotic bromance? We've found a film The Unenthusiastic Critic can be enthusiastic about.

    THE QUIET MAN (1952)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2019 67:56


    For St. Patrick's Day, we're heading back to the Emerald Isle with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara for some John Ford paddywhackery.

    CROOKLYN (1994)

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2019 58:56


    We're switching seats this week, and The Unenthusiastic Critic is picking the movie: Spike Lee's semi-autobiographic joint Crooklyn.

    STIR CRAZY (1980)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2019 42:20


    That's right, we bad, we bad...and so, to be honest, is STIR CRAZY.

    IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (1967)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2019 80:17


    They call him MISTER Tibbs: we're celebrating Black History Month with one of Sidney Poitier's greatest performances.

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