Always the Critic: A Movie Podcast

On Episode 243 of the Always the Critic Podcast, in honor of Mother’s Day, we queue up our list of best movie moms! Rico and Jess take turns listing the movie mothers who teach, inspire, or just plain kick ass, citing moms like Sarah Connor (Terminator), Queen Ramonda (Black Panther), Mrs. Incredible (The Incredibles), Molly Weasley (Harry Potter franchise), and more! For episodes with similar mov...

On Episode 242 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we’re back with a brand new playlist on our review of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, starring Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, and so many more.  Rico and Jess discuss the final movie in the Guardians trilogy, talking through how James Gunn decided to go for the emotional jugular (why are we crying over an...

On Episode 241 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we go on a high fantasy adventure on our review of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant, and more.  Rico and Jess discuss the D&D adaptation, talking through how approachable the plot and characters were (since they have no prior experience playing the game...

On Episode 240 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we’re back and in a brand-new suit for our review of John Wick: Chapter 4, starring Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, more.  Rico and Jess discuss the latest film in the John Wick franchise, talking through how the John Wick movies rank among the greatest action franchises, the newcomers and how they stacked up, the unassailable...

On Episode 239 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we’re back in Philly for our review of Shazam: Fury of the Gods, starring Zachary Levi, Djimon Hounsou, Rachel Zegler, Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, and more.  Rico and Jess discuss the most recent DC release, talking through how it stacks up to the first movie, the character arcs that impressed and the ones that didn’t, the new additions of Zegler, Liu,...

On Episode 238 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we recap and comment on the 95th Academy Awards. Rico and Jess talk through the telecast, going over some of their predictions and their experience watching the broadcast at an Oscars party. They recap the historic Everything Everywhere All at Once sweep, delight in Ke Huy Quan (who effectively won the whole evening), the emotional speeches, the uni...

On Episode 236 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we visit the quantum realm on our review of Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania, starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jonathan Majors, and more. Rico and Jess discuss the most recent Marvel Cinematic Universe release, talking through the dizzying CGI bonanza, the underwhelming utilization of Lilly’s Wasp and Bill Murray, the impr...

On the latest episode of Always the Critic podcast, we get together with special guest Tasha Jones to induct a second class into the romantic comedy hall of fame! We are joined by our friend Tasha Jones, aka the official hype girl for John Williams, to nominate eight actors/actresses who we would induct into our Nora Ephron Romantic Comedy Hall of Fame . We thought there would be some no-brainers...

On Episode 233 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we catch a few grasshoppers and contend with the apocalypse on our review of Knock at the Cabin, starring Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, and Ben Aldridge. Rico and Jess discuss this M. Night Shymalan thriller, talking through Dave Bautista’s amazing performance, the shooting style that created a sense of unease, the biblical references, the common t...

On Episode 233 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we hit up the Philippines for a destination wedding on our review of Shotgun Wedding, starring Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel. Rico and Jess discuss this direct-to-Amazon Prime 2023 action rom-com, talking through J.Lo’s place in the annals of rom-com royalty, the pass-the-baton casting that landed Josh Duhamel the role, the wildly entertaining Jen...

On Episode 232 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we queue up our list of most anticipated 2023 movies! After talking through their 2023 movie resolutions, Rico and Jess take turns listing 2023 release movies they’re excited to see, citing movies like Barbie , Oppenheimer, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 , Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse , and more! For episodes with similar movies, c...

On Episode 231 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we’re back from our holiday break to look back at the year 2022 and rank our top 10 movies of the year. Rico and Jess take turns naming their top 10 movies of the year. Although they share a few in common, the co-hosts surprise each other with their picks. They also talk about the year 2022 in movies, biggest disappointment, biggest surprise, most m...

On Episode 230 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we return to the world of Pandora on our review of Avatar: The Way of Water, starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and Sigourney Weaver. It’s the last episode of 2022, and Rico and Jess discuss this James Cameron sequel 13 years in the making, talking through their theater experiences, the ridiculously stunning cinematography, major themes in the m...

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. For episodes with similar movies, click below Vari...

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...

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...

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 pic...

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 lis...

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. For episodes wit...

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 supporti...

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. For episodes with similar movies...

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...

On Episode 219 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we wake up in a male utopia (ironically located in the desert) for our review of Don’t Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, and Olivia Wilde. Rico and Jess discuss the Wilde’s sophomore film and the number 1 movie at the box office, including the complex and entertaining-as-hell press tour, the faltering themes of the mov...

On Episode 218 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we visit the kingdom of Dahomey on our review of The Woman King, starring Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, and Lashana Lynch. Rico and Jess discuss the number 1 movie at the box office, including the complicated history surrounding the portrayal of this African state, Viola Davis’s powerhouse performance, the intense themes of the movie, comparisons to Bla...

On Episode 217 of the Always the Critic Podcast, we wish upon a star on our review of Pinocchio, starring Tom Hanks, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth. Rico and Jess have themselves a bit of a bonfire as they take turns roasting the latest Disney “live-action” remake from director Robert Zemeckis, including differences between the 1940 movie and the remake, Hanks’s bland and uneven...