Cinema Royale

On a special Cinema Royale episode, I had the chance to sit down with one of my favorite directors (and you can hear it in my voice), Niki Caro, about her new film, The Zookeeper's Wife. We talked about her work on the holocaust drama, the challenges of living up to the material, and of course Jessica Chastain's way with the animals on set! 

Go go Power Rangers!!  Because I don't know what the difference is between a Yellow Ranger and a Red Ranger, I'm enlisting some help for this week's review of Power Rangers! Jeff Lyles of Lyles' Movie Files will chime in, and hopefully he can explain what's up with this reboot of the popular TV series that featured kids doing martial arts against guys in rubber monster suits. Plus, my thoughts on...

On a special edition of Cinema Royale, I had a chance to sit down with Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle to talk about his long-awaited sequel, T2 Trainspotting. He talks about the long process deciding whether to even do the film, and then what it took to get the original cast back together again. He also discusses the future and a possible Trainspotting 3. 

The king is here! On this episode of Cinema Royale I'll be joined by Ignorant Bliss host and fellow Punch Drunk Critic, Julian Lytle, to review my most anticipated movie of 2017, KONG: SKULL ISLAND! Was it worthy of the true king of the apes? What does it mean for the eventual GODZILLA vs. KONG crossover? Speaking of which, we'll have a big update on GODZILLA vs. KONG's progress, plus some actual...

Bub, the baddest X-Man of them all is calling it a day, but is LOGAN the R-Rated swan song Hugh Jackman's Wolverine deserves? Of course we're going to be talking about the final X-Men flick to feature Jackman and Patrick Stewart's Professor X. Although if it gives us an awesome X-23 maybe that won't be so bad? Plus, Mae Abdulbaki of Punch Drunk Critics joins us to review the new YA thriller BEFORE...

On this episode of Cinema Royale I dial up my northern homie Chris Bumbray of Joblo.com to talk about a movie we both saw at Sundance, Jordan Peele's GET OUT! Hopefully we both remember something about it. It was kinda late.  Plus, we'll take a look at the buzzed-about zombie flick, THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS, because Chris is the only other person I know who saw it. Makes it pretty easy to choos...

There's no better way for a critic to thoroughly humiliate himself than with their Oscars picks. And that's what I've chosen to do on this episode of Cinema Royale. I'll put on my swamee hat and predict who the winners of the 2017 Academy Awards will be, and inevitably they will all be wrong, because that's just how it rolls.  Tune in and find out if my picks match yours, and if they do consider c...

The mission for this episode of Cinema Royale? To help you decide what to see on Valentine's Day. Guys, how much will she hate you for dragging her to see John Wick: Chapter 2? "But it's got Keanu!", you'll plead desperately. That might work.  Ladies, how much will he hate you for making him endure Fifty Shades Darker? Probably a lot, unless you re-enact key scenes later at home. Parents....how mu...

Having avoided the annual Sundance Flu for now, I'm inviting my Punch Drunk Critics colleague Mae Abdulbaki to recap this year's Sundance Film Festival with me! Together we saw a ton of great films, but which ones have the chance to be a potential breakout? What will be this year's Manchester by the Sea? Were there any duds that didn't live up to the hype? Which movies sold for the most money? We'...

Something happened while I was away at Sundance....OH YEAH! THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS!! Cinema Royale will be joined by fellow Critical host, Joanna Langfield of The Movie Minute, to talk about who got in, who got snubbed, who deserves to be there, and who absolutely doesn't! I know a few who don't! What about you? Does La La Land deserve its record-tying 14 nominations? Will having the most diverse s...

Less than two weeks before my annual trip to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival, Cinema Royale will be joined by Joblo.com's Christopher Bumbray to talk about the most anticipated movies at the festival Robert Redford built. Plus, we'll take a look at Martin Scorsese's long-awaited passion project, Silence, and hitch a ride to Paterson with Jim Jarmusch and star Adam Driver.  All this and mo...

The title says it all, doesn't it? On the final Cinema Royale of 2016 I'll reveal the best movies of 2016! Did your favorite make the cut? Or did it end up on my worsts list? There's only one way to find out, isn't there? Tune in to Cinema Royale, part of the Critical: The Movie Critics Network right here on Blogtalkradio! 

With HIDDEN FIGURES opening to big numbers over the weekend, Cinema Royale is joined by director Ted Melfi to talk about his timely drama about African-American mathematicians integral to NASA's efforts to send John Glenn into orbit. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, and Kevin Costner star in the film which is gaining Oscar buzz for its ensemble cast. 

Cinema Royale sits down with Fences co-stars Stephen Henderson, Russell Hornsby, Jovan Adepo, and Mykelti Williamson to talk about Denzel Washington's searing adaptation of August Wilson's Pultizer Prize-winning play. 

It's here! Can you sense me gushing? Just a little bit? Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is here! Was the wait worth it? What was all that stuff about reshoots? Should you be worried about the first Star Wars spinoff ever? Does it live up to the hype? We're going to talk abou ALL of that, and joining in to do it will be D.C. cultural icon and fellow sci-fi lover, Robert Aubry Davis. He's also my colle...

Deck the halls! Cinema Royale was granted the gift of speaking with Office Christmas Party directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon. The duo talked about assembling their amazing cast led by Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, TJ Miller, and Kate McKinnon. Plus the talked about their favorite Christmas movies, and their favorite party movies because clearly they have a love of both. Enjoy!

Cinema Royale's Travis Hopson has his second interview with Whiplash and La La Land director Damien Chazelle, to talk about the current Best Picture frontrunner. 

It's going to be a VERY special edition of Cinema Royale, and I'm excited to bring it to you. I'm being joined for the very first time by Joanna Langfield of The Movie Minute and a fellow member of the BFCA! She'll be on hand to help me review what is the unquestioned Best Picture frontrunner, La La Land, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Plus, we'll take a look at Jessica Chastain in the fier...

The awards season is in full swing and from now until the Oscars you're going to hear so much about them you'll want to go hide in a cave somewhere. BUT, it's what we do, and this week we'll review Natalie Portman's performance in JACKIE, in which she plays former First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the days following JFK's assassination. Some have pegged her as the obvious frontrunner for Best Actress b...

As we inch closer to the big awards nominations, I had a chance to sit down with Ben Younger, director of the boxing drama Bleed for This, and talk about the lead performance by Miles Teller. Teller plays former world champion Vinny Pazienza who overcomes a life-threatening spinal injury to return to the ring. 

I didn't realize how much I missed the Wizarding World of Harry Potter until I sat down for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. But does that mean J.K. Rowling's prequel lives up all of our magically lofty expectations?  On the latest episode of Cinema Royale I'll be joined by film critic Hannah Buchdahl and hopefully we'll both have found it spell-binding! We'll go from magic spells to invad...

I had the chance to sit down with Jeff Nichols, director of the amazing drama Loving, along with one of the film's stars, Joel Edgerton. We talked about the powerful film which centers on Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple (Ruth Negga plays Mildred) whose Supreme Court case that made it legal to marry outside one's race. If you've been listening to the show you know I feel it's goin...

Marvel is hoping Benedict Cumberbatch can help turn DOCTOR STRANGE into the next IRON MAN, but does the film actually live up to those lofty expectations? Cinema Royale will be joined by Jeff Lyles of Lyles' Movie Files to explore Marvel's first foray into a mystical realm that looks like THE MATRIX and INCEPTION had a love child. Also, I'll save a few thoughts for Mel Gibson's war drama HACKSAW R...

Cinema Royale has been away for far too long while I dealt with film festivals and illnesses, which usually go hand-in-hand for me, but I'm back in time to talk about one of the awards season's biggest films. Tim Gordon join me to discuss Moonlight, the long-awaited second feature from Barry Jenkins. It's a film that is kicking all kinds of ass on the indie scene and could make an even bigger spla...

Travis Hopson is joined by Jonas Cuaron, writer/director of the intense thriller, Desierto, which takes the immigration issue in a deadly new direction. The film stars Gael Garcia Bernal as an immigrant seeking to cross into the U.S., only to be targeted by an insane "patriot" played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan.