Critically Acclaimed Network

Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold are working backwards through film history, using STAR WARS as the starting point! This week on EPISODE ZERO they explore Michael Anderson's blockbuster epic THE DAM BUSTERS (1955), about the real-life low-flying air attacks that destroyed German dams in World War II, which directly inspired George Lucas's unforgettably dogfighting finale in...

It's an all-new episode of WE'VE GOT MAIL, the podcast where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold answer YOUR letters! This week, Bibbs and Witney talk about the legacy of CONAN, the past, present and future of movie musicals, movie-watching relationship advice, the glories of CLUELESS, the most stylish menswear in the history of film, and whether Paul Thomas Anderson is Americ...

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED is jam-packed full of movies this week! Film critics William Bibbiani are reviewing new releases from all over the streaming landscape, and a cult classic horror movie on Shudder! This week on CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, Bibbs and Witney review the Universal animated comedy TROLLS WORLD TOUR, the heavy metal slasher WE SUMMON THE DARKNESS, the aquatic body horror thriller SEA FEVER,...

If you loved MUPPET BABIES, you might vaguely remember JIM HENSON'S LITTLE MUPPET MONSTERS! It was a short-lived spin-off series about little puppet creatures who lived in the Muppets' basement and ran their own low-budget television station, with puppet-based sketch comedy and cartoon shorts starring Kermit, Fozzie and... PIGS! IN! SPACE! LITTLE MUPPET MONSTERS is one of the most forgotte...

Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold are working backwards through film history, using STAR WARS as the starting point! This week on EPISODE ZERO they explore Akira Kurosawa's samurai epic THE HIDDEN FORTRESS (1958), which inspired George Lucas to tell the story of STAR WARS from the perspective of two droids, and which set the storytelling template for THE PHANTOM MENACE! Subscrib...

It's an all-new episode of WE'VE GOT MAIL, the podcast where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold answer YOUR letters! This week, Bibbs and Witney talk about style vs. substance, their favorite faith-based films, the best dance movies ever, and how film critics decide what to reveal about a movie and what to save as a surprise for audiences! Email us at letters@criticallyacclai...

There's no shortage of movies this week on CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED! Film critics William Bibbiani catch you up on new releases from all over the web, and a classic kidnapping thriller you don't wanna miss! This week on CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, Bibbs and Witney review the buddy comedy COFFEE AND KAREEM, the cult horror drama THE OTHER LAMB, the gerrymandering documentary SLAY THE DRAGON, the horr...

It's an all-new episode of WE'VE GOT MAIL, the podcast where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold answer YOUR letters! This week, Bibbs and Witney talk the films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, directors and genres we used to dislike and learned to love, how to review boring movies, why the tv series FIREFLY doesn't hold up, and whether we actually NEED the Razzies anymore! Em...

One of the best ways to learn about film history is to take a popular movie and work backwards, to discover its many influences. And there is perhaps no movie that embodies the fascinations, obsessions and inspirations of its director more than STAR WARS! Join film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold as they examine a film that directly inspired STAR WARS every single week, starting with t...

It's HUGE week for movies on CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED! Film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold explore tons of new streaming movies, including Shudder's horror film DANIEL ISN'T REAL, the Netflix documentaries CRIP CAMP and THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE WATER, the Netflix thriller THE DECLINE, and the Netflix comedy UNCORKED! Also this week on CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, we're celebr...

Not every STAR WARS was a blockbuster smash. The Saturday morning cartoon show STAR WARS: DROIDS, starring Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and R2-D2 as himself, only lasted one season, despite featuring huge cameos from popular characters like Boba Fett and IG-88, and tons of ideas, vehicles, planets and even podraces which would eventually turn up in the prequel trilogy! It was co-created by Oscar-winni...

It's an all-new episode of WE'VE GOT MAIL, the podcast where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold answer YOUR letters! This week, Bibbs and Witney talk about their favorite movie drinks, the must-see documentary The Celluloid Closet, why TV shows always end with a marriage, the secrets of movie projectionists and, of course, the best Pokemon movie ever! Email us at letters@crit...

Every month on THE IRON LIST, the Patrons of the Critically Acclaimed Network get to pick a topic for a giant-sized episode! And this month, since we could all use a little escapism, they picked THE BEST FANTASY MOVIES EVER MADE (THAT AREN'T HIT FRANCHISES)! Join film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold as they highlight the fantasy films that changed our lives and dazzled our senses,...

There aren't any new movies in theaters, but there are still LOTS of new movies! This week on CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold review the sci-fi thriller THE PLATFORM (Netflix), the coming of age drama BIG TIME ADOLESCENCE (Hulu), the other coming of age drama STARGIRL (Disney Plus) and the quirky small-town crime film BLOW THE MAN DOWN (Amazon Prime)! And...

It's an all-new episode of WE'VE GOT MAIL, the podcast where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold answer YOUR letters! This week, Bibbs and Witney talk about how to watch movies from different perspectives, the early films of David Lynch, TV edits of movies, and the art of video game adaptations! Email us at letters@criticallyacclaimed.net,  so we can read your correspondence a...

TEENS! IN! SPACE! The expensive Disney sci-fi mini-series EARTH*STAR VOYAGER was a pilot for a television show that never took off, about attractive and precocious space teens in the future, on a fifty year mission to find a new planet for humanity to live on! Featuring the stars of REVENGE OF THE NERDS, THE MONSTER SQUAD and THE LONE GUNMEN (and many more), and a score by the great Lalo Schifrin,...

It's an all-new episode of WE'VE GOT MAIL, the podcast where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold answer YOUR letters! This week, Bibbs and Witney talk about how the industry is going change because of the global pandemic, the films of Andrei Tarkovsky, the art of art house horror movies, what defines a cult film, and what makes a movie an instant classic! Email us at letters@c...

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED is back and we're catching up on all the movies we missed, and setting the stage for the next phase of the podcast, as the film industry makes gigantic adjustments because of current events. So in addition to review the new releases ONWARD, THE HUNT, FIRST COW, THE WAY BACK, BENEATH US and SPENCER CONFIDENTIAL, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold are announcin...

The network passed on David Lynch's surreal Hollywood mystery MULHOLLAND DRIVE, but the joke's on the network, because Lynch reshot the ending and released it in theaters, and won awards all over the world for how brilliant it was! MULHOLLAND DRIVE has got Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Billy Ray Cyrus and Rebekah Del Rio. It's been called one of the best films of the cent...

It's an all-new episode of WE'VE GOT MAIL, the podcast where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold answer YOUR letters! This week, Bibbs and Witney talk about the eery similarities because the critically acclaimed horror film MIDSOMMAR and the notorious dud CATS, filmmakers who are great but also inconsistent, movies that changed our perspective on the world, lots and lots of Sw...

Jean-Claude Van Damme is back, and this time he's a depressed has-been who nobody likes! JCVD stars in JEAN-CLAUDE VAN JOHNSON, a short-lived Amazon Prime action-comedy series in which action superstars like Van Damme are also secret super spies who use their movie productions as a cover for their covert missions! It stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, it's from the creator of THE EXPENDABLES, an...

It's an all-new episode of WE'VE GOT MAIL, the podcast where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold answer YOUR letters! This week, Bibbs and Witney talk about whether the new STAR TREK franchise is better than the new STAR WARS franchise, whether a new category would fix the Oscars, if CAHIERS DU CINEMA was totally out of touch! Email us at letters@criticallyacclaimed.net,  so w...

Leigh Whannell's remake of THE INVISIBLE MAN really as brilliant as you've heard? Is it - GASP?! - even better than the original?!   This week on CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold review the latest horror reboot, the quarter-life crisis drama SAINT FRANCES, the teen coming of age film ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES, and the 1% comedy GREED! The Invisible Man - 1...

Julie Andrews, the legendary star of MARY POPPINS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC and VICTOR/VICTORIA, teams up with Jim Henson's puppet workshop to host a TV series teaching kids about the theater! And she's bringing some of the most talented people in the world with her, including Idina Menzel, Josh Groban, Alec Baldwin and Sarah Bareilles! JULIE'S GREENROOM has its heart in the right place,...

It's an all-new episode of WE'VE GOT MAIL, the podcast where film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold answer YOUR letters! This week, Bibbs and Witney talk about what makes a great jukebox soundtrack, how to critique a film you don't agree with politically, the origin of Critically Acclaimed, the Bong Joon-ho movie that neither of our hosts like, and much, much more! Email us a...