At Midwest Film Journal (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social), I return to my Coming Around Again series to revisit films I didn't particularly care for the first time through to see if I feel differently.
In the reply, you can find my surprisingly revised thoughts on 2000's sci-fi bomb SUPERNOVA.
All month long at Midwest Film Journal (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social), we're celebrating Kurt Russell's 75th birthday with a series called Kurt Response. My first of two pieces is the was-not-timely-when-we-planned-it-but-is-now look at 2004's MIRACLE.
Find my essay in the reply below!
Netflix has been making its own films so long that searching WAR MACHINE gets you two results. This is the better one, even as its final five minutes are a complete whiff. My review for Midwest Film Journal (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social).
midwestfilmjournal.com/2026/03/06/w...
Favorite first-time watches of February:
28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE
THE AFRICAN QUEEN
COME AND SEE
THE NAKED SPUR
SEND HELP
THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER
Find our latest additions to the list at www.quillmag.com/2026/02/26/t...
Then, find the ENTIRE list at www.quillmag.com/2024/06/03/1...
Read, comment, share, enjoy!
So proud today of Midwest Film Journal cohorts (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social) & grateful to friend/colleague Lou Harry (louharry.bsky.social) for shepherding this project w/ the Society of Professional Journalists (spj-posts.bsky.social).
Our ranking of 110 journalism films is now a list of 250!
In the rare instance that I see the word used on its own, my mind just always goes to Newt.
My February "Class of..." (films celebrating 20th, 30th or 40th anniversaries) is 2006's RUNNING SCARED. Not the bangin' Michael McDonald song one, the Paul Walker gets banged up one.
Find my Midwest Film Journal (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social) essay in the reply, and read, comment, share & enjoy!
Good afternoon! Next in my Coming Around Again series, where revisit films I didn't like at first blush to see how I feel now: 1997's Nordic noir thriller SMILLA'S SENSE OF SNOW.
My essay for Midwest Film Journal (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social) is below.
midwestfilmjournal.com/2026/02/18/c...
My review of GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE:
midwestfilmjournal.com/2026/02/09/g...
GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE is a freewheeling odyssey to save the world that delivers no-fear, cavalier, renegade, steer-clear filmmaking to leave you feeling pretty psyched.
My review for Midwest Film Journal (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social) in the reply. Read, comment, share, enjoy!
Thank you! SpongeBob and Spencer Tracy together is something I’d have watched for sure. And now perhaps my brain will manifest it as a dream tonight.
Favorite first-time watches of January:
BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK
FURY (1936)
GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE
MAN OF THE CENTURY (1999)
SEIZED (2026)
THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS
Here is (to me) the nexus of why Catherine O'Hara & Eugene Levy were all-time-great screen partners. Believable human emotion THEN whatever comedy or concern derived. Always humane, never settling for cheap gags. Awful news to read but so much to cherish.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwLZ...
Thanks for reading! Glad you enjoyed it.
And yes it is, right down to the bad-boy punctuation. So many talented people assembled for it, though, with friendships that have stuck to this day!
Many thanks for sharing, my friend! Greatly appreciated.
I've resurrected my Coming Around Again feature at Midwest Film Journal (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social), revisiting films I didn't like that much the first time around to see if I've changed my tune.
First up: 1998's ROUNDERS. Read, comment, share, enjoy!
midwestfilmjournal.com/2026/01/28/c...
My review of VIE PRIVÉE (A PRIVATE LIFE):
midwestfilmjournal.com/2026/01/27/v...
It's been nearly 50 years since Jodie Foster led a French-language production. And while VIE PRIVÉE (A PRIVATE LIFE) has some fun diversions, its herky-jerky tones & superficial drama lack a certain je nai sais quoi.
My Midwest Film Journal (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social) review in the reply.
It's not every year I get to cover a Sundance film.
SEIZED is an excellent documentary that I hope leaves Park City, Utah, with a distribution deal.
I enjoyed talking with director Sharon Liese about her film for the Society of Professional Journalists.
www.quillmag.com/2026/01/23/m...
Another from the saw-it-last-October file: THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE, which approached film-of-the-year status for me in its first hour & has lingered long despite a somewhat standard finish.
My review for Midwest Film Journal (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social):
midwestfilmjournal.com/2026/01/20/t...
New year, new round of "Class of ... " essays at Midwest Film Journal (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social), where I look at films celebrating 20th, 30th or 40th anniversaries. First off the tarmac for 2026 is 1986's IRON EAGLE.
Find my essay in the reply. Read, comment, share, enjoy!
