Skip to content

Tag: Ben Sears

Ben Sears 0

The Obsessive Viewer Podcast – Ep 326 – Ebert’s Great Movies Part 3: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) & 8 1/2 (1963) – Heartland Film Festival 2020 Preview, and Extended Patreon Clip (Feels Good Man & Possessor)

Recorded September 22, 2020: In the latest installment of our Ebert’s Great Movies Review Series, our newly promoted recurring co-host Ben Sears joins me to discuss the classic horror/German Expressionist film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (2020) and the Frederico Fellini film 8 ½ (1963) from Ebert’s “Great Movies” list. We also chat about the upcoming Heartland Film Festival,

Ben Sears' Columns 0

Ben’s Column: Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020) – Review

It’s not often that a film can be simultaneously considered a documentary, a drama, and a comedy, but director Kirsten Johnson somehow manages to achieve that feat with Dick Johnson Is Dead. Movies can be used as a director’s way to put their own personal ideas and experiences out into the world: Truffaut channeled his early adolescence in The 400 Blows; Fellini expressed his struggles with the creative process with 8 ½; and Spike Lee used his experiences with racial injustice for Do the Right Thing. Johnson’s latest is not only a loving tribute to her father, but an examination of the grieving process, even when the aggrieved is still alive.

Ben Sears' Columns 0

Ben’s Column: Cuties (2020) – Review

All too often today, we’re more willing to click a button and share a headline or a meme of something we already agree or disagree with in order to affirm our own stance, rather than doing the hard work of understanding the heart of the matter. Sharing memes or news stories that spread the outrage of Cuties without actually knowing the content of the film in question is akin to buying a Ford Pinto because your neighbor just bought one.

Ben Sears' Columns 0

Ben’s Column: Tenet (2020) – Non-Spoiler Review

Tenet feels like the kind of movie Christopher Nolan has been building towards from the beginning of his career – at least on a surface level. It’s easy to spot some of the elements he’s pulling from, elements that have helped to define his aesthetic as a filmmaker: you of course have the incredible mind-bending visuals like in Inception and Interstellar, the action sequences from the Batman trilogy, the third act reveal from The Prestige, the perplexing chronology of events like in Memento and Dunkirk, and the complicated romantic entanglements of The Dark Knight, to name a few. Typically when a filmmaker cribs the best of himself to be put into one film, the result is an unbridled success, but Tenet just can’t make all of its puzzle pieces into an enlightening picture.

Ben Sears 0

The Obsessive Viewer Podcast – Ep 323 – Ebert’s Great Movies Part 2: Tokyo Story (1953) & Network (1976) – Indy Film Fest 2020 Preview, Ben’s Happy Valley Essays, and Yes God Yes – Guest: Ben Sears

In the latest installment of our Ebert’s Great Movies Review Series, our contributor and friend Ben Sears joins me to discuss the Yasujirō Ozu masterpiece Tokyo Story (1953) and Sidney Lumet’s prescient satire Network (1976) from Ebert’s “Great Movies” list. We also chat about Indy Film Fest, currently underway virtually, Ben’s thoughts on Yes, God, Yes and more.

Ben Sears' Columns 0

Ben’s Column: Yes, God Yes (2020) Review

Yes, God, Yes is not an outright teen sex comedy; it’s much more nuanced because its ultimate goal is more than just seeing its protagonist get laid. At a lean 78 minutes, the film just wants Alice to gain a better understanding of herself and her sexuality. Funny but critical, biting but not mean-spirited, Yes, God, Yes is a promising work for all involved.

Ben Sears 0

The Obsessive Viewer Podcast – Ep 319 – Roger Ebert’s Great Movies Part 1: Duck Soup (1933) and After Hours (1985) – The Painter and the Thief, 13 Reasons Why, and Sunshine – Guest: Ben Sears

In our inaugural Ebert’s Great Movies Review Series episode, our contributor and friend Ben Sears joins me to discuss the Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup (1933) and Martin Scorsese’s After Hours (1985) from Ebert’s “Great Movies” list. For Potpourri, we discuss the documentary The Painter and the Thief and the first handful of episodes from 13 Reasons Why’s final season.

Ben Sears' Columns 0

Ben’s Column: Greyhound (2020) Review

Greyhound bears a striking similarity to last year’s 1917, in that there’s a clear endpoint objective at stake, and the characters we spend the most time with are frustratingly opaque. But whereas 1917 took time to reflect and add at least a little characterization between its video game-like checkpoints, Greyhound only stops and pauses for a scant few moments.

Ben Sears 0

The Obsessive Viewer Podcast – Ep 318 – The Vast of Night & The King of Staten Island – Da 5 Bloods, The Wrong Missy, and AMC Theaters’ Reopening Plans – Guest: Ben Sears

This week, our contributor and friend Ben joins me to review the retro sci-fi film, The Vast of Night and the new Judd Apatow film The King of Staten Island. We also talk about drive-in movies and AMC’s plans to reopen. For Potpourri, we discuss the Netflix films Da 5 Bloods and The Wrong Missy.

Ben Sears' Columns 0

Ben’s Column: Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets (2020) Movie Review

There are no talking heads, no title cards (save for the occasional running clock to show the passing of the day), and no opening crawl giving the history of the bar or who these people are. Some stay throughout the entirety of the film, some try to stay and end up drinking too much, and some we only meet halfway through, but each one the Ross brothers feature makes a memorable impression.

cOVid-19 0

The Obsessive Viewer Podcast – Ep 314 – cOVid-19 Film Festival Days 20-38 (Sci-Fi Showcase) – The Adjustment Bureau, Next, Minority Report, 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Code 8, Vivarium, The X-Files, and Devs (Guest: Ben Sears)

In the midst of a global pandemic and stay at home orders all over the country, I am coping by watching movies and podcasting about them as if they were part of a Film Festival. Here is my coverage of cOVid-19 Film Festival Days 20-38: Sci-fi Showcase (April 6-24, 2020). For the spotlight review, frequent guest ad contributor Ben calls in to talk about Alex Garland’s Devs with me in a non-spoiler and spoiler review.