‘Novocaine’ Review: A Winning Jack Quaid is Comfortably Numb in Painless Action-Comedy [C+]
It’s a pretty sad commentary on the state of Hollywood filmmaking that the only types of comedies being produced with consistency are hyphenated. Comedy-dramas, horror-comedies,... Read More
Cody Dericks
Cody Dericks has been obsessed with movies and awards ever since he first grabbed a giant coffee table book about the Oscars at the Scholastic Book Fair. He’s been consuming every type of film ever since. In addition, he’s an avid theatre lover and always has thoughts and opinions on all things to do with Broadway and the Tony Awards.
He currently resides in Chicago and is a proud member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. He also writes and podcasts for Next Best Picture and co-hosts his own podcast “Halloweeners: A Horror Movie Podcast.” You can follow him on Twitter, Letterboxd, and Bluesky @codymonster91
‘Paddington in Peru’ Review: Third Time’s a Bit Less Charming for Cinema’s Most Lovable Bear [B-]
In terms of its status amongst critics and film lovers, Paddington has got to be one of the most unlikely film franchises ever to gain... Read More
‘Love Hurts’ Review: This Fight Club is a Real Pain [C-]
Winning an Oscar is pretty great, or so I’ve heard. But for actors, the hard-earned victory brings with it a new challenge – what to... Read More
Interview: Vivian Kerr and Anthony Rapp Unwrap How ‘Scrap’ Went from a Short to a Feature
Vivian Kerr is no slacker. For her feature directorial debut Scrap, she’s not only in charge behind the camera, she also wrote it and stars... Read More
‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’ Review: Bland and Dull, it Put the “Mid” in “Middle-earth” [C+]
Like a Nazgûl flying overhead, Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy has cast a shadow over the new film The Lord of the... Read More
Interview: Jon M. Chu on the Challenges of Singing Live on Set, What to Defy and to Keep, and How ‘Wicked’ is an Expression of the World at This Moment in Time
Everything’s been leading to this moment for Jon M. Chu. The director of Wicked first made a name for himself with music-based films like Step... Read More
‘Moana 2’ Review: Rough Seas and a Waterlogged Narrative Sink Choppy Sequel
The 2016 release of Moana was one of the highlights of Disney’s animated film output of the 2010s. It features tuneful, emotive songs by Lin-Manuel... Read More
‘A Real Pain’ Review: Kieran Culkin Shines in Jesse Eisenberg’s Triumphant and Thoughtful Dramedy
It can sometimes be worrying when a film is directed by one of its stars, and even doubly concerning when that person is also the... Read More
‘Separated’ Review: Errol Morris Hasn’t Forgotten Trump’s Immigration Policy Cruelty and Neither Should We | Chicago International Film Festival
It’s tough for feature-length documentaries to always be on the cutting edge of topicality. The very nature of film production means that most documentaries will... Read More
‘Small Things Like These’ Review: Cillian Murphy is a Quiet Powerhouse in Aloof Drama from ‘Peaky Blinders’ Helmer Tim Mielants | Chicago International Film Festival
Cillian Murphy is the kind of actor that most directors would kill to have leading their film. His face alone makes for a compelling screen... Read More
2025 Emmy Predictions: The Limited Series/TV Movie Competition Is Not Child’s Play 
Oscars: Academy Establishes New Category for Stunt Design Beginning with 100th Oscars 
2025 Emmy Predictions: ‘The Pitt’ Aims to Claim Key Nominations and Resuscitate the Hospital Genre 
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 94 – ‘Mikey and Nicky’ (Elaine May, 1974)