Nick Rogers

War Machine (2026) Alan Ritchson delivers a thoughtful performance that proves his cinematic leading-man capabilities in a reasonably engaging sci-fi / action film that completely whiffs in its closing minutes.

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...

Category: Libera te Tutemet A celebration of select films by Paul W.S. Anderson and his 60th birthday.

Good stuff from you here, too!

midwestfilmjournal.com/category/com...

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

“The Woman in Cabin 10” and 19 more additions to Quill’s ranked journalism movies list Quill, a magazine by the Society of Professional Journalists

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.

Class of 2006: Running Scared “Class of … ” — Nick Rogers’ monthly look back at films celebrating 20th, 30th or 40th anniversaries — continues with a reflection on 2006’s grime-crime odyssey “Running Scared.”…

My essay on RUNNING SCARED (2006):

midwestfilmjournal.com/2026/02/23/c...

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!

Coming Around Again: Smilla’s Sense of Snow Coming Around Again — a series in which Nick Rogers revisits films he initially disliked to see if he feels differently — continues with 1997’s “Smilla’s Sense of Snow.”…

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...

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die A freewheeling odyssey to save the world, “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” is no-fear, cavalier, renegade, steer-clear filmmaking that leaves you feeling pretty psyched.

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!

Indiana Film Journalists Association’s profile IndyFJA uses Letterboxd to share film reviews and lists. 33 films watched. Favorites: Sinners (2025), One Battle After Another (2025), The Substance (2024), The Brutalist (2024). Bio: Established in 2...

We are officially on #Letterboxd, give us a Follow! 🟠🟢🔵 #filmsky 📽️

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

Mitch & Mickey - A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow YouTube video by mayhew7

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.

Coming Around Again: Rounders After a long hiatus, Nick Rogers relaunches his Coming Around Again feature — revisiting films he disliked to see if he feels differently — with 1998’s “Rounders.”…

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...

Vie privée (A Private Life) Jodie Foster’s first French-language lead role in nearly 50 years offers some entertaining diversions, but its herky-jerky tones and superficial drama lack that certain je nai sais quoi.

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.

Marion County Record documentary “Seized” to premiere at Sundance Film Festival Quill, a magazine by the Society of Professional Journalists

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...

Class of 1986: Iron Eagle “Class of … ” — Nick Rogers’ monthly series that looks at films celebrating 20th, 30th or 40th anniversaries — kicks off for 2026 with a look at 1986’s “Iron Eagle.”…

My essay on IRON EAGLE:

midwestfilmjournal.com/2026/01/16/c...

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!

Ben Affleck & Matt Damon entertainingly dance around the depth and dimension of their real-world friendship to elevate THE RIP above genre routine.

My review of the film (on Netflix Friday) for Midwest Film Journal (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social):

midwestfilmjournal.com/2026/01/15/t...

Dead Man’s Wire The Hollywood spin on an iconic Indianapolis story offers a winter’s tale with no more heat than you’d find in umpteen, better-told variations.

My review of DEAD MAN'S WIRE:

midwestfilmjournal.com/2026/01/13/d...

I was in the minority on DEAD MAN'S WIRE's version of an iconic Indianapolis winter's tale, which generates very little heat and too many haphazard choices. In the reply, find my review of the film at Midwest Film Journal (midwestfilmjournal.bsky.social). Read, comment, share, enjoy!

Is This Thing On? Despite a few iffy crutches and choices, Bradley Cooper’s smaller-scale dramedy shows he can fill a small room with emotions as shrewdly as stadiums.

My review of IS THIS THING ON?:

midwestfilmjournal.com/2026/01/06/i...