Robyn Bahr is a freelance film/television critic and Oscar prognosticator who has written for The Hollywood Reporter, The Washington Post, GQ, Vanity Fair, The Village Voice, Slate, and VICE, among others. She specializes in period dramas, Britcoms, kids’ content, and women-centered narratives. Her very first piece of criticism was a contrarian review of Michael Moore’s FAHRENHEIT 9/11 for her high school newspaper, which included the very astute line, “Moore claims to be presenting the truth, but who really knows what the truth is?” Robyn holds a B.A. in English from Amherst College and an Ed.M. in children’s media from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. You can follow her as @RobynBahr on Twitter and find her recipes at Yentavision.com.
After years of writing for other people, John Black launched his own movie website, cinekong.com, at the end of 2019 (first review: CATS!). Along with reviewing new releases, he writes about classic movies he’s never seen, little known gems most people won’t admit they have seen, animation of every possible style and, every Sunday, he devotes his skills to writing about the films of Nicolas Cage (Enter the Cage). A devout horror film fan John also writes for gruesomemagazine.com.
Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen is an Emmy-winning reporter with WGBH-TV’s nightly news magazine program, Greater Boston with Emily Rooney, and appears regularly on 89.7 WGBH, where he covers the latest happenings in Boston film, theater, art, music,and dance for Boston Public Radio and on WGBH’s Morning Edition every Thursday. In February 2013, Jared debuted in his own weekly arts series, Open Studio with Jared Bowen, featuring a blend of local and national stories and profiles. He is a member of the Boston Theater Critics Association and he serves on the Board of Governors for the Boston/New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He has won two New England Emmy Awards for his arts reporting and is a recipient of the 2013 Commonwealth Award, recognizing achievement in the arts, humanities, and sciences. Jared also is a guest contributor to Boston Common magazine.
Rodney Brown is the editor in chief at Nerd Caliber. He has been a journalist and editor since the early 1980s, working for publications in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, in nearly every capacity that exists, from ad layout to publisher and owner. Most recently he spent 20+ years in various editorial capacities at Mass High Tech, a publication of American City Business Journals, then various tech news sites for United Business Media. He is also known in the cosplay community as the photographer FirstPerson Shooter.
Bob Chipman has lived and worked in Massachusetts his entire life; and has spent over a decade in the fields of independent film production, film criticism and pop-culture commentary. In addition to having produced and performed the webseries “Escape To The Movies” and “The Big Picture;” he is the creator of ScrewAttack.com’s “The Game OverThinker” and “In Bob We Trust” He can also be found blogging at moviebob.blogspot.com.
Sam Cohen is one of the film critics at EDGE Media Network. When he’s not watching movies at Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brattle Theatre, or the Harvard Film Archive, he can be found at home in Harvard, MA, playing with his dogs or working on his home theater. He also maintains a Letterboxd and is still trying to convince people that Rob Zombie is a good filmmaker.
Max Covill is a freelance journalist and podcast host. He dedicates his life to sharing his love of film through the written word and behind the lens. He began writing for the web in 2011 at his blog Impassionedcinema. His podcast, It’s the Pictures, explores filmmakers and performers past and present. His work was published by Polygon, Fandom, Playboy, HyperAllergic, and Film School Rejects, among others. He enjoys all types of cinema, but more often than not, international cinema and dramas are his weapons of choice.
Michael Cox is a filmmaker who writes about the arts for EDGE Media Network. In addition to working in film production and marketing, including commercials, series television, and on the festival circuit, his own documentaries and short narratives have been screened in film festivals throughout the world. He has a Master’s Degree in Film Studies.
Evan Crean is a founding member of BOFCA, the organization’s co-chair, and its treasurer. Since 2009, he has written hundreds of movie reviews and celebrity interviews publications such as Starpulse.com, NewEnglandFilm.com, and The Independent. He also maintains an active Letterboxd account. In addition to his short form work, he is a co-author of the lighthearted self-help books for film fans, Your ’80s Movie Guide to Better Living, which is available on Amazon. On top of writing, he co-hosts and edits the weekly film podcast Spoilerpiece Theatre with BOFCA members David Riedel and Megan Kearns. You can follow him on Twitter as @reelrecon and find links to all his work at his site Reel Recon.
Andy Crump has written about movies online since 2013, the year he joined BOFCA. Since then, he’s taken on television, music, beer, the USPS, public transportation, COVID disinformation, and parenting as other beats, and written for more outlets than he can mention here, including some you write for, too: Paste Magazine, the New York Times, Inverse, Mic, The Daily Beast, Mashable, The Playlist, Hop Culture, No Depression, The Hollywood Reporter, Polygon, and some he’s forgotten about. You can find his collected work on his blog, A Constant Visual Feast. He is composed of 60% craft beer.
Derek Deskins began writing about film irregularly on Tumblr in 2010 to prevent mental prolapse while unemployed. In 2013, following a lucky meeting at Independent Film Festival Boston, he began contributing to his first outlet, LonelyReviewer.com. Since then, he has contributed to WhatCulture.com, Starpulse.com, and NextProjection.com. Currently, he provides review coverage at Edge Media Network. He continues to fight the stigma that being good at math means you are not any no good at writing. I good write. Very much.
Tim Estiloz is a two-time Emmy Award-winning TV entertainment reporter, producer, writer, and artist/illustrator with nearly two decades of experience in the broadcast, print, and online industries. His broadcast resume includes work for NBC, Comcast, freelance reporting for E! Entertainment Television, and a variety of Boston-area TV outlets. He’s also a voting member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. Tim has interviewed dozens of Hollywood’s A-List actors including Robert Downey Jr., Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Will Smith, and many more. His celebrity video interviews can be found on YouTube at FilmFanTV. He also appears as a TV reporter in Ben Affleck’s acclaimed film, GONE BABY GONE and the 2021 horror film, THE UNHOLY. His reviews appear in El Mundo Boston, KaleidoscopeReviews.
Eli Fine is a freelance film and television critic currently writing for The Playlist and The Young Folks, as well as his very own, absolutely riveting Twitter feed. Eli’s favorite movie of 2017 thus far is a French indie about cannibal sisters in veterinary school (RAW). Extrapolate from that what you will about his taste.
Audrey Fox works as a features editor at Looper.com. She also writes for SlashFilm and Crooked Marquee, with bylines at RogerEbert.com, The Nerdist, Awards Circuit, and IGN. She has been blessed by our tomato overlords with their coveted seal of approval. Audrey received her BA in film from Clark University and her Master’s in international relations from Harvard University. When she’s not watching movies, she loves historical non-fiction, theater, traveling, and playing the violin (poorly).
Ezra Haber Glenn is a Lecturer in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies & Planning, where he teaches a special subject on “The City in Film” and coordinates a semi-regular film series. His essays, criticism, and reviews have appeared in The Arts Fuse, WBUR’s The ARTery, Northeastern’s Experie
Oscar Goff is a writer and film critic based in Somerville, MA. He is the Editor in Chief and senior film critic for Boston Hassle, and the author of the weekly “Film Ahead” column in Cambridge Day. Previously, Oscar spent five years as film editor for the Boston Compass, and his work has appeared in ArtsFuse, WBUR’s ARTery, and translated into Spanish in Cualia. A child of the video store and a regular presence in Boston’s independent cinemas, Oscar is a Tomatometer-approved critic and a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Online Film Critics Society (in addition to BOFCA). You can follow him on BlueSky, Letterboxd, and Twitter.
John Hanlon is a freelance film and TV critic whose work can be found on over 30 radio station websites across the country including AM870TheANSWER.com in Los Angeles. He began writing reviews in late 2009 and has been published on CNN.com, The Week.com, and USAToday.com. Hanlon has also been featured on the national radio shows “The Dennis Miller Show” and “The Hugh Hewitt Show.” He has also appeared on the Reelz television program, “Mark at the Movies.” He also maintains his own website, JohnHanlonReviews.com. Hanlon can be found on Twitter @johnhanlon and on Facebook here.
Stephen Slaughter Head is the host of the Diabolique Radio Show at HorrorUnlimited.com – His middle name, Slaughter, is really his middle name. No joke. He co-created the much-loved movie news website IGN FilmForce (now IGN Movies), was a staff writer and content producer for IGN Entertainment (2000-08), and a writer for America Online, Netscape and Propeller.com. He earned a B.A. in History from Providence College. And he helped make some movies, some of which are listed here.
While Jaskee Hickman started reviewing films in 2011, he was officially added onto Boston’s movie press list in 2012. Since that time, this lifelong fan of cinema has not only been reviewing films, he’s also added interviewing filmmakers to his list of credits. As of right now, you can find his work on Cinematic Essential, but he’s hoping to one day expand on his cinematic endeavors by making feature films of his own as a writer/director
Andy Hoglund is a public relations executive in Boston, where he works at Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications. His work can be seen in The Daily Beast, BDC Wire (The Boston Globe), Vice, and Newsweek.
Allyson Johnson is a New Englander, feminist, writer, and film critic. She’s the film section editor for TheYoungFolks.com where she’s been writing since 2012. A 20 something, Suffolk University graduate, her writing and criticism over the past few years can be found at TheMarySue.com, btchflcks.com, CambridgeDay.com, Uproxx, WeGotThisCovered, BlastMagazine and more. She’s a freelance writer and theater critic for Seacoast Media Group and the film critic for the new streaming radio station, Edge Radio. She spends her time list-making, movie watching, and ranting about television on her twitter.
Nick Johnston is the film section editor and chief critic at Vanyaland. He’s previously written for The Boston Phoenix, Spectrum Culture, and Suvudu. You can also find him on Rotten Tomatoes and on Letterboxd.
Steve Katz began writing about film nearly a decade ago after he discovered that a Philosophy degree did not lead to financially viable career opportunities. He is aware of the irony of hitching his wagon to online culture criticism, but he loves movies just too darned much to be deterred. He was the sort of guy who would make his father drive him an hour and a half to a small indie theater in New Jersey to see HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH in 2001; a little bit of competition and market saturation wouldn’t stop him. Half a decade of hustle and paying his own way landed him a gig as a contributor of film reviews at Bullz-eye.com, as well as self-publishing scads of writing on his personal website, The Alpha Primitive, Steve has been based in Boston for more than eleven years, and couldn’t imagine calling any other city his home.
Megan Kearns is a queer feminist vegan and film critic. She co-hosts the weekly film podcast, Spoilerpiece Theatre, with fellow BOFCA members David Riedel and Evan Crean. She reviews films as a contributor to EDGE Media Network. She especially loves to write about women-directed films, queer films, and genre films. She also co-hosts the limited series podcast, The Slashers, examining horror movies in the “Golden Age” of slasher films. Her work can also be found at Bitch Flicks (where she was also an editor), Women and Hollywood, Bitch Media, and others. She earned her B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology from UMass Amherst and a Graduate Certificate in Women and Politics & Public Policy from UMass Boston. She’s also a member of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd.
Daniel M. Kimmel’s reviews appeared in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette for 25 years and can now be found at Northshoremovies.net. He has worked as the local correspondent for Variety, did the “Movie Maven” column for The Jewish Advocate, and taught film at Suffolk University. He writes on classic science fiction films for Space and Time magazine. His book on the history of FOX TV, The Fourth Network received the Cable Center Book Award. His other books include a history of DreamWorks, The Dream Team, I’ll Have What She’s Having: Behind the Scenes of the Great Romantic Comedies, and his Jar Jar Binks Must Die… and other observations about science fiction movies which was a finalist for a Hugo Award for “Best Related Work.” His first novel, Shh! It’s a Secret: a novel about Aliens, Hollywood, and the Bartender’s Guide, was nominated for the Compton Crook Award for best debut science fiction novel. He is a past president of the Boston Society of Film Critics and served as a founding co-chair of BOFCA. His latest book is a film criticism parody, Can Your Heart Stand the Shocking Facts? exploring “Plan 9 from Outer Space.”
Joyce Kulhawik, best known as the Emmy Award-winning Arts & Entertainment Critic for CBS Boston (WBZ-TV 1981-2008), is currently lending her expertise as a critic, arts advocate, motivational speaker, and cancer crusader all over the region. Kulhawik is president of the Boston Theater Critics Association and a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics. She has covered local and national events from Boston and Broadway to Hollywood, reporting live from The Oscars, The Emmys, and The Grammys. Nationally, Joyce co-hosted the syndicated movie-review show “Hot Ticket” with Leonard Maltin and was a continuing co-host on “Roger Ebert & The Movies.” Joyce has appeared in her capacity as a movie critic on WGBH Radio and TV, WBUR’S “The Artery” online, & WBZ Radio. Every year Joyce helps judge The 48 Hour Film Fest! She also moonwalks and yodels. Look for her reviews online at JOYCESCHOICES.
Alison Lanier specializes in media studies with an emphasis on queer theory and narrative. A staff writer for Pajiba, she also writes for Molasses Flood, a CD Projekt studio, on The Witcher franchise. She studied film at Wellesley College, received her MFA in fiction from University of Massachusetts Boston, and studied media theory at MIT. She served as film editor at Atticus Review as well as a regular columnist. Her reviews and essays appear at Ms. Magazine, Bitch, The Critical Flame, and elsewhere. She has definitely read more Batman comics than you.
Duane Miller is freelance film/television critic and podcast influencer. He is currently the host of the movie/television-based Cinemania World Podcast since 2017 which is located out of Boston, MA. Duane grew up in Boston and has loved film and television his entire life. He also is an up-and-coming screenwriter and has been selected for horror screenwriting festivals since 2018. Duane can be found on Twitter at @Cinemaniac94 and his podcast @CinemaniaWorld.
Byron McNeal is UMASS Lowell alum who has spent the last 17 years, living and working in the Boston area. His reviews have been featured on sites like Nerd Caliber and Herotaku. Byron is also an artist with a fondness for illustration and sculpture, as well as theater. In his spare time, Byron is an avid gamer, poet, fiction writer, and the artist behind the new webcomic Codename: Blackbird. Byron also loves any chance to share his love of film with the world.
Kilian Melloy serves EDGE Media Network as Assistant Arts Editor, staff writer, film critic, and lead theater critic. Kilian also publishes short fiction, social commentary, and arts-related think pieces at EDGE, and contributes theater criticism to WBUR’s ARTery. In addition to BOFCA, Kilian’s professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association’s Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
Brett Michel writes for The Boston Phoenix, The Boston Herald, and The Patriot Ledger. You can always find Brett dressed in black, donning a cap and sitting in the middle of one of the very front rows of the theater.
Jake Mulligan edits the film section of DigBoston.
Charlie Nash is a freelance film critic. He earned a B.A. in Media Studies at Emerson College and is a contributing writer for EDGE Media Network. His work has also appeared at Movie Mezzanine, Film School Rejects, Boston Reel, Atticus Review, Film Thrills, and Cinematic Essential. More often than not, he’s at the Coolidge Corner Theatre. You can follow him on Twitter at @ctnash91 and he keeps a viewing log at Letterboxd.
These days David Riedel co-hosts the Spoilerpiece Theatre podcast with fellow BOFCA members Evan Crean and Megan Kearns. When he writes, it’s usually for Salt Lake City Weekly. He was the chief film critic at the Santa Fe Reporter from 2012 – 2015, managing editor of the New Haven Advocate, and a staff producer/blogger for CBSNews.com. His work as a freelance reporter has appeared in Northshore Magazine, Boston Magazine, Boston Globe Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Make Change, C-Ville Weekly, Fandor, the New York Post, Orlando Weekly, Sacramento News & Review, and San Antonio Current. He also reviews health and fitness products for reviewed.com and generally passes on Italian desserts.
Jordan Ruimy is originally from Montreal, Canada, but currently resides with his wife in Cambridge, MA. He has a BA in Journalism and has been following and writing about film for over 10 years. He is a Tomatometer-approved critic and has covered international film festivals, including TIFF, the Sundance Film Festival, and the Festival de Cannes. He has interviewed award-winning actors and directors such as Anne Hathaway, Matthew McConaughey, Richard Linklater, and Michael Haneke. Jordan has written for various media outlets, such as The Playlist, Awards Daily, IndieWire, The Film Stage, and others. He has been quoted numerous times in movie posters, ads, and trailers.
Randy Steinberg has a Master’s Degree in Film/Screenwriting from Boston University. He taught screenwriting and film at Boston University and other Boston-area schools and organizations from 1999-2010. Randy has done film/tv/book review for Blast Magazine.com since 2011. Randy has published three literary golf essays for “Sport Literate” (see Sport Literate.org online) and one for “Aethlon,” a Journal of the Sport Literature Association. Randy has had other journalism, essay, and short story work published in Boston Magazine, The Heat City Literary Review, and The Good Men Project.com. In addition to reviews, he continues to work on screenplays, essays, and fiction. You can find links to all of his work at his website www.randysteinbergwriting.com.