The sixth episode of the White City Cinema Radio Hour is now online. I had a lot of fun talking with film critics Jason Coffman (The Daily Grindhouse) and Daniel Nava (Chicago Cinema Circuit) about the year in movies. We each count down our top five favorite films of the year — with commentary — as well as engage in a lively discussion of the most overrated and underrated films of the year. Incredibly, there was no overlap in our top five lists! You can listen to the episode on the Transistor site here (it will also be up on iTunes shortly).

In other news, I will be introducing a screening of Vincente Minnelli’s Some Came Running at Transistor this Saturday evening to celebrate the Sinatra Centennial. Here is the description I wrote for the website:

Saturday night film screening: Chicago independent filmmaker, author and film studies instructor Michael Glover Smith presents Some Came Running on the Sinatra Centennial. 8:00 p.m. Free, BYOB.

Come celebrate Frank Sinatra’s 100th birthday at this special Transistor screening of Vincente Minnelli’s 1958 masterpiece ‘Some Came Running.’ While Ol’ Blue Eyes will always justly be remembered first and foremost as one of our greatest singers, this classic melodrama proves that he also had positively Brando-esque acting chops. In Minnelli’s boldly stylized adaptation of a James Jones novel, Sinatra plays Dave Hirsh, a writer and Army vet who struggles to re-adjust to civilian life after returning to his hometown of Parkman, Indiana. Joining him are Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine in juicy supporting roles, making this the first and best of the ‘Rat Pack’ movies.

Hope to see you there!