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Mike McGranaghan

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

I started doing movie reviews in 1986, when I joined the staff of my high school newspaper and won several Keystone awards (the Keystone award is the highest honor given to high school journalists in Pennsylvania). That was all the encouragement I needed to continue. While still in college, I became the film critic for two central Pennsylvania newspapers: The Selinsgrove Times-Tribune and The Middleburg Post. I stayed with those papers for five years. In 1995, I became film critic of Gamut! - an online magazine devoted to entertainment. My website (www.aisleseat.com) is an off-shoot of that magazine. Additionally, I am the on-air film critic for Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation, which operates three central PA radio stations. My reviews run weekly.

Publications:
Favorites:

Favorite Films - The Brothers McMullen, JFK, Fletch, Do the Right Thing, Chasing Amy, Fargo, The Blair Witch Project
Favorite Directors - Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Edward Burns, Kevin Smith, Steven Soderbergh, the Farrelly Brothers, the Coen Brothers, John Waters, Edward D. Wood, Jr.
Best of All Time: Schindler's List
Worst of All Time: Caligula

Critics' Group:
Location:

Central Pennsylvania

Official Website:

http://www.aisleseat.com/

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
On a String (2025) EDIT “On a String contains some big laughs, along with shrewd observations about what it’s like to be young and aimless. It’s a total charmer.” – Aisle Seat Mar 1, 2026 Full Review Scream 7 (2026) 31% 3/4 EDIT “Even in its seventh chapter, the saga still knows how to bring a decent amount of fun.” – Aisle Seat Feb 28, 2026 Full Review Crazy Old Lady (2025) 77% 3/4 EDIT “Delightfully macabre.” – Aisle Seat Feb 27, 2026 Full Review Ghost Elephants (2025) 100% 4/4 EDIT “Werner Herzog has got a perfect subject to explore the theme of obsession, and it leads to a movie that is absolutely spellbinding.” – Aisle Seat Feb 26, 2026 Full Review K-Pops! (2024) 86% 3/4 EDIT “If you don’t feel good at the end of these two hours, happiness may not be in your emotional repertoire.” – Aisle Seat Feb 25, 2026 Full Review Undercard (2025) 30% 3.5/4 EDIT “Heartfelt and deeply affecting. Wanda Sykes is a revelation.” – Aisle Seat Feb 24, 2026 Full Review Paul McCartney: Man on the Run (2025) 100% 4/4 EDIT “This is the first essential documentary of 2026.” – Aisle Seat Feb 23, 2026 Full Review The Dreadful (2026) 41% 1.5/4 EDIT “This movie sure lives up to its name.” – Aisle Seat Feb 20, 2026 Full Review This Is Not a Test (2025) 44% 3/4 EDIT “It’s The Breakfast Club meets The Walking Dead, and that general concept gives the movie a bit of freshness to match its gruesome horror.” – Aisle Seat Feb 19, 2026 Full Review I Can Only Imagine 2 (2026) 63% 2/4 EDIT “I Can Only Imagine 2 is oddly cynical for a faith-based production. The religious message comes off as commercialized rather than organic. ” – Aisle Seat Feb 18, 2026 Full Review Blades of the Guardians (2026) 95% 2/4 EDIT “When the brutal, bloody action starts, the movie entertains. When it ends, the fun comes to a screeching halt.” – Aisle Seat Feb 18, 2026 Full Review Crime 101 (2026) 88% 4/4 EDIT “Stands alongside Michael Mann’s 'Heat' and William Friedkin’s 'To Live and Die in L.A.' as one of the great cinematic crime dramas. ” – Aisle Seat Feb 16, 2026 Full Review My Father's Shadow (2025) 97% 3.5/4 EDIT “Great truths come from a simple story, making My Father’s Shadow a picture you won’t be able to stop thinking about.” – Aisle Seat Feb 15, 2026 Full Review Wuthering Heights (2026) 58% 3/4 EDIT “This movie is so sexed-up that if you watched it from a D-Box seat, you’d probably need a cigarette afterward.” – Aisle Seat Feb 13, 2026 Full Review Stray Kids: The dominATE Experience (2026) 3.5/4 EDIT “Watching it probably counts as exercise. I’m pretty sure I burned off quite a few calories from tapping my foot the entire time.” – Aisle Seat Feb 13, 2026 Full Review Cold Storage (2026) 78% 3/4 EDIT “Cold Storage is the kind of movie where you walk away thinking, "What did I just watch?" In a good way, though.” – Aisle Seat Feb 12, 2026 Full Review Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die (2025) 83% 3/4 EDIT “The untamed, anything-can-happen vibe provides constant entertainment.” – Aisle Seat Feb 12, 2026 Full Review Scarlet (2025) 76% 3.5/4 EDIT “An animated feature that stimulates the eyes and the mind.” – Aisle Seat Feb 11, 2026 Full Review Diabolic (2025) 62% 1.5/4 EDIT “Daniel J. Phillips’ film has an interesting take on religious horror that it regrettably doesn’t follow through on.” – Aisle Seat Feb 10, 2026 Full Review Iron Lung (2026) 60% 3/4 EDIT “A nerve-rattling descent into hell.” – Aisle Seat Feb 7, 2026 Full Review Dracula (2025) 53% 3/4 EDIT “Dracula is not the best screen iteration of Stoker’s book. It’s nevertheless entertaining, both as a visual work and as a Gothic love story.” – Aisle Seat Feb 5, 2026 Full Review Whistle (2025) 62% 3/4 EDIT “A fast-paced fright flick full of macabre fun.” – Aisle Seat Feb 4, 2026 Full Review The President's Cake (2025) 99% 3.5/4 EDIT “Brimming with both emotion and political relevance.” – Aisle Seat Feb 3, 2026 Full Review Teacher's Pet (2025) 3/4 EDIT “A chilling film that makes a battle of the brains just as exciting as a battle of the brawn.” – Aisle Seat Feb 2, 2026 Full Review Solo Mio (2026) 83% 3/4 EDIT “A sweet and swoon-worthy romance that lifts your spirits.” – Aisle Seat Feb 1, 2026 Full Review
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