About Ben, Author of TheCroakingFrog

The Man
Serial entrepreneur, renaissance man, and judicious film critic, Ben seeks to expose bad movies and celebrate good ones. When he's not writing exaggerated personal bios to inflate his sense of self-importance, he can be found enjoying cooking shows with his wife, re-watching Pixar films, playing chess, and sampling local table tennis clubs.


The Inspiration
Ben studied in London twice, once in summer 2007, and again in fall 2008. Under the tutelage of Westmont professors Delaney and Hess, Ben discovered the wonders of British and Irish theatre, and learned to craft play reviews in the spirit of The Guardian and Time Out London. Since then, Ben has turned his focus to American film, though he still enjoys an occasional TV series, video game, or theatrical outing.


The Subject
Why movies? Ben enjoys the range of expression cinema can provide. Film can be amusingly senseless, carefree, and inconsequential, but can also be transportive, uplifting, and even life changing. Ben loves both: silly or sacred, popcorn-cheap or rich with humanity.

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Favorite Writers
We asked Ben to comment on his favorite writers, especially those that have most influenced him for this blog. Here's what he said:

1. Manohla Dargis - NYT Chief Film Critic - She's the best in the business. She writes with both fluidity and purpose, all while placing a film in its larger cinematic and cultural context.
2. Alan Sepinwall - HitFix TV Critic - An acute observer and deft conversation starter. He writes with wry humor and evaluates precisely. We always know just how much he likes a new TV series; we don't need a 4-star rating.
3. Andrew O'Hehir - Salon.com Cinema - Pleasantly philosophical and willing to go beyond open-and-shut reviews. It's usually worth reading his articles twice to soak it all in.
4. Andy Greenwald - TheRinger.com - Combines classic television erudition with clever observations about sports and pop-culture. Old guard meets new.
5. Tevis Thompson - tevisthompson.com - Writes about video games by focusing on the individual, human experience, rather than producing a single score or a list of missing features. 

Megan Anders Taylor - Striking, Shrewd

Ben's favorite scene from Pixar's Up.

Pawn to d5. When in doubt, push your pawns.