PODCAST: Episodes 246 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 246th episode, two dancing film critics, two proud dads, and two regret-filled school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, embark on something they've never done on the show: Revisit and re-grade a movie from a previous episode. Early in their run together, Will and Don couldn't be farther apart on Damien Chazelle's La La Land. In honor of its 10th anniversary and adding the new experience of bringing their respective teen daughters to the film's recent return to the big screen, our boys reflect on previous loves and old wounds.

PODCAST: Episodes 245 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 245th episode, two steely film critics, two liquid metal dads, and two fate-believing school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, welcome back guest Mark Krawczyk of Special Mark Productions and The Spoiler Room Podcast for his second appearance in a two-episode arc. The three go from video game fatalities last week to some of the best OG ones with a talk on Terminator 2: Judgment Day, celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. All of them remember where they were and glow in the blue-tinted James Cameron memories.

PODCAST: Episodes 244 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 244th episode, two button-mashing film critics, two fatality-delivering dads, and two very mortal school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, welcome back former guest Mark Krawczyk of Special Mark Productions and The Spoiler Room Podcast for a two-episode stint. Our first conversation covers Mortal Kombat II, the reboot sequel that's tearing up bodies and streaming couches with its arrival on HBO Max. We enjoy where the movie came from and where it still has room to go.

PODCAST: Episodes 243 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 243rd episode, two beefy film critics, two skeletal dads, and two school teachers who have the power, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, welcome back frequent guest Cati Glidewell of The Blonde in Front for the bonkers fun and nostalgia glowing out of every pore of the 2026 version of Masters of the Universe, now playing on Amazon Prime after a surprisingly soft theatrical run. The three of them were there for He-Man in the 1980s and were primed to celebrate it again with its summer blockbuster return.

MOVIE REVIEW: On a String

The emotional quicksand in On a String is palpable, yet oddly endearing. Leave it to consummate down-player Dylan Baker to drop the zinger that nails the ideal tone by stopping a small venting rant from his on-screen daughter to say, “I hate to break it to you, but you’re not that special.” In different hands, this could all be stretched to an epic length and height to be played as a Poor Man’s Tar as some kind of toxic roller coaster making larger, bolder points.

2026, 3 STARS, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, 2025Don ShanahanSeptember 11, 2026Isabel Hagen, Dylan Baker, On a StringComment

PODCAST: Episodes 241 and 242 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 241st and 242nd episodes, two warrior film critics, two bow-stringing dads, and two myth-teaching school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, present two episodes dividing a lengthy discussion on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. For this meaty and manly deconstruction, the pod welcomed back frequent and favored guest, Cati Glidewell of The Blonde in Front.

PODCAST: Episode 240 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 240th episode, two meticulous film critics, two decision-heavy dads, and two L.A.-loving school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, complete a quick two-episode arc on films inspired by recent summer vacation travel. Last week, Will's trip to Japan brought forth a reassessment of Lost in Translation. This week, it's Don's turn as he returns from the City of Angels with Michael Mann's Heat burning brightly on his mind.

Cinephile Hissy Fit, Podcast, Media Appearance, 2023, 2025Don ShanahanSeptember 6, 2026Cinephile Hissy Fit, Podcast, Will Johnson, Film Obsessive, HeatComment

PODCAST: Episode 239 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 239th episode, two jet-set film critics, two midlife crisis dads, and two culturally open school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, begin a two-episode arc on films that inspired recent travel from our two hosts. This month, Will got back from a transformative solo trip to the nation of Japan, meaning Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation became the immediate reflection point for an episode.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Magic Faraway Tree

It begs the question of what it would actually take to win the attention and approval of the device-centered youths of today. Would it be what’s in the film, as in a set of parents instituting a cold turkey removal of wi-fi, a migration to analog country isolation, and the nudging increase of go-out-and-get-dirty experiences? Sure, that stuff tends to work in fictional movies, but what about stepping out of the movie itself to the theatrical and streaming marketplaces.

2026, 2025, 3 STARS, Independent Film, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanAugust 19, 2026The Magic Faraway Tree, Andrew Garfield, Claire FoyComment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Birthday Party

A master of all things moody and mysterious, Dafoe is the chief reason to approach this narrative based on Panos Karnezis’s 2007 novel. The enigmatic star, singing and dancing at a few points, is granted all latitude to explore the framed space, and the camera is entranced to follow him. However, back to its ugly soap opera traits, outside of actively worshipping Dafoe completists, absorbing the undesirable heights of Jiménez’s bleak film is hard to recommend.

2025, 2026, 2 STARS, Independent Film, Foreign Film, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanAugust 10, 2026Willem Dafoe, Vic Carmen Sonne, Miguel Angel JimenezComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Rhythm Is a Dancer

When a creative person gets the fullest chance to tell a piece of their autobiographic story through their chosen medium, that’s a special result worth celebrating. Lauren Caster is wonderfully granted that very freedom as she writes, directs, and stars in the gracious independent film Rhythm Is a Dancer.

2025, 2026, 3 STARS, Independent Film, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanAugust 7, 2026Lauren Caster, Tate Donovan, Amy Aquino, Rhythm Is a DancerComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Olmo

No son or daughter wants the “Alvin!” treatment from any incarnation of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Olmo isn’t just the title of the new film from Mexican director Fernando Eimbcke that played at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and as a Panorama selection at the 75th Berlinale. It’s the word you hear hollered most often, much to the dismay of the character who bears the name, played by Night Swim newcomer Aivan Uttapa.

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