PODCAST: Episode 226 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 226th episode, two bank-robbing critics, two strutting dads, and two war veteran teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, make their way to a long-time queue hold and blindspot of Will that came from a recommendation of Don. Our guys enter the unique pre-, post-, and during Vietnam War perspectives shared by 1995's cult classic Dead Presidents, directed by the Hughes Brothers. Hear why Don calls it one of the best Vietnam films of all-time while Will shares his first-time impressions

PODCAST: Episode 225 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 225th episode, two strong side critics, two weak side dads, and two coaching teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, embraced the excitement of football season still being in the air for a classic type of film Hollywood has stopped making on the regular. We're talking about 2000's Remember the Titans, starring Denzel Washington. Our hosts sat down on their John Brown hindparts to tell you all about it and it's hight worth

PODCAST: Episode 224 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 224th episode, two paddle-slapped critics, two ping ball-chasing dads, and two wildly arrogant teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, put a little effort in the 2025-2026 awards season with an episode on Josh Safdie's latest heart palpatation movie, Marty Supreme, starring Best Actor frontrunner Timothee Chalamet. Contrary to the overflowing critical praise following this movie, our hosts are actually quite split on this one. Find out who's the lover and who's the hater.

PODCAST: Episode 223 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 223rd episode, two gun-totting critics, two bath-soaked dads, and two too-old-for-this teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, come out of the Christmas season with a special gift shared from them to all of you. They are in the camp that considers Lethal Weapon a Christmas movie. Well, this year, the podcast bestows to you a special episode that covers all four films of the Lethal Weapon series. They cover their heroes, villains, explosions, gags, and moments from what has become an action movie time capsule that will never be made the same way again.

PODCAST: Episode 222 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 222nd episode, two Catholic-bred critics, two suspicious dads, and two investigative teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, let Netflix tell them what to love and enjoy for one week. Hopping to something current, our hosts watched and compared their examinations for Wake Up Dean Man, the latest whodunit from Rian Johnson, who has very quickly mastered the murder mystery genre. Get a taste of this comfort food murder mayhem.

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Quoted on Prime Timer "Signing Tony Raymond"

It took receiving a Google Alert on my name to see that a few quotes of mine on the college football recruitment-centered 2026 release Signing Tony Raymond were recently cited on the media site Primetimer.com. Writer Santanu Das wrote a piece to explain the film’s plotlines and ending. The quotes from from my review on Every Movie Has a Lesson and Film Obsessive.

Media Appearance, Social Media, 2026Don ShanahanJanuary 23, 2026Media Appearance, Signing Tony RaymondComment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the Kicking the Seat's YouTube Channel Talking "Is This Thing On?"

Continuing to plod through “awards season,” Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel circled Bradley Cooper’s newest directorial effort, Is This Thing On?. The dramedy follows a separated married couple played by Will Arnett and Laura Dern as they find new outlets while single, including standup comedy.

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the Kicking the Seat's YouTube Channel Talking "Boogie Nights"

Diving into the physical media front, Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel sought to cover Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 classic Boogie Nights. Several critics, including myself and Ian, received the new 4K-UHD disc edition of the film and took that opportunity to talk as cleanly as possible for YouTube censors, PTA’s ins-and-outs of the 1970s and 1980s porn scene of southern California.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Dutchman

Less would have been more, and less was already enough with The Dutchman. The movie never had to leave the train or the topics unleashed there. The originally intended inescapable struggle is demystified the moment it treads away from it. Worse, by leaving and constantly pointing at the fact that the very theatrical setting exists and supposedly still looms large, it negates what made it powerful and great in the first place.

2025, 2026, Independent Film, Media Appearance, 2 STARSDon ShanahanJanuary 3, 2026The Dutchman, Andre Holland, Kate Mara, Zazie Beetz, Andre GainesComment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Quoted on Daily Mail UK piece for "Pride and Prejuduce"

It took receiving a Google Alert on my name to see that a quote of mine on the excellent 2005 Joe Wright film Pride and Prejuduce was recently cited on the media site Daily Mail UK. Showbiz report Emma Guinness wrote a piece to cover the film’s streaming status on Netflix and used it as the crux of the headline.

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Included in Rotten Tomatoes "First Reviews" for "Anaconda"

Every now and then for the big new releases, Rotten Tomatoes will collect the tip-of-the-spear “first reviews” and highlight them in an editorial news column piece. If I can get my work in fast enough and it gets noticed, I have the chance of being selected and included in these round-up features. Recently, I was cited for Anaconda.

Media Appearance, 2025Don ShanahanDecember 24, 2025Rotten Tomatoes, Every Movie Has a Lesson, AnacondaComment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the Kicking the Seat's YouTube Channel Talking "Song Sung Blue"

Every week, Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast and YouTube channel is looking for something like that, and he sure found one this week, just in time for Christmas. The movie in question is the crowd-pleasing, toe-tapping, and heart-moving Song Sung Blue, the musical biopic—not of Neil Diamond—but of a Wisconsin-based Neil Diamond tribute band starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.

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