GUEST EDITORIAL: A Review of "The Proposal"

by Kevin Gardner

The Proposal is a romantic comedy from 2009 starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. On the surface, it is cute in a formulaic way. Two people with no real attraction or fondness for each other are forced into a situation in which they have to get married to one another, and it is only after the engagement that they fall in love. It is a predictable plot based on a well-worn trope. The movie is a lot like cotton candy: Insubstantial, but sweet and enjoyable for the moment.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST CRITIC, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, Vintage ReviewDon ShanahanMay 26, 2021Comment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "The Cinescope Podcast" reflecting on "John Carter"

This past week, I was invited and welcomed back to The Cinescope Podcast, hosted by Chad Hopkins. With appreciation for its zest and its history, Chad and I shared our love for Andrew Stanton’s 2012 Disney adventure John Carter. It was an excellent chat. This was my third time on Cinescope after previous episodes on E.T the Extra Terrestrial and The Karate Kid. I look forward to the next chance to join Chad. Enjoy the podcast! Listen or download below!

Media Appearance, MOVIE REVIEW, Podcast, Retrospective, Social Media, SPECIAL, Vintage Review, 2020, Home MediaDon ShanahanFebruary 14, 2020John CarterComment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Feelin' Film" FF+ podcast for "Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero"

Aaron White and Patrick Hicks of the Feelin' Film Podcast were offered the chance to review Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero from animator and voice actor Jordan Beck. With its educational aims, the two brought me in to be the third man and the teacher voice in their interview with Mr. Beck. The three of us loved the film, its values, and its themes. It was a please to speak with Jordan, who couldn’t have been more gracious and accomodating! Take a listen to the episode here or below:

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Feelin' Film" podcast for "The Peanut Butter Falcon"

Twice in a month! On the heels of their monumental three-part 200th episode special (covering the true Indiana Jones trilogy), I returned to the Feelin' Film Podcast to close out the 100s with an underrated and underseen gem that all three of us loved. For Episode #199, Patrick Hicks, Aaron White, and me discussed the high values and movie merits of The Peanut Butter Falcon starring Zack Gottshagen, Shia LeBeouf, and Dakota Johnson. Earning five-stars from all three of us, this road movie stands as one of our favorites from 2019 that we hopes gains in appreciation and acclaim with time.

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Feelin' Film" podcast for "Memphis Belle"

I had the honor and pleasure this past week to join the war-movie-loving hosts on the Feelin' Film Podcast talking about a true underseeen throwback geme: 1990’s Memphis Belle directed by 90s hitmaker Michael Caton-Jones. This podcast plane ride was celebrating Veteran’s Day week in conjunction with the new Midway movie arriving in theaters this week. Memphis Belle was a worn-out VHS childhood favorite of my brother and me. Patrick had that lifelong affinity as well and Aaron, the former Navy man, had nothing but respect

VINTAGE REVIEW: Simply Irresistible

The raunch-less love scenes of cooking, kissing, and dancing can initially seem to come from a different movie than a ’90s-era romantic comedy in the same year as American Pie. But then, with the dedication for the glossy showmanship never shrinking, you realize you’re exactly in a throwback. With a tweak of two of period adjustment and pacing, Simply Irresistible would fit either in the Pillow Talk genre of farces or the It Happened One Night-level screwball comedies.

2019, 3 STARS, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, Vintage ReviewDon ShanahanSeptember 22, 2019Comment

VINTAGE REVIEW: Medium Cool

When Medium Cool reaches its history-witnessing climax at the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests in Chicago, two crowd chants take over the urban soundscape. The first is a defiant “Hell no! We won’t go!” and the second is “The world is watching.” The observant cameras and microphones used by filmmaker Haskell Wexler preserved that spirited defiance for cinematic immortality. Fifty years after its release, the echoes of those unified shouts in Medium Cool still ring with relevance and importance today. We’re not going anywhere, and people still fix their eyes on this film with shock and awe.

GUEST CRITIC #30: Crawl

As busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me. As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, there are other experts out there. Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy. In a new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for guest movie reviews. Today, meet fellow Feelin’ Film contributor Jeremy Calcara!

2018, Foreign Film, Independent Film, GUEST CRITIC, MOVIE REVIEW, SPECIAL, Social Media, Vintage ReviewDon ShanahanJuly 12, 2019Comment

GUEST CRITIC #29: Leon: The Professional

As busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me. As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, there are other experts out there. Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy. In a new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for guest movie reviews. Today, meet fan and follower of the page Farnaz Nazari

2018, Foreign Film, Independent Film, GUEST CRITIC, MOVIE REVIEW, SPECIAL, Social Media, Vintage ReviewDon ShanahanDecember 26, 2018Comment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: "Connecting With Classics" Episode 5: "American Graffiti"

The stars align here at the end of May. Ron Howard’s new film Solo: A Star Wars Storyhits the big screen featuring a backstory of the iconic character made famous by Harrison Ford. The happenstance of Ron Howard treading into Harrison Ford’s territory led us to an American classic that turns 45 years old this year. Hop in your car of choice, roll the windows down, turn your music up, and drive it slow as we talk American Graffiti.

2018, MOVIE REVIEW, Media Appearance, Podcast, Vintage ReviewDon ShanahanMay 29, 2018Comment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "The Cinescope Podcast" reflecting on "E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial"

Every Movie Has a Lesson gives a hearty welcome back to The Cinescope Podcast, hosted by Chad Hopkins, after a brief winter sabbatical. After seeing me recently come out of hosting a screening of E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial through the "Kids Klassics" series at The Wilmette Theatre, Chad invited me to record a nostalgic retrospective on Spielberg's film as the return episode of The Cinescope Podcast. E.T. is a cherished favorite film for both of us and it made for lovely discussion.

2018, Media Appearance, MOVIE REVIEW, Podcast, Retrospective, Social Media, SPECIAL, Vintage ReviewDon ShanahanMay 6, 2018Comment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: "Connecting With Classics" Episode #4: "Shane"

For this departing month of April, Aaron White of the Feelin' Film podcast are pleased to present you a conversation about 1953’s Shane, just in time for its 65th anniversary. Newer or younger audiences may recognize this film as the allegorical pairing made in James Mangold’s Logan, but this classic western sits at #46 on the AFI Top 100 10th Anniversary list and #3 on the westerns list for good reasons.