MOVIE REVIEW: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

So far, so good, right? Staying local and rooted in family dynamics would make for an ideal Ant-Man movie and an escalator out of the grief management arcs of Phase 4, no? Wrong. Unfortunately, with a cinematic universe spiraling in a zillion rudderless directions of multiverse lunacy, the Marvel machine will not stand for that. Enlisting awards show and Rick and Morty writer Jeff Loveness (bask in that pedigree), Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania reaches so poorly with attempted relevancy.

2 STARS, 2023, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanFebruary 14, 2023Ant-Man and the Wasp, Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Captain America: Civil War

The absolute proof of the intact Marvel formula is the elevated scope and confidence given to "Captain America: Civil War." Spinning as a dual sequel to 2014's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and last year's "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and following the darkly-operatic-yet-similarly-premised competitor "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice," this film survives a few glaring imperfections and overweight ambition to maintain the Marvel flagship. It plays it safe because it knows safe works for their brand and satisfies the masses. They know they're getting their cash registers out and hiring extra accountants. To others looking for more risk, you've come to the wrong place.

2016, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEW, 3 STARSDon ShanahanMay 3, 2016Navy Pier IMAXSebastian Stan, Falcon, Disney/Marvel, Jeremy Renner, Steve Rogers, Ant-Man, film commentary, Robert Downey Jr., Marvel Phase 3, Henry Jackman, Spider-Man, Paul Bettany, Marvel Entertainment, Scarlett Johansson, Stephen McFeely, Clint Barton, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Bucky Barnes, Crossbones, Chadwick Boseman, Peter Parker, Don Shanahan, Captain America: Civil War, movie review, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Christopher Markus, Tom Holland, The Avengers, life lessons from films, Frank Grillo, Anthony and Joe Russo, Wanda Maximoff, 2016, War Machine, Squad goals, Life lessons, life lessons from film, life lessons from movies, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Olsen, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Iron Man, movie commentary, Collateral damage, Black Widow, Chris Evans, Helmut Zemo, The Winter Soldier, 2016 Summer Movies, Anthony Mackie, Hawkeye, Paul Rudd, IMAX, The Incredible Hulk, Scott Lang, Daniel Bruhl, Marvel Films, 3D, summer blockbusters, Sokovia, Thunderbolt Ross, Captain America: The First Avenger, T'Challa, Black Panther, William Hurt, Tony Stark, life lessons, Scarlet Witch, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Donald Shanahan, film review, Compromise, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Vision Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Martian

Simply put, "The Martian" from director Ridley Scott and headlining star Matt Damon, is a great survival film. It strikes all of those aforementioned chords of survival essence and entertainment. Giving it the easy labels of "Castaway in Space," "Robinson Crusoe: Astronaut," "Interstellar without Nolanism," "Apollo 13 on Mars," or "The Next Gravity" sells it too short. "The Martian" doesn't need to borrow anything from those five notable survival film stories and can stand confidently aside, or even above them, as an exemplar all its own in the genre. Meet what is sure to go down as one of 2015's best films.

MOVIE REVIEW: Ant-Man

Creative differences, bad PR, and terrible marketing have sunk greater and lesser films. "Ant-Man" survives each those kisses of death to be a fun, entertaining, and clever blockbuster. The creativity is more than present to veer away from Marvel's usually enormous scale of worldwide crisis-aversion and give us a true small-scale (literally and figuratively) "regular guy" hero that was missing among the billionaires, scientists, soldiers, assassins, and demi-gods Marvel has elevated so far to its cinematic pedestals. "Ant-Man" is packed with a plentiful amount of humor, spirit, and surprises that trump both the bad PR and overindulgent marketing. It was saving some aces up its sleeve.

COLUMN: 2015 Late Summer Movie Preview

Boy, I'm just going to come out and say it. Contrary to prior expectations, there is not much worthwhile left in the 2015 summer movie season. May and June were loaded and delivered a plethora of hits. Outside of some noteworthy big hitters, the slates for July and August don't look all that strong. Here's a complete preview of the final two months and second half of the 2015 summer movie season.

CHECKLIST: 2015 Summer Movie Calendar

It's business time! Here's your complete 2015 Summer Movie Calendar. Add these to your calendar or print and slip this list on the fridge at home. As always, release dates shift all of the time, so be aware. I split my full Summer Movie Preview into early (May/June) and late (July/August) parts. The first will be coming soon! Enjoy!

2015Don ShanahanApril 21, 20152015 Summer Movies, Summer Movies, summer blockbusters, 2015 Early Summer Movies, 2015 Late Summer Movies, Summer Movie Preview, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Welcome to Me, Ride, Maggie, Hot Pursuit, Mad Max: Fury Road, Pitch Perfect 2, I'll See You in My Dreams, Tomorrowland, Poltergeist, San Andreas, Aloha, Spy, Entourage, Insidious: Chapter 3, Jurassic World, Inside Out, Ted 2, Terminator: Genisys, Magic Mike XXL, Minions, Selfless, Ant-Man, Trainwreck, Pixels, Mission: Impossible 5, Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation, Vacation, Fantastic Four, Ricki and the Flash, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Straight Outta Compton, Masterminds, Sinister 2, Criminal, Hitman: Agent 47, Regression, War Room, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend, Checklist, 2015 Summer Movie Checklist, Don Shanahan, Donald Shanahan, Calendar, 2015 Summer Movie CalendarComment

EDITORIAL: My 15 most anticipated films of 2015

During the shift from December to January, I enjoy retracing what I reviewed and enjoyed from the previous year, but the trailers and previews for next year's films are starting to make an impact. I can't help but look ahead. Every year, I wrote an "Most Anticipated List." 2015 looks wildly loaded with must-see films. Let's make a new list for a new year. Here are my 15 most anticipated films of this new year. Enjoy!

EVERY MOVIE HAS A LESSON

by Don Shanahan

BRINGING YOU MOVIE REVIEWS AND MORE SINCE 2010

CRYPTOCASINOS

TheVore.com Streaming options

Brilliantly

Content & Links