Posts tagged Despicable Me
DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: Score: A Film Music Documentary
DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: Score: A Film Music Documentary

This writer is an unabashed film music lover.  I owned more film score CDs than ones of popular music back in the day and that ratio hasn’t changed with digital media.  Hell, I wrote a long-form editorial three years ago proclaiming film music as an improvement of the Mozart Effect for babies and children which led to a playlist afterwards that I still use to this day.  I am a mark for what Score: A Film Music Documentary was selling and many of the names and talents featured in the film are found on that personal playlist.

Read More
2017, 4 STARS, Chicago Film Festival, DOCUMENTARY REVIEW, Film Festival, MOVIE REVIEW, Video on DemandDon ShanahanMusic Box Theatre2017, documentary review, Documentary filmmaking, documentary, documentary commentary, Score: A Film Music Documentary, Score, Matt Schrader, Hans Zimmer, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Nine Inch Nails, Danny Elfman, James Horner, Alfred Newman, Bernard Herrmann, Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire, Max Steiner, King Kong, Charlie Chaplin, James Cameron, David Arnold, James Bond theme, James Bond films, Heitor Pereira, Despicable Me 2, Despicable Me, Smurfs, The Smurfs, Marco Beltrami, 3:10 to Yuma, Brian Tyler, Marvel Films, Marvel Cinematic Universe, John Debney, The Passion of the Christ, Leonard Maltin, John Burlingame, Mozart Effect, Ultimate Playlist of Movie Music Lullabies, film music, Film music, film scores, movie scores, Movie music, Chicago Critics Film Festival, 5th Chicago Critics Film Festival, life lessons, life lessons from film, life lessons from documentaries, film review, movie review, film commentary, movie commentary, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Don Shanahan, Donald Shanahan, 2017 Summer MoviesComment
MOVIE REVIEW: The Secret Life of Pets
MOVIE REVIEW: The Secret Life of Pets

What keeps “The Secret Life of Pets” entertaining is the redeeming measure of charisma.  Nothing is ever to a "Pixar Punch" level, yet the ever-present plucky pizzazz washes down the occasional preposterous stupidity with the right cooling chaser.  You could do far worse for family summer fun at the theater.  Now go home and hug that adorable pooch you left home from the movie theater.  He or she has been waiting for you.

Read More
2016, 3 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanShowPlace ICON X at Roosevelt Collections2016, Illumination Studios, Universal Pictures, Minions, Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets, Louis C.K., Ellie Kemper, Jenny Slate, Lake Bell, Eric Stonestreet, Steve Coogan, Kevin Hart, Albert Brooks, Dana Carvey, Henery Hawk, Chicken Hawk, Finding Nemo, Bobby Moynihan, Hannibal Burress, family films, animated films, life lessons from movies, Life lessons, life lessons from film, life lessons from films, life lessons, Boyz 'n the HoodComment
MOVIE REVIEW: Minions
MOVIE REVIEW: Minions

I watch "Minions" and I don't see anything fresh or fun.  I see a bloated adventure film that steals good ideas from better films because its own originality is tremendously limited.  I hear and see repeated cliches around every corner that are only played for laughs because of mild physical comedy.  I see a movie so annoying that I would punch my own child in the face for wanting to watch it over and over.  I'll be the one that says it.  This film is terrible and we can do better with family entertainment.

Read More
2015, MOVIE REVIEW, ZERO STARSDon ShanahanDespicable Me 2, Despicable Me, Minions, movie review, film review, film commentary, movie commentary, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Geoffrey Rush, movie sequels, Steve Coogan, Allison Janney, Unnecessary Censorship, Funny, 2015, 2015 Summer Movies, life lessons from films, life lessons from moviesComment