MOVIE REVIEW: Marshall

Can you learn about a popular band by listening to their B-sides instead of their greatest hits? Can you get a sense of the brilliance within a writer from their early drafts and not their published masterpieces? Can you spot the traits of a future Hall of Fame sports legend solely by their work in college or the minor leagues before the professional ranks? The answer to each is quite likely the same: sometimes, but not always. Tally one in the sometimes column for Reginald Hudlin’s Marshall and its biographical podium choice.

4 STARS, 2017, Chicago Film Festival, Film Festival, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanOctober 12, 201753rd Chicago International Film Festival53rd Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, CIFF, CIFCC, #StandUpForSomething, Marshall, Biopics, Biographical films, lawfare, NAACP, Reginald Hudlin, Hidden Figures, Serving Sara, Boomerang, dramatic license, drama, legal drama, courtroom drama, Supreme Court, U.S. Supreme Court, E-Man's Movie Reviews, Eman, Eman's Movie Reviews, Emmanuel Noisette, Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther, Mr. Biopic, Joseph Spell, State of Connecticut vs. Joseph Spell, White Savior, white savior, Josh Gad, Dan Stevens, James Cromwell, Sam Friedman, Sterling K. Brown, 42, Get On Up, Kate Hudson, Opening Night Film, Opening Night Gala, Brown vs. Board of EducationComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Rebel in the Rye

As it has been outlined on this website before on films like Get On Up, biographical films have their formulas and rules. In addressing the origins and rise to fame of reclusive author J.D. Salinger, Rebel in the Rye faces the familiar dramatization tightrope walk between sugarcoated hero worship and biting character study. The creative choices made by Danny Strong, in his debut directorial effort, swirl between an engaging warm hug and an indifferent cold shoulder.

MOVIE CLASSROOM: Updated archive on YouTube channel

In returning to my "Movie Classroom" series of interactive whiteboard video reviews with new vigor, new skills, and new tools, I wanted to bring back and upload my old video attempts to my Every Movie Has a Lesson YouTube channel. In a massive file drop, I recently uploaded 29 of my past Movie Classroom videos from 2014, including winners like Whiplash and Birdman. Head over and reminisce on some fine films and commentary by yours truly.

2014, 2015, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Social Media, SPECIAL, VIDEO REVIEWDon ShanahanJune 8, 20172014, 2015, Movie Classroom, interactive whiteboard app, interactive whiteboard, video review, movie commentary, film commentary, YouTube, ShowMe, social media platform, social media, film critics, movie critics, critics reactions, movie review, film review, life lessons, life lessons from film, life lessons from movies, life lessons from films, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Birdman, Boyhood, Calvary, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Chef, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Draft Day, Edge of Tomorrow, The Equalizer, Get On Up, Godzilla, Gone Girl, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Guardians of the Galaxy, Happy Christmas, Magic in the Moonlight, A Most Wanted Man, Neighbors, The One I Love, Sex Tape, Snowpiercer, St. Vincent, They Came Together, Whiplash, The Zero TheoremComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Get On Up

"Get On Up," the new film from "The Help" director Tate Taylor breaks away from a good chunk of the formula and cliche pitfalls that beset biographical films. With the casting of lesser-known Chadwick Boseman and the flavor by which it does its time-hopping, "Get On Up" succeeds in those two extra qualities that I like to see in a really good biopic. For that, the film separates itself nicely from the rest of the pack as one of the best biographical films in recent memory.

CHECKLIST: 2014 Late Summer Movie Calendar

Here is the master list of releases and dates for the late half of this summer movie season for 2014. Print it out, slap it on the fridge, and pick your spots. As always, dates and movies shift all of the time, so look before you drive out to the theater. Full preview coming up next!