Sex sold then and it still does now. Go ahead and say it. D.H. Lawrence rolled in the hay so the likes of E.L. James could bang on posh furniture. Even so, both authors love that touchy-feely F-word. Watching an enlivened adaptation of Lawrence’s firebrand prose today– debuting on Netflix December 2nd and directed by The Mustang’s Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre– reminds us that sexual awakenings are still valuable, and, best of all, desirable.

2022, 4 STARS, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanNovember 30, 2022Emma Corrin, Jack O'Connell, Lady Chatterley's Lover, NetflixComment

EDITORIAL: The 10 best Irish-themed films

I felt obligated to update an editorial list I made five years ago in 2012 of the best Irish-themed movies in time for celebrating St. Patrick's Day. It was due for a dusting with two new additions. For this list, I opened the field to either movies set in Ireland or those that feature notable Irish characters or stories outside of the Emerald Isle. That possibilities spanned movies both foreign and domestic. Pour the Guinness, heat the corned beef, and enjoy my list of the 10 best Irish-themed movies!

2017, Column, Editorial, SPECIAL, LISTDon ShanahanMarch 16, 20172017, Irish films, Irish American films, Ireland, Northern Ireland, films set in Ireland, Irish, Irish-themed films, Ireland films, St. Patrick's Day, Gangs of New York, Good Will Hunting, Ryan's Daughter, David Lean, Martin Scorsese, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cork, Palme d'Or, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, The Commitments, Dublin, Best Irish Film of All-Time, Jameson Whiskey, British Academy Award, Unbroken, Jack O'Connell, '71, In the Name of the Father, Yann Demange, Jim Sheridan, Oscar nominee, Michael Collins, Liam Neeson, P.S., P.S. I Love You, Gerard Butler, The Departed, The Boondock Saints, Sean Patrick Flannery, Norman Reedus, Billy Connolly, Brooklyn, Saoirse Ronan, The Quiet Man, John Wayne, John Ford, Editorial, Column, UPDATE, film commentary, movie commentary, List, 10 Best, Top 10 list, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, The IrishmanComment

MOVIE REVIEW: '71

Even as a little movie that most aren't going to see, let along hear of, "'71" enters my scorecard as the first great film of 2015. This is one is going to get remembered all year on this website. It will make the half-way "Best of 2015 (so far)" list in late June and will hang around until the year-end. Like my fervent love of "Whiplash," I may have found another hidden gem to stump for.

MOVIE REVIEW: Unbroken

The scope of this year's slate of biographical films culminates with "Unbroken," the story of Olympian and World War II veteran Louis "Louie" Zamperini. Of all of this year's biopics, this is the one with the highest profile that you've been hearing about for the better part of two years. This is the one getting the widest release, right here on Christmas Day. This is the one with the most continuous Oscar hope since the end of last year's Academy Awards. Even on this very website, in an editorial of long-range Oscar picks for 2015, on the day after the 2014 Oscars, I handicapped and predicted "Unbroken" as the most likely eventual Best Picture frontrunner. Was all of the hype and all of the anticipation rewarded? Would it rank a success or a failure as a biographical film?

EDITORIAL: The 15 films to watch for the 2015 Oscars

Once one awards season ends, another one begins! The winners from last night's 86th Academy Awards can bask in the glow of immortality for a while. Meanwhile, business in Hollywood will quickly shift and move on to the 87th Academy Awards that will happen in February or March of 2015. Here are 15 films to watch for the 2015 Oscars.