MOVIE REVIEW: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Luckily, as aforementioned, the sleuth takes it from there and he’s a hoot. With every “fiddlesticks” and “hell’s bells” exasperation, Daniel Craig and his slim cravats flip everything about Glass Onion for a loop every chance he gets. As if playing James Bond for a generation wasn’t iconic enough, the 54-year-old Brit has carved out another signature role we cannot get enough of that will define his career. Savoring this charm with the right cases and opposing actors to work against, he and Rian Johnson can rotate this party for decades without wearing out either of their welcomes.

2022, 4 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanNovember 28, 2022Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Glass Onion, Daniel Craig, Janelle Monae, Rian JohnsonComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Antebellum

On so many levels, Antebellum and its premise were not anywhere close to good ideas. With every pendulum swinging between power and abuse and between dominance and defiance, this wannabe mindf--k movie does not achieve enough of that aforementioned justification. Even with a determined performance from Janelle Monáe, this is a distressing and unnecessary inquisition with no solid answers.

2020, 1 STAR, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanSeptember 19, 2020Antebellum, Janelle MonaeComment

CAPSULE REVIEWS: Short films of the 5th Chicago Critics Film Festival

Over 40 feature-length and short films, many of which making their Chicago premieres, graced the main screen of the Music Box Theatre this past week-and-change as part of the fifth annual Chicago Critics Film Festival. It was an honor and pleasure to be be granted press credentials to cover the event. Here are my collected capsule reviews of the short film programs.

2017, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, CAPSULE REVIEW, Chicago Film Festival, Film Festival, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Social Media, SHORT FILMS, Video on DemandDon ShanahanMay 21, 2017Music Box Theatre2017, 5th Chicago Critics Film Festival, CCFF, Chicago Film Critics Association, CFCA, CIFCC, Collin Souter, The Dundee Project, Kaiju Bunraku, Drawn and Recorded, Drawn and Recorded: Teen Spirit, Teen Spirit, T-Bone Burnett, Nirvana, Bunraku Bay Puppet Theater, Mark Borchardt, Bill Benson, UFO Daze, Fry Day, Ted Bundy, Jordyn DiNatale, Tough, Chinese, Kieran Culkin, Mae Whitman, Approaching a Breakthrough, Hell You Talmbout, Janelle Monae, Civil Rights Movement, Northwest Tap Connection, Shakiah Danielson, Ten Meter Tower, short film, short films, short film review, Short films, short film commentary, Kurt Cobain, Kathleen Hanna, Bikini Kill, Smells Like Teen Spirit Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Hidden Figures

With a family-friendly PG rating, “Hidden Figures” becomes an instant must-see film for both classrooms and living rooms. Boy or girl, man or woman, black or white, any audience member who has ever marveled at the Space Age of our national history will find much to love in Theodore Melfi’s follow-up to “St. Vincent” adapted from Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book.

MOVIE REVIEW: Moonlight

I dare you to look into the painful eyes of the three ages of Chiron and their matching performers and not have your soul triple in weight. The arc in "Moonlight" from the innocence of the little boy to the uncomfortable vulnerability hiding underneath the muscles and gold fronts of the hardened resulting adult is arduously moving on multiple levels. Observing his difficulties forces you to absorb the conflict and inescapable trepidation that surrounds the shared character. Pressing his heart to your own makes for one of the most moving and rewarding film experiences this year.