MOVIE REVIEW: War for the Planet of the Apes

A significant shift in attention and investment has occurred in this series. Our hearts and allegiances swayed from rooting for the madness of our own mankind to the superior traits of humanity exhibited by Caesar and his ape brethren. A transformation of empathy like that is downright miraculous. War for the Planet of Apes is a full-bodied epic of glory and pain that matches and then exceeds the moving importance and heart this rebooted franchise has established in two previous knockout films.

2017, 5 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanJune 27, 2017ShowPlace ICON X at Roosevelt Collections2017, 2017 Summer Movies, Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes, Best of 2017, Andy Serkis, Caesar, Pixar, Toby Kebbell, Woody Harrelson, Ty Olsson, Terry Notary, Karin Konoval, Amiah Miller, Steve Zahn, Spartacus, Jurassic World, Michael Giacchino, Jerry Goldsmith, Lost, Matt Reeves, John Williams, Mark Bomback, Michael Bay, Transformers, The Batman, The Lord of the Rings, Gollum, Toy Story, Star Wars, The Godfather trilogy, Christopher Nolan, Peter Jackson, Special Achievement Oscar, Special Achievement Academy Award, Academy Award, Academy Award hopeful, film review, movie review, movie commentary, film commentary, life lessons, life lessons from film, life lessons from movies, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars trilogy, Movie trilogies, trilogies, superior sequels, sequels, reboot, remake, Reimagining, Donald Shanahan, Don ShanahanComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Beauty and the Beast

Bill Condon’s “Beauty and the Beast” stands firmly on its own merit. True to Disney’s recent trajectory, its goal is to “reimagine” a previous animated classic into the live-action medium for a new era and audience. Unlike the recent treatments of "Cinderella" and "Malificent," this "Beauty and the Beast" stays a full-blown musical. Imitation, emulation, and homage are all part of that process, but so is reappraisal and reinterpretation. Those later two actions are what drive this new fantasy film to soaring and successful heights.

2017, 4 STARS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2017AMC Navy Pier IMAX2017, 2017 Spring Movies, Beauty and the Beast, La Belle et la Bete, Christophe Gans, Bill Condon, Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellan, Guga Mbatha-Raw, Emma Thompson, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Oscar nominee, Best Picture, Disney classics, Disney, animated films, live-action, remakes, Reimagining, Jeanne-Marie Leprine de Beaumont, Hattie Morahan, Kevin Kline Moustache Principle, Audra McDonald, Sarah Underwood, Katie Spencer, Atonement, Sherlock Holmes, Jacqueline Durran, Tobia A. Schliessler, Peter Berg, IMAX, IMAX 3D, Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Evan Spiliotopoulos, Hercules, Tim Rice, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Evermore, Josh Groban, Lumiere, Cogsworth, Beast, Hugh Jackman, Controversy, La La Land, Screen Junkies, Honest Trailers, YouTube, Gaston, life lessons from film, life lessons, life lessons from films, life lessons from movies, Life lessons, movie review, film review, movie commentary, film commentary, review, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Every Movie Has a LessonComment

GUEST CRITIC #11: Cinderella

As busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me. As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, sometimes a simple sentence or two from a friend says it all. Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy. Sometimes, they save me $9 and you 800+ words of blathering. In a new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for quick-hit movie reviews. Here's Natalie's take on "Cinderella."

EVERY MOVIE HAS A LESSON

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