Posts tagged The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW: Pan
ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW: Pan

Like all of the failed live-action fairy tale remakes, the two largest missing components are restraint and charm.  The timeless stories being attempted by films like "Pan" have no idea how to let a good narrative flow build or a poignant moment breathe before stepping to the next unrelenting set piece.  The original written sources of these films have that restraint and quality.  Blasts of action and sound have replaced subtle imagery and brevity.  "Pan" lacks any and all charm to enamor the audience into what made Barrie's tale lovable and enchanting.  Charm is replaced by dissonance and pandering.

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1 STAR, 2015, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanShowPlace ICON X at Roosevelt CollectionsPan, Joe Wright, Atonement, Anna Karenina, Hugh Jackman, Levi Miller, John Powell, Dario Marianelli, Nirvana, The Ramones, Garret Hedlund, Cara Delevingne, Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Adeel Akhtar, Tinker Bell, Peter Pan, Neverland, Finding Neverland, Hook, Amanda Seyfried, Jason Fuchs, Oz the Great and Powerful, Jack the Giant Slayer, Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, Cinderella, Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace, Steampunk, film review, movie review, film commentary, movie commentary, 2015, 2015 Fall Movies, pixie dust, life lessons from film, life lessons from films, life lessons from movies, Steven Spielberg, A Knight's Tale, Crispin Glover, Spider-Man, Green Lantern, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Donald Shanahan, Don ShanahanComment
MOVIE REVIEW: The Drop
MOVIE REVIEW: The Drop

It is of great surprise that, for me, all I kept thinking about during "The Drop" was Michael Madsen's response-begging question from Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" as Mr. Blonde:  "Are you going to bark all day or are you going to bite?"  For too much of "The Drop," a seemingly record number of bushes are being beaten around.  Don't get me wrong.  A dialogue-driven and slow-boiling premise can work and has worked, worlds over, but it has to deliver at some point.  "The Drop" does have a sly ending in mind and at play, but it doesn't match or make up for the tedious lead-up.  Considering the talent involved, I expected more.

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2 STARS, 2014, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanThe Drop, Noomi Repace, James Gandolfini, Tom Hardy, Dennis Lehane, Michael R. Roskam, John Ortiz, Matthias Schoenaerts, Bronson, Warrior, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Sopranos, Enough Said, A Single Shot, Sam Rockwell, Rust and Bone, Inside Llewyn Davis, Killing Them Softly, The Drop movie review, The Drop film review, Don Shanahan, Donald Shanahan, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Movie review, movie commentary, film review, film commentary, life lessons, life lessons from film, life lessons from films, life lessons from moviesComment
SPECIAL INTEREST: Upcoming book examines renowned director David Fincher
SPECIAL INTEREST: Upcoming book examines renowned director David Fincher

Dr. Laurence Knapp, an editor from University Press of Mississippi, has compiled and created the newest book in the "Conversations with Filmmakers" series.  "David Fincher: Interviews" hits store shelves on August 1, 2014.  You can preview and even pre-order a copy of "David Fincher: Interviews" over at Amazon today. 

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Column, SPECIAL, 2014Don ShanahanDavid Fincher, Gone Girl, Se7en, Seven, Fight Club, Panic Room, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Dr. Laurence Knapp, University Press of Mississippi, David Fincher: Interviews, Conversations with Filmmakers, Conversations with Filmmakers series, Amazon, Amazon books, Books about film, Books about film directors, Michael JollsComment