The leap for every filmmaker is translating their creative eye to the cinematic medium. Hitchcock’s feverish writing fed his mise-en-scene and attention to detail. Spielberg grew his outdoor sense of adventure to the highest possibilities and beyond. With an eye for the cultured human form and colorful finery, Tom Ford saturates every edge of his films with ornate style. The man is never boring and neither is one iota of “Nocturnal Animals,” Ford’s second feature film and a cage-rattling psychological thriller.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Light Between Oceans

One could say melodramas take preposterous human mistakes and play them for dramatic effect. They challenge the audience to interpret how you would act defiantly or morally differently in the same situation. These films do so while still compelling you watch in hope for any semblance of a happy ending. To understand “The Light Between Oceans” is to understand melodrama. The themes of melodramatic journeys are meant to be arduous. In the medium of film, the clinchers that aid in the ability to embrace and appreciate a melodrama are its tone and the acting performances. “The Light Between Oceans” flourishes to accomplish both benchmarks.

ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, 2016, MOVIE REVIEW, 5 STARSDon ShanahanAugust 31, 2016World War I, The Place Beyond the Pines, life lessons from films, Donald Shanahan, Epic, The Lobster, 2016 Fall Movies, Every Movie Has a Lesson, David Lean, movie review, The Danish Girl, Malborough, New Zealand, life lessons, 12 Years a Slave, The Light Between Oceans, Oscar contenders, Adam Arkapaw, Tim Dirks, Alexandre Desplat, Bryan Brown, Cinematography, Oscar hopefuls, Don Shanahan, Youth, Jack Thompson, AMC, Alicia Vikander, Macbeth, Ingrid Bergman, melodramas, life lessons from movies, 2016, Oscar race, life lessons from film, Blue Valentine, Shame, Awards bait, Oscar bait, movie commentary, Michael Fassbender, Filmsite.org, Derek Cianfrance, film commentary, movie melodramas, Rachel Weisz, film review, Cape Campbell Lighthouse, M.L. Steadman, Filmsite, Daniel Day-Lewis, Steve Jobs Comments

MOVIE REVIEW: The Wait (L'attesa)

The award-winning Juliette Binoche is one of those actresses who can captivate an audience in complete silence. Binoche has long been a reflective master of inflection and nuance. She doesn’t have to say a word to convey the waterfall of thoughts an end emotions going on within her characters. She is a true artist for performance and the latest proof of that is her staggering dramatic role in “The Wait,” the directorial debut of Italian filmmaker Piero Messina.

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2016: The music and sound categories

Through several editorial features, here is my analysis to formulate my official Academy Award predictions. In this first post, we look at the musical and sound categories that include original score, original song, sound editing, and sound mixing. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!

2016, Column, EditorialDon ShanahanFebruary 22, 20162016, 2016 Oscars, 2016 Academy Awards, 88th Academy Awards, Oscar hopefuls, Oscar nominations, Oscar surprises, Oscar winners, Oscar bait, Oscar, Oscar Predictions, Oscar snubs, Oscars, Oscar contenders, 88th Oscars, 2016 Oscar Predictions, Best Original Song, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Mad Max: Fury Road, Awards Predictions, Academy Award, Academy Awards, Academy Award nominee, Academy Award nominations, Academy Award nominees, Academy Award winner, Awards Talk, Awards Tracker, 2016 Awards Tracker, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Martian, The Revenant, Sicario, Creed, Inside Out, Spectre, Furious 7, See You Again, Lady Gaga, The Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone, Stephen Rennicks, Room, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto, John Williams, Thomas Newman, Junkie XL, Bridge of Spies, Johann Johannsson, Carter Burwell, Carol, Love and Mercy, Racing Extinction, Fifty Shades of Grey, Sam Smith, Simple Song #3, Youth, Til It Happens to You, The Hunting GroundComment

COLUMN: Who should win/will win the 2016 Golden Globes?

More and more each year, the Golden Globes have become more an a popularity contest than a true precursor to the Academy Awards. What you're watching on TV is a party thrown by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and hosted by Ricky Gervais in an effort to be loved and share some love. To its credit, the awards show still garners legitimate attention and ratings. The winners do get a pretty positive rub and the marketers gain a few more "Winner of..." graphics to put in the newspapers next to their films.

2015, 2016, Editorial, Column, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 8, 2016Best Original Score, Carter Burwell, Carol, Daniel Pemberton, Steve Jobs, Alexandre Desplat, The Danish Girl, Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto, The Revenant, John Williams, Johann Johannsson, Creed, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Fifty Shades of Grey, Furious 7, Elle Goulding, Wiz Khalifa, Brian Wilson, Love and Mercy, Writing's on the Wall, Sam Smith, Spectre, Simple Song #3, Sumi Jo, Youth, Mustang, Son of Saul, The Brand New Testament, The Club, The Fencer, Timbuktu, The Assassin, Best Foreign Language Film, Amour, The Artist, Best Animated Feature, Inside Out, Shaun the Sheep, Shaun the Sheep Movie, The Good Dinosaur, The Peanuts Movie, Anomalisa, Charlie Kaufman, Disney/Pixar, Emma Donoghue, Room, Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer, Spotlight, Aaron Sorkin, Adam McKay, Charlie Randolph, The Big Short, Quentin Tarantino, Brooklyn, Michael Shannon, 99 Homes, Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation, Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies, Sylvester Stallone, Paul Dano, Mark Ruffalo, Benecio del Toro, Sicario, Jacob Tremblay, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Helen Mirren, Trumbo, Jane Fonda, Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina, Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria, Lily Tomlin, Grandma, Jennifer Lawrence, Joy, Melissa McCarthy, Spy, Maggie Smith, The Lady in the VAn, The Lady in the Van, Amy Schumer, Trainwreck, Teyonah Parris, Chi-Raq, Al Pacino, Danny Collins, Infinitely Polar Bear, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Matt Damon, The Martian, Kevin Hart, Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson, Charlize Theron, Carey Mulligan, Suffragette, Far from the Madding Crowd, Will Smith, Concussion, Michael Fassbender, Eddie Redmayne, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bryan Cranston, Michael Keaton, Michael B. Jordan, Tom Hanks, The Wolf of Wall Street, Todd Hayne, George Miller, Ridley Scott, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globes, 73rd Golden Globes, Golden Globe nominees, Golden Globe winners, who will win/should win, Awards Predictions, Awards Tracker, Awards Talk, 88th Academy Awards, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Every Movie Has a LessonComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Youth

Directed by Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, “Youth” is a cornucopia of quirk colliding with decadence. We get to see how the other half lives through messy characters making sense of their lives while soaking in a lavish vacation. Thanks to a stellar cast and brilliant performances, “Youth” surprises us to show how much interest and intrigue can be found in foppish people we normally wouldn’t closely identify with as an audience.

COLUMN: 2015 Holiday Movie Preview

The holiday months of November and December stand to close out a strong 2015. Some films debuting in October may have elected to take an early jump into the Oscar season, but it's here where the race really begins. Between the year-end blockbusters and the Oscar hopefuls, this 2015 holiday movie season is packed. Six of this website's "15 most anticipated films of 2015" are finally arriving. Here's a full preview of this season's upcoming films.

CHECKLIST: 2015 Holiday Movie Calendar

Here is your lineup of upcoming films for the peak Oscar season months of November and December. Add these to your calendar or print and slip this list on the fridge. As always, release dates shift all of the time, so be aware. My full seasonal preview will be coming soon! Enjoy!

2015, ColumnDon ShanahanOctober 22, 20152015, 2015 Holiday Movies, Spectre, The Peanuts Movie, Brooklyn, Miss You Already, Trumbo, Spotlight, The 33, By the Sea, Love the Coopers, My All-American, James White, Mia Madre, Shelter, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2, The Night Before, Secret in Their Eyes, Carol, The Good Dinosaur, Creed, Victor Frankenstein, The Danish Girl, Macbeth, Youth, Krampus, Life, Hitchcock/Truffaut, Every Thing Will Be Fine, In the Heart of the Sea, The Big Short, Legend, The Lady in the Van, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: Episode VII- The Force Awakens, Sisters, Hateful Eight, The Revenant, Joy, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, Concussion, Daddy's Home, Point Break, Every Movie Has a Lesson, 2015 Holiday Movie Preview, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Seasonal previewComment

CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: 10 must-see films of the 51st CIFF

Annually, the Chicago International Film Festival houses some of the first opportunities to Oscar contenders and world-class films. With so many choices, what are the high-profile or can’t-miss films appearing at the year’s festival? Here are this website’s picks for the top 10 must-see films of the 51st Chicago International Film Festival.

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