MOVIE REVIEW: Working Man

Movies becoming timely is almost always an accident. They’re made months in advance and can never reliably predict the future they will enter when released. The right match of content and happenstance can elevate a film’s mystique, even that of a tiny little indie that normally wouldn’t carry much of one at all. The award-winning Working Man, filmed in and around Chicago last year, debuts on VOD services today to a sheltered public facing jobless claims that topped 30 million in two short quarantined months. The distinctive part about this movie is that it displays a sense of workplace fulfillment that would still work if that bellwether statistic was zero. Timeliness only makes it better.

2020, 4 STARS, Home Media, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanMay 5, 2020Working ManComment

MOVIE REVIEW: All Day and a Night

Reaching those bold heights of bracing social commentary, it is fair and complimentary to call Joe Robert Cole’s movie more important than entertaining. Mark that goal as accomplished. The Black Panther co-writer uses not a drop of sugarcoating in his first directorial effort in nine years. The brutality against the hearts in All Day and a Night hurts more than harm subjected to any flesh. In that regard, it is also fair to question the place and mentality of this movie’s bravery during a current civil climate where negative racial examples do not need more perpetuation. That is an uphill battle without a welcoming core to embrace.

2020, 3 STARS, Independent Film, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanMay 1, 2020Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 7 Best Romantic Comedies on Netflix

by Lillian O’Brien

Well, a romantic comedy is not a favorite genre for many people especially men, however, you can't deny that they are sweet and remind you how beautiful love is. I love watching romantic comedies because they always remind me how easy and wonderful life can be if we don't take things too seriously. The storylines of rom-coms are pretty similar still there are so many rom-coms come out every year and they do cuddle you when you watch them. Why I love watching them is because they create a cozy atmosphere and make you believe in a miracle...even if you are 30

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, LIST, SPECIAL, StreamingDon ShanahanApril 30, 2020Comment

GUEST COLUMN: Prop or Not? 7 Continuity Mistakes in Films & TV

by Tom Simpkins

The minds behind television and film often have to juggle hundreds of decisions, both creative and technical, and so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the odd mistake slips through the cracks here and there. These are often labelled continuity mistakes, cases where even if dozens of people give a scene the final thumbs up, any number of factors can cause even seemingly obvious errors to crop up.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanApril 30, 2020Comment

INFOGRAPHIC: The Scariest Basements in Movies and TV

In horror films and TV shows, we’ve seen how basements have been the location of some truly scream-worthy scenes. We’ve watched as owners use their basements for horrible things. Sometimes the basement itself is evil. Other times, the basement has a paranormal problem like a portal to another world. In the real world, the scariest thing in your basement is probably unresolved foundation problems. However, in movies and on television, we’re usually scared of something else. Let’s review the scariest basements and crawl spaces in movies and television.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, LIST, Infographic, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanApril 27, 2020Comment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Kicking the Seat" YouTube channel talking "Extraction"

Continuing down the media side stream with the digital Netflix lifeboat during this time of theatrical shutdown, 3/4 of Kicking the Seat’s “Earth’s Mightiest Critics” panel assemble to talk about the latest from one of the beefiest and burliest Avengers stars. Chris Hemsworth toplines Extraction, the feature film directorial debut of frequent MCU stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave based on a indie graphic novel written by Avengers and Captain American trilogy stewards Anthony and Joe Russo. The men and the action are ballsy and brawny. It’s debatable whether the three of us are talking about it. Enjoy Emmanuel Noisette of E-Man Movie Reviews and I joining Ian Simmons on his YouTube channel this week!

MOVIE REVIEW: Extraction

Call this a meandering musing, but it’s a tad quizzical how far apart the definitions of “mercy” and “mercenary” are despite their beginning spellings. There is not harming someone you have power over versus a soldier paid to fight for money. You won’t find those two words supporting the old “one hands washes the other” expression. Nonetheless, here in the new Netflix Chris Hemsworth vehicle Extraction one could wring a towel dripping with the unexpected mix of blood and suds. That makes for a messy and albeit entertaining proposition on the wiggle room to have mercy in a mercenary.

2020, 3 STARS, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanApril 24, 2020Extraction, Chris HemsworthComment

GUEST COLUMN: 10 Movies Every Female Entrepreneur Should Watch

by Cheryl Hearts

Some people call the business world a place where men rule. It might seem so since there are many successful men who have managed to create their empires and to have an impact on the industry. But the good news is that women are not too far behind and they can compete with male entrepreneurs. And it seems that the filming industry is willing to show in their movies that women can be powerful too.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, LIST, SPECIALDon ShanahanApril 24, 2020Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 4 Inspirational Movies that You Should Watch for their Important Life Lessons

by Arham Khokhar

In this post, we’ll specifically focus on the movies that are inspirational and have a meaningful life lesson associated with it. So, before you get to reading, do grab some popcorn because you would really want to watch them by the end of the article. Let’s get started and take a look at these movies and the life lessons imparted in them.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, LIST, SPECIALDon ShanahanApril 24, 2020 Comments

GUEST COLUMN: 8 Movies The Might Save Your Troubled Marriage

By Nancy Patron

Cinema is an amazing element that can not only cause emotions but also make you think and even save your marriage. In this article, we will talk about the eight most amazing films on this subject. We all dream that our marriage would look like a happy movie. There is a beautiful picture, vivid emotions, and smiles. But sometimes relationships can be tricky. There can be many reasons - fatigue, unresolved problems, etc. Of course, you can turn to a family psychologist if you feel that the marriage is breaking up. But if it’s not so difficult, you can use “film therapy”.

2020, Column, Editorial, Home Media, LIST, GUEST EDITORIAL, SPECIALDon ShanahanApril 23, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: True History of the Kelly Gang

In true western, or in this case, bushranger movie fashion, the edgiest and most intense moments in Justin Kurzel’s True History of the Kelly Gang come in the moments when someone is being held at gunpoint. Drama properly peaks with the potential power released by one little curved metal lever hinging a mechanism of murder and mayhem. The action itself to squeeze that trigger is easy. The decision and ramifications, as we well know, are not.

GUEST COLUMN: Best Historical Movies on Netflix in 2020

by Louis Robidoux

We have been diligently looking over catalogs, going through the best historical movies ratings, examining plots to present to you this unbelievable movie collection from Netflix. If you are currently looking for a touchy historical masterpiece and wondering how to spend your long-awaited weekends, then these 5 should become your go-to films.