GUEST COLUMN: 5 Simple Ways to Set Up a Successful Student Movie Night

by Arthur Evans

When you are in college, you are always on the lookout for cheap and simple ways to have fun during your free time. It can be relieving to forget about your exams, assignments, and projects for a couple of hours and have fun. Movie nights are amazing because you have them any time of the year. Therefore, if you want to host your friends in the middle of the semester or over the summer break, you won’t have any problems with the school administration or your tutors. So, how do you go about setting up a movie night? Here are five simple tips:

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanJanuary 29, 2021Comment

INFOGRAPHIC QUIZ: Guess the film or TV show car in the classifieds

Some movies and series would be nothing without the cars – Doc Brown would’ve had some trouble getting back to the future without his DeLorean and David Hasselhoff couldn’t have done much crime fighting without K.I.T.T. Whilst some cars have been replicated for real life use (The Hoff’s own Knight Rider Pontiac is up for auction!) many only live on in our dreams. What if you could have all the bullet-proof, time-travelling, flying car tech in real life – how much would it cost to insure it? Admiral have analysed our fave pop culture cars and their owners to provide an insight into insurance considerations! These quotes were inspired by Admiral’s latest quiz – shop famous cars and homes in the Classifieds once you’ve done your research!

2021, Column, Editorial, Infographic, Social MediaDon ShanahanJanuary 29, 2021Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Little Things

The very accomplished Denzel Washington is and has been many superlative things throughout his illustrious career. His signature intensity and ardent commitment to character have filled trophy cases and made him a magnetic draw across five decades now. One thing you could never call him was boring. Sure, the same can’t be said about all of his movies, but he was never (and I mean never) part of the dullness. Well, after nearly 50 films, there’s a first time for everything and John Lee Hancock’s The Little Things, debuting on HBO Max, is the culprit.

2 STARS, 2021, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanJanuary 29, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 5 Inspirational Sports Movies You Should Check Out

by Kevin Faber

Not everyone can play sports but everyone can enjoy a good sports movie. The challenges involved in athletics can be viewed as metaphors for larger human struggles that people face on a day-to-day basis. This makes these stories relatable even for those who do not participate in sports. Sports movies can also be inspiring because they are often based on a true story, illustrating how real people can rise above adversity in their chosen arena, whether athletic or otherwise.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanJanuary 28, 2021Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Dig

It’s rare, as rare as the ancient treasure trove shown in the movie at hand, but sometimes you encounter a “based on a true story” movie that may have been more compelling and richly told as a documentary than a theatrical drama. The Netflix new release, The Dig, is one of those. Why? Call it subject matter versus character and the pendulum of revealed truths against manufactured melodrama. Sometimes, the dramatic licence amplifies the impact of the embedded facts, but in other instances the injected theatrics water down the truism. While bolstered by a fine cast, Simon Stone’s The Dig is too much of the latter.

2021, 2 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Independent Film, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanJanuary 28, 2021Comment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Cinematic Underdogs" podcast talking "Moneyball"

Through mutual social circles within the Facebook group of the Feelin’ Film Podcast, I was approached by Paul Keelan, one of the hosts of the Cinematic Underdogs podcast, to be a guest on their program. Joined by Jordan Puga, they’ve been targeting sports films for extended conversations. They pitched me to talk about Bennett Miller’s 2011 gem Moneyball, continuing a streak of behind-the-scenes sports movies. Talking with Paul as the “bonus episode” following the main show, our conversation went on to cover film criticism tropes, my hot take of The Tree of Life, and eventually, as planned, our impressions and musings on Moneyball.

2021, Home Media, Media Appearance, Podcast, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 27, 2021Quality ComixComment

SHORT FILM REVIEW: The Shout Out

Shout-outs are cute tributes that are morsel-sized by design, which is what makes the short film medium an ideal spot to play with them as a storytelling engine. Husband and wife filmmakers Charlotte Barrett and Sean Fallon (A Bad Feeling/The Phantom Menace) use The Shout Out to spin the impact, boundaries of length, and that desired purpose of positivity that comes with those quick tributes.

2020, 2021, 3 STARS, Independent Film, SHORT FILMS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanJanuary 24, 2021Comment

GUEST CRITIC #56: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

by Lafronda Stumn

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, there are other experts out there. 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 guest movie reviews.

GUEST CRITIC, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Social Media, Foreign Film, 2021Don ShanahanJanuary 21, 2021Comment

GUEST CRITIC #55: Mank

by Lafronda Stumn

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, there are other experts out there. 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 guest movie reviews.

GUEST CRITIC, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Social Media, Foreign Film, 2021Don ShanahanJanuary 21, 2021Comment

COLUMN: Three Interesting Films That Reveal A Lot About Water

Seventy-one percent of the Earth is covered with water, and according to scientists, the planet has approximately 326 million trillion gallons of it in total. It is no wonder that several movies include the unforgiving sea either as its protagonist or its villain. It is also interesting to note that many of the water-related films released in the past few decades incorporate it as a metaphor. Three films in particular offer several lessons that moviegoers can apply in their daily lives. These are Titanic, Cast Away, and Jaws.

2021, Editorial, ColumnDon ShanahanJanuary 21, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: Movie Lessons in Pet Ownership

by Adrian Johansen

If you’ve ever loved an animal, you know that they’re not just an accessory to your life. They’re very often the centerpiece of your life story, your entire family history. And that’s probably the reason why pets aren’t just ubiquitous in American homes. They’re also the heroes of Hollywood, the stars of some of the greatest, most iconic, and highest-grossing films. But animals on screen aren’t just about entertainment. If you’re a pet owner, there’s a lot to be learned by turning to the silver screen. This article looks at some of the best and worst examples of pet ownership in movies — and what you and your furry companion might take away from them!

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 21, 2021Comment

SPECIAL: Nominees for the 24th Online Film Critics Society Awards

The largest group of online film critics has spoken! Today, the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS), of which I am a member representing Every Movie Has a Lesson, announced their nominees for their 24th annual film awards. The OFCS, which is comprised of nearly 300 film critics from around the world, will be announcing the final winners on January 25, 2021. Here’s the list of nominees from OFCS. I think the voting body did an outstanding job celebrating 2020’s best.

2020, 2021, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 19, 2021Comment