EDITORIAL: How Watching Movies the Right Way Can Revolutionize Your Writing

Most writers are not inclined to movies due to time management issues. The movie platform, however, equips individuals with the ability to develop articles that capture readers’ attention. People tend to respond actively to visual arts as opposed to reading since movies, paintings, and pictures create more profound imaginations in the minds of the readers. When writers apply the appropriate procedures in watching movies, they improve significantly on their artistic representation of scenarios into writing as discussed in the paper.

2019, Column, Editorial, Home Media, Infographic, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanSeptember 13, 2019Comment

EDITORIAL: Movies and the 9/11 effect

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 11, 2019: In an update to my annual editorial (after the original post on the 10th anniversary in 2011), I’ve got new movie inclusions in several sections, including the most recent section of faded and relaxed sensitivity in films. I plan to make this an annual post and study for at least until the 20th anniversary in 2021.

Column, Editorial, LIST, Retrospective, SPECIAL, 2019Don ShanahanSeptember 11, 2019Comment

EDITORIAL: Terminator: The Dark Fate of the Universe?

Now it's time for Cameron to return to the helm of the Terminator franchise - sort of. He wrote the story for the new movie which was turned into a screenplay by David S. Goyer, Justin Rhodes, and Billy Ray. The movie will be directed by Tim Miller of Deadpool fame. As expected, it will ignore everything that happened after T2 - sort of. The new Terminator, played by Gabriel Luna, is similar to the T-X played by Kristanna Loken in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and judging by the trailers, Mackenzie Davis' character looks and feels a lot like the one played by Sam Worthington in Terminator: Salvation. While the movie is presented as a sequel, the many new elements make it feel like another reboot that Cameron hopes will start a trilogy.

2019, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanSeptember 9, 2019 Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL: 8 Great Films about Writers and the Writing Lifestyle

If you’re a writer, then you probably watch movies in a slightly different way than the average person. You can appreciate all the joys and pains that go into putting together a piece of writing worthy of becoming a film. There’s something fascinating about a film based around the life of a writer and the writing process. These films can give you some incredible insight into the mind of a writer and what it’s like to pour your life and energy out onto the page. These eight films all give a unique perspective into the life of a writer.

2019, Column, GUEST EDITORIAL, Editorial, LIST, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanAugust 30, 2019 Comments

GUEST EDITORIAL: 7 Practical Tips to Start Movie Review Writing as a College Student

Finding an interesting writing job that won’t take up too much of your time while you’re still a student is a great way to both earn and get some writing experience. If you’re thinking about starting to write movie reviews, it is a really great idea. Watching a lot of films and sharing your personal opinions about them: What’s not to love? If you want to learn more about how to begin, which aspects you need to pay attention to, and where to find websites you can write for, you have come to the right place. Here is everything you need to know.

2019, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, SPECIAL, VIDEO REVIEWDon ShanahanAugust 30, 2019 Comments

EDITORIAL: The Best Films to Ever Show on TV

Watching movies has always been an experience that’s best shared with others. You can watch it with your family or friends, and even while you’re watching alone, you’re sharing this experience with the characters you see on screen. These days, you don’t have to travel all the way to a movie house or rent out tapes as many TV channels show reruns of some of the best films that you can watch with your loved ones in the comfort of your own home.

2019, Column, Editorial, Home Media, Social Media, SPECIAL, Video on DemandDon ShanahanAugust 19, 2019Comment

EDITORIAL: Hearing Fear: Why Music is Half the Battle in Horror Movies

Horror films rely heavily on sound and music to set the tone. The film score and soundtrack of a horror movie can make or break its capacity to strike fear into the hearts of audiences. The catharsis of a horror film—the death of an antagonist or the sudden revival of a monster—is nothing without the protracted, eerie build up throughout a film. Music matters in horror arguably more than it does in any other film genre. If you want to get over a movie that traumatized you in the past, try watching it with the sound muted. But if you want to keep the fear alive, brace yourself and turn the volume all the way up.

2019, Column, Editorial, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanAugust 15, 2019Comment

INFOGRAPHIC: Which British Actors Guarantee Box Office Success?

British actors are making a name for themselves by starring in some of the most popular Hollywood releases. But, with all of the leading roles they take, what makes one actor more successful than the other? Which British actor guarantees box office success? The good people at Money Guru have crunched the numbers, analyzing which British actors offer the best Return On Investment (ROI) based on their box office sales as a leading actor and the respective film budgets. These are the stars that offer the biggest earnings, and the results will likely surprise you.

2019, Column, Editorial, Infographic, LIST, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanAugust 7, 2019Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL: 10 Mistakes to Avoid While Writing a Movie Review

by Daniela McVicker

Movie review writing mistakes can be very sneaky. They can slip into great movie reviews and can happen even to the best writers. A seemingly irrelevant mistake can corrupt a perfectly good movie review. If you want to write something that stands out and gives the reader relevant information, you should stay away from common mistakes and clichés. Knowing the following mistakes to avoid will make it easier for you to create an amazing movie review.

2019, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanAugust 7, 2019Comment

INFOGRAPHIC: Who is the Most Villainous Actress of All-Time?

Bellatrix Lestrange, Mystique and Cruella de Vil. All familiar names with movie buffs and filmgoers alike due to their cunning, cruelty and villainousness. One of the greatest female baddies, Maleficent, is due to return to cinema screens in October in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Played by Angelina Jolie, her character is a powerful fairy who curses the King’s daughter. That got the folks at Casino Kings thinking, who is the most villainous actress of all time? To find out, Casino Kings have trawled through over 1,000 movie bios and storylines to find the most villainous movie actress of all-time.

2019, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Infographic, LIST, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanAugust 7, 2019Comment

INFOGRAPHIC: Disney Originals vs. Live-Action Remakes: Which is better?

We love our animated Disney classics—but the live-action interpretations have been met with mixed feelings. A more cynical person might say Disney is afraid to get creative with new stories, and these films are a terrific money-grubbing ploy. But at HowtoWatch.com, we wanted to see how fans and critics felt these remakes live up to the originals. HowToWatch brought in fan ratings from IMDb and critic ratings from Metacritic for the original animated films and their live-action reimaginings. After giving fan and critic ratings equal weight, here’s how the movies compared.

2019, Column, Editorial, Infographic, LIST, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanAugust 6, 2019Comment

INFOGRAPHIC: Drive to a Kill: The most deadly James Bond vehicles and drivers

With a new James Bond film around the corner, the 25th in the iconic super-spy series, the folks at Leasing Options looked back over the entire franchise and delve into the stats to see which film, actor and most importantly, car, was the most deadly. To do this, they’ve been through all the Bond films multiple times and totaled how many kills, crashes and explosions, among other things, were caused by 007 whilst behind the wheel of a vehicle. Leasing Options have compiled all that data into one handy interactive piece called, Drive To A Kill. So, what did they discover when looking back through the films?