MEDIA APPEARANCE: Minisode podcast guest for "Feelin' Film" to review "Searching"

If you follow my social media shingles, you know I can't stop and won't stop stumping for this film. Searching is an incredible combination of innovative filmmaking, anxiety-inducing thrills, emotionally complex characters, and relevant commentary on the internet as both a danger and potential tool for good. Feelin' Film co-creator Aaron White and I were both floored by writer/director Aneesh Chaganty’s debut feature film and John Cho’s performance in it, so we sat down for a conversation about what makes the film so special. Enjoy this excellent conversation with all the feels and kudos!

2018, CAPSULE REVIEW, Film Festival, Independent Film, Media Appearance, MOVIE REVIEW, Podcast, Social MediaDon ShanahanAugust 31, 2018Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Searching

The entirety of this daring film is presented through the layers of screens across computer desktops, video streams, and a mouse pointer that moves like a scalpel over those pixelated surfaces. The effect is addictively scintillating to create harrowing emotional triggers. Call it a gimmick all you want, but be prepared to be dazzled and proven wrong by the astonishing narrative construction and visual storytelling conduits. True to both the lurid intensity and exceeding excellence of the dictionary definition, Searching is downright sensational

MOVIE REVIEW: BlacKkKlansman

The slogan of Spike Lee’s long-time production company 40 Acres and a Mule Filmwork is “by any means necessary,” a tagline that could not be more fitting of the urgency and purpose of Spike’s works. Nothing he puts his effort into ends up empty or meaningless. His lightning rod flair singes silver screens again with Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix prize winner BlacKkKlansman, stoking a p

2018, 4 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Film Festival, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanAugust 7, 2018AMC River East 21Comment

FANTASIA 2018 REVIEW: The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot

You will color yourself impressed by the unexpected power of this independent to subvert expectations with such cunning dexterity. No matter if it’s zero budget devil-may-care freedom or a nine-figure open blockbuster checkbook, few movies on any level could ever dream a way this damn good to marry and blend stoic manliness and a whimsical romance on top of the lurid exploits its title advertises. The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot punches with pulp and grinds gravitas rather than gore.

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Minisode podcast guest for "Feelin' Film" to review "Eighth Grade"

Host Aaron White of the Feelin' Film podcast brought me in for a chat about rookie director Bo Burnham’s new feature film Eighth Grade. The film is currently generating a lot of buzz and most everyone who has seen this darling indie has loved it - us included. You can count on it making our year-end list conversations. Director/Writer Bo Burnham is most known for his stage comedy routines so humor was definitely a big part of the film, but it has an amazing amount of heart and life lessons (my favorite) for us to discuss, as well.

2018, CAPSULE REVIEW, Film Festival, Independent Film, Media Appearance, MOVIE REVIEW, Podcast, Social MediaDon ShanahanJuly 21, 2018Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Eighth Grade

Dropped jaws, bashfulness, winces, worries, and all, this dynamite film needs to be required viewing for the teens out there, especially girls, of these complicated and confusing present times. And the people that should be joining them in the next closest seats are their parents who need their eyes and hearts opened as well. Adults, this Eighth Grade may not be your plight or a mirror to your own middle school experience, but you can engage and empathize easily with its challenges.

SPECIAL: Highlights for the upcoming 22nd Fantasia International Film Festival

The expression "lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!" merely scratches the surface of the wildly imaginative creations that grace the annual Fantasia International Film Festival. The Montreal-based gathering celebrates its 22nd year from July 12 through August 2. Long acclaimed as one the largest and best exhibitions of genre films in North America, this year's festival lineup has as much promise as it does fantasy and Every Movie Has a Lesson will be offering its reviews and coverage.

MOVIE REVIEW: Damsel

Kicking up scratchy dust in the western genre, the Zellner Brothers rousingly debunk and demystify that stereotype to create a dark comedy of their own pitch and prickliness. With humor as dry as the topography, Damsel is the kind of film that sneaks up on you like a snake in the weeds. The brothers and fellow stars Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska dance all over this landscape, but the steps keep dawdling when the music runs out.

MOVIE REVIEW: Hearts Beat Loud

One winning quality of many that makes the Sundance darling Hearts Beat Loud so perfectly endearing is fleshed out by its very title. The deeply personal pulse that makes this movie tick is nourishment to the soul. Emotive and approachable relationship challenges and a stirring soundtrack combine to make this shiniest of indie gems the anti-blockbuster of this summer. Absorb this film, with your eyes and ears open, and let its essence revitalize you the way it does its own characters.

2018, 5 STARS, Film Festival, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanJune 14, 2018Landmark Century Centre CinemasComment

DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? presents the core of that incomparable man with an impenetrable reputation of tolerance, even against criticism and cynical parody of his message. Fred Rogers’ lasting achievement wasn’t years of fame or fortune. It was the mission to mold others that could share the same. Morgan Neville’s film nails that without fail. What that man did to love cannot quantified, but this film can sure try with shattering emotional sentiment.

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Minisode podcast guest for "Feelin' Film" to review "First Reformed"

Friend-of-the-page and always the supportive collaborator, Aaron White of the Feelin' Film podcast exited his advance screening of Paul Schrader's First Reformed in need of a therapy session to exhale and unpack the heavy film. I had the same challenge. Combining forces, we jump on the mic to talk through what we just saw. First Reformed hit us hard with its intellectually profound script regarding matters of faith and environmentalism, providing plenty of questions and few answers. One of the strengths of the film is its ability to be a powerful conversation-starter, and this episode is proof of that.

2018, CAPSULE REVIEW, Film Festival, Independent Film, Media Appearance, MOVIE REVIEW, Podcast, Social MediaDon ShanahanJune 2, 2018Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Sunset

The looming threat of nuclear war presented within the independent film Sunset thrusts a heavy-hearted ordeal on a small cross-section of everyday people living near New York City. Any blockbuster portending, ticking clocks, or manufactured heroics are decidedly off-screen, Periodic news bulletins keep the score, so to speak, but Sunset stays keenly personal. This is about the people, their homes, and the fitting resolve to stay where one feels is right.

3 STARS, 2018, Film Festival, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Video on DemandDon ShanahanJune 1, 2018Comment