Gambling-Related Movies You Need To Watch Right Now

People love to be entertained and one of the most effective forms of entertainment is watching movies where people can visualize fictional stories and relate them to their personal lives. Another entertainment channel that more and more people are now keen on trying because of technological innovations is trying their luck through gambling. Aside from having the chance to win a significant sum, people enjoy going through the experience. Perhaps it is for this reason that there are several movies created with a gambling theme and below are some of the ones that you need to watch now.

2020, Column, Editorial, Home Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanAugust 3, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Lake Michigan Monster

Every braided shoestring of DIY indie filmmaking on Lake Michigan Monsters swings a proverbial kitchen sink of derring-do flair on the end of it. Editor and animator Mike Cheslik of Netflix’s The Get Down (the MVP of this film) splashes buoyant pacing and endless layers of light visual effects that have creativity and energy to spare. Each sink of eye-popping detail is wielded like a medieval flail used to dispatch dragons of snobbery and doubt. Never ever look down on this class of movie because this is where you find true commitment.

2020, 4 STARS, Film Festival, Home Media, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanAugust 2, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Summerland

Hospitality jokes aside, manners come into play. The wrinkle is when pleasing homeliness mixes with the negative connotation of hospitality. Summerland, the feature film directorial debut of playwright Jessica Swale, emanates pleasantry around a central character who is the rude opposite. No matter how uncouth or ill-tempered Gemma Arterton’s hermetic author Alice behaves, an honorable heart shines through. That’s the narrative oil and water of this nostalgic film.

3 STARS, Independent Film, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanAugust 2, 2020Comment

4 Casino-Related Movies That Are Based on Real-Life Events

It’s hard not to find yourself suddenly fixated on a movie once you know that it’s based on real-life events. While there may be some extra dramatization for production purposes, the fact that the events transpired in real-life adds a rich realistic layer to the movie. Gambling happens to be one interesting real-life topic that has been made into countless movies. From crime overlords to mathematical geniuses, we’ll be listing the top 4 casino-related movies that have true stories behind them.

2020, Column, Editorial, Home Media, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanJuly 30, 2020Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 10 Best Modern American Classics for Learning English With Movies

by Sandra Mason

Learning English is challenging for many people. The lack of time and the tedious process often are getting in the way of success. The good news is experts already know how to learn a language faster and speak English fluently. There is also the general principle that helped many beginners to improve speaking and listening skills. We talk about watching movies to get good at English, keeping it on a fun side. Videos are the source of essential English vocabulary and natural style. If you want to sound like a native speaker, films cannot be discarded as a contributor to the education process.

2020, Home Media, GUEST EDITORIAL, SPECIAL, ColumnDon ShanahanJuly 30, 2020Comment

COLUMN: Snowpiercer: Good Entertainment or a Bad Remake?

The modern TV industry is incredibly focused on serving relevant entertainment to the general public. Every show is targeting a certain demographic and their needs or characteristics. Nevertheless, there are quite a few general trends that occur all over the world. First and foremost is the rise of science fiction. Yes, we do remember good old Doctor Who and a long list of science fiction shows or movies from the mid and late 20th century. However, this niche has never been as active and relevant as it is now.

2020, Column, GUEST CRITIC, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, Editorial, Streaming, SPECIALDon ShanahanJuly 28, 2020Comment

COLUMN: Defending Jacob: An Exquisite Crime Drama Everyone Will Enjoy

Over the past few years, we have witnessed many adaptions and excellent shows filmed by big corporations such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO and Apple TV. Thanks to gigantic investments in the film and TV production industry, we now have an opportunity to watch a wide variety of shows. The sector has become so competitive that there is very little point in comparing productions to each other. Rather, we should evaluate and discuss them individually. We have come to the point where every TV product and a movie is remarkably personal.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST CRITIC, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, SPECIAL, StreamingDon ShanahanJuly 28, 2020Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 10 Tips for Setting Up Your Home Theater

by Arslan Hassan

A television in your sitting room with a few comfortable couches cannot beat the unmatched experience of watching a movie on a big 4K HD Screen. That is why we all run to the cinemas to enjoy our favorites movies. However, having a home theater is infinitely more convenient than going to the grimy cinema that charges a lot yet doesn’t allow us to bring our own snacks. So why not set up your home theater? With the advancement in microchip technology, the home television industry has made immense progress.

Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanJuly 23, 2020 Comments

MOVIE REVIEW: The Truth

To pull off holding court without reducing matters to the preening or showy variety, the performer must have screen presence. Deneuve, the ageless ingenue, “frigid femme fatale,” and “grandes dame” of French cinema, has wattage for a thousand cameras, even now in her mid-70s. With that stature, compelling shockwaves come at will. The acting awe within The Truth is that Deneuve’s prestige is matched moment-to-moment by Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche, a contemporary, if you will, every bit as powerful as the senior. Their pairing as an estranged mother and daughter in the celebrity world writes cinematic scripture.

2020, 2019, 4 STARS, Chicago Film Festival, Film Festival, Independent Film, Foreign Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Home MediaDon ShanahanJuly 20, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Dirt Music

For anyone over the age of five-years-old who doesn’t have “The Gravel Foot” anymore, we know not all natural surfaces are easy and lush. The sensation of each pace toughens and prepares the heels and toes for the next one. Such is life as well. The literal and figurative barefoot steps of the characters from Tim Winton’s celebrated novel have tread over the hard grounds of loss and regret. The developed calluses mix with the ever-present dirt for messy lifestyles. Any songs present croon to that lamentation. Alas, the titular melodies advertised to break down the melodrama blow away weakly with the wind.

2020, Independent Film, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanJuly 17, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Old Guard

Charlize would be the one to tell Queen to take their romantic sweetness and shove it with harshness. That tone and timbre works just fine for the Academy Award winner who has been cementing this attitudinal career niche for the better part of a decade. Based on Greg Rucka’s 2017 Image Comics graphic novel featuring the art of Leandro Fernandez, The Old Guard combines its own brew of created legends intersecting modern settings and compulsions. Like its lead, The Old Guard has a toughness completely devoid of anything trite. The narrative screws might not be the tightest, but its aim is deadly enough to draw you in.

2020, 3 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanJuly 8, 2020Comment

COLUMN: Top 10 Fascinating Netflix Movies and Documentaries about Business and Entrepreneurship

Many educationists have come to find increasingly innovative methods to deploy teaching methodologies. It is essential to know that education is basically defined as the process of facilitating the acquisition of viable knowledge and information which professionals and students can deploy and implement in their real situations. This opens a whole new avenue where popular forms of entertainment, such as educational movies and films, can be used to deliver a way of experiential learning that can help people to learn valuable lessons.