GUEST COLUMN: 7 New Netflix Health Documentaries To Stream Right Now

by Crystal M. Wilson

Nowadays, many people make all kinds of efforts to stay healthy. They educate themselves with the help of different books and scientific studies to know more about their bodies. All these means are effective in providing crucial information you need to stay healthy. However, there is one more way to educate yourself more about health: Documentaries! You can find many fantastic documentaries talking about human health on Netflix. The makers of these documentaries want to educate the world about some of the less-discussed topics. So, here is the list of seven Netflix health documentaries to stream right now.

2021, Column, Documentary, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanMarch 29, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 4 Recent and Popular Films That Discuss Social Justice

By Kevin Faber

Many people watch movies to escape from the real world. However, movies aren't always made for that purpose. In fact, many films shine a light on the injustices in society, particularly ones that are still relevant today. Regrettably, these movies, while important, can often be too dark or dense to watch. Fortunately, there are many films that tackle such issues while maintaining widespread appeal. If this is something you're looking for, here are four recent and popular films that discuss social justice.

2021, Column, Documentary, Editorial, Home MediaDon ShanahanMarch 29, 2021Comment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "CinemaJaw" podcast #508

This past week, I was stoked to join my critic peers as a guest on the CinemaJaw podcast, hosted by fellow Chicago Indie Critic members Matt Kubinski and Ryan Jagiello. This was my fourth appearance on their show. CinemaJaw remains one of the best and entertaining movie podcasts in this or any city. Give their work a like and a follow!

CIC, SPECIAL, Podcast, MOVIE REVIEW, Media Appearance, 2021, Home MediaDon ShanahanMarch 22, 2021Cards Against HumanityNobodyComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Nobody

Our former schlub begins punching, shooting, stabbing, plotting, huffing, and puffing through an escalating network of Russian mobsters. Bob Odenkirk puts his 53-year-old self through two years of training in the hands to become a polo-shirted wraith of wanton violence. In between fights, Odenkirk’s graveled voice and line delivery pushes the severity of his morals and mindset to match his fists and trigger finger. He’s simply awesome and owns this movie.

2021, 4 STARS, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanMarch 22, 2021Nobody, Bob OdenkirkComment

GUEST EDITORIAL: Why "The Interview" Was Almost Cancelled Before Its Scheduled Release

by Kevin Gardner

Even a major movie studio can be vulnerable to a major hack. Sony learned that the hard way in 2014. Before the Sony hack, some in Hollywood may not have asked "What is network security?" or "Why is it important?". Yet this incident, which took place prior to the planned release of the comedy The Interview, showed studios that they needed to better protect their data.

2014, 2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanMarch 18, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: Best Movies To Show in Your Home Theater

by Lewis Robinson

Many movies are at least as much about spectacle as about story. You can, of course, show any movie in your home theater, but you'll get a lot more out of the experience if you choose those with lush special effects and booming sound. The following are films that can allow you to enjoy what your home theater has to offer to the fullest extent.

2021, Column, Editorial, Home MediaDon ShanahanMarch 17, 2021Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Zack Snyder's Justice League

Give the determined and reinvigorated 300 and Watchmen director four-hours, extra millions, and full creative control and you get this kind of beefy result. Zack Snyder’s Justice League builds the saga both the audiences and characters deserved four years ago. Nearly every artistic and technical layer moves with a different beat and flourish. Even with the problematic precedent this whole odyssey set into motion from a fan outrage/support standpoint, this new result is a positive testament to what this second attempt means for and earns both the creators and the consumers.

4 STARS, 2021, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Justice League, Zack SnyderComment

GUEST COLUMN: "A Leaf of Faith": What You Can Learn About Kratom From the Documentary

by Crystal M. Wilson

The film A Leaf of Faith by Chris Bell revolves around the American Opioid crisis and how an alternative substance, Kratom, can address the issue. In 2019, 49,860 people died from an opioid overdose, according to the National Institute of drug abuse. Opioids include prescription painkillers, methadone, fentanyl, heroin, natural, synthetic, and quasi-synthetic opioids.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Documentary, Home MediaDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 7 Immensely Informative Cannabis Documentaries You Can Look For

by Crystal M. Wilson

Watching documentaries is a different kind of fun. Filmmakers intend something more than just entertainment when they make documentaries. That is the reason why documentaries are informative, eye-opening, and in many cases, thought-provoking. When you like watching stories of real people in their own words, you enjoy watching documentaries. They describe the stories of things in very real and raw form making them very appealing to the crowd.

2021, Column, Documentary, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, Editorial, StreamingDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 15 Movies With Charismatic Characters that Everyone Will Love

by Clarissa Shuman

When it comes to movies there are some that just stick out like a sore thumb. Some movies last the test of time and can be watched over and over again. In this list of movies and movie characters, you will see the greatest and most thrilling movies of all time. They feature some of the most incredible characters that make the movie last the test of time. There are some movie characters that you could not imagine being able to replace in a movie. In this list, you will see the characters that are irreplaceable in their specific movies. The acting was so good, that the movie would not be the same without them starring at it. So let us start with the first one on the list.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: A License to Swill: Which James Bond Had the Biggest Bar Tab?

It’s no secret that James Bond is partial to a martini. A lot of his official business takes places in casinos, bars, and luxury hotels – all of which are enticing spots for a tipple or two, even when on duty. However, as an employee of M16 in the movies (Secret Intelligence Service in real-life), his expenses come directly from the pockets of UK taxpayers. With this in mind, personal finance experts, Ocean Finance, wanted to uncover which of the six Bonds is the booziest, racking up the biggest bar tabs with the nation’s money.

2021, Column, Editorial, Home Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Cherry

Cherry feels like the cinematic embodiment of the expression “throw everything at the wall to see if it sticks.” The Collins Dictionary defines that to mean saying something “that is not believable but hoping that what is said will be acceptable as truth.” For the movie, it’s about the performers and filmmakers piling on every trope and trick they can to try and get noticed for praise. To that end, Cherry is trying way, way too hard.

2 STARS, 2021, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanMarch 14, 2021Comment