GUEST CRITIC #31: Clemency

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.

2019, 2020, 3 STARS, GUEST CRITIC, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Social MediaDon ShanahanSeptember 5, 2020ClemencyComment

MOVIE REVIEW: I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Is there brilliance in the indecipherable within this adaptation of Iain Reed’s horror fiction? That’s both the knock and modus operandi of Charlie Kaufman. That’s where peculiarity pisses on a good piece of art. His abstract creations are wholly unique, yet aimless and tedious to the nth degree. For every poetic word, cinematic moment, or striking idea that ignites a challenging neuron in I’m Thinking of Ending Things, a triple helping of something obscure destroys momentum and snuffs any flicker. When he’s right, lucidity outshines the oddity, but that is not this film.

2 STARS, 2020, Independent Film, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanSeptember 5, 2020 Comments

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Feelin' Film" FF+ podcast for "The One and Only Ivan" and "Desert One"

Friend of the page Aaron White, co-host of the Feelin’ Film podcast and member of the Seattle Film Critics Society, has reignited his FF+ brand of smaller plate podcast episodes. His goal is to collect spoiler-free discussions of several current movies combined into one show. Rather than fly solo, he’s using his FF+ platform to invite other critics to share in the chat. For this episode, Aaron invited me to help cover the stunning documentary Desert One and the new Disney+ entry The One and Only Ivan. Enjoy!

MOVIE REVIEW: Endless

For wishful reasons beyond the exploitative ones, people want to believe in ghosts. They would be alright with even the creepiest voyeur version or novelty of that to be real. Why? Because the existence of ghosts would mean there’s something else out there after our inevitable deaths. A tangible afterlife creates massive spiritual implications that stir so many. Molding their fictional clay, movies love plucking that particular heartstring, and the new streaming film Endless follows that convention.

2020, 3 STARS, Home Media, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanAugust 15, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Tax Collector

The Tax Collector feels like David Ayer’s 2 Samuel 1:27 moment for his current career. He elevated his settings and craft with Fury. He aimed behind his grasp with Suicide Squad. The “mighty have fallen.” That puts the stung and smeared David Ayer back to Los Angeles in a B-level movie and the three things he appears to be good at: 1) urban criminal underworlds, 2) seedy ethnic flavorings, and 3) spurts of graphic violence. These are his comfortable and dirty roots that brought forth Training Day, Dark Blue, Harsh Times, and End of Watch.

2 STARS, 2020, Independent Film, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanAugust 9, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Made in Italy

Actors are often asked by the many curious people fascinated by their work where they find the inspirations for the characters they play. Dropped by talk show hosts and adoring fans alike, it’s a common question, but a welcome open-ended one. The answers are almost always a fascinating blend of intentional craftsmanship and revealed individual quirks. If you know the personal history of Liam Neeson away from his tough and towering screen personas, you will know he, and his son Micheal Richardson, did not have to dig far for their characters in Made in Italy.

2020, 3 STARS, Independent Film, Home Media, Streaming, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanAugust 8, 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

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

SHORT FILM REVIEW: Farewell Waltz

When no flowery language is flowing to fill our ears, another ambiance is necessary. The sweep of Felipe Tellez’s musical score is astounding. His arrangements were performed by the Budapest Air Orchestra and their lovely strings keep Farewell Waltz soaring with the remembrance and regret of the narrative. One would not readily imagine a 10-minute short film could reach heartstrings so assuredly and effectively, yet this throwback from Levy does so with lingering beauty above films ten times its length.

2020, 4 STARS, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, SHORT FILMS, Streaming, Film FestivalDon ShanahanJuly 12, 2020Comment

DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: No Small Matter

Documentaries often carry a sharp specificity by design. The backers and filmmakers have zeroed in on a pointed topic or singular issue they feel needs a spotlight or, even stronger, a public wake up call. Sometimes, they downright demand it. The challenge of an exemplary documentary is to convince next to its natural aim to inform. Their demands need worth, especially if the subject is too narrow to the point that it is inconsequential. That’s where the documentary No Small Matter lives up to its title. The demand matches the worth.