DOUBLE FEATURE MOVIE REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Parts 1 and 2

Beyond all that, the real progress that made the movie series tick is the dual-growth of Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the three actors that played them. The classic aspects of teenage coming-of-age storytelling have always been present in the Harry Potter series, but on two distinct fronts. As the characters, they have grown to find their skill, importance, and desires as to what really matters in the grand scheme of all that has transpired around them. As actors, Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint have gone from unknown cute-faced children playing borderline stereotypes to mature and capable performers we genuinely care about and root for through this decade within their characters' shoes and robes.

2011, 2010, 5 STARS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanJuly 15, 2011Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Cars 2

Unlike those last four Pixar movies, Cars 2 is not trying to be taken seriously and shouldn't be put on that pedestal.

3 STARS, MOVIE REVIEW, 2011Don ShanahanJune 25, 2011 Comments

MOVIE REVIEW: Thor

The popular trend lately (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) has been to create comic book movies that tone down the superpowers and focus on the realistic qualities and plausibility of human heroes capable of existing in our real world. Thor, unapologetically, does the absolute opposite. It's a grand, epic, and galaxy-bending display of gods among men. Never before has a superhero movie been so, well, super in its scope and size, yet still leaving room for a little dose of humanity.

2011, 4 STARS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanMay 6, 2011Thor Comments

ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW: Country Strong

The new film Country Strong hopes to continue that tradition by stealing a few pages from real-life comeback stories and making its own. Add one part Britney Spears (of which the movie was actually inspired by, in fact), one part Mindy McCready, and a few dashes of Johnny Cash and Tina Turner and you've got country star Kelly Canter, played by Academy Award winner Gwyneth Paltrow.

MOVIE REVIEW: Hereafter

Call it the human condition or whatever you like. Everyone handles death differently and everyone copes with it differently in very distinctive and personal ways. In any case, because of those strong personal differences, it is very tough to make a populist, wide-reaching movie about it that everyone can snuggle up together and identify with. If anyone has the chops to try, it's the great Clint Eastwood with Hereafter. His newest film follows three parallel stories, each in different countries, of three people affected by death in dramatically different ways.

2010, 3 STARS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanNovember 19, 2010Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Inception

Inception may go down as his masterpiece someday, with its ability to take such a huge, wild, and suspenseful concept and pace it was such a deeply affecting emotional story. The powerful relationship between DiCaprio and Cotillard successfully overcomes the heist action to great effectiveness. Between Inception and his continuing work with Martin Scorsese (Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, and Shutter Island earlier this year), DiCaprio is building an impressive resume of compelling psychological performances. He hasn't been that teen heartthrob from Growing Pains, Romeo + Juliet, and Titanic for a long time and it's time for people to take notice, because he might be the best young actor working today.

2010, 5 STARS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanJuly 16, 2010Inception, Christopher NolanComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 is exactly what's it's supposed to be. It's a glossy big-budget sequel that delivers a continuing post-origin story. While it's not chapter-and-verse based on any comic story and takes a lot of liberties, Iron Man 2 is an undeniably fun piece of comic and summer entertainment.

2010, 3 STARS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanMay 16, 2010 Comments