There's room for film noir that can inhabit real places and plausible people while still having all the necessary ingredients to make them as cool as the genre demands. With a deep homage to noir coupled with a big dose of 1970's-esque conspiracy thrillers, director Jenna Ricker, in her second feature film, presents "The American Side" starring her Greg Stuhr and a notable ensemble cast. Using upstate New York, Ricker has created a living and breathing seedy side out a wholesome American city and tourist destination. As a film, "The American Side" is satisfying and a constantly engaging throwback detective story that surpasses its glitzy and more expensive Hollywood peer "The Nice Guys."

VIDEO: Post-film reactions to "Finding Dory"

This week, I joined my fellow members of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle for an advance screening of Disney/Pixar's "Finding Dory." I am proud to be a co-founder and co-director of this fine group. We all took away a bunch of heart and love from the "Finding Nemo" sequel. Enjoy the first takes of yours truly, Gabrielle Bondi of The Young Folks, and Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews!

MOVIE REVIEW: Finding Dory

Unless the title begins with "Toy Story," Disney/Pixar has not had very good luck with effective sequels. "Cars 2" aimed too high for a bigger international stage and "Monsters University" failed as a bonding origin story prequel. Thirteen years after the original, "Finding Dory" changes that weak trend with a winning flourish. Teeming with plenty of vibrant energy and anchored by Pixar's signature punch of finely tuned emotional storytelling, this sequel will delight audiences young and old and earns its mature place as a companion piece to the classic "Finding Nemo."

MOVIE REVIEW: Warcraft

Here's the worst part of what "Warcraft" tries to execute. With its riffs on exotic worlds, magic, warring factions, and monstrous creatures, it fashions its to be high fantasy and epic spectacle right there with "The Lord of the Rings" and "Star Wars." Universal Pictures thinks it is sitting on a crossover franchise that will sells merchandise and recruit new gamers by the millions. You cannot make the bizarre endearing without substance behind it.

MOVIE REVIEW: Sunset Song

Beloved in its homeland of Scotland, Lewis Grassic Gibbon's 1932 novel "Sunset Song" is revered for its detailed and poignant tale of peasant life and the place of women during the transitional times of the early 20th century. The novel has been a long-gestating passion project for highly regarded British filmmaker Terence Davies. Brought to life with moments of 65mm grandeur, his sumptuously crafted and carefully refined film adaptation is another jewel in the filmmaker's crown, though one not without its source material's difficulties.

MOVIE REVIEW: BFFs

While watching a film about dysfunctional relationships, regardless of its drama or comedy slant, one cannot help but measure their own relationship against the examples they are observing on screen. The judgmental reactions, either spoken or unspoken, cannot be contained. To capitalize on that drawing power without going to far, frankness and believability become key. Debuting on VOD on June 3, the film festival favorite "BFFs" can call those two storytelling essentials allies and welcomes the fun of esteem-boosting judging.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Nice Guys

"The Nice Guys" unleashes an arsenal of off-beat traits and playful banter available to every character and situation large and small. Calling it a loose cannon is both a criticism and a complement. Though it can veer off of the rails to some scatterbrained wheel-spinning that pushes limits of tolerance and believability, the screenplay from Black and first-timer Anthony Bagarozzi delivers its muckraking mystery with a canny enough level of perpetual action and a clever humor.

MOVIE REVIEW: X-Men: Apocalypse

After two movies of turn-back-the-clock course correction, it is fair to rank the "X-Men" series right next to "The Fast and Furious" as a film franchise that was derailed, left for dead, and since rescued with a filmmaking resurgence. "X-Men: First Class" introduced new youthful vigor and was followed by the return of original franchise steward Bryan Singer for the slate-wiping "X-Men: Days of Future Past." The latter film grossed more than double any of its franchise predecessors and enabled the series to pass the torch from the seniors to the juniors. Flush with success, good graces, and a new lease on life, "X-Men: Apocalypse" arrives with the goal to top everything that's been done in 20th Century Fox's offshoot shingle of a Marvel universe.

VIDEO: Post-film reactions to "X-Men: Apocalypse"

I attended a press-only screening of "X-Men: Apocalypse" on May 9. I was able to participate in another quick post-film panel with my fellow members and directors of the CIFCC. Allow me to continue to introduce my "Every Movie Has a Lesson" followers to Pamela Powell of Reel Honest Reviews, Jim Alexander of The Movie Blog, Jon Espino of The Young Folks, and Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews. Enjoy our rants and raves!

MOVIE REVIEW: The Lobster

With intentionally languid brushstrokes, "The Lobster," from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos in his English language debut, creates a challenging moral setting that twists the realities and consequences of two human conundrums and fears: What happens when you are single and what happens when you die. His muse at the center is Colin Farrell in arguably the most understated performance of his career. With more talent and a high concept at play, "The Lobster" is missing the charm to tie it all together.

VIDEO: Post-film reactions to "Captain America: Civil War" from the CIFCC

I am very proud to share the first official video of the newly-formed Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle, of which I am a co-founder and co-director. When I attended an advance screening of "Captain America: Civil War" on May 2, 2016 with my press credentials, I was able to participate in a group video of post-film reactions with a small gathering of a few of my fellow members and directors of the CIFCC.

DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: June Bride: Redemption of a Yakuza

"June Bride: Redemption of a Yakuza" presents an international alternative to the Scared Straight programs that have become a fascination here in the United States. No, not this one (though enjoy a quick laugh), but prison initiatives like those chronicled in A&E's popular "Beyond Scared Straight: Success Stories. Rather than bombard subjects and audiences with fear, one man in Japan finds faith to be the greater answer.

EVERY MOVIE HAS A LESSON

by Don Shanahan

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