MOVIE REVIEW: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Viewers and fans will contemplate whether Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was the best Ryan Coogler and company could have done with their tragic circumstances. They will wonder if this pivot and royal escalation was the right approach. At some point, all of those questions (and others) have dual contexts between what they mean on-screen and off. Those questions also do not have a universal best, right, or perfect answer. For better or worse, we are now past “must” and the show emphatically goes on.

MOVIE REVIEW: Armageddon Time

The merit of this story of formative failure can only be truly assessed by whether this teenage proxy of the filmmaker himself turned out alright after the credits roll and history continued forward. One can learn by failure only if they learn. Like the main character, the submission of the movie itself does not put forth enough fight for earned growth. If Armageddon Time is the sum total of James Gray’s regret, then it is a weak indictment that comes off little better than someone saying “I had a Black friend once.”

2022, 2 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanNovember 4, 2022Armageddon TimeComment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Banshees of Inisherin

For better or worse, Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin is an unrelenting emotional tussle of stubbornness among men. Your tolerance level for such behavior will undoubtedly mix feelings and inform your experience. Some will relish in its afflicted dark humor while others will be ready to throw their hands up and beg for the clashing characters to get over themselves. No matter if you are engaged in the tailspin or irked by the whole ordeal, you will find plenty to be impressed with in this pitch black comedy and surefire awards darling.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Class

To credit to the premise written and directed by former actor Nicholas Celozzi (The Legitimate Wiseguy), The Class extends pertinent issues and bold talking points. Any of them, on paper, could be found in a cross-section of teens today, making for a relatable dramatic experience for an open-hearted audience. However, there’s a limit reached in The Class where even the issues have their issues.

2022, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, 3 STARSDon ShanahanOctober 25, 2022The Class, Anthony Michael Hall, Debbie GibsonComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Ticket to Paradise

It’s a pleasure to watch the reunited Ocean’s series co-stars work together again. Admittedly, the two screen legends are more fun when they are at each other’s throats early on in Ticket to Paradise than later when they are cuddled closer together by rekindled circumstances. You root for the competitive one-upmanship more than the softening comeuppance their characters have coming. For a while, there is a sizzling and infectious comedic burn to their verbal clashes and invasions of personal space that wane with time. Who knew getting nicer would sap a little of the enjoyment?

2022, 3 STARS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanOctober 21, 2022Ticket to Paradise, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Kaitlyn DeverComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Till

Till is a heartbreaking and meaningful film presented almost entirely through a mother’s point of view. Any mother of any background will tell you that one of, if not, the most ever-present emotions is worry. Debilitating considerations and worst case scenarios often percolate and betray otherwise happy thoughts and sweet moments. All too often, it’s a mental gear that cannot be easily turned off. One of those flustering pauses begins the film and an agonizing tone for Till is set right away.

2022, 4 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanOctober 16, 2022Till, Danielle DeadwylerComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Stay the Night

Stay the Night plays out smarter than the usual rom-coms or “one wild night” movies of thrust-together strangers. Like its lead woman, it is reserved and far more realistic with its urban sauntering. In different and disinterested hands, the floozy-plus-dreamboat formula would be in full effect. There would be some zany impossibility or preposterous monkey wrench thrown into the narrative for excitement’s sake. All the conflict you need is right here–between its ears, in its beating heart, and within the held hands–of this gratifying and understated film.

2022, 3 STARS, Film Festival, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanOctober 5, 2022Stay the Night, Andrea Bang, Joe ScarpellinoComment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Greatest Beer Run Ever

Like other semi-casual Vietnam war movies that have come before it, the action comedy journey of Oscar winner Peter Farrelly’s The Greatest Beer Run Ever streaming on Apple TV+ reaches a momentum where it has to switch gears. Inevitably, the happy-go-lucky circumstances have dissolved away to the honest truths and horrors of war. That’s a hell of a shift to pull off. The success of the movie boils down to when and how it executes or fails that course correction.

2022, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanSeptember 30, 2022The Greatest Beer Run Ever, Peter Farrelly, Zac Efron, Russell CroweComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Blonde

The controversial new film Blonde swirls surreal cinematic brushstrokes meant to express the hushed nightmares beyond the celebrity dreams of Norma Jean Mortenson and compose a reminiscent and heartbreaking portrait of the legendary star. The audiences’ applause of adoration is replaced by cries of anguish and pain often unseen by anyone. It is those tears that paint this film. For better or worse, those tears are what you now remember more than the smiles when it comes to Marilyn Monroe.

2022, 5 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Film Festival, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanSeptember 23, 2022Blonde, Ana de Armas, Andrew Dominik, NetflixComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Don't Worry Darling

Now, the varnish swirls with the dreamy deja vu vibes that are all over that old standard. In many ways, those two main verses of “Where or When” tell you all you need to know about the encroaching mystery to come. By the time Don’t Worry Darling calls back to “Where or When” again during its kaleidoscopic end credits, a smoky aftermath is exhaled from the intoxicating effects of the song and the film.

2022, 4 STARS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanSeptember 20, 2022Don't Worry Darling, Olivia Wilde, Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Harry StylesComment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Woman King

Of all the subjective or objective metrics that get bandied about when rating a film, one of the more powerful traits that can make up for shortcomings is a movie’s inspirational effect. An impassioned audience with stirred emotions is very forgiving. Many large and small aspects about Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Woman King could be debated or exposed as flaws. In the end, they will not matter. The story being told and the dedication collected to tell it carry weight greater than the art or craft.

2022, MOVIE REVIEW, 4 STARSDon ShanahanSeptember 17, 2022The Woman King, Viola Davis, Lashana LynchComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Confess, Fletch

So much of Confess, Fletch feels like a wiser-than the norm throwback against the hefty audience quadrant that will always prefer the louder, action-ified punch of the James Bonds and Jason Bournes of the world over a journalist gumshoe. If that crowd can slow down for a smaller and smoother ride, they will find mental thrills equally clever to the pop of blockbuster stunts that fade as quickly as they explode.