EDITORIAL: Terminator: The Dark Fate of the Universe?

Now it's time for Cameron to return to the helm of the Terminator franchise - sort of. He wrote the story for the new movie which was turned into a screenplay by David S. Goyer, Justin Rhodes, and Billy Ray. The movie will be directed by Tim Miller of Deadpool fame. As expected, it will ignore everything that happened after T2 - sort of. The new Terminator, played by Gabriel Luna, is similar to the T-X played by Kristanna Loken in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and judging by the trailers, Mackenzie Davis' character looks and feels a lot like the one played by Sam Worthington in Terminator: Salvation. While the movie is presented as a sequel, the many new elements make it feel like another reboot that Cameron hopes will start a trilogy.

2019, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanSeptember 9, 2019 Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL: 8 Great Films about Writers and the Writing Lifestyle

If you’re a writer, then you probably watch movies in a slightly different way than the average person. You can appreciate all the joys and pains that go into putting together a piece of writing worthy of becoming a film. There’s something fascinating about a film based around the life of a writer and the writing process. These films can give you some incredible insight into the mind of a writer and what it’s like to pour your life and energy out onto the page. These eight films all give a unique perspective into the life of a writer.

2019, Column, GUEST EDITORIAL, Editorial, LIST, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanAugust 30, 2019 Comments

GUEST EDITORIAL: 7 Practical Tips to Start Movie Review Writing as a College Student

Finding an interesting writing job that won’t take up too much of your time while you’re still a student is a great way to both earn and get some writing experience. If you’re thinking about starting to write movie reviews, it is a really great idea. Watching a lot of films and sharing your personal opinions about them: What’s not to love? If you want to learn more about how to begin, which aspects you need to pay attention to, and where to find websites you can write for, you have come to the right place. Here is everything you need to know.

2019, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, SPECIAL, VIDEO REVIEWDon ShanahanAugust 30, 2019 Comments

MEDIA APPEARANCE: David Ehrlich's IndieWire Critics Survey on August 26, 2019

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What is the best movie of this summer?

To end the month, David Ehrlich went for the season-ending trophy designation. He called upon us writers, podcasters, and more to tell us which film was the best of the summer. Personally, I think it was a substandard and lemon-filled summer comapred to years past. Redemption came in the form is several late-breaking exemplars that landed in July and early August. I repped one of those little guys as my pick for this week.

Independent Film, Media Appearance, Social Media, SPECIAL, 2019Don ShanahanAugust 28, 2019David EhrlichComment

EVENT: Special 90th anniversary festivities for the Music Box Theatre

Chicago’s famed Music Box Theatre, located near Wrigley Field in the Lakeview neighborhood, is nearly as old as its nearby ballpark neighbor. The historic venue opened its curtains on August 22, 1929 as the city’s first dedicated “talkie house.” The Southport Avenue gem is celebrating its 90th birthday this week with a special slate of outstanding programming that highlights both the rich history of film and the charm of the theater. Saying there’s something for everyone, from the casual fan to devout cinephile, would be an understatement. Follow the embedded links in this article for information and tickets.

2019, Chicago Film Festival, EVENT, Independent Film, SPECIALDon ShanahanAugust 23, 2019Music Box TheatreComment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: David Ehrlich's IndieWire Critics Survey on August 19, 2019

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: What is the best performance in a Richard Linklater movie?

After a small pause in early August, the IndieWire Critics Survey returned in time for the the release of Where’d You Go, Bernadette from renowned Texas filmmaker Richard Linklater. I count as a very positive fan of his work with the Before Trilogy and Boyhood on the drama side and Everybody Wants Some!! and School of Rock on the comedy end. When it comes to the best, I pick the biggest transformation of range that came from Jack Black in Bernie. What a stunner of a character shift from an actor compared to his usual.

Independent Film, Media Appearance, Social Media, SPECIAL, 2019Don ShanahanAugust 19, 2019David EhrlichComment

SPECIAL EVENT: Previewing 2019's Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con

Rosemont’s Donald E. Stephens Convention Centers hosts the eighth Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con. The four-day event highlights all the pop culture fun possible from stages, big screens, small screens, game screens, game boards, and all the collectibles in between. The Chicago edition begins Thursday, August 22nd and runs through Sunday, August 25th. Yours truly from Every Movie Has a Lesson has been granted press credentials to cover and access the event. I’m a first-timer, so I hope to be amazed and present a glimpse or two inside the celebrated gathering!

2019, EVENT, Media Appearance, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanAugust 19, 2019Donald E. Stephens Convention CenterComment

EDITORIAL: The Best Films to Ever Show on TV

Watching movies has always been an experience that’s best shared with others. You can watch it with your family or friends, and even while you’re watching alone, you’re sharing this experience with the characters you see on screen. These days, you don’t have to travel all the way to a movie house or rent out tapes as many TV channels show reruns of some of the best films that you can watch with your loved ones in the comfort of your own home.

2019, Column, Editorial, Home Media, Social Media, SPECIAL, Video on DemandDon ShanahanAugust 19, 2019Comment

EDITORIAL: Hearing Fear: Why Music is Half the Battle in Horror Movies

Horror films rely heavily on sound and music to set the tone. The film score and soundtrack of a horror movie can make or break its capacity to strike fear into the hearts of audiences. The catharsis of a horror film—the death of an antagonist or the sudden revival of a monster—is nothing without the protracted, eerie build up throughout a film. Music matters in horror arguably more than it does in any other film genre. If you want to get over a movie that traumatized you in the past, try watching it with the sound muted. But if you want to keep the fear alive, brace yourself and turn the volume all the way up.

2019, Column, Editorial, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanAugust 15, 2019Comment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Kicking the Seat" YouTube channel talking "Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood"

Huge kudos go out to Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat podcast for diving into the realm of YouTube! Enjoy Ian, David Fowlie of Keeping It Reel and Emmanuel Noisette of E-Man’s Movie Reviews, and swim across the 1960s and your very screen talking about Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood. It’s Ian’s inaugural YouTube round table. If you’ve always thought our podcasts sounded fun with us picking on points and each other, now you get to watch our obnoxious repartee. Enjoy this new video!

Media Appearance, Podcast, Social Media, SPECIAL, 2019Don ShanahanAugust 8, 2019Music Box TheatreKicking the SeatComment

VINTAGE REVIEW: Medium Cool

When Medium Cool reaches its history-witnessing climax at the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests in Chicago, two crowd chants take over the urban soundscape. The first is a defiant “Hell no! We won’t go!” and the second is “The world is watching.” The observant cameras and microphones used by filmmaker Haskell Wexler preserved that spirited defiance for cinematic immortality. Fifty years after its release, the echoes of those unified shouts in Medium Cool still ring with relevance and importance today. We’re not going anywhere, and people still fix their eyes on this film with shock and awe.

INFOGRAPHIC: Which British Actors Guarantee Box Office Success?

British actors are making a name for themselves by starring in some of the most popular Hollywood releases. But, with all of the leading roles they take, what makes one actor more successful than the other? Which British actor guarantees box office success? The good people at Money Guru have crunched the numbers, analyzing which British actors offer the best Return On Investment (ROI) based on their box office sales as a leading actor and the respective film budgets. These are the stars that offer the biggest earnings, and the results will likely surprise you.