COLUMN: The 10 Best Movies of 2020

Nothing seems to define 2020 like a long sigh and a deep breath. This past year likely makes the record books with all kinds of trivia nuggets and asterisks. Folks didn’t get to see all the movies they hoped for, but I’ve been telling people all year that “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” The last movie I saw in a theater was Onward on March 2nd, adding up to 304 days (and counting since) without a visit to the big screen. Sure, I miss it as a guy that used to go out 2-3 times a week, but movies can wait and so will I. After all, we’re surviving a pandemic and movies count as #firstworldproblems.

2020, Best Films, Column, Editorial, LIST, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 13, 2021Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL: 6 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Netflix Subscription

by Kevin Gardner

Getting a Netflix account can be extremely exciting. It literally gives you access to thousands of items, thereby providing you with endless hours of entertainment. However, you may find the cost of your subscription a bit worrisome. In this case, it's important that you make the investment worthwhile. So, here are six tips for getting as much as possible out of your Netflix account.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 8, 2021Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL: Perfecting the Art of the Binge

by Kevin Gardner

With the advent of online streaming services, a new kind of television experience became popular: the binge watch. More and more shows aren't just enjoyable to binge watch; they're built that way. Like the book you can't put down, there are some shows that you just know will have you saying "one more episode, just one more episode" until the wee hours of the morning. So whether the new season of your favorite streaming show just dropped or you're planning to marathon your favorite movie franchise, here are a few ways you can make sure that your next binge watch is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 5, 2021Comment

SPECIAL: Winners of the fifth annual Chicago Indie Critics Awards

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted from August Wilson’s stage play, dominated this year’s CIC Awards, winning seven of its nine nominations. Topmost, the Netflix original film was named the Best Studio Film in a tie with another offering from the streaming leader, Best Director winner Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom also won awards for adapted screenplay, lead actor, lead actress, ensemble cast, costume design, and makeup.

2020, CIC, Column, EVENT, LIST, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanJanuary 2, 2021 Comment

COLUMN: New Year's Resolutions for the Movie Industry for 2021

Plenty of regular everyday people make New Year’s Resolutions, but I think bigger entities, namely movie makers and movie moguls, need to make them too. Annually, including this tenth edition, I have fun taking the movie industry to task for things they need to change. I have no false internet courage to be a Twitter troll. As always, some resolutions come true while others get mentioned and reiterated every year. Boy, was this a turd of a year for the movies, eh? There’s so much to say about so little that transpired with a predominantly locked-down marketplace.

Column, Editorial, LIST, Social Media, SPECIAL, 2021Don ShanahanJanuary 1, 2021Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL: Do Movies Predict the Future or Influence It?

By Kevin Gardner

It is always strange when you are watching an old movie and see a far-fetched scenario that has since played out in the real world. Did the movie writers have privileged information about some new gadget? Maybe a child who watched that movie was inspired and grew up to design something similar. Either could be possible. On the other hand, there are some movies that predict social issues and world events that nobody could have imagined.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 30, 2020Comment

SPECIAL: Nominations for the fifth annual Chicago Indie Critics Awards

Leading all films with an impressive nine nominations is Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom helmed by Best Director nominee George C. Wolfe and starring acting nominees Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis. Following next with seven nominations each was David Fincher’s Mank and Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, both also hailing from Netflix. In all, 45 different films are represented with nominations for the 2020 CIC Awards.

2020, CIC, Column, EVENT, LIST, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanDecember 28, 2020Comment

10 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE: The 10 Best Films of 2010

Despite the overall crappiness of this year, 2020 has been the 10th anniversary of this website Every Movie Has a Lesson. I didn’t start this endeavor until May of 2010 and, when the end of the year rolled around, I didn’t have a complete “sample size” or body of work, so to speak, to write a proper “10 Best” list. Missing that chance has always bothered the completist in me. I’ve been meaning to fix that and this little anniversary seemed like the right time, especially after charting a “best of the decade” list a year ago at the close of the 10s. So, turning back the clock a decade, here are my “10 Best Films of 2010.”

Best Films, Column, Editorial, LIST, Retrospective, SPECIAL, 2020, 2010Don ShanahanDecember 28, 2020Saint Joseph's College2010 Comment

20 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE: The best of the rest of 2000

In an annual series, Every Movie Has a Lesson is going to look back twenty years to revisit, relearn, and reexamine a year of cinema history to share favorites, lists, and experiences from the films of that year. When measuring back as far as twenty years or more, I feel like “favorites” that have stood the test of time have aged to become some level of “best.” I feel like a bunch of those populate my reflective look back at the best of the rest of 2000.

Best Films, Column, Editorial, Retrospective, SPECIAL, 2020Don ShanahanDecember 25, 20202000, 2000 moviesComment

20 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE: The 10 Best Films of 2000

In an annual series, Every Movie Has a Lesson is going to look back twenty years to revisit, relearn, and reexamine a year of cinema history to share favorites, lists, and experiences from the films of that year. When measuring back as far as twenty years or more, I feel like “favorites” that have stood the test of time have aged to become some level of “best.” I feel like a bunch of those populate my reflective look back at the best of 2000.

Best Films, Column, Editorial, LIST, Retrospective, SPECIAL, 2020Don ShanahanDecember 25, 2020Saint Joseph's College2000 Comments

INFOGRAPHIC: The True Cost of Iconic Holiday Movie Moments

The creative folks at CreditRepair.com designed this visual on iconic holiday movie moments and what they'd cost in real life + financial lessons anyone can learn from! They analyzed scenes from classic holiday movies (think Home Alone, Elf, and The Grinch) and found out how much they'd cost if they actually took place! Aside from satisfying curiosity, they tied the results back to important financial lessons we can take from these lovable characters and serve as important reminders of what really matters during the holiday season.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, Infographic, LIST, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanDecember 18, 2020Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL: Why Horror is a Favorite Genre for People in Current Times

by Garima Aggarwal

Ever since I was a kid, I used to watch and enjoy the spooky horror movies a lot and my mother, who was always scared to watch them, used to scold me whenever I put horror movie on television. When I got into high school, I found most students prefer watching horror films in place of other movies. And today I feel a need to tell people who always ask horror movie lovers 'What do you get by watching scary movies those are unrealistic?' A study published in the Journal of Media Psychology states that people watch scary films for 3 reasons; tension, relevance, and unrealism. Weird? Even I was not aware of this until I, myself, put the missing pieces of the whole scenario.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 12, 2020Comment