SPECIAL: Fourth annual CIC Award Nominations

Leading all films with an impressive eight nominations is Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women. Two of those nominations highlight Gerwig’s work as a director and screenwriter. Following next with seven nominations each is the quartet of The Irishman, Marriage Story, 1917, and Parasite. On an individual level leading the field, Parasite’s Bong Joon-ho earned five personal nominations and Lulu Wang of The Farewell earned four across the 23 categories. In all, 43 films are represented with nominations for the 2019 CIC Awards.

2019, CIC, EVENT, Media Appearance, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 29, 2019Cards Against Humanity TheaterCIC, CIFCC, Chicago Indie CriticsComment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Kicking the Seat" podcast and talking "All the President's Men" for the "ReelPolitk" series

If the two of us were paid for doing this stuff, Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat and I would be following the money for All the President’s Men. For a little something different than our usual big roundtables for new movies, Ian and I put the recorders on to mix politics and movies together. The dark parking garage was optional. For nearly an hour, we build bridges between old brilliance and analog journalism to our 24-hour news cycle and current times with this masterpiece being the mold. Enjoy this very topical and jovial shared conversation!

Media Appearance, Podcast, Social Media, SPECIAL, 2019Don ShanahanDecember 23, 2019AMC River East 21Kicking the Seat, JokerComment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Kicking the Seat" podcast and YouTube talking "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker"

The dead speak! On an early morning in advance of its much ballyhooed release, Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat assembled the clones of myself, David Fowlie of Keeping It Reel, Emmanuel Noisette of E-Man’s Movie Reviews, and Mike Crowley of You’ll Probably Agree to put all of our Midichlorians on the table to immediately react to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. There’s so much forceful spirit on this dais, you would think it’s the real versions of all of us. Enjoy this podcast episode!

Media Appearance, Podcast, Social Media, SPECIAL, 2019Don ShanahanDecember 23, 2019AMC River East 21Kicking the Seat, JokerComment

COLUMN: Looking for Some of the Best Classic Movie Posters? Buy Online

According to Forbes, movie enthusiasts are always looking for novelty. However, they are obsessed with only those films that match with the conventional genres they seem to be used to and comfortable with. They would like to enjoy something new, fresh and original within the same genre. Movie buffs love original stories that present unique visceral experiences, visuals, and viewpoints. Over the years, many Hollywood movies have won the hearts of millions of viewers. Let us explore some of the classic film posters that are still in huge demand among movie buffs, auctioneers, and collectors. If you are thinking of adding to your collection of classic movie posters, buy online for an amazing selection.

2019, Column, Editorial, Home Media, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 23, 2019Comment

EDITORIAL: How Do People See AI in Movies?

AI in the real world isn’t remotely advanced enough to allow it to have a true personality. But in movies, AI has been a constant source of interest for many people since the very beginning. Movies allow filmmakers to explore a world in which AI is truly sentient. But that sentience hasn’t always been good.Interestingly enough, when you spread out AI in movies by intelligence and morality, you may start to see a strange correlation. In general, childlike robots tend to be typed as “good,” while superhuman robots tend to be typed as “evil.” Walk through this ranking of AI in movies and see how people tend to type AI across the board.

2019, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, LIST, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 23, 2019Comment

EDITORIAL: How to Create a Perfect Female Character to Grab Millennials' Attention to Your Movie

Everyone sees millennials as the young generation who gets bored very quickly and is continually looking for something new to do or watch. When it comes to movies, the industry changed in the past years, given the millennials' appetite to spend more time in front of the TV, watching Netflix, than going to the cinema. Still, the film industry manages to reach incredible peaks and attract millennials’ attention in different forms. When you write female characters for millennials, you need to keep high standards. Even though the cost of quality might be high when trying to meet millennials’ needs, the benefits will exceed all the efforts.

2019, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 23, 2019Comment

GUEST COLUMN: Christmas Movies for Couples: Make Your Christmas Ideal

By Cheryl Hearts

When the weather outside is cold, the best way to enjoy your stay with your partner indoors is by watching a romantic Christmas movie with them. Nothing beats having a homemade dinner or a well-baked pizza, a bottle of quality wine, a dark room, and a huge TV for Christmas with your partner. This kind of romantic atmosphere helps you build a new level of intimacy that would strengthen your relationship and make you cherish the value of being with your partner.

2019, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, Media Appearance, LIST, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 23, 2019Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL: Best Movies for Teachers to Watch with Their Students During Lessons

Movies act as a great source of entertainment; however, what many of us don’t notice is the impact they have on the audiences. Every movie has a story to tell, a message to give. It is due to this and various reasons that academic instructors/teachers should watch movies with their students. There are some movies that teachers/professors can watch with their students in making sure they leave a positive impact on them. The following movies are 21st century’s best teacher films. Teachers can watch these movies with their students while showing them the importance of leadership, mentorship, and other hidden meanings.

2019, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, LIST, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanDecember 19, 2019Comment

GUEST ESSAY: Determinism verses Free Will: The Mythic and Secular Architecture of "Minority Report"

By Truman Hood

Minority Report is a dystopian warning of a police-state, big brother-esque surveillance society that has experienced a complete destruction of free will. This central idea of the film is told not only through exposition throughout the film, but also by the built environment where the storytelling architecture assists in creating a narrative of a self-fulfilling prophesy. The built environment of Minority Report conveys how humans have abandoned the belief that their fates are determined by greater powers than themselves, such as gods or karma. Instead of mystic powers responsible for the repercussions of those actions, the contemporary worldview shifted.

2019, Column, Editorial, Essay, Home Media, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 16, 2019Washington State UniversityComment

GUEST ESSAY: Authority in Architecture: An In-Depth Look at "The Adjustment Bureau"

By Hannah Thayer

The concept of only being able to move a predetermined number of ways within buildings, and within life, is challenged in The Adjustment Bureau. The people in the adjustment bureau are able to defy what architecture is and how it rules us by traveling through space using only doors; they open a door and choose where it leads to. Architecture has no authority over them as they get to use buildings how they see fit and use them to their space-traveling advantage. The built environment can be very demanding and incredibly intimidating. This movie addresses the idea of what is out of our control and how far are we willing to go to get it, while using the built environment to emphasize just how small we really are in the grand scheme of things.

2019, Column, Editorial, Essay, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanDecember 16, 2019Washington State UniversityComment

GUEST ESSAY: "Cidade de Dues:" A Manipulated Reality of Favelas

By Omar Cardoza

In 2002, Cidade de Deus, otherwise known as City of God, was released in Brazil. It did not take too long before the film became internationally acclaimed, in fact this film was nominated for multiple Oscars although it did not win. The film’s narrative, filming techniques, and setting provide for a compelling argument that the whole story is in fact a true depiction of the favelas Brazil. Films and cinema can be a means to generate discourse between a reality presented to us through the screen and the actual reality of the world. This can cause changes not only to the individual but through enough exposure to a broader audience can cause changes at the societal level and “is extremely important and carries tremendous responsibility since believing that films can shape the collective imagination can (re)affirm or deny a preconception or even reinforce…”

GUEST ESSAY: Architecture as Character: “The Hateful Eight” Becomes Nine

By Jake Monroe

Architecture and cinema have formed a relationship through film progression thought the 20th and 21st centuries. This relationship has its roots theater extending beyond the silver screen. Often this relationship acts to create setting, to ground the characters and give them an environment to react to and use to their advantage. It is often used strategically by the filmmakers as a tool for conveying what they set out to tell. At times, however, in the film the architecture transcends the role of place and becomes an active participant in the story at hand. It acts and reacts to alter and progress the story. The Hateful Eight, directed by Quentin Tarantino, is a beautiful example of this kind of architecture in film. I will discuss how the cabin in the film transcends set to become an active character and ultimately have a sense of self.