MOVIE REVIEW: Lone Survivor

Especially in the cases of movies based on true stories, we too often play "armchair quarterback." We think we know the truth or can spot a lie when, very likely, we weren't part of the actual events. We call out movies for their believability and realism on two ends of a spectrum. On one end, we accuse them of exaggerating and stretching the truth of a real story. Our answer for that is a dismissive "come on" and "no way." On the other hand, we will chastise them for being sanitized, sugarcoated, and not real enough when necessary. For those, we still answer with a different, but similar "come on" and "no way."

"2013 Holiday Movies", "2014", "4 STARS", "Lone Survivor", "Movie Review"Don ShanahanJanuary 8, 2014Chicago, IL, USAComment

COLUMN: 2014 Winter Movie Preview

Well, movie fans, the changing of the calendar might bring new hope and enthusiasm in our personal lives, but, let me tell you, this is, annually, the worst season for movies. Enjoy the Christmas leftovers while you can, because these are the annual dog days of winter at the multiplex. The awards season with the upcoming Golden Globes and Academy Awards keeps a few things shiny, but the months of January and February are predominately the dumping grounds for movies that weren't deemed good enough for Oscar or hit-worthy enough for kids and families on holiday break.

MEDIA APPEARANCE #2: Guest on the "Day at the Movies" weekly radio show!

On January 6th, I will be a special guest on the show as we discuss our best and worst films of 2013. Hear us go toe-to-toe to either champion or poo-poo certain films from last year.

EDITORIAL: New Year's Resolutions for the Movie Industry in 2014

As I say every year, 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. I volunteer to stand in and make those resolutions in one of my favorite editorials to writes every year. Welcome to my third annual "New Year's Resolutions for the Movie Industry."

EDITORIAL: My 14 most anticipated films of 2014

I think all movie fans, even the casual ones, make lists like this in their head after seeing a good trailer or reading a good article. I'm going to spell mine out and dig a little deeper, just as I have the last two years.

EDITORIAL: The Worst Films of 2013

After posting my "10 Best" films of 2013, it's only fair that I also post the worst films of the year.

"10 Worst", "2014", "Column", "Editorial", "Top 10 list", "Worst of 2013"Don ShanahanJanuary 2, 2014Chicago, IL, USAComment

CHECKLIST: 2014 Winter Movie Calendar

Before my full 2014 Winter Movie Preview arrives, here's a bare-bones calendar and checklist of this season's upcoming releases. As always, keep in mind that releases dates shift all the time.

EDITORIAL: The 10 Best Films of 2013

For the third year in a row, I've been lucky enough to catch as many of the best and brightest movies of 2013 as possible before the official end of the year today. I managed to keep seeing movies and discovered the beauty of Video on Demand, which expanded my opportunities to review movies running concurrently in theaters. I found greater luck being near the big city of Chicago to win my way into advance screenings through contests and Gofobo events. The best part of all was getting the chance to treat myself and take part in the 49th Chicago International Film Festival, where three of my "10 Best" movies came from. I'm amazed that I was able to see all that I did with a new little piece of entertainment at home.

"10 Best Films of 2013", "10 Best", "2013", "Best of 2013", "Column", "Editorial"Don ShanahanDecember 31, 2013Chicago, IL, USAComment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Wolf of Wall Street

Since the Christmas Day release of The Wolf of Wall Street from director Martin Scorsese, the peaks and valleys of the buzz and backlash being traded back and forth has been nothing short of eye-opening. We see a few controversial movies come out every year, but this one is becoming hugely different.

"2013 Holiday Movies", "2013", "4 STARS", "Movie Review", "The Wolf of Wall Street"Don ShanahanDecember 30, 2013Chicago, IL, USAComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Her

Her, the new film from Being John Malkovich and Where the Wild Things Are director Spike Jonze, takes a look at that level of dichotomy and extends it into the not-too-distant future in a very different kind of science fiction setting.

MOVIE REVIEW: Inside Llewyn Davis

It was Oscar Wilde that famously said "life imitates art more than art imitates life." When that mantra gets applied to cinema, we commonly talk about how we, as audiences, live vicariously through the imagination and fantasies that films create for us. The first part of that quote gets talked about all the time in that way. It's not too often that the second half of that quote comes true, but I feel that Ethan and Joel Coen have achieved just that with their latest feature film, Inside Llewyn Davis. As a fictional documentation and internal look at a crucial week-long journey in the life of an aspiring folk singer in 1961 Greenwich Village within New York City, Inside Llewyn Davis uniquely feels more like a film taking on real life than one pretending the other way around, as is so often the case with movies. While unique, I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing. Let me explain.

2013, 3 STARS, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanDecember 27, 2013Chicago, IL, USAComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Frozen

Like Tangled, Frozen exceeds all expectations and inches Walt Disney Animation Studios more and more closer to regaining their esteemed animation reputation as the best in the business. I'm not quite ready to crown a new champion the way Cinema Blend describes, but I will say that this puts them back in the conversation.

"2013 Holiday Movies", "2013", "3 STARS", "Frozen", "Movie Review"Don ShanahanDecember 25, 2013Chicago, IL, USAComment