EDITORIAL: The 10 best movies set in Hawaii

Let's look at the best films set in and about Hawaii, its people, citizens, and history. To make this list, the film has to actually be about and predominantly set in Hawaii. Any movies that start or end somewhere else, where Hawaii is purely a side trip or vacation, are not good enough. Here are the top ten as they stand before the arrival of "Aloha" this weekend. Can that film crack this list? We shall see.

COLUMN: 2015 Spring Movie Preview

Normally ever year, there's a few more movies during the spring season to sink our teeth into that the winter season before it. Normally, there's little more buzz and hype because the slow opening of the year is over, the awards season is done, and summer is around the corner. This year, I don't think that can be said. Read on and see if you can find something to spark your interest.

2015, Column, EditorialDon ShanahanMarch 1, 20152015 Spring Movies, 2015 Spring Movie Preview, 2015 Spring Movie Calendar, 2015 Spring Movie Checklist, Seasonal preview, Don Shanahan, Donald Shanahan, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Column, Editorial Comments

EDITORIAL: 16 films to watch for the 2016 Oscars

Once one awards season ends, another one begins! The winners from last night's 87th Academy Awards can bask in the glow of immortality for a while. Meanwhile, business in Hollywood will quickly shift and move on to the 88th Academy Awards that will happen in February 2016. Before the year of 2015 is out, we will soon learn and adopt another crop of competitive films to equally revere and nit-pick. Here are 16 films to watch for the 2016 Oscars.

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2015: The female acting awards

It's time to begin making my formal and official Oscar predictions. In this fifth post, we start to get the acting areas of "The Big 8" Oscar categories. Here, we look at the female acting awards of Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Let's do this and pick some winners! I've said it all season. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool.

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2015: The writing and directing categories

It's time to begin making my formal and official Oscar predictions. In this fourth post, we start to get the beginning three of "The Big 8" Oscar categories. Here, we look at the writing and directing awards for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Let's do this and pick some winners! I've said it all season. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool.

COLUMN: My Worst Films of 2014

Here are three lists of the worst movies of the 2014, as ranked by Every Movie Has a Lesson and fans of the website. Enjoy and Happy New Year! Let's turn the page to a new year.

EDITORIAL: My picks for the greatest movie scores

Here's my official list of my top 10 movie scores with three unbreakable ties. I can't call them the "greatest," but I'll put my list next to anyone's and defend my choices. My friends and followers kind of poked the bear and encouraged me to make and rank my own list. Well, I love a good challenge and I knew this one would be easy. Movie scores and I get along.

SPECIAL, Editorial, 2014, ColumnDon ShanahanNovember 14, 2014Editorial, The Shawshank Redemption, Jaws, Hans Zimmer, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Batman, Interstellar, Ennio Morricone, Gladiator, film music, Dr. Zhivago, Star Wars trilogy, Column, Nino Rota, Elmer Bernstein, Star Wars, The Good Bad and the Ugly, Out of Africa, John Barry, James Bond theme, Rudy, James Horner, Howard Shore, The Dark Knight, Up, Legends of the Fall, John Williams, Superman, Movie music, Michael Giacchino, Gone With the Wind, Vertigo, Bill Conti, Danny Elfman, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, The Good, Titanic, Braveheart, Bernard Herrmann, The Magnificent Seven, Dances With Wolves, Indiana Jones, Psycho, Schindler's List, Jerry Goldsmith, The Godfather, The Mission, Rocky, Lawrence of Arabia, Itzhak Perlman, Thomas Newman, film scores, The Lord of the Rings Comment

EDITORIAL: Improving on the "Mozart Effect" with movie music

For those website followers that don't know me on social media, I've become a first-time father in the past year-and-a-half and have a second child on the way due this fall. For this column, I might turn into a parenting blogger more than a movie critic, but bear with me. I think you will like it.

EDITORIAL: The Best of 2014 (so far)

Here are my picks for the "Best of 2014 (so far)" with a halfway count of the five best instead of the full ten. It must be said, that I have far from seen every possible 2014 film entry. Plenty of mainstream and arthouse films have eluded me and my busy schedule, but there is enough to talk about here. As always, in matching with the theme of my website, I couple the best-so-far selection with the film's best life lesson. Enjoy!

EDITORIAL: The 15 films to watch for the 2015 Oscars

Once one awards season ends, another one begins! The winners from last night's 86th Academy Awards can bask in the glow of immortality for a while. Meanwhile, business in Hollywood will quickly shift and move on to the 87th Academy Awards that will happen in February or March of 2015. Here are 15 films to watch for the 2015 Oscars.

2014, Column, EditorialDon ShanahanMarch 3, 20142015 Oscars, 87th Academy Awards, Whiplash, Sundance Film Festival, M, Miles Teller, Philip Seymour Hoffman, A Most Wanted Man, John le Carre, Anton Corbjin, The American, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright, Magic in the Moonlight, Emma Stone, Woody Allen, Colin Firth, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson, Ralph Fiennes, Serena, Bradley Cooper, Brothers, Jennifer Lawrence, Gone Girl, David Fincher, Ben Affleck, Get on Up, James Brown, Chadwick Boseman, Tate Taylor, The Help, Oscar Predictions, Oscar nominations, Oscars, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Editorial, Column, movie commentary, Interstellar, Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Christopher Nolan, Fury, David Ayer, End of Watch, Shia LeBouf, Logan Lerman, Exodus, Noah, Darren Aronofsky, Ridley Scott, Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Bible, Inherent Vice, Paul Thomas Anderson, Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, P.T. Anderson, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Peter Jackson, Into the Woods, Disney, Rob Marshall, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, Emily Blunt, Anna Kendrick, Unbroken, Angelina Jolie, Louis Zamperini, Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleason, Jai Courtney, Garrett Hedlund, Cameron Crowe, Danny McBride, John Krasinkski, Bill Murray, Will Smith, Annie, Quvenzhane Wallis, Clint Eastwood, Jersey Boys, Frankie ValliComment

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2014: The visual and artistic categories

It's time to make my formal predictions. In this post, we look at the visual and artistic technical categories that include cinematography, costumes, makeup, editing, visual effects, and editing. Let's go!