MOVIE REVIEW: A Quiet Place

The finest horror films have concepts that tap into elemental fears not just in shocking ways, but in engaging ones as well. They find entertainment value in the gripping suspense and provoked panic that tingle our inseparable fight-or-flight human instincts wired to our senses. Surprises are easy, but building lasting reverberation from those sensations is the challenge. John Krasinski’s directorial debut, A Quiet Place, chooses to strike our sense of hearing, combining a slick creature-feature with a chamber piece of deadly silence that immerses the audience in compelling thrills.

2018, 4 STARS, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanApril 4, 2018Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: 1945

The end of a large war is always a turning point that trickles down from the front lines and the soldiers at arms to the home front with those that maintained their respective communities when their fighters were away. Wars benefit some community members while tragically redefining others. 1945 is a small and intense microcosm of that dichotomy demonstrated over the course of one fateful day in the aftermath of World War II. Shot in bracing black-and-white, this film exudes strong themes of guilt across several points of view.

MOVIE REVIEW: Cold War

In Cold War, Jon and Maggie’s misery is our delight and played for side-splitting laughs. The level of vomit in the film is as voluminous as the dark humor. This comedy is the brainchild of writer J. Wilder Konschak making his feature-length screenplay and co-directing debut with Stirling MacLaughlin. His created scenarios and pitfalls are bracingly honest for both their entertaining embarrassment and sinister believability.

2018, 4 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Film Festival, Video on DemandDon ShanahanApril 3, 2018Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: I Kill Giants

For the YA film demographic, I would trade the dozens of run-of-the-mill repetitive and mindless roller coaster rides for more stories and movies that engage and matter like I Kill Giants. Following in the footsteps of the likes of Pete’s Dragon and A Monster Calls in recent years, we have a more adult fairy tale that is not shy about heavy themes and strong emotions and enlightens them with a level of imagination that is fragile and brutal with its beauty at the same time.

Video on Demand, 5 STARS, Independent Film, 2018, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanMarch 31, 2018Comment

EDITORIAL: 2018 March Madness Movie Bracket Challenges

Everything nowadays gets scored and ranked against everything. As an educator with accountability to assessment and achievement, I can respect that and gladly drink that Kool-Aid. With the annual NCAA March Madness tournament going on in full swing, a pair of movie-themed brackets have been surfing the Facebook waves and I couldn't help but be intrigued. One challenge is for the youthful casual fan and one is for the somewhat more serious cinephile.

2018, Column, Editorial, LIST, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanMarch 30, 2018Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Ready Player One

Ready Player One is the liveliest Spielberg film in a decade or more. You could spend hours pausing every frame of this film to discover and relish in the multitude of buried treasures, making the film’s rewatch and replay value tremendous. The nostalgia factor of this film should be a high-score badge of achievement and not a knock of pitiful pandering. Dream fulfillment is a worthy and ambitious target for audience inspiration. That tangible sensation equals the desired blissful excitement this film delivers.

Film Festival, 2018, MOVIE REVIEW, 4 STARSDon ShanahanMarch 27, 2018 Comments

MOVIE REVIEW: Mohawk

Their maddening pursuit for prisoners takes the opponents into a rustic valley of Mohawk turf with a river bordering one side and the full war on the other. One by one, grizzly deaths dwindle numbers on both sides until the prophetic zinger line of “we’re the only monsters left out here” brings forth another plane of peril. The aggressive hunt turns ethereal and truly primal towards a crackling climax of mist and fire.

2018, 4 STARS, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Film Festival, Video on DemandDon ShanahanMarch 25, 2018Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Paul, Apostle of Christ

Removing the religious marrow from the bones of Paul, Apostle of Christ will not weaken the story being told by the film. At its core, the reverent desire to document an enlightened jailed man’s life story before his pending death is a respectful measure of learning and commitment anyone from any walk of life can appreciate. Moreover, when the purpose of recording is to carry on the prisoner’s mission, the sense of regard grows. Once the spiritual gravity of the “who” and the “what” is applied, the importance of this chronicle increases even further.

2018, 3 STARS, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanMarch 25, 2018Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Journey's End

Journey’s End recounts the British side of a climactic four-day span from March 18-21, 1918 in the stalemate “No Man’s Land” trenches of Aisne in northern France in the lead-up to Operation Michael. Every month, each British company is required to serve six days on the front line where casualties are gravely high. Gambling with death sentences, both trooper and officer alike pray that their six days are not the ones where an offensive is being amassed or defended.

MEDIA APPEARANCE: "Connecting With Classics" Episode #3: "All About Eve"

March is Women’s History Month, so for Episode 3, Aaron White of Feelin' Film and I researched some of the best female performances of all-time and found the perfect film to discuss on the AFI's Top 100 10th Anniversary list. We didn’t have to go far because slotted at #16 on their original list and #28 on their anniversary the list is Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s All About Eve. Before this podcast, this was a “blind spot” for both of us. That’s the beauty of this “Connecting With Classics” series. We all can find new greats to enjoy, even the hosts.

2018, 5 STARSDon ShanahanMarch 22, 2018Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Flower

Though measured as a small independent film, Flower is an undoubted showcase platform for the soaring talent of Zooey Deutch. Clad in her plain tank-tops and empowering a character with all kinds of obscene confidence, not even the worst behaviors on display can take away the magnetism of her frank and jarring performance. For most of the film, she shines repulsiveness with unmatched charisma.

INFOGRAPHIC: The Greatest Bets On Screen

I know I love a good gambling film. The anticipation and setup of a clever bet, con, or rouse can crack with cinematic excitement. If I had to add one to this list, it would the football skybox scene in 2015's Will Smith vehicle Focus. Here are some other winning moments. Enjoy this fun infographic from vegasslotsonline.com!

2018, Infographic, LIST, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanMarch 20, 2018Comment