MOVIE REVIEW: The Equalizer 2

Turning 64 this year, Denzel Washington’s eyes may be heavier and his body might be softer than before, but it’s what’s between his ears and trumpeting out of his mouth that are truly ageless. For The Equalizer 2, all four years has done is make this man-of-action more methodical and calculating with this ass-kicking punishment and sin-correcting righteousness. This twisty sequel takes the temperature and weight of the cold lead hammer that is Denzel and heats it with anger and stakes to match the hot lead being shot around him.

MOVIE REVIEW, 4 STARS, 2018Don ShanahanJuly 18, 2018Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Eighth Grade

Dropped jaws, bashfulness, winces, worries, and all, this dynamite film needs to be required viewing for the teens out there, especially girls, of these complicated and confusing present times. And the people that should be joining them in the next closest seats are their parents who need their eyes and hearts opened as well. Adults, this Eighth Grade may not be your plight or a mirror to your own middle school experience, but you can engage and empathize easily with its challenges.

MOVIE REVIEW: Skyscraper

When you see Dwayne Johnson wipe his sweat, furrow his brow, clench his muscles, and fixate his eyes of indomitable resilience at each obstacle in Skyscaper with the sole goal of rescuing his wife and two kids from a 225-story burning building, you immediately feel completely inadequate as a man and especially a father. You want a dad like The Rock. Johnson is the ultimate winning answer to every playground banter battle of “my dad is tougher than your dad.” His screen children don’t know how good they have it, but we sure do enjoying another glossy, ballsy, and brawny summer blockbuster from the most dependable and bankable action star in the world.

2018, 3 STARS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanJuly 15, 2018Classic Cinemas North Riverside 7Comment

COLUMN: Late summer box office forecast

Every annual summer box office season tends to be front-loaded in the months of May and June with films looking to rake in the dough early. Disney releases led the way. The Mouse House clearly isn’t hurting and neither is the competition. But there’s still two months of the summer schedule to go. A few solid contenders remain to clean up the remaining monetary potential of the 2018 summer box office. Let’s take a quick look at the remaining field.

2018, Column, Editorial, Social MediaDon ShanahanJuly 13, 2018Comment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: David Ehrlich's IndieWire Critics Survey on July 9, 2018

Notable and notorious IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich recently put out a social media call for film critic peers to join a weekly survey to discuss movie topics, answer questions, and highlight their work. Representing Every Movie Has a Lesson, I, along with over 60 other emerging and established film critics including some of my fellow Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle members, accepted the invitation to participate. I'm honored by the opportunity, and I hope my responses are chosen each week.

2018, Independent Film, Media Appearance, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanJuly 11, 2018David EhrlichComment

INFOGRAPHIC: Ranking the most iconic movie falls

Long, dramatic falls are a frequently used device in cinema to provide a suitably theatrical demise for a character. Whether it’s from a skyscraper, an aircraft or even a mountain chasm, there are few more visually arresting ways to provide a cinematic send-off. To give the frequently used set-piece some well-needed recognition, Roof Stores put together a movie "Fall of Fame" acknowledging the best examples of falling in film history. Enjoy!

2018, Column, Editorial, Infographic, LIST, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanJuly 11, 2018Comment

SPECIAL: Highlights for the upcoming 22nd Fantasia International Film Festival

The expression "lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!" merely scratches the surface of the wildly imaginative creations that grace the annual Fantasia International Film Festival. The Montreal-based gathering celebrates its 22nd year from July 12 through August 2. Long acclaimed as one the largest and best exhibitions of genre films in North America, this year's festival lineup has as much promise as it does fantasy and Every Movie Has a Lesson will be offering its reviews and coverage.

MEDIA APPEARANCE: David Ehrlich's IndieWire Critics Survey on July 2, 2018

Notable and notorious IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich recently put out a social media call for film critic peers to join a weekly survey to discuss movie topics, answer questions, and highlight their work. Representing Every Movie Has a Lesson, I, along with over 60 other emerging and established film critics including some of my fellow Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle members, accepted the invitation to participate. I'm honored by the opportunity, and I hope my responses are chosen each week.

2018, Independent Film, Media Appearance, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanJuly 4, 2018Comment

EDITORIAL: The Best Films of 2018 (so far)

Usually for this website, half of a year equals half of a future “10 Best” in December, meaning normally only five films make this “best of” list. However, I have seen six 5-star feature films as well as one 5-star documentary and one 5-star short film. I’m giving all of them the spotlight. As always for this “so-far” list and the year-end final and true to my website’s hook, I present each film with its best life lesson from my review. Enjoy!

10 Best, 2018, Best Films, Column, Editorial, Independent Film, LIST, SPECIALDon ShanahanJuly 2, 2018 Comments

MEDIA APPEARANCE: David Ehrlich's IndieWire Critics Survey on June 25, 2018

Notable and notorious IndieWire film critic David Ehrlich recently put out a social media call for film critic peers to join a weekly survey to discuss movie topics, answer questions, and highlight their work. Representing Every Movie Has a Lesson, I, along with over 60 other emerging and established film critics including some of my fellow Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle members, accepted the invitation to participate. I'm honored by the opportunity, and I hope my responses are chosen each week.

2018, Independent Film, Media Appearance, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanJune 29, 2018Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Ant-Man and the Wasp

Pun not intended, but Ant-Man and the Wasp is where Marvel goes to get small, and not in the obvious sense of the heroes’ sizes. The narrative and scope gets smaller. Amid the mega-powered showdowns and high stakes elsewhere, it is encouraging to know that Marvel can still make local-level superhero stories and not make everything so overpopulated, globe-trotting, and cataclysmic in importance. Smaller is what the source comic books used to be. Smaller is still fully-formed and, most of all, smaller is welcome.

2018, 3 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanJune 27, 2018AMC River East 21Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Sicario: Day of Soldado

Luckily, this cinematic cactus retains the nectar at its core underneath the lesser spiny exterior. Sicario: Day of Soldado still has dynamic screenwriter Taylor Sheridan scripting the suspense and the twin returning brutes of Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin to shoot and punch the lights out. Following his Oscar nomination for Hell or High Water and his superior directorial debut of Wind River, Sheridan is on a hot streak and pens a worthy follow-up to what should have been his first Oscar nomination a year prior to the one he received.

2018, 3 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanJune 26, 2018Comment