MOVIE REVIEW: Zack Snyder's Justice League

Give the determined and reinvigorated 300 and Watchmen director four-hours, extra millions, and full creative control and you get this kind of beefy result. Zack Snyder’s Justice League builds the saga both the audiences and characters deserved four years ago. Nearly every artistic and technical layer moves with a different beat and flourish. Even with the problematic precedent this whole odyssey set into motion from a fan outrage/support standpoint, this new result is a positive testament to what this second attempt means for and earns both the creators and the consumers.

4 STARS, 2021, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Justice League, Zack SnyderComment

GUEST EDITORIAL: How Do Movies Portray Casino Gambling?

The movie business is a big business. And many great and popular movies have been made on the silver screen. There are some really bad ones, too, but that's just part of the appeal. Casino gambling is big business, as well, and it's easy to see why.

2021, Column, Editorial, Social MediaDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: "A Leaf of Faith": What You Can Learn About Kratom From the Documentary

by Crystal M. Wilson

The film A Leaf of Faith by Chris Bell revolves around the American Opioid crisis and how an alternative substance, Kratom, can address the issue. In 2019, 49,860 people died from an opioid overdose, according to the National Institute of drug abuse. Opioids include prescription painkillers, methadone, fentanyl, heroin, natural, synthetic, and quasi-synthetic opioids.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Documentary, Home MediaDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Comment

INFOGRAPHIC: The Most-Filmed Movie Locations in Every Country

by Barbara Davidson

New study reveals the most popular filming locations in each country around the world You know that feeling when you’re watching a movie and you see old-what’s-his-name appear in a supporting role? Ever had that feeling about a movie location? You turn to your viewing buddy (or to Google) to ask “what have I seen that guy/building/monument in before?” Your buddy probably shrugs. Some locations, like some actors, are just there. Again and again. Doing their thing in every movie ever made, apparently. NetCredit has stepped in to help your inner movie-nerd. We’ve identified the “that guy” locations of every country in the world: the landmarks and buildings that have the most movie credits on IMDb.

2021, Column, Editorial, Infographic, SPECIALDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Comment

GUEST CRITIC #61: Hoodlum

by Lafronda Stumn

As busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me. As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, there are other experts out there. Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy. Sometimes, they save me $9 and you 800+ words of blathering. In a new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for guest movie reviews.

GUEST CRITIC, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Social Media, Foreign Film, 2021Don ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 7 Immensely Informative Cannabis Documentaries You Can Look For

by Crystal M. Wilson

Watching documentaries is a different kind of fun. Filmmakers intend something more than just entertainment when they make documentaries. That is the reason why documentaries are informative, eye-opening, and in many cases, thought-provoking. When you like watching stories of real people in their own words, you enjoy watching documentaries. They describe the stories of things in very real and raw form making them very appealing to the crowd.

2021, Column, Documentary, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, Editorial, StreamingDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 15 Movies With Charismatic Characters that Everyone Will Love

by Clarissa Shuman

When it comes to movies there are some that just stick out like a sore thumb. Some movies last the test of time and can be watched over and over again. In this list of movies and movie characters, you will see the greatest and most thrilling movies of all time. They feature some of the most incredible characters that make the movie last the test of time. There are some movie characters that you could not imagine being able to replace in a movie. In this list, you will see the characters that are irreplaceable in their specific movies. The acting was so good, that the movie would not be the same without them starring at it. So let us start with the first one on the list.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: A License to Swill: Which James Bond Had the Biggest Bar Tab?

It’s no secret that James Bond is partial to a martini. A lot of his official business takes places in casinos, bars, and luxury hotels – all of which are enticing spots for a tipple or two, even when on duty. However, as an employee of M16 in the movies (Secret Intelligence Service in real-life), his expenses come directly from the pockets of UK taxpayers. With this in mind, personal finance experts, Ocean Finance, wanted to uncover which of the six Bonds is the booziest, racking up the biggest bar tabs with the nation’s money.

2021, Column, Editorial, Home Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanMarch 15, 2021Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Cherry

Cherry feels like the cinematic embodiment of the expression “throw everything at the wall to see if it sticks.” The Collins Dictionary defines that to mean saying something “that is not believable but hoping that what is said will be acceptable as truth.” For the movie, it’s about the performers and filmmakers piling on every trope and trick they can to try and get noticed for praise. To that end, Cherry is trying way, way too hard.

2 STARS, 2021, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanMarch 14, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: Movies To Get You in the Mood for Spring

by Kevin Faber

Winter can seem to drag on interminably. Depending on where you live, you may see snowstorms well into April and even May. Nevertheless, even when the weather seems to indicate otherwise, spring is on its way. The lengthening days alone are probably enough to lighten your mood, but if you need some help getting out of the winter doldrums and into the spring mindset, here are some movies to watch that may help.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanMarch 12, 2021Comment

EDITORIAL: A Guide To Movie Script Writing

Even if you are confident about your idea for a screenplay, actually sitting down to write a movie script can be incredibly daunting. If it is your first time writing a movie script, it can be difficult to even know where to begin. This guide is here to help by showing you the best methods to use to successfully begin writing your first ever screenplay.

2021, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanMarch 12, 2021Comment

SHORT FILM REVIEW: Batman: Dying is Easy

The medium of movies fits the swelling urge to be big and loud. They are sensory explosions we love, but that only goes so far in that endless style vs. substance debate. No matter the noise or spectacle, in this critic’s opinion, story and character are what secure success the most. The crowdfunded Batman: Dying is Easy is precisely that example. The short film from Sean and Aaron Schoenke of Bat in the Sun Productions nails its characters without overplaying spectacle. That’s likely a lecture that we may very well revisit this very week with a certain hotly anticipated director’s cut fanning all the fanboy flames in sight.