PODCAST: Episode 11 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For our eleventh episode, our hosts dance around all kinds of points and obstacles to talk about La La Land from 2016. 25YL film critics, honored dads, and summer freedom school teachers Will Johnson and Don Shanahan come from completely different places when it comes to the optics and results of Damien Chazelle's award-winning movie. For this show, these two guys go heady and long on those divergences. Come for the shared challenge and tirade and stay for the mutual love and respect for the fun movies encapsulate. Enjoy our podcast!

Cinephile Hissy Fit, Podcast, 25YL, Media AppearanceDon ShanahanJune 4, 2021La La LandComment

Has The Online Box Office Shift Been a Success?

It did come as a surprise to many at the end of 2020 when Warner Bros had announced their partnership with streaming platform HBO Max to deliver some of the biggest titles of the year directly to online streaming, however, and although many of our favourite forms of entertainment through the likes of gaming options in new slots right through to sporting now being represented with the likes of esports, it was something almost inevitable, but has it been a success?

2021, Column, Editorial, Home Media, StreamingDon ShanahanJune 4, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 5 of the Best Crime Movies Ever Made

by Kevin Gardner

Crime movies, when made well, can be wildly entertaining. Although the subject matter may be disturbing or difficult to watch, these films are often worth the effort. If you're looking for a good option to stream, here are five of the best crime movies ever made.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanJune 4, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 6 Fantastic Con Artist Movies

by Lewis Robinson

While becoming a con artist may not be advisable, watching these individuals in action can be highly entertaining. Because of this, there's a multitude of movies depicting various cons. These films generally leave the audience feeling awed and, oftentimes, tricked. If you're looking to get this experience, here are six fantastic con artist movies.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanJune 2, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 5 Movies NOT to Watch With Your Girlfriend

by Jake S. Splatt

Movie nights are a great way to spend time with your girlfriend. Regardless of whether you watch a romantic comedy or a drama, it will be an experience that will bring you closer together. Watching a movie is the perfect excuse to relax, get cozy with your girlfriend, and get away from the real world. Although you could set the mood perfectly and prepare for the best movie night ever, the film you decide to watch will have a huge impact on your evening. The last thing you want is to watch a movie that will completely spoil the mood of a romantic night in. In case you’re planning a movie night with your significant other soon, here are some films that you should avoid at all costs.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanJune 1, 2021Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL: How the Fast Saga Has Changed Over Time

by Kevin Gardner

The Fast & Furious series is massive with 10 films to its name, including spin-offs like Tokyo Drift and Hobbs & Shaw, and 4 more films are currently in the works. That’s not to mention an animated TV series, Fast & Furious Spy Racers, as well as two short films. This begs the question: does this series suffer from franchise fatigue, something that’s all but inevitable if a series carries on for too long, or does it defy these expectations and trends? While you might not call these films art as such, it’s worth noting that art is necessarily subjective, so mileage may vary.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanJune 1, 2021Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: A Quiet Place Part II

The counterpoint would be to ask why ruin what stands as a distinctive strength. While A Quiet Place Part II ventures outside of its original single setting into the open world of its neighboring countryside, any omniscient truth is still rightfully guarded and methodically uncloaked at its own speed. Simply put, to know any more than our invested characters in harm’s way would take away the whole fascinating mystique that draws us with its purposeful and rapt silence.

2021, 4 STARS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanMay 31, 2021Comment

GUEST CRITIC #65: Judas and the Black Messiah

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 ShanahanMay 29, 2021Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL: The "Escape Room" Movie

by Kevin Gardner

Escape rooms are like an adventure game brought to life. When you play them, you and a team of people are placed in a themed room and have to complete a mission to "escape." It has become a popular activity for team building, family outings and friendly competition among friends. The Escape Room movie took that concept and turned it into a horror film.

Column, Editorial, GUEST CRITIC, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, Independent FilmDon ShanahanMay 29, 2021Comment

PODCAST: Episode 10 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For our tenth episode, our hosts go head-to-head on Todd Phillip's wildly divisive and Oscar-winning film Joker from 2019. 25YL film critics, celebrated dads, and calendar-counting school teachers Will Johnson and Don Shanahan saw this movie's intentions in surprisingly the same way yet come away with shockingly different reactions. They have chosen their Joker hills to die on. Come for the shared challenge and tirade and stay for the mutual love and respect for the fun movies encapsulate. Enjoy our podcast!

Cinephile Hissy Fit, Podcast, 25YL, Media AppearanceDon ShanahanMay 28, 2021JokerComment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "You'll Probably Agree" YouTube channel talking about the Snyder Cut

Recenty, I joined Mike Crowley’s You’ll Probably Agree YouTube show to talk about our lingering impressions from Zack Snyder’s Justice League from HBO Max. He and I were both fans of the lengthened and improved movie the director was granted to complete. We haven’t been able to let it go. Moreso, we’ve been weighing its impact on the matter of creator say, director’s cuts, and where that battle lies between filmmaker and studios. Enjoy this spirited conversation!

Social Media, SPECIAL, Podcast, Media Appearance, Editorial, Home Media, 2021Don ShanahanMay 28, 2021Zack Snyder, Justice League, Mike CrowleyComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Cruella

Cruella tosses that “psycho” term and label around flippantly, even with its successful motivation to be interesting and darker than the usual live-action works from the Mouse House. It offers a villainess to believe in, but what does that say to audiences? Swinging for sympathy towards the amoral could have amounted to the same mistake as Maleficent seven years ago. Luckily, the conniptions and confrontations of “Emma vs. Emma” are damn fun. There’s a welcome place to relish in their wickedness.