GUEST EDITORIAL: How the "Mission: Impossible" Franchise Has Remained Popular

by Kevin Gardner

The Mission: Impossible franchise is a longstanding one, and any long-running series is bound to age over time. However, the general consensus of this venerated film series is that there hasn’t been a bad one in the bunch to date. However, there are still plenty of purists, for example, that hold the original film to be the metric against which the others are measured and inevitably found wanting. Either way, it’s worth taking a look at these to try and understand the lasting success and legacy of the Mission: Impossible franchise.

2021, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanJuly 12, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: Honoring Real-Life Heroes in "Only the Brave"

by Kevin Gardner

In June 2013, 19 out of 20 members of an elite crew of firefighters lost their lives in the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona. Only the Brave is a 2017 film based on a factual article about the ill-fated Granite Mountain Hotshots called No Exit, written by Sean Flynn and published in GQ Magazine. The film depicts the fire as well as the events leading up to it and the aftermath. It cost $38 million to make and only grossed $26.3 million, making it a box-office failure. However, it gained critical acclaim for the respect it paid to the real-life members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots and their families.

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

GUEST EDITORIAL: 3 Advanced Film Technologies and the Movies that Use Them Best

by Kevin Gardner

Technological advances have shaped the way films are created, edited and viewed. This has resulted in amazing effects, captivating world-building and scenes most could not even dream up, further enhancing viewing pleasures for movie fans. Here are technologies reshaping the film industry and the movies most notably featuring these advances.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIALDon ShanahanJuly 12, 2021Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL: The Best Movies About Business

by Kevin Gardner

America is a capitalist society fascinated with making money. Therefore, it probably comes as no surprise that so many movies center around starting businesses, making money, selling them off, and all the legal and ethical problems that can arise along the way. Business movies are good for people who like realistic drama and for those looking to learn something about the way the business world works, even if that means learning what not to do.

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

GUEST COLUMN: The Twists and Turns of "Escape Room"

by Kevin Gardner

If you've ever tried out an escape room with friends, you know how much fun they can be. Have you ever thought about what would happen if the escape room experience went wrong, however? If you love escape rooms and enjoy horror movies, you may want to check out the movie Escape Room on Netflix. This psychological horror film will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you view escape rooms in a whole new way.

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

GUEST EDITORIAL: The Twists and Turns of "Escape Room"

by Kevin Gardner

If you've ever tried out an escape room with friends, you know how much fun they can be. Have you ever thought about what would happen if the escape room experience went wrong, however? If you love escape rooms and enjoy horror movies, you may want to check out the movie Escape Room on Netflix. This psychological horror film will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you view escape rooms in a whole new way

2021, Column, Home MediaDon ShanahanJuly 11, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: Best Tech Movies of the 21st Century

by Kevin Gardner

As technology becomes more significant to everyday life, it inspires people to tell stories about it. Some of these are celebrations of technological advancements while others are cautionary tales about the dangers of becoming too reliant and letting artificial intelligence take over for the real thing. In either case, tech movies can make for engaging storytelling accessible to all audiences.

Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanJuly 11, 2021Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL: Fascinating Facts Behind Movie Props

by Kevin Gardner

Movie properties, more commonly referred to as props, are any object that an actor handles or interacts with on screen. Props are crucially important as they add to the realism of the scene and sometimes have major significance to the plot. However, in many cases, audiences do not pay any attention to the props. This is one sign that the prop masters behind the scenes are doing their job right. A prop should not draw undue attention to itself, distract from the scene, or break the illusion.

Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanJuly 11, 2021Comment

GUEST CRITIC #70: Detroit

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, 2021Don ShanahanJuly 11, 2021Comment

GUEST COLUMN: Fast & Furious Presents: "Hobbs and Shaw"

By fuselinecinema

One thing that popped out in my mind when Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is mentioned is refreshment. Hobbs & Shaw imburses a new color throughout the Fast & Furious universe. It offers a new, different storyline. I was excited when this movie first came out, and I booked my ticket immediately to watch it at the premiere with no hesitation.

Don ShanahanJuly 10, 2021Comment

What Comes Next for Movie Streaming?

It came as a bit of a surprise to some at the end of 2020 when Warner Bros announced their partnership with HBO Max to deliver the latest big box office releases directly to their online streaming platform as well as seeing cinema release and the first of the big studios to really make the change, but as all facets of entertainment move away from traditional physical locations and more toward online options like casinos here at casinogenie.org or even lately for music festivals as some were forced to offer virtual options this past year.

2021, Column, Editorial, Home Media, StreamingDon ShanahanJuly 9, 2021Comment

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Kicking the Seat" Midweek Mischief for Episode 5 of "Loki"

The fifth and penultimate episode of Disney'+’s Loki sent the whole show off a motorcycle ramp with an adventurous episode of Easter eggs and foreboding questions and answers before what is promising to be a pretty impactful finale bext week. “Earth’s Mightiest Critics” were there to talk about all of it and then some on the “Midweek Mischief” panel hosted by Ian Simmons of the Kicking the Seat YouTube channel and podcast. Enjoy Ian, myself, David Fowlie of Keeping It Reel, and Mike Crowley of YPA Reviews. Find us on YouTube every Wednesday and definitely pull up a chair for the big ending next week!