PODCAST: Episode 178 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 178th episode, two non-Austrian film critics, two log-carrying dads, and two rocket-launching teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, kick off the beginning of a recurring side series of films described as a "Tight 90." In today's era of exhausting epics and effusive directors' cuts, Will and Don celebrate movies that nailed their purpose and entertainment value in 90 minutes or less. Their first feature is the Arnold Schwarzenegger action favorite Commando from 1985, a movie that packs punches, explosions, and montages, all in a tidy time.

MOVIE REVIEW: Bonhoeffer

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a man who wouldn’t see his 40th birthday and played by The Golden Glove’s Jonas Dassler, was many things that the movie’s marketing campaign wants to emphasize by using the extra titling of Pastor. Spy. Assassin. However, the more apt descriptor for him would be a dissident. Resistance starts with disagreement before action. Bonhoeffer chronicles how Deitrich Bonhoeffer came to his dissident positions and how he would put those principles into service to honor of his beliefs and the greater good.

2023, 2024, 3 STARS, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanNovember 23, 2024Bonhoeffer, Jonas Dassler, August Diehl, Todd KomarnickiComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Out of My Mind

Just like with Melody, patience is required and cynical stigmas need to be shelved for this family-friendly dramedy. Be patient because brilliance will be revealed and faith will be rewarded by an empathic engine of a film that demands to be required viewing– and maybe even prescribed penance– for several ages and generations of privilege circulating society today. What this girl and this movie want to say demands to be seen and heard.

MOVIE REVIEW: You & I

Altogether, Summer Shelton has composed a pungent expanse of reflective maturity with You & I that puts honesty on the “what if” sliding doors many viewers may feel when comparing their own histories of love. The entirety of this film’s course exudes thoughtful reflection and a wise restraint borne from the romantic predicament on screen. You & I is passionate without being overtly explicit, yet the reverberating echoes of those instinctual feelings are intense and even morose in their own way.

2023, 2024, 3 STARS, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanNovember 16, 2024You & I, Summer Shelton, Clayne CrawfordComment

PODCAST: Episode 177 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 177th episode, two racket-tightening film critics, two titillated dads, and two sweaty teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, circle back to earlier in 2024 to watch more than just tennis balls being hit back and forth in the Luca Guadagnino's mainstream breakout hit Challengers. Our guys debate trying to say great things about a very good movie and whether or not the love triangle between Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor was hot enough to warrant the hype.

PODCAST: Episode 176 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 176th episode, two hungover film critics, two jug-filling dads, and two stuttering teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, pop a few aspirins and take it back to 1995 to talk about Die Hard with a Vengeance. Our hosts sing the praises of the addition of Samuel L. Jackson and debate the possible difference between "favorite" and "best" when it comes to ranking the Die Hard series.

PODCAST: Episode 175 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

or their 175th episode, two buff film critics, two gossipy dads, and two romantic teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, found themselves smitten recently with last year’s runaway hit Anyone But You. Many have called this Sydney Sweeney/Glen Powell vehicle the return of the big-screen rom-com. Our hosts have been doing their homework on that genre this year and are happy to weigh in.

PODCAST: Episode 174 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 174th episode, two roughneck film critics, two bioluminescent dads, and two teachers with the bends, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, venture below the waves to the deep trench of James Cameron hallmarks that compose The Abyss, starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. They pull out all the oxygen tanks and “water weenies” out for a good show.

Cinephile Hissy Fit, Podcast, Media Appearance, 2023Don ShanahanNovember 2, 2024Cinephile Hissy Fit, Podcast, Will Johnson, Film Obsessive, The AbyssComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Woman of the Hour

Even though a fair share of great liberties were taken to change how the actual Dating Game episode played out, the palpable lift and principled spotlight given to Sheryl’s perspective and struggle raise Woman of the Hour above a plodding true crime story or a period-era costume party. Kendrick hammers the problematic and deadly ordeal home by exploring the evidential threads and dangerous effects of two very different minefields brought together. Stone-cold seriousness hides behind the bright lights and clapping audiences, and any fluff is soaked in effective poison.

PODCAST: Episode 173 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 173rd episode, two space trucker film critics, two face-hugged dads, and two android school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, welcome back their returning favorite guest Cati Glidewell of The Blonde in Front for the second appearance of two back-to-back shows. They collaborate to evaluate the hotly anticipated late summer blockbuster hopeful Alien: Romulus. Is this another dead horse beaten in space or should we be able to hear the screams?

PODCAST: Episode 172 of "The Cinephile Hissy Fit" Podcast

For their 172nd episode, two possessed film critics, two hot-and-bothered dads, and two demonic school teachers, Will Johnson and Don Shanahan, welcome back their returning favorite guest Cati Glidewell of The Blonde in Front for the first of a pair of episodes. This show hops into the land of Lovecraftian horror with the 2023 Heather Graham vehicle Suitable Flesh. The three miss this kind of bloody sizzle.

MOVIE REVIEW: Lee

Matching the shared praise shown within the journalism realm from that heart, there’s an automatic level of respect demanded and earned by Kate Winslet. Her clout as an actress equals her commitment to the difficulty of this role in Lee. Knocking on the door of 50 years old, Winslet nevers wastes a scene of this plum opportunity. The very same can be said of the moral foil and intrepid shadow portrayed by Andy Samberg as Scherman. The frequent funnyman capably uncorks his first dramatic film role with absolute reverence for the true and vigilant representation his character involves and embodies.