MOVIE REVIEW: Nickel Boys

By Ross’s own words, the camera intensifies objectivity and that speaks volumes for Nickel Boys. Its well-executed impact begs audiences to become further informed on the tragedy after finishing the film. In the end, we cannot let go of what the eyes and arms want, especially if those needs cannot be attained due to the grim circumstances of the story. Better than many works by peers and contemporaries, Nickel Boys longs for us to hold dear the bonds of protective brotherhood with a fascinating filmic experience.

CAPSULE REVIEWS: The Inaugural Oak Park, Illinois Film Festival

This past fall, the eclectic western Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois put on their inaugural film festival. The Oak Park, Illinois Film Festival. Divided into five thematic programming blocks, the festival organizers and leading board members curated a total of 17 films. Three of them were feature-length, and two of those were documentaries. Holding firm to local roots, each film entry had to have an Oak Park connect in front of or behind the camera to be eligible.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Fire Inside

The narratives are constructed to build these tipping points of success with suspense. If the journey has been framed right, the characters have earned their chance at rewards from their exhaustive hard work and preparation. Likewise, viewers come to sports films for those cathartic moments of satisfaction and savor their inspiration power long after. Rachel Morrison’s The Fire Inside follows that very finely-tuned trajectory but does something different with its cinematic stamina and steadfast platform.

MOVIE REVIEW: Los Frikis

Strong with the aforementioned wisdom and historical truth channeled through Medina, Los Frikis was unafraid to present the squalor the brothers rose from and, unfortunately, how AIDS would sever and silence any cultural growth or lasting personal legacies. The result is a difficult and no-less-impressive film that smashes the spirited human condition against aspects of fulfilling indepdence people should never take for granted.

JustWatch: Most Streamed Holiday Movies in the United States

It's that time of year again, and the winter holidays are just around the corner. JustWatch, the world’s largest streaming guide, has used our internal data to determine the most loved holiday movies, and where you can stream them in the United States. We also determined the catalog size of our top streaming providers to see which has the most holiday themed titles.

2024, Column, Editorial, StreamingDon ShanahanNovember 29, 2024JustWatch, Streaming, Christmas Movies, Holiday MoviesComment

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: 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.

MOVIE REVIEW: His Three Daughters

The centerpiece scene is a climactic living room sitdown where old wounds are aired out and cried over with bracing lucidity. By the end of that scene (and later after the entire movie), an engrossed and impressed viewer could fill a clipboard or two tally-marking the scoring balance between earnest apologies against attempted and failed compromises. These exposed fractures in His Three Daughters are fascinating in their complication and frankness beyond the typical grief management narratives. No one ever said catharsis was easy to acquire, and that is the case here.

MOVIE REVIEW: Wolfs

Reunited for the first time since 2008’s Coen Brothers romp Burn After Reading, George and Brad are the perfect men to play these bristled rogues and turn them into winning studs to root for and follow. Between the two of them, it starts with their matinee idol mugs radiating body language. Both Supporting Actor Academy Award winners can act with their eyes better than most of their peers and contemporaries can with their entire bodies and voices.

2024, 4 STARS, Home Media, Streaming, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanSeptember 20, 2024Wolfs, Jon Watts, George Clooney, Brad PittComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Rally Caps

Fans of sports movies know Hollywood loves inflating unknown underdog stories. For example, most folks never heard of the likes of Rudy Ruettiger or Lane Frost before movies like Rudy or 8 Seconds came along to draw cheers and tears. Their success proves it’s not always the size of the legend that always counts. Even so, the grand style of lionizing hero worship is the farthest thing from director Lee Cipolla’s mind.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Instigators

Consequently, The Insitigators comes off like an unbalanced buddy comedy trying to chirp jokes during a grizzled crime thriller. Sure enough, it’s wonderful seeing Casey Affleck shuck the morose persona he’s been leaning on for the last decade across films to play the loquacious rascal. Unfortunately, he’s all by himself. With known charisma and ability in either of those aforementioned subgenres, Matt Damon feels like a waste of talent to play the unlaughing and tame Rory next to Casey’s Cobby.

2 STARS, 2024, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanAugust 1, 2024The Instigators, Apple, Apple TV+, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong ChauComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Space Cadet

However, at some point, Space Cadet has to realize they are planting this character in a profession that demands high qualifications for a reason. For all the wonder surrounding being an astronaut, it’s a job that has life and death risks and consequences. Real astronauts busted their tails and became experts in their field legitimately. Space Cadet asking us to swallow their narrative with Rex besmirches that revered history and belittles the importance of program to a borderline disrespectful level.

1 STAR, 2024, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanJuly 6, 2024Space Cadet, Emma RobertsComment