One could say melodramas take preposterous human mistakes and play them for dramatic effect. They challenge the audience to interpret how you would act defiantly or morally differently in the same situation. These films do so while still compelling you watch in hope for any semblance of a happy ending. To understand “The Light Between Oceans” is to understand melodrama. The themes of melodramatic journeys are meant to be arduous. In the medium of film, the clinchers that aid in the ability to embrace and appreciate a melodrama are its tone and the acting performances. “The Light Between Oceans” flourishes to accomplish both benchmarks.

ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, 2016, MOVIE REVIEW, 5 STARSDon ShanahanAugust 31, 2016World War I, The Place Beyond the Pines, life lessons from films, Donald Shanahan, Epic, The Lobster, 2016 Fall Movies, Every Movie Has a Lesson, David Lean, movie review, The Danish Girl, Malborough, New Zealand, life lessons, 12 Years a Slave, The Light Between Oceans, Oscar contenders, Adam Arkapaw, Tim Dirks, Alexandre Desplat, Bryan Brown, Cinematography, Oscar hopefuls, Don Shanahan, Youth, Jack Thompson, AMC, Alicia Vikander, Macbeth, Ingrid Bergman, melodramas, life lessons from movies, 2016, Oscar race, life lessons from film, Blue Valentine, Shame, Awards bait, Oscar bait, movie commentary, Michael Fassbender, Filmsite.org, Derek Cianfrance, film commentary, movie melodramas, Rachel Weisz, film review, Cape Campbell Lighthouse, M.L. Steadman, Filmsite, Daniel Day-Lewis, Steve Jobs Comments

MOVIE REVIEW: Z for Zachariah

Playing concurrently in limited theatrical release and on Video On Demand outlets after debuting at January's Sundance Film Festival, "Z for Zachariah" is based on Robert C. O'Brien's 1974 novel of the same name. Written in the form of a diary during the paranoid peak of the 1970's, the post-apocalyptic novel reverberated with tension and clashes of survival. Even with a trio of talented actors that turn heads, you would never know such crackle existed from the resulting film that falls flat at every turn.

MOVIE REVIEW: Selma

"Selma," whose name echoes the history being told, is one of those films that gets history right, honors it, entertains you without sacrificing the real thing, and moves you to no end. Anchored by an amazing lead performance from David Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Selma" has the ability to break and shatter the hardest of souls, thicken your pulse, and devour your tissue box. The experience is entirely worth all of that trouble. Best of all, it earn that emotion from you. Dare I say, "Selma" might be even better than last year's Best Picture winner "12 Years a Slave." That's the level of impact we're talking about.

MOVIE REVIEW, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, 2014, 5 STARS, 2015Don ShanahanJanuary 1, 2015Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., life lessons from films, life lessons from movies, Films inspired by actual events, Tim Roth, Common, Films based on actual events, life lessons, Montgomery, Selma, Carmen Ejogo, life lessons from film, Tom Wilkinson, Giovanni Ribisi, Coretta Scott King, Ava DuVernay, Martin Sheen, Alessandro Nivola, Lyndon B. Johnson, Wendell Pierce, Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jim Crow Laws, Civil Rights Act, Voter Registration, Tessa Thompson, James Bevel, Diane Nash, John Lewis, Stephan James, Lorraine Toussaint, Hosea Williams, Annie Lee Cooper, Amelia Boynton, Colman Domingo, Ralph Abernathy, 12 Years a Slave, Henry G. Sanders, Jason Moran, Bradford Young, George Wallace, Lyndon JohnsonComment

CHECKLIST: My full and official 2014 Oscar predictions

Alright, folks! I've done all of the research I can with my 2014 Awards Tracker. I've read all of the tea leaves and broken down every race. I've made my picks and here's the master list.

Don ShanahanFebruary 28, 2014Best Picture, Best Original Song, Best Animated Short Film, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Animated Short, Best Motion Picture, Best Documentary Feature, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Actress, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Costume Design, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Musical Score, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Screenplay, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Directing, Best, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Animated Feature, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Foreign Language Film, 12 Years a Slave, Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity, Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club, Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine, Jared Leto, Lupita Nyong'o, Spike Jonze, Her, John Ridley, The Hunt, Frozen, Get a Horse!, The Act of Killing, The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life, The Voorman Problem, Emmanuel Lubeski, The Great Gatsby, Steven Price, Let It Go, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Day at the Movies, Tim Day, The Sleepy SkunkComment

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2014: The race for Best Picture

In this seventh and final post, we have come to the big finish. Here is my breakdown for the race for Best Picture. This is the big one and the cherry on top for my prediction series. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool. Let's go!

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2014: The male acting awards

It's time to make my formal predictions. In this sixth post, we are deep into the major award categories. Here are my picks for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool. Let's go!

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2014: The female acting awards

It's time to make my formal predictions. In this fifth post, we are deep into the major award categories. Here are my picks for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool. Let's go!

2014, Editorial, ColumnDon ShanahanFebruary 28, 2014Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine, Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle, Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave, Julia Roberts, August: Osage County, June Squibb, Nebraska, Scarlett Johansson, Her, Oprah Winfrey, Lee Daniels' The Butler, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actress, Actress, Supporting Actress, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Gravity, Judi Dench, Philomena, Meryl Streep, Adele Exarchopoulos, Blue is the Warmest Colour, Brie Larson, Short Term 12, Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks, SAG Award, Golden Globe Awards, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Don Shanahan, Donald Shanahan, Oscar nominations, Oscar Predictions, Oscars, 2014 Oscars, Awards Talk, Awards Predictions, Awards Tracker, Award Prediction, 86th Academy AwardsComment

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2014: The writing and directing awards

It's time to make my formal predictions. In this fourth post, we are starting to get to the major award categories. Here are my picks for the two screenplay awards and Best Director. Let's go! Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool.

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2014: The visual and artistic categories

It's time to make my formal predictions. In this post, we look at the visual and artistic technical categories that include cinematography, costumes, makeup, editing, visual effects, and editing. Let's go!

2014, Column, EditorialDon ShanahanFebruary 26, 2014Best Visual Effects, Visual Effects, Production Design, Art Direction, Set Design, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Film Editing, Film Editing, Editing, Cinematography, Best Cinematography, 2014 Oscars, 86th Academy Awards, Oscar Predictions, Oscar nominations, Oscars, Don Shanahan, Donald Shanahan, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Column, Editorial, Awards Talk, Awards Tracker, Awards Predictions, The Grandmaster, Gravity, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska, Prisoners, Roger Deakins, Pheldon Papamichael, Bruno Delbonnel, Philippe Le Sourd, Emmanuel Lubeski, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Man of Steel, Iron Man 3, Pacific Rim, Star Trek Into Darkness, American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, 12 Years a Slave, The Great Gatsby, HerComment

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2014: The music and sound categories

It's time to make my formal predictions. In this post, we look at the music and sound technical categories that include song, score, editing, and mixing. Let's go!

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