SPECIAL: Fourth annual CIC Award Winners

I was among the 20 prolific members of Chicago Indie Critics who cast their final ballots last week to declare the winners of 23 categories for their fourth annual film awards. At a special ceremony open to the public last evening at the Cards Against Humanity Theater in Chicago hosted by stand-up comedienne and former film critic Katie Baker, the CIC film critics, fans, and guests gathered to celebrate milestones, commiserate among peers and professionals, and honor the very best from 2019.

2019, CIC, EVENT, Media Appearance, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 6, 2020Cards Against Humanity TheaterCIC, CIFCC, Chicago Indie CriticsComment

SPECIAL: Fourth annual CIC Award Nominations

Leading all films with an impressive eight nominations is Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women. Two of those nominations highlight Gerwig’s work as a director and screenwriter. Following next with seven nominations each is the quartet of The Irishman, Marriage Story, 1917, and Parasite. On an individual level leading the field, Parasite’s Bong Joon-ho earned five personal nominations and Lulu Wang of The Farewell earned four across the 23 categories. In all, 43 films are represented with nominations for the 2019 CIC Awards.

2019, CIC, EVENT, Media Appearance, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 29, 2019Cards Against Humanity TheaterCIC, CIFCC, Chicago Indie CriticsComment

ANNOUNCEMENT: Hosting new "Kids Klassics" series at The Wilmette Theatre!

The Wilmette Theatre is excited to announce a new, curated film series for children and families starting this spring. KIDS KLASSICS is a themed film series screening some of the most beloved classics. Each screening will be followed by a fun and educational talkback to engage young audiences to think about films in a new way. Hosted by Chicago film critic for Every Movie Has a Lesson and educator Don Shanahan, who will lead an interactive discussion.

COLUMN: The 10 Best Films of 2017

The end of the year brings grading and reflection points for both the school teacher in me and the film critic. Looking at the online Trapper Keeper portfolio called Every Movie has a Lesson, I published 126 full film reviews in 2017, topping last year’s 114 and setting a new high mark. Here’s my definitive list of the "10 Best" films of 2017. True to this website’s specialty, each film will be paired with its best life lesson. Enjoy!

CAPSULE REVIEWS: Playing catch-up on December awards contenders

Though the day job work was no longer in the way, good times with family and friends was the better thing to do than lock myself in a room on a laptop and write. Three of these films are cracking my Top 20 of 2017 and possibly even my final “10 Best” list. A year-end bang like that deserves to be talked about, and I couldn’t keep sitting on them without getting something out to you. To get the good word out there, here are some quick hot take capsules of the films with full reviews in the works.

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on "E-Man's Movie Reviews" podcast for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"

Minutes after stepping out of an advance press screening of the most-anticipated movie of the year, Emmanuel Noisette of E-Man's Movie Reviews summoned his recording equipment and a brake-pumping exhale session for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The SPOILER ALERT neon light is on for the two of us breaking down our impressions, reservations, likes, dislikes, hopes, and dreams for this middle chapter of a new trilogy.

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on "E-Man's Movie Reviews" podcast for "Justice League"

Emmanuel Noisette of the newly updated E-Man's Movie Reviews called for a wingman on a team-up movie. He was kind enough to invite me to represent Every Movie Has a Lesson on a recorded SPOILER-FILLED podcast of our immediate reactions after watching the Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon concoction of Justice League. We sit down and discuss what we saw, what we liked, and didn't like.

GUEST CRITIC #26: Murder on the Orient Express

Fellow Chicago critic Jeff York is a delight to talk to on any and all topics, but our movie chats have become truly special. Jeff was able to view and review Kenneth Branagh's remake of Murder on the Orient Express. He's a self-professed fan and cover-to-cover expert on the Agatha Christie source novel and the previously celebrated 1974 film adaptation. His review will do better informative service than mine ever would.

MOVIE REVIEW: Liquid Truth

The discolored and dingy tile grout at the bottom of a swimming pool and the imagery effect of rippling water seen under the surface bending the images above perspective starkly symbolize the many warped dimensions of Liquid Truth. The truth in the title is as slippery as the water in director Caroline Jabor’s simmering social commentary. The film may be foreign from Brazil, but it typifies all too many social media ills that would explode in a parallel fashion here in this country.

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MOVIE REVIEW: Goodbye Christopher Robin

Simon Curtis’ Goodbye Christopher Robin is a cinematic quilt collecting experiences from many different narrative themes. A few patches carry the pattern of biographical films, chronicling life’s highlights and lowlights within a well-to-do family and their hired caretaker. Others carry the created images of a writer’s world-building legend. The threads binding those quilt pieces are a woven blend of the barbed wire of post-traumatic stress disorder and the smoothly silken cords of childhood whimsy. The experience of snuggling up with the Goodbye Christopher Robin blanket of testimony and memories is as affectingly dramatic as it is comfortably warm.

2017, Chicago Film Festival, Film Festival, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanOctober 20, 2017Landmark Century Centre Cinema2017, 2017 Fall Movies, Goodbye Christopher Robin, Simon Curtis, Chicago International Film Festival, 53rd Chicago International Film Festival, CIFF, CIFCC, film festival, Festival coverage, Festival review, festival preview, movie review, film review, movie commentary, Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, Will Tilston, Kelly Macdonald, Stephen Campbell Moore, About Time, Brooklyn, Finding Neverland, Odile Dicks-Mireaux, David Roger, Ben Smithard, East Sussex, Ashdown Forest, Winnie-the-Pooh, Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne, Christopher Robin, Michael Bolton, The Office, Christopher Robin Milne, Alex Lawther, Carter Burwell, life lessons from movies, life lessons, life lessons from film, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Don Shanahan, Donald Shanahan, biopic, Biopics, Biographical filmsComment

SHORT FILM REVIEW: Not Yet

For a while now, I have long wondered how someone could bottle that signature Pixar-level lightness for dramatic heft and pour it into a live-action piece with the same welcome whimsy. Pixar's animated feature films and shorts consistently have a special way with conveying humor within the most difficult emotions I might have found the closest attempt yet in Chad Hamilton’s lovely short film Not Yet.

MOVIE REVIEW: Loving Vincent

The filmmakers promised Loving Vincent to be nothing you’ve ever seen put to film and they were not lying. The sheer artistry is miraculous where even folded shirts look as dramatic as emoting faces. To call the biographical drama a work of art and astonishing technical achievement would be shameless understatements. The best part of all is the massive wellspring of creativity was thankfully applied to an engaged narrative worthy of the artistry and the legend cast by Vincent Van Gogh