MOVIE REVIEW: Cars 3

Wendy's founder Dave Thomas once said: “It all comes back to the basics. Serve customers the best-tasting food at a good value in a clean, comfortable restaurant, and they'll keep coming back.” Apply that telling quote of ease and simplicity to Cars 3 as a perfect parallel. The savvy creators at Pixar know how to package a quality product of with clean and clear values that gain brand loyalty from wide audiences. Returning to its Americana roots, Cars 3 rediscovers the franchise’s successful foundation of wholesome heart.

MOVIE REVIEW: Pete's Dragon

Blooming out of a cradle of artistic and narrative perseverance, it is clear a philosophy of great care and pleasant patience was given to “Pete’s Dragon” by Lowery and company. The film enhances the magical charm audiences remember from the original with newly gained maturity to operate as a loving family drama and touching adventure of friendship. It is a welcome and calming addition of heft painted by that superb idyllic tone. The wonderment never overplays its moments.

MOVIE REVIEW, 5 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, 2016Don ShanahanAugust 9, 2016Don Shanahan, 2016, Lindsey Stirling, Summer Movies, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Oona Laurence, Leonard Cohen, Bosque Brown, Pixar, film commentary, Robert Redford, Life lessons, St. Vincent, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, family films, The Lumineers, 2016 Summer Movies, Donald Shanahan, Life lessons from movies, Okkervil River, movie commentary, Beau, Karl Urban, Life lessons from film, summer blockbusters, Candle in the Water, Daniel Hart, Walt Disney Pictures, Disney, summer movie, David Lowery, Oakes Fegley, Life Lessons, life lessons from films, Bryce Dallas Howard, film review, Beauty and the Beast, Pete's Dragon, life lessons from film, life lessons from movies, Wes Bentley, movie review, life lessonsComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Suicide Squad

In the words of professional wrestling Hall of Famer Razor Ramon, “Say hello to the bad guy!” Warner Bros. and their DC Entertainment wing need a rebound from the maligned “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and are banking getting you to cheer for villains instead of heroes with “Suicide Squad.” Packed with a head-turning cast of wild cards and very little shame for spectacle, this film aims to combine the delicious referential villainy you loved in “Deadpool” with the anti-hero team dynamics of “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

MOVIE REVIEW: Star Trek Beyond

The toothpaste is out of the tube, so to speak, for this current “Star Trek” franchise stewarded by J.J. Abrams. Seven years into a reboot of erasure, there’s no going back. This new cast and new timeline is here to stay. If the die-hards haven’t dealt with it by now, they likely never will. Those who arrived in 2009 with wide eyes and a fresh heart have not been disappointed. “Star Trek Beyond” pushes a stellar and steady progression of shiny and modern blockbuster filmmaking with the right salutes to beloved nostalgia that warm from within.

MOVIE REVIEW: X-Men: Apocalypse

After two movies of turn-back-the-clock course correction, it is fair to rank the "X-Men" series right next to "The Fast and Furious" as a film franchise that was derailed, left for dead, and since rescued with a filmmaking resurgence. "X-Men: First Class" introduced new youthful vigor and was followed by the return of original franchise steward Bryan Singer for the slate-wiping "X-Men: Days of Future Past." The latter film grossed more than double any of its franchise predecessors and enabled the series to pass the torch from the seniors to the juniors. Flush with success, good graces, and a new lease on life, "X-Men: Apocalypse" arrives with the goal to top everything that's been done in 20th Century Fox's offshoot shingle of a Marvel universe.

2016, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEW, 2 STARSDon ShanahanMay 16, 2016AMC 600 North MichiganX-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: The Last Stand, Bryan Singer, Simon Kinberg, Brett Ratner, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Alexandra Shipp, Ben Hardy, Olivia Munn, Magneto, Erik Lehnsherr, Raven Darkholme, Mystique, Psylocke, Angel, Storm, Lucas Till, Nicholas Hoult, Hank McCoy, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Charles Xavier, Seth Rogen, Moira MacTaggert, Rose Byrne, Evan Peters, Quicksilver, Nightcrawler, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Scott Summers, Jean Grey, life lessons from movies, life lessons from film, life lessons, Life lessons, life lessons from films, movie review, movie commentary, film review, film commentary, comic book films, comic book movie, Fox Marvel Universe, X-Men, X-Men franchise, Fast and Furious series, 2016, 2016 Summer Movies, summer movie, summer blockbusters, Summer Movies, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Don Shanahan, Donald ShanahanComment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Because of the box office clout of James Bond and Ethan Hunt and plenty of failed imitators in between, "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." and its small stature roots already have difficulty standing out as a ripe property for viable franchise possibilities. It would have to hit on its own unique style to succeed and stand out. Ritchie's film does exactly that to be an easy and breezy companion to the foreboding likes of the modern spies. If you feel the spy game has gotten too ominous over the years, slide over to "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." and have a good time.

MOVIE REVIEW: Vacation

To this writer, the success of a remake, reboot, or sequel is contingent upon matching the tone of the original work to the best of its ability. If a film gets that tone right, it can be a drastic revision full of changes and updates and still feel respectfully aware and in tune with the previous well-remembered greatness the new film is trying to emulate. That's the taste test that should be put on "Vacation," the new long distance sequel/update of the 1983 National Lampoon comedy classic.

CHECKLIST: 2015 Summer Movie Calendar

It's business time! Here's your complete 2015 Summer Movie Calendar. Add these to your calendar or print and slip this list on the fridge at home. As always, release dates shift all of the time, so be aware. I split my full Summer Movie Preview into early (May/June) and late (July/August) parts. The first will be coming soon! Enjoy!