Posts tagged The Last Five Years
EDITORIAL: Five films to watch before "La La Land"
EDITORIAL: Five films to watch before "La La Land"

With the glitzy Los Angeles setting of “La La Land,” many will point to the Old Hollywood musicals of Gene Kelly, especially “Singin’ in the Rain,” as a necessary practice rounds, but “La La Land” is an unequivocally modern-set film. A different range is possible. Furthermore, advising you to re-watch “Whiplash” for Chazelle’s kicks or revisit “Rebel Without a Cause” to touch base with the Griffith Observatory are too easy for practice. Dig deeper and try a few of these on for size as a “La La Land” primer.

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2016, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanAMC River EastEditorial, La La Land, movie musicals, musicals, The Last Five Years, The Last 5 Years, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Crazy Stupid Love, The Artist, An American in Paris, Gene Kelly, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, primer, movie connections, movie influences, film influences, film connections, Don Shanahan, Donald ShanahanComment
COLUMN: The 10 Best Films of 2015
COLUMN: The 10 Best Films of 2015

I prefer to be strict enough with my mind and my heart to rank the best and not just give some alphabetical list.  This was a difficult list to settle on for an order.  After 84 films this year, I think I've seen all I need to see to give out a complete and legitimate "10 Best" list.  Here are my picks and, in the spirit of this site, each of the "10 Best" are paired with their best life lesson.  Enjoy!

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CAPSULE REVIEW, Column, 2015, Best Films, Editorial, 2016, SPECIALDon ShanahanTen Best, The Last Five Years, Macbeth, Far from the Madding Crowd, 2016, The Gift, Best Films of 2015, life lessons, Room, 2015, 10 Best, Chi-Raq, Top 10 list, The Revenant, Steve Jobs, Don Shanahan, movie commentary, Brooklyn, Donald Shanahan, life lessons from movies, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Love and Mercy, Creed, Inside Out, 10 Best Films of 2015, Sicario, Carol, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, life lessons from films, Avengers: Age of Ultron, life lessons from film, The Martian, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, film commentary, Spotlight, '71Comment
EDITORIAL: The Best of 2015 (so far)
EDITORIAL: The Best of 2015 (so far)

The end of June marks the halfway point of 2015.  This website makes it a point each year to measure the calendar year's offerings so far of what has been the best with the goal of building a year-end "10 Best" list.  This is as good a place as any to honor the fine efforts that have graced the screen this half-year.  Here are the "Top 5 (so far)."

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10 Best, 2015, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon Shanahan'71, Far from the Madding Crowd, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Inside Out, The Last Five Years, Focus, The Salvation, Furious 7, Clouds of Sils Maria, Ex Machina, Good Kill, Jurassic World, Best of 2015 (so far), Best of 2015, Year's best, 10 Best, Top 10 list, Top 5 list, Year-end list, Best Movies of 2015, Best Films of 2015, Every Movie Has a Lesson, life lessons from film, life lessons from movies, life lessons from films, Don Shanahan, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Love and MercyComment
MOVIE REVIEW: The Last Five Years
MOVIE REVIEW: The Last Five Years

When a strikingly and surprisingly good movie musical does comes around and impress, the only thing to do is shout and sing its praises from the proverbial mountaintops, just as the main characters would have the proclivity to do.  Well, we've got one right here, so cover your ears, and hear me roar!  "The Last Five Years," the adaptation of Jason Robert Brown's Off-Broadway hit, is a new movie musical that makes this website's handful list of true gems and delightful keepers.  This is the real film the date movie crowd should be seeking out this Valentine's Day weekend instead of the whips-and-chains-handcuffs of some certain monochromatic thriller.  This film simply soars in every way!

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2014, 2015, 4 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanThe Last Five Years, Richard LaGravenese, Anna Kendrick, Northlight Theatre, Chicago, Broadway, Off-Broadway, Jeremy Jordan, Newsies, Bonnie and Clyde, Jason Robert Brown, Singin' in the Rain, The Sound of Music, 50th Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago Film Festival, movie commentary, movie review, film commentary, film review, advance movie review, life lessons from movies, life lessons from films, life lessons, life lessons from film, Movie musicalsComment
COLUMN: 2015 Winter Movie Preview
COLUMN: 2015 Winter Movie Preview

It has to be said every year, but the slowest season of the box office year are the months of January and February.  It's a dumping grounds for studios in slow months of cold weather and foot traffic at the multiplexes.  These are movies that aren't good enough for awards qualification and the holiday audiences of December or for the chipper personality of spring.  It's cold, slow, and drop off from awards frenzy.

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2015, Column, EditorialDon ShanahanWinter Movie Preview, 2015 Winter Movies, 2015 Winter Movie Preview, The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death, Leviathan, A Most Violent Year, Taken 3, Selma, Blackhat, The Wedding Ringer, Paddington, Spare Parts, Still Alice, American Sniper, Mordecai, The Boy Next Door, Strange Magic, Black Sea, Red Army, Wild Card, Jason Statham, Mark Wahlberg, Liam Neeson, Jupiter Ascending, Sevent Son, Seventh Son, Shaun the Sheep Movie, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Fifty Shades of Gray, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Last 5 Years, The Last Five Years, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, MacFarland USA, Lazarus, Wild Tales, Focus, Maps to the Stars, Little BoyComment
CHECKLIST: 2015 Winter Movie Calendar
CHECKLIST: 2015 Winter Movie Calendar

Here is your lineup of films coming your way in the slow months of January and February.  Add these to your calendar or print and slip this list on the fridge.  As always, release dates shift all of the time, so be aware.  Enjoy!

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2015, Column, EditorialDon ShanahanChecklist, Calendar, 2015 Winter Movies, 2015, 2015 movies, Winter Movies, Winter Movie Preview, A Most Violent Year, The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death, Leviathan, Taken 3, Selma, Blackhat, The Wedding Ringer, Paddington, Spare Parts, Still Alice, American Sniper, Mordecai, The Boy Next Door, Strange Magic, Black Sea, Red Army, Max, Coming Home, Seventh Son, Shaun the Sheep, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Fifty Shades of Gray, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Last 5 Years, The Last Five Years, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, MacFarland USA, MacFarland, Lazarus, Janes Got a Gun, Wild Tales, Focus, Maps to the Stars, Little Boy, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Donald ShanahanComment