MOVIE REVIEW: La La Land

In front of and behind the camera, you will find creative people that deftly understand and properly tap into the spirit and flavor of the classic genres and eras they are blending. Breathing jazzy life into a Hollywood musical set in the present day of Priuses and iPhones, Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to “Whiplash” is a modern cinematic masterpiece. It is the kind of film where you will remember where you were when you first saw it. You will not find a more jubilant, romanticized, or flat-out entertaining film this year.

Chicago Film Festival, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, 2016, Film Festival, MOVIE REVIEW, 5 STARSDon ShanahanDecember 15, 2016David Wasco, Crazy Stupid Love, Gene Kelly, life lessons from movies, Justin Hurwitz, movie review, Mary Zophres, La La Land, John Legend, film review, Damien Chazelle, Best of 2016, Don Shanahan, Chicago International Film Festival, Ryan Gosling, Donald Shanahan, Movie musicals, 2016 Holiday Movies, 52nd Chicago International Film Festival, Movies about Los Angeles, Every Movie Has a Lesson, film commentary, life lessons, Festival review, Festival coverage, Oscar contenders, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, J.K. Simmons, film festival, life lessons from film, Movies about Hollywood, Whiplash, Oscar hopefuls, Emma Stone, Life lessons, Linus Sandgren, musicals, Los Angeles Comments

MOVIE REVIEW: Collateral Beauty

As entertainment, movies are an ideally suited artistic medium to motivate or stimulate emotional responses. The smartly composed narratives among them can pull that off naturally. Others force it. When such happens, manipulation replaces motivation. For an example, look no further than “Collateral Beauty” starring Will Smith and directed by David Frankel. It is one of the most egregious miscalculations of filmmaking and marketing in recent memory.

MOVIE REVIEW: Rogue One

Lags of preparation and mounting conflict aside, there is more than enough big-screen excitement infusing the gravitas that give way to pathos. "Rogue One" smoothly delves into an untold narrative while providing clever and catchy callbacks and nods to the expanded universe we know is on the other side of the horizon. Fleshing out key history, “Rogue One” instantly becomes an indispensable companion piece to “Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope.” Watching this mini saga and seeing the seeds it plants makes one appreciate the fruits of the 39-year-old classic’s triumphs even more.

MOVIE REVIEW: Jackie

Mesmerizing describes the film as a whole and its incomparable lead performance from Academy Award winner Natalie Portman playing First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the immediate hours and days following her husband's 1963 assassination. Far from a biopic and more of a psychological examination, Portman and Larrain sear the screen with emotion and imagery that is as captivating as it is difficult. It is astonishing that it takes a foreign director to create the most empowering portrait of American history put to film in years.

2016, 5 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Chicago Film Festival, Film Festival, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanDecember 9, 2016Chicago International Film Festival2016, 2016 Holiday Movies, Jackie, Jackie Kennedy, Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Robert Kennedy, Greta Gerwig, Chicago International Film Festival, 52nd Chicago International Film Festival, Special Presentations, Best of 2016, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actress, JFK, Pablo Larrain, No, Neruda, Billy Crudup, Max Casella, John Hurt, John F. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Jr., Caroline Kennedy, Movie presidents, First Lady, Camelot, movie review, film review, movie commentary, film commentary, film festival, Festival review, Festival coverage, life lessons from film, life lessons from movies, life lessons from films, life lessons, Life lessons, life lesson, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Jacqueline Kennedy, Jean Rabasse, Halina Gebarowicz, Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe, Broadway musical, Mica Levi, Noah Oppenheim, Madeline Fontaine, Mac Casella, Jack Valenti, John Carroll Lynch, Lyndon B. Johnson, Casper Phillipsom, Theodore H. White, LIFE magazine, Hyannis PortComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Miss Sloane

In some political circles, “lobbyists” are the advocates that “get things done.” In others, the job title is a dirty word than many are quick to refute or redefine. When Hollywood screenwriters decide to lionize the role of the lobbyist, they hop on the #NastyWoman bandwagon, cast Oscar nominee Jessica Chastain, and give you “Miss Sloane.” For all of the sound bite talk about “draining the swamp” to kill the metaphorical mosquitoes, doing so leaves the carnivores behind. Make no mistake, “Miss Sloane” showcases a true apex predator.

MOVIE REVIEW: Hunter Gatherer

The micro-budgeted indie film “Hunter Gatherer” is the directorial debut of art director Josh Locy. The filmmaker has cut his teeth creating the visual palettes of independent fare such as an art director on David Gordon Green’s “Prince Avalanche” and Peter Sattler’s “Camp X-Ray.” His film, led by a charismatic performance from Andre Royo, shows the egotistical plight of a recently released con trying to reinsert himself in his old South Central Los Angeles neighborhood.

2016, 3 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Chicago Film Festival, Film Festival, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Video on DemandDon ShanahanDecember 8, 2016Chicago International Film Festival2016, Hunter Gatherer, Joshua Locy, Josh Locy, Andre Royo, Chicago International Film Festival, 52nd Chicago International Film Festival, U.S. Indies, independent films, micro-budget film, Ashley Wilkinson, George Sample III, Adam Robinson, Jon Aguirresarobe, X-Ray, Prince Avalanche, The Wire, Kellie Stewart, life lessons, life lessons from film, life lessons from movies, life lessons from films, life lesson, movie review, film review, movie commentary, film commentary, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, VOD, Video On Demand, SXSW Film Festival, 2016 SXSW Film Festival, Best Narrative Feature, Best Actor, Camp X-RayComment

SHORT FILM REVIEW: Borrowed Time

This website and writer has long celebrated the “Pixar Punch,” the animation studio’s uncanny ability to absolutely destroy our hearts with raw and simple emotionality in perfectly calculated amounts and moments within their feature films. In quicker chunks of time, Pixar’s animated shorts are no slouch at hitting the same body blows. Their settings have always been warm and sunny family films, long begging the question of what would more adult fare look like in the same creative boxing gloves. “Borrowed Time” is a striking glimpse into such a possibility

2016, 4 STARS, Independent Film, SHORT FILMS, MOVIE REVIEW, Social MediaDon ShanahanDecember 6, 2016Short Film, short film commentary, short film review, Short films, animated films, Best Animated Short Film, Best Animated Short, animated shorts, animated short films, Pixar, Pixar Punch, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Quorum Films, Borrowed Time, western genre, western themes, life lessons from movies, life lessons, life lessons from films, life lessons from film, life lessons from short films, life lessons from animated films, life lessons from animated shorts, Gustavo Santaolalla, Brokeback Mountain, Babel, Oscar contenders, Oscar nominations, Lou Hamou-Lhadj, Andrew Coats, Amanda Deering Jones, Blue Sky Studios, Finding Dory, Piper, Moana, Inner Workings, film reivew, film review, film commentary, Don Shanahan, Donald Shanahan, Every Movie Has a LessonComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Manchester by the Sea

There is an unmistakable layer of “people-watching” cinema brings to its artistic atmosphere and aesthetic. An omnipresent camera grants private points-of-view, shines light on secrets, and challenges the observational skills of the audience. Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea” introduces the wearisome life of one solitary man and proceeds to unearth the repressed sorrow and unspoken emotions that lie underneath his mundane exterior. The most praiseworthy character-driven films have the patience to cultivate its truths with substance and the wisdom to never give you everything. Lonergan’s near-perfect jewel is a new exemplar of such qualities and one of the finest films of 2016.

MOVIE REVIEW: Moana

She may wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, but don’t you dare call Moana a “princess.” The enterprising titular “chieftain’s daughter” is a breezy breath of warm Pacific air surging through a Mouse House built on castles, corsets, and crowns. Promoting powerhouse diversity and pushing away the trappings of romance, “Moana” is a progressive step from Walt Disney Animation Studios carrying wonderful messages for young girls in a Millennial day-and-age that is too often obsessed with body image and glamour.

GUEST CRITIC #18: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Give a warm, Show-Me-State welcome to Mr. Shane Bowen. Shane is a fourth grade teacher in the St Louis area. Like so many educators (myself included), Shane flexes a creative muscle outside of the textbooks and paper-grading. Mr. Bowen also writes novels as a hobby. Shane recently started his own publishing company, Out the Window Books at www.outthewindowbooks.com. This man has talent and knows the power of a good beer and a good movie. Enjoy this review of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."

MEDIA APPEARANCE: Guest on the "Kicking the Seat" podcast talking "Moana"

After attending a last-minute press screening of "Moana" for a plus-one Date Night with my wife and "Pillow Rankings" cohort Thanh Shanahan, I was cordially invited by "Kicking the Seat" film critic and friend-of-the-page Ian Simmons to once again be a guest on his stellar podcast. This 173rd episode was my first solo flight with Ian and we shared a highly enjoyable back-and-forth at the Golden Nugget Pancake House about strong female characters, Candyland conundrums, the appetizing animated short "Inner Workings," the ever-present Dwayne Johnson bump, mythology comparisons, Katherine Helmond tributes, and much more.

GUEST CRITIC #17: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

I'm calling in the big guns for this latest "Guest Critic" entry. The man you will read tonight is full-fledged fellow film critic with his own podcast. Fancy pants! Meet Blaine Grimes, a new Oklahoma resident by way of Texas. I became social media acquaintances through another Texan, friend of the page and all-round critic himself, Tim Day of "Day at the Movies." We have enjoyed following each other's work and pestering Tim Day every since.

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