News of the World feeds off those carefully selected extra points of emphasis. You have Tom Hanks in his first western, and playing his true mid-60s age no less, for a change. He portrays a character who speaks with a keen sense of dramatic effect for his listeners. The actor and character occupy a movie that strives well to stay natural with believable aesthetics that are never gaudy. It’s grit without grittiness, and there’s a place for that in the western genre where not everything has to kick like 100-proof frontier whiskey.

2020, 4 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanDecember 11, 2020Comment

INFOGRAPHIC: Top 30 Raunchiest Mainstream Movies Revealed

Sex sells! In 2020 alone, searches for “sexy films” have increased by 52% worldwide, proving that even in troubled times, and with less films being made, there’s still an appetite for cheap thrills and torrid trysts. MattressNextDay examined 28,841 films from IMDb containing a range of sex related keywords to find out the top mainstream films containing the most sex related content, how much they’re raking in and how the sex is depicted. Our worldwide results show that sex is prolific and provocative across all genres, even horrors and comedies.

2020, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, Infographic, LIST, Social MediaDon ShanahanDecember 11, 2020Comment

INFOGRAPHIC: Guess the Numberplate Quiz

At Peter Vardy, they thought, as the coronavirus has somewhat clamped the handbrake on our year, it was about time that we all had a little bit of fun. That’s why today we bring you a quiz on Movie Number Plates. They’ve selected a series of number plates from the most famous cars in film and brought them together to see how many you can guess correctly. Some are easy but some are extremely tough. If you can correctly identify all of them, we’ll be very impressed! The plates range from films dating back to some of the all-time classics, to the car-focussed thrill rides on the big screen today. We’ve also thrown in a couple tailspins to keep you on your toes too. When you’re ready, give the quiz a go then make sure to send it to all your friends and family to see who's the biggest movie motor buff!

2020, Column, Editorial, Home Media, Infographic, Social Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 10, 2020Comment

COLUMN: 5 Greatest Movies About Football of All Time

Football is America’s favorite sport. It is no wonder then that there is no shortage of movies about football. While some are forgettable and others best avoided entirely, there are some true cinematic classics out there that can be almost as thrilling as watching your favorite team play live! Any football fan knows that the sport is full of drama and excitement, so it is no surprise that it translates well to the silver screen. This article lists five of the greatest football movies of all time.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, LISTDon ShanahanDecember 10, 2020Comment

EDITORIAL: Is "Casino Royale" the Best Bond Film?

The debate over which of the many great films in the James Bond canon is the best could go on and on for decades. The series has produced some excellent films that balance action and drama around Agent 007 while on Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The films have helped define what an action movie can accomplish and set the standard for film franchises that series like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Harry Potter films have tried to emulate, somehow managing to make each movie distinctive and yet fit perfectly into the wider canon. Casino Royale has quickly become a fan favourite and is one of the most financially successful Bond films of any era, but is it the best Bond film? This is what we are going to try and find out.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 10, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Wild Mountain Thyme

Unfortunately, this moment of the borrowed title song getting its proper spotlight is the rustic crest of this movie. Wild Mountain Thyme tries so hard to climb higher. Its romance is constantly saddled with blindness that misses the point of the lyrics. It’s as if the refrain of “will ye go” in the song is stuck by the living embodiment of “s--t or get off the pot” instead. There’s real beauty there, it’s a shame the movie didn’t have it other than the scenery. In the words of one of Ireland’s ancient language, dia ár sábháil!

1 STAR, 2020, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanDecember 9, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Midnight Sky

Humanity rightly becomes the beautiful and ruminative zenith of The Midnight Sky. It occupies a reality that could match the here-and-now as much as it defines its fictional future when addressing the helpful and harmful effects of both minute and broad human actions. Clooney’s combined work on this drama is forthright with its altruism and free of forced villainy. True to the earlier introduction, this experience to be cherished rises to be about character more than crisis, which is where poignant performances take over. Their benevolence is mesmerizing and their endurance beyond is moving.

2020, 5 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanDecember 9, 2020 Comments

COLUMN: Most Memorable Movie Soundtracks Ever

There are loads of film soundtracks that you may feel resonate with you. The best ones can hold their own without the film. But which ones have touched the most fan’s hearts around the world? When it comes to music in the movies, it’s all about details. Touches like the hard or soft hit on the hi-hat drum on the best reviewed hi hats can build tension or excitement. Like a long, drawn-out note on a violin or cello, other instruments can add nostalgia, dramatic flair, or suspense. Let’s check out which soundtracks have most hit home.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, LISTDon ShanahanDecember 9, 2020Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 5 of the Most Impactful Movies About Climate Change

by Kevin Gardner

Everyone knows that there is nothing that can get you quite as emotional, excited, or invested like a good movie, and there are plenty of good movies out there. Watching movies about health and wellness might have the power to get you to cut down on your sugar intake, and watching movies about rescue pets might push you to adopt an animal. Therefore, watching a movie about climate change might just get you invested in environmental justice.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, Documentary, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 9, 2020Comment

GUEST COLUMN: The Top 10 Female Action Heroes

by Nicholas H. Parker

Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the best action films ever made, and it's being recognized not only for its incredible vehicular mayhem, but for its introduction of one of the strongest female action heroes seen in the cinema: Imperator Furiosa played by the excellent Charlize Theron. The film is named after Mad Max (Tom Hardy), but the film could arguably actually be led by Theron's redemption seeking desert-badass, a war rig General to an evil dictator that has finally had enough and decides to steal his most precious possession: His model wives that serve as his breeding stock. Theron not only fights Max to a draw (with one arm, no less!) but also reveals herself to be fearless, as she rams her monster rig through pursuing war parties, and dangles on the outside of speeding vehicles. In honor of Imperator Furiosa, here are the top ten female action heroes of all time.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, LISTDon ShanahanDecember 6, 2020 Comment

GUEST COLUMN: The Worst of Navy SEAL War Movies

by John M. Caviness

Everyone knows what a Navy SEAL is. These secretive commandos are so uniquely popular in our American culture that they've become like celebrities. Whether it's jumping into an NFL football game, or having characters based on them in the latest video games, SEALs are assumed by Americans the country over to be the best of the Special Forces community. And because they are so very popular, they've popped up in many films, especially within the last two decades. Not all of these films though obtain the quality of character that is required of SEALs themselves. Here are the worst.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Independent Film, Home MediaDon ShanahanDecember 6, 2020Comment

GUEST COLUMN: Top Most Influential Action Films

by Diane H. Wong

There are thousands of inconsequential action films: Uninspired, rote, and derivative of everything that has come before. Who remembers 1992's Freejack starring Emilio Estevez and Mick Jagger? Or Costner in 2014's 3 Days to a Kill? These are films that are forgotten almost as quickly as they're released for the simple reason that they are just photocopy templates of much better action films. And then there are the tentpole pictures, the influential action films, the ones that decades later, everyone still remembers, the films that have earned a place in our cultural collective. These are the films that inspire all the many other thousands of copycat films.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home MediaDon ShanahanDecember 6, 2020Comment