MOVIE REVIEW: Nomadland

That said, this odyssey has highs and lows for Fern living among the saguaros, grasslands, or rocks across the American West. No matter how much she has learned to take care of herself, painful solitude creeps in. Self-reliance only fulfills so much enterprising spirit. Courage can only stave off so many endangering risks faced by a woman her age alone. In many ways, Chloe Zhao’s film, her follow-up to The Rider before going Marvel with The Eternals, has the same range of stamina and lethargy. Unvarnished prestige too has its limits.

MOVIE REVIEW: Sound of Metal

With rock-heavy undertones replaced by the dramatic struggles of silence, Sound of Metal can personify every one of those questions. This labor-of-love and festival darling debuts in limited release and Amazon Prime on December 4th. Led by a sensational, internalized performance from Riz Ahmed, read here, see on the screen, and hear anyway you can how this stands as one of the best films of the year.

MOVIE REVIEW: Superintelligence

As dippy as all of this in Superintelligence may sound and transpire, there are undeniable streaks of kindness bigger than terabytes. Not all that far removed from the likes of George Bailey or Walter Mitty, the imagination to root for hope and love in people with laughs along the way feels good. Such a sincere sweetness cannot be discounted or denied. Once again, simplicity earns that kind of vibe. Welcome that to your viewing coach this season. We could use it this year.

2020, 4 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanNovember 25, 2020Melissa McCarthy, SuperintelligenceComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Fatman

You know what? I hear you. How can Fatman remotely be good? You watch that grim trailer that looks like something intentionally fake right out of Saturday Night Live’s penchant for such parody and shake your head. You consider the violent premise and think Fatman is going to all be schlocky pulp. And then, what to my wondering eyes did appear, this flick turned into something wholly unexpected, yet still with the meaty side of the lurid. Ring those f’n sleigh bells!

2020, 3 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanNovember 17, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Sacha Baron Cohen, and a team of nine (yes, 9) other writers, resurrected his most successful and audacious disguise and snuck a production through the COVID-19 pandemic just in time for Election Day. His mocking aim matches Lesson #1. Through his hedonistic character once again gracing the U.S. of A., Cohen and company expose the problematic silliness of lies being lived to their fullest by fine people on both sides.

2020, 2 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEW, Independent Film, Video on Demand, StreamingDon ShanahanOctober 22, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Rebecca

The expression “hard act to follow” rings like a peal of bells both centrally and superficially when it comes to the new adaptation of Rebecca premiering on Netflix. Boy, that’s the movie and its new bride protagonist to a T. Matching the saying’s highest definition and less the vaudevillian one, Ben Wheatley’s film has to follow “something so exemplary that it overshadows anything that follows.” Even after 80 years, how does one follow the success and legacy of Alfred Hitchcock’s only Best Picture-winning film? The answer is easy. You can’t and you don’t. You stick to the source material and make your film your way.

2020, 3 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Home MediaDon ShanahanOctober 14, 2020 Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: A Rainy Day in New York

Appealing as it may be swinging from the affable to the morose, that mismatch is the glaring irregularity found in Allen’s new film A Rainy Day in New York debuting on Amazon Prime October 9th. The flow of uptown affluence and worldly whims spoken by the central figures of the film is perky and magnetizing. The words enchant to no end, yet are staggeringly uncharacteristic when you watch them coming from a cast of 20-somethings, even if they are played by talents like Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, and Selena Gomez.

2020, 3 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanOctober 9, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: On the Rocks

There are certain notable people who have created an aura where they can get by on charm alone. Their mere presence elevates and enlivens any occasion. The doyan of deadpan Bill Murray is one of those treasures. His ageless appeal can forgive a few bad traits or flaws. The movies Murray occupies can also often get by on charm. On the Rocks is most certainly one of them. It is playing on a limited theatrical release before debuting on Apple TV+ on October 23rd.

2020, 3 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanOctober 4, 2020Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Glorias

Unfiltered regrets, debated wisdom, and long-held dreams replace the microphone soundbites and the picket signs. Those scenes carry genuinely serene and affecting moments of reflection. They may be shot to look whimsical, but they reach to gild exposed and admitted personal flaws within the central figure. Call this respectful hero worship and the most traditional or packaged film Taymor’s ever made if you must. However, what’s left (political pun intended) is well-earned pride.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Trial of the Chicago 7

Not if, but when, you watch The Trial of the Chicago 7 on Netflix, know that, like all movies based on historical events, what you’re watching is a cherry-picked and tidy two-hour dramatization of legal proceedings that lasted just short of 150 days. Normally when that happens, the dramatic license to make an entertaining product has added any number of embellishments for showmanship’s sake. Folks love the challenge, especially in a courtroom movie, of sniffing out the sugarcoating to wonder “did that really happen?” up and down every narrative peak and valley. The crazy thing is the exact opposite is happening here from Aaron Sorkin.

2020, 5 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanSeptember 24, 2020Netflix, The Trial of the Chicago 7Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Antebellum

On so many levels, Antebellum and its premise were not anywhere close to good ideas. With every pendulum swinging between power and abuse and between dominance and defiance, this wannabe mindf--k movie does not achieve enough of that aforementioned justification. Even with a determined performance from Janelle Monáe, this is a distressing and unnecessary inquisition with no solid answers.

2020, 1 STAR, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanSeptember 19, 2020Antebellum, Janelle MonaeComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Blackbird

Quite quickly into Roger Michell’s Blackbird, Susan Sarandon stamps exactly what kind of terminally ill character this film intends to portray. You may see the Academy Award winner’s aged luminosity but, let me tell you, this is far from a retread of her beloved 1998 film Stepmom. Her Lily is tired of the pretend pleasantries as she summons her extended family to her and husband’s beachfront homestead. She is done with the constant “who are you” questions, “are you OK” observation checks, and her own cordiality to retort with “glad you’re here.”