GUEST COLUMN: The Top 10 Most Successful Action Franchises of All Time

by Daniel T. Anderson

What would you guess to be the most profitable action movie franchise of all time? If you had to choose one, which would it be? Mission Impossible? The Pirates of the Caribbean? The Matrix films? Reporting on these sorts of box office results is typically pretty simplistic. We're told the amount of money a film made domestically (and sometimes internationally) and how much the film cost to make. The difference is supposed to be the profitability. However, determining real-life profitability is much more complex.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, LISTDon ShanahanDecember 27, 2020Comment

COLUMN: The Best TV Shows about Students and University Life

As first-year students are about to join the universities and colleges in their enormous numbers, it is highly the time to step back and look at some of the television shows that channel their focus on students. Some of these shows can be used for both entertainment and as a material to do my thesis in the future. Here are some of the shows that detail the life of a student in university.

2020, Column, Editorial, LISTDon ShanahanDecember 27, 2020Comment

20 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE: The 10 Best Films of 2000

In an annual series, Every Movie Has a Lesson is going to look back twenty years to revisit, relearn, and reexamine a year of cinema history to share favorites, lists, and experiences from the films of that year. When measuring back as far as twenty years or more, I feel like “favorites” that have stood the test of time have aged to become some level of “best.” I feel like a bunch of those populate my reflective look back at the best of 2000.

Best Films, Column, Editorial, LIST, Retrospective, SPECIAL, 2020Don ShanahanDecember 25, 2020Saint Joseph's College2000 Comments

INFOGRAPHIC: The True Cost of Iconic Holiday Movie Moments

The creative folks at CreditRepair.com designed this visual on iconic holiday movie moments and what they'd cost in real life + financial lessons anyone can learn from! They analyzed scenes from classic holiday movies (think Home Alone, Elf, and The Grinch) and found out how much they'd cost if they actually took place! Aside from satisfying curiosity, they tied the results back to important financial lessons we can take from these lovable characters and serve as important reminders of what really matters during the holiday season.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, Infographic, LIST, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanDecember 18, 2020Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 7 Best Movies to Watch While Being on Winter Break

by Donna James

Winter breaks are an excellent time. They give you some time off to spend with your family and friends. Some people love to spend that time out and about, going to their favorite holiday destinations, while others prefer to stay indoors and kick it with family and friends watching a few movies and drinking wine. If you’re the latter type, you’ll enjoy this article! Here are 7 of the best movies to watch as you enjoy your well-deserved winter break.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, LIST, Home MediaDon ShanahanDecember 18, 2020Comment

5 Stoner Movies You Need to Watch

When you’re high up in the sky of your couch, any film could practically be a stoner movie. Spongebob marathon? “Eh, look at the yellow submarine. It has legs!” Nothing could be less amusing. Even a 20-hour BBC earth documentary could be worth your while. But the greatest stoner movies give you more than that. It makes you crack up till dawn even when you see it a hundred times. Here are some of the greatest stoner movies you would not want to miss.

2020, Column, Editorial, Home Media, LISTDon ShanahanDecember 15, 2020Comment

COLUMN: Life Lessons We Learn From Movies

Books, the World Wide Web and good old fashioned research all provide a number of life lessons, but have you ever considered movies to be a great source of enlightenment? From discovering what it’s like to work for an Editor in Chief at a fashion magazine (The Devil Wears Prada) to what happens when we lose our inhibitions (What Happens in Vegas) to how to game successfully (The Cincinnati Kid), we’ve listed a handful of our favourite movies, all of which we can learn something from...

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, LISTDon ShanahanDecember 14, 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

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

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

COLUMN: 5 Best Christmas Movies for a Date Night at Home

This year has been tough for many people. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a lot of stress upon many people. It has torn families apart while others have lost their livelihoods. The lockdown that has been imposed by many governments across the world has left most people stressed up. In most cases, most people have been relying on movies to get along as the lockdown continues. AdultFriendFinder suggests these movies for an excellent date night.

Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, LISTDon 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