The edge of the comedic machete harvesting all the low-hanging fruit planted by the six writers sharing story and screenwriter credit on this sequel is regrettably dulled from the R-rated coarseness of 1988 and its different time and temperament. But zingers still zing, thanks to the likable performers and characters. When they’re having fun, we’re having fun. To call back again to Jackie Wilson, the silly glee of this movie evokes the refrained lyric of “Oh what a feeling to be loved!” That’s all this movie is trying to do and that’s just fine.

2021, 3 STARS, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Home MediaDon ShanahanMarch 6, 2021Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Raya and the Last Dragon

But the “lies” work because memorable stories dazzle and impress eyes and hearts at the same time. Nestled in a completely foreign realm of magic and myth, the real-life parallels woven into the high fantasy of Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon couldn’t ring louder or truer if it stole every bell in the record-holding Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. The movie hits the premium tier of Disney+ on March 5th.

INFOGRAPHIC: The Top Clichés of 100 Rom Coms Revealed

These days, there’s plenty of time for a movie marathon – and who doesn’t love a rom com? Whether you’re looking forward to the upcoming Cinderella or the final instalment of To All the Boys, 2021 is packed with perfect binge-worthy love stories that are just a little bit too cheesy – and we’re here for it! Mattress Online compared 2,000 plot points across 100 romantic comedies to reveal the top clichés from the 1950s until now.

2021, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, SPECIAL, StreamingDon ShanahanFebruary 27, 2021Comment

EDITORIAL: How Watching TV and Movies Has Evolved In Past Couple Decades

Watching TV across the globe has been a pastime for many of us now for nearly a century now and has become hugely popular as the main form of entertainment within the household. However, the way that we watch television and movies at home has dramatically changed over this period, as many of us won’t ever remember VCR’s, antennas or even TV’s that weighted a tonne and so today we thought we’d look at how this industry has changed over the past couple of decades.

2021, Column, Editorial, Home Media, StreamingDon ShanahanFebruary 24, 2021Comment

COLUMN: 4 Binge-Worthy Cannabis Documentaries To Watch This Weekend

by Crystal M. Wilson

Cannabis is exploding in popularity and is experiencing legalization around the world. This massive new trend is also a media sensation, with articles, videos, and blogs available in print and online. Documentaries are also popping up as the newest trend in film making, and cannabis is fast becoming the darling of this booming industry. With so many people of all ages yearning to learn more about this natural, history-rich plant, it makes sense that inspired directors are offering documentaries.

Column, Editorial, Documentary, Home Media, StreamingDon ShanahanFebruary 23, 2021Comment

EDITORIAL: Enjoy the ultimate binging experience with the best Netflix Tips for 2021

With more than 200 million active subscribers, Netflix has so much in store for the next coming months. Here are some of the best shows you can expect on Netflix in the next few weeks, ranging from reimagined fairy tales to raucous comedies.

2021, Column, Editorial, StreamingDon ShanahanFebruary 21, 2021Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Silk Road

When you read the source material coming from David Kushner’s 2014 long-form piece from Rolling Stone and then watch the movie, the character traits and tonal choices just don’t fit. Silk Road has an astounding and blistering story to tell that seems mishandled by those two filmmaker tools for dramatic effect. We too easily see the chopped scars from a machete and the lift of a weakly deflated Thanksgiving Day parade balloon from something that could have been as sharp and heady as The Social Network.

2021, 2 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanFebruary 20, 2021Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Flora & Ulysses

To borrow a term from the great Stan Lee, there are casual comic book fans and then there are “true believers.” The latter never miss an issue of their favorites and, even greater, walk through life inspired by the heroic pillars written in and drawn through those page-turning panels. In the new Disney+ film Flora & Ulysses, we are graced by one of those true believers in a film that has its cape hung up out of sight, tights put away in drawers, and heart smack dab in the right place. The film opens on Disney+ on February 19th.

2021, 3 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, CIC, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanFebruary 18, 2021Comment

COLUMN: Top Movies on Amazon Prime for 2021

A person holding an Amazon Prime subscription should really be using it for more than just shipping discounts and looking through sales on whole foods. Amazon’s team has amassed a very impressive library of cinema’s best offerings. These can be accessed together with your Prime account, and in some ways, it’s adequate to and arguably even superior to other primary streaming services’ libraries. But how does one know where to begin? So let us present to you the updated guide to top movies which you may view, if you’ve not already, some of the best titles that Amazon Prime has to offer.

2021, Column, Editorial, Home Media, StreamingDon ShanahanFebruary 16, 2021Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: The Map of Tiny Perfect Things

For the impressionable young woman and clearly smitten guy, played by Freaky’s outstanding Kathryn Newton and future West Side Story cast member Kyle Allen, all hope is far from lost after this first unified encounter. They get to do this all over again. Playing in the self-aware Groundhog Day and Palm Springs pond, their Mark and Margaret are stuck in a temporal loop, repeating the same sunny Alabama spring day that ends with the hints of a cleansing thunderstorm at midnight that never comes before the alarm clock awakens the restarted day.

2021, 4 STARS, Home Media, Independent Film, MOVIE REVIEW, Streaming, Video on DemandDon ShanahanFebruary 12, 2021The Map of Tiny Perfect ThingsComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Judas and the Black Messiah

Director Shaka King and his co-writer Will Berson, both prior specialists of television, have penned and lensed an appropriately audacious feature film debut that deserves reverence and reaction. Through it all, there is tangible grizzled inspirational force to watching the agitators humanize and refine their plight. To hell with any “product of its era talk” because this is a crusade that many will cite as ongoing today with much of the same potency. Taking much deserved latitude, Judas and the Black Messiah does not beat around a single bush with where the antagonistic blame belongs.

2021, 4 STARS, ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW, Home Media, MOVIE REVIEW, StreamingDon ShanahanFebruary 12, 2021Comment

MOVIE REVIEW: Malcolm & Marie

Malcolm & Marie is nothing short of emotional pugilism. Not a hair is harmed on any head, mind you, yet hearts, feelings, and psyches are pummelled and destroyed over the tumultuous course of its 106 hard minutes on Netflix. It is a wringer of an experience that remarkably takes its loud and large volume of delicately vicious battery and orchestrates mesmerizing renewal that is downright captivating.