Movie reviews of Don Shanahan

The film roots that on in touching and realistic ways without overly grandiose swings. Review

Altogether, Summer Shelton has composed a pungent expanse of reflective maturity with You & I that puts honesty on the “what if” sliding doors many viewers may feel when comparing their own histories of love. Review

With every chapter, Music by John Williams defines and stamps the maestro’s brilliance, even if the running time could be doubled or tripled to peel back even more “how does he do it” storytelling and clinical breakdowns from film to film and era to era. Review

Here may not be the fully judicious beacon it fashions itself to be, but the thoughtfulness and plenty of poignant care it attempts with its lyrical finesse is still worth welcoming and appreciating. Review

Lindy has struck indie film gold creating a wholly original genre amalgamation with these two fresh leads. Review

Even though a fair share of great liberties were taken to change how the actual Dating Game episode played out, the palpable lift and principled spotlight given to Sheryl’s perspective and struggle raise Woman of the Hour above a plodding true crime story or a period-era costume party. Review

Exhibiting Forgiveness is as emphatic and resonating of a father-son conflict as any other in recent memory. For many, it will stick with you and hit home like a sledgehammer. More than everything, all of this hurt is worth every reflective second of the artistically melded experience. Review

Thanks to the nonlinear flow, none of it transpires in a simple fashion, and, goodness gracious, tissues are an absolute must for this crusher. Review

What pushes back against those typical pitfall tropes is the spine of youthful righteousness crafted by the Luce creative team of director J.C. Lee and co-writer Julius Onah. This is their second outstanding and frighteningly intense teen-scene banger in a row. Review

The answer to how to make an appealing biopic about an unsavory character is to have a hell of an actor or actress embody them. After that, The Apprentice strives strongly in its quest to expose and air out a few dirty laundry chapters of Donald Trump’s past. Review

If audiences take this raucous ride and seek out more behind-the-scenes facts to dispel the embellishment, part of the mission of Saturday Night is accomplished. Review

Lee is at its most impactful during Miller and Scherman’s suspenseful journeys during the World War II portions of the overall narrative. When the film is away or leaves those harrowing memories and settings, it looses a little bit of the grit and edge. Review

When it’s all said and done, you’ll be blotting tissues against the corners of your eyes and have a new contender for the best animated film of 2024. Review

Beyond any John Williams musical backing, action figures, magazine covers, and wall posters, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story reinforces that the coda of Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve’s stories deserves to be their tireless charitable efforts. Review

These exposed fractures in His Three Daughters are fascinating in their complication and frankness beyond the typical grief management narratives. No one ever said catharsis was easy to acquire, and that is the case here. Review

So often, a furrowed forehead flex from Clooney meets a nonplused raised eyebrow of Pitt, and we cannot help but smirk at the sight. By the time their banter increases and finishes each other’s sentences, we’re hooked by the beguiling bait. Review

Sit back and marvel at the unabashed fun and delirious delights he conducts. Review

Leave to a little indie movie like this to demonstrate sports sensibilities with a heart taller than any MLB stadium or a studio film ten times its budget, where a hug is a bigger victory than any home run. Review

Danny Kurtzman and Stanger wrote a soulful sojourn that keeps matters dramatic yet approachable. Review

The end result of War Game is a fascinating experience that jarringly resusitates the palpable unease felt back in 2021. Review

The exchanges of edgy profanity may count as some of the best entertainment present, but at some point we’re saying that phrase too right back at the movie itself. Review

The gravity of Peak Season is strong enough in its genuineness and quaintness to still find the right Bridges of Madison County-esque climactic quandary. Review

In presenting these heavenly heights of brotherhood and commitment with the truest possible representatives, Sing Sing is instantly one of the best prison films in movie history. Review

Deadpool & Wolverine operates with a reckless abandon that, through all the bottomless irreverent humor and pizazz on screen, smears its blood and guts from a surprising and corrective place of love. Review