Movie reviews of Don Shanahan

Yes, it is wonderful Disney sought people of color for this ethic fairy tale, but the clout of their portrayals and the substance of their actions are not improvements. If you’re going to do the right thing by diversity, go all the way, not just halfway or selectively. Dare to combat stereotypes completely. Review

Knightley’s work makes Official Secrets and its restrained tightness a measure of hero respect not blatant hero worship. Straightforward was exactly the necessary bearing. Review

In seventeen simple and soulful minutes, Gunn’s female-centered story cuts to the core with calmness and intrinsic merit. To chronicle and distill a year’s worth of personal growth within this group of girls in this tidy amount of time is an extraordinary accomplishment for the writer and filmmaker. Review

The fits and spurts of how far to raise eyebrows comes out in the film’s unevenness. Luckily, the acting is steadfast and satisfying. Review

Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz have made an exceptional adventure that emphasizes people over spectacle. The tonal details in every narrative corner are positively winsome and carry their own uniqueness. Review

Hell no, you don’t have to be a superfan of Springsteen to enjoy Blinded by the Light, but it sure helps. Even if The Boss is not your ideal vibe, the sprightly emotions on-screen cannot help but target and trigger your own matching passionate feelings... Review

Luce is unequivocally brazen with its volatile elements of societal commentary. Review

Its laid-bare steps of empathy, led by a star-making performance from Aldis Hodge, are essential to witness and entirely worth promoting. Review

It’s extraordinary how one auspicious independent film effort became timely and relevant by happenstance. Review

The result is a trying yet damn interesting jaunt through prickly pressures and uncomfortable themes. Review

The glow and glue that makes this all work remains Richard Dreyfus. As aforementioned, the Oscar winner lifts everything and everyone he touches as if they were featherlight. Review

Following that classical starter with his chosen target of story setting, the director’s usual approach of homage becomes readily apparent. Making so many fairy tales with a fat creative license to revise whatever he wants, fancy, zeal, and style are never Quentin Tarantino’s problems. The tightness of his brand of chatty and meandering excessiveness is usually the hangup. This movie has some of the best of the former and st... Review

Like its title, Into the Ashes resides in the crackling smolder instead of the bright flames. There is plenty of heat to burn and brand from that calmer temperature of cinematic coals. Review

Heavy in that melancholic milieu, you have The Farewell. Drawing from a deeply personal story, director Lulu Wang’s sophomore feature film shines comedy into drama on a culturally unique situation of gallows humor. Review

The shininess, so to speak, is an undeniably impressive and redeeming feature to a lack of implemented originality. Review

Much appreciation is earned by Sean Fallon and Charlotte Burnett to deal with this weight in a frank, honest, and tidy fashion. Even in contracted form, the timing and pacing is excellent. Review

Extra Innings challenge suicide with a very virtuous balance of wrought drama and disarming brevity. This is can be a hard watch, but an overwhelmingly heartwarming one as well. Review

The Kris Bowers musical score and the soaring drone, helicopter, and action cam cinematography is eye-popping for the silver screen. Still and matching her Hollywood biopic, the soulfulness of Bethany Hamilton is the reason to watch this film. Her earnest thankfulness and her indomitable will are greater than the oceanic wonders. Review

Foreign soil be damned, the honesty and harmony of hardscrabble is alive and well in Wild Rose. Shouts of anger and tirades of tears fuel the fights and the vocals churning from Jessie Buckley in what will stand as one of the finest performances of the year. Review

All of this is a downright blast and a big screen feast for a summer movie season that has burned more cinematic food on the grill than it has properly served. Review

Turn the volume up and indulge in such wonderful reverie. Review

The movie looks and sounds like a billion bucks. That said, story and purpose matter more than prowess at this point. Review

Dangling the mysteries of the fallout from an off-screen cataclysmic event, the mental maelstrom of Starfish is eerie, imaginative, and highly impactful. Review

Men in Black: International goes nowhere you haven’t seen three times. Review