Movie reviews of Don Shanahan

Try as it may, this second attempt is another impossible undertaking and unmitigated disappointment. Review

Much of the method of Always Be My Maybe may be routine, but the resulting charm is unfailingly welcome. Review

 The story of The Biggest Little Farm may be a niche, but it has the power to inform and inspire similar wellsprings of progressive innovation and change. Review

The three-man editing team macheted the satiating slugfest we wanted with the bumbling calamities and preposterous survival saves of the people we don’t care about. This movie will have its loyal audience, but it is a creative step back for the MonsterVerse. Review

The casting and performances in Aladdin are one step forward and two steps back. Review

With each increasingly more expensive movie in this series, the hero and the action have become more relentless with every new threat. Review

Much that transpires in Still Human disarms our sensibilities. The arc is plenty predictable but very earnest... Review

High and low, dry and wet, close and far, and through every blizzard in between, Penguins presents this apprehensive newbie with education and entertainment combined together. Review

As a micro-budget short film Trained is imperfect but endlessly interesting. Review

Reeling in the wake of the perfect set-up of Avengers: Infinity War and answering every ounce of hype, Avengers: Endgame has accomplished that very feat. All of the prodigious forethought and fortitude has paid off. Review

Beyond this artistic commitment and creative blend of genres, the messages of Stuck win over. Review

The result may be painstakingly slow at times, but its grounded firmness is precisely its beauty. Review

One of the many beauties of the film is that its teachable value doesn’t end with those pet hallmarks. Storm Boy is as much about its people and settings as it is about its a boy and the bird that never leaves his side. Review

It’s wonderful to see Metz with a healthy lead role that really suits her strengths. Adding to a soundtrack of praise and worship, Chrissy Metz even sings the closing credits song to add to her positive display of talent. Review

The Public makes a worthy stump speech for its checklist of modest societal issues. Review

There’s no need to blast this story with gothic glitter for the sake of shade. It’s an endearing elephant baby that flies for wide-eyed spectators. That’s sparkle enough. Review

Plenty may find Shazam! to be as dim as its himbo hero from time to time. Nonetheless, by the end, far more zingers impress than depress thanks to the boundless charm of the headlining lead. Review

For all of the combined artistic talent at work in front of and behind the camera, something about their finished presences fade rather than forge resonance. This delight is all too slight. Review

This is an entirely unique film with different tones, scopes, and concepts. Review

This documentary’s depth and newness comes from unreleased 70mm large format footage of the rocket’s launch and the mission’s ocean recovery. The revealed insight and details are substantial. These exclusive camera views and angles put you there for every tense challenge. Review

Finding Steve McQueen carries the boasting superlatives of the detailing the “largest bank heist in U.S. history” and, according to director Mark Steven Johnson, one of “the greatest stories never told.” Don’t expect a film of that kind of scope and size. This is a big crime orchestrated by small people who think they are bigger than they really are. Review

Like the railed, ridden inventions it depicts, Wonder Park has clever ideas and solid foundations, but too many trim brakes, suspensions, bumps, dead spots, and other hits of filmed friction slow the glee and weaken the poignant pillars attempted. Review

Spanning Room, Short Term 12, The Glass Castle, and more, Brie Larson has proven a level of palpable poise greater than most of her acting peers for the better part of a decade. That poise and spirit occupies a new stage now. Review

Through its motivating attitude, rich pathos, and indomitable spirit, the final chapter of How to Train Your Dragon celebrates the substance that has made this series triumph. Review