In true Ghostbusters fashion, the climax of this long-distance sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife is enveloped in foreboding dark clouds. People either cower at their sight or take initiative to save the day and the greater world. Those haunted thunderheads and the characters making those resolute choices might as well symbolically match the judgment and dread that’s building for this holiday blockbuster. Some folks are going to find rainbows, which may or may not be made out of proton streams, in those clouds and others will just see a swirling mess.

2021, 3 STARS, MOVIE REVIEWDon ShanahanNovember 18, 2021Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters: AfterlifeComment

INFOGRAPHIC: The Best Movie Rooftop Confrontations

There are few things more scenic and compelling than a wide-open rooftop overlooking a sprawling urban landscape. The perception of heigh and depth does it all. Over the years, some iconic movie scenes have taken place on rooftops. Maybe it’s the risk of falling off, or the build-up to the inevitable showdown at the end. Here is an engaging infographic from Rubber Band on some of the best rooftop confrontations in movie history.

MOVIE REVIEW: Thor: Ragnarok

Paired perfectly as a double-feature follow-up to this summer’s spacefaring Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok is a raucously rad roller coaster that shoots rainbows out of every digitally-rendered pore. Blasting with energetic pace in the complete opposite direction from the dreary and grayish Game of Thrones Lite tone of Thor: The Dark World, this new chapter is a cinematic box of Crayola crayons laced with dynamite.

2017, 4 STARSDon ShanahanNovember 2, 2017AMC Navy Pier IMAX2017 Holiday Films, 2017, Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragonark, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Phase 3, Marvel Films, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Marvel Entertainment, Disney/Marvel, Marvel Studios, Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Mark Mothersbaugh, Mjolnir, Kat Dennings, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, What We Do in the Shadows, Team Thor, YouTube, Vacation, Ghostbusters, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ruffalo, Planet Hulk, Tessa Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, The Grandmaster, Clancy Brown, Surtur, Hela, Loki, Anthony Hopkins, movie review, film review, movie commentary, film commentary, film critic, movie critic, God of Thunder, Goddess of Death, God of Mischief, Ragnarok, Odin, comic book films, Comic Book Guy, comic book movies, comic book movie, DC Comics, life lessons, life lessons from movies, life lessons from film, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Don Shanahan, Donald ShanahanComment

COLUMN: New Year's Resolutions for the Movie Industry in 2017

Plenty of regular everyday people make New Year's Resolutions, but I think bigger entities, namely movie makers and movie moguls, need to make them too. Annually, including this sixth edition, this is my absolute favorite editorial to write every year. I have fun taking the movie industry to task for things they need to change. I'm sarcastic, but I'm not the guy to take it to the false internet courage level of some Twitter troll. This will be as forward as I get all year.

2016, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanDecember 31, 2016New Year's Resolutions for the Movie Industry, New Year's Resolutions, Column, Editorial, 2016, 2017, New Year's Eve, Adam Sandler, Seth McFarlane, Michael Phillips, MTV, Donald Trump, Felicity Jones, Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain, Jackie, Miss Sloane, Emma Stone, La La Land, #OscarsSoWhite, Moonlight, Fences, Hidden Figures, Mahershala Ali, Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Naomie Harris, Octavia Spencer, Ava DuVernay, 13th, The Birth of a Nation, Southside with You, The Fits, Kicks, LGBT, Disney/Marvel, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Sony Entertainment, Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Homecoming, X-Men: Apocalypse, Deadpool, Doctor Strange, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Geoff Johns, Denis Villeneuve, Dwayne Johnson, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Ridley Scott, Alien: Covenant, Jumanji, Baywatch, Kicking the Seat, Pixar, Pixar Punch, Sing, The Secret Life of Pets, The Angry Birds Movie, The Emoji Movie, Pete's Dragon, Mark Wahlberg, Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day, Transformers: The Last Knight, Jason Statham, Saturday Night Live, Ghostbusters, Damien ChazelleComment

EDITORIAL: Movies and the 9/11 impact

ANNUAL UPDATE: I'm here for an editorial on the anniversary of 9/11 to showcase a few movies, both serious and not-so-serious, that speak to that day whether as a tribute, remembrance, or example of how life has changed since that fateful day. Enjoy!

Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanSeptember 11, 20169/11, 9/11 films, 9/11 movies, Films based on 9/11, Movie based on 9/11, Films affected by 9/11, Movies affected by 9/11, 9/11 anniversary, War on Terror, Ghostbusters, Independence Day: Resurgence, Independence Day, The Walk, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Godzilla, Star Trek Into Darkness, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Man of Steel, Olympus Has Fallen, White House Down, Patriots Day, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Sully, American Sniper, Captain America: The First Avenger, Live Free or Die Hard, We Are Marshall, Hitch, National Treasure, Miracle, Million Dollar Baby, Ladder 49, Elf, Gangs of New York, Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 2, We Were Soldiers, Black Hawk Down, Behind Enemy Lines, The Last Castle, Pearl Harbor, The Patriot, Air Force One, Rambo III, Charlie Wilson's War, Jarhead, Courage Under Fire, V for Vendetta, The Sum of All Fears, Fight Club, Arlington Road, Munich, Syriana, The Dark Knight Rises, The Siege, True Lies, Pushing Tin, Turbulence, Executive Decision, Passenger 57, Airplane!, Cloverfield, War of the Worlds, Watchmen, Deep Impact, Armageddon, The Day After Tomorrow, King Kong, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Superman, Boyhood, The Fifth Estate, Snowden, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Source Code, Bridesmaids, Iron Man, Harold and Kumar Escape Guantanamo, Snakes on a Plane, Soul Plane, Anger Management, The Terminal, An Inconvenient Truth, Fahrenheit 9/11, 25th Hour, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, 13 Hours, Good Kill, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, A Most Wanted Man, Lone Survivor, Zero Dark Thirty, Act of Valor, Restrepo, Green Zone, Dear John, The Lucky One, Brothers, Taking Chance, The Messenger, Stop-Loss, Body of Lies, In the Valley of Elah, Lions of Lambs, The Kingdom, Rendition, Grace is Gone, The Hurt Locker, Home of the Brave, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Remember Me, Reign Over Me, World Trade Center, United 93, Big Trouble, The Time Machine, Serendipity, Zoolander, Men in Black II, Sidewalks of New York, City by the Sea, Collateral Damage, The Glass House, Hardball, Rock Star, Soul Survivors, The Musketeer, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Ocean's 11, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, New York, New York City, The Pentagon, Afghanistan, Iraq, Editorial, War movies, film commentary, movie commentary, social commentary, SPECIAL, ANNUAL, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Every Movie Has a LessonComment

MOVIE REVIEW: Ghostbusters

The success of a remake, reboot, or sequel is contingent upon matching the tone of the original work to the best of its ability. If a film gets that tone right, it can be a drastic revision full of changes and updates and still feel respectfully aware and in tune with the previous well-remembered greatness the new film is trying to emulate. I stand by that rationale and now bring that gauge to “Ghostbusters” and the wave of misguided hatred that follows it. I say misguided because the overprotective nostalgia and/or sexist gender complaints are false sources of this film’s problems.

EDITORIAL: My 16 most anticipated films for 2016

2016 looks decidedly less spectacular that 2015 on paper. I think there is still plenty to love, but I don't think we'll get another pair of $500 million-plus earners like "Jurassic World" (over $600 million) and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In an annual tradition, here are the sixteen movies I'm most looking forward to for 2016. I'm a ranker kind of guy, so let the first countdown begin. Enjoy!

ADVANCE MOVIE REVIEW: Draft Day

Rest assured, thanks to his endless versatility and charm, Costner proves again that he is a comfortable and lifting presence to any sports film, even a football one.

EVERY MOVIE HAS A LESSON

by Don Shanahan

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