COLUMN: The 10 Best Movies of 2020

Nothing seems to define 2020 like a long sigh and a deep breath. This past year likely makes the record books with all kinds of trivia nuggets and asterisks. Folks didn’t get to see all the movies they hoped for, but I’ve been telling people all year that “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” The last movie I saw in a theater was Onward on March 2nd, adding up to 304 days (and counting since) without a visit to the big screen. Sure, I miss it as a guy that used to go out 2-3 times a week, but movies can wait and so will I. After all, we’re surviving a pandemic and movies count as #firstworldproblems.

2020, Best Films, Column, Editorial, LIST, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 13, 2021Comment

SPECIAL: Winners of the fifth annual Chicago Indie Critics Awards

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted from August Wilson’s stage play, dominated this year’s CIC Awards, winning seven of its nine nominations. Topmost, the Netflix original film was named the Best Studio Film in a tie with another offering from the streaming leader, Best Director winner Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom also won awards for adapted screenplay, lead actor, lead actress, ensemble cast, costume design, and makeup.

2020, CIC, Column, EVENT, LIST, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanJanuary 2, 2021 Comment

COLUMN: New Year's Resolutions for the Movie Industry for 2021

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 tenth edition, I have fun taking the movie industry to task for things they need to change. I have no false internet courage to be a Twitter troll. As always, some resolutions come true while others get mentioned and reiterated every year. Boy, was this a turd of a year for the movies, eh? There’s so much to say about so little that transpired with a predominantly locked-down marketplace.

Column, Editorial, LIST, Social Media, SPECIAL, 2021Don ShanahanJanuary 1, 2021Comment

SPECIAL: Nominations for the fifth annual Chicago Indie Critics Awards

Leading all films with an impressive nine nominations is Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom helmed by Best Director nominee George C. Wolfe and starring acting nominees Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis. Following next with seven nominations each was David Fincher’s Mank and Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, both also hailing from Netflix. In all, 45 different films are represented with nominations for the 2020 CIC Awards.

2020, CIC, Column, EVENT, LIST, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanDecember 28, 2020Comment

10 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE: The 10 Best Films of 2010

Despite the overall crappiness of this year, 2020 has been the 10th anniversary of this website Every Movie Has a Lesson. I didn’t start this endeavor until May of 2010 and, when the end of the year rolled around, I didn’t have a complete “sample size” or body of work, so to speak, to write a proper “10 Best” list. Missing that chance has always bothered the completist in me. I’ve been meaning to fix that and this little anniversary seemed like the right time, especially after charting a “best of the decade” list a year ago at the close of the 10s. So, turning back the clock a decade, here are my “10 Best Films of 2010.”

Best Films, Column, Editorial, LIST, Retrospective, SPECIAL, 2020, 2010Don ShanahanDecember 28, 2020Saint Joseph's College2010 Comment

GUEST COLUMN: The Top 10 Most Successful Action Franchises of All Time

by Daniel T. Anderson

What would you guess to be the most profitable action movie franchise of all time? If you had to choose one, which would it be? Mission Impossible? The Pirates of the Caribbean? The Matrix films? Reporting on these sorts of box office results is typically pretty simplistic. We're told the amount of money a film made domestically (and sometimes internationally) and how much the film cost to make. The difference is supposed to be the profitability. However, determining real-life profitability is much more complex.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, LISTDon ShanahanDecember 27, 2020Comment

COLUMN: The Best TV Shows about Students and University Life

As first-year students are about to join the universities and colleges in their enormous numbers, it is highly the time to step back and look at some of the television shows that channel their focus on students. Some of these shows can be used for both entertainment and as a material to do my thesis in the future. Here are some of the shows that detail the life of a student in university.

2020, Column, Editorial, LISTDon ShanahanDecember 27, 2020Comment

20 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE: The 10 Best Films of 2000

In an annual series, Every Movie Has a Lesson is going to look back twenty years to revisit, relearn, and reexamine a year of cinema history to share favorites, lists, and experiences from the films of that year. When measuring back as far as twenty years or more, I feel like “favorites” that have stood the test of time have aged to become some level of “best.” I feel like a bunch of those populate my reflective look back at the best of 2000.

Best Films, Column, Editorial, LIST, Retrospective, SPECIAL, 2020Don ShanahanDecember 25, 2020Saint Joseph's College2000 Comments

INFOGRAPHIC: The True Cost of Iconic Holiday Movie Moments

The creative folks at CreditRepair.com designed this visual on iconic holiday movie moments and what they'd cost in real life + financial lessons anyone can learn from! They analyzed scenes from classic holiday movies (think Home Alone, Elf, and The Grinch) and found out how much they'd cost if they actually took place! Aside from satisfying curiosity, they tied the results back to important financial lessons we can take from these lovable characters and serve as important reminders of what really matters during the holiday season.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, Infographic, LIST, SPECIAL, Social MediaDon ShanahanDecember 18, 2020Comment

GUEST COLUMN: 7 Best Movies to Watch While Being on Winter Break

by Donna James

Winter breaks are an excellent time. They give you some time off to spend with your family and friends. Some people love to spend that time out and about, going to their favorite holiday destinations, while others prefer to stay indoors and kick it with family and friends watching a few movies and drinking wine. If you’re the latter type, you’ll enjoy this article! Here are 7 of the best movies to watch as you enjoy your well-deserved winter break.

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, LIST, Home MediaDon ShanahanDecember 18, 2020Comment

5 Stoner Movies You Need to Watch

When you’re high up in the sky of your couch, any film could practically be a stoner movie. Spongebob marathon? “Eh, look at the yellow submarine. It has legs!” Nothing could be less amusing. Even a 20-hour BBC earth documentary could be worth your while. But the greatest stoner movies give you more than that. It makes you crack up till dawn even when you see it a hundred times. Here are some of the greatest stoner movies you would not want to miss.

2020, Column, Editorial, Home Media, LISTDon ShanahanDecember 15, 2020Comment

COLUMN: Life Lessons We Learn From Movies

Books, the World Wide Web and good old fashioned research all provide a number of life lessons, but have you ever considered movies to be a great source of enlightenment? From discovering what it’s like to work for an Editor in Chief at a fashion magazine (The Devil Wears Prada) to what happens when we lose our inhibitions (What Happens in Vegas) to how to game successfully (The Cincinnati Kid), we’ve listed a handful of our favourite movies, all of which we can learn something from...

2020, Column, Editorial, GUEST EDITORIAL, Home Media, LISTDon ShanahanDecember 14, 2020Comment