Paired up for the second of three segments, "You'll Probably Agree" YouTube video critic Mike Crowley invited me to his Star Wars lair to offer an advance review Solo after a recent press screening. Mike is a big fan and was very eager to hear the prequel lowdown. He lets me take the lead to frame, dispel, and clear up expectations, hype, and some pressing questions. This review and video is SPOILER-FREE!
Read MoreYouTube video critic Mike Crowley invited me on his "You'll Probably Agree" channel to review Deadpool 2 after a recent press screening. We pile the humor on this R-rated blockbuster which is bigger, loud, and more of the same from Ryan Reynolds and company. Grace this video your thumbs up and feedback. While you're at it, do give Mike and his channel a subscribe and a follow on YouTube and Facebook.
Read MoreOn behalf of the Wilmette Theatre, I have to give a big thank you to the media coverage from Alexa Burnell of The Wilmette Beacon for giving some love to our "Kids Klassics" series. It was a pleasure to talk with her after our opening showing of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I'll always be that small-town kid who always takes it as a big deal when you get your picture in the paper. Much appreciated!
Read MoreIn a special edition of my ongoing "Guest Critic" series, meet my own mother, Kathy Shanahan. She was my recent Mother's Day +1 to see an advanced screening of the new summer comedy Book Club. I had my take on the film and she, as a member of the target demographic, certainly had hers. Come hear about our Mother’s Day trip together and for a second take on Book Club.
Read MoreViewers of Book Club are coming for the assembled legendary talent and the chance to watch Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen prance with punchlines. All that banter! All the innuendos! All the metaphors! All the “lethargic pussy” zingers! All of it is an easy treat of summer counter-programming and a little more.
Read MoreSucceeding frequently with several exciting and well-conceived action sequences and a bevy of rich supporting characters to enjoy, Solo: A Star Wars Story still has an inescapable ceiling. Directed by a respected safe veteran in Ron Howard, rescuing this film from loudly reported production woes, this prequel seeks to chronicle a background of how our favorite smuggler, thief, and scoundrel came to be. On this writer’s ledger, the first two of those three traits register emphatically from the movie.
Read MoreThe bloody swirls of cold ocean water where a cute little terrier wearing a fou-fou life vest for his yachtsman owner used to be represents the first pre-credits victim of Island Zero. That pooch is the first of a cavalcade of casualties to come. This indie flick of cheesy gore pierced by a stab at serious science works hard to make the most of is resources to craft an involved little creature feature and paranoid thriller. The shrewdly cleaver Island Zero arrives nationwide on VOD on May 15th from Freestyle Releasing.
Read MoreNo matter what, all of Deadpool 2 is nonsensical, of course, and there was no way this movie wasn’t going to be exactly what it is: FUN. That part doesn't go away. Folks can try to champion the first film and this one as anti-comic-book-movie movies, but, make no mistake, both of these blockbusters end up becoming comic book movies anyway just with more willingness and success to subvert the formula. However, that ridiculous energy is precisely the charm people are flocking and paying to see over in this
Read MoreEvery Movie Has a Lesson gives a hearty welcome back to The Cinescope Podcast, hosted by Chad Hopkins, after a brief winter sabbatical. After seeing me recently come out of hosting a screening of E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial through the "Kids Klassics" series at The Wilmette Theatre, Chad invited me to record a nostalgic retrospective on Spielberg's film as the return episode of The Cinescope Podcast. E.T. is a cherished favorite film for both of us and it made for lovely discussion.
Read MoreUPDATED: Found within are my capsule reviews of the feature films and documentaries covered by Every Movie Has a Lesson from this year’s 6th Chicago Critics Film Festival. This post will be updated as new films are reviewed are completed, so be sure to bookmark this and come back each day as new offerings arrive. Build your 2018 hidden gem list and see you at the Music Box Theatre in Lakeview!
Read MoreAcademy Award-winning writer Diablo Cody has an unparalleled gift for the sardonic. She knows just the right rhythm of mockery and skepticism to twist mundane circumstances into something both witty and affecting. When combined with director Jason Reitman (Juno and Young Adult) and his sensibilities wired to much the same wavelength, the results are gleefully glorious. With their latest collaboration Tully, the writer-and-director duo have done it again.
Read MoreThis man is a cowboy. Normally, that’s all you have to say and the portrait of toughness is painted, but therein lies the mystery within the mundane of The Rider. Populated by untrained actors and inspired by true events of these rookie performers, Chloé Zhao’s sophomore feature film stands on that determination only to slowly reveal the internal aches underneath the grizzled exteriors of hat brims, denim, and vices.
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