FF+ Merry Little Batman

Damian Wayne, at his most adorable ever, tries to save Christmas from a classic rouges gallery of Batman villains in order to prove to his father that he’s ready for superhero work. Though aimed at kids and with a definite Saturday morning cartoon tone, this Batman super fan found plenty to enjoy and was left wanting more after a ridiculously fun reference-filled holiday romp.

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Music: Upbeat Party – Scott Holmes Music

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Episode 386: The Burial

Based off of an article in the New Yorker, Maggie Betts takes a simple and straightforward case and makes a mountain out of a mole hill, amplifying racial undertones of the time period into a place of priority that distracts from what could have been a more compelling courtroom drama. The performances are great and the points being made about poor character are admirable, but ultimately this was the wrong approach and results in a very middling and not particularly rousing legal film.

* Note – full spoilers in effect for entire episode *

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FF+ The Rings of Power S1: E7/E8

Erynne Hundley is back as a contributor to Feelin’ Film, joining Aaron White weekly to discuss each episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power from the perspective of two casual super-fans who are far from scholars but love being immersed in the world of Middle-earth. This week we wrap our coverage of this first season by discussing the penultimate and finale episodes. Much is revealed as we build to our first look at some of the titular rings of power.

* Note – we do discuss Tolkien lore and how storylines could potentially play out in the show *

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Music: Breezy Hills Farm – Augustin C

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FF+ The Rings of Power S1: E6

Erynne Hundley is back as a contributor to Feelin’ Film, joining Aaron White weekly to discuss each episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power from the perspective of two casual super-fans who are far from scholars but love being immersed in the world of Middle-earth. This week we breakdown Episode 6, which was an action-packed pendulum of momentum swings that left Middle-earth drastically changed and saw the merger of two of our major storylines.

* Note – we do discuss Tolkien lore and how storylines could potentially play out in the show *

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Music: Breezy Hills Farm – Augustin C

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FF+ The Rings of Power S1: E5

Erynne Hundley is back as a contributor to Feelin’ Film, joining Aaron White weekly to discuss each episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power from the perspective of two casual super-fans who are far from scholars but love being immersed in the world of Middle-earth. This week we breakdown Episode 5, including our feelings on Isildur’s increasingly privileged personality and the origins of mithril amongst much more.

* Note – we do discuss Tolkien lore and how storylines could potentially play out in the show *

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Music: Breezy Hills Farm – Augustin C

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FF+ The Rings of Power S1: E4

Erynne Hundley is back as a contributor to Feelin’ Film, joining Aaron White weekly to discuss each episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power from the perspective of two casual super-fans who are far from scholars but love being immersed in the world of Middle-earth. This week we breakdown Episode 4, which gives us a glimpse of Númenor’s fate, establishes a villain (or two), provides some heartwarming moments in Khazad-dûm, and more.

* Note – we do discuss Tolkien lore and how storylines could potentially play out in the show *

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Music: Breezy Hills Farm – Augustin C

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FF+ The Rings of Power S1: E3

Erynne Hundley is back as a contributor to Feelin’ Film, joining Aaron White weekly to discuss each episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power from the perspective of two casual super-fans who are far from scholars but love being immersed in the world of Middle-earth. This week we breakdown Episode 3, which reveals more of Halbrand’s potential lineage, has us visit an iconic location for the first time, introduces us to some major players in the history of The One Ring, and much more.

* Note – we do discuss Tolkien lore and how storylines could potentially play out in the show *

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Music: Breezy Hills Farm – Augustin C

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FF+ The Rings of Power S1: E1/E2

Erynne Hundley is back as a contributor to Feelin’ Film, joining Aaron White weekly to discuss each episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power from the perspective of two casual super-fans who are far from scholars but love being immersed in the world of Middle-earth. This week we breakdown Episodes 1 & 2, and immediately start theorizing about who some of the newly created mysterious characters might be.

* Note – we do discuss Tolkien lore and how storylines could potentially play out in the show *

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Music: Breezy Hills Farm – Augustin C

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What We Learned This Week: March 1-15

LESSON #1: HEALTHY AUDIENCES BUY TICKETS— What started as film festivals and a very surprising move last week when Sony bumped their big spring tent pole No Time to Die from its so-close-you-can-taste-it first week of April release date seven full months to their fallback spot of November, the mainline movie industry has been frozen by the Corona virus pandemic. Here’s a frequently updated list of the delays and cancellations.  Shocking or not and carrying all the #firstworldproblems level of disappointment, you can’t blame them one bit. If it’s not a good time to maximize reception, wait and hold until when it is. That’s smart business instead of obstinacy and impatience. For the movies, the buzz will only grow.  What won’t grow is Lesson #2.

LESSON #2: THIS HURTS THE LITTLE PEOPLE THE MOST— Big studios have other revenue streams and deep cofers to survive a pause period like this. The people that don’t are the small businesses down the industry ladder. With the lists of closures, lockdowns, and avoidances growing by the day and minute, it’s the day-to-day service workers that depend this steady entertainment industry the most. Disney CEO Bob Iger isn’t losing his paycheck, but every concession worker, usher, ticket taker, and 9-to-5er is. Read an excellent Yahoo article on the implications here. If some businesses lose too much, they’re not going to re-open. This pandemic will pass, but it is going to scar like a forest fire on the tree rings of time.

LESSON #3: IT’S TIME TO DISCOVER THE NEXT LAYERS OF CINEMA— With the A-list and blockbuster parades derailed for at least a month (and likely more), casual fans are going to lament not having any new film content to digest. Sure, you could hit the couch and play a zillion old favorites from physical media collections or streaming services you’ve seen dozens of times. I get that craving for comfort food, but why not dig a little deeper to find something truly new. If there is a tier of cinema that benefits from big studio theater closures, it’s the VOD market. Let this film critic tell you, there is a wealth buried treasure to be had at the B-level of cinema (after you’re done watching Outbreak and Contagion of course). It’s not just the washed-up actor-led straight-to-DVD landscape anymore. Much is worthy indie film looking for an audience. Use the JustWatch website and give a little movie some love. If you’re really crazy and want to dive even deeper, YouTube has legitimate award-worthy short films for days and an obscure cinema aficionado buddy of mine sent me this shared “Cabin Fever” spreadsheet filled with links to free experimental films of all colors and sizes.  The multiplexes might be closed, but we’re never going to run out of content.

LESSON #4: IT’S TIME TO FILL IN THOSE BLIND SPOTS— If swinging into the indie and experimental world isn’t your bag and you’re stuck working from home for the better part of the next month, then it’s time to check off the wish list of movies you’ve always wanted to see. Complete those Letterboxd challenges. Comb your streaming services, borrow discs from the library, or, again, use the JustWatch search engine app to find those egregious blind spots and plot out some rich movie nights at home. For many, this is an unprecedented amount of time off longer than any Winter/Christmas break we had as school kids. Take advantage of it. Get buried in couch pillows, blankets, and whatever preventative measures you fancy, even if it’s just more popcorn.


DON SHANAHAN is a Chicago-based and Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic writing on his website Every Movie Has a Lesson. His movie review work is also published on 25YL (25 Years Later) and also on Medium.com for the MovieTime Guru publication.  As an educator by day, Don writes his movie reviews with life lessons in mind, from the serious to the farcical. He is a proud director and one of the founders of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle and a member of the nationally-recognized Online Film Critics Society.  As a contributor here on Feelin’ Film now for over two years, he’s going to expand those lessons to current movie news and trends while chipping in with guest spots and co-hosting duties, including the previous “Connecting with Classics” podcasts.  Find “Every Movie Has a Lesson” on Facebook, Twitter, and Medium to follow his work.  (#125)

What We Learned This Week: February 23-29

LESSON #1: BOB IGER’S LEGACY IS ONE OF ACQUISITION— The biggest news of the young year on the business side of the movie industry dropped this week with the planned retirement date of Disney CEO Bob Iger. Without a doubt and spending with deep pockets, he turned the most popular family brand niche around into a media powerhouse. The purchases of LucasFilm, Marvel, Pixar, and 20th Century Fox were during his leadership tenure, as were numerous additions and expansions like a theme park in Shanghai and everything surging with Disney+.  I know Walt’s name is on the sign, but you could start naming a few streets and board rooms after Iger and the honors would be warranted.

LESSON #2: NO, SERIOUSLY, STOP WATCHING TRAILERS— I feel like little suds from my usual soapbox are going to always be around. That is especially true when I see another story of a meddlesome studio over-selling a film and ruining its potential essence. The case this time is Leigh Whannell’s wishes for Blumhouse not to further advertise the twists and action of The Invisible Man. I’ve heard critics report that too many scares from the movie are tipped off from the trailer. I feel like horror films have it worse with this problem than other genres. Expect it to continue until you be a discerning consumer that avoids trailers. Let’s start rubbing the worry stone right now for Candyman. That’s another teaser that, even with quick editing, shows too much.

LESSON #3: IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT HELP YOU STAND OUT— We’re seemingly getting to a saturation point with the streaming services where they all need to look the same and work the same to get customers comfortable.  I remember hearing about the Netflix-like screen functions that folks clamored to have on Disney+ after its launch in November. While content and price point always win, I do appreciate little nuances that can make something stand out. As a physical media fan and special features nut, I dig what Amazon Prime Video is doing with their Trivia Section. I love the easy information right there at viewers fingertips. Maybe little perks like that can get us off of our devices to watch and learn all in one place. Nice work, Amazon.


DON SHANAHAN is a Chicago-based and Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic writing on his website Every Movie Has a Lesson. His movie review work is also published on 25YL (25 Years Later) and also on Medium.com for the MovieTime Guru publication.  As an educator by day, Don writes his movie reviews with life lessons in mind, from the serious to the farcical. He is a proud director and one of the founders of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle and a member of the nationally-recognized Online Film Critics Society.  As a contributor here on Feelin’ Film now for over two years, he’s going to expand those lessons to current movie news and trends while chipping in with guest spots and co-hosting duties, including the previous “Connecting with Classics” podcasts.  Find “Every Movie Has a Lesson” on Facebook, Twitter, and Medium to follow his work.  (#124)