What We Learned This Week: December 25 – Final Edition

Posted on December 25, 2020 by everymoviehasalesson.

WHAT I LEARNED WRITING THIS COLUMN FOR THREE YEARS

LESSON #1: TAKE PEOPLE BEHIND THE CURTAIN— The entire goal of “What We Learned This Week” was to present, distill, translate, and, plenty of times, mock the wacky business side of the film industry. From tracking movie trends, showing off awards buzz, or flat-out following the money, I know I learn new things myself, even as a credential critic, every week about inner-workings of the competitive and petty Hollywood landscape and I hope you have too. I hope you’ve looked past the optics and into the dealings that make these entities and people tick.

LESSON #2: THIS IS A BUSINESS FIRST AND AN ART EXPOSITION SECOND— One of my favorite mantras to say also matches the heart of “What We Learned This Week.” I know it’s not all that nice to admit, but movies are a business first and an art exposition second. It’s been that way since they started selling tickets. Top to bottom, no one is in this industry for free. If they give something away for “free,” there are either strings attached to it or cache that will lead to spent money coming there way eventually. Personally, I’m here for the art, first and foremost. That puts me firmly in the “separate the art and the artist” camp where you’re never going to see me join a cancel culture movement for anyone or any entity. If Neo-Nazis or kitten butcherers make the best picture of the year, I’m going to watch it with open acceptance and consideration. I’m here for the movies, period, but I do the homework connected to this weekly column of following the trends and all those dealings to understand how and why the art is being made. To me, that’s being a discerning consumer as much as a lover of the medium. You can be and do both, and I hope I conveyed that well here in three years.

LESSON #3: CREATIVE BANKRUPTCY IS REAL— In seeing the volume of Hollywood news and trends over the years, I don’t want to report this lesson as true, but it’s really feeling that way, especially in this pandemic year where originality had a chance to shine with all the blockbusters scared away. For every Parasite there is a franchise sequel or remake that beats a dead horse. I get it. That stuff sells better than the risk-taking original stuff, but at some point that bubble is going to burst, if it hasn’t already with the diminishing returns of many franchises. There is always originality out there and buried treasure to find. I will always look further to see it, but I know dozens won’t. I just want to strap those people to a couch and show them something better than the junk they’re always buying.

LESSON #4: FAN SERVICE IS PART OF THE POINT— The hard part about Lesson #3, once again, is that that familiarity works and makes money. That kind of thing has come to be called “fan service” and it’s getting a bad name. In some cases, the cheap namedrops and blatant theatrics rightfully earn those groans and eyerolls. They’re lazy and reek of Lesson #3. There are some times, however, where fan service is precisely the point. If the creators aren’t connecting what is meant to be connected, then they’re doing some of their work wrong. It’s not that I can readily defend “fan service” after years of it, but more that I accept it as par for the course, so to speak. I know it’s coming and I’m over pissing and moaning about it. It makes people happy and it sells tickets, so it’s working.

LESSON #5: TRAILERS ARE HORRIBLE— From the consumer advocacy side of “What We Learned This Week,” I have chosen a few hills to die on and this is one of them. More trailers ruin a future movie experience than help it. I am convinced of that. The joy of complete, unspoiled, and unprimed discovery makes for a better movie experience every damn time compared to that mountain of BS expectations people start building thanks to overhyped and overcooked trailers. I posed a “no trailers” challenge to Feelin’ Film readers, listeners, and followers two years in a row and I hope I swayed a few people to watch less of those damn things. I promise you will like movies MORE.

LESSON #6: “EXPECTATIONS” ARE THE WORST— I will double-down on that matter of “expectations” from Lesson #4 to say this lesson title next. Expectations are not a movie’s fault. They are YOUR fault. Thanks to trailers, click bait social media, advance rumors, and behind-the-scenes scoop stories, you are allowing all of those very manufactured items to steer your tastes further than necessary. We have reached a place where we know too much about a movie before it comes out or, worse, the snark buries something before it even has the chance to try. Secrets are becoming more and more impossible to contain and clickbait feeds too much false news to go with it. Push yourself away from that trough, especially #FilmTwitter. Lower expectations on everything. Detox that junk out of your life, especially Twitter, and let a movie’s riches come to you.

LESSON #7: THE DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS OF “MASTERPIECE”— While we’re talking about hills to die on, I will reflect on what has become my most notorious one. “Masterpiece” was and still is an overused term by critics and fans alike, no matter how you define it, be that something of excellent quality or the single best work of an artist. It’s a word dropped too quickly and too carelessly. Some of that hyperbole for the sake of hyperbole then goes on to fuel some of those warped expectations from Lesson #5. Please do less of that. Reserve the term because it’s supposed to be important. You do that by having some f’n patience. Let a film breathe and age. Let it stand the test of time and build a legacy like a real masterpiece should. I’m going to keep being me and the kind of guy who will wait for an entire career to close before handing out masterpiece feathers. I hope you can too. Throughout my rants on this hill, which have subsided greatly since Dunkirk, if I have gotten any of you reading this to pause and think before using the word “masterpiece,” then that’s a mission accomplished for me. That’s the beginning of the necessary reflection. That’s classic “think before you speak” territory.

LESSON #8: PHYSICAL MEDIA IS UNBEATABLE— Take pride in those shelves at home, folks. The marketplace may be shifting to digital fronts and portability, but there will always be a place for physical media. Just like every vinyl record fan out there will tell you, movies look and sound better where you’re not chasing buffering or peak internet speeds. There will always be a place for physical media for the quality and their educational special features. A good audio commentary can be as spellbinding as the movie itself. You don’t get that watching a movie on your phone with earbuds. On a side note for this Feelin’ Film crowd. Thank you #DammitJacob Neff for making me buy more of it. Keep the wallet-destroying deals coming.

LESSON #9: THEATERS WILL BE FINE— Make no mistake, it’s been long enough in 2020 to finally admit that theaters are in the toilet right now. It’s not looking good and I feel like I have had to cover some type of bad news for movie theaters every week here in “What We Learned This Week” since March. Things may not get better soon or every next year, but theaters are going to be fine. They’re going to come out of this pandemic. There may not be as many. They may be built different or be owned by different entities than before, but they’ll be fine. All of these 2020 blockbusters continue to delay because theaters are still the #1 place to make the most money and also because that’s where movies will always look and sound their absolute best. The theater experience isn’t just a novelty. It’s the original recipe that isn’t going away. They’ve survived wars and recessions before. They’ll survive this one too.

LESSON #10: STREAMING HAS A GREAT DEAL TO OFFER— While you’re waiting for theaters, there is plenty to be consumed in the growing streaming wars happening between media giants. Someday adding all of the possible a la carte platforms may equal an old cable TV bill, but, for now, this is working splendidly. Streaming has become the top place for indie films, classic films, documentaries, and foreigh films to reach their widest possible audiences. Netflix and Disney are becoming the leaders, but Apple and Amazon will continue to grow their services. Watch also for the growing HBO Max footprint and whatever the controlling ownership of Disney does to Hulu. This bubble of collective affordability may burst someday, but it won’t be anytime soon.

LESSON #11: HOW TO BE A BETTER TALKER— Alright, those first nine lessons were the industry/trends stuff in the spirit of the column. I’m going to close with the personal learning experiences and they start here with talk. I want to thank Aaron White and Patrick Hicks for not only giving me this column space but for the opportunities to come on the mic for the Feelin’ Film programs. I bought my first Blue Snowball microphone because of this site and it’s been a boon for my skills. I still talk too fast and stumble plenty, but I’m better than I when I first started out.

LESSON #12: HOW TO BE A BETTER LISTENER— For those that don’t know, by day I’m a school teacher. That’s a profession where a teacher needs to damn near control everything about their classroom for the sake of management and authority. In that way, I can be a bulldog that steamrolls and does all the talking or typing. Hanging around in FF has made me a better listener. That’s another layer of “think before you speak.” It’s not that I’m unaware of divergent opinions. Quite the contrary. I hear them all the time, but seeing where they’re coming from is important. Any and all of us can use some practice in that department.

LESSON #13: HOW TO BE A BETTER CRITIC— Become a better talker and a better listener here in FF among a bunch of other fellow film critics has, without question, improved my professional work as a film critic. While working here, I cracked into Rotten Tomatoes as an approved critic, scoring a bucket list item I didn’t was possible. It is also here where I learned and then often shared that dynamite list of film review cliches from Letterboxd. I have vowed to avoid those tropes and the pull-quote hyperbole that comes from that bush league level of writing, even if that’s unpopular. I’ve gotten feedback that I’ve inspired a few others to do the same or even enter this official fray. In pausing on masterpiece labels, skipping trailers, lowering expectations, and bringing over the educator’s lens that works in a world where everything is evaluated to some degree, I’ve tightened by grading and rating tendences for the better. I have happily championed the prevailing notion that there are legitimate objectives to be found and recognized in all this art. I don’t buy that “art is entirely subjective” cop-out for one second and never will. I have also grown to feel obligated to stand for the best that my role as a film critic can be, especially in a consumer setting that questions their value anymore. That old adage that “anyone is a critic” fills social media and Letterboxd alike with a ton of voices. I have learned to do more, work harder, and aim to be better than the hot take artists. Sometimes that’s going to make me a film snob to some or, worse, just another white male in the groupthink, but I have sharpened myself to be consistent and produce work with integrity, even if it goes against the majority. I seek that with every review I write. I hope you can see that in my work.

LESSON #14: HOW TO STAY A MOVIE FAN— Oddly enough, the hardest part I have found about being a movie critic is trying to stay being a movie fan as well. If you sit back and ask, “Don, how could that happen when you see all the stuff you do.” That answer is good, old-fashioned work-life balance, and that’s another curtain I know I’ve peeled back here in “What We Learned This Week” from time to time. 90% of movies I watch are essentially “for work” as movies where I have a contingent press obligation to provide coverage. Sure, it’s cool that I get to see things early and for free. That access never gets old. But, believe it or not, doing this can become a grind and take up the time commitment equivalent to a second job, and one that doesn’t really pay. Being around the good folks here at Feelin’ Film has reminded me to still be a movie fan. The people in here got me to join Letterboxd and tackle blind spots, lists, and challenges together. They inspire me to make sure I still watch casual movies for fun without the notepad or laptop. Churning out reviews “for work” every week, I can forget to do that and being among fellow fans keeps me inspired.

LESSON #15: THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “FAVORITE” AND “BEST”— The last occupational hazard I’ll speak of here probably also counts as another one of those hills I’m prepared to mount a tombstone on. Like Lesson #2, I echo this lesson sentence often because I’ve reached a point where being a film critic and a movie fan have their limits of being hand-in-hand. Being both isn’t always the same stance or energy. Some of this goes back to subjective vs. objective, but giving five stars to Schindler’s List and five stars to Top Gun are two different things and it can be a challenge of consistency. I hope you can understand, but I HAVE to separate favorites from bests. It’s how I make sense of the world wearing both hats as a critic and aficionado. I like to say “favorites won’t always be the best movies and vice versa, but when something is both, that’s when you have found something special.” That’s my kind of poster or poetry. If you get that, then you get me and I thank you for that.

LESSON #16: GIVE GOOD ADVICE— With each edition of “What We Learned This Week,” I made it a point to always end with recommendations in some shape or form. I’ll save my most personal one for this ending. I may be a writer, critic, teacher, and a movie fan, but I am also a husband and a father above all of that. Calling back to that work-life balance, every night away attending a movie out is a night I miss dinner and bedtime at home. Those are tough choices where I cannot say yes to every event and opportunity. The perks still follow me home. In these last three years, I’ve had my own two children (7 and 6) become true movie watchers who are starting to build their fan interest. I get to open those doors for them and I love it. I’ll be the guy that says, for as much as a good parent should read to their kids, educate them in movies as well. Sit with them. Chat with them after. Engage in those conversations. With my last recommendation, if you’re a new parent now or someday in the future, start the “Mozart Effect” of film scores in the crib, move to silent movies early, or follow this essential list charted by age from Entertainment Weekly. Be purposeful. Don’t just put your kids in front of a movie and leave to get a break. Go ahead and be The Onion article of that dad getting your kids to love uncool and out-of-date media.

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), Horror Obsessive, 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. (#150)

What We Learned This Week: November 23-29

Posted on November 27, 2020 by everymoviehasalesson.

LESSON #1: THE LIMITS OF REPRESENTATION— Loyal readers of this column, know I’m all for greater and more direct representation when it comes to performers. Those efforts have been long overdue and still have room for improvement. That said, where lies the creative limit. This week, Kristen Stewart, an openly bisexual performer, presented a very nuanced opinion in an recent Variety interview making the rounds for Happiest Season. She expounded, “I would never want to tell a story that really should be told by somebody who’s lived that experience. Having said that, it’s a slippery slope conversation because that means I could never play another straight character if I’m going to hold everyone to the letter of this particular law. I think it’s such a gray area.” I think she’s dead right about the confusing middle. While living the experience of a certain character can be a huge connection to a more genuine performance, I think good actors can emulate that with the talent of their profession. Some actors do a marvelous job at becoming characters while others can’t get close. How do you feel on this topic?

LESSON #2: ASTERISKS MAKE MORE ASTERISKS— Boy, in a pandemic year that has crippled the release volume of major studios, does Netflix know they are the strongest frontrunner of frontrunners. Without the need for brick-and-mortar, they have had zero interruption in their release calendar. If anything, they’ve even gained a few acquisitions. But, 2020 is looking like an asterisk of a year when it comes to film awards. Don’t get me wrong, there are enough worthy 2020 films and performances deserving of prizes, but the field is dramatically thinner. Netflix knows that and can flex its muscle to make clickbait claims like a recent Variety prognostication piece that brags the streaming giant can break an 85-year-old Oscar record in 2021. If five of their films get nominated for the Academy Award of Best Picture, which isn’t that difficult of a stretch, it will be the first time since 1937 that a single studio has earned that many Best Picture nominees in one year. Before you raise your eyebrows with a wow, you have to realize a big asterisk. For 65 of the 92 years of Oscars (from 1944 to 2009), the Best Picture nominees were limited to five total. I don’t care how strong a studio’s year was. A full-five sweep was never going to happen. It’s only since they widened the field, just as it was before 1944, that anything like this cute “record” was possible. While Netflix can walk around like the biggest rooster in the hen house, don’t drink all that manufactured hype. Look what all that hype did for The Irishman last year. Watch some Little Engine That Could movie from a little shingle (like Parasite from NEON last year or maybe Nomadland this year), beat the top cock again.

LESSON #3: TO CHARGE OR NOT TO CHARGE— Speaking of streaming, Disney feels like it’s running hot-and-cold with what to do with its major feature-length films. Do they put an extra price tag on it to make a little dough or do they include it with the Disney+ subscription? Hindsight 20/20, they would have absolutely raked charging any dollar amount they wanted lower than a Broadway ticket for Hamilton in July, but they didn’t. They come back in the fall with the delayed Mulan and slap the $30 PVOD tag on it to supposedly solid returns. Now, here they come with Pixar’s big hitter Soul going straight to Disney+ availability. For the future, word is they are now deciding what to do with Cruella starring Emma Stone, Pinocchio with Tom Hanks, and David Lowery’s Peter Pan and Wendy. Where’s the thought process and where’s the consistency or decision-making coming from?

LESSON #4: WAIT TO JUDGE THE FINAL PRODUCT— The very short first teaser trailer was released this week for a live-action Clifford The Red Dog movie from Paramount Pictures. It didn’t take long for people to lose their minds in a similar way they did a year ago for Sonic the Hedgehog. Leave it to Film Twitter to trash stuff sight unseen again. I ask the easiest question in the whole wide world: What did you honestly expect? Do you forget the cute books we all read as a kid? He’s a dog. He’s big. He’s red. That’s it. When you put that into a live-action setting, it’s going to look exactly like what you have in the teaser. Anything less would be more cartoonishly out of place than the premise already is. I think he looks fine. I get the side-eye given to Sonic the Hedgehog because that’s a walking and talking anthropomorphic character of extremely unique style that you need to be cartoonish to believe the so-called physics of. That’s not Clifford. All you need is a big red dog. Nothing fancy. Leave the movie alone until you see it work with its settings and other performers.

LESSON #5: READ THE BEST FILM CRITICS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLE— In the recommendation slot this week, books can be just as easy of a holiday gift idea as a good disc of physical media. If you are as fascinated with the film criticism you see flaunted by the likes of me, Feelin’ Film, or the other press-credentialed people connect to this social circle, dive into a good read from the historial titans of the journalism form. Don’t just go straight to Roger Ebert. You could learn a great deal from the likes of Pauline Kael, Leonard Maltin, A.O. Scott, and others. Indiewire posted a very good list of recommendations this past summer that would be excellent places to start with that Kindle or library card you work with.

What We Learned This Week: August 30-September 13

Posted on September 12, 2020 by everymoviehasalesson.

Welcome back to a renewed start for “What We Learned This Week.” I wanted to say a quick thank you for your patience with this school teacher and the month-long hiatus to get the day job in order during this time of tumultuous landscape change in my profession. It appears the hand basket of hell holding the world is still woven strong, even in the movie business. Let’s hit the chalkboard and vent.

LESSON #1: EVERYONE IS ALLOWED TO BOYCOTT— Let’s say this as simple as possible for a few lessons to hammer a few nails in nice a slow. First, you are allowed to boycott whatever the f–k you want, be that a movie, a politician, stance, or general topic, like say Mulan or the Netflix film Cuties. It’s classic “you do you.” You pick your spots and choose your hills to die on. Choose wisely because Lesson #2 is also in effect.

LESSON #2: EVERYONE IS ALLOWED TO DISAGREE WITH YOUR BOYCOTT— When you go your “you do you” route, other people are bound to go another direction. If you don’t want them to berate your chosen boycott pillar, don’t shame them when they disagree to match said boycott. That’s the challenge of taking the stances you take. You open yourself as a person up to judgment as much as, if not more, than the chosen topic. That’s where your moral consistency matters more than the topic. Hopefully, those people who have chosen their hills to die on have completed the due diligence of research and reflection to fully inform and understand their decision. If you can’t answer “why” with any substance for the stance you’ve taken, then you’re not ready for your boycott and are doing it wrong. Maybe you need Lesson #3.

LESSON #3: SEE OR LEARN THE THING YOU’RE PISSING AND MOANING ABOUT WITH YOUR BOYCOTT BEFORE YOU “CANCEL” IT— Here’s a full, blunt, and honest first-person admission from me as a person AND as a film critic. If there is one thing I cannot stand, it’s someone who takes on stump speeches, boycotts, and cancel culture movement protests without seeing, experiencing, or learning about the thing you are hating or defending. If you cannot answer that “why” from Lesson #2 with substance, I lose a measure of respect for you, especially if you are pissing and moaning sight unseen for what you are complaining about. Have you seen Netflix’s Cuties? No? Then STFU. Go see the damn thing. Ruffle your feathers. Grit your teeth and get through the thing you supposedly will hate or disagree with. Then you can pass your judgment, light your torches, and take up your pitchforks. You sound infinitely stronger with your boycott if you actually know what the f–k you are talking about with tangible experience. What you need to maybe do (not the case in all things) is Lesson #4.

LESSON #4: PRACTICE SEPARATING THE PRODUCT FROM THE PARTICIPANTS— This is where Mulan rises to be a perfect example of many that apply to this lesson. Disney’s newest re-imagining has been engulfed to a large degree by off-camera controversies of politics and business practices. They have to and will weather that flak. The finished project and its intent is an entirely different thing to judge than the aims and efforts to make it. It may not always work, but you have to try and separate the person from the performance, the product from the producers, and etc. Film critics should review the film as the film in a review. Save the editorial comments that aren’t on screen for a different section of the paper. Mulan is a fine film with excellent entertainment value with likely questionable origins, no doubt. However, you know what, the same can be said about every Tom Cruise, Bill Cosby, Kevin Spacey, or (*insert canceled person*) work. Enjoying the finished product of someone on your chosen cancel list does not condone said person. If we cancelled every piece with any tie to a questionable sidebar issue, you and I wouldn’t have very much to watch. Call it the price of poker. Choose your boycotts accordingly and, again, be ready for Lesson #2 and Lesson #3.

LESSON #5: THIS IS ALL A BUSINESS FIRST AND AN ART EXPOSITION SECOND— I get to this lesson and the biggest nail to drive home that too many people still just don’t get. As soon as the very first movie charged a dime for a ticket, this became a business first and an art exposition second. Art is wonderful, but if it doesn’t make money, you’re not going to get more art that you want, plain and simple. The goal of the studios and the A-list artists is to make money. We would all love if the entertainment and art end of it all mattered more, but it doesn’t. Paychecks win. Disney does what they do, stomping with hubris, washing what they wash, and cutting corners, to make money. Adam Sandler can make his empty threats about an Uncut Gems Oscar nomination for finally going for the art instead of dollar signs, but he was always, always, always going to return to what butter his bread with Hubie Halloween. They can’t cry and neither can you about such #firstworldproblems. If you don’t like it, good, don’t spend your money on said thing, turn the channel, or scroll on by, but be ready for Lesson #2 and Lesson #3 once you open your mouth to piss and moan again.

LESSON #6: IT’S PERFECTLY OK, IN FACT RECOMMENDED OF YOU, TO GROW, EVOLVE, AND CHANGE— Now, I rant all of that to say this. Grow with your art and entertainment. Open your mind to new things and other ways of thinking different from your norms because the world doesn’t revolve around you. Other people have different situations that yours and the judgment you put on it. Likewise, open your heart to empathy that you are missing or haven’t discovered. Have the personal integrity to be willing to change if necessary. You’re not weak to do that. You are wise instead. If you watch Mulan and loved it for what it was, still learn about the bad practices behind it and understand that side of debate. If you abhor the topic of Cuties, good, you can and you should, but learn and understand that the film doesn’t glorify the ugliness you hear about. It’s quite the opposite in fact.

Heed these lessons well and welcome back to “What We Learned This Week.” We’ll go softer next week, I promise, because apparently, it wouldn’t be a WWLTW in 2020 if didn’t talk about Christopher Nolan.

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. (#139)

What We Learned This Week: October 14-27

Posted on October 26, 2019 by everymoviehasalesson.

LESSON #1: THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON MAY BECOME THE MOST IMPORTANT FILM OF 2019— Look at me writing a clickbait headline. I, and many others, think the world of this film (5-star review), but it is now making an impact far bigger in the grand scheme of things than another Scorsese masterpiece entry or Marvel blockbuster. Thanks to its emerging star Zack Gottshagen, The Peanut Butter Falcon has started a groundswell of hiring and representation for performers with intellectual disabilities, as outlined in a recent article in The Hollywood Reporter. That is absolutely huge and a benefit far greater to the industry than hardware and money. This is, without a doubt, the best industry story I’ve seen this month and maybe this year. Folks, see this film for how special it is and not just because of the “special” people in it.

LESSON #2: GET THE BIG MONEY OUT OF THE OSCARS— I wonder if casual fans notice as much of the “For Your Consideration” stuff as a film critic like myself does. I’m guessing people see the extra language on marketing materials and maybe the occasional magazine ad. Folks, let me tell you, the studio-powered promotion machines to get their films front-and-center for awards season are unchecked and on the same level as all the wild political campaigning you see in public life. While I’m happily inundated with screeners and materials during this time of year as a critic in two awards-voting bodies, I can do the math on the sheer volume of money being spent just to get a name or two mentioned and it’s completely too much. Sadly, these full-court press tactics work on the weak groupthink voters at all the levels of this industry. Voters should be more discerning rather than easily fickle and the pushiness should stop. More people are finally standing up to say something about it and I’ll join them.

LESSON #3: THERE ALMOST ALWAYS COMES A POINT WHERE A FREE GOOD THING WILL SOMEDAY COST MONEY— I was as surprised and bummed as any other casual box office statistics fan when levels of the Box Office Mojo site where absorbed by the subscription-required IMDb Pro site. Amazon has owned Box Office Mojo since 2008, where I’m surprised it took this long for such a switch. The basics are there, but the original site was so much tighter and immersive with its data. The new one is very watered down. Let’s see if it can evolve back into an industry leader.

LESSON #4: EASY ON THE INFLATED TROPHIES, HOLLYWOOD BEAN COUNTERS— Speaking of Box Office Mojo, the congratulatory headlines were inescapable this week that Joker will “officially” become the highest grossing R-rated film of all-time. Child, please. I do this often, but go to the inflation-adjusted numbers and slow your roll, folks. Joker has earned over $250 million domestically and triple that overseas and deserves every success, no doubt. But wake me up when it touches (let alone climbs near the top of) the Top 200 on the all-time inflation-adjusted list before you start handing out those title belts. It’s not catching The Exorcist at #9 or many more of the R-rated films on that list. Dream on, Warner Bros.

LESSON #5: EVERYONE NEEDS A BREAK AND SHOULD TAKE ONE— I applaud 23-year-old Timothee Chalamat who spoke to Vogue about desperately needing to take a break from acting after a solid few years of constant work. Other actors have done it for years and it’s always a smart play for physical, mental, and emotional recharge and renewal. As they say, “absence away makes the heart grow fonder.” Expect a committed and improved Chalamat when you see him after. More actors should do this, if even for the fact of not becoming overused and overexposed, let alone to recuperation.

LESSON #6: DON’T BEAT DEAD HORSES— In the latest log on the fire stoked by many of Hollywood’s creative bankruptcy, something that was ran into the ground will now be dusted off and run into the ground again. Disney has tabbed Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin to join franchise writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio to reboot the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. I know I’ve said it somewhere before in this column, but put some time between death and rebirth. Sure, when you go all the way back to 2003, it will be nearly 20 years since the first movie, but it’s only been two years since its last one. Wait twenty years after that instead and then dazzle us with a new take in 2037. Go away and try your own “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” We still freshly remember the s–t show.

LESSON #7: SLOW THE F–K DOWN, YOU BINGER— Speaking of taking a break, the entertainment you consume is supposed to be rich and entertaining experience. Why would you speed it up just to get more? Word around the campfire is Netflix is experimenting with the possible setting of showing its content at 1.5x speed. Come on, man. Have some patience. Part of the magic of film and TV shows is the editing of pace and timing. Those are crucial and deliberate creative traits. Don’t ruin that because of your impatience.

LESSON #8: IF YOU WANT CUSTOMERS, GIVE SOMETHING EXCITED AWAY— Verizon isn’t hurting for business or customers, but you know they’ve dropped the swag of swag in offering full-year Disney+ subscriptions to new and existing unlimited data home and wireless customers. That sure beats a toaster or set of steak knives. Good luck topping that, Sprint and T-Mobile. Well played, Verizon.

LESSON #9: TURN UP THE BRIGHTNESS ON THE THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE— I won’t jump to the alarmist “ruining the the theatrical experience” level that Edward Norton in implying in a recent interview in The Daily Beast, but the firebrand actor that never minces his words is right. Improper brightness and poor sound in cheap and untrained theater chains can make a bad enough viewing experience to turn off ticket-paying moviegoers. If you’re going to pay today’s full prices on the promises of a superior experience to the 4K and HD stuff capable from your couch, you should get it. The luminosity talk in his interview was fascinating. I notice it too and he isn’t wrong.

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. (#119)

What We Learned This Week: October 6-13

Posted on October 13, 2019 by everymoviehasalesson.

LESSON #1: PEOPLE ARE NOT GETTING ALL OF JOKER, INCLUDING TOP CRITICS— There is a whole bunch more going on in the Todd Phllips hit than people are understanding. Anyone who is calling that movie empty, meandering, or plotless doesn’t know what they are watching. Watching is one thing and absorption is another. Some viewers are good at processing movies quickly or fully and others are not. You can see that at every level, from a Letterboxd fanboy to a headlining critic. I’ll be one that says those folks are definitely missing out. Our guy Emmanuel Noisette lays it all out, so get your Kool-Aid glass ready!

LESSON #2: WILL SMITH NEEDS A NEW AGENT— Dammit, Big Willy. Even north of 50 years old, you still have charisma for days. You are a joy in just about every movie you grace with your presence, including Aladdin and Gemini Man this year, but you are picking lackluster and even terrible projects to waste your glowing talent on. Feelin’ Film host Aaron White recently posted the last decade of Will’s resume via the Silver Screen Riot podcast:

Yikes! That is one heck of a losing streak. Will, you are rarely the problem, but you need to make some better business and professional decisions.

LESSON #3: MARVEL ARE NOT DIMINISHING ACTING OPPORTUNITIES— Former Friends icon Jennifer Aniston ranted a little this week in Variety and poked the anti-Marvel bear when she cited available roles diminishing in this era of blockbusters. While she’s plenty right that the “midbudget original movie” market has shrunk and shifted to the streaming platforms (she should know, she makes those movies on Netflix all the time), Marvel is not the problem. If anything, look at the sizes of the ensembles they bring together. Look how much cache those actors and actresses earn, even for being a bit player. The raised Q-rating they get for being in a fan-friendly movie does wonders for their career. The wave isn’t missing you, Ms. Aniston. You’re missing the wave. Maybe you need a new agent like Will Smith.

LESSON #4: LEARN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT CINEMA AND SEEK OUT SOME GREATS OF PRODUCTION DESIGNS— All the green screens in the world cannot beat a legit practical set or location that has been artfully created into something fabulous and unique. Enjoy this stellar video on some of the best production designs ever and seek out where to see some of these movies on the JustWatch app, which has now merged with Letterboxd! My vote is The Grand Budapest Hotel.

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. (#118)

What We Learned This Week: September 22-October 5

Posted on October 4, 2019 by everymoviehasalesson.

LESSON #1: BE CAREFUL WITH OPEN INTERPRETATION— Had I written this column last week, this first lesson would have be titled “We’re Not Ready for Joker.” I saw all the lead-up buzz, all the fearful theories, and all the wild labels and had to turn it off. I wanted to stop and see the movie before adding more guesswork. After seeing it, I hunkered down in my review to stick to the film as much as possible and I’m glad I did. Too many reviews I’m seeing are diving straight to commentary interpretation and not to the critique of what’s on screen. That’s feeding the buzz monster in my opinion. That’s making a review about theory and not evidence. World of Reel nailed this by saying the hoopla can become the media’s fault and not the movie. Worse, those writers lock that opinion in my-opinion-is-the-only-opinion-that-matters cement and throw the openness of interpretation out the window. Including personal takes in a review is fine, but it can’t be the whole thing and it has to be flexible for discussion or be able to acknowledge other opinions are possible. Be careful, critics (and all fans for that matter). Know that you’re stepping out there for judgment when you go about it with a closed mind to accepting other opinions.

P.S.– Since we’re talking about Joker, here’s my extra plea to #FilmTwitter:

LESSON #2: MARTIN SCORSESE IS OUT OF TOUCH— Storied director and historical film connoisseur Martin Scorese isn’t a fan of comic book movies. Normally, that’s a “to each their own” place, but he went further to say they are are not cinema. More specifically, his damning line in an Empire interview was “It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.” Dammit, Marty. I love you and I’m not supposed to use this word, but you’re “wrong.” See Lesson #1 about open interpretation. Try telling that to all of us blubbering in our popcorn during the MCU’s most dramatic moments or being inspired to be better people watching Christopher Reeve or Gal Gadot. Sorry, Mr. Scorsese, but you’re out of touch. If you don’t believe all of us fans, Marty, take the word of peers. I think Joss Whedon and James Gunn said it best on Twitter:

LESSON #3: WE DESERVE MORE G-RATED MOVIES— I love this article from The Sydney Morning Herald shared in the Feelin’ Film Facebook group (shout out to Caless Davis) on Friday. Family-friendly films on this entry rating level are an endangered species. It’s fair that modern progressive times have created more thematic infusion of heavier themes, but we cannot abandon the base and entry level. We need to demand more all-ages offerings and use our attendance to see that they become successful enough for more to be made.

LESSON #4: HAND-DRAWN ANIMATION AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL HAS A CHANCE— Speaking of G-rated movies, Walt Disney Animation’s newly installed president (and film director) Jennifer Lee was asked what changes could be coming during her regime. One of the possibilities was a return to hand-drawn animation. “Being open” is good enough where we can put the Lloyd Christmas GIFs to good use. The hope is music to my ears and what a treat a traditional animated film would be!

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. (#117)

What We Learned This Week: September 15-21

Posted on September 20, 2019 by everymoviehasalesson.

LESSON #1: JUST BECAUSE A FILM PRESENTS A MAN WITH STRONG FEELINGS DOESN’T MEAN IT’S AUTOMATICALLY A SLICE OF TOXIC MASCULINITY— I’ll share a little inside chatter as a film critic who watched a closed screening of Ad Astra with just critics, no public audience. Even though we all will go home and hope to write our slice of brilliant and engaging criticism, we all still talk shop. Color me crazy as, admittedly, a white middle-aged male, but I was surprised and even a little rubbed the wrong way when I heard a few peers vehemently drop the toxic masculinity card on Ad Astra. Sure, parental issues can be overplayed in movies. When that happens, I look to the approach it took before I label and curse. For me, I saw a movie that showed the stresses saddled on men. I don’t go too deep on that tangent in my own review, but I highly recommend my Chicago peer Leo Brady’s review of Ad Astra on AMovieGuy.com. He hits the topic hard and pushes back. When you see the movie, I’d love to read or hear your take and vibe.

LESSON #2: NO AUDIENCE MEMBER WANTS MORE ADVERTISEMENTS— After a recent Hollywood Reporter poll revealed the majority of moviegoers want fewer trailers before a movie, a nearly universal declaration, a story arrived this week of two theater companies adding even more pre-movie advertisements. The Regal and Cinemark chains are proposing to add business advertising before the already excessive trailers. AMC, the nation’s top chain, is staunchly against it. I get that advertising pays the bills for these studio-squeezed theater chains that lose more and more of the windfall cut each year, but the top loser here is still the consumer. No one needs more of this stuff. This only creates more incentive to come into movies late and not spend your concession dollars on site.

LESSON #3: DIGITAL PERFORMERS HAVE RIGHTS— I love, love, love what Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes performance capture star (and future Venom 2 director) Andy Serkis is stumping for. Serkis is rallying for compensation and renumeration for reusing digital performances, especially those that are no longer with us. His core questions were: ““When your performance becomes data it can be manipulated, reworked or sampled, much like the music industry samples vocals and beats. If we can do that, where does the intellectual property lie? Who owns authorship of the performance? Where are the boundaries?” He went further to talk about actors being unethically used against cultural sensitivities since they can be replaced and manipulated with other imagery. Top to bottom, Andy brings up an outstanding issue that deserves attention. I look forward to seeing where this story goes and who steps up to listen.

LESSON #4: YOUR OPENING DAY MENU OF DISNEY+ IS IMMENSE AND AMAZING— The full list of content starting on Day 1 of Disney+ is obscene. Click on this link for the whole list and put on a football helmet with a chin-strap. The buttoned up strap will hold your jaw and the helmet itself could stave of a concussion when you fall from wherever you’re standing or sitting reading that list.

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. (#116)

What We Learned This Week: September 1-14

Posted on September 13, 2019 by everymoviehasalesson.

LESSON #1: MY FELLOW FILM CRITICS, CHECK YOUR PRIVILEGE— As a press credentialed and Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic myself, I’m sorry in advance, but I need to partially call out a one of my own. The first is Alex Billington of First Showing for being too much about being F1RST. His work is solid and his site is one of the more dependable websites for actual movie news and less click bait, but, simply put, he broke the rules he agreed upon when he put on the Venice Film Festival press badge. He was upset when one of his reviews broke embargo rules.

Here’s the link to the “open letter” editorial that followed. For those of you playing at home, we critics are bound to something like reverse deadlines, namely firm times requested by the studios that are the earliest reactions and reviews are allowed to run. I don’t like them anymore than Alex does, but they are the rules and the studios or festivals have the right to control thier message and product. Abiding by embargoes are part of the deal of being so damn lucky enough to be in Venice, Telluride, Cannes, or Toronto seeing a huge movie for free before everyone else. Access is the reward before your page clicks. Be happy you have it in the first place. We are spoiled every week by an embarassment of riches for shiny pieces of entertainment. Besides, we critics get to cheat with social media before full reviews:

This is where I can agree with Alex. However, that small shout-out should be enough to keep business and attention going. Harmony and health take patience. I don’t like it, but I respect the rules. People that break them can ruin things for the rest of us lower down the ladder.

LESSON #2: THE ASSIGNED DESCRIPTORS OF “GARBAGE” OR “TRASH” IS NOT PROFESSIONAL FILM CRITICISM— I’ll take another shot at my own kind, but I’ll leave the name out this time. Call this a general warning for anyone who sounds even close to this, even at at the Letterboxd level. If, as a supposedly professional film critic, all of your learned expertise, curated reflection, and skillfull high-mindedness within the medium of film, lead you to the molehill peak of calling a film “trash” or “garbage,” then, I’m sorry, you’re not a professional film critic. You are BS artist of hyperbole and click bait. You haven’t learned tact. You haven’t met a thesaurus. You haven’t learned creativity in putting substance into opinions. Using that poorly formed wording in what is supposed to be a professional piece is a careless and irresponsible trigger. And when you don’t back it up, you’re just asking for folks to call into question the quality of your writing, if not the quality of your personal character as well. Aim higher. Write better.

LESSON #3: STREAMING SERVICES DESERVE BETTER— Just when I thought the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences put a positive public gavel down for the inclusion of films from streaming services in year-end awards for the whole industry to follow, we digress to a story like what came out of the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival this week. Certain theater vendors would not welcome Netflix or Amazon-backed films to screen for competition during the festival. This has been silly and elitist for too long. Have the likes of Roma taught us nothing? Let the art compete. Source shouldn’t matter.

LESSON #4: YOU NEED TO BE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF IMDB TV— In the recommendation slot of this week’s column, I, a new Amazon Fire Stick owner, have discovered the IMDb TV app. Their selection of streamable films and shows, which includes award winners like La La Land and Silver Linings Playbook and classics like Dune, High Noon, and The Karate Kid, is outstanding for the free price of sitting through some occasional ads. Seek it out on your devices and players at home.

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. (#115)

What We Learned This Week: August 25-31

Posted on August 30, 2019 by everymoviehasalesson.

LESSON #1: THERE’S PRICE POINT AND THEN THERE’S STEAL OF A DEAL THAT YOU SIMPLY CANNOT PASS UP— You regular readers know my usual stance on price point. It is the ultimate decision-maker and motivator of consumerism and it always wins. Just when you couldn’t think Disney could sweeten the pot more for its Disney+ streaming service, they drop another bombshell. It’s price by itself AND with the ESPN+ add-in already beat Netflix. Now, they hit us with the special rate for D23 fan club members that drops the price to under $4 per month when you commit to three years. If this was a cell phone contract, we would all be wary of being locked into something for that amount of time. That’s not the case here. That’s a locked-in price for three years in a streaming business era that just loves to get you signed up early and then jack up the rates. For less than the price of one expensive cup of exotic coffee a month, you get all of Disney+. Folks, that’s a regret-free and zero excuse steal.

LESSON #2: ROTTEN TOMATOES DESERVES TO WIN A “MOST IMPROVED” AWARD— For all the Rex Reeds and David Ehrlichs that sink hopes and skew audiences with imagined power, the critical community of Rotten Tomatoes needed an infusion of new voices. Last August, the Flixster-controlled site drastically updated their Tomatometer Critic Criteria and opened its ranks to a new breed of critics (myself included) that go beyond print journalism and stress inclusion of diversity. One year later, they have reported their resulting data. Adding 600 critics was huge. To have 55% of them be women, 60% of them be freelancers, and 10% come from video and podcast sources is even more huge. Thank you, Rotten Tomatoes, for the impactful initiative and impressive follow-through. What a facelift!

LESSON #3: THOSE WHO CANNOT DO, TEACH— Quite likely for just about every movie fan who has ever seen Matthew McConaughey work or talk about his craft, “scholarly,” I’m betting, was not the first or even the 100th word to come to mind. Alas, after four years as a “visiting instructor,” the coolest of cool Academy Award winner has become a full-time film “professor of practice” at the Moody College of Communication within the University of Texas-Austin. This looks like a true commitment and not a gloryhounding publicity stunt in any shape or form. From one teacher to another, good for you! The classroom can use your inspiring energy and voice of experience. Now, all I picture are the hot-for-teacher students from Raiders of the Lost Ark that faun over and derail Professor Henry Jones with their eyelid mesages.

If that starts happening to you, Matt, that’s how you know you’ve made it. I can hear it now: “I just love these college girls. I get older and they stay the same age.”

LESSON #4: GERARD BUTLER IS A POOR MAN’S LIAM NEESON— The weekend box office victory of Angel Has Fallen has reminded us that Gerard Butler has a certain successful niche that people pay money to see. Like the matinee idols of the 90s that came before him and kicked and punched (Van Damme, Seagal) their way victoriously through raucous R-rated action flicks, the 300 star and an arsenal of fireams can do the same thing. He’s beginning the Liam Neeson route early, right before turning 50 this November. Make a few more winners like the Fallen series and Butler can hope to equal and maybe supplant Neeson. He’s found a fan romance in Vulture writer and critic extraordinaire Bilge Ebiri after his “I Think I Love Gerard Butler” editorial this past week. Great read!

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. (#114)

What We Learned This Week: August 18-24

Posted on August 23, 2019 by everymoviehasalesson.

LESSON #1: FIND COMPROMISE WHEN IT CLEARLY BENEFITS BOTH PARTIES— The thunderstorm combination of shock and disappointment rained down this week in the form of tirades (and endless memes) and laments towards Sony Pictures and Disney this week when negotiations between the two studio giants couldn’t settle on an extension of production credit and involvement for the Marvel character of Spider-Man. Circling back to the original landmark deal from 2015, Marvel was set to only receive 5% of any box office revenue earned by their shared partnership. Now that we have all seen the surging success built by Spidey’s rub of inclusion with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I can’t say I blame Marvel czar Kevin Feige asking for a bigger cut of the pie. Still, this is Sony’s property to control and if they think they can make a profitable Spider-Man movie without MCU ties, they can sure try. All in all, what’s missing is compromise and the fans as the losers. I know Feige asked for that 5% to go up to 50%. Is that a shade greedy coming from the all-powerful Disney? Maybe. Is pulling the character away from the greater universe he belongs in a little bit of selfish hubris from the same Sony studio that ruined this precious character twice already? Probably. What I’m calling for is compromise because this deal could be done and the billions can still be made if egos and dollar signs got a little more reasonable.

LESSON #2: “THE LASAGNA RULE”— Let me repeat a great Feelin Film Discussion Group thread over her in WWLTW. Our follower Joseph Hamrick posted an excellent editorial piece from Steven Volynets on Quillette talking about joy being replaced by negativity in the field of film criticism. As a credentialed critic myself, I’ve been seeing this among my peers and I liken some of them now to those huffy judges from food judging TV shows like Chopped. The judges, or critics in this case, always seem to be looking for these impossibly superficial and hyper-personal standards when some dishes (or movies) are not built for excellence and still turn out delicious (or entertaining). I have deemed this the “The Lasagna Rule.” There are very few ways to dress up lasagna. There’s no color variety or crunch quotient required. It’s a gooey and ugly stack of traditional cheesy, meaty, and pasta-y layers that are going to look like shit on any plate. But, damn, it’s tasty just the way it is. Plenty of movies are that way too and don’t need refinement to be good or successful. Critics need to change their palette or lens to fit the cinematic dish or restaurant. Dare I say, be more objective…

LESSON #3: GO GET IMPRESSED WITH DIRECTOR’S CUTS OF MOVIES— Be it because of studio tinkering, failed budgets, second thoughts, or artistic purity, I am always fascinated by the origin, existence, and content of notable “director’s cuts” of films. On the heels of the so-called “Final Cut” of Apocalypse Now hitting IMAX locations this week, the closing WWLTW recommendation slot goes to seeking out these extended visions. World of Reel has a list of six they call better than their originals and IndieWire has a list they consider best and essential. While you could use my favorite streaming search engine JustWatch to find these titles, I’m betting most are only available on physical media. Hunt down those libraries!

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. (#112)

WHAT I LEARNED WRITING THIS COLUMN FOR THREE YEARS

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