Michael Chooses the Concert Party Over Larger Conflicts MICHAEL makes its formulaic biopic and preferential sunny choices to avoid the problematic clouds and stick to entertainment.

My review of Michael as it appears published on @filmobsessive.com : filmobsessive.com/film/new-rel...

MOVIE REVIEW: Michael — Every Movie Has a Lesson Once again, Michael makes its artistic (and commercial) decision to remember the time the world fell in love with a child star elevating to become a one-of-a-kind legend. This film should be allowed...

NEW REVIEW: Here's my take on the big hitter, professing there's a time and a place to remember the prime and another to dwell on the sordid stuff. It's perfectly fine for this to do the former and choose entertainment over tabloid. everymoviehasalesson.com/blog/2026/4/...

Nice work, @projecthailmary.bsky.social #projecthailmary @criticschoice.bsky.social

MOVIE REVIEW: The Optimist — Every Movie Has a Lesson Unshy with its sorrow, the film finds lift in showing one person helping another see why they survived when others they care for did not. There’s an aim to making choices for how one can and should en...

NEW on Every Movie Has a Lesson: Professional movie villain Stephen Lang surprised the heck out of me with this performance as a pillar of empathy for healing and guilt. Right there with him is Eighth Grade's Elsie Fisher, continuing to impress. everymoviehasalesson.com/blog/2026/3/...

Project Hail Mary Energizes Our Escapism-Loving Hearts PROJECT HAIL MARY is the kind of entertaining lightning rod catalyst that will make someone fall in love with science fiction.

NEW on @filmobsessive.com : PROJECT HAIL MARY is the kind of special movie that will make you fall in love with science and science fiction. What a gem, and the leader in the clubhouse for the best of the year so far. filmobsessive.com/film/new-rel...

Storm Rider: Legend of Hammerhead Makes Lore From Scratch Hailing from Croatia and Serbia, STORM RIDER: LEGEND OF HAMMERHEAD invents its own genre of "calamari sci-fi."

NEW on @filmobsessive.com : Making lore from scratch is harder than it looks, yet easy to mess up. I'm happy to report this little indie, while it could loosen up a bit, does not embarrass itself. filmobsessive.com/film/new-rel...

Film Obsessive Predicts the 98th Oscar Winners The Film Obsessive staff gets out their crystal balls, Ouija boards, and tin-foil hats to predict the winners of the 98th Oscars.

NEW on @filmobsessive.com : I joined the fine staff at Film Obsessive to champion some Oscar predictions. My spot was Teyana Taylor from One Battle After Another for Best Supporting Actress. Enjoy! filmobsessive.com/film/film-ne...

MOVIE REVIEW: For Worse — Every Movie Has a Lesson Sometimes, the low point of a screw-up is the necessary springboard and not the “I told you so” gotcha moment. When that clarity is found in For Worse , it’s treated more as confirmation than a delay...

NEW REVIEW on Every Movie Has a Lesson: Amy Landecker writes, directs, and stars in a so-so rom-com with a host of Chicago connections. everymoviehasalesson.com/blog/2026/3/...

MOVIE REVIEW: How to Make a Killing — Every Movie Has a Lesson It is the kind of dangerous amusement that advances the entire “eat the rich” schtick, even if there’s not a heap of thicker or more brazen commentary with it. Skipping the larger lectures, How to Ma...

NEW REVIEW on Every Movie Has a Lesson: I know it's probably supposed to point more fingers or bite a little harder, but all I was looking for was a good time, and I sure got it. everymoviehasalesson.com/blog/2026/2/...

MOVIE REVIEW: Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die — Every Movie Has a Lesson In the end, what is more interesting? Is it the past that made these loose characters, or the future that was foretold to open the movie? One could beg it’s the latter and not the former. The messy ho...

NEW REVIEW on Every Movie Has a Lesson: I know it counts as original and fun and I love me some Sam Rockwell speed of riffing, but damn if this wasn't random for randomness's sake too often. everymoviehasalesson.com/blog/2026/2/...

"Wuthering Heights" Finds the Rapturous in the Ruinous WUTHERING HEIGHTS finds its dramatic throughline from the source material thanks to Emerald Fennel's titillating creativity.

REVIEW REPOST on @filmobsessive.com : For those of you seeing the big hitter this weekend, enjoy a movie that, as I wrote in here, “soaks more white shirts than a college spring break in Panama City Beach.” filmobsessive.com/film/new-rel...

One of the best things I’ve read in a while:

NEW @cinephilehissyfit.bsky.social PODCAST EPISODE: Will Johnson and I cover this year's critical darling MARTY SUPREME, and we find ourselves fairly far apart about it. Come listen to the hissy fit! open.spotify.com/episode/2zeF...

The 2026 Chicago Film Critic Awards Winner Announcements LIVE! YouTube video by Chicago Indie Critics

Watch me and a bunch of good folks and fellow cinephiles open some envelopes tonight! www.youtube.com/live/tmumX-4...

MOVIE REVIEW: OBEX — Every Movie Has a Lesson Asking Albert Birney to paint with a little more zip than dread would take away from his distinctiveness. This route will have its cult fans who stoke the fires of commentary comparing today’s anti-so...

NEW REVIEW on Every Movie Has a Lesson: I appreciate the effort and the uniqueness of the low-frills fantasy, but the levels of style and tone are all over the place, diluting the contagious wonder. Something, something cups of tea. everymoviehasalesson.com/blog/2026/1/...

New Year's Resolutions for the Movie Industry for 2026 Film Obsessive's Don Shanahan challenges the movie industry with some annual New Year's Resolutions for the coming year.

NEW EDITORIAL on @filmobsessive.com : Every year, I write an op-ed in the guise of declaring New Year's resolutions for the movie industry with a crystal ball and a hopeful heart. Here's my edition for 2026. filmobsessive.com/film/film-ne...

COLUMN: My 10 Best Movies of 2025 — Every Movie Has a Lesson It feels like I left home for fewer screenings and movie events than I ever have. I let others get the by lines and let the movies come to me, and that turned out just fine for the 15th anniversary ye...

10 BEST LIST OF 2025: Closing out the 15th year of Every Movie Has a Lesson, here's annual recap where I attempt to put a scoreboard to all of it. Enjoy, list-a-holics! everymoviehasalesson.com/blog/2025/12...

Song Sung Blue Turns a Tribute Into Its Own Legend SONG SUNG BLUE confirms the legend of Neil Diamond by way of a tribute band proxy played by Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson.

REVIEW REPOST on @filmobsessive.com : This the crowdpleasing and heartwarming movie you need over the holiday break. filmobsessive.com/film/new-rel...

Marty Supreme Goads Us to Root for the Asshole MARTY SUPREME features a magnetically despicable and impressive performance from Timothee Chalamet in a wild tailspin of a movie.

REVIEW REPOST from @filmobsessive.com : For those of you heading out to see the wunderkind continue his hot streak, this one is for the adults and not the teens. filmobsessive.com/film/new-rel...

The Best Christmas Scenes In Non-Holiday Movies By Don Shanahan, Resident Movie Critic

My latest comfy contribution my local online newspaper, The Elmwood Park Advocate: www.elmwoodparkadvocate.org/p/the-best-c...

The Housemaid Cleans Our Clocks With Swerves THE HOUSEMAID demonstrates clever pacing and timing for an erotic thriller that twists its dramatic irony very well.

NEW REVIEW on @filmobsessive.com: Paul Feig knows how to pace the jaw drops caused by the adapted bestseller playing for sleazy and sweaty fun. filmobsessive.com/film/new-rel...

a close up of a man 's face with his eyes closed and a red shirt on ALT: a close up of a man 's face with his eyes closed and a red shirt on

I am downright giddy for ANACONDA tonight and clockwatching at work. The 1997 original came out when I was a senior in HS, hitting me at the right age. It’s become my benchmark for guilty pleasures, where I’m stoked to see it parodied. 7pm can’t get here fast enough.

Could Any Good Come from Netflix Buying Warner Bros. Discovery? While everyone else is piling on the valid negatives possible from Netflix's acquisation of Warner Bros., we hypothesize a few positives.

NEW EDITORIAL on @filmobsessive.com : I felt creative and inspired for an op-ed. While everyone else with a social media handle is declaring warranted doom and disdain with the pending Netflix/WB deal, I attempt to postulate positive outcomes instead: filmobsessive.com/film/film-ne...

NEW PODCAST from @cinephilehissyfit.bsky.social: Will and I relish in our Star Trek appreciation by highlighting all the things to love and respect about STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN. Enjoy our show! open.spotify.com/episode/0TYq...

That's right...

I could copy the review I wrote a few years ago for “Avatar: The Way of Water,” use the strikethrough font feature to update a name or label here and there, and republish the updated review as “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

Is This Thing On? Exceeds By Conversations IS THIS THING ON?, the latest directorial effort from Bradley Cooper, excels at honesty and fascination of big talks.

NEW REVIEW on @filmobsessive.com : Bradley Cooper has not missed for me as a director, and this one has an honesty and a zest that is uniquely special. filmobsessive.com/film/new-rel...

Film Obsessive's 2025 Holiday Gift Guide In our 2025 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE, the Film Obsessive staff shares staff picks for gifts for the cinephile in your life.

NEW at @filmobsessive.com The writing staff and myself put a few gift ideas out there for the movie lover in your life. Happy shopping! filmobsessive.com/film/film-fe...

MOVIE REVIEW: Hamnet — Every Movie Has a Lesson Hamnet postulates that the epic tragedy of Hamlet was William’s deeply personal response to the death of his son. Now, that crescendo of catharsis is merely the final third of Farrell’s novel and C...

NEW REVIEW on Every Movie Has a Lesson: While I'm always down for a good cry, the naturalistic journey of HAMNET is not normally my pace. By golly, does it still swell to the best ending act of a film this year and hooked me to match its catharsis. everymoviehasalesson.com/blog/2025/11...

MOVIE REVIEW: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery — Every Movie Has a Lesson Make a movie or show about a real-life serial killer with an actual body count of documented victims that used to live among us, and you’re frosting spines, locking your doors, and doom-scrolling the ...

NEW REVIEW on Every Movie Has a Lesson: You could wait until it drops on Netflix, but if you're lucky enough to find a theater, there's a delicious good time of murder as comfort food coming your way. everymoviehasalesson.com/blog/2025/11...