CHICAGO – The Steppenwolf Theatre of Chicago continues to provide different viewpoints on the American stage, and their latest “Little Bear Ridge Road” is no exception. Featuring ensemble member Laurie Metcalf, it’s the resonate story of a family at the crossroads. For tickets/details, click LITTLE BEAR.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
Whale of a Tale For Drew Barrymore in ‘Big Miracle’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 3, 2012 - 9:09am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Whale of a tale (chuckle), no other headline writer has thought of that. “Big Miracle” is a family movie with Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Ted Danson and the voice of Ronald Reagan, that will not have adults seeking the emergency exits. It’s about whales.
Daniel Radcliffe Stars in Chilling ‘The Woman in Black’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 2, 2012 - 8:54pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The most important element to the opening of “The Woman in Black” is the Hammer Films logo that caused the legendary Roger Ebert to applaud when it appeared in the screening room here in Chicago. This is a Hammer Film through and through complete with unbelievable character action, loud sound effects, extreme shock scares, and other B-movie manipulations.
Ti West’s ‘The Innkeepers’ is Terrifying Horror Gem
Submitted by BrianTT on February 2, 2012 - 11:22am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ti West’s “The Innkeepers” is one of the most effective horror movies of the last several years, a true gem of the genre that reminds a scary movie junkie like myself why I fell in love with them in the first place. With his stellar production values and a perfection of the slow burn pace that he employed in the arthouse hit “House of the Devil,” West takes a leap to the forefront of directors working in modern horror. Don’t miss this one.
Elizabeth Banks Teeters With the ‘Man on a Ledge’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 27, 2012 - 5:21pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – New York City. Mid-day. A man steps outside the window on the edge of the Roosevelt Hotel. Is he jumping? That’s the question that street level onlookers and moviegoers want answered from Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell and Ed Harris in “Man on a Ledge”
Katherine Heigl’s ‘One For the Money’ Was Made For No One
Submitted by BrianTT on January 27, 2012 - 5:03pm Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Just under five years ago, Katherine Heigl became a decently known actress in the film world for her role as Alison in the Judd Apatow film “Knocked Up.” After having been in the show “Grey’s Anatomy” for a few years, Heigl had finally broke into the world of cinema, and seemed to have a decent amount of comedy acting skills. Now, several years and a few bad movies in a row, Heigl seems to be desperately holding on to whatever career she still has left.
Glenn Close, Janet McTeer in Melancholy ‘Albert Nobbs’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 27, 2012 - 12:47pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – People who put themselves in boxes often go through their entire lives without meeting anyone who show them what it’s like on the outside. There’s every possibility that the tragically confined title character in “Albert Nobbs” would have remained in her box till her death if not for a chance encounter with someone who shows her that there is another way. The sad drama that follows charts her attempt to break free and realization that it may have come too late.
Problems in Iran Prove Universal in ‘A Separation’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 27, 2012 - 10:56am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Divorce, aging parents, economics, religion and social standing can be applied to any circumstance in any modern culture. The culture in Iran may seem mysterious, but there is nothing uncommon regarding what their people go through in the Oscar nominated “A Separation.”
Oedipus Wrecks Tilda Swinton in ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 27, 2012 - 10:31amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The mother and son relationship is perhaps one of the most complicated ever invented. In giving birth to an opposing gender, the woman must then deal with a maturation process foreign to her own, with all the potential psychosis attached. Tilda Swinton and Ezra Miller play the game in “We Need to Talk About Kevin.”
Delicate, Touching Tale of Complex Adolescence in ‘Tomboy’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 26, 2012 - 2:53pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Tomboy” is a delicate, sensitive story of adolescence that’s not often told in cinema. It is the tale of a young girl who would rather be a boy and those days before gender confusion hits puberty like a runaway train. The film’s greatest accomplishment is writer/director Celine Sciamma’s stunning ability to draw natural, believable performances from her adolescent cast, who never hit a false note in this moving film.
‘The Grey’ With Liam Neeson Chills to the Bone
Submitted by BrianTT on January 26, 2012 - 11:54amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Joe Carnahan’s “The Grey” might cause you to think that the multiplex in which you’re seeing it has started skimping on the heat. As wind whips snow in below-freezing temperatures, Carnahan deftly conveys what it’s like to be trapped in a natural nightmare.
Ralph Fiennes Modernizes Shakespeare in ‘Coriolanus’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 21, 2012 - 6:55pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The plays of William Shakespeare, influencing culture and morality for over 400 years, continue to open themselves up to new interpretations and settings. Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in a film version adaptation of “Coriolanus,” set against the modern day machinations of politics and war.
Seriously Silly ‘Underworld: Awakening’ With Kate Beckinsale Will Put You to Sleep
Submitted by BrianTT on January 20, 2012 - 4:49pm Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There is a near-great movie opening this weekend that features a bad-ass, gun-toting chick who defeats any obstacle placed in her way. Despite what the advertising may have you believe, that movie is not “Underworld: Awakening” (Hint: It’s “Haywire”).
World War II-Era Tuskegee Airmen Fly in ‘Red Tails’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 20, 2012 - 3:50pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The courage of the Tuskegee Airmen cannot be denied. The all African American World War II fighter pilot squadron not only braved battle, but also the virulent prejudice of the 1940s. The new film “Red Tails” chronicles the circumstance of that squadron, with a sappy and overlong treatment.
