CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Jessica Chastain
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.
Incomprehensible Story, Uninteresting Characters Sink in ‘Texas Killing Fields’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 21, 2011 - 1:53pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ami Canaan Mann’s “Texas Killing Fields” is further proof of just how difficult it is to do what David Fincher does so well. “TKF” may have echoes of “Seven” and “Zodiac” but none of the character, mood, or even cohesion of those films. The best word to describe this misstep is a “mess” as the movie jumps around between plotlines and characters and never gives the viewer the footing that would make them resonate as something worth caring about or entertaining.
Michael Shannon Mesmerizes in Moody ‘Take Shelter’
Submitted by mattmovieman on October 7, 2011 - 7:22amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It starts with a clap of thunder. Fierce winds cause the once serene landscape to shiver with unease. When the rain comes, it’s the color of motor oil. All it takes is a single glance at the looming gray clouds overhead to realize that the impending storm could be capable of anything. It’s enough to rock a level-headed man to his very foundation.
Performance of Exemplary Cast Collects on ‘The Debt’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 31, 2011 - 6:54amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Re-imagining, almost re-engaging the evil of the Holocaust has been thoroughly examined in film for years. “The Debt” looks at another angle, that of revenge and how much that revenge can wreak havoc on the truth.
Emma Stone, Viola Davis Lend a Hand to ‘The Help’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 10, 2011 - 7:50amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Using fiction to express the importance of real historical events is seductive and sometimes disingenuous. The new film “The Help” manages to counteract that notion through high level, emotional performances.
Terrence Malick’s Captivating Meditation on ‘The Tree of Life’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 27, 2011 - 3:10pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I’ve seen Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life” twice now and I still struggle with how to put my reaction to it into words. The film almost defies typical critical discussion with its lack of narrative thrust and a structure that makes it far closer to a poem than a piece of prose. How do you even begin to talk about a piece that works with emotions instead of plot twists?
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