February 2020

Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – When I think of “The Invisible Man” the first thing I think of is the special effects… and that’s largely what it’s been about … from Claude Raines initial portrayal of “The I Man” in the 1930s, all the way through more modern takes like Kevin Bacon in the thriller “Hollow Man” (2000).

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Winslow Fegley on set for ‘Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made.’

CHICAGO – In a film that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and dropped on February 7th, 2020, at the relatively new Disney+ streaming service, “Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made,” already has proved its viability. The film is based on the youth fiction series by Stephan Pastis, who wrote the screenplay with director Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight”).

Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – “The Call Of The Wild” is an old fashioned story with some expensive and unnecessary technological upgrades. Forgoing man’s best friend in reality, the film replaces the featured dog with an entirely digital creation … which I can’t say was an improvement.

CHICAGO – When your life is an open book, it’s appropriate to finally get around to putting it on paper. Jessica Simpson – singer, actress, reality TV star, fashion designer and now author – has just released her new memoir “Open Book,” and it has shot to number one on the New York Times Best Seller list.

CHICAGO – It may be damning with faint praise, but I can assure you that “Sonic the Hedgehog” is no longer the stuff of nightmares. The-Island-of-Dr-Moreau-like creation which seemed half human and half hedgehog in the film’s first trailer, has been replaced by something more akin to the Sonic we know from video games and cartoons. He’s cute. He’s fast. But he’s not particularly funny.

CHICAGO – “High Fidelity” is back! The iconic 2000 film, which was set in Chicago, is being rebooted as a Hulu series featuring Zoë Kravitz.

CHICAGO – One of the hottest films from the first half 2019 festival season was an emotional story about family, and scored the Best Picture at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 8th. “The Farewell” is a breakout for both the lead actor Awkwafina (“Crazy Rich Asians”), Zhao Shuzhen (who won the Indie Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress) and their director Lulu Wang. Wang’s story of her grandmother became a universal spirit about our relative connections.

LOS ANGELES – From his chiseled-from-marble good looks to his actor intensity on screen, Kirk Douglas defined the very concept of Movie Star. The actor also broke records for longevity, living to the ripe old age of 103. Kirk Douglas died of natural causes on February 5th, 2020, at his home in Los Angeles.