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.
Gwyneth Paltrow
‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Spins a Web of Fun
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 2, 2017 - 7:33am- Aunt May
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Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Summer movies should be fun, and the superhero craze has Marvel Studios combining their adventures with a little joy. “Spider-Man: Homecoming” mostly contains that big high spirit, with Tom Holland portraying the title character with youthful zeal and energy.
Supremely Silly ‘Mortdecai’ is a Pleasant Surprise
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 23, 2015 - 10:53pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I have to say while watching Johnny Depp in “Mortdecai,” I found myself amused. I rarely elicited anything more than a slight chuckle, but its indomitable spirit of silliness made it a not entirely unpleasant evening out. This feather-weight trifle of a caper is only slightly more than the funny mustache movie its posters and trailer make it out to be.
‘Iron Man 3’ Starts Summer with a Mechanized Bang
Submitted by BrianTT on May 2, 2013 - 9:39amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Critics and viewers fell in rapturous adoration of the legend of The Dark Knight when Christopher Nolan and his team took the risk of making character-driven superhero movies. To kick off the second phase of the Marvel Universe of films with this weekend’s “Iron Man 3,” Shane Black and the team behind this guaranteed blockbuster have done the same – presenting us with the most human Marvel flick since “Spider-Man 2.”
Steven Soderbergh’s Riveting ‘Contagion’ With Matt Damon
Submitted by BrianTT on September 8, 2011 - 10:01amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – A few weeks ago saw the release of the R-rated “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” a gore-free creature feature that was given the MPAA stamp of 17-plus due to “pervasive scariness.” This week sees the PG-13-rated “Contagion,” a film SO much more pervasively scary than the movie about goblins in a distant mansion because, well, it’s about the fact that the world is pervasively scary.
Pop Idolatry Lives in ‘Glee: The 3D Concert Movie’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 12, 2011 - 11:18amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Gleeks Unite! You have nothing to fear from “Glee: The 3D Concert Movie,” except the extra fee for those glasses. This film charms through it’s fabulous cast of singers and personalities singing jukebox hits.
Melodrama Weakens Gwyneth Paltrow in ‘Country Strong’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 7, 2011 - 9:01amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Modern country music is actually quite fascinating. Whereas in the classic days of the 1950s to ‘70s, when it was a cult stepchild of popular music, now it occupies the rarified heights of the Justins and Taylors. That is why “Country Strong,” starring Gwyneth Paltrow, is so annoying. It doesn’t even try to be modern.
Despite Some Superfluous Story, ‘Iron Man 2’ Delivers Hollywood Oomph
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 7, 2010 - 12:42pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Iron Man 2” with returner Robert Downey Jr. and newcomer Scarlett Johansson does what it can within the confines of what it has to do. The Hollywood machine has trained us to have certain expectations for blockbuster sequels and “Iron Man 2” neither deviates nor blazes new territory.
Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow Shine in Excellent ‘Two Lovers’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 11:15amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – How many men have missed out on a great relationship because they were chasing a romantic vision largely of their own making? James Gray’s excellent “Two Lovers,” the film that Joaquin Phoenix has notoriously been promoting in a style similar to that of Andy Kaufman, is a wonderful character-driven drama about a man caught between what he has and what he wants.
‘Iron Man’ Sits Indisputably in Club of Highest-Rated Superhero Movies of All Time
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 2, 2008 - 11:22amCHICAGO – Move over, Superman. This lush, high-octane playboy never tasted so good.
Robert Downey Jr. fittingly opens “Iron Man” with a cocktail in hand and all the arrogance in the world. As the story goes, his conceit is indeed respected as Earth is his oyster both for the playing and for the taking.