CHICAGO – Got an act? Got a camera phone to record it? Then YippieFest wants you! The fourth annual Theater, Music, Film, Comedy and Performance festival is doing what all the hep cats are doing, going online and virtual to keep everyone safe (details closer to the actual dates of YippieFest, August 14-16, 2020).
John Krasinski
‘A Quiet Place’ Will Make You Wish You Had a Quiet Place to Hide
Submitted by JonHC on April 5, 2018 - 9:07pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO - Terror and fear take several forms. Sometimes it’s something as simple as spiders or snakes or even an incompetent president. Other times it can take the form of natural states, like darkness. Horror films channel our fears, but the great ones give us something new to fear. “A Quiet Place” lures us in with the safety of silence, only to reveal the monsters hiding within.
‘Detroit’ is Stark, Blunt & Honest U.S. History
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 28, 2017 - 10:34am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It has become clear to anyone who is making an observation about authority and “order” in America, that for certain people it comes with a severe price. “Detroit” explores an incident within the 1967 riots there, when white police officers raided a hotel and perpetuated crimes of their own.
Unusual, Passionate ‘Aloha’ is Deeply Resonant
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 29, 2015 - 9:34amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Films with major movie stars that take real chances on story formula are rare. “Aloha” is one such example, and produces considerations that are way off the beaten path. Is it an allegory? An absurdity? An homage to 1960s paranoia? Only writer/director Cameron Crowe knows for sure.
Wondrous Last Act for Hayao Miyazaki in ‘The Wind Rises’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 1, 2014 - 9:54am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The master animator and film legend Hayao Miyazaki (“Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Spirited Away,” “Princess Mononoke”) announced his retirement after his latest film, “The Wind Rises.” He is often called “Japan’s Walt Disney,” but there is more to him then that, a soul and a mystery that is revealed in the stages of his animated art, and his contribution to artistic culture will continue to influence for generations to come. “The Wind Rises” is nominated for Best Animated Film at the 2014 Academy Awards.
Gus Van Sant’s ‘Promised Land’ Breaks Promise to Audiences
Submitted by mattmovieman on December 28, 2012 - 5:32pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When a Gus Van Sant picture works well, it can be as rousing as “Milk” or as thrillingly experimental as “Elephant.” Few filmmakers have straddled the mainstream and independent realms with such success (Steven Soderbergh would be another). But when a Van Sant film fails, it often fails spectacularly, as proven by “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” and that notoriously pointless “Psycho” remake.
Beguiling Ensemble Nearly Salvages Frustrating ‘Nobody Walks’
Submitted by mattmovieman on November 9, 2012 - 10:37amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – From the very beginning of her screen career, Olivia Thirlby has specialized in playing youthful seductresses intent on jump-starting their male partners’ sexual coming-of-age. She exuded megawatt allure in everything from David Gordon Green’s “George Washington” to Brett Ratner’s memorable segment in “New York, I Love You.”
Whale of a Tale For Drew Barrymore in ‘Big Miracle’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 3, 2012 - 9:09amRating: 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.
Kate Hudson in ‘Something Borrowed’ is Something Bad
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 6, 2011 - 5:15am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Wedding movies, the wedding industrial complex, weddings as women’s literature, where does it end? (divorce) It’s that time of year, and the wedding film makes its ritualistic appearance, here represented by the morally bankrupt “Something Borrowed.”
Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin Shine in ‘It’s Complicated’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 25, 2009 - 8:26amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Referring to her new film, “It’s Complicated,” Meryl Steep recently said, “It’s incredible, I’m playing the romantic lead in romantic comedies. Bette Davis is rolling over in her grave.” Tell Kate Hepburn the news.
‘Away We Go’ From Sam Mendes a Slightly Bumpy Trip Worth Taking
Submitted by Ebeth on June 12, 2009 - 1:41pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Has life always been this difficult? Doesn’t anybody ever stay together anymore? Have the pressures of modern times turned the majority of us into screw-ups?
“Away We Go” is a chronicle of couple – Burt and Verona (John Krasinski of NBC’s “The Office” and Maya Rudolph of “Saturday Night Live”) – attempting to resolve just that.
