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.
John Turturro
‘The Batman’ with Robert Pattinson is On Its Way Up
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 3, 2022 - 1:42pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Since I was no fan of of director Zack Snyder’s take on the Caped Crusader – “Batman v Superman” and “The Justice League” being some of the worst superhero movies ever to sputter onto the big screen – as far as I was concerned the franchise had nowhere to go but up.
Julianne Moore is a Ringing Sensation in ‘Gloria Bell’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 14, 2019 - 8:16pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The sheer ordinariness of life is not fodder for most dramatic films … the popcorn munchers generally turn out for something more high concept. But in Exhibit A, there is “Gloria Bell,” in which Julianne Moore portrays the title character in a series of ordinary extraordinary events.
No Faith in the Spectacle of ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 12, 2014 - 9:54pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The world certainly didn’t need another “Ten Commandments,” but director Ridley Scott tries to remake the 50’s Biblical epic anyway – led by Christian Bale as a scowling and shouting Moses. Yet Bale can’t hold a staff to Charlton Heston and Scott is no Cecil B. DeMille. Ostensibly this is a movie about the power of faith, but Scott’s film has no soul within.
Philip Seymour Hoffman Lives Again in ‘God’s Pocket’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 20, 2014 - 11:34amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Watching Philip Seymour Hoffman perform, now that he has passed on, is a bittersweet reminder of his ability and power to embody his deeply felt characters. He does it again in one of his last roles, adding his special brand of acting to the messy story within the gritty noir drama, “God’s Pocket.”
Warm ‘Fading Gigolo’ Has Odd Romance, Woody Allen
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 5, 2014 - 5:06pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – How do you make a Woody Allen-style film? You hire Allen to act in it. Writer, director and lead actor John Turturro channels the soul of Allen’s films by creating a strange and romantic scenario with different types of relationships, including one with Allen himself in “Fading Gigolo.”
Despite a Ferrari Predecessor, ‘Cars 2’ is a Honda Requiring Repair
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 24, 2011 - 4:16pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Cars 2” is an unequal Pixar blend for adults and kiddies that never evolves into the storytelling success of its predecessor. The film, which draws thematic elements from “The Bourne Identity,” “Beverly Hillbillies” and “Transformers,” is a Honda needing a body shop as compared to the pristine Ferrari that was “Cars”.
‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ is Galaxies Away From its Predecessor
Submitted by Ebeth on June 24, 2009 - 3:23pmRating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There are often many reasons sequels should not be made. “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is one of them.
Seeking that “Allspark” exhilaration pumped into many of us from the original “Transformers,” moviegoers will flock to the sequel with anticipation.
Denzel Washington, John Travolta in Average ‘The Taking of Pelham 123’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 12, 2009 - 11:26amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tony Scott’s remake of “The Taking of Pelham 123,” starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, is likely to meet sun-drained audience expectations for a straight-forward, adult-driven action film this season but the overly stylized and not-so-thrilling train ride is ultimately merely average at best and will disappoint fans looking for anything more.
Robert De Niro, Director Barry Levinson Wade Through Hollywood’s Mud in ‘What Just Happened?’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on October 17, 2008 - 12:27pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In his long and distinguished career, Robert De Niro has probably seen it all when it comes to Hollywood excesses and quagmires. Given that experience, he seems the perfect choice to portray an aging film producer and power broker whose influence is on the decline.
Adam Sandler is White Ladies Man in Judd Apatow’s ‘You Don’t Mess With the Zohan’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 6, 2008 - 12:01amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In the relatively anemic anthology of recent Adam Sandler flops, “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan” hangs above with comedic charm and a nonsensically amusing plotline. The story is divisively intermingled with racial and ethnic sensitivities between the Israelis and Palestinians.