CHICAGO – There is no better time to take in a stage play that is based in U.S. history, depicting the battle between fact and religion. The old theater chestnut – first mounted in 1955 – is “Inherit the Wind,” now at the Goodman Theatre, completing it’s short run through October 20th. For tickets and more information, click INHERIT.
Elle Fanning
Film Review: Vivacity and Simplicity Come Together in ‘Teen Spirit’
Submitted by JonHC on April 22, 2019 - 5:49pmCHICAGO – For most of us, music literally becomes the soundtrack to our lives. They become a reflection of our mood, innermost thoughts, and even our fears. Sometimes they are just a pick me up, the same way Cardi B is currently soundtracking the writing of this review. Certain, well-placed songs can even tell our life story without us having to utter a single word, much like Teen Spirit.
Film Review: Everything is Beautiful at the Ballet in ‘Leap!’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 25, 2017 - 1:56pmCHICAGO – One of the rites of passage for most girls in the U.S.(and elsewhere, I presume) is ballet lessons. Usually it lasts for a very short time, but some girls-to-women keep pursuing it, and may even become prima ballerinas. A new animated film named “Leap!” is dedicated to that spirit.
Film Review: Sofia Coppola Creates a Masterwork with ‘The Beguiled’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 6, 2017 - 10:52amCHICAGO – The human-ness of being human never changes, fundamentally. The mating season arrives, and the effect makes for both great connections and bad decisions. Director Sofia Coppola emphasizes this in a reverent film production of the story called “The Beguiled.”
HollywoodChicago.com ESP, En Español: ‘xXx,’ ‘Split,’ ‘Paterson’ y ‘20th Century Women’
Submitted by JonHC on January 28, 2017 - 6:48amCHICAGO – Cada semana, HollywoodChicago.com le traerá las criticas de las películas que hemos visto y que están saliendo esa semana, pero en español. HollywoodChicago.com ESP no sólo representa HollywoodChicago.com Espanol, sino también Esta Semana en Peliculas.
Film Review: Ben Affleck Shoots Nothing But Blanks in ‘Live by Night’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 12, 2017 - 11:15pmCHICAGO – Movies released in the first weeks of January are invariably either awards hopefuls trying to gain momentum or studio dreck being buried in the dead of winter, and quickly forgotten by Valentine’s Day. “Live By Night” aspires to be the former, but ends up being the latter.
Film Review: Beauty Becomes Beastly in Uneven ‘The Neon Demon’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 26, 2016 - 7:56pmCHICAGO – “The Neon Demon” is definitely worth seeing, if only to create an understanding as to what you think beauty is, but the film suffers in its last quarter by taking a turn towards horror. This mix of decisions by director Nicolas Winding Refn (“Drive”) is audacious and maddening.
Interview: Elle Fanning, Nicolas Winding Refn on ‘The Neon Demon’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 22, 2016 - 10:14amCHICAGO – The contemplation of beauty gets a little more truth in a new film by Nicolas Winding Refn (“Drive”) entitled “The Neon Demon.” It features Elle Fanning as Jesse, a naive girl who wants to break into the world of modeling, and does so in an unexpected way. The symbolic film has both strange drama and touches of horror.
Film Review: Animated ‘The Boxtrolls’ Has British Comic Tone
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 26, 2014 - 10:06pmCHICAGO – Monty Python, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore, Peter Sellers, Mr. Bean, Alan Partridge – all are examples of British comedy, that off-kilter “are you in on the joke?” point of view. That comic tone has arrived in an animated film, within the stop motion world of “The Boxtrolls.”
Interview: Directors of ‘The Boxtrolls’ on Their Animated Life
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 25, 2014 - 8:07pmCHICAGO – How do you interpret an odd British storybook called “Here Be Monsters!” into a mainstream animated film? By taking the main characters – called ‘The Boxtrolls’ – and putting them up front. Animation veterans and co-directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi got the assignment, and deliver the goods.
Film Review: ‘Maleficent’ is All Dressed Up With No Story to Tell
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 30, 2014 - 6:27pmCHICAGO – If “Maleficent” were an actual fairy tale storybook, I’d say it has beautiful illustrations but not much story to tell. As the title character Angelina Jolie is a towering presence with an unforgettable look, but the film itself is all dressed up with nowhere to go.