Interstellar

CHICAGO – Occasionally our reality needs a super sizing, and what better media than the movies to deliver that expansion. The historic Music Box Theatre of Chicago presents its annual 70MM Film Festival – now through March 19th, 2020 – celebrating movies that were rendered, historically and now, in the large format screen size.

CHICAGO – In the midst of all the Oscar-oriented news, Chicago’s best movie venue – the Music Box Theatre – has been conducting an “ultimate” 70mm Film Festival. It is the last four days of this fest, so this is a reminder to experience it if you haven’t already. 70mm refers to a historical widescreen film format that expresses an amazing cinema canvas, and was used with great fanfare in Quentin Tarantino’s most recent film, “The Hateful Eight.”

CHICAGO – Far more marvelous than imperfect, “Interstellar” is the answer for moviegoers who have lost the zeal for massive films, citing a lack of ideas, heart, or general passion for filmmaking. Director Christopher Nolan’s 2014 space odyssey is an event of beauty, with the rare experience of showing viewers something they haven’t seen before.

CHICAGO – Just like every year before it, there were no perfect films in 2014. I do not see this as a negative thing - reaching for greatness is far more electrifying than the plateau of achieving it, as presented in a hustler’s opus like ‘Whiplash,” which specifically eschews applause after a drum solo that just may have been perfection.

CHICAGO – ‘Boyhood,’ director Richard Linklater’s story of a boy maturing from age 6 to age 18 – using the same actor over 12 years – was designated Best Picture by the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) at a ceremony on December 15th, 2014.

CHICAGO – The best movies of 2014 were on display as the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) announced their nominees in several categories of film excellence. Leading the pack was director Alejandro G. Inarritu’s “Birdman,” Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and newcomer Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash.” The best in each category will be announced on Monday, December 15th.

CHICAGO – It was Monday, Nov. 3, 2014 at 10:15 p.m. Leaving Navy Pier IMAX, I was driving north on Lake Shore Drive – a constantly busy, multi-lane highway that hugs the east of Chicago and separates it from water.

CHICAGO – It is most likely that movie goers were asking the same question of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” in 1968, but Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” belongs to its own category of what-is-the-meaning, because it tries to combine pseudo-science with psycho-babble, which clashes into meaninglessness. But the visuals are stunning, and there are moments of fulfillment, especially in a big screen IMAX format.

CHICAGO – “Interstellar” is easily director Christopher Nolan’s worst film. It contains much of the ambition and striking visuals that have endeared him to audiences, but for large chunks of the movie his own worst tendencies towards bombast, self-importance, and hippy dippy dialogue threaten to overwhelm his dandy space sequences entirely.