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.
Movie Review
Film Review: ‘Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters’ is Driven by Myth
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 7, 2013 - 9:11amCHICAGO – Although on the surface, the Percy Jackson stories may seem like Harry Potter rip-offs, the use of a mythology theme and a slyer sense of humor does give them some distinction and life. It also provides several moments of unintentional laughs in “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.”
Film Review: Mark Wahlberg Steals Unexpected Comedic Spotlight Amid ‘2 Guns’ Bromance
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 4, 2013 - 10:37amCHICAGO – While you wouldn’t normally compare the new action/comedy “2 Guns” with the comedy “I Love You, Man,” really the only difference between what Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington are doing now versus what Paul Rudd and Jason Segel did in 2009 is that “2 Guns” uses crime as the means by which two grown men fall in love with one another.
Film Review: ‘Blue Jasmine’ Puts Woody Allen Back on Top
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 2, 2013 - 6:02amCHICAGO – The auteur Woody Allen is one of the most prolific post-studio-system directors, averaging one film a year for close to 40 years. His meditations on life have become part of the culture, and he brilliantly expresses himself once again – with help from Cate Blachett – in the emotional “Blue Jasmine.”
Film Review: ‘Blackfish’ Emphasizes Folly of Animal Captivity
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 26, 2013 - 8:12amCHICAGO – We see the public service ads often – dogs and cats in captivity after neglect and abuse. The images parade by, and the sadness in their expressions are heartbreaking. The same can be said for killer whales in captivity, used for SeaWorld shows and exploited in “Blackfish.”
Film Review: Audacious ‘The Wolverine’ Also a Bit Excessive
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 25, 2013 - 7:10pmCHICAGO – Following the release of “Iron Man 3” and “Man of Steel,” “The Wolverine” is the best of the bunch, simply by following “The Dark Knight” and the Marvel Comics formula, creating a conflicted superhero who cannot conform to any conventional definition of heroism.
Film Review: Despite Flopping as a Comic Book Movie, ‘Red 2’ Coasts By with Well-Written Characters
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 20, 2013 - 1:01pm- Adam Fendelman
- Anthony Hopkins
- Bruce Willis
- Byung-hun Lee
- Catherine Zeta-Jones
- Cully Hamner
- David Thewlis
- DC Entertainment
- Dean Parisot
- Erich Hoeber
- Garrick Hagon
- Helen Mirren
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- John Malkovich
- Jon Hoeber
- Jong Kun Lee
- Mary-Louise Parker
- Movie Review
- Neal McDonough
- Red
- Red 2
- Warren Ellis
CHICAGO – If you didn’t see the DC Entertainment splash screen when this “Red 2” sequel kicks off with the fake death of one of its usual suspects, you wouldn’t mind that the rest of the film feels nothing like a comic book movie except for its animated transitions between scenes.
Film Review: Uninspired ‘R.I.P.D.’ is a Reminder of Better Movies
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 19, 2013 - 10:12pmCHICAGO – Did everyone see “Men in Black”? Or the film’s two sequels? They you saw “R.I.P.D.,” which unfortunately for the production team has “rip” in the title, because the film is a lazy rewrite and rip-off of “MiB.” Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds are the protectors assigned in this one.
Film Review: Michael Cera, Gaby Hoffmann Anchor ‘Crystal Fairy’
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 19, 2013 - 9:26amCHICAGO – It’s a sad day in modern American distribution when a film as highly praised and perversely intriguing as Sebastián Silva’s “Magic Magic” fails to acquire a theatrical release. The very notion of a Sundance darling co-lensed by Christopher Doyle getting unceremoniously dumped on DVD is too maddening to contemplate. At a time when Disney labels a formulaic misfire like “The Lone Ranger” as a “risk,” it’s depressing to see a company like Sony Pictures follow suit.
Film Review: Effective ‘The Conjuring’ Captures the Sum of All Fears
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 19, 2013 - 8:02amCHICAGO – True scary movies have a couple of things going for them – the source of the scare and the psychology of the scare. The source provides the “boo,” the audience provides the interactive psychology. “The Conjuring” is a true scary movie.
Film Review: Light, Speedy ‘Turbo’ is a Great Race for Kids
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 17, 2013 - 10:06amCHICAGO – Summer vacation means summer animated movies, and nothing will give the kids more of a break than rooting for a snail that becomes as fast as an Indy race car. Why not put him in the Indianapolis 500? Ryan Reynolds is the voice of that miracle mollusk named “Turbo.”