Patrick McDonald

CHICAGO – The upcoming political action thriller “Olympus Has Fallen” has a familiar director behind it, the inventive Antoine Fuqua. Known best for “Training Day,” which won the Best Actor Oscar for Denzel Washington, he also directed ‘The Replacement Killers” (1998), “Shooter” (2007) and “Brooklyn’s Finest” (2009).

CHICAGO – Definitely one of the strangest films so far in 2013 is “Upside Down,” featuring a dream pairing of Kirsten Dunst and Jim Sturgess. The problem is they exist as disparate lovers on opposing planets, with opposite gravitational pulls. Thus what is up for Kirsten is down for Jim, or vice-versa?

CHICAGO – “The Call” rises above the usual crime drama for a couple of reasons. First, it is a thriller that runs at a breakneck speed, using the driving culture of Los Angeles in a cat-and-mouse chase. Secondly, it symbolically emphasizes the plight of women, and honors their empowerment.

CHICAGO – Two mercurial and classic film actors appeared last summer at the Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, and between them have a wealth of impressive film titles on their resumes. Sean Young (“Bladerunner”) and Dean Stockwell (“Blue Velvet”) also represent different eras of cinema history.

CHICAGO – Halle Berry has had a career of diverse and award-winning roles, and takes on another provocative character in the new movie, “The Call.” Her co-star in the film is Morris Chestnut, a versatile lead and character actor with films as varied as “Boyz n the Hood’ and “The Best Man.” They both honor the acting craft.

CHICAGO – It seems that 2013 so far has belonged to the Beyoncé, known now just by her first name. She began the year at President Obama’s second inauguration, admitting to lip-syncing her performance of the National Anthem. She followed that up with her triumphant Super Bowl halftime show, which also featured her former girl group, Destiny’s Child. Beyoncé then debuted her HBO special “Life is But a Dream,” which she also produced and directed.

CHICAGO – One of the best movies of 2012 had monsters, action heroes, animation, heart-breaking drama, Christ imagery and a sense of redemption in all of what it conveyed. “Holy Motors” may have been ignored at Oscar time, but it’s destined to make an impact for cinema fans in generations to come, and was released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 26th.

CHICAGO – Nothing like a high concept crime story to compliment “spring forward.” Colin Farrell plays the revenge card to the nth degree in the unusual and slowly paced “Dead Man Down,” and takes Noomi Rapace (of the Swedish “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) along for the ride.

CHICAGO – “Oz the Great and Powerful” is a great and powerful visual and 3D experience. It expands the landscape of what cinema can produce in a visceral and evolutionary way. But a great film also needs a great story, and this Land of Oz tale is not equivalent to the awe-inspiring imagery.

CHICAGO – The Chicago Cultural Center, located downtown across from Millennium Park, will be the scene for the fifth annual Peace on Earth Film Festival, a free, open-to-the-public event from Thursday, March 7th through Sunday, March 10th, 2013. All films will be shown at the Claudia Cassidy Theater within the Cultural Center, with films shown all day on Saturday and Sunday.