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.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel Connect in ‘(500) Days of Summer’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 17, 2009 - 7:37am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Romantic comedies have been so sanitized, obviously for the protection of the movie consumer, that it is refreshing to meet a reality-based couple as they interact, co-mingle, love and clash in “(500) Days of Summer.”
‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ Discovers the Wizard of Awe
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 14, 2009 - 9:20am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Harry Potter phenomenon, born from the pen of J.K. Rowling and nurtured through the utter magic of modern filmmaking, has reached a monumental creative peak with the film “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”
‘I Love You, Beth Cooper’ Inspires Hatred For the High School Genre
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 10, 2009 - 2:11pm Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In what could be the worst mainstream release of the summer, “I Love You, Beth Cooper” wastes talent, production values and ultimately time in a cliché-ridden mess that produces little or no real love.
‘Brüno’: Must a Movie Like This Be Broadcast Üniversal?
Submitted by Ebeth on July 10, 2009 - 1:39am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – As a tribute to “Borat,” let’s start with a lesson in “not” jokes.
“Brüno” is everything one would hope for in a Sacha Baron Cohen return. The film is hilarious, unpredictable and worth every dollar it will make… NOT! There is a great fallacy that has spread in Hollywood and “Brüno” is one of its many victims.
Riveting, Must-See ‘The Hurt Locker’ is Flawless Filmmaking
Submitted by BrianTT on July 9, 2009 - 10:26am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Filmmaking simply doesn’t get much more riveting than Kathryn Bigelow’s incredible “The Hurt Locker,” a cinematic experience unlike any other that you will have this year. Building and releasing tension better than her peers have in a long time, Bigelow has made not only the best Iraq War movie to date but the best film of 2009 at just over the halfway point.
Johnny Depp’s ‘Public Enemies’ Delivers Bona Fide Chicago Powerhouse
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 1, 2009 - 2:24pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Was John Dillinger an Adolf Hitler-level criminal mastermind or a modern-day Robin Hood superman? In the authentic reality portrayed by the god-like Johnny Depp in the Chicago-filmed “Public Enemies,” he’s a little bit of both for blockbuster filmmaker Michael Mann.
‘My Sister’s Keeper’: An Emotional Look at a Modern Moral Dilemma
Submitted by Ebeth on June 28, 2009 - 3:47am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The advancement of medicine has brought about many things: longer life-expectancy, treatments for serious illnesses such as cancer, artificial conception, and genetic modification. Though there are positive aspects to each of these things, inherent within each are moral dilemmas we will have to face.
‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ is Galaxies Away From its Predecessor
Submitted by Ebeth on June 24, 2009 - 3:23pm Rating: 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.
‘The Proposal’ a Marriage of Talents From Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock
Submitted by Ebeth on June 19, 2009 - 7:37pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – At some point in our lives, most of us have had to reach beyond our job descriptions to appease a demanding boss. Common themes from making coffee to picking up dry cleaning are familiar and often tolerated as one strives to “get ahead”.
‘Food, Inc.’: An Undercooked Documentary With Simply Too Much on Its Plate
Submitted by Ebeth on June 19, 2009 - 1:11pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The side effect of a well-executed horror film is lack of sleep. The side effect of a well-executed documentary on corruption of our food supply is lack of appetite. Personally? I left “Food, Inc.,” went straight to lunch and had a big ole’ fried-chicken salad.
‘Imagine That’: Eddie Murphy’s Family Fare Predictable as Sunrise
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 12, 2009 - 2:22pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Nobody expects an actor to maintain the ambitions of their early career. The manic energy of Eddie Murphy from “Raw” or “48 Hours” is as gone as an ‘80s hairdo. But the numbing sameness of family-friendly Eddie is a direction that is stultifying, and does no favors for him or the audience.
‘Away We Go’ From Sam Mendes a Slightly Bumpy Trip Worth Taking
Submitted by Ebeth on June 12, 2009 - 1:41pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Has life always been this difficult? Doesn’t anybody ever stay together anymore? Have the pressures of modern times turned the majority of us into screw-ups?
“Away We Go” is a chronicle of couple – Burt and Verona (John Krasinski of NBC’s “The Office” and Maya Rudolph of “Saturday Night Live”) – attempting to resolve just that.
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.
