CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
Julia Roberts, Clive Owen Shine in Tony Gilroy’s Clever ‘Duplicity’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 20, 2009 - 11:05am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/director Tony Gilroy (“Michael Clayton”) uses words the same way horror movie directors use blood or action movie auteurs use bullets. His weapon of choice, witty repartee, is delivered wonderfully in the enjoyable, clever, charming “Duplicity,” starring Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Paul Giamatti, and Tom Wilkinson.
Amy Adams Brings the Sparkle to ‘Sunshine Cleaning’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 20, 2009 - 10:59am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Amy Adams gives a performance in Christine Jeffs’ “Sunshine Cleaning” that is not only the best actress turn of the year to date but nearly single-handedly makes the many flaws of this quirky comedy easy to overlook. It’s rare, but sometimes one talented star can make any project shine. Amy Adams is that talented.
Epic, Gorgeous ‘Everlasting Moments’ Lingers Like a Dusty Photograph
Submitted by BrianTT on March 13, 2009 - 1:33pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Jan Troell’s epic “Everlasting Moments,” a Golden Globe-nominee for Best Foreign Language Film of 2008 and Sweden’s entry in the same category for the Oscars (notoriously making “Let the Right One In” ineligible because of the stupid “one country, one movie” rule), is a haunting, beautiful movie about small, emotional movements set against a backdrop of national change.
Documentary ‘Brothers at War’ is Heartfelt But Narrow in Scope
Submitted by BrianTT on March 13, 2009 - 1:03pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The market has been flooded with documentaries about the failure of the Iraq War, which makes the arrival of a human story about real people on the ground something notable and refreshing. Sadly, Jacob Rademacher’s “Brothers at War” is as myopic as any piece of “left-wing propaganda” about the failure of the war, missing both the big picture and the human one due to its filmmaker’s refusal to ask the dark questions.
Effective Remake of ‘The Last House on the Left’ a Powerful Horror Film
Submitted by BrianTT on March 13, 2009 - 12:30pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Dennis Illiadis’ remake of “The Last House on the Left” is the exception the proves the rule that most horror movie remakes are a complete waste of time. With an incredible performance by Garret Dillahunt (“Deadwood,” “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”) and great supporting work by Monica Potter, Sara Paxton, Tony Goldwyn, and others, “Last House” is the best mainstream horror movie in a long time.
Zack Snyder Turns ‘Watchmen’ Into Loud, Disjointed, Brutal Mess
Submitted by BrianTT on March 6, 2009 - 1:15pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – For years, fans of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s masterful and influential “Watchmen” have been waiting for a filmmaker willing to faithfully and slavishly adapt their favorite graphic novel. Well, we got what we wanted in Zack Snyder’s frame-copying vision of this legendary book, but as someone once said - You should be careful what you ask for because you just might get it.
Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow Shine in Excellent ‘Two Lovers’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 11:15amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – How many men have missed out on a great relationship because they were chasing a romantic vision largely of their own making? James Gray’s excellent “Two Lovers,” the film that Joaquin Phoenix has notoriously been promoting in a style similar to that of Andy Kaufman, is a wonderful character-driven drama about a man caught between what he has and what he wants.
Painful, Depressing ‘Must Read After My Death’ Window Into the Dark Side of Family
Submitted by BrianTT on February 17, 2009 - 7:52pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If someone had a recording of the dissolution of a seemingly perfect family, would you listen? What would you learn from it? You can test your answer to these questions with the riveting “Must Read After My Death”.
Clive Owen, Naomi Watts Fail to Save Deadly Dull ‘The International’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 12, 2009 - 11:51pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tom Tykwer’s “The International,” an alleged thriller starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, is one of the most surprisingly inert films so far this year, an awfully written conspiracy flick that never gets out of neutral and is only remotely worth someday seeing for one fantastic action sequence.
Lack of Originality, Actual Scares Render Marcus Nispel’s ‘Friday the 13th’ Ineffective
Submitted by BrianTT on February 12, 2009 - 11:49pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Your reaction to Marcus Nispel’s “Friday the 13th” is likely to depend on how nostalgically you remember the original and how you reacted to producer Michael Bay’s “remakes” of “The Amityville Horror,” “The Hitcher,” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”.
Henry Selick’s ‘Coraline’ an Early Contender For Best Animated Film of 2009
Submitted by BrianTT on February 6, 2009 - 3:45pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Henry Selick, the visionary director of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “James and the Giant Peach” has masterfully directed a mesmerizing journey into the world of imagination called “Coraline”.
Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Ginnifer Goodwin Nearly Save ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 6, 2009 - 1:01am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If you’ve ever been speed dating or even just on a series of dates in a short period of time, it’s not that different from the back and forth between good and bad in the latest romantic comedy, “He’s Just Not That Into You,” a mixed bag of cliches, comedy, coincidences, and cute coupling starring Jennifer Aniston, Ginnifer Goodwin, and many, many more.
Liam Neeson Elevates Above-Average Action Movie ‘Taken’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 30, 2009 - 8:20amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Bringing the same screen presence and gravity that he has to more serious roles like those in “Schindler’s List” and “Kinsey,” Liam Neeson turns the relatively generic “Taken” into an above-average action movie that should prove a surprising alternative for movie goers looking for a break from Super Bowl coverage this weekend.
