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
‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest’ Underlines Franchise Limitations
Submitted by mattmovieman on October 29, 2010 - 7:12am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Now that the third and final installment of Stieg Larsson’s posthumously published, phenomenally popular book series has been turned into a feature film, the questions emerges: ‘Was it worth it?’ To the worldwide box office and the creatively bankrupt Hollywood, of course it was. But were moviegoers truly satisfied by the experience?
Prequel ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ Deftly Exploits a Baby as Emotional Scare Tactic
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on October 23, 2010 - 2:09am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – From its first “The Blair Witch Project”-like film in Sept. 2009, “Paranormal Activity” now reigns as one of the most profitable films ever made based on return on investment. But just a short 13 months later, “Paranormal Activity 2” returns to theaters with content and panic tactics that are much of the same.
Gemma Arterton Displays Luminosity as ‘Tamara Drewe’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 22, 2010 - 9:42pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There are some movies that are gut level great because of plot, atmosphere and pacing, and then there are movies like “Tamara Drewe,” which rely on the elusive star power of the performer to drive its engine. Gemma Arterton portrays the title character and lights up the screen with a vivid presence in the simple story of a woman’s homecoming.
‘11/4/08’ Assembles Interactive Portrait of Fateful Night
Submitted by mattmovieman on October 22, 2010 - 7:33amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When Barack Obama took to the podium at Grant Park and gave his acceptance speech on the evening of November 4, 2008, his face appeared strangely reserved. His eyes did not reflect the overwhelming excitement of his supporters. Their grassroots efforts led to the election of a candidate whose popularity transcended national boundaries, injecting cynics with hope.
Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon Deliver Poignant ‘Hereafter’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 20, 2010 - 9:27am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter” is a dramatic examination of a subject rarely dealt with in American cinema with even an ounce of honest emotion: What happens after we die.
Ed Norton, Robert De Niro Misfire in Pretentious ‘Stone’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 15, 2010 - 2:01pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ed Norton and Robert De Niro used to be two of the most consistent actors alive, both with streaks of amazing, Oscar-nominated films that guarantee them places in the history books. Sadly, their reunion in the overcooked “Stone” presents merely a shadow of what these talented stars used to deliver.
Documentary ‘Inside Job’ Should Be Required Viewing
Submitted by BrianTT on October 15, 2010 - 11:13am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Director Charles Ferguson is an absolute genius at distilling incredibly-complex subjects down to their bare essentials without dumbing them down in the slightest. He produced the best documentary about the Iraq War in the amazing “No End in Sight” and he’s now delivered a nearly-equal masterful feature on how our economy got to where it is today with the excellent “Inside Job,” arguably the best documentary of a great year for the form.
Talented Ensemble Wasted on Incredibly Dull ‘Red’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 15, 2010 - 9:51am Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – They say you can learn as much from a bad movie as you can from a good one. If that’s true, what’s the lesson to be taken from the extremely boring and misguided “Red”? Perhaps that moviemaking is not the sum of its parts and that you can’t just get together an amazing cast, shout action, and expect magic.
Aaron Johnson as John Lennon is a Real ‘Nowhere Boy’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 15, 2010 - 9:37am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The great John Lennon would have been 70 years old on October 9th, but never got to expand upon the journey that started in a small British port town called Liverpool, where a young Lennon was shuffled from home-to-home between his Aunt Mimi and his mother Julia. Aaron Johnson plays the teenage rock icon in a crucial point in his life in the poignant “Nowhere Boy.”
Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell Suffer From a Lack of ‘Conviction’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 15, 2010 - 9:21am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The United States, with the largest prison population in the Western world, obviously has used the system to incarcerate undesirables in the society, whether they are guilty or not. The access to real justice is played out in the cumbersome “Conviction,” featuring Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver and Melissa Leo.
Unsettling ‘Red White & Blue’ Creeps Under the Skin
Submitted by mattmovieman on October 12, 2010 - 7:45amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Red White & Blue” is a deviously effective horror film precisely because it doesn’t appear to be one. There are subtle stylistic hints here and there, but nothing that truly signals the horrors to come. They emerge not from left field, but out of the characters’ own pent up rage, and their increasing desire to inflict pain upon the world that has failed them.
‘Life as We Know It’ is More Schlock From Katherine Heigl
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 8, 2010 - 9:40amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Since her breakthrough “comic” role in “Knocked Up,” Katherine Heigl has a line-up of titles that almost reads like parody – “27 Dresses,” “The Ugly Truth,” “Killers” – but there had to be some audience or they really wouldn’t exist. She makes just enough box office to keep working, which explains the latest and maybe worst of the bunch, “Life As We Know It”
‘It’s Kind of a Funny Story’ Coasts on the Charm of its Cast
Submitted by mattmovieman on October 8, 2010 - 7:36amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Though “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” is the third feature film from Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, it’s the duo’s first picture that feels like it was made by first-time filmmakers. While their previous two features, “Half Nelson” and “Sugar,’ were entrenched in documentary realism and exuded the assurance and nuance of master filmmakers, this latest effort feels oddly programmed for mainstream consumption.
