CHICAGO – In anticipation of the scariest week of the year, HollywoodChicago.com launches its 2024 Movie Gifts series, which will suggest DVDs and collections for holiday giving.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
‘Countdown to Zero’ Paints Vivid Picture of Nuclear Threat
Submitted by BrianTT on July 30, 2010 - 1:01pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Lucy Walker’s “Countdown to Zero” is the most terrifying film of the year and one of the most frightening documentaries in a long time. The director pushes the envelope of taste a bit too far in the fear-mongering final act and underlines her point a few too many times in the process but the education that comes with the terror is a necessary one.
Spirituality, Zac Efron Overcome Plot Holes in ‘Charlie St. Cloud’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 29, 2010 - 11:44pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The rise of Zac Efron has been one of the more interesting movie stories of the past year. Fresh from his notable role in “Me and Orson Welles,’ Efron takes the lead in “Charlie St. Cloud,” with veteran actors Ray Liotta and Kim Basinger. This journey into afterlife issues highlights some nice acting chops from Efron.
Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd Serve ‘Dinner for Schmucks’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 29, 2010 - 11:14pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The third of the Steve Carrell Seasonal Movie Trilogy debuts with the uneven but absurd comedy “Dinner for Schmucks.” Paul Rudd, now the go-to actor for straight-man-yuppie-turned-wild-dude joins a strong cast, including the ubiquitous Zach Galifianakis, Jemaine Clement (”Flight of the Concords”), and Bruce Greenwood.
Beverly Cleary’s ‘Ramona and Beezus’ Works For Young Adults
Submitted by BrianTT on July 23, 2010 - 12:18pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Ramona and Beezus” may not be the perfect film that Beverly Cleary fans hoped for when they fell in love with these characters but it is successful on its own terms in its refusal to talk down to its pre-teen audience and through the massive future star-power of its talented young stars. I admittedly have a soft spot for any film that places teachers on a higher pedestal than businessman and effectively teaches young viewers to stick to their creative visions. It’s flawed, but “Ramona and Beezus” works.
‘Salt’ With Angelina Jolie Suffers From Lack of Flavor
Submitted by BrianTT on July 23, 2010 - 11:48am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Perhaps the creators of “Salt” took the potential double meaning of its title a bit too seriously because the film has been overloaded with one flavor at the expense of the variety that could have turned this well-done action movie into something a bit more memorable. Angelina Jolie is great and the film is undeniably expertly made but it’s also shockingly lacking in personality or moments to make it register as more than just an extended chase scene.
Following ‘The Dark Knight,’ Nolan’s ‘Inception’ is a Mind-Stupefying Masterpiece
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 15, 2010 - 9:11am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – After thinking it’d take “a couple months” to ink, director Christopher Nolan (of “The Dark Knight” fame) took eight years to painstakingly write the “Inception” script. And you can tell. It’s his first pure masterpiece.
Forged in Myth, Nicolas Cage Shines in ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 14, 2010 - 10:56amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The fantasy action epic has joined the animated film as the go-to genre for summer films. Disney joins the fray with “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” featuring magic, special effects action and a deep mythology, spiced with Nicolas Cage doing a slightly warped version of a King Arthur-era apprentice for Merlin the Magician.
Adrien Brody’s ‘Predators’ Unmemorably Lulls Through the Expected Motions
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 11, 2010 - 11:17pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Good films deliver on their promise. Great films up the ante even more. In this version of the long “Predators” franchise from director Nimrod Antal (“Control,” “Armored,” “Vacancy”) and more-known producer Robert Rodriguez (“Grindhouse,” “Sin City”), we merely see more of the same: just enough to get us by but not nearly enough to make us care.
Oliver Stone Lends Another Point of View in ‘South of the Border’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 9, 2010 - 1:37pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Oliver Stone, bless him, still has a fire in his belly to tackle controversial subjects and shine a light into the dark corners that the American media skitters away from on a daily basis. Part travelogue, part enlightenment and all Stone, “South of the Border” is eye-opening documentary on the South American people revolution.
‘Despicable Me’ With Steve Carell Falls Short of World Domination
Submitted by BrianTT on July 9, 2010 - 10:19amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Despicable Me” is a mildly entertaining diversion on a summer afternoon. It’s a film that’s as equally difficult to hate as it is to love — kind of like its morally complex lead Gru (Steve Carell) — that falls just short of animation domination.
‘The Girl Who Played With Fire’ Snuffs Out Potential
Submitted by BrianTT on July 9, 2010 - 8:31am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Movie trilogies often are judged on the strength of their middle chapters. The “Star Wars” franchise wouldn’t have been continually embraced by new generations if “The Empire Strikes Back” hadn’t deepened the characters to such an extent that they became more than mere Jungian archetypes. If “Empire” jettisoned the franchise’s potential, “Attack of the Clones” brought it in for a crash landing.
Annette Bening, Julianne Moore Out in the Light With ‘The Kids Are All Right’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 9, 2010 - 6:06amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It is Hollywood that is often ahead of the social curve, expressing in art what most people can’t fathom in real life. “The Kids Are All Right” is that type of consciousness, depicting a committed lesbian couple – played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore – coming to grips with transitions occurring with their kids.
Director M. Night Shyamalan Too Talky, Murky in ‘The Last Airbender’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 1, 2010 - 6:10amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The choices that M. Night Shyamalan makes in the progress of his filmography have become as perplexing as his early mysteries. “The Last Airbender,” featuring Dev Patel from “Slumdog Millionaire,” is an adaptation of a previous animated series, and although aimed at kids in the end seems tentative and…aimless.
