CHICAGO – If you’ve never seen the farcical ensemble theater chestnut “Noises Off,” you will see no better version than on the Steppenwolf Theatre stage, now at their northside Chicago venue through November 3rd. For tickets and details for this riotous theater experience, click NOISES OFF.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
Annette Bening, Naomi Watts Lack the Connection in ‘Mother and Child’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 23, 2010 - 3:28pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Mother and Child,” with an all star cast of Annette Bening, Naomi Watts, Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Smits and Kerry Washington, is mindful of its subject matter, that rare and elusive connection between a mother and their offspring. However, the film has difficulties when the characters become inconsistent with their past backgrounds after that connection is introduced.
Lazy, Uninspired ‘Shrek Forever After’ With Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz
Submitted by BrianTT on May 21, 2010 - 1:52pm Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The laziest big budget film of the year, “Shrek Forever After” is the worst kind of family entertainment in that it relies solely on the goodwill engendered by the hit movies that came before to not only get audience members in seats this weekend but to sell them toys, video games, and tickets to amusement parks.
Love Story of ‘Kites’ Soars as a Marvel of Modern Moviemaking
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 21, 2010 - 4:18am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the most provocative and unusual films this year, or any year, is an amazing production from India entitled “Kites.” American director Brett Ratner (”Rush Hour”) was so taken by this film, that he agreed to edit the original (or remix) for the U.S. presentation. Both versions will be will be in the marketplace for a limited release.
Will Forte, Kristen Wiig Explode a Megaton Bomb in ‘MacGruber’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 21, 2010 - 3:57am Rating: 0.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In a parallel universe, perhaps a version of “MacGruber” exists that actually understands that comedy should be funny…oh what a beautiful world that would be. Here in this astral plane Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe and Val Kilmer, plus the writers, director and craft services obviously conspired to create a movie bomb that no one could diffuse.
Queen Latifah, Common, Paula Patton Are Just Short of ‘Just Wright’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 16, 2010 - 2:18pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Romantic comedies are a roving beast in the Movie Zone, one that can never be captured properly time after time, yet never dies either. Queen Latifah and the rapper Common put an interesting and necessary twist on the genre, but still cannot help but fall back on the recurring rom-com clichés that eventually undermines the new film “Just Wright.”
‘Casino Jack and the United States of Money’ Infuriates While it Entertains
Submitted by BrianTT on May 14, 2010 - 3:05pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There’s a memorable moment in “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” in which one of director Alex Gibney’s interview subjects compares an Enron press conference to the musical sequence in “Chicago,” where a slickly manipulative lawyer has all of the city’s reporters on marionette strings.
Vanessa Redgrave Shines in ‘Letters to Juliet,’ But Romantic Leads Bore
Submitted by BrianTT on May 14, 2010 - 2:46pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I want to live in the alternate universe where Vanessa Redgrave’s Claire is the lead of “Letters to Juliet” and the two vapid dorks who trail her on a journey of lost love can learn a lesson or two but never take the spotlight. Sadly, such is not the case with this Amanda Seyfried and Christopher Egan vehicle, a romantic drama entirely stolen from its young stars by a timeless actress.
Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett Forge an Epic Adventure in ‘Robin Hood’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 13, 2010 - 8:56pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “T’wang!” is the the sound of an archer’s arrow going right into the center of the summer movie kick-off season. Director Ridley Scott, Cate Blanchett, Max Von Sydow, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac and Russell Crowe – in the title role of “Robin Hood” – offer a compelling story, plenty of action and an epic quality to the oft-told legend.
Haunting ‘Lourdes’ Revels in the Poetry of Ambiguity
Submitted by BrianTT on May 13, 2010 - 1:34pm Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Most films about faith seem artistically limited by their spiritual subject matter. Some religiously devout filmmakers are so fixed in their beliefs that they lack the ability to perceive life with the complexity necessary to create resonant art. A perennial classic like Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” may have magnificent scope and spectacle, but it has all the dramatic depth and nuance of a Bible card.
Despite Some Superfluous Story, ‘Iron Man 2’ Delivers Hollywood Oomph
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 7, 2010 - 12:42pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Iron Man 2” with returner Robert Downey Jr. and newcomer Scarlett Johansson does what it can within the confines of what it has to do. The Hollywood machine has trained us to have certain expectations for blockbuster sequels and “Iron Man 2” neither deviates nor blazes new territory.
Catherine Keener Shines in Nicole Holofcener’s Rewarding ‘Please Give’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 7, 2010 - 12:37pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/director Nicole Holofcener (“Lovely and Amazing,” “Friends With Money”) has an amazing ability to write characters that immediately feel genuine. It helps to have an actress as free of artifice as Catherine Keener as your regular lead but we shouldn’t diminish Holofcener’s rare ear for dialogue that actually sounds like it wasn’t created by a screenwriting machine.
‘Echotone’ Will Captivate Starving Artists Everywhere
Submitted by BrianTT on May 7, 2010 - 11:15amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Two towering orbs are routinely seen eclipsing each other throughout “Echotone,” the wonderful new documentary by first-time filmmaker Nathan Christ. It’s an apt visual metaphor for representing the film’s titular term, which is defined as meaning, “the point at which nature and civilization meet.”
‘The Good, The Bad, The Weird’ Favors Spectacle Over Story
Submitted by BrianTT on May 6, 2010 - 11:27amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Any guess what’s going on?” asks Zhang Qi, the befuddled leader of the Tri-Nation gang, as he observes a nearby train erupting into utter chaos. This line earns the first big laugh in Kim Ji-woon’s breathlessly entertaining “The Good, The Bad, The Weird,” precisely because it mirrors the thoughts of audience members during the film’s delirious opening sequence.
