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 Apparition’ Terrifies with Shocking Level of Incompetence
Submitted by BrianTT on August 23, 2012 - 10:53pm Rating: 0.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Apparition” is so incompetently made on every single level that it’s almost difficult to put its sheer awfulness into words. I’ll do my best. Which is more than what the producers of this pile of clichéd, derivative junk can say.
Robert Pattinson Takes Interesting Ride Through David Cronenberg’s ‘Cosmopolis’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 23, 2012 - 4:07pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of our best living filmmakers, one of our best working authors, and a teen heartthrob who has largely been known for looks over skill get into a slow-moving limousine in David Cronenberg’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s “Cosmopolis” starring Robert Pattinson in almost exclusively one-on-one scenes with some great supporting actors and actresses.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Peddles Clichés in ‘Premium Rush’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 23, 2012 - 7:45am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – We’re looking for cowboy heroes in America, and a new film contends that the urban bike messenger could represent that long lost persona. This unlikely theory is the basis for “Premium Rush,” and it features Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Aasif Mandvi and Dania Ramirez.
Dax Shepard, Kristin Bell Stall Out in ‘Hit & Run’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 22, 2012 - 8:02pm Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Pardon the clichés for a minute. I can’t help myself. Dax Shepard’s “Hit & Run” doesn’t just lose the drag race. It doesn’t just blow a flat tire or run out of gas. Think of all the Shalit-esque puns you can about a disastrous experience in a car and apply them to this lurching mess of five or six movies that aspires to be Tarantino-esque but completely misses its mark.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Riveting Work Makes ‘Third Star’ a Must-See
Submitted by mattmovieman on August 22, 2012 - 10:58amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Though Benedict Cumberbatch has been delivering fine work in film and television for the past decade, he hadn’t received a great deal of attention until last year, when he played strikingly diverse characters in Oscar bait such as “War Horse” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” while earning legions of fans on BBC’s “Sherlock.” He’s such a deft chameleon that it’s easy for audiences to overlook his formidable body of work.
Stunning Ambition Drives P.T. Anderson’s ‘The Master’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 20, 2012 - 10:50am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master” screened publicly last week in Chicago for only the second time in the world. It was shown in glorious 70mm, the format in which the film was shot, but in which most people will never get the chance to see it. While much of the conversation surrounding the screening seemed to hinge around the technical specifications, the increasing dearth of actual film projectors in the city, or the aspects of the plot related to Scientology, those aren’t the elements of the film that have been rolling around my head for the last four days.
Sylvester Stallone in Formulaic ‘The Expendables 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 18, 2012 - 7:16amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Face it, it is fun to see the major action stars of the 1980s, ‘90s and now – Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger – together again for “The Expendables 2.” Why the hell can’t anyone write a decent story for them?
‘Sparkle’ is Dull for Whitney Houston Swan Song
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 17, 2012 - 7:28am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Given the shocking circumstances of Whitney Houston’s passing, it is a bit disconcerting to see her vibrantly alive again in the new film “Sparkle.” However, if she was still with us, this trifling and dull film would soon be forgotten. Jordan Sparks, Derek Luke and Carmen Ejogo co-star.
Julie Delpy, Chris Rock in Sweet ‘2 Days in New York’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 16, 2012 - 2:51pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Julie Delpy’s “2 Days in New York” is an amenable screwball comedy with some jokes that definitely fall flat and some awkward emotional beats in the final act but a likable tone that allows for easy passage over the screenwriting rough spots. Ms. Delpy is still charming and co-star Chris Rock is more effective here than he typically is in film. It’s just a likable little movie without pretension to be anything more.
Fun, Brilliant ‘ParaNorman’ Delivers For All Audiences
Submitted by BrianTT on August 16, 2012 - 9:57am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “ParaNorman” is not only the best animated film of 2012 by a large margin but it’s better than anything that came out last year as well. The latest stop-motion gem from LAIKA (who made another one of the best animated films of the last several years in “Coraline”) is smart, funny, scary, imaginative, and, most surprisingly of all, moving. Don’t miss it.
‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’ Misses Emotional Connection
Submitted by BrianTT on August 15, 2012 - 11:04amRating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Peter Hedges’ “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” has a warm, gooey center that’s admirable in a family movie way but what’s around it can’t hold together as the lack of focus in the narrative and the rather grating performance from the young man playing its title character causes it to annoy more than entertain.
Predictable ‘The Campaign’ Hinges on Hilarious Newlyweds Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 10, 2012 - 10:36pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Will Ferrell makes five new proclamations loud and clear: he’s a comic dream-team duo with Zach Galifianakis in “The Campaign,” punching a baby and then a dog are seriously funny, real-life politics should take a lesson from this over-the-top smear campaign, you need one supporting Korean weapon and there’s nearly no such thing as a 100% comedy that delivers on 100% of its comedy.
Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg in ‘Celeste and Jesse Forever’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 10, 2012 - 11:44amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Rashida Jones has been a reliable co-star for years in films like “I Love You, Man” and TV shows like “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” but she gets her most notable role to date in a film she co-wrote, the romantic dramedy “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” opening this weekend in Chicago.
