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
Ben Stiller in ‘The Watch’ Needs a Better Mechanism
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 27, 2012 - 9:42am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Star studded, special effects ladened “comedies” featuring aliens should have been put to rest after last year’s “Paul.” But “The Watch” is here, and it features Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and an odd Richard Ayoade as four suburban neighborhood watch volunteers who end up hunting space men. Yep, right after “Paul.”
Zoe Kazan Illuminates Fascinating Fable of ‘Ruby Sparks’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 24, 2012 - 9:40am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris return to the spotlight this week with their first film since the award-winning “Little Miss Sunshine” and they completely defy the sophomore slump, delivering a smart, fascinating, fun gem in the spectacular “Ruby Sparks.” Buoyed by one of the best screenplays of the year courtesy of one of our most interesting young actresses, “Ruby Sparks” is a clever romantic fantasy that works on nearly every level.
Adam Fendelman: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Realizes Nolan’s Trifecta: One of History’s Greatest Trilogies
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 20, 2012 - 11:08pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO (No-Spoiler Promise!) – In a Hollywood test tube, pour one part Michael Bay and his pure “Transformers” eye candy plus another part Quentin Tarantino with his rich writing and masterful characters. The resulting mutation is Christopher Nolan and his near-perfect Batman conclusion – “The Dark Knight Rises” – to one of the greatest trilogies of all time.
Frieda Pinto Takes a Sad, Tragic Journey in ‘Trishna’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 20, 2012 - 9:43pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Transitions are one of the juiciest themes to have in a film, as a character or circumstance takes a path from one way-of-life to another. Director Michael Winterbottom has created “Trishna,” a story based on a 19th Century British novel, but woven into the present day India. Frieda Pinto (“Slumdog Millionaire”) stars as the title character.
‘Farewell, My Queen’ Paints Seductive Portrait of Encroaching Doom
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 20, 2012 - 8:09am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Is there any actress in the world today with more seductive and transfixing eyes than Léa Seydoux? She often tilts her head in a direction that allows her to peer up from beneath lowered brows. Stanley Kubrick would loved to photograph her. Yet her radiant orbs are capable of conveying more than mere menace. She can appear frighteningly vulnerable and coldly calculating within the same take.
Brian Tallerico: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Gives Fans Epic Conclusion to Beloved Trilogy
Submitted by BrianTT on July 19, 2012 - 1:00pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – With “The Dark Knight Rises”, Christopher Nolan epically follows through on most of the themes he set up in “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” with amazing technical skill and an ambitious sense of scope. No one can deny the effort and intensity of this closing chapter of the most acclaimed superhero saga in the history of film.
Patrick McDonald: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is Glorious Epic of Heroic Proportions
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 18, 2012 - 10:32am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sound the gong for one of the best films of the summer, as “The Dark Knight Rises” delivers an awe-inspiring blockbuster on virtually every level of storytelling and performance. Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and director Christopher Nolan create grand, metaphoric and visionary cinema.
‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’ Sucks Remaining Life From Franchise
Submitted by BrianTT on July 13, 2012 - 9:47am Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The families who get suckered into the truly horrendous “Ice Age: Continental Drift” should be angry. Not only does it fail when compared to the best animation of the year (“Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,” “The Pirates! A Band of Misfits,” “The Secret World of Arrietty,” “Brave”) but it’s less entertaining than most children’s television.
‘Take This Waltz’ with Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen
Submitted by BrianTT on July 12, 2012 - 9:37amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sarah Polley’s “Take This Waltz” both illustrates its director’s uniquely confident vision as a filmmaker and her room to grow as a screenwriter. Despite the best efforts from a very talented cast led by a fearless performance from Michelle Williams, Polley’s film is frustrating in its inability to reflect the real world.
Oliver Stone’s ‘Savages’ Harpoons Drug War Absurdities
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 6, 2012 - 9:40amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Director Oliver Stone sees a controversy, and comments on a controversy, in his own distinctive cinematic style. The new film “Savages” is no exception, taking on the U.S./Mexican marijuana wars, with performances by Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek and John Travolta.
Take Mesmerizing Journey with ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 5, 2012 - 10:29amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Benh Zeitlin’s “Beasts of the Southern Wild” is a stunning debut, one of those films that shows such a unique and refined personality that it instantly places its creator on those indie lists of “directors to watch” that writers like to whip out when news streams run dry.
‘The Amazing Spider-man’ Lacks Personality Despite Best Efforts by Talented Stars
Submitted by BrianTT on July 3, 2012 - 10:03am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – They could have called it “The Meh Spider-man.” While Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Denis Leary, Sally Field, and Martin Sheen do their absolute best to elevate one of the most generic and uninspired superhero screenplays since men first put on spandex in front of the camera, they can’t save this wasted opportunity to reboot a franchise in a way that doesn’t feel generated by a committee of Marvel producers.
Woody Allen’s ‘To Rome with Love’ is Episodic, Choppy
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 29, 2012 - 4:50pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/director Woody Allen continues his film travelogues in “To Rome with Love,” touring The Eternal City with four separate vignettes. An all-star cast – including Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Alec Baldwin, Penélope Cruz and Woody himself – hit and miss with this varying blend of stories.
