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
Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace in Annoying, Awful ‘Lockout’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 13, 2012 - 1:01pm Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The annoying and boring “Lockout” is a pile of aggressive junk masquerading as a good time. Some critics and viewers will pretend that this is a “fun B-movie” just because it has a few over-the-top sequences (that look completely cartoonish), an absolutely ridiculous premise, and a scenery-chewing performance from the great Guy Pearce.
Whit Stillman’s Wittily Precious ‘Damsels in Distress’ Grows Tedious
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 13, 2012 - 9:08am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The sly satires of Whit Stillman have cultivated a fan base that appears to consist largely of his fellow peers. Manhattan-based filmmakers such as Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach and Lena Dunham have cited his subdued comedies as an influence on their own similarly mannerist yet considerably more accessible work. For many moviegoers, Stillman’s brilliantly constructed, emotionally distant pictures are easy to admire but difficult to like.
Harmless ‘The Three Stooges’ Can’t Deliver the Goods
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 13, 2012 - 7:44am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Moe, Larry and Curly are three of the most popular names in the show business universe, and bringing them back to life in the new film “The Three Stooges” was a questionable risk. The re-imaging, with Chris Diamantopoulous, Sean Hayes and Will Sasso filling the trio’s roles, is a loving tribute that unfortunately veers in too many “Un-Stooge” like directions.
Pretentious ‘Blue Like Jazz’ Can’t Find the Right Groove
Submitted by BrianTT on April 12, 2012 - 3:46pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Donald Miller’s “Blue Like Jazz” is a beloved book that spent 43 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold over 1.5 million copies. I haven’t read it. But I have to believe that it worked on its fans in a way that Steve Taylor’s film simply cannot. This is clearly a personal story, one that touched people by relating to issues they’ve grappled with in their own lives. By taking Taylor’s memories and turning them into cinema, the ability to touch has been removed another degree of separation and the resulting film is a misstep, the kind of work that thinks it’s saying something important but feels more pretentious than precious.
Great Performances Nearly Save ‘The Lady’ From Remarkable Convention
Submitted by BrianTT on April 12, 2012 - 3:42pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I love every decision made by the great Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis in Luc Besson’s historical biopic “The Lady” and yet I cannot recommend the film. It is a wild understatement to call the film conventional and those who did not know that it was from the director of such personality-heavy films as “La Femme Nikita” and “The Fifth Element” would never guess that the man behind it was anything more than a director for hire. To be fair, Besson does draw the best out of his two leads but “The Lady” is a film about an extraordinary woman. So why is it such an ordinary film?
Take a Trip to Drew Goddard’s Brilliant ‘The Cabin in the Woods’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 12, 2012 - 9:06am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Drew Goddard’s “The Cabin in the Woods” is a brilliant dissection of not just the clichés of the horror film genre but how they have played a role in the darkest corners of our society for centuries. It’s also a damn blast, as fun a time as you’ll have in a movie theater this season (and probably next). It’s one of those rare films that’s just pulsing with energy on so many levels — as genre-loving comedy, as straight-up horror, and as something you’ve simply never seen before. “The Cabin in the Woods” is a great film.
Director Mario Van Peebles Orchestrates ‘We the Party’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 6, 2012 - 4:33pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Mario Van Peebles is a second generation filmmaker, following the footsteps of his revolutionary director father, Melvin Van Peebles. In keeping with the family business, Mario has included his children in his latest film, “We the Party,” a high school movie about this particular time in history for youth and their culture, and the impact this era has on them.
Geekdom Celebrated in ‘Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 6, 2012 - 1:53pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Say the words “San Diego Comic-Con” to a certain comic geek subculture and suddenly heart rates are up and anticipation is in the air. The documentary maker Morgan Spurlock (“Supersize Me”) seeks to capture that feeling in “Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope,” with help from Seth Rogen, Kevin Smith, Stan Lee, Thomas Jane, Josh Whedon, Seth Green and Matt Groening.
‘American Reunion’ is Tasteless, Stale Piece of Comedy Pie
Submitted by BrianTT on April 6, 2012 - 9:42am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “American Reunion” is not unlike the event from which it takes its title. Some of it rekindles memories of what worked in the past in a nostalgic, even sweet way. Some of it reminds one what they liked about these people in the first place. Some of it is just sad. Ultimately, it’s too inconsistent a movie to recommend in any way even if Seann William Scott and Eugene Levy pull every weapon from their comedy arsenals to try and save it. It’s a stale piece of pie.
Odd Thriller ‘ATM’ with Alice Eve, Brian Geraghty
Submitted by BrianTT on April 6, 2012 - 9:35am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – They have now officially run out of places in which to terrorize beautiful people on film with the release of the bizarre and unfulfilling “ATM,” a new thriller with three talented actors nonetheless caught in an ineffective film that stretches to meet its running time and then ends with a final act that destroys suspension of disbelief. There are brief glimpses here of the movie that could have worked but there’s a reason it’s only opening in limited release for now and playing On Demand through most of the rest of the country. It’s not a successful transaction.
Delightful Doc ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ Pleases Crowds, Entices Taste Buds
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 6, 2012 - 8:58am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – According to Jiro Ono, the intriguing titular subject of David Gelb’s documentary, sushi is a dish that must be savored. However, it should be eaten the instant that it’s served for maximum satisfaction. Fat will not be tolerated on the fish since lean meat carries the essence of flavor, and it is within the simplicity of each morsel that a true depth of flavor can be achieved.
Emotionally Galvanizing ‘Titanic 3D’ Transcends Unnecessary Conversion
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 5, 2012 - 1:05pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It takes more than expensive effects, super-sized egos and exhaustive marketing campaigns to seduce the world. For all of its visual splendor, James Cameron’s “Avatar” has already evaporated from most moviegoers’ memories. Its derivative romance and preachy messages were stretched so thin that they failed to achieve any resonant impact.
Julia Roberts Reflects on Snow White in ‘Mirror Mirror’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 30, 2012 - 2:32pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Since I know I’m the fairest of them all, I won’t focus on the symbolic impressions of ‘Mirror Mirror.’ This is the Snow White legend based on the original story by the Brothers Grimm, and includes Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer and Nathan Lane in its cast.
