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
‘Footloose’ Remake Dances to Its Own Tune
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 13, 2011 - 4:26pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If you’re gonna cut loose, “Footloose,” it is best to do what the production team and cast did in cutting this remake of the 1980s kitschy classic – pay deep homage to the source and modify it with a energetic and contemporary spin on the dance floor.
‘Real Steel’ Overcomes Harebrained Premise With Heart, Quenching Hollywood Wizardry
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on October 8, 2011 - 4:08pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Try selling a friend on paying to see a movie with you about machine-operated boxing where humans control robots for money.
Just call your friend on his Motorola DynaTAC retro brickphone and say: “Hey, Billy! Remember all those swell nights we had as kids when I smoked you every time in Rock’em Sock’em Robots with our two dueling robot boxers mechanically manipulated by us?
Anna Paquin Makes Each Moment Count in ‘Margaret’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 7, 2011 - 3:42pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The passion of adolescence, so driven by the emerging intellect merged with fierce hormonal obligations, is a subject tailor made for the movies. The drama and distinction in “Margaret” is the nearly perfect portrayal of the main character played by Anna Paquin, against the backdrop of New York City.
Disappointing ‘Puncture’ With Chris Evans Doesn’t Stick
Submitted by BrianTT on October 7, 2011 - 12:12pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There’s something about “Puncture” that feels like it should work. It’s easy to see why someone thought this true tale of a troubled man who realizes he has been presented with immense responsibility would make an engaging film, but the fact is that having an interesting true story doesn’t always translate to riveting drama.
‘Tucker & Dale vs. Evil’ Perfectly Blends Comedy With Gore
Submitted by BrianTT on October 7, 2011 - 12:06pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine may be unknown performers to a majority of readers – they’re far from household names – but to the right audience, the people who might be interested in something called “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil,” they RULE.
Ryan Gosling, George Clooney in ‘The Ides of March’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 7, 2011 - 9:35am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – George Clooney’s “The Ides of March” is a star-studded political thriller of the variety that was made much more commonly in the ‘70s and would therefore seem like a perfect vehicle to restart for today’s controversial times. We could use more political thrillers with complex dialogue aimed at adults to offset the fact that a vast majority of motion pictures are aimed at children.
Michael Shannon Mesmerizes in Moody ‘Take Shelter’
Submitted by mattmovieman on October 7, 2011 - 7:22amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It starts with a clap of thunder. Fierce winds cause the once serene landscape to shiver with unease. When the rain comes, it’s the color of motor oil. All it takes is a single glance at the looming gray clouds overhead to realize that the impending storm could be capable of anything. It’s enough to rock a level-headed man to his very foundation.
‘The Road to Freedom’ Doesn’t Feel Authentic
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 5, 2011 - 11:57amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The story of Sean Flynn – son of the legendary Errol Flynn, perpetrator of B-movies in the early 1960s, game warden in Kenya and finally war correspondent during the Vietnam conflict – would rate enough material for a 10-hour mini-series. Only his disappearance is covered in “The Road to Freedom.”
‘The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence)’ is Completely Worthless
Submitted by BrianTT on October 3, 2011 - 10:16am Rating: 0.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Make no mistake about it horror fans – Tom Six hates you. He thinks you’re worthless, easily manipulated, and pretty dumb. He thinks you’re little more than a gore-hungry animal who doesn’t give a damn about character, plot, or anything more than being horrified.
Not Much to Build Upon in Vague ‘Dream House’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 30, 2011 - 3:31pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Mixing three actors with great reputations – Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts – with Jim Sheridan, a six time Oscar nominated director, would assume to yield some fruitful results. But with “Dream House,” the artifice is indistinct and ill-defined, ultimately much ado about nothing.
Story Too Broad to Execute in ‘Machine Gun Preacher’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 30, 2011 - 2:58pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When one movie has an ex-con, drug retribution violence, his religious conversion, his building of a church, his preaching, his trip to Southern Sudan in Africa, his opening of an orphanage and his family, then it’s too big a story to tell. Therein lies the challenge for “Machine Gun Preacher.”
Anna Faris Falls Flat in Awful ‘What’s Your Number?’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 30, 2011 - 10:14am Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Why can’t anyone figure out how to use Anna Faris effectively? She’s got some of the best comic timing of any actress working today but she can’t find a good script in which to display it. Take her latest venture, the misogynistic, creepy, and just BAD “What’s Your Number?,” a pale excuse for a chick flick that should look even more ghostly in light of the similarly-themed and far-superior “Bridesmaids” earlier this year.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen in Moving ‘50/50’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 30, 2011 - 10:07amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Jonathan Levine’s “50/50” is a daring blend of buddy comedy, light romance, family drama, and, oh yeah, cancer movie. The tightrope act of a script by Will Reiser is elevated in remarkable ways by one of the best ensembles of the year, led ably by the great Joseph Gordon-Levitt, doing career-best, Oscar nomination-worthy work.
