CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
Blueberries Meet Luscious Taste Buds in ‘My Blueberry Nights’ With Jude Law, Rachel Weisz
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 18, 2008 - 9:01am
CHICAGO – We see sensual close-up shots of blueberry pie overflow with aqueducts of vanilla ice cream in Wong Kar-Wai’s opening sequence of “My Blueberry Nights”. This dreamy scene sets the tone of the latest film from the famous Chinese director as he confronts the West with his unique cinematic style.
Ellen Page’s ‘Smart People’ Only as Scholarly as Zealous Senior in High School
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 11, 2008 - 2:05am
CHICAGO – I’m flummoxed. I know “Smart People” was supposed to be comedic drama with a splash of romance. Instead, I have been misled. It’s not a comedy. It’s not a tragedy. It’s not even a tragicomedy.
Ignoring Old Show-Business Rules, Rolling Stones Brightly ‘Shine a Light’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 4, 2008 - 3:52am
CHICAGO – In The Beatles versus The Rolling Stones debate (which no one under 40 would have), I’m decidedly in the corner of the Fab Four. I do acknowledge, however, the sheer stamina and staying power of The Rolling Stones.
Despite Stylistic Inconsistency, George Clooney’s ‘Leatherheads’ Feels Good
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 4, 2008 - 1:46amCHICAGO – George Clooney’s latest film, “Leatherheads,” brings light-hearted, screwball antics and slapstick blunders to the screen with a romantic tale that tells how professional football came to be.
Veteran Michael Caine Makes ‘Flawless’ Sparkle, Reveals Great Crime Behind Great Fortune
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 31, 2008 - 11:20pmCHICAGO – As this year of heist films set in London continues (“The Bank Job” was last month), “Flawless” does adhere to the rules of successful application of this genre.
Sundance Winner ‘Teeth’ Bites Right to Point of Men’s Greatest Sexual Fear
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 26, 2008 - 2:35am
CHICAGO – In one of the great light bulb ideas that could only happen in association with making movies, along comes “Teeth” to bite us in the – well, to bite us hard. Writer and director Mitchell Lichtenstein has fashioned a one-of-a-kind horror epic (based, of course, on a Japanese film) that at the same time tangles with significant social and cultural issues.
Academy Award-Nominated ‘Beaufort’ Ponders Question of Why We Fight
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 25, 2008 - 11:35pmCHICAGO – History eludes us. It’s what happens when we’re busy making other plans. In his new film “Beaufort,” director Joseph Cedar turns his lens toward the history and misery of a Mideastern soldier’s outpost eight years ago that was both defended and attacked while highlighting the human element that has to endure when protecting the territory of warfare.
Brazillian Indie ‘The Year My Parents Went on Vacation’ a Tender Window to the World
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 23, 2008 - 11:38pm
CHICAGO – Film is often at its best when it offers a “window to the world” or surprising and personal stories about other countries and cultures dealing with issues that life in the U.S. never imagines. “The Year My Parents Went on Vacation” is a meticulous, fascinating and tender story of Brazil in 1970 when revolution was in the air and the World Cup was the hope of bringing a country back together.
‘Snow Angels’ an Essential Examination of Yin, Yang in Our Vulnerable Lives
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 22, 2008 - 6:50pmCHICAGO – Staying sane is truly an edge-of-the-knife proposition. We are all the sum of our past environments, our present circumstances and our future worries. The sludge that is generated by such a mixture becomes the psyche that’s ready to interact with other psyches we deem important or are forced to be around through family or commerce.
The Wizard of Oz is America in Immigration Film ‘Under the Same Moon’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 20, 2008 - 1:47pmCHICAGO – The immigrant “crisis” in the United States is discussed mostly in political generalities as if those seeking a better life are subhuman. “Under the Same Moon” focuses on the real faces of these people through a 10-year-old Mexican boy who risks everything in a journey to reunite with his mother in Los Angeles.
Israeli Directorial Debut ‘The Band’s Visit’ Built on Series of Bittersweet, Exquisite Moments
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 18, 2008 - 11:05pm
CHICAGO – When we speak of conflicts between people or ideologies, there’s a tendency for broad categorization. Who are the liberals or the conservatives? What type of people make up the Israelis or Palestinians? Who are the people of color and who are white?
‘Wild Ocean 3-D’ in IMAX Offers Breathtaking Cinematography, Profound Message
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 17, 2008 - 11:04pmCHICAGO – “Wild Ocean 3-D” – an unforgettable nature documentary playing now in IMAX at Chicago’s Navy Pier – dives to the depths of the ocean and through the vastness of the sea with breathtaking 3-D cinematography and a profound message for all mankind.
Skater Boy Culture Takes Center Stage in Cult Director Van Sant’s ‘Paranoid Park’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 15, 2008 - 7:41pmCHICAGO – For “Paranoid Park,” cult director Gus Van Sant returns to high school, which is the setting of his previous chilling look into the Columbine incident in 2003’s “Elephant”. Though not as successful as “Elephant,” “Paranoid Park” evokes a dream-like meditation on the trials and extreme tribulations of a skateboarding teenage boy trying to find his way.
