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
Steve Carrell, Tina Fey Go Dutch on the Laughs in ‘Date Night’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 9, 2010 - 6:39amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In this schizophrenic film, Steve Carrell and Tina Fey portray a “normal” couple from New Jersey who somehow become Steve Carrell and Tina Fey once they go on-the-town in New York City during “Date Night.”
‘Clash of the Titans’ Bores More Often Than Thrills
Submitted by BrianTT on April 2, 2010 - 10:40amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The unjustified remake of the ’80s camp-fest “Clash of the Titans” may have been re-purposed for the trend of 3-D but its performances are still tragically 2-D and its plot practically see-through.
‘Mid-August Lunch’ Pleasant, Tenderly Tasty Trifle
Submitted by BrianTT on April 2, 2010 - 9:57amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Not much happens in “Mid-August Lunch.” It’s as uneventful and often benign as the title suggests, though that’s not to say it’s dull. Some films are primarily about plot, while others are about behavior, and this quietly observant international crowd-pleaser certainly fits in the latter category.
Nothing is Real With Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies on ‘City Island’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 2, 2010 - 2:51amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – A blue collar worker father who has a secret Marlon Brando obsession (gasp!), a son with an improbable fetish and a daughter who quits college to…strip, this is a normal day-in-the-life in the new film “City Island.”
‘The Most Dangerous Man in America’ Honors a Patriotic Whistleblower
Submitted by BrianTT on March 31, 2010 - 6:20pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Is the Iraq war merely a continuation of Vietnam? In both cases, were we led to war under false pretenses, with the assurance that we were preserving democracy? Viewers on both sides of the political spectrum will be arguing about these questions long after this documentary, and the current war itself, is over.
John Cusack, Rob Corddry Ride ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 27, 2010 - 12:05pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What man approaching or in middle age wouldn’t love to go back to when they were in their physical, sexual, and alcohol-imbibing prime and not just feel young again but perhaps even correct a few mistakes that led to a disappointing life?
Every Day is Her Day in Director Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Mother’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 26, 2010 - 12:32pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The concept of family is a fascinating subject for notable South Korean director Bong Joon-ho. His monster movie “The Host” celebrated those familial bonds, and now an even closer relationship emerges in “Mother.”
Jude Law, Forest Whitaker Misfire With Awful ‘Repo Men’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 19, 2010 - 3:05pmRating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Reminiscent of vastly superior work by David Cronenberg and Paul Verhoeven but with none of the directorial skill apparent in the films of those two talented men, “Repo Men” with Jude Law and Forest Whitaker is a total disaster possibly unmatched in the careers of its talented stars.
‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ Entertains Rather Than Exhilarates
Submitted by BrianTT on March 19, 2010 - 2:13pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Literary mysteries are harder to adapt for the big screen than one might assume. The trick is to make audiences feel like they’re discovering secrets right alongside the characters. We want to share in their exhilaration, their terror, their epiphanies.
Popular ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ Book Comes to Life on the Big Screen
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 19, 2010 - 8:30amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” and main character Greg Heffley, is familiar to a generation of kid book lovers through the line drawings of creator Jeff Kinney. The film version has child actor Zachary Gordon bringing Greg to life.
Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning Rock Out 1970s Style in ‘The Runaways’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 19, 2010 - 6:33amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Joan Jett rocks and her 1975 roots are on display in a movie bio about her first band, “The Runaways.” Kristen Stewart portrays Jett and Dakota Fanning takes on the band’s troubled lead singer, Cherie Currie.
‘Red Riding Trilogy’ Simultaneously Captivates, Infuriates
Submitted by BrianTT on March 16, 2010 - 11:36amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Much ink has been spilled about how HBO is at the forefront of made-for-TV filmmaking in the world, a fact already demonstrated this year by the brilliant biopic “Temple Grandin” and the stellar WWII mini-series, “The Pacific.”
Lack of Clear Vision, Viewpoint Handcuffs ‘The Art of the Steal’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 12, 2010 - 4:42pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Remember the golden rule? Those who have the gold makes the rules. An illustration of this point is in the new documentary “The Art of the Steal,” a stark reminder of territorial power regarding a valuable art collection.