CHICAGO – In anticipation of the scariest week of the year, HollywoodChicago.com launches its 2024 Movie Gifts series, which will suggest DVDs and collections for holiday giving.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
Christina Aguilera, Cher Star in Horrible ‘Burlesque’
Submitted by BrianTT on November 24, 2010 - 9:31am Rating: 0.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I worry that some impressionable youth will see Steve Antin’s horrendous “Burlesque” and be turned off musicals forever. This is not a musical. This is a music video; an ego piece for two fading stars that is one of the most creatively bankrupt pieces of cinema in years. Actually, most music videos are better.
Sally Hawkins Gives Another Strong Performance in ‘Made in Dagenham’
Submitted by BrianTT on November 24, 2010 - 9:22am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Nigel Cole’s “Made in Dagenham” works because of the strong, believable performances of its ensemble, even if it doesn’t quite resonate with the same strength as other tales of ordinary people who became revolutionary role models.
Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton Are Redemptive in ‘Faster’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 24, 2010 - 9:14am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Action Film is getting a bit creaky, relying more on computer generated eye candy than character or plot. It is refreshing to experience a film like “Faster,” featuring Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton, because it is an action film that means something, and puts its inhabitants on a path to their own salvation.
Disney Has Another Brush With Greatness in Delightful ‘Tangled’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 24, 2010 - 7:00am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Movieland is awash in feature length “cartoons,” with virtually every season cranking out more new entries in this new golden age of animation. The Disney Studios, the grandaddy of the genre, aims to keep the bar high with its latest, the amazing looking and hilarious 3D version of the Rapunzel story, with a post modern title of “Tangled.”
‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1’ is the Darkest, Loneliest Potter Film Yet
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on November 22, 2010 - 3:02amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – While “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” is the most murky and forlorn Potter film yet, its most grave battle is the internal question between the corporate and creative types. Did the splitting of a single finale film into two parts truly improve on its ability to impart this grand tale or was it purely for financial reaping? From what we see in part one of the seventh film in this franchise, it turns out the answer is a lot of both.
Isabelle Huppert Gives Daring Performance in Excellent ‘White Material’
Submitted by BrianTT on November 19, 2010 - 2:58pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Can dedication overcome all odds? Film has taught us for years that it is the truly justified, righteous, and committed that will prevail. Of course, life is not that simple. And the films of the masterful French director Claire Denis often brilliantly portray the true complexity of life. Her newest film, “White Material,” completes an amazing 2010 one-two punch with the excellent “35 Shots of Rum” released earlier this year. She’s one of our best international filmmakers.
Excellent ‘Monsters’ Finds Humanity in Creature Feature
Submitted by BrianTT on November 19, 2010 - 12:19pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Monsters” is a unique take on the giant creature genre that focuses more on the people below than the aliens above. Gareth Edwards’ highly-buzzed film could easily be read as a parable for life in an increasingly-dangerous, post-9/11 world and that ambitious subtext alone makes it one of the more intellectually captivating genre films of the year but it’s also shockingly-touching.
Russell Crowe Goes Hitchcockian in Taut ‘The Next Three Days’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 19, 2010 - 10:04amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The suspense thriller is a delicate art that depends on situational realism and unlikely circumstances cohabiting in a heart-pounding plot. The Master of the genre was Alfred Hitchcock, who often put ordinary people in these nail biting scenarios. Director Paul Haggis (”Crash”) uses this theme and does the Master proud in “The Next Three Days.”
Denzel Washington, Chris Pine Star in Slick, Entertaining ‘Unstoppable’
Submitted by BrianTT on November 12, 2010 - 8:46amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Unstoppable” plays perfectly to Tony Scott’s flashy strengths as a director. There’s no deep meaning or character-driven dialogue for him to clutter up with his style over substance aesthetic. And so the film truly works as a great slice of escapist entertainment as long as you know what to expect.
James Franco, Danny Boyle Elevate Harrowing Saga of ‘127 Hours’
Submitted by BrianTT on November 12, 2010 - 8:35amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What separates us during extreme danger? Why do some people collapse under the weight of likely death while others push forward and make it out alive? What fuels the will to survive to the point that it can do the unimaginable? Aron Ralston has surely thought about his personal answers to these questions and Danny Boyle’s riveting film about his defining incident, “127 Hours,” now brings them to millions of captivated fans in theaters around the world.
‘Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer’ Recounts Political Saga
Submitted by BrianTT on November 12, 2010 - 8:26amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO –“He was going to be our first Jewish President.” This uncredited sound bite from the opening of “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Elliot Spitzer” may sound like an exaggeration but the great Alex Gibney makes the case that it is not hyperbole and that the public pedestal-knocking that happened to the former Governor was more important than you probably think. Arguably the best year in the history of the documentary continues with another strong film from one of our best non-fiction filmmakers.
‘Four Lions’ Dares to Humanize Terrorists Through Satire
Submitted by mattmovieman on November 12, 2010 - 7:56amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If the objective of war is to drain the enemy of all humanity, then “Four Lions” is one of the best anti-war movies in recent years. Many people prefer thinking of terrorists in the same abstract terms that the terrorists themselves think of their victims. If war is all about demonizing “the other side,” how can we ever hope to come to a mutual understanding?
Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams Charm in ‘Morning Glory’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 10, 2010 - 9:11amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Holiday Season for films is populated by epic crowd pleasers and artsy Oscar bait. In between are the warm popcorn movies that don’t attempt to be anything except what they are. Harrison Ford, Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton and Patrick Wilson illustrate that cinematic point in the appealing and accessible “Morning Glory.”
