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
Emily Blunt is the Girl Who Would Be Queen in ‘The Young Victoria’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 18, 2009 - 8:58am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the functions of royalty seems to be an expected adoration from the peasants. Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend and Paul Bettany offer their interpretation on a monarch’s origins with “The Young Victoria.”
Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman Deliver Predictable Drama With ‘Invictus’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 14, 2009 - 5:15pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Director Clint Eastwood has given up on subtlety, choosing instead to tell old-fashioned, direct stories with as much technical skill and dramatic competency as possible. There’s nothing particularly wrong with the legendary director’s “Invictus,” but it’s also not nearly as memorable or thrilling as it could have or, given the true story that it tells, should have been.
Disney Magic is Hopping to New Orleans in ‘The Princess and the Frog’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 11, 2009 - 9:19am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The feature animation film tradition, invented by and fostered by the Walt Disney Company for close to 70 years, gets another glorious rendition in their latest release, “The Princess and the Frog.”
Oscar-Worthy ‘Up in the Air’ Gels With Shrewd Script, Fresh Faces, Unpredicted Realism
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 5, 2009 - 5:11pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Director Jason Reitman is becoming like a fine wine. He’s maturing with age, tasting newer with each sip and leaving an aftertaste that makes you think you’ll savor what’s next.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman Not Relatable in ‘Brothers’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 4, 2009 - 6:52am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The transition from hot young actor to the domestic picket fence is about ten years and a shadowy crow’s foot. One day you’re a galaxy queen, superhero and Donnie Darko, next you’re playing house in “Brothers.”
Oppressively Bleak ‘The Road’ Buries Great Viggo Mortensen Performance
Submitted by BrianTT on November 25, 2009 - 1:13pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The long-delayed and highly-anticipated adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” has moments of stark beauty and a typically fantastic lead performance from Viggo Mortensen, but the film ultimately misses its mark as a whole piece, coming off numbing in its bleak, repetitive view of the end of the world instead of inspiring emotionally or creatively.
Melodrama, Weak Performances Hold Back ‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’
Submitted by BrianTT on November 20, 2009 - 12:51pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The amazing adoration for “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” is based on one of two things: a crush on one of the cast members or goodwill spawned by a love of Stephenie Meyer’s books.
Sandra Bullock, Strong Script Bring Clarity to ‘The Blind Side’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 20, 2009 - 8:14amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Based on a True Story” films are difficult to pull off, especially those that are the improbable story of a white Memphis family adopting an African American football prodigy. Sandra Bullock is the mother, through it all, in “The Blind Side.”
‘Napoleon Dynamite’ Creator Jared Hess Scores With ‘Gentlemen Broncos’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 13, 2009 - 9:29amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/Director Jared Hess’ universe, where obscure pop culture references and strange survivors abide, gets another workout with the spontaneously funny “Gentlemen Broncos,” which also features Mike White and Jennifer Coolidge.
Gabourey Sidibe Shines in Inspirational True Story of ‘Precious’
Submitted by BrianTT on November 6, 2009 - 3:16pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The final scene of Lee Daniels’ “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” ends with a dedication that the film is for “precious girls everywhere”.
Art World Bares its Soul in Adam Goldberg’s Superlative ‘(Untitled)’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 6, 2009 - 11:52am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the best and most exciting surprises of the 2009 film year is a smaller, claustrophobic film starring Adam Goldberg and set in the art gallery world of New York City. “(Untitled)” is an honest, uncompromising character study.
‘The House of the Devil’ is a Trip Back in Suspense Horror
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 31, 2009 - 12:07pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Halloween is the perfect time to revisit those horror films of youth, lost in the mall theaters or crackling through the VCR in a multiply rented copy. “The House of the Devil” reveres those roots and brings them back to light.
‘Michael Jackson’s This is It’ Would Evocatively, Memorably Move Even Rhythmless Zombies
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on October 28, 2009 - 12:59amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Even a rhythmless zombie will be able to siphon Michael Jackson’s prowess now. And this time, this is it.
If you thought the king of pop wouldn’t deliver on his latest bout of 50 sold-out worldwide concerts, think again.
