CHICAGO – The funny meter of Netflix went off the scale last week, as the animated series “Chicago Party Aunt” made its debut on September 17th. What began as a Twitter account by comic actor Chris Witaske (who also provides his voice talent) has morphed into the cartoon adventures of Aunt Diane Dumbowski, her nephew Daniel, and an array of familiar Chicago-isms and characters.
Christoph Waltz
The James Cameron Touch Creates ‘Alita: Battle Angel’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 14, 2019 - 11:15am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The creation of new worlds has always been a mainstay of the cinema, virtually since it was invented. And whether you love or are indifferent to the films of James Cameron (“Titanic”), he remains one of the prime movers in advancing the creative tools of films. His influence is all over “Alita: Battle Angel.”
Matt Damon in ‘Downsizing’ Offers Few Small Pleasures
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 22, 2017 - 10:51am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Downsizing” is an interesting premise that doesn’t ultimately go anywhere interesting. Part of the problem is that writer/director Alexander Payne doesn’t seem to know what kind of a movie he wants it to be… it’s part cerebral Woody Allen futuristic comedy, part sci-fi social satire about Midwestern malaise, and winds up failing at both.
‘Big Eyes’ Too Conventional to Generate Any Interest
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 25, 2014 - 9:22am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What’s up with Tim Burton? His style is hardly present in the straightforward story of artists Margaret and Walter Keane, locked in a battle of creation over “Big Eyes” child paintings. There is nothing revelatory or even interesting in the process of their struggle of who-painted-what, maybe perhaps Burton – a collector of the art – wants to increase their value?
Muppets Still Know How to Entertain in ‘Muppets Most Wanted’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 21, 2014 - 8:34am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There is a comfort, like a favorite drink in a childhood mug, about Jim Henson’s legendary Muppets and their standard of entertainment and humor. It’s brilliant that Walt Disney Studios continues to understand what makes them work, producing their latest, “Muppets Most Wanted.”
Gorgeous Visuals Lift Mediocre Script of ‘Epic’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 23, 2013 - 11:01pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
“Epic” is the best-looking 3D animated film since “How to Train Your Dragon”. From the very first scenes, it has a mesmerizing visual palette as the natural world comes to life in a way reminiscent of “The Lord of the Rings” and “Avatar.” It’s gorgeous. Sadly, the lurching, generic script doesn’t live up to the look of the film but it’s worth seeing just for the memorable visuals.
Jamie Foxx Rides in Quentin Tarantino’s Incredibly Fun ‘Django Unchained’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 21, 2012 - 4:12pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” has some undeniable pleasures, the kind that erupt from the screenwriting abilities of one of the best movie scribes alive. Tarantino’s way with words and plotting are as honed as ever and he directs his super-talented cast to enjoyable performances all around.
Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz Shine in Roman Polanski’s Surprisingly Average ‘Carnage’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 13, 2012 - 11:28amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Roman Polanski may not seem to be the first choice for a film about culture clashes in New York City but he has notable experience with dramas with only a few characters in a few locations (“Knife in the Water,” “Cul-de-sac,” “Death and the Maiden”). He knows how to build character tension through interaction – the games people play with words.
‘The Three Musketeers’ Lets Down Legendary Heroes
Submitted by BrianTT on October 21, 2011 - 6:09pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Seriously?!?! Another “The Three Musketeers”?!?! Just because source material is beloved, why does it need to be remade over and over again? Perhaps Paul W. S. Anderson’s new take on the legendary trio complete with “Resident Evil”-esque action sequences can serve as the final word on this over-done story although if it somehow ends being the only version that future generations end up seeing they will surely wonder why such a boring tale was retold so many times in the first place.
Tensionless ‘Water For Elephants’ Fatally Mismatches Leads, Casts Spot-On Supporters
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 23, 2011 - 12:25amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – While Robert “Twilight” Pattinson has persuasively branched out beyond his typecasting of reanimated and preternatural corpses, his miscast union in the tensionless “Water for Elephants” with pin-up circus spectacle Reese Witherspoon works as well as an elephant trying to spoon a sworn-enemy lion.
‘The Green Hornet’ Overly Limelights a Cavalier But Thrilling Seth Rogen
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 15, 2011 - 6:09pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Green Hornet,” which could have been titled “The Seth Rogen Show,” is an uneven mix between a stroke of comic book genius and a self-righteous attempt at being both comedy and drama. The untidy story is wrapped inside a messy box that’s a portion of what it successfully is and what it should have been.
