CHICAGO – Like many of you, I have been perusing the digital platforms, looking for the appropriate binge shows that will provide a temporary bit of sanity. Amazon Prime, for example, offers the entire series of “30 Rock” (2006-13), the seminal NBC-TV series created by and featuring Tina Fey.
Emma Thompson
Boot This Reboot of ‘Men In Black International’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 13, 2019 - 10:48pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Men in Black International” is less a reboot than a frantic attempt at CPR for the once viable franchise … which never should have made it to a fourth installment. That’s not to say this is totally unwatchable. But it’s a kind of okay not-that-great-not-that-awful iteration which neither reminds us why we liked the series in the first place nor has much of a reason to exist.
Flawless ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is a New Classic
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 16, 2017 - 3:37pm Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Do not doubt the power of live action to create a new atmosphere of joy and…dare I say it…beauty. The re-imagining of the animated classic “Beauty and the Beast” is everything that the previous was and much more. It packs a true and emotional wallop that follows through to the end.
‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ Offers Labored Attempt at Humor
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 16, 2016 - 11:08amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Bridget Jones’s Baby” is the kind of geriatric sequel that makes you retroactively question whether the original film that inspired it was all that good to begin with – it’s less a film than a labored collection of contrived situations involving pregnancy and pratfalls. It’s not painfully unwatchable, but it’s unlikely to inspire anything remotely resembling amusement in its audiences.
Celebration of Creation in Warm ‘Saving Mr. Banks’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 13, 2013 - 11:25am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The world of creation, and the imagination behind it, gets an honorable and elegantly performed treatment in the fascinating “Saving Mr. Banks.” What seems like a “making of” film about the legendary “Mary Poppins,” becomes much more rich in symbolism and consideration.
Uneven ‘Beautiful Creatures’ Still Casts Spells
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 15, 2013 - 9:22am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The young adult horror/romance genre is running out of themes, could somebody please come up with a hunky Frankenstein monster? “Beautiful Creatures” uses witches as it’s premise, and features newcomers Alice Englert and Aiden Ehrenreich as the spell-crossed lovers.
Gorgeous ‘Brave’ Connects While Not Matching Pixar Standard
Submitted by BrianTT on June 21, 2012 - 11:16am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Pixar’s 13th film has been lauded as a major first for the company – the inaugural adventure aimed squarely at young females. Luckily, there’s nothing here that diminishes that goal in any way. “Brave” features a strong, well-designed, interesting heroine, perfectly voiced by Kelly Macdonald, and it doesn’t pander to its demographic, proving that girls can play with the big boys while also giving them a fable of their own.
‘Men in Black III’ Deserves to Be Neuralyzed From Memory
Submitted by BrianTT on May 25, 2012 - 9:41amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Men in Black III” is such a soulless venture, a film made by committee that doesn’t display the touch of anyone with any remaining actual interest in the characters. In the pipeline for years, the film has been fine-tuned to the point that all of its personality was buffed out in the process.
