CHICAGO – If you’ve never seen the farcical ensemble theater chestnut “Noises Off,” you will see no better version than on the Steppenwolf Theatre stage, now at their northside Chicago venue through November 3rd. For tickets and details for this riotous theater experience, click NOISES OFF.
Matthias Schoenaerts
Animal Psychology Charges Rugged Thug Tale ‘The Drop’
Submitted by NickHC on September 12, 2014 - 11:10amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – For a film adapted from “Mystic River” and “Gone Baby Gone” author Dennis Lehane, there are no children in danger in “The Drop,” but there is a pit bull puppy named Rocco. The dog’s involvement in the story, an animal who gets as many closeups this side of a Charles Martin Smith film, invites the uncharacteristically blunt metaphor of how creatures fight for power, or even just the impression of power.
Unfocused ‘Rust and Bone’ Wastes Marion Cotillard
Submitted by mattmovieman on December 20, 2012 - 10:04amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s been three years since Jacques Audiard made a sizable splash in American art houses with “A Prophet,” a spellbinding picture that certainly ranks as one of the great crime films of the last decade. By following an Arab youth through his punishing sentence in a French prison, it provided audiences with an unforgettable portrait of corrupted innocence.
Memorable Central Character Drives Depressing ‘Bullhead’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 2, 2012 - 1:45pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The central character in the Oscar-nominated “Bullhead” is a force of nature not unlike Jake La Motta in Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” or the title character in Refn’s “Bronson.” He is less human than hormone as he injects himself with steroids like a bull being fattened to make better steaks. And his story is clearly one that it is going to end tragically. This dark, vicious film gets a bit muddled at times but the strength of its lead performance and a strong visual palette make it a stark but worthwhile trip.