CHICAGO – It began with a boy and his dream (nightmare?). John LaFlamboy, to be exact, as he took an idea he had in college and made it his life’s work. He owns and operates the HellsGate Haunted House in Lockport (Illinois), which was designed, built and put together by Haunted House experts expressly for the spookiest month of the year. For info on how to purchase tickets, click HellsGate.
Michael Ealy
Hilarious, Fun Date Movie ‘Think Like a Man Too’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 20, 2014 - 10:17am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Date night at the movies has a new alternative to the summer sci-fi and animation with “Think Like a Man Too.” The sequel to the popular first film has a burst of creative juice from an energetic cast, and dares to do something different with the bachelor party in Las Vegas theme.
‘About Last Night’ Remake Suffers from Lack of Focus
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 14, 2014 - 10:36am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The 1986 Chicago-based movie, “About Last Night,” has potential for a thematic redo. That opportunity seems squandered in this 2014 version, as the focus is just on casting and crudeness, as practiced by co-stars Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Joy Bryant and Regina Hall.
Strong Ensemble Carries Funny ‘Think Like a Man’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 20, 2012 - 12:56pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tim Story’s ‘Think Like a Man’ can be a frustrating film but the overall likeability of the cast and the inclusion of some of the often-missing elements from relationship movies (like chemistry and believable friendship dynamics) overcome the movie’s flaws. It’s a movie that could have been better but works on its own terms – it’s funny, clever, and even sweet. It’s not going to change the romantic comedy landscape but so many films in this slumping genre fail spectacularly and no one can say that about “Think Like a Man.”
Seriously Silly ‘Underworld: Awakening’ With Kate Beckinsale Will Put You to Sleep
Submitted by BrianTT on January 20, 2012 - 4:49pm Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There is a near-great movie opening this weekend that features a bad-ass, gun-toting chick who defeats any obstacle placed in her way. Despite what the advertising may have you believe, that movie is not “Underworld: Awakening” (Hint: It’s “Haywire”).
Cluttered, Melodramatic ‘For Colored Girls’ Never Comes Together
Submitted by BrianTT on November 5, 2010 - 9:20am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” was a landmark event in 1974, giving voice to a segment of society rarely seen on the stage. It took 34 years for a filmmaker to tackle this remarkable work in film form and Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls” retains some of the inherent power of it source and features some strong performances in the process but never finds the narrative cohesion needed to translate it to modern movie audiences.
Something’s Gotta Give With T.I., Matt Dillon in ‘Takers’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 27, 2010 - 7:38amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The ensemble cast is decent, the story fits the action/adventure essence of the heist film and one of the hottest music stars of the moment, Tip “T.I.” Harris, has a prominent role. Then why is the new film “Takers” such a seen-it-all-before exercise in action blandness? It feels like a total waste of all those resources.
