CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Sony Pictures Classics
Human Emotions Transcend Wealth in ‘Foxcatcher’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 21, 2014 - 12:37pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In the memorable film “Barton Fink,” the title character is asked to write a wrestling movie for Wallace Beery. If Fink had isolated himself long enough, he might have come up with “Foxcatcher,” demonstrating once again that a true story is much stranger than fiction.
‘Whiplash’ Finds a Big Rhythm, Gives it a Backbeat
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 17, 2014 - 7:14pm Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When is the last time you had a bit of sweat after coming out of a movie? “Whiplash” will do that, and it contains not one action sequence or superhero, unless you consider J.K. Simmons as a sociopathic music guru a hero (he is in a way), and drumming as action (it is).
Celebrating the Ordinary Couple in ‘Love is Strange’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 29, 2014 - 6:50am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It is a time, and the time is now. Leave it to filmmaker Ira Sachs to break a barrier simply by having the right timing. Exploring a longtime gay couple, right at the cusp of their now-legal marriage, opens the door to an odd series of ordinary circumstances in “Love is Strange.”
‘Land Ho!’ a Funny Film Driven by Memorable Characters
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 22, 2014 - 4:07pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The pure, character-driven film is as rare as a comic book movie with a bad opening weekend. “Land Ho!” is one of those celluloid treats, the simple story of “Odd Couple” senior citizens – portrayed unforgettably by Earl Lynn Wilson and Paul Eenhoorn – who take a trip to the country of Iceland, and learn how to, and how not to, get along.
‘Magic in the Moonlight’ is Woody Allen By the Book
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 25, 2014 - 3:49pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – After last year’s powerful “Blue Jasmine,” writer/director Woody Allen’s trajectory seemed destined toward another film masterpiece, but “Magic in the Moonlight” isn’t it. Colin Firth and Emma Stone are an unlikely pairing in this seen-it-before-Woody film trifle.
‘Third Person’ an Intriguing Yet Foreseeable Labyrinth
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 28, 2014 - 8:48amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Don’t you hate it when you figure out where a film is going long before it gets there? That could be a problem with “Third Person,” but writer/director Paul Haggis (“Crash”) also adds enough secrets to chew on and enough multiple pathways to explore. Enter at your own risk.
Artist Ralph Steadman Profiled in ‘For No Good Reason’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 19, 2014 - 10:51amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In the deluge of images that pierce our cerebral cortex on a daily basis, it’s refreshing to go back to the days when images had more influence, sought through publications or word of mouth. Artist Ralph Steadman was a mover and shaker – along with his writing partner Hunter S. Thompson – in the age-old notion that the pen can be mightier than the sword.
Challenging ‘Child’s Pose’ Sparked by Luminita Ghaoeghiu
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 26, 2014 - 8:19pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Parents often feel responsible for their child’s reprehensible actions or despicable behavior. They may feel it reflects poorly on their own character and will go out of their way to fix a situation, make it all better. Certainly not all parents, but definitely the mother we meet in “Child’s Pose,” a Romanian film from last year that is finally getting released here in the United States.
Engrossing ‘Cheap Thrills’ Bets on Men’s Desperation
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 11, 2014 - 4:11pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Cheap Thrills” is a case study in human desperation and depravity. It’s a sick and twisted film, but it goes about it in a most absorbing albeit uncomfortable way. It’s one of those films that forces the viewer to place themselves in the protagonist’s unpredictable position, asking a question like, “what would you do for money?” Once you do it, what else are you willing to do for more and then, “how far is too far?”
‘The Raid 2’ is Must-See for Martial Arts Action Fans
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 4, 2014 - 8:37pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Two years ago, the Indonesian film “The Raid: Redemption” smacked action movie fans upside the head. To briefly sum it up, it was nuts. The straight-forward plot took a backseat to some amazing stunt work, an insane amount of creative choreography and in-your-face violence. There’s no need to worry about the sequel, “The Raid 2,” not living up to the original
