CHICAGO – In anticipation of the scariest week of the year, HollywoodChicago.com launches its 2024 Movie Gifts series, which will suggest DVDs and collections for holiday giving.
Summit Entertainment
Keanu Reeves in Ludicrous Premise as ‘John Wick’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 24, 2014 - 3:36pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Keanu Reeves has been in a lot of dogs over the years, but rarely has he left such a high body count while avenging one of them. “John Wick” is a brutal revenge thriller where Reeves is a ex-mob enforcer who goes on a murderous rampage leaving blood on every doorstep to avenge the death of his dog. Despite that chuckle-inducing premise, “John Wick” isn’t the dog I expected, but then again that’s not saying much.
‘Draft Day’ is Daft, Except as an NFL Infomercial
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 11, 2014 - 3:37pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Kevin Costner has defined a career in sports-themed movies. From the Iowa farmer building a baseball diamond in “Field of Dreams,” to “Bull Durham,” to “For the Love of the Game,” he exemplified game day heroics. Yet being an NFL executive in “Draft Day” isn’t quite as exciting.
Two Old Dogs Prove Very Entertaining in ‘Escape Plan’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 18, 2013 - 4:51pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Great action movies have one truth in common – they mix their face-offs with a psychological battle, which complements the pyrotechnics of invincible super humans. “Escape Plan,” with grizzled veterans Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, is true to that form.
Story of ‘Now You See Me’ a Bit Misdirected
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 31, 2013 - 7:03amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Boasting a big star ensemble cast, and themes of magical realism and misdirection, “Now You See Me” is an overdone, too-clever-for-its-own-good fantasy with some entertaining tricks. Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher join veterans Woody Harrelson and Morgan Freeman in the magic mix.
Zombie Flick ‘Warm Bodies’ Resurrects the Undead
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 1, 2013 - 3:57pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – For the one millionth time in movie history, zombies walk among us in “Warm Bodies.” But this isn’t an ordinary entry in the undead genre, this has a load of romance, symbolism and John Malkovich. “It” couple Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer give a whole new meaning to going steady.
The Most Scary Film of 2012, ‘Sinister’ is Both a Voyeur’s Heaven & Hell
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on October 13, 2012 - 3:16pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – We have forgotten what it’s like to be scared by an actually scary movie. “Sinister” – from producer Jason Blum (“Insidious” and all four “Paranormal Activity” films) – is the first film in 2012 to remind us.
Avenging Pursuit Motivates Amanda Seyfried in ‘Gone’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 24, 2012 - 9:42pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The premise of “Gone” is a beguiling notion. What if the victim of a traumatic crime can’t get authorities to believe her? The evidence doesn’t add up, there are no physical signs of struggle and no crime scene is found. Amanda Seyfried plays such a victim, and her very sanity is questioned.
Elizabeth Banks Teeters With the ‘Man on a Ledge’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 27, 2012 - 4:21pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – New York City. Mid-day. A man steps outside the window on the edge of the Roosevelt Hotel. Is he jumping? That’s the question that street level onlookers and moviegoers want answered from Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell and Ed Harris in “Man on a Ledge”
Mexicans in America Keep Striving in ‘A Better Life’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 8, 2011 - 5:35pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the most contentious issues in America now is the handling of “illegal” immigrants from Mexico. They, like anyone else, want a better circumstance for themselves and their families, as director Chris Weitz explores in the new film “A Better Life.”
