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.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Gospel According to Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah in ‘Joyful Noise’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 16, 2012 - 12:37pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The old fashioned musical has gotten a boost from the recent popularity of “Glee” and other singing shows. It was inevitably that the marriage of the gospel choir and the movie musical would take place, and writer/director Todd Graff (”Camp”) is the matchmaker in “Joyful Noise.”
Robert Downey Jr. Personifies ‘Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 16, 2011 - 5:23pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The production team of “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” – designers, crew, writers, director and actors – should be proud of the level of respect they have given and embodied in delivering an updated Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Professor Moriarty and the like. They take liberties, of course, but they also make sure that the truth of the characters are always intact.
Fate Doesn’t Fail Them Now in ‘Happy Feet Two’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 18, 2011 - 11:07amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Dancing animated penguins, a tradition dating back to Disney’s “Mary Poppins” and brought to further life in the first “Happy Feet” movie, finds more stepping pep in “Happy Feet Two.” Robin Williams and Elijah Wood return to lend their vocal talents in this enjoyable sequel.
Leonardo DiCaprio Embodies the G-Man in ‘J. Edgar’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 9, 2011 - 11:04amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Much of history is determined by the petty quirks and strange psychosis of “great leaders.” J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director for 48 years, worked hard to hide his very nature by squelching the nature of others – enemies, friends and perceived enemies. Leonardo DiCaprio is Hoover in “J. Edgar.”
Feel Goodness of ‘Dolphin Tale’ Overcomes Clichés
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 24, 2011 - 7:40amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In the tradition of live-action Disney films of another era, “Dolphin Tale” wears its heart on its sleeve, while at the same time using the characters as two-dimensional window dressing around a based-on-truth story of humans and an animal bonding together to inspire a nation.
Ryan Reynolds in ‘Green Lantern’ is Spectacle Over Story
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 17, 2011 - 7:58pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The tipping point is close approaching in the super hero movie aura, especially as the B-list get their moment in the projection machine. “Green Lantern,” featuring Ryan Reynolds, stays true to its comic book roots, but lacks any cohesive passion within the main story.
Kate Hudson in ‘Something Borrowed’ is Something Bad
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 6, 2011 - 5:15amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Wedding movies, the wedding industrial complex, weddings as women’s literature, where does it end? (divorce) It’s that time of year, and the wedding film makes its ritualistic appearance, here represented by the morally bankrupt “Something Borrowed.”
Russell Brand Tries Too Hard in Lame ‘Arthur’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 8, 2011 - 7:49amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There are many problems inherent in film remakes, starting with comparisons to the original source. The first “Arthur,” while not a classic, did have a warm, funny story and Dudley Moore’s title performance. The current remake has none of that.
‘Sucker Punch’ Has Dazzling Imagery, Comic Book Wham-Bam
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 25, 2011 - 5:36amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s a pleasure to see the comic book film done right, especially with the visionary guidance of director Zach Snyder (”300”). “Sucker Punch” is an amazing treat, a feast of eye candy and incredible adventure.
Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake Sink in Horrible ‘Yogi Bear’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 17, 2010 - 12:27pmRating: 0.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Yogi Bear,” the latest degradation in the cynical family film 3D marketing universe, has done the improbable. It has taken notable and nostalgic cartoon characters (Yogi and Boo Boo) and turned them into animatronic shills for a post modern bore of a story that wouldn’t work if Fellini were directing it. Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake sell out (I mean lend) their voice talents.