CHICAGO – There is no better time to take in a stage play that is based in U.S. history, depicting the battle between fact and religion. The old theater chestnut – first mounted in 1955 – is “Inherit the Wind,” now at the Goodman Theatre, completing it’s short run through October 20th. For tickets and more information, click INHERIT.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
Torturous, Awful ‘Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 9, 2011 - 1:17pm Rating: 0.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Adam Sandler lost a bet. How else to explain the existence of “Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star,” a movie that no one but the man behind Happy Madison would possibly finance? If you took this script (co-written by Little Nicky himself) to any sane film producer, they would assume you were pulling a prank.
Life in Iran For Women Produces ‘Circumstance’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 9, 2011 - 8:09am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Power is a strange, corrupting force. Human beings manufacture power based on governments, money and religion. Oftentimes an element of humanity must be sacrificed to obtain power. In Iran, that element is women, as religious and governmental oppression conspire to create “Circumstance.”
Unfunny ‘Burke and Hare’ Wastes Top-Notch Cast
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 9, 2011 - 7:22am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There are few sights more depressing than a game cast all dressed up with nowhere to go and no good jokes to share. “Burke and Hare” is the sort of comedy Mel Brooks was making in the ’90s. All the ingredients are on hand for a promising comedy, and yet something’s missing—namely, laughter. The timing is off, the punch-lines are obvious and the actors are bored beyond belief.
Steven Soderbergh’s Riveting ‘Contagion’ With Matt Damon
Submitted by BrianTT on September 8, 2011 - 10:01am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – A few weeks ago saw the release of the R-rated “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” a gore-free creature feature that was given the MPAA stamp of 17-plus due to “pervasive scariness.” This week sees the PG-13-rated “Contagion,” a film SO much more pervasively scary than the movie about goblins in a distant mansion because, well, it’s about the fact that the world is pervasively scary.
Preachy, Absurd ‘Seven Days in Utopia’ Weakens Own Message
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 4, 2011 - 7:40am Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What do Robert Duvall and Melissa Leo have in common? They both have won an Oscar and they both cashed a paycheck for the fake virtuous hack job called “Seven Days in Utopia.” For Duvall especially, maybe the mortgage payment is due on the vacation home.
‘Shark Night 3D’ is Stupid Enough to Be a Cult Film
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 3, 2011 - 5:44pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Shark Night 3D” is at the top of the food chain when it comes to the people-so-stupid-they-lack-basic-survival-skills category of horror thrillers, and has so many wrong elements it nearly swings back to be right.
Over-Produced, Misguided ‘Chasing Madoff’ Buries the Lead
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 2, 2011 - 6:48pmRating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What Errol Morris does so well is very, very difficult. He takes unusual interview subjects (“Fast, Cheap, & Out of Control,” “Mr. Death), sometimes even with a political background (“The Fog of War,” “Standard Operating Procedure”) and makes them completely riveting. Clearly inspired by the Morris filmography, Jeff Prosserman’s “Chasing Madoff” attempts that blend of personality and history but falls flat on its face.
Chilling, Creepy ‘Apollo 18’ Makes Us Wonder What If
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 2, 2011 - 6:11pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Space, the final frontier. The USA made one giant leap for mankind during the Apollo moon landing program forty years ago. Why were the missions abruptly terminated? Why haven’t they gone back? “Apollo 18” theorizes on the answers.
‘A Good Old Fashioned Orgy’ Can’t Get it Up
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 2, 2011 - 8:45am Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Rarely have so many talented comedians been sucked into a more depressing morass of bad comic timing and worse writing than in the dreadful “A Good Old-Fashioned Orgy,” a movie with a bunch of people I like making a comedy I really, really hate. This movie knows nothing about friendship, sex, or, most importantly, comedy.
Strength of ‘Life, Above All’ Found in Khomotso Manyaka
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 2, 2011 - 8:07am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – As long as one person is inflicted with HIV, or full-blown AIDS, the crisis will never be averted, despite less of a profile in America and Europe. Africa is still in the midst of dealing with the epidemic, and Khomotso Manyaka portrays a symbol of that struggle in the enlightening “Life, Above All.”
Vera Farmiga Wrestles Religion in ‘Higher Ground’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 2, 2011 - 7:41am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The subject of religion in America is rarely portrayed honestly in the movies, with its power to both inspire or offend. Vera Farmiga makes her directorial debut and plays the lead character in the religious-themed “Higher Ground.”
Renny Harlin’s ‘5 Days of War’ Succumbs to Action Clichés
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 2, 2011 - 7:20amRating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “5 Days of War” is a stark reminder of the atrocities that can occur when a B-movie director tries to tackle serious material. The Russo-Georgian War of 2008 was largely ignored by the U.S. government and media, so it was only a matter of time until filmmakers attempted to raise belated awareness about the devastation.
Yvan Attal Keeps Attention ‘Rapt’ in Chilling Drama
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 1, 2011 - 7:19amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The kidnapped industrialist is pretty sure that he heard the voice somewhere before. He’s just not sure where. Perhaps it was at a poker game. Perhaps it belonged to one of the faceless men that watched stealthily as he recklessly risked his fortune on the gambling table.
