Adam Fendelman
Packed With Picturesque Majesty, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian’ Fights Nobly For ‘PG’ Rating
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 16, 2008 - 1:32pm.
CHICAGO – For the life of me, I couldn’t exorcise it from my head. Amid all the splendor of such a picturesque film, this one question was like a gnat I couldn’t swat: “Is this really rated ‘PG’?” Indeed, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” is rated “PG”. But that didn’t come without great scrutiny and much editing.
‘Speed Racer’ Condemns Franchise Dignity, But Delivers Sensorial Explosion
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 9, 2008 - 1:12am.
CHICAGO – While Hollywood slapped “PG” on the hotly anticipated “Speed Racer” to line its pocketbooks with the widest hodgepodge of people (ahem: kids) everywhere, those same kids will leave the theater with that lollipop nearly sucked to the stick but then yanked away with confusion.
‘Iron Man’ Sits Indisputably in Club of Highest-Rated Superhero Movies of All Time
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 2, 2008 - 11:22am.
CHICAGO – Move over, Superman. This lush, high-octane playboy never tasted so good.
Robert Downey Jr. fittingly opens “Iron Man” with a cocktail in hand and all the arrogance in the world. As the story goes, his conceit is indeed respected as Earth is his oyster both for the playing and for the taking.
Judd Apatow Again Fashions Gimmick Into Gold in Uproarious ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 18, 2008 - 11:00am.
CHICAGO – After being blitzed by an onslaught of attention-demanding advertising that begged the question “who is Sarah Marshall?” even before you realized it’s a film, anticipation was ravenous.
Ellen Page’s ‘Smart People’ Only as Scholarly as Zealous Senior in High School
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 11, 2008 - 2:05am.
CHICAGO – I’m flummoxed. I know “Smart People” was supposed to be comedic drama with a splash of romance. Instead, I have been misled. It’s not a comedy. It’s not a tragedy. It’s not even a tragicomedy.
Academy Award-Nominated ‘City of God’ Spawns Evocative Brazilian Slum Film ‘City of Men’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 29, 2008 - 2:40am.
CHICAGO – The plight of the people in the hard-hitting Brazilian film “City of Men” is akin with its plight to make you aware it even exists. This can be said about many great films that’ll touch you and leave you better than you were before despite not having the luxury of omnipresent advertising.
Stallone Sports Aggrandized Violence, Weak Storyline in ‘Rambo’ Revival
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 25, 2008 - 12:12pm.
CHICAGO – The best quality about the fourth “Rambo” is its “Rambo” authenticity. The worst quality about the fourth “Rambo” is its “Rambo” authenticity.
‘The Mist’ Stars Scribe Stephen King, Marcia Gay Harden in Supporting Role
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on November 21, 2007 - 1:38pm.
CHICAGO – It’s just a twist of fate, of course. I know the CGI wizards at The Weinstein Co. can’t command the weather in the real word, too. But – wow – what providence.
‘Beowulf’ in IMAX 3D Affords Break For Big Actors to Improve Even Themselves
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on November 15, 2007 - 1:14pm.
CHICAGO – It’s all the rave today to exhume an epic from long, long ago and bring it back on the monster screen bigger, better and with more grandeur than ever fathomable before.
Tan-Skinned ‘Sydney White’ Tragically Lacks Charisma of Fair-Skinned ‘Snow White’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 21, 2007 - 12:46pm.
CHICAGO – I recently tagged “Illegal Tender” as the must-miss movie of the year. I stand corrected. That unconquerable 2007 cake now goes to “Sydney White,” which opened on Friday.