CHICAGO – The late playwright August Wilson left a gift to the world in the form of his “American Century Cycle,” a series of plays each individually set in a decade of the 20th Century, focusing on the black experience. Chicago’s Goodman Theatre presents Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” now through May 19th, 2024 (click here).
HollywoodChicago.com Content
‘Stand Up Guys’ Worst Waste of Talent Since Booth Shot Lincoln
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 1, 2013 - 6:25pm Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Three actors, with three Oscars and an astounding 14 nominations between them, obviously have lost the ability to read a script late in their careers. That or the producers had dirt on them. There is no other reason why Al Pacino, Alan Arkin and Christopher Walken would be the “Stand Up Guys.”
Zombie Flick ‘Warm Bodies’ Resurrects the Undead
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 1, 2013 - 4:57pm Rating: 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.
‘Bullet to the Head’ Could Motivate You to Do Same
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 1, 2013 - 9:50amRating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – These are the times that try a film critic’s soul. Right after the awards season, and the lofty artistic films, comes the dump zone of January and the rejected reel orphans of the “industry.” Sylvester Stallone, once an Oscar winner, now “entertains” us with harsh violence in the ‘Bullet to the Head.’
Inventive, Complex World of ‘The Institute’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 28, 2013 - 4:35pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “To those dark horses with the spirit to look up and see, a recondite family awaits.” While the Sundance Film Festival goes on all through Park City, a select group of truly independent films is unspooling up on Main Street under the banner of Slamdance. One of the more interesting Slamdance selections this year was the great “The Institute,” a quasi-documentary about an “Alternate Reality Game” that took place in San Francisco from 2008 to 2011.
Jason Statham Steers Convoluted Tale as ‘Parker’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 25, 2013 - 6:15pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Jason Statham “character” has served the actor well through a substantial action movie career. But as situations to fit his stoic British kick-ass persona start to drift away, Statham is left with messy narratives like in his new film “Parker,” co-starring Jennifer Lopez.
Great Cast Receives Winning Showcase in Dustin Hoffman’s ‘Quartet’
Submitted by mattmovieman on January 25, 2013 - 6:31amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There are few things more fragile than an actor’s ego. It must be treated with the utmost care in order to prevent a split-second meltdown. The enormous pressure of audience expectations coupled with the piercing eye of an ever-present media is enough to send sensitive folk to a sanitarium. Thick skin is a necessity in show business, but what happens when that skin begins to age?
Crime Thriller ‘Broken City’ Fictionalizes its Crime Without Most of its Thrill
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 20, 2013 - 9:58pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Rife with corruption and injustice, the setting for “Broken City” could have been picked from a litter of U.S. metropolitans. Said star Mark Wahlberg in a recent red-carpet interview with HollywoodChicago.com, it’s not Chicago.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is Back in ‘The Last Stand’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 18, 2013 - 4:13pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – With enough hair plugs, bronzer and hormone injections to float a rejuvenation clinic, Arnold Schwarzenegger is back from his political meanderings and is an action star once again in the shoot-’em-up “The Last Stand.” Johnny Knoxville lends some comic relief.
Common Delivers Best Work to Date in Problematic ‘LUV’
Submitted by mattmovieman on January 18, 2013 - 11:04amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Assigned the role of World’s Worst Father Figure, Common delivers a performance so compelling that it nearly makes Sheldon Candis’ blood-soaked odyssey worth the trip. Nearly, however, is the key word. For all of it merits, this picture derails into a ditch of heavy-handed implausibility at the precise moment when it should be soaring.
‘Mama’ is Everything Classic Horror Should Be
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 18, 2013 - 10:03amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Occasionally, along comes a filmmaker who completely understands what makes a horror film work. “Mama,” the debut of co-writer and director Andy Muschietti, contains creepy children, psychological ramifications, clueless victims and deep mystery. This is both scary and a thriller.
