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.
Paramount Pictures
‘Zoolander 2’ Continues Silly, Surreal Hilarity
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 12, 2016 - 9:42am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Humor is subject to the receiver, of course, and what is funny is as distinct to each individual as a fingerprint. Having said that, I found “Zoolander 2” to be hilarious, as it delivered again what made the first film work – tweaking the self-importance of fashion and celebrity.
Uneven ‘Anomalisa’ is an Animated Reflection Back to Us
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 8, 2016 - 4:50pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There is directness in the reflective philosophy of “Anomalisa,” but there is also a sense of disconnection. From writer/co-director Charlie Kaufman (“Being John Malkovich”) comes another meditation on the life of life, and the twists of fate that inhabit the journey.
Exposé of ‘The Big Short’ is an American Masterwork
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 11, 2015 - 10:30am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – This is a rare film that will fill you with anger, while making you laugh at the absurdity of 21st Century life. “The Big Short” is an inside look at the mortgage meltdown that began in 2007, that cost eight million jobs and an untold amount of foreclosures, and the men who knew it was coming.
‘Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation’ at Top of Its Game
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 31, 2015 - 7:50amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The sensational summer movie season of 2015 still has some pulse pounding tricks up its sleeve, and “Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation” fulfills that sensation with a wham-bam bag of spy games. Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner are back, joined by femme kick-ass Rebecca Ferguson.
Familiarity of ‘Terminator Genisys’ Also its Flaw
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 1, 2015 - 11:30am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The “Terminator” series means so much to so many film fans. What began as a modest sci-fi “what if?” morphed into now four sequels, billions of box office dollars, and the cementing of Arnold Schwarzenegger as an action film titan. It’s all mixed together again in “Terminator Genisys.”
Back to the Funny in ‘Hot Tub Time Machine 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 20, 2015 - 6:19amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The concept is a hot tub, that also acts as a time machine. It practically writes itself! The too-meticulous plot of “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” still delivers a decent amount of laughs, although most of them fall under the crude and rude category. Better a cheap laugh than no laugh.
‘The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water’ Squeezes Out More Fun
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 6, 2015 - 12:46pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water” squeezes another big-screen adventure out of America’s favorite undersea fry cook, and introduces some tantalizing comic possibilities that ramp up the series – including winking meta references – but it’s ambitions remain distinctly small scale.
‘Selma’ a Powerful Reminder that History Does Repeat
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 1, 2015 - 9:55amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – With exquisite timing, the historical docudrama “Selma” will ring in 2015, and adds to the race-oppression-in-America debate that everything old is new again. Set in 1965, it is the courageous story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the ordinary citizens that fought for the right to vote.
‘The Gambler’ is a Sure Bet for the Holiday Weekend
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 25, 2014 - 8:52am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Gritty, funky and quote-worthy, this re-imagining of “The Gambler” – from a 1970s source film – is one of Mark Wahlberg’s best performances. His addicted-to-gaming soul has roots in other frustrations, and the actor is willing to communicate the whole range of emotions.
Schizophrenic ‘Top Five’ is Evolution for Chris Rock
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 12, 2014 - 4:59amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Chris Rock wants you to take him seriously, so he has made a comedy with inconsistent laughs, and a nod towards the weird fishbowl lives that today’s celebrities endure. It’s a rare film where the last part is stronger than the first few acts, a mishmash that is “Top Five.”
