Dominic Sena

CHICAGO – Dominic Sena’s “Season of the Witch” is one of the most bizarrely dull films made in a very long time. It doesn’t work even as escapist trash because the typically over-the-top Nicolas Cage can’t even bring his manic energy to the piece, choosing to sleep-walk through it instead. I was ready for a cheesy piece of period action but stunned at the tedious dialogue, boring action, and nonsensical plot. This thing is a mess and not even a fun one at that.

CHICAGO – In our latest fantasy edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Season of the Witch” with Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman!

CHICAGO – Thrillers set in a frigid landscape are nothing new. Just look at “The Thing,” or “The Shining,” or heck, even “The Empire Strikes Back.” Like outer space, a frozen wasteland is an efficiently isolated location where there’s little hope of escape from whatever malevolent forces lurk there. In the case of “Whiteout,” the malevolent forces are the filmmakers and the helpless victims are us.

CHICAGO – Producing more derisive snickers than gasps and more snores than thrills, Dominic Sena’s “Whiteout” is a massive waste of time, a predictable, dull, and hysterically cliched slice of junk that should be run out of theaters before month’s end.

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Kate Beckinsale as Carrie Stetko.

CHICAGO – This 13-image slideshow contains the official press images for “Whiteout,” starring Kate Beckinsale, Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, and Tom Skerritt. The film was written by Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber and directed by Dominic Sena (“Swordfish”) and opens on September 11th, 2009. It is rated R.