CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.
Jamie Bell
Film Review: Elton John Bio ‘Rocketman’ Doesn’t Deliver
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 31, 2019 - 10:34amCHICAGO – As a wee lad, one of the first records I bought was Elton John’s Greatest Hits. The album was magnificent, each song expressing the very emotion it sought to deliver. With that basis in mind, I approached John’s biopic “Rocketman” with a hope of deliverance. It felt flatter than a pancake under a steam roller.
Film Review: Annette Bening Proves ‘Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 12, 2018 - 12:31pm- Academy Award
- Annette Bening
- Britain
- England
- Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
- Frances Barber
- Gloria Grahame
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- Jamie Bell
- Julie Walters
- Kenneth Cranham
- Movie Review
- Oscar
- Patrick McDonald
- Sony Pictures Classics
- The Bad and the Beautiful
- Vanessa Redgrave
CHICAGO – GEORGE BAILEY: “Hey, you look good. That’s some dress you got on there.” VIOLET: “This old thing? I only wear it when I don’t care how I look.” That is how actress Gloria Grahame (as Violet Bick) was introduced in the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Now she is portrayed by Annette Bening in “Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool”.
Film Review: ‘Snowpiercer’ a Problematic But Wild Ride Dystopia
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 4, 2014 - 1:40pmCHICAGO – Travelers. We are travelers in this life, and metaphorically we’re mostly in coach, but sometimes manage to get some first class treatment. What if all this traveling were confined to one vehicle? Imagine a future world contained in a constantly traveling train, and the premise for “Snowpiercer” realizes a one-of-a-kind dystopia.
Blu-ray Review: ‘Man on a Ledge’ Jumps Into Convoluted Abyss
Submitted by BrianTT on June 13, 2012 - 3:51pmCHICAGO – “Man on a Ledge” wants to be “Dog Day Afternoon” for the ’10s recession (it’s not coincidental that a man screams “Attica!” at one point). A tale of a man screwed by a corrupt system who stages a complex heist and galvanizes the people of New York in the process could have worked so well. There are great actors and great ideas here. And there’s also the most convoluted, ridiculous, and poorly written script that I’ve suffered through in a very long time.
Blu-ray Review: ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ Looks Great, Feels Hollow
Submitted by BrianTT on March 16, 2012 - 9:33amCHICAGO – Being a Steven Spielberg super-fan, I looked forward to being able to re-appreciate “The Adventures of Tintin” with a beautiful HD picture and, I hoped, some special features to enhance my opinion of a film that I found pretty seriously flawed in theaters. Well, the HD transfer is a beauty — the film looks just as good as its 3D theatrical presentation — but the film is still flawed and the special features are lackluster. In theaters, it was a near-miss and my opinion has not changed on Blu-ray.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘Man on a Ledge’ With Sam Worthington
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 20, 2012 - 1:31amCHICAGO – In our latest crime/thriller edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of “Man on a Ledge” starring Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks!
Film Review: Spielberg’s Disappointing ‘The Adventures of Tintin’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 20, 2011 - 5:08pmCHICAGO – Being a huge Steven Spielberg fan and a pretty big aficionado of Peter Jackson (who produced) as well, I was pretty psyched to see what these two undeniable geniuses could do in the world of motion-capture animation with their collaboration on the adaptation of the hit Herge cartoon “The Adventures of Tintin.”
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of Passes, 3 Soundtracks to Spielberg’s ‘The Adventures of Tintin’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 13, 2011 - 1:01amCHICAGO – In our latest blockbuster edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the highly anticipated new film “The Adventures of Tintin”!
Blu-Ray Review: Mia Wasikowska in Stellar Adaptation of ‘Jane Eyre’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 23, 2011 - 2:06pmCHICAGO – “Jane Eyre” is a story that has been adapted multiple times but rarely with the grace, dignity, and level of quality as Cary Joji Fukunaga’s excellent 2011 take on the timeless Charlotte Bronte novel. With impeccable production values that never smother the piece in the musty quality that so often pervades modern period pieces, “Jane Eyre” is an effective, beautiful piece of work. It’s a surprisingly strong drama that deserves a much-wider audience on Blu-ray and DVD.
Blu-Ray Review: Channing Tatum Fails to Take Flight in ‘The Eagle’
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 1, 2011 - 8:37amCHICAGO – It’s safe to say Kevin Macdonald is a filmmaker more skilled in documentaries (“One Day in September,” “Touching The Void”) than he is in scripted narratives (“The Last King of Scotland,” the forgotten “State of Play” remake). His experience in nonfiction work is certainly reflected in the realism of his production design, but it doesn’t translate to his stories, which often take a shallow approach to real-life subjects.