Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Blu-ray Review: Dardenne Brothers Triumph Again in ‘The Kid with a Bike’

The Kid with a Bike Blu-ray

CHICAGO – All this fuss about Ben Affleck not getting nominated by the Academy after directing three decent flicks is even more inane in light of the fact that Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, arguably the greatest directing duo in modern cinema, haven’t garnered any Oscar attention. At all. Their latest naturalistic triumph, “The Kid with a Bike,” snagged a mere Golden Globe nod several months before it even premiered on U.S. screens.

Blu-ray Review: The Dardennes’ ‘La Promesse,’ ‘Rosetta’ Arrive on Criterion

La Promesse and Rosetta Blu-ray

CHICAGO – When a film has gotten viewers so invested in a character’s plight that it prompts them to shout at the screen, it’s clear that they are in the hands of a master filmmaker. Consider the legendary stories from the initial theatrical run of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” when audiences found themselves screaming at Vera Miles to not investigate the fruit cellar, where her imminent doom appeared to be waiting.

Film Review: ‘The Kid with a Bike’ Marks Another Home Run by the Dardenne Brothers

The Kid with a Bike Film Review

CHICAGO – The sullen little boy is always on the run. His red shirt and jacket cause him to resemble a crimson blur against the green and gray landscape of his Belgian town. He believes that there must be an explanation for why his absent father has left him in a state-run youth farm, and is determined to track him down. Consumed with confusion and rage, the boy has no choice but to keep moving toward a destination that may not exist.

DVD Review: ‘Lorna’s Silence’ Casts Quietly Hypnotic Spell

Lorna's Silence Thumbnail

CHICAGO – Silence speaks volumes in the cinema of Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Their characters are often young people living on society’s fringes, who keep their thoughts internalized rather than discuss them out loud. There is no music, no narration, and none of the usual cinematic conventions employed to tell the audience what to think or how to feel.

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  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    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.

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