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.
Toby Jones
Exclusive Portraits: Matt Dillon, M. Night Shyamalan of ‘Wayward Pines’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 14, 2015 - 1:34pmCHICAGO – The 2015 TV season just got a little more intriguing, with the premiere of “Wayward Pines” on the FOX network on Thursday, May 14th. The series features Matt Dillon, and the Executive Producer and Director of the first episode, filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense”).
Film Review: Undeniably Unique Oddity of ‘Berberian Sound Studio’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 13, 2013 - 12:48pmCHICAGO – If David Lynch directed a Giallo it might have come out something like “Berberian Sound Studio,” a truly surreal oddity opening this week at the Siskel Film Center, starring the great Toby Jones as a man driven mad by his work on a ‘70s horror film. Or is it? Like “Eraserhead” or “Inland Empire,” there are times when the film simply defies interpretation.
TV Review: HBO’s ‘The Girl’ Presents Intersection of Madness, Genius
Submitted by BrianTT on October 20, 2012 - 11:21amCHICAGO – Alfred Hitchcock is inarguably one of the most important and influential directors in the history of cinema. There’s no debate or controversy regarding his agreed-upon genius. However, fans of films like “Rear Window,” “Psycho,” “Vertigo,” and “The Birds” may not know that Hitch had a much darker side behind the camera.
Film Review: Cillian Murphy, Robert De Niro in Messy ‘Red Lights’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 2, 2012 - 2:38pmCHICAGO – “Red Lights” is a mess. And yet it’s also not messy enough. Rodrigo Cortes follows up his vastly superior “Buried” with this supernatural tale filled with plot contrivances that would make M. Night Shyamalan call bullshit. Still, he does so with a direct, straightforward style when a bit less polish would have given it the character it’s missing.
Interview: Cillian Murphy, Rodrigo Cortes Run ‘Red Lights’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 25, 2012 - 10:24amCHICAGO – Writer/director Rodrigo Cortes really broke through with the award-winning “Buried,” starring Ryan Reynolds. He returns this week with a very different thriller called “Red Lights,” starring the great Cillian Murphy, who joined Mr. Cortes recently in Chicago for a discussion about “2001,” working with Robert De Niro, and the complexity of audience expectations.
Blu-ray Review: ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ with Gary Oldman
Submitted by BrianTT on April 2, 2012 - 1:14pmCHICAGO – Gary Oldman scored his first Oscar nomination for his incredible, subtle work in Tomas Alfredson’s “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD. The film is ultimately a bit too cold and clinical for this viewer but it features enough amazing parts, including Oldman’s performance and incredible production design, that the lack of a more-impressive sum shouldn’t hold you back.
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.
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.”
Film Review: Stoic Gary Oldman Uncovers ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 16, 2011 - 7:21amCHICAGO – Espionage sure isn’t like it used to be. The new film “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” is set during the Cold War period of the early 1970s, when lines were drawn by their proximity in front of and behind the Iron Curtain. Gary Oldman plays an old British spook in this thriller adapted from the famous John le Carré novel.
Interview: Gary Oldman Finds Career Role in ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 13, 2011 - 11:52amCHICAGO – Gary Oldman is a living legend. He’s just as fascinating in person as one would hope after seeing him dominate his craft in films like “Sid and Nancy,” “JFK,” “The Professional,” “True Romance,” “The Fifth Element,” “Hannibal,” “Harry Potter,” “The Dark Knight,” and much more.