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.
Patrick McDonald
‘Draft Day’ is Daft, Except as an NFL Infomercial
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 11, 2014 - 4:37pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Kevin Costner has defined a career in sports-themed movies. From the Iowa farmer building a baseball diamond in “Field of Dreams,” to “Bull Durham,” to “For the Love of the Game,” he exemplified game day heroics. Yet being an NFL executive in “Draft Day” isn’t quite as exciting.
Thought-Illuminating, Mind-Blowing ‘Under the Skin’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 11, 2014 - 10:07am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Imagine a stranger taking a journey around the landscape of their destiny. That only begins to describe the audacity and power of director Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin.” Scarlett Johansson creates a character of undeniable mystery and truth, a stranger in a strange land.
Courage of Testimony is Remembered in ‘Anita’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 8, 2014 - 10:29am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The saga of Anita Hill, an African American law professor from Oklahoma, electrified the United States in the early 1990s. During the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Ms. Hill testified that Thomas had created a workplace atmosphere of sexual harassment. The story is told in the new documentary, “Anita.”
Brutal Next Chapter Defines ‘Nymphomaniac: Vol. 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 5, 2014 - 8:15amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The exploration of sexuality is a stark breakthrough in the “Nymphomaniac” film series by writer/director Lars von Trier. In the story of a woman interacting with her nature, there are shades of all physically active individuals. “Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1” covered the younger days of the main character of Joe. Vol. 2 takes her to the next, and more brutal phase – challenging her life and her disposition.
‘Cesar Chavez’ is Stiff History of a Heroic Man
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 29, 2014 - 11:02am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – How can one man bring down a ruthless industry? By building a union that never backs down, because he never backed down. ‘Cesar Chavez’ depicts the United Farm Workers union organizer in the 1960s who sought justice against virtual slave conditions for immigrant labor, assuring his place in history.
Nature, Morality Collide in ‘Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 22, 2014 - 10:57amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/director Lars von Trier creates exposure through his film art. He is unafraid to explore the very nature of being human, while at the same time revealing the very foibles of barriers to our nature – social structures, economies, religion and our own conceits in life. Lars von Trier’s latest barrier breaker is “Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1.”
Muppets Still Know How to Entertain in ‘Muppets Most Wanted’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 21, 2014 - 8:34amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There is a comfort, like a favorite drink in a childhood mug, about Jim Henson’s legendary Muppets and their standard of entertainment and humor. It’s brilliant that Walt Disney Studios continues to understand what makes them work, producing their latest, “Muppets Most Wanted.”
‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ is Built by Wes Anderson
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 15, 2014 - 9:34am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The distinct and strangely-alluring style of director Wes Anderson is on opulent display in “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” In what is an eccentric, European style fairy tale, Anderson creates a legend that is forged in his signature, along with the performances of a brilliant cast.
‘300: Rise of an Empire’ Gets Its 3D War On
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 7, 2014 - 11:07amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The rewriting of history in comic book movie form – not that’s anything wrong with that – continues with “300: Rise of an Empire.” Ancient wars are brought to life through a combination of mythology, six-pack abs, 3D blood spurts and comprehensive special effects, which can be better than history.
Wondrous Last Act for Hayao Miyazaki in ‘The Wind Rises’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 1, 2014 - 9:54amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The master animator and film legend Hayao Miyazaki (“Howl’s Moving Castle,” “Spirited Away,” “Princess Mononoke”) announced his retirement after his latest film, “The Wind Rises.” He is often called “Japan’s Walt Disney,” but there is more to him then that, a soul and a mystery that is revealed in the stages of his animated art, and his contribution to artistic culture will continue to influence for generations to come. “The Wind Rises” is nominated for Best Animated Film at the 2014 Academy Awards.
