The Debt

CHICAGO – Sam Worthington is instantly recognizable for his break out role in “Avatar,” playing the Marine turned blue citizen of Na’vi. His follow-up was as Perseus in “Clash of the Titans,” and he will repeat that role in the upcoming “Wrath of the Titans.” Opening this week, he is the title character in “Man on a Ledge.”

CHICAGO – It’s little surprise that Jessica Chastain has received so much attention during this year’s awards season. Thanks to a series of release date delays, six of her films were released in 2011, each featuring an entirely different role for the strikingly versatile actress. From her slapstick pratfalls in “The Help” to her ethereal grace in “The Tree of Life,” Chastain displayed a remarkable range that has made it impossible for moviegoers to tear their eyes away from her.

CHICAGO – Somebody better get Doc Brown on the phone because I think we have gone back to 1994. For the first time in 17 years, “The Lion King” is the title that won the weekend box office. The new release, which, of course, must be in 3D, raked in enough dough to beat out last week’s winner “Contagion” as well as the new releases “Drive,” “Straw Dogs” and “I Don’t Know How She Does It”.

CHICAGO – Steven Soderbergh’s new Sci-Fi/Thriller “Contagion” hit the box office with a bang this past weekend, knocking out the three-week champ “The Help,” which finished a distant second place in box office totals.

For the third week in a row, a first for the year 2011, the same film has finished number one at the box office. The drama “The Help” finished in the top spot for the third week in a row in its fourth weekend in theaters. This is quite the accomplishment considering the film finished in second place in its opening weekend, the weekend the film produced the highest numbers.  

CHICAGO – Re-imagining, almost re-engaging the evil of the Holocaust has been thoroughly examined in film for years. “The Debt” looks at another angle, that of revenge and how much that revenge can wreak havoc on the truth.

CHICAGO – We’re back with the highlights of the rest of the 46th Annual Chicago International Film Festival, which features a centerpiece tonight in Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours” and continues through to a Closing Night presentation of John Madden’s “The Debt” on October 21st, 2010.