CHICAGO – If you’ve never seen the farcical ensemble theater chestnut “Noises Off,” you will see no better version than on the Steppenwolf Theatre stage, now at their northside Chicago venue through November 3rd. For tickets and details for this riotous theater experience, click NOISES OFF.
Michael Sheen
Ben Stiller in Character For Thoughtful ‘Brad’s Status’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 26, 2017 - 12:37pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Everyone comes to the point when they question their choices, their life and their truth. This concept is filtered through Ben Stiller in Brad’s Status, portraying a Dad taking his son for college visits, analyzing his life through the boy, his friends, plus his own angst and fears.
You’ll Be Counting the Minutes Until You Too Can Be ‘Home Again’
Submitted by JonHC on September 10, 2017 - 12:17pmRating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Seeing so many films on a daily basis, you would think that I would grow tired of them. I don’t. Instead, I begin to notice the same formulas in films, like the one in “Home Again”. Unfortunately for “Home Again” you’ll spend most of the film wondering just how much longer before you can be the same.
Story Can’t Match Eye-Popping Visuals of ‘Passengers’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 24, 2016 - 10:31amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The use of science fiction for all kind of stories is one of the hottest go-to genres for Hollywood today. “Passengers” is a love story, and adds the visual glory of modern special effects…but the soapy tale of a star-crossed (literally) couple is problematic and cliché ridden, and breaks at the end with heroics that are shoehorned into the rest of the scenario.
Meet the Press in Illuminating ‘Kill the Messenger’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 14, 2014 - 12:19pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When journalists were heroes and exposed those in power for their sins, movies were made like “All the President’s Men.” Gary Webb of the San Jose Mercury News was one of those journalist heroes during the 1990s, but he wasn’t celebrated in his time. The indictments, induced paranoia and outright lies against him are distinctly chronicled in the luminary “Kill the Messenger.”
Tina Fey Difficult to Get Into in ‘Admission’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 22, 2013 - 2:14amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tina Fey, love her. Paul Rudd, like his work, he’s a Judd Apatow guy. Wallace Shawn in “The Princess Bride,” exquisite. Lily Tomlin is a comedy legend. All these great and interesting performers participated in “Admission,” for which they all get an “F.”
‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2’ Takes Final Bloodless Bite
Submitted by BrianTT on November 15, 2012 - 4:04pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Even the most hardcore, defiant fans of “The Twilight Saga” must admit that there clearly was not enough material in Stephenie Meyer’s final book to justify two films as “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2” plays more like a bloated final hour of a better movie than an actually satisfying experience on its own terms.
Emotional Journey For Maria Bello, Michael Sheen in ‘Beautiful Boy’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 10, 2011 - 5:23amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The family unit, now in a constant battle with technology, changing morality and a fracturing social structure, comes under psychological siege in the mortally sad but ultimately compelling “Beautiful Boy,” featuring Maria Bello and Michael Sheen.
Woody Allen’s Charming ‘Midnight in Paris’ Delights
Submitted by BrianTT on May 27, 2011 - 10:01amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/director Woody Allen and the amazing cinematographer Darius Khondji (“Seven,” “The City of Lost Children”) very purposefully open their new film “Midnight in Paris” with a long series of static shots of the title city before even presenting a cast list. You see, Paris is a cast member in this film. The sun rises, people hustle and bustle through Paris, they sip coffee in cafes, the lights go on at dusk, and the city sleeps.
Lopsided ‘TRON: Legacy’ is Heavy on Visuals, Light on Humanity
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 17, 2010 - 7:27pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Every great film is a delicate balance of a number of critical elements. Good films lack in one department while mediocre films have serious gaps that stick out like a red dress at a funeral. The overall mediocre “TRON: Legacy” is exceedingly fixated on its impressive visual effects while neglecting to focus on creating an evocative and humanized story.
Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Ensemble Save ‘Frost/Nixon’ From Soulless Direction
Submitted by BrianTT on December 12, 2008 - 10:23amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Peter Morgan’s play “Frost/Nixon” was a searing portrait of two men trying their best to change their image and their future. It was a head-to-head battle between a celebrity interviewer whose reputation was on a steady decline and the man credited with bringing shame to the White House.