CHICAGO – Theatrical satires of the Star Wars Universe are like the number of TV series the universe has wrought … too many to figure out if anything is worthwhile. But “Trade Federation” (subtitled “Or Let’s Explore Globalization Through the Star Wars Prequels”), presented by Otherworld Theatre in Wrigleyville Chicago, gets it right on.
Summit Entertainment
‘John Wick 3 Parabellum’ is More Bang For Your Buck
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 17, 2019 - 9:54am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I must admit that upon initial viewing, I didn’t care much for the original “John Wick” film. Coming as it did in the post “Taken” wave of old guy revenge thrillers, I found it to be stylish but supremely silly nonsense, since it was the death of puppy as the spark that lit the fuse. However as time has gone by, John Wick has grown on me.
Sub Movie ‘Hunter Killer’ is Absurd and Entertaining
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 29, 2018 - 7:36am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The United States military as superheroes has never gotten a better workout than in “Hunter Killer,” the title that sounds like a Halloween-themed movie, but it’s a style of submarine that seeks to adjust our geo-political balance. Gerard Butler is the commander hoping to prevent World War 3.
The Tumbling Delicacy of Life in ‘Blindspotting’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 20, 2018 - 11:17amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – How can we understand the day-to-day factors of men and women who continued to be judged by their skin color, economic circumstances, difficult jobs or gender fluidity, if we are not any of those categories? Our art can help us, as given a great example in the new film “Blindspotting.”
‘Early Man’ is Unabashedly Freaking Hilarious
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 19, 2018 - 2:08pm Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Humor flows from one individual, and reaches another. Whether the receiver laughs or not is subjective, based on experiences and worldview. It can be agreed, however, that animator Nick Park (“Wallace & Gromit”) is hilarious, and he’ll make the world laugh in “Early Man.”
Un-Buddy-Like Violence in ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 17, 2017 - 5:55pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One day I would like to meet a professional assassin. Are they as quippy and biblical as Samuel L. Jackson? This tired movie occupation is trotted out again, this time pairing Jackson with Ryan Reynolds, in an overwrought and ultra-violent buddy comedy, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard.”
‘John Wick: Chapter 2’ Adds Artistry to Mass Murder
Submitted by JonHC on February 16, 2017 - 8:56am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It takes a special kind of film that enthralls the audience so much that they stop caring about the body count and are more concerned with the main character running out of bullets. “John Wick: Chapter 2” offers the same cathartic effect as watching a Nazi get punched but in an infinitely more picturesque package.
Great Visuals Save the Shallow ‘Deepwater Horizon’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 3, 2016 - 10:23am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There are a few things in our lives that, if we’re lucky, we will never have to experience. Things like childbirth, limb loss, or a near death experience. The closest most of can get is by watching a well-made film. If “Deepwater Horizon” succeeds at anything, it’s creating the engrossing experience of being there on that fateful day.
Unexpected Lessons for the Student of ‘Indignation’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 10, 2016 - 9:20am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – America was a very different place in 1951, and there are very few people around to tell us about it. That is why reminders of the more confining social order that existed back then is necessary, and is expressed in the film “Indignation.” This is an adaptation of a recent Philip Roth novel, and he was able to articulate the era.
Waste of Talent, Sequel Energy in ‘Now You See Me 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 12, 2016 - 7:34am Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Separately, you love all these movie star icons and funny people – Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Caine, Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Lizzy Caplan and Dave Franco. Together, they add up to a terrible sequel, “Now You See Me 2.”
‘The Last Witch Hunter’ at Least is Hilariously Awful
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 23, 2015 - 10:31amRating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – You will see many many better movies this year, but you’re unlikely to see one quite this batshit crazy. I’ll give Vin Diesel this much credit, at least he’s created a memorably awful blockbuster instead of one that simply fades off into the moonlight.
