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.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
Lopsided ‘TRON: Legacy’ is Heavy on Visuals, Light on Humanity
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 17, 2010 - 7:27pm Rating: 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.
Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake Sink in Horrible ‘Yogi Bear’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 17, 2010 - 12:27pm Rating: 0.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Yogi Bear,” the latest degradation in the cynical family film 3D marketing universe, has done the improbable. It has taken notable and nostalgic cartoon characters (Yogi and Boo Boo) and turned them into animatronic shills for a post modern bore of a story that wouldn’t work if Fellini were directing it. Dan Aykroyd and Justin Timberlake sell out (I mean lend) their voice talents.
Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush Star in Confident ‘The King’s Speech’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 17, 2010 - 10:08am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tom Hooper’s “The King’s Speech” has been barreling through the awards season with a number of significant nominations, including six from the Chicago Film Critics Association just today. I understand why. The film does nothing wrong. It features confident production values and good performances but never reaches the peak of excellence for this critic. “The King’s Speech” is a good film that’s been inflated by some viewers to great even if it doesn’t quite deserve the throne.
Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon in Gloriously Romantic ‘How Do You Know’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 17, 2010 - 9:41am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/Director James L. Brooks has been producing prime entertainment for nearly 50 years now, and proves he has not lost a step in ‘How Do You Know.’ This film of love, loss, power and especially romance is a great showcase for the talents of Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and the great Jack Nicholson.
Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg Deliver Knockouts in ‘The Fighter’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 16, 2010 - 5:45pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – David O. Russell’s “The Fighter” is an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser with one of the strongest ensembles of 2010 and the kind of underdog story that’s easy for an audience to embrace and adore. “The Fighter” will have thousands of hardcore fans, people who watch it every time it’s on cable and give it as gifts to their husband, father, or brother.
Nothing Plastic About Lena Dunham’s Post-Graduate ‘Tiny Furniture’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 10, 2010 - 8:12pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The 24 year-old Lena Dunham is a new and notable voice for her generation of filmmakers, breaking in with her first feature, the memorable “Tiny Furniture.” Dunham wrote, directed and portrays the main character Aura, a newly minted film theory graduate who is going through the time honored process of what to do with her post collegiate life.
‘The Tourist’ Twists Predictably, Lacks Chemistry Between Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 10, 2010 - 4:24pm Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Though you probably don’t know his name, Christopher McQuarrie’s involvement might sell you on paying to see “The Tourist” even more than “A”-list stars Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. After all, McQuarrie is the writer behind 1995’s Oscar-winning magnum opus by the name of “The Usual Suspects”.
Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor Make Unique Couple in ‘I Love You Phillip Morris’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 10, 2010 - 2:01pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – John Requa and Glenn Ficarra’s “I Love You Phillip Morris” debuted at the Sundance Film Festival nearly two years ago and was released internationally so long ago that it’s out on DVD in most markets around the world. After financial difficulties plagued the first company intent on stateside distribution, the movie sat on a shelf and most of us assumed it would be making its U.S. debut on a round shiny disc.
Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington Nearly Save ‘Night Catches Us’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 10, 2010 - 11:15amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “They’re all around us. Ghosts. They’re everywhere.” People don’t talk like that. Especially kids. Especially not after a major revelation about their dad. It just doesn’t feel real. And that’s the problem with “Night Catches Us,” a well-intentioned drama with strong performances that somehow can’t find the realism at the heart of its story. Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington nearly rescue the piece but it just doesn’t come together into anything memorable enough to recommend.
‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’ Not Worth the Trip
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 10, 2010 - 9:40am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The children’s fantasy drama is a hot commodity in the current age of computer generated images. Many favorite books once thought too complex to be filmed are now seeing new life in film series, including “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis, first published in 1952.
Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Darren Aronofsky Stage Mesmerizing ‘Black Swan’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 2, 2010 - 8:14pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” pulses with the kind of energy and life that we only see from cinema a few times a year. With creative expression rarely seen in American film and one of the best performances by an actress that you will ever see, “Black Swan” is a film that resonates for hours and even days after you see it. You won’t easily shake this masterpiece. And you won’t want to.
Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal in Unbearable ‘Love and Other Drugs’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 24, 2010 - 1:36pm Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Love and Other Drugs” celebrates everything that is wrong with America, wrapped in a package with two “it” stars doing a disservice to their emerging careers. The love depicted is random and somewhat damaged. The drugs are simply a cynical proclamation on how great Big Pharma is.
Christina Aguilera, Cher Star in Horrible ‘Burlesque’
Submitted by BrianTT on November 24, 2010 - 9:31amRating: 0.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I worry that some impressionable youth will see Steve Antin’s horrendous “Burlesque” and be turned off musicals forever. This is not a musical. This is a music video; an ego piece for two fading stars that is one of the most creatively bankrupt pieces of cinema in years. Actually, most music videos are better.
