There is no such thing as a perfect movie.
No matter how integral a certain film may be to the history of cinema, no matter how widely beloved it might be by a mass audience, and no matter how politically and sociologically relevant it may have been to the modern world, there is always an error, a nitpick, an omission, or a production problem that can be included. No work of art is going to be 100% unassailable, largely because a wide swath of humanity will be able to see it, and no two people are going to feel exactly the same way about it.
In modern parlance, the closest critics and audiences may be able to come to a measurable consensus is the approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The way Rotten Tomatoes works: professional critics, writing for a broad gallery of approved outlets, submit a review to Rt, selecting it to be "fresh" or "rotten.
No matter how integral a certain film may be to the history of cinema, no matter how widely beloved it might be by a mass audience, and no matter how politically and sociologically relevant it may have been to the modern world, there is always an error, a nitpick, an omission, or a production problem that can be included. No work of art is going to be 100% unassailable, largely because a wide swath of humanity will be able to see it, and no two people are going to feel exactly the same way about it.
In modern parlance, the closest critics and audiences may be able to come to a measurable consensus is the approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The way Rotten Tomatoes works: professional critics, writing for a broad gallery of approved outlets, submit a review to Rt, selecting it to be "fresh" or "rotten.
- 3/19/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Alex Jennings is one of those actors whose face you recognize but whose name may escape American audiences. He portrayed Prince Charles in “The Queen” and his great uncle, King Edward VII, a decade later in “The Crown.” This fine character actor held his own opposite Maggie Smith in “The Lady in the Van” and Hugh Grant in “A Very English Scandal.” Jennings is a consummate thespian who excels in supporting roles but rarely receives the credit he so richly deserves.
His shines in Hulu’s medical drama “This is Going to Hurt,” based on the book of the same name by the show’s creator, Adam Kay. Ben Whishaw is Kay, a doctor working in an NHS hospital in the mid-noughties, while Jennings is Nigel Lockhart, the Chief Consultant in the ward. This limited series is a masterful blend of comedy and drama and is one of the year’s most exquisitely crafted stories.
His shines in Hulu’s medical drama “This is Going to Hurt,” based on the book of the same name by the show’s creator, Adam Kay. Ben Whishaw is Kay, a doctor working in an NHS hospital in the mid-noughties, while Jennings is Nigel Lockhart, the Chief Consultant in the ward. This limited series is a masterful blend of comedy and drama and is one of the year’s most exquisitely crafted stories.
- 5/25/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Guillermo del Toro‘s mantlepiece must be a bit crowded by now. He won the Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture in 2018 for “The Shape of Water” and followed that up with another Oscar win this year for Best Animated Feature for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.” But the director, who has another three Oscar nominations to his name, may have to make a little more room on that shelf in the future as he could well win an Emmy this year for his new Netflix series “Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.”
“Cabinet of Curiosities” is an anthology series that presents eight episodes of horror-fuelled stories replete with all-star casts, stunning visuals, and del Toro’s trademark style. Among those appearing: Andrew Lincoln, Rupert Grint, Ben Barnes, F. Murray Abraham, and Dan Stevens. The series has been received warmly by critics and has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes,...
“Cabinet of Curiosities” is an anthology series that presents eight episodes of horror-fuelled stories replete with all-star casts, stunning visuals, and del Toro’s trademark style. Among those appearing: Andrew Lincoln, Rupert Grint, Ben Barnes, F. Murray Abraham, and Dan Stevens. The series has been received warmly by critics and has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes,...
- 3/28/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Twitch has updated its policies to explicitly ban “intentionally promoting, creating, or sharing” deepfake Nsfw images.
“In January, a brief ‘deepfake porn’ incident was live streamed on Twitch,” the platform said in a blog post about the updates. “This moment caused immense distress to those whose images were used without their consent, and set off a wave of conversations about the dangers that AI-generated explicit imagery can pose.”
The “incident” they’re referring to is streamer Atrioc being caught with Nsfw deepfakes of fellow content creators. Atrioc showed his screen during a January 2023 broadcast and inadvertently revealed he had a tab open to a website that hosts deepfaked, nonconsensual Nsfw images and videos—including deepfakes of numerous female streamers.
Atrioc subsequently apologized, said he was taking a break from streaming, and stepped back from Offbrand, the creator event company he co-founded in September 2022 with Ludwig, Stanz, and Nick Allen.
In its policy update,...
“In January, a brief ‘deepfake porn’ incident was live streamed on Twitch,” the platform said in a blog post about the updates. “This moment caused immense distress to those whose images were used without their consent, and set off a wave of conversations about the dangers that AI-generated explicit imagery can pose.”
The “incident” they’re referring to is streamer Atrioc being caught with Nsfw deepfakes of fellow content creators. Atrioc showed his screen during a January 2023 broadcast and inadvertently revealed he had a tab open to a website that hosts deepfaked, nonconsensual Nsfw images and videos—including deepfakes of numerous female streamers.
Atrioc subsequently apologized, said he was taking a break from streaming, and stepped back from Offbrand, the creator event company he co-founded in September 2022 with Ludwig, Stanz, and Nick Allen.
In its policy update,...
- 3/7/2023
- by James Hale
- Tubefilter.com
Over the years, there have been many iconic country duos but none quite like George Jones and Tammy Wynette. The couple had a storied history of chart-topping hits, as well as a complicated personal life. In Showtime’s new limited series, “George and Tammy,” Oscar winner Jessica Chastain and Oscar nominee Michael Shannon embody these legends complete with their own singing. Critics are praising the stars in this drama-fueled acting showcase to the tune of a certified freshness rating of 82 on Rotten Tomatoes.
See Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon (‘George and Tammy’) discuss the volatile relationship of country music superstars George Jones and Tammy Wynette [Exclusive Video Interview]
Since the limited series created by Abe Sylvia premiered on December 4, it has been steadily climbing up the ranks in Gold Derby’s awards prediction center. Chastain has propelled into sixth position for Best TV Movie/Mini Actress while Shannon recently moved into our top...
See Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon (‘George and Tammy’) discuss the volatile relationship of country music superstars George Jones and Tammy Wynette [Exclusive Video Interview]
Since the limited series created by Abe Sylvia premiered on December 4, it has been steadily climbing up the ranks in Gold Derby’s awards prediction center. Chastain has propelled into sixth position for Best TV Movie/Mini Actress while Shannon recently moved into our top...
- 12/13/2022
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
Previous | Image 1 of 7 | NextSteve James, director of ‘A Compassionate Spy.’
Chicago – Opening Night was a sensation for the 58th Chicago International Film Festival (Ciff). Besides the Opening Night Red Carpet for the film “A Compassionate Spy,” a Block Party took place on the streets in front of Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre, in a memorable beginning to a Fest that runs through October 23rd.
HollywoodChicago.com was there through intrepid photographer Joe Arce, and he captured these images of the Red Carpet. In addition, some Block Party pictures from the 58th Ciff Opening Night. Photos One-Four: © Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com. Photo Five: © Timothy M. Schmidt ChicagoFilmFestival.com. Photo Six: © Barry Brecheisen ChicagoFilmFestival.com. Photo Seven: Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.
CIFFOPEN1: Steve James, director of ‘A Compassionate Spy.’ CIFFOPEN2: Lucy Zukaitis portrayed Joan Hall in ‘A Compassionate Spy.’ CIFFOPEN3: J. Michael Wright...
Chicago – Opening Night was a sensation for the 58th Chicago International Film Festival (Ciff). Besides the Opening Night Red Carpet for the film “A Compassionate Spy,” a Block Party took place on the streets in front of Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre, in a memorable beginning to a Fest that runs through October 23rd.
HollywoodChicago.com was there through intrepid photographer Joe Arce, and he captured these images of the Red Carpet. In addition, some Block Party pictures from the 58th Ciff Opening Night. Photos One-Four: © Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com. Photo Five: © Timothy M. Schmidt ChicagoFilmFestival.com. Photo Six: © Barry Brecheisen ChicagoFilmFestival.com. Photo Seven: Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.
CIFFOPEN1: Steve James, director of ‘A Compassionate Spy.’ CIFFOPEN2: Lucy Zukaitis portrayed Joan Hall in ‘A Compassionate Spy.’ CIFFOPEN3: J. Michael Wright...
- 10/15/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Previous | Image 1 of 7 | NextSteve James, director of ‘A Compassionate Spy.’
Chicago – Opening Night was a sensation for the 58th Chicago International Film Festival (Ciff). Besides the Opening Night Red Carpet for the film “A Compassionate Spy,” a Block Party took place on the streets in front of Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre, in a memorable beginning to a Fest that runs through October 23rd.
HollywoodChicago.com was there through intrepid photographer Joe Arce, and he captured these images of the Red Carpet. In addition, some Block Party pictures from the 58th Ciff Opening Night. Photos One-Four: © Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com. Photo Five: © Timothy M. Schmidt ChicagoFilmFestival.com. Photo Six: © Barry Brecheisen ChicagoFilmFestival.com. Photo Seven: Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.
CIFFOPEN1: Steve James, director of ‘A Compassionate Spy.’ CIFFOPEN2: Lucy Zukaitis portrayed Joan Hall in ‘A Compassionate Spy.’ CIFFOPEN3: J. Michael Wright...
Chicago – Opening Night was a sensation for the 58th Chicago International Film Festival (Ciff). Besides the Opening Night Red Carpet for the film “A Compassionate Spy,” a Block Party took place on the streets in front of Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre, in a memorable beginning to a Fest that runs through October 23rd.
HollywoodChicago.com was there through intrepid photographer Joe Arce, and he captured these images of the Red Carpet. In addition, some Block Party pictures from the 58th Ciff Opening Night. Photos One-Four: © Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com. Photo Five: © Timothy M. Schmidt ChicagoFilmFestival.com. Photo Six: © Barry Brecheisen ChicagoFilmFestival.com. Photo Seven: Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.
CIFFOPEN1: Steve James, director of ‘A Compassionate Spy.’ CIFFOPEN2: Lucy Zukaitis portrayed Joan Hall in ‘A Compassionate Spy.’ CIFFOPEN3: J. Michael Wright...
- 10/14/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
A new Hulu documentary called “Aftershock” was released on July 19, following two bereaved fathers who rouse activists, birth-workers and physicians after their spouses pass away due to preventable childbirth complications. Directed and produced by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee, “Aftershock” boasts an incredible 100 freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing. Watch the trailer above and find out what critics are saying below.
Per the film synopses from Hulu, we witness two families become ardent activists in the maternal health space, seeking justice through legislation, medical accountability, community, and the power of art. Their work introduces us to a myriad of people including a growing brotherhood of surviving Black fathers, along with the work of midwives and physicians on the ground fighting for institutional reform. Through their collective journeys, we find ourselves on the front lines of the growing birth justice movement that is demanding systemic change within our medical system and government.
Per the film synopses from Hulu, we witness two families become ardent activists in the maternal health space, seeking justice through legislation, medical accountability, community, and the power of art. Their work introduces us to a myriad of people including a growing brotherhood of surviving Black fathers, along with the work of midwives and physicians on the ground fighting for institutional reform. Through their collective journeys, we find ourselves on the front lines of the growing birth justice movement that is demanding systemic change within our medical system and government.
- 7/22/2022
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
Since conspiracy and controversy in regards to Russia hasn’t dominated the airwaves enough, a new Netflix-distributed documentary, Icarus, takes a different angle. Focusing on the journey of director Bryan Fogel as he tries to uncover an Olympic doping scandal, the documentary looks to try and blend classical documentary form with a slight genre twist. Complete with a hefty list of praising quotes, Icarus could impact a wide audience of sports lovers and cinephiles alike, and the first trailer has now arrived.
“Hand-drawn animation, zippy computer graphics and an intense string-driven score make for a batch of styles, while lacking a key sense of personality in the process,” our friend Nick Allen says at RogerEbert.com. “The movie is less the announcement of an exciting new director, but a competently made thriller with a gripping assembly of events. As I am sure it will when the film stuns viewers beyond those at Sundance,...
“Hand-drawn animation, zippy computer graphics and an intense string-driven score make for a batch of styles, while lacking a key sense of personality in the process,” our friend Nick Allen says at RogerEbert.com. “The movie is less the announcement of an exciting new director, but a competently made thriller with a gripping assembly of events. As I am sure it will when the film stuns viewers beyond those at Sundance,...
- 7/11/2017
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
The Weinstein Company
Only a pessimist would write off 2016 after 6 weeks, but if you’re a horror fan, the year’s highest profile releases don’t inspire much confidence. Once again, sequels and reboots look set to dominate multiplexes, or if they don’t float your boat there’s always an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Cell. Yippee.
On VOD, things aren’t much better. Released on 12 February, Travis Zariwny’s remake of Cabin Fever (2002) currently holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was dismissed by the Los Angeles Times as “perfunctory and insipid.” Variety called it a “repurposed dud” while Nick Allen said it was “one of those questionably greedy, Xeroxed remakes, where its business is in restating, not just restarting or rebooting, what the original has done.”
Nobody believes that these films are going to be good, so pointing out that they’re not up to much feels like a redundancy.
Only a pessimist would write off 2016 after 6 weeks, but if you’re a horror fan, the year’s highest profile releases don’t inspire much confidence. Once again, sequels and reboots look set to dominate multiplexes, or if they don’t float your boat there’s always an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Cell. Yippee.
On VOD, things aren’t much better. Released on 12 February, Travis Zariwny’s remake of Cabin Fever (2002) currently holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was dismissed by the Los Angeles Times as “perfunctory and insipid.” Variety called it a “repurposed dud” while Nick Allen said it was “one of those questionably greedy, Xeroxed remakes, where its business is in restating, not just restarting or rebooting, what the original has done.”
Nobody believes that these films are going to be good, so pointing out that they’re not up to much feels like a redundancy.
- 2/18/2016
- by Ian Watson
- Obsessed with Film
Chicago – Whether it’s the 1982 original or the remake just released in theaters today to the wrath of numerous fans, the lesson of “Poltergeist” remains the same: Don’t do a half-assed job when relocating skeletons for corporate greed, or suffer the supernatural consequences.
Fear not, however, as this is one remake that doesn’t just dress up a nostalgic skeleton for the modern horror crowd, but one that reminisces, and looks forward, with a mostly intelligent, genuine heart.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Produced by Sam Raimi and crediting its story to the one made Steven Spielberg, this remake of the 1982 Tobe Hooper film involves a new family, the Bowens, as they move into a house with its own bad mojo. There’s a weird electric air in their new home, which husband Eric (Sam Rockwell) and wife Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt) have brought young Madison (Kennedi Clements), son Griffin (Kyle Catlett), and older daughter Kendra (Saxon Sharbino) into.
Fear not, however, as this is one remake that doesn’t just dress up a nostalgic skeleton for the modern horror crowd, but one that reminisces, and looks forward, with a mostly intelligent, genuine heart.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Produced by Sam Raimi and crediting its story to the one made Steven Spielberg, this remake of the 1982 Tobe Hooper film involves a new family, the Bowens, as they move into a house with its own bad mojo. There’s a weird electric air in their new home, which husband Eric (Sam Rockwell) and wife Amy (Rosemarie DeWitt) have brought young Madison (Kennedi Clements), son Griffin (Kyle Catlett), and older daughter Kendra (Saxon Sharbino) into.
- 5/22/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – A common quagmire during a zombie outbreak, as expressed in the 367 films about the topic made about such an event since 2000, concerns what to do when your loved one is infected. For many movies, it makes for the tearful, climactic moment; for the dour drama “Maggie,” it’s the total narrative examination that just about fills half a movie, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a rugged, lumberjack dad who is disturbed by the ailing conditions of his infected daughter (played by Abigail Breslin).
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Directed by newcomer Henry Hobson from a screenplay written by an AOL user name (John Scott 3), “Maggie” is a maudlin vamp on a farmer father living with his daughter’s condition, a “sick kid” narrative with a hazardous ticking biological time bomb. After rescuing her from government quarantine, Schwarzenegger’s Wade watches over Maggie, getting her medical attention and keeping bossy policemen at bay. Meanwhile,...
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Directed by newcomer Henry Hobson from a screenplay written by an AOL user name (John Scott 3), “Maggie” is a maudlin vamp on a farmer father living with his daughter’s condition, a “sick kid” narrative with a hazardous ticking biological time bomb. After rescuing her from government quarantine, Schwarzenegger’s Wade watches over Maggie, getting her medical attention and keeping bossy policemen at bay. Meanwhile,...
- 5/9/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – As the Chicago Critics Film Festival (Ccff) – a film festival as programmed by the members of the Chicago Film Critics Association – heads into its last four nights, the variety and depth of the films that are being screened continues to astound and entertain. It all takes place at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, May 4 through 7, 2015.
HollywoodChicago.com contributors Nick Allen and Patrick McDonald have been sampling the best of the festival, and offer this preview of the final four nights of films. Each capsule is designated with Na (Nick Allen) or Pm (Patrick McDonald) – to indicate the author – or encapsulates the official synopsis from the festival.
’Quitters’ Screens on Monday, May 4th, at the Chicago Critics Film Festival
Photo credit: Chicago Critics Film Festival
The Ccff Closing Night films are the 2015 Sundance hits “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” and “The Overnight,” screening on Thursday, May 7th,...
HollywoodChicago.com contributors Nick Allen and Patrick McDonald have been sampling the best of the festival, and offer this preview of the final four nights of films. Each capsule is designated with Na (Nick Allen) or Pm (Patrick McDonald) – to indicate the author – or encapsulates the official synopsis from the festival.
’Quitters’ Screens on Monday, May 4th, at the Chicago Critics Film Festival
Photo credit: Chicago Critics Film Festival
The Ccff Closing Night films are the 2015 Sundance hits “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” and “The Overnight,” screening on Thursday, May 7th,...
- 5/4/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Friday, May 1st, kicks off one of 2015 Chicago’s most special events, the Chicago Critics Film Festival (Ccff) – a film festival as programmed by the members of the Chicago Film Critics Association. The place to be is at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, and the titles included are an exciting batch of movies making their premiere here.
Many of the films had their world premiere at festivals like Sundance, Toronto and South X Southwest, and HollywoodChicago.com contributors Nick Allen and Patrick McDonald have been sampling the best of the festival, and offer this preview of the kick-off weekend. Each capsule is designated with Na (Nick Allen) or Pm (Patrick McDonald) – to indicate the author – or encapsulates the official synopsis from the festival.
Be sure to check back with HollywoodChicago.com on Monday, when we finish our preview of the festival by looking ahead to the weekday schedule,...
Many of the films had their world premiere at festivals like Sundance, Toronto and South X Southwest, and HollywoodChicago.com contributors Nick Allen and Patrick McDonald have been sampling the best of the festival, and offer this preview of the kick-off weekend. Each capsule is designated with Na (Nick Allen) or Pm (Patrick McDonald) – to indicate the author – or encapsulates the official synopsis from the festival.
Be sure to check back with HollywoodChicago.com on Monday, when we finish our preview of the festival by looking ahead to the weekday schedule,...
- 5/1/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Magician James Randi, or “The Amazing Randi,” has a made a legacy in using his love of magic to show audiences how they’re being tricked by evangelists, spoon-benders, psychics, etc. A ruthlessly charming Houdini-wannabe with instant showman charisma, he exists as the humbling gravity to a world that can convince itself that unattainable answers are to be found in ideas beyond science.
When someone claims that they’re able to talk to spirits from over 35,000 years ago, or can push a pen with extreme focus and the wave of their hand, Randi shows up at the scene, and throws down with logic at his side. It often happens on the stage of talk shows, whether it’s Johnny Carson or Larry King, and it’s glorious. He never loses. In a world where a sucker is indeed born every minute, he’s a hero as much as he is a necessity.
When someone claims that they’re able to talk to spirits from over 35,000 years ago, or can push a pen with extreme focus and the wave of their hand, Randi shows up at the scene, and throws down with logic at his side. It often happens on the stage of talk shows, whether it’s Johnny Carson or Larry King, and it’s glorious. He never loses. In a world where a sucker is indeed born every minute, he’s a hero as much as he is a necessity.
- 3/19/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The newest Adam Sandler film that doesn’t feature him dressed like a chubby middle schooler is really bad, but in a special way. Similarly, it is an instant classic in the legacy of bizarre disasters, a footnote in writer/director history that must be witnessed to be fully understood.
Part of its perplexity is how the film is always in grasp as it shows itself, and how you can reach out and try to bring it back home, but then it explodes. This is one of those films where its flaws are more believable as a conspiracy than a misjudgment. Someone, please, let the police know that writer/director Tom McCarthy is missing, and someone has his shoes.
Rating: 1.0/5.0
The key to entering “The Cobbler” is indeed not lead star Adam Sandler but co-writer/director McCarthy. If you’ve seen his films like “The Station Agent,” “The Visitor,...
Part of its perplexity is how the film is always in grasp as it shows itself, and how you can reach out and try to bring it back home, but then it explodes. This is one of those films where its flaws are more believable as a conspiracy than a misjudgment. Someone, please, let the police know that writer/director Tom McCarthy is missing, and someone has his shoes.
Rating: 1.0/5.0
The key to entering “The Cobbler” is indeed not lead star Adam Sandler but co-writer/director McCarthy. If you’ve seen his films like “The Station Agent,” “The Visitor,...
- 3/14/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The title event of “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem” is a prison sentence with no predictable day of release. The prisoner is Viviane (a fascinating Ronit Elkabetz), a soft-spoken middle-aged woman well beyond the point of a content unhappiness. She is trapped to a farce, as the divorce laws of Israel demand that a husband agree to the divorce before it can be finalized, with three rabbis and a lawyer each to discuss the event.
Viviane’s desire to start a new life away from her current husband Elisha (Simon Abkarian) becomes a hell on earth as he proves an unmovable object, a warden with no empathy who refuses to show up for many of the hearings (he doesn’t really have to unless it gets really bad, according to law). It takes him about a year and a half to finally appear first time, and even...
Viviane’s desire to start a new life away from her current husband Elisha (Simon Abkarian) becomes a hell on earth as he proves an unmovable object, a warden with no empathy who refuses to show up for many of the hearings (he doesn’t really have to unless it gets really bad, according to law). It takes him about a year and a half to finally appear first time, and even...
- 2/28/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Oscar! Oscar! Oscar! Say it three times to win it, and you’ll win every Academy Award pool you enter – at least for the nine categories covered here – if you follow the advice of the HollywoodChicago.com “experts.” We have the Oscar magic, so if you believe in it, then we deliver.
Three film writers of HollywoodChicago.com – Patrick McDonald, Nick Allen and Spike Walters – will not only predict Sunday’s big night, but will suggest choreography to Neil Patrick Harris for his opening number. The crew will opine on Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor/Actress and Director. As in previous years, the prognostications are broken down into thoughts on who Will Win, Should Win and Should Have Been Nominated (for one last gasp of dissent). The predictors will also take on a wild card guess for several other categories, and the latest odds on the rest of...
Three film writers of HollywoodChicago.com – Patrick McDonald, Nick Allen and Spike Walters – will not only predict Sunday’s big night, but will suggest choreography to Neil Patrick Harris for his opening number. The crew will opine on Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor/Actress and Director. As in previous years, the prognostications are broken down into thoughts on who Will Win, Should Win and Should Have Been Nominated (for one last gasp of dissent). The predictors will also take on a wild card guess for several other categories, and the latest odds on the rest of...
- 2/21/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Just in time for its potential win of the “Best Animated Feature” Oscar this Sunday, the Irish animated film “Song of the Sea” opens this weekend at Chicago’s Music Box Theater. A grab-bag myth come to storytelling life, this film is vitalized by its gorgeous animation as much as the heart within its narrative.
An accomplishment that would make the likes of Hayao Miyazaki proud, “Song of the Sea” is a gift to fans of animation.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
This animated treasure from the “Secret of Kells” director Tomm Moore is an original story, but based on the Irish folklore of Selkies, creatures that live as seals in the sea, but humans on land. Moore angles his Selkie tale to focus on themes of humans dealing with burrowed grief. In “Song of the Sea,” a father (Conor, voiced by Brendan Gleeson) cares for his children, his pre-teen Ben (David Rawle...
An accomplishment that would make the likes of Hayao Miyazaki proud, “Song of the Sea” is a gift to fans of animation.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
This animated treasure from the “Secret of Kells” director Tomm Moore is an original story, but based on the Irish folklore of Selkies, creatures that live as seals in the sea, but humans on land. Moore angles his Selkie tale to focus on themes of humans dealing with burrowed grief. In “Song of the Sea,” a father (Conor, voiced by Brendan Gleeson) cares for his children, his pre-teen Ben (David Rawle...
- 2/21/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Having explored the farthest fields of space in films like “Gravity” and “Interstellar,” we may have forgotten the danger that awaits down below. “Black Sea” is a lean, often thrilling submarine tale that takes viewers on a journey of timeless terror and sacrificial pursuits.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
“Black Sea” is a working class treasure hunt, set in the world of blue collar men who have devoted their lives to working in submarines, but aren’t appreciated by their fat cat employees. A recently fired sub captain named Robinson (Jude Law) makes a deal with his former employer to help the company retrieve a sub with Nazi gold inside of it. On board are men like Ben Mendelsohn’s out-of-control Fraser, corporate stooge Daniels (Scoot McNairy), and young first-timer Tobin (Bobby Schofield).
The cause for Jude Law to earn some respect continues, as he works with diverse characters without a golden showboating,...
Rating: 3.5/5.0
“Black Sea” is a working class treasure hunt, set in the world of blue collar men who have devoted their lives to working in submarines, but aren’t appreciated by their fat cat employees. A recently fired sub captain named Robinson (Jude Law) makes a deal with his former employer to help the company retrieve a sub with Nazi gold inside of it. On board are men like Ben Mendelsohn’s out-of-control Fraser, corporate stooge Daniels (Scoot McNairy), and young first-timer Tobin (Bobby Schofield).
The cause for Jude Law to earn some respect continues, as he works with diverse characters without a golden showboating,...
- 1/31/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Park City, Utah – There are too many films and not enough time between shuttle shuffles and line waiting to cover the festival day by day. So, in pure improvised festival-going fashion, I’ll now be posting reviews for material that I see, but necessarily in viewing order. Enjoy!
A Walk in the Woods
‘A Walk in the Woods’
Image credit: Sundance Institute
A human being who looks better at his current age than I ever will in my entire life, Robert Redford has a sprightly screen presence that has carried him through thick and thin, even brutal storms that live-or-die on his charisma (Aka “All is Lost,” one of the best films of 2013). For his next adventure, Redford goes softer than a survival story, but nonetheless into an amusing jaunt with “A Walk in the Woods.”
Based on the nonfictional accounts by New Hampshire writer Bill Bryson, Redford embodies the author as an amusing smart-ass,...
A Walk in the Woods
‘A Walk in the Woods’
Image credit: Sundance Institute
A human being who looks better at his current age than I ever will in my entire life, Robert Redford has a sprightly screen presence that has carried him through thick and thin, even brutal storms that live-or-die on his charisma (Aka “All is Lost,” one of the best films of 2013). For his next adventure, Redford goes softer than a survival story, but nonetheless into an amusing jaunt with “A Walk in the Woods.”
Based on the nonfictional accounts by New Hampshire writer Bill Bryson, Redford embodies the author as an amusing smart-ass,...
- 1/26/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Park City, Utah – The 2015 Sundance Film Festival is well underway in Park City, Utah, a snow-adorned mega village where everything looks like ski lodges, even the movie theaters. The festival occurs in a place that transforms for the cause of movies.
Park City’s gymnasiums, libraries, and conference rooms are modified with seats and screens to celebrate the thrill of uniting people in the same darkness ready to experience a film.
Last night was the first day of screenings (though different films were offered), and I viewed two titles of opposing worth, of which is described below. The first is a documentary that should be coming to Netflix in the near future, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” Not long after scarfing down some late dinner in the festival’s Yarrow Hotel (which has turned its conference room into a movie theater essentially), I endeavored into “The Bronze,” an underdog comedy starring...
Park City’s gymnasiums, libraries, and conference rooms are modified with seats and screens to celebrate the thrill of uniting people in the same darkness ready to experience a film.
Last night was the first day of screenings (though different films were offered), and I viewed two titles of opposing worth, of which is described below. The first is a documentary that should be coming to Netflix in the near future, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” Not long after scarfing down some late dinner in the festival’s Yarrow Hotel (which has turned its conference room into a movie theater essentially), I endeavored into “The Bronze,” an underdog comedy starring...
- 1/24/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
A 35-year-old man was charged Tuesday with second-degree domestic assault for allegedly forcing a woman into a slave contract. In a scenario reminiscent of Fifty Shades of Grey gone horribly wrong, Nicholas Allen Talbot convinced a 32-year-old woman to sign a document declaring she "only had rights the master gave her," according to an affidavit obtained by the Lincoln Journal Star. The Lincoln, Nebraska, man allegedly subjected the woman to "whipping, caning, burning, branding, bondage, spanking, choking, drinking urine and forced sex," Ketv reports. Police also said the woman had the words "Property Of Nick" written on her left arm in black marker,...
- 1/23/2015
- by Tara Fowler, @waterfowlerta
- PEOPLE.com
A 35-year-old man was charged Tuesday with second-degree domestic assault for allegedly forcing a woman into a slave contract. In a scenario reminiscent of Fifty Shades of Grey gone horribly wrong, Nicholas Allen Talbot convinced a 32-year-old woman to sign a document declaring she "only had rights the master gave her," according to an affidavit obtained by the Lincoln Journal Star. The Lincoln, Nebraska, man allegedly subjected the woman to "whipping, caning, burning, branding, bondage, spanking, choking, drinking urine and forced sex," Ketv reports. Police also said the woman had the words "Property Of Nick" written on her left arm in black marker,...
- 1/23/2015
- by Tara Fowler, @waterfowlerta
- PEOPLE.com
Chicago – This Thursday marks the beginning of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, and yours truly will be in attendance to cover the fest for HollywoodChicago.com. Last year, the Park City, Utah event introduced the world to its 2014-defining sensations like “Whiplash” and “Boyhood”.
Those titles followed in the paths of indie landmarks such as “sex, lies and videotape,” “Clerks,” “Hoop Dreams,” “American Movie,” “Memento,” “Frozen River,” “Winter’s Bone,” and “Fruitvale Station,” among many others.
In pursuit of new favorite films for a new year, I’ve composed a relatively solid schedule so that I can devour as much diverse Sundance goodness as possible. Narratives, documentaries, white supremacists, nasty babies, Neil Hamburger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, stolen cop cars, and much, much more are all in play. But with hopes that everything I witness is the next “Boyhood”-like zeitgeist, I’ll be sure to report back here on what’s worth,...
Those titles followed in the paths of indie landmarks such as “sex, lies and videotape,” “Clerks,” “Hoop Dreams,” “American Movie,” “Memento,” “Frozen River,” “Winter’s Bone,” and “Fruitvale Station,” among many others.
In pursuit of new favorite films for a new year, I’ve composed a relatively solid schedule so that I can devour as much diverse Sundance goodness as possible. Narratives, documentaries, white supremacists, nasty babies, Neil Hamburger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, stolen cop cars, and much, much more are all in play. But with hopes that everything I witness is the next “Boyhood”-like zeitgeist, I’ll be sure to report back here on what’s worth,...
- 1/19/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – “Blackhat” is a hacker’s auctioneer of high-tech and low-tech genre jolts, but its construction provides a thrill of its own - that of witnessing the next era of the action movie. With “Blackhat,” director Michael Mann introduces the new standards for the everlasting genre as it continues to reflect modern anxieties, giving leading roles to two entities that Hollywood has previously treated as supporting acts, hackers and the nation of China. Incredibly on-the-moment, “Blackhat” recognizes that computer whizzes are becoming the physical heroes our connected world needs, and China is the partner that Hollywood will increasingly rely on for business, especially in selling films that look like “Blackhat.”
Mann’s film is the story of a co-investigation between the United States and China. A Hong Kong nuclear power plant and Chicago’s Mercantile Trade Exchange have been attacked, nonetheless by a no-name, no-motive menace who has hacked into their systems.
Mann’s film is the story of a co-investigation between the United States and China. A Hong Kong nuclear power plant and Chicago’s Mercantile Trade Exchange have been attacked, nonetheless by a no-name, no-motive menace who has hacked into their systems.
- 1/17/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – A speedy film project can take about a year from conception to final cut; director Michael Mann’s wired-in thriller “Blackhat” might as well have been written, shot, and cut last month. Not just because of its epilogue to the rise and defeat of the Guardians of Peace, but for its modernity.
This is a tale of headline action specifically for January 16, 2015 and onward, in our new period of cyber terror.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
A thoroughly international project that reckons China’s importance to the American industry, “Blackhat” is the story of a co-investigation between the United States and China. A Hong Kong nuclear power plant and Chicago’s Mercantile Trade Exchange have been attacked, nonetheless by a no-name, no-motive menace who has hacked into their systems. A Chinese official named Chen Dawai (Leehom Wang) works alongside cyberterrorism agents in the FBI (played by Viola Davis and John Ortiz) to track the menace’s previous coding.
This is a tale of headline action specifically for January 16, 2015 and onward, in our new period of cyber terror.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
A thoroughly international project that reckons China’s importance to the American industry, “Blackhat” is the story of a co-investigation between the United States and China. A Hong Kong nuclear power plant and Chicago’s Mercantile Trade Exchange have been attacked, nonetheless by a no-name, no-motive menace who has hacked into their systems. A Chinese official named Chen Dawai (Leehom Wang) works alongside cyberterrorism agents in the FBI (played by Viola Davis and John Ortiz) to track the menace’s previous coding.
- 1/17/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – It may prove hard to recall an era of talking creatures in live-action movies before the napalm hellfire of “Alvin and the Chipmunks” or “The Smurfs.” But, lest we forget, “Babe” has more Academy Awards than “The Master.” Arriving at the coy and wise time of the film year where expectations are either golden or underneath the barrel, talking bear Paddington arrives stateside as a well-behaved throwback to brighter days for a simple genre, with an efficient sense of humor and a few globs of vision, too.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Voiced with clear-eyed wonder by Ben Whishaw, cheery children’s book icon Paddington is a Peruvian bear with both a refined English vernacular and ravenousness for orange marmalade, attributes learned from British artifacts left by visiting explorer Montgomery Clyde. When Paddington’s home is destroyed in an earthquake, the young bear stows away to foggy London to meet the revered adventurer.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Voiced with clear-eyed wonder by Ben Whishaw, cheery children’s book icon Paddington is a Peruvian bear with both a refined English vernacular and ravenousness for orange marmalade, attributes learned from British artifacts left by visiting explorer Montgomery Clyde. When Paddington’s home is destroyed in an earthquake, the young bear stows away to foggy London to meet the revered adventurer.
- 1/16/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – One of the specialities of HollywoodChicago.com is the film and personality interview. The majority of these chats came through me, Patrick McDonald, and I couldn’t narrow it down to a top 10 or even a top 20. For 2014, there were 25 top interviews, and it is a diverse range of voices.
It is a privilege to get the opportunity to participate in the promotional tours, awards ceremonies, film festivals, book appearances, phoners and other lucky happenstances that feature the notable among us. To whittle down the list, I mostly thought about what was said in these interviews, whether inspirational or provocative – plus the status of the participants, whether they are up-and-coming or established.
The interview highlights are broken down by “Background and Behind-the-Scenes” and the “Memorable Quote” associated with each subject, and are often accompanied with exclusive photography by Joe Arce of HollywoodChicago.com. Four notables who just missed the...
It is a privilege to get the opportunity to participate in the promotional tours, awards ceremonies, film festivals, book appearances, phoners and other lucky happenstances that feature the notable among us. To whittle down the list, I mostly thought about what was said in these interviews, whether inspirational or provocative – plus the status of the participants, whether they are up-and-coming or established.
The interview highlights are broken down by “Background and Behind-the-Scenes” and the “Memorable Quote” associated with each subject, and are often accompanied with exclusive photography by Joe Arce of HollywoodChicago.com. Four notables who just missed the...
- 1/12/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – “Predestination” is a time travel game of limited pieces, in which two beings are not who they seem. Twists abound in a story that gets credit for jarring narrative directions, but this adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein’s “All You Zombies” remains limited in its potential, especially as it fails to evolve past its spiritual predecessors “Source Code” and “Looper.”
Rating: 3.0/5.0
The setup begins with an elusive, pulpy menace nicknamed “The Fizzle Bomber,” who has wrought explosive terrorism on America in the 1970s and 80s. Ethan Hawke plays the time-traveling temporal agent assigned to capturing the menace, who can do so by returning to different points in the past.
His assignment restarts at 1970, where he works incognito at a NYC bar, and receives his IMDb-designated name The Barkeep. While tending bar, a loner enters the urban watering hole, and Hawke’s character begins to perk up. The loner goes...
Rating: 3.0/5.0
The setup begins with an elusive, pulpy menace nicknamed “The Fizzle Bomber,” who has wrought explosive terrorism on America in the 1970s and 80s. Ethan Hawke plays the time-traveling temporal agent assigned to capturing the menace, who can do so by returning to different points in the past.
His assignment restarts at 1970, where he works incognito at a NYC bar, and receives his IMDb-designated name The Barkeep. While tending bar, a loner enters the urban watering hole, and Hawke’s character begins to perk up. The loner goes...
- 1/9/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Opening this weekend at the Music Box Theater is “The Way He Looks,” a Brazilian coming-of-age drama that navigates topics of living with blindness and sexual curiosity without an agenda. Though strained by an underdeveloped focal love triangle, these facets are explored with freeness within the developing era of high school crushes.
“The Way He Looks” is Brazil’s official entry for this year’s Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Writer/director Daniel Ribeiro’s film begins with the friendship of Giovana (Tess Ahorim) and center character Leo (Ghilherme Lobo), who has been blind since birth. They have a close bond, in and out of high school. Before classes resume for the year, they are shown laying by a pool, discussing first kisses; Leo has never had one, and is not sure when it will happen. When school begins, Giovana helps Leo with reading...
“The Way He Looks” is Brazil’s official entry for this year’s Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Writer/director Daniel Ribeiro’s film begins with the friendship of Giovana (Tess Ahorim) and center character Leo (Ghilherme Lobo), who has been blind since birth. They have a close bond, in and out of high school. Before classes resume for the year, they are shown laying by a pool, discussing first kisses; Leo has never had one, and is not sure when it will happen. When school begins, Giovana helps Leo with reading...
- 1/2/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Olympic runner, plane crash survivor, and WWII Pow Louis Zamperini had an extraordinary life of defeating even more profound conditions from cruel nature and fellow man. His is a tale of grandiose cinematic potential, especially considering our desire for beat-down underdogs and their gauntlets of adversity, but such gets a surface-level treatment from director Angelina Jolie’s underwhelming tribute “Unbroken.”
Rating: 2.0/5.0
The film is a chronicle of Zamperini’s struggles, a narrative that beats a character down specifically to see them endure. Embodying Zamperini is Jack O’Connell, a rising actor with an immense amount of power inside him, even though this movie undersells it with whimsical stoicism. (If you’re looking for a great role to see the biggest sense of this, I recommend his 2014 bloody-knuckle prison drama “Starred Up.”)
“Unbroken” has a strange flaw in that it makes plain a man of astonishing heroism. From the very beginning of the story,...
Rating: 2.0/5.0
The film is a chronicle of Zamperini’s struggles, a narrative that beats a character down specifically to see them endure. Embodying Zamperini is Jack O’Connell, a rising actor with an immense amount of power inside him, even though this movie undersells it with whimsical stoicism. (If you’re looking for a great role to see the biggest sense of this, I recommend his 2014 bloody-knuckle prison drama “Starred Up.”)
“Unbroken” has a strange flaw in that it makes plain a man of astonishing heroism. From the very beginning of the story,...
- 12/24/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Along with your local library’s DVD section and equality, Antarctica remains one of the general world’s greatest oversights, even though it’s the size of a continent (because it is one). Around this time of year, the North Pole gets a huge shoutout for its mass production of brand items, but it’s the South Pole that forever remains in the shadow of everything else in the world, only mentioned in films like Werner Herzog’s 2007 documentary “Encounters at the End of the World,” or that 2009 Kate Beckinsale snow thriller “Whiteout.”
Rating: 4.0/5.0
As it turns out from Herzog’s doc and now first-timer Anthony Powell, there is more to Antarctica than a giant rock of frozen water. And where Herzog’s (highly recommended) documentary comes solely from his viewpoint as definitively curious outsider, this week’s release “Antarctica: A Year On Ice” by Powell presents the continent from an insider’s perspective.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
As it turns out from Herzog’s doc and now first-timer Anthony Powell, there is more to Antarctica than a giant rock of frozen water. And where Herzog’s (highly recommended) documentary comes solely from his viewpoint as definitively curious outsider, this week’s release “Antarctica: A Year On Ice” by Powell presents the continent from an insider’s perspective.
- 12/5/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – In Tommy Lee Jones’ passion project “The Homesman,” the wild west provides a vivid setting for a battle in man’s endless war against women, as the film firmly occupying a genre strictly known for cowboys and pioneer machismo. It’s a sorrowful western from actor/writer/director Jones that often shines in its twilight, hoping to slightly reconcile the maltreatment unleashed on half of the world’s most powerful species.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Living outside standard domestic criteria of a developing America in the mid 1800s is Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank), a woman without a spouse or a child, who only takes care of herself and her giant farm. When three extremely psychologically-disturbed women are in need of transport to a hospital up north where they can receive help, Mary Bee volunteers to take on the journey, despite the town initially requiring that a man lead the expedition.
Meanwhile,...
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Living outside standard domestic criteria of a developing America in the mid 1800s is Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank), a woman without a spouse or a child, who only takes care of herself and her giant farm. When three extremely psychologically-disturbed women are in need of transport to a hospital up north where they can receive help, Mary Bee volunteers to take on the journey, despite the town initially requiring that a man lead the expedition.
Meanwhile,...
- 11/23/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – It’s late August in the year of 1944, and Paris is about to be destroyed by a vacating Nazi party. “Diplomacy” is a chamber film that imagines the crucial conversation between a Nazi general and a Swedish diplomat that is said to have saved Paris, a riveting story of personal actions influencing the course of world history.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Adapted from the play of the same title from Cyril Gely, “Diplomacy” begins with Paris in its hostage state during World War II. The Allied forces are moving swiftly towards the City of Lights, which Adolf Hitler had dreamed would one day be topped by Berlin in beauty. Now, the Nazis have decided to destroy Paris on their way out. Intricate bombs are planted around the Seine, torpedoes are aimed at the legs of the Eiffel Tower, and the city’s population of 1.5 million is considered but another casualty of a vicious war.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Adapted from the play of the same title from Cyril Gely, “Diplomacy” begins with Paris in its hostage state during World War II. The Allied forces are moving swiftly towards the City of Lights, which Adolf Hitler had dreamed would one day be topped by Berlin in beauty. Now, the Nazis have decided to destroy Paris on their way out. Intricate bombs are planted around the Seine, torpedoes are aimed at the legs of the Eiffel Tower, and the city’s population of 1.5 million is considered but another casualty of a vicious war.
- 11/15/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The life story of iconic physicist Stephen Hawking is given a well-deserved cinematic treatment this weekend with “The Theory of Everything,” an earnest presentation of an existence that defies the usual.
As his personal journey required the care-taking of others, the film is not adapted from something Hawking wrote, but from his wife Jane’s personal account, “Traveling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen.”
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Director James Marsh (“Man on Wire,” “Project Nim”) begins the story of Jane (Felicity Jones) and Stephen (Eddie Redmayne) as an unbeatable romance movie couple, a pairing of dreamy affection between two lovely intellectuals with a near-cosmic cuteness. From their first smiles at each other one night at a stuffy college bar, the two form the axle of “The Theory of Everything,” a story that quickly changes from that of a love story.
Whilst working on his doctorate, Hawking is diagnosed with a moto neuron disease,...
As his personal journey required the care-taking of others, the film is not adapted from something Hawking wrote, but from his wife Jane’s personal account, “Traveling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen.”
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Director James Marsh (“Man on Wire,” “Project Nim”) begins the story of Jane (Felicity Jones) and Stephen (Eddie Redmayne) as an unbeatable romance movie couple, a pairing of dreamy affection between two lovely intellectuals with a near-cosmic cuteness. From their first smiles at each other one night at a stuffy college bar, the two form the axle of “The Theory of Everything,” a story that quickly changes from that of a love story.
Whilst working on his doctorate, Hawking is diagnosed with a moto neuron disease,...
- 11/14/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – For the pack of horror fans who mourn the “PG-13” toothlessness of the teen wolf, the limited-release film “Wolves” tries to reclaim the character with slow-mo, WWE-with-claws fight scenes and some sprinkles of brief softcore wolf porn. If that’s all one could ask for from a werewolf movie, you probably can’t be blocked from giving this one a curious look; however if you’re trepidatious of a plainly junky, R-rated reaction to “The Twilight Saga,” perhaps you can be stopped.
Rating: 1.5/5.0
“Wolves” presents its lead Cayden (a stiff Lucas Till) well into his transition as a teenage wolf. However, he’s not a cool teen wolf like the one played by Michael J. Fox who dazzled classmates with his basketball dunks, but one that scares the town senseless. He eventually runs away after getting too wolf-y with his girlfriend and then killing his parents in the same hormonal rage,...
Rating: 1.5/5.0
“Wolves” presents its lead Cayden (a stiff Lucas Till) well into his transition as a teenage wolf. However, he’s not a cool teen wolf like the one played by Michael J. Fox who dazzled classmates with his basketball dunks, but one that scares the town senseless. He eventually runs away after getting too wolf-y with his girlfriend and then killing his parents in the same hormonal rage,...
- 11/13/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The haunting setting of Guantanamo Bay is used for elementary emotional effect in “Camp X-Ray,” a prison drama electrified more by its performances than its hopes of a profound narrative about the interactions between gatekeeper and captive.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
In a role that further expands her dramatic potential, Kristen Stewart stars as Cole, a member of the United States Military Police Corps assigned to the ethics battle within Gitmo. Soon after stepping into her new workspace, she is sternly warned about its different moral conditions to those of regular prisons: Per the definitions in the Geneva Convention, the men locked up here are known as “detainees,” not prisoners; most aggressively, these inmates are considered as part of an active war against America, though their reasons for such acts are rarely discussed. Taking on aggression as a character feature to the role she must play as a guard, Cole works the different cell blocks,...
Rating: 2.5/5.0
In a role that further expands her dramatic potential, Kristen Stewart stars as Cole, a member of the United States Military Police Corps assigned to the ethics battle within Gitmo. Soon after stepping into her new workspace, she is sternly warned about its different moral conditions to those of regular prisons: Per the definitions in the Geneva Convention, the men locked up here are known as “detainees,” not prisoners; most aggressively, these inmates are considered as part of an active war against America, though their reasons for such acts are rarely discussed. Taking on aggression as a character feature to the role she must play as a guard, Cole works the different cell blocks,...
- 11/7/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Four years later, and the change that lamentably only comes from the casualties of life and livelihood has not reached the Gulf of Mexico. Director Margaret Brown’s documentary compassionately bestows a disillusioned voice to the affected individuals, from oil riggers to oyster shuckers, whose reliance on the gulf’s livelihood was devastated when Bp spilled a total of 176 million gallons of oil over 87 days starting on April 20, 2010.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
One perspective begins with a home video. Lead oil rigger Doug Brown shares with “The Great Invisible’s” viewers the informal footage he made inside the “Titanic”-like rig Deepwater Horizon, before its explosion killed eleven men and caused the devastating spill (the rig was owned by Transocean, and then leased by Bp). Brown and others (like Stephen Stone, who still has his lifejacket) provide their during-and-after stories of survival, which have now become epilogues of bare compassion from their employers,...
Rating: 3.5/5.0
One perspective begins with a home video. Lead oil rigger Doug Brown shares with “The Great Invisible’s” viewers the informal footage he made inside the “Titanic”-like rig Deepwater Horizon, before its explosion killed eleven men and caused the devastating spill (the rig was owned by Transocean, and then leased by Bp). Brown and others (like Stephen Stone, who still has his lifejacket) provide their during-and-after stories of survival, which have now become epilogues of bare compassion from their employers,...
- 11/6/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago - Dan Harmon does not look very good in his documentary “Harmontown,” which is probably why he agreed to the project. The creator of NBC’s cult comedy “Community” is presented wantonly in this documentation of his tour across America to interact with his fans through live recordings of his podcast “Harmontown.”
Director Neil Berkeley (2012’s “Beauty is Embarrassing”) has created a different yet lacking type of tour film, as it whittles a revered showman to a representation of his polarizing elements; of the self-loathing narcissism that defines Harmon.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
The spectacle of Berkeley’s film is Harmon’s podcast, which aside from Harmon’s GoPro & mirror confessions, provides a physical representation of what being inside Harmon’s head is like. As Harmon comes to comedic life by sauntering onstage to be his unapologetic self for an enthused crowd, he interacts with co-host (and actor) Jeff B. Davis, who...
Director Neil Berkeley (2012’s “Beauty is Embarrassing”) has created a different yet lacking type of tour film, as it whittles a revered showman to a representation of his polarizing elements; of the self-loathing narcissism that defines Harmon.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
The spectacle of Berkeley’s film is Harmon’s podcast, which aside from Harmon’s GoPro & mirror confessions, provides a physical representation of what being inside Harmon’s head is like. As Harmon comes to comedic life by sauntering onstage to be his unapologetic self for an enthused crowd, he interacts with co-host (and actor) Jeff B. Davis, who...
- 10/31/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Some say, to use a Fox News term, that America is “post-racial.” The election of Barack Obama is supposed to have ended the debate on race, and any marginalization because of race. Of course, that is not possible in society and culture, and it’s articulated in writer/director Justin Simien’s new film, “Dear White People.”
The film is set at a fictional elite college, where the African-American population is small and highly educated. The stereotypes still dog them, especially from the clueless – and also supposedly well-educated – white students on campus. With a talented cast, the breakdown of how farcical “post-racial” is becomes apparent within the film, and Justin Simien creates a statement of principle that echoes beyond the production.
Tyler James Williams (center) and the Cast of ‘Dear White People’
Photo credit: Lionsgate
HollywoodChicago.com met with writer/director Simien during the Chicago International Film Festival earlier this month,...
The film is set at a fictional elite college, where the African-American population is small and highly educated. The stereotypes still dog them, especially from the clueless – and also supposedly well-educated – white students on campus. With a talented cast, the breakdown of how farcical “post-racial” is becomes apparent within the film, and Justin Simien creates a statement of principle that echoes beyond the production.
Tyler James Williams (center) and the Cast of ‘Dear White People’
Photo credit: Lionsgate
HollywoodChicago.com met with writer/director Simien during the Chicago International Film Festival earlier this month,...
- 10/30/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – A new voice has everyone’s attention with the shaking-head comedy “Dear White People,” a necessary “Wake Up!” to a melting pot nation that still needs to get itself together, even if a black president is in the White House.
Razor-sharp satire is the weapon that debut writer/director Justin Simien aims at a society that still exhibits behavior both unconsciously and consciously, both embarrassing (fascination with black hair) and grotesque (the party life’s appropriation of blackface). Equally heated and hilarious, “Dear White People” shares with a wide audience necessary criticism in the never-ending discussion about race.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The microcosm of “Dear White People” is an Ivy League school, where four black students are confronted with situations of self vs. identity. Sam (Tessa Thompson) is an outspoken student who challenges her fellow students through her schoolwork (a short film titled “Rebirth of a Nation”) and radio show of...
Razor-sharp satire is the weapon that debut writer/director Justin Simien aims at a society that still exhibits behavior both unconsciously and consciously, both embarrassing (fascination with black hair) and grotesque (the party life’s appropriation of blackface). Equally heated and hilarious, “Dear White People” shares with a wide audience necessary criticism in the never-ending discussion about race.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The microcosm of “Dear White People” is an Ivy League school, where four black students are confronted with situations of self vs. identity. Sam (Tessa Thompson) is an outspoken student who challenges her fellow students through her schoolwork (a short film titled “Rebirth of a Nation”) and radio show of...
- 10/24/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Director Eduardo Sánchez has found one bizarre way to commemorate the rogue nature of his horror film “The Blair Witch Project” for its 15-year-anniversary - by crafting an analogously lesser movie with the very rulebook he defied in 1999. In turn, his new Bigfoot found footage film “Exists” becomes a minimal horror project for the GoPro camera era that doesn’t have much of a life of its own outside of its “Blair Witch Project” context.
Rating: 1.5/5.0
The text from the very beginning of the “Exists” clues audiences into the number of recorded sightings regarding Bigfoot, a statistic that could be as fudged as when “Blair Witch Project” actor Joshua Leonard was reported as “missing, presumed dead” on his IMDb page. Sanchez has a generic batch of attractive and camera-savvy twenty-somethings (Dora Madison Burge, Denise Williamson, Roger Edwards, Samuel Davis, Chris Osborn) encounter this woods creature pretty quickly in the movie,...
Rating: 1.5/5.0
The text from the very beginning of the “Exists” clues audiences into the number of recorded sightings regarding Bigfoot, a statistic that could be as fudged as when “Blair Witch Project” actor Joshua Leonard was reported as “missing, presumed dead” on his IMDb page. Sanchez has a generic batch of attractive and camera-savvy twenty-somethings (Dora Madison Burge, Denise Williamson, Roger Edwards, Samuel Davis, Chris Osborn) encounter this woods creature pretty quickly in the movie,...
- 10/22/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Actor William H. Macy’s directorial debut “Rudderless” is a film of open mic songwriting that tackles a recovery from grief with neat lyrics and easy metaphors. Instead of standing out, Macy has provided another sap’s ballad that has the cuteness of “Kumbaya”, one that aims to please the crowd without challenging emotions, only presenting them.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
“Rudderless” is indeed the story of a man finding his direction, albeit through the music and lyrics of his late son Joshua (Miles Heizer). Two years after losing his son to a school shooting, disillusioned father and ex-husband Sam (Billy Crudup) lives alone on a boat that indeed does not have a rudder. He has abandoned his fancy corporate job to become a house painter. When his ex-wife Emily (Felicity Huffman) gives him the remaining items belonging to their son, Sam discovers a batch of demos made by Josh that no one has ever heard before.
Rating: 2.0/5.0
“Rudderless” is indeed the story of a man finding his direction, albeit through the music and lyrics of his late son Joshua (Miles Heizer). Two years after losing his son to a school shooting, disillusioned father and ex-husband Sam (Billy Crudup) lives alone on a boat that indeed does not have a rudder. He has abandoned his fancy corporate job to become a house painter. When his ex-wife Emily (Felicity Huffman) gives him the remaining items belonging to their son, Sam discovers a batch of demos made by Josh that no one has ever heard before.
- 10/21/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – “Garfield, maybe” was the sole utterance of regret that iconic actor/prolific movie-golfer Bill Murray expressed in 2009’s “Zombieland” before he died. Should the adoration for this cameo resurrect him for that film’s announced sequel, Murray will hopefully denounce “St. Vincent,” his most needless and perverse career choice since vocally birthing “Garfield” (and yes, that includes getting a handjob as Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 2012’s also terrible “Hyde Park on Hudson”).
Rating: 1.5/5.0
Unpromising writer/director Ted Melfi’s “St. Vincent” is a film that is so ordinary with its story construction that its only substantial charm is indeed Murray’s casting. And yet, this selling point does not need a film like this to please a crowd, as he thrills people even by starring in numerous Bs urban legends. Though this shiny film won’t go away any time soon, “St. Vincent” is best taken as another joke project from Murray,...
Rating: 1.5/5.0
Unpromising writer/director Ted Melfi’s “St. Vincent” is a film that is so ordinary with its story construction that its only substantial charm is indeed Murray’s casting. And yet, this selling point does not need a film like this to please a crowd, as he thrills people even by starring in numerous Bs urban legends. Though this shiny film won’t go away any time soon, “St. Vincent” is best taken as another joke project from Murray,...
- 10/17/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The 50th Chicago International Film Festival of 2014 gets into gear this week, with a line-up of films from all over the world. The festival breaks down these films in several categories, including the Main Competition, New Directors, Docufest, Out-Look (Lgbt), World Cinema, After Dark and Spotlight Scandinavia.
HollywoodChicago.com contributors Nick Allen and Patrick McDonald have been sampling the best of the festival, and offers this preview of the first midweek selections in the two week cinema extravaganza. Each capsule is designated with Na (Nick Allen) or Pm (Patrick McDonald), to indicate the author.
Centerpiece Film “The Last 5 Years”
Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick in ‘The Last 5 Years’
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
The musical is back, featuring Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick belting out tunes! Based on an Off-Broadway hit that had its roots in Chicago, this all-singing look at a dissolving marriage has moments of inspiration.
HollywoodChicago.com contributors Nick Allen and Patrick McDonald have been sampling the best of the festival, and offers this preview of the first midweek selections in the two week cinema extravaganza. Each capsule is designated with Na (Nick Allen) or Pm (Patrick McDonald), to indicate the author.
Centerpiece Film “The Last 5 Years”
Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick in ‘The Last 5 Years’
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
The musical is back, featuring Jeremy Jordan and Anna Kendrick belting out tunes! Based on an Off-Broadway hit that had its roots in Chicago, this all-singing look at a dissolving marriage has moments of inspiration.
- 10/14/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The 2014 edition, the 50th Chicago International Film Festival, kicks off tonight on October 9th. The premiere film will be “Miss Julie,” an adaptation of the August Strindberg play adapted and directed by Liv Ullmann. The first weekend promises a scintillating variety of cinema indulgences.
HollywoodChicago.com contributors Nick Allen and Patrick McDonald have been sampling the festival offerings, and provide this preview to cover the first four days of the event. The depth and breadth of the films is a reminder to participate in the variety of the Festival, especially if interested in a particular country, for their cinema is a glimpse into their culture. Each capsule is designated with Na (Nick Allen) or Pm (Patrick McDonald), to indicate the author.
Opening Night “Miss Julie”
Jessica Chastain in ‘Miss Julie’
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
Liv Ullmann, the legendary Swedish actress – and muse to director Ingmar Bergman – directs her fifth feature film,...
HollywoodChicago.com contributors Nick Allen and Patrick McDonald have been sampling the festival offerings, and provide this preview to cover the first four days of the event. The depth and breadth of the films is a reminder to participate in the variety of the Festival, especially if interested in a particular country, for their cinema is a glimpse into their culture. Each capsule is designated with Na (Nick Allen) or Pm (Patrick McDonald), to indicate the author.
Opening Night “Miss Julie”
Jessica Chastain in ‘Miss Julie’
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
Liv Ullmann, the legendary Swedish actress – and muse to director Ingmar Bergman – directs her fifth feature film,...
- 10/9/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – “Jimi: All Is by My Side” shows the Jimi Hendrix experience without having the rights to the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It’s an unofficial rumination that doesn’t have any Hendrix songs, and it focuses on a more day-in-the-life perspective of the rock star, albeit in a career period that would be scooted over through montage in any other film. The endeavor is ambitious in its desires, and stands out most of all for its experimental nature than it does for trying to achieve a truth higher than fact.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
The time is between 1966 and 1967, before Hendrix stormed Monterey Pop Festival, and the place is London. Jimi (played by André Benjamin, known as André 3000 in Outkast) has been discovered by a girlfriend of Keith Richards named Linda Keith (Imogen Poots), who sees the potential in a guitarist one night that is only adding color to a soul band.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
The time is between 1966 and 1967, before Hendrix stormed Monterey Pop Festival, and the place is London. Jimi (played by André Benjamin, known as André 3000 in Outkast) has been discovered by a girlfriend of Keith Richards named Linda Keith (Imogen Poots), who sees the potential in a guitarist one night that is only adding color to a soul band.
- 9/26/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – “Do you ever wonder if the things that are meant to connect us … actually disconnect us?” This cheesy hypothesis as found in many millennial dramas has only caused the film world go to in circles about the quandary of handheld screens and social media. With its cool air, John Curran’s low-key adventure “Tracks” takes a line straight through that argument, providing a story of disconnection from distraction as set in a world when Apple products were only gadgets on re-runs of “Star Trek.”
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The story of “Tracks” is a true one, and follows free-spirit Robyn Davidson (Mia Wasikowska), a young woman in 1970s Australia who dreams of crossing 1,7000 miles through the western desert with four camels and her dog, while carrying only the necessities, like a compass. To get funding for the venture, she appeals to National Geographic Magazine, who agrees to fund her ambitious venture so...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The story of “Tracks” is a true one, and follows free-spirit Robyn Davidson (Mia Wasikowska), a young woman in 1970s Australia who dreams of crossing 1,7000 miles through the western desert with four camels and her dog, while carrying only the necessities, like a compass. To get funding for the venture, she appeals to National Geographic Magazine, who agrees to fund her ambitious venture so...
- 9/26/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Opening at Chicago’s Music Box Theater this weekend is a full-length musical conceived by Stuart Murdoch, the lead singer of indie pop darlings Belle & Sebastian, making his debut as a writer/director. Surpassing the notion of a concept album, Murdoch has engineered a vibrant experience that is missing all but the introduction of a new dance move.
Directly similar to the music he created with Belle & Sebastian, “God Help the Girl” starts with poppy intent and then stands out with a few curveballs, ultimately making for some lovely pop sweetness.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
This Scotland musical is light on its feet regarding tone and also narrative. Australian transplant Eve (Emily Browning) is a music-lover and songwriter who sneaks out of her anorexia treatment to spend time playing music in the city, hanging out with new friend James (Olly Alexander). Along with his sister Cassie (Hannah Murray), the three try to...
Directly similar to the music he created with Belle & Sebastian, “God Help the Girl” starts with poppy intent and then stands out with a few curveballs, ultimately making for some lovely pop sweetness.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
This Scotland musical is light on its feet regarding tone and also narrative. Australian transplant Eve (Emily Browning) is a music-lover and songwriter who sneaks out of her anorexia treatment to spend time playing music in the city, hanging out with new friend James (Olly Alexander). Along with his sister Cassie (Hannah Murray), the three try to...
- 9/19/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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