CHICAGO– The term “in like Flynn” still gets used, when delusional dudes think they have the score. The saying is a product of former matinee idol Errol Flynn, whose tastes in young girls inspired the saying. Kevin Kline portrays him, and his tastes, in “The Last of Robin Hood.”

Rating: 3.5/5.0

This is a decent character study – written and directed by the tandem of Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland – but has no real dramatic arcs or mysteries solved. However, there is plenty of bizarre 1950s-style tabloid coverage to drink in, and Susan Sarandon is gunning for Meryl Streep’s stranglehold on playing woman character roles of a certain age. Her mother role is delicious, and gives her a chance to be drunk and disorderly. Kline is perfectly suited for the aging Errol Flynn, much as he portrayed the aging Cole Porter and Douglas Fairbanks in previous films. He has the old-timey star look and attitude, and creates a world-weary persona for Flynn that matches his supernova in decline.

The film opens with death of Flynn, at the ripe old age of 50. The press are hounding the woman whose arms Flynn expired in. Beverly Aadland (Dakota Fanning) is a deer-in-the-headlights girlfriend of the dead star, and her young age and delicate nature is tested by the circumstance. She is estranged from her mother Florence (Sarandon), who doesn’t mind sharing the story of her daughter’s affairs with a reporter.

The tale is of Errol Flynn, long past his film star status, hitting on Beverly while she works as chorus girl at the Warner Bros. Studio. She has a fake birth certificate that says she is 18 years old, when in fact she is 15. This truth does not prevent Flynn from seducing her – his penchant for very young women being documented – and her mother gives the blessing. This bizarre threesome interact over the last two years of Flynn’s life, until he dies in Beverly’s arms.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Last of Robin Hood”

Beverly Aadland (Dakota Fanning) is ‘In’ with Errol Flynn (Kevin Kline) for ‘The Last of Robin Hood’
Photo credit: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Last of Robin Hood”

CHICAGO– In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the sequel “Dolphin Tale 2” starring Harry Connick Jr.!

“Dolphin Tale 2,” which opens on Sept. 12, 2014, also stars Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Julia Winter, Bethany Hamilton, Austin Stowell, Austin Highsmith, Denisea Wilson, Juliana Harkavy and Betsy Landin from writer and director Charles Martin Smith based on characters by Karen Janszen.

To win your free “Dolphin Tale 2” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Monday, Sept. 8, 2014 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!

Preferably, use your computer to enter rather than your smartphone.
If you must enter on your smartphone, click “Go to Full Site” at the bottom of the page.
If viewing this page on your computer, make sure you allow pop-ups.
Deadline: Entries can continue being submitted through Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014
at 5 p.m. CST. These Hookup winners will be awarded via e-mail that night.
If necessary: To see your entry count on a repeat visit, submit your name and e-mail again.
If you have trouble submitting your entry below, please e-mail Adam Fendelman.

Here is the synopsis for “Dolphin Tale 2”:

“Dolphin Tale 2” continues the story of the brave dolphin Winter whose miraculous rescue and rehabilitation – thanks to the invention of a groundbreaking prosthetic tail – made her a symbol of perseverance to people around the world and inspired the 2011 family hit movie “Dolphin Tale”.

Several years have passed since young Sawyer Nelson (Gamble) and the dedicated team at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) – headed by Dr. Clay Haskett (Connick, Jr.) – rescued Winter. Winter is a young dolphin who lost her tail after being entangled in a crab trap.

With the help of Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Freeman), who developed a unique prosthetic tail for Winter, they saved her life against all odds. In turn, she helped save the aquarium and people came from far and wide to see the courageous dolphin. This enabled CMA to greatly expand their mission to “rescue, rehabilitate and, when possible, release” injured animals. Yet their fight is not over.

Winter’s surrogate mother, the elderly dolphin Panama, passes away. This leaves Winter alone and grieving and unwilling to engage with anyone – even her best friend, Sawyer.

However, the loss of Panama may have even greater repercussions for CMA. The USDA warns Clay they will have to move Winter from the aquarium because regulations require these social creatures to be paired. If they don’t find a female companion for her – one that she accepts – CMA will lose their beloved Winter. But as time runs out, there may still be hope…

The movie poster for “Dolphin Tale 2” starring Harry Connick Jr.
Image credit: Warner Bros.

This HollywoodChicago.com Hookup is simple! Just get interactive in our social media widget above. We will award 50 admit-two movie tickets based on social entry numbers and/or randomly via e-mail for our “Dolphin Tale 2” Hookup. Good luck!

NO-SHOWPOLICY
HollywoodChicago.com works hard to coordinate our giveaways for you with the movie studios. If you enter to win and are fortunate enough to be awarded, we expect you to attend. If you reply saying you can’t attend – or don’t show up at all without notifying us – that opportunity goes to waste and another lucky HollywoodChicago.com winner misses out on enjoying what you would have. We use various forms of tracking technologies to know whether or not you attended. When you win and don’t attend, reputation points will be counted against you and you’ll win less frequently. If you enter to win, please make sure you can attend if you do win. Thank you.

DISCLAIMER
Winners must arrive early as seats are consumed on a first-come, first-served basis. Since showings are slightly overbooked to ensure a full house, winners are not guaranteed entrance and must arrive early. We recommend arriving at least 45 minutes before the showing’s scheduled start time. HollywoodChicago.com LLC is a promotional partner with the studio and its partners and does not assume any liability for this giveaway. HollywoodChicago.com is not responsible for errors or omissions entered in user submissions. Comments are closed in this Hookup.

By ADAMFENDELMAN Publisher HollywoodChicago.com adam@hollywoodchicago.com

CHICAGO– In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 30 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new thriller “The Guest” starring Dan Stevens from the director of “V/H/S” and “V/H/S/2”!

“The Guest,” which opens on Sept. 17, 2014 and is rated “R,” also stars Sheila Kelley, Maika Monroe, Ethan Embry, Joel David Moore, Candice Patton, Lance Reddick, Brendan Meyer, Chase Williamson and Tara Elliott from director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett. Note: As this film is rated “R,” you must be 17+ to win this Hookup.

To win your free “The Guest” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!

Preferably, use your computer to enter rather than your smartphone.
If you must enter on your smartphone, click “Go to Full Site” at the bottom of the page.
If viewing this page on your computer, make sure you allow pop-ups.
Deadline: Entries can continue being submitted through Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014
at 5 p.m. CST. These Hookup winners will be awarded via e-mail that night.
If necessary: To see your entry count on a repeat visit, submit your name and e-mail again.
If you have trouble submitting your entry below, please e-mail Adam Fendelman.

Here is the synopsis for “The Guest”:

David is the perfect guest. Friendly and helpful, this young soldier arrives on the doorstep of the Peterson family – claiming to be a good friend of their beloved son who died in action.

The Petersons welcome David into their home and into their lives, but when people start mysteriously dying in town, their teenage daughter Anna starts wondering if David is responsible. Distributed by Picturehouse, “The Guest” visits theaters on Sept. 17, 2014.

The movie poster for “The Guest” starring Dan Stevens.
Image credit: Picturehouse

This HollywoodChicago.com Hookup is simple! Just get interactive in our social media widget above. We will award 30 admit-two movie tickets based on social entry numbers and/or randomly via e-mail for our “The Guest” Hookup. Good luck!

NO-SHOWPOLICY
HollywoodChicago.com works hard to coordinate our giveaways for you with the movie studios. If you enter to win and are fortunate enough to be awarded, we expect you to attend. If you reply saying you can’t attend – or don’t show up at all without notifying us – that opportunity goes to waste and another lucky HollywoodChicago.com winner misses out on enjoying what you would have. We use various forms of tracking technologies to know whether or not you attended. When you win and don’t attend, reputation points will be counted against you and you’ll win less frequently. If you enter to win, please make sure you can attend if you do win. Thank you.

DISCLAIMER
Winners must arrive early as seats are consumed on a first-come, first-served basis. Since showings are slightly overbooked to ensure a full house, winners are not guaranteed entrance and must arrive early. We recommend arriving at least 45 minutes before the showing’s scheduled start time. HollywoodChicago.com LLC is a promotional partner with the studio and its partners and does not assume any liability for this giveaway. HollywoodChicago.com is not responsible for errors or omissions entered in user submissions. Comments are closed in this Hookup.

By ADAMFENDELMAN Publisher HollywoodChicago.com adam@hollywoodchicago.com

CHICAGO– When sequels are made, they are rarely better than the original and often have different cast members. “Dolphin Tale 2” defies both of those conventions, and the returning cast delivers the goods – including Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr., and the teenage actors Nathan Gamble and Cozi Zuehlsdorff.

Both 17-year-old actors are experienced veterans in show business, and both began when they were eight years old. The first “Dolphin Tale” film was Zuehlsdorff’s debut, and Gamble had his first movie role in the Best Picture Oscar nominated “Babel” in 2006. Zuehlsdorff can also be found on the Disney Channel’s “Mighty Med” TV series, and Gamble had kid roles in “Marley and Me” and “The Dark Knight.”

Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Nathan Gamble of ‘Dolphin Tale 2’
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

The two bright and intelligent actors sat down to talk with HollywoodChicago.com, regarding “Dolphin Tale 2” and their careers, including a lively debate on the type of fish “The Incredible Mr. Limpet” was. Suffice to say that the 17-year-old actress was correct, and the aging film critic was wrong.

HollywoodChicago.com: What have you both learned about marine biology and dolphins in general since you’ve now done two films?

Cozi Zuehlsdorff: We’ve got our degrees! [laughs]

Nathan Gamble: For me, they surprise me each time you get in the water with them, in how easy it is to connect with them. They are very human-like, and I treated Winter just like any human co-star. These creatures have nothing to compare themselves to, because they are so different and so unique.

Zuehlsdorff: And it was cool, as you mentioned, that we learned so much science behind them, through working with the trainers and doing background on our dialogue in the scripts. We learned even more in the second film, especially regarding the anatomy of the dolphin and how their lives are.

HollywoodChicago.com: This might sound strange, but what have you both learned about being actors by interacting with a dolphin?

Gamble: When I did the first film, I thought, ‘oh I’m going to be working with an animal.’ Now my attitude is that I’d act with them like I act with Harry Connick Jr. or Morgan Freeman. They are that sociable.

Zuehlsdorff: I can see it with Nathan and myself, with Winter and Hope [the dolphins]. But also, something I learned from underwater acting, is that if you do a smile happily that it’s magnified, so you look strange. You have to learn to do a half smile, then it translated to normal. The underwater perspective inflates you. [laughs]

HollywoodChicago.com: What was the easiest part of portraying Sawyer and Hazel this time, and what was the most difficult part?

Zuehlsdorff: What was easiest is that Charles Martin Smith wrote and directed the second one so beautifully, that I actually slipped into the feelings that you get when you’re a teenager, trying to understand about being an individual. The hardest part for me was being angry for a portion of the film. I’m not that kind of person.

Gamble: The dialogue in the film was so easy to latch onto. The hardest part is that although Sawyer has broken from his shell a little more, he’s still a reserved and shy person. I’m not that at all.

Zuehlsdorff: That was great acting, because I’ve never known you to be shy in your real life.

Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Harry Connick Jr. and Morgan Freeman in ‘Dolphin Tale 2’
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

HollywoodChicago.com: This is Charles Martin Smith’s movie, since this time he wrote the script, directed it and had a small part. What felt different about this sequel than the first one because of Mr. Smith’s influence this time?

Zuehlsdorff: It didn’t feel that different. Charles was as involved in the first one as this one. He commits to the dialogue, and he immerses himself in the experience. He makes sure the whole experience is immersive, so we feel very comfortable. We can place ourselves in the scene exactly how he imagines it. You end up trusting him, because of that, because he knows what colors he wants.

HollywoodChicago.com: Cozi, since both you and Harry Connick are play the piano, how has he helped you with keyboard technique and how have you helped him as an actor?

Zuehlsdorff: I showed Harry the ropes. [laughs] I don’t think I helped Harry as an actor that much, except that it’s easy for him to have a daughter on screen because he has three in real life. Can you imagine me helping Harry with acting? Never. [laughs] Regarding keyboard technique, he showed me some bass notes and jazz play. You couldn’t ask for a better music mentor.

HollywoodChicago.com: Nathan, one of your major scenes in “Dolphin Tale 2” is with Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman. How has being around this top level cast of actors, including Ashley Judd, Harry Connick and Kris Kristofferson, allowed you to absorb their techniques and ways of approaching acting?

Gamble: Each actor has different qualities that I learned from – Ashley gave me so much in each scene, she really is a phenomenal actor, and makes each take a new version of the scene. This gave me, as a newer actor, something to feed off on. With Morgan, he is the kind of person you want by your side in any scene, because he’s ‘Morgan Freeman.’ That was very special. Working with him one-on-one was a dream come true.

HollywoodChicago.com: Cozi, it said in your biography that you were home schooled. What curiosity do you have about kids who have gone through the regular school system, and what advantages do you think you have because you were homeschooled?

Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Nathan Gamble in Chicago, August 22, 2014 Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

Zuehlsdorff: I have some good friends who do public school, and I am very interested in what it’s like – especially in comparison to the movies I’ve seen about it. [laughs] Seriously, that’s all I know. There are many advantages, I work at my own pace so I control my free time. I had to really learn self-motivation. Most people tell me ‘I’d love to stay home all day and watch TV in my pajamas.’ The myth of the pajamas happens to be true, [laughs] but everything else is about self motivation. You determine how awesome your education can be, in many ways.

HollywoodChicago.com: Nathan, you’ve played enough characters now to answer this question. Which of those other people felt closest to who you are, and why?

Gamble: I did this film in Canada called ‘The Hole’ [2009], directed by Joe Dante. I portrayed this loud, obnoxious and quirky 12-year-old. I definitely related to him.

Zuehlsdorff: Are you calling yourself loud and obnoxious?

Gamble: I can be sometimes.

HollywoodChicago.com: Which movie dolphin do you think will eventually be the most legendary and why – Flipper, The Incredible Mr. Limpet or Winter?

Zuehlsdorff: The Incredible Mr. Limpet is a fish, not a dolphin.

HollywoodChicago.com: What?

Zuehlsdorff: The Incredible Mr. Limpet was played by Don Knotts, and he was a fish.

HollywoodChicago.com: I guess I’ll have to look it up. I’m being homeschooled [Mr. Limpet is a tilefish].

Gamble: That’s more than I knew. I’ve never even heard of The Incredible Mr. Limpet.

Zuehlsdorff: Okay, definitely Winter will be the most famous, because she is the only one out of all of them that is inspirational.

HollywoodChicago.com: You’re telling me Flipper is not inspirational?

By PATRICK McDONALD Senior Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com

LOSANGELES– He was 7 foot 2 inches tall, an imposing figure that made for one of the most memorable James Bond villains. Richard Kiel portrayed “Jaws” in two Bond films – “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker” – and left an unforgettable mark as a character actor with a distinctive look and persona. Richard Kiel died at age 74 on September 10th, 2014.

Richard Kiel in 2010
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Richard Kiel was born in Detroit, Michigan, and made his first appearance in the TV show “Laramie” in 1960. Throughout the 1960s, he made appearances in low budget horror movies and television, most notably in a famous episode of “The Twilight Zone,” entitled “To Serve Man,” and in the TV series “The Wild, Wild West.” It was a western series in the 1970s, “The Barbary Coast,” that caught the attention of the Bond producers, and the villain Jaws was born.

After his Bond escapades, Kiel made character appearances in “Cannonball Run II” (1984), “Pale Rider” (1985) and “Happy Gilmore” (1996). He co-wrote and produced a family film called “The Giant of Thunder Mountain” in 1991, and did some voiceover work in 2010 for the Disney film, “Tangled.”

HollywoodChicago.com interviewed Richard Kiel in 2010, and the intelligent character actor goes beyond his image of the imposing giant.

HollywoodChicago.com: Since you did one of the most recognizable episodes of ‘The Twilight Zone,’ what did you admire about Rod Serling, as the writer and producer of that show?

Richard Kiel: He’s a great writer, but I never met him. I don’t think anyone who ever did a Twilight Zone ever met him. But he was smart, a great businessman and a great writer. I also want to note the casting on the show, because if you look at the line-up of the actors who did the Twilight Zone, they became TV and movie stars, from William Shatner to Robert Redford.

HollywoodChicago.com: You seemed to have a great relationship with Roger Moore in the James Bond movies. What are some of the incidents you remember that best characterizes Roger as Bond?

Kiel: Roger Moore is a wonderful person. The best way to describe Sir Roger now is that his heart is bigger than his ego. He is a team player, and he never cared if I stole a scene as long as it was entertaining.

I also loved his ad-libs. Like in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ when he’s standing on the running board of a car, and giving [co-star] Barbara Bach someone to look at, while she is driving and grinding the gears. [makes gear grinding noises] Roger just looked at her and said, ‘do you want me to drive?’ The look on her face, since it wasn’t a line in the movie, was shock. So the director asked for a close-up of Roger saying that, just because the look on her face was priceless.

In ‘Moonraker,’ when I’m chasing Roger and Lois Chiles [co-star] on the cable car, and they drop off their car and escape, Lois says ‘who is that?’ and Roger as Bond said, ‘his name is Jaws.’ Chiles line back was ‘do you know him?’ And Roger’s ad-lib was ‘not socially.’ [laughs] I love Roger’s sense of humor.

HollywoodChicago.com You authored a book about the abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay. What was the motivation behind choosing that subject?

Kiel: My wife is from the South, and the whole South has been broadbrushed with racism by shows like ‘Roots,’ the perception that all Southerners were whip wielders and nasty. The reality was that only seven percent of white people in the South owned slaves. The other 93% were victimized by slavery, in that they couldn’t make a living competing with free labor. The typical cook, painter and gardener were categorized as ‘poor white trash’ simply because they couldn’t make any money.

Cassius Clay realized this, became a legislator and published a paper called ‘The True America’ to convince the voters of Kentucky to put a moratorium on slavery. To prove his point, he taught his best friend growing up, an African American named George. how to read, write and play chess. He also made a very prophetic statement. He said that blacks need to be educated, because one day they are going to be part of our governing society. But at that time, he was considered a madman. His story is full of drama.

HollywoodChicago.com: Later, one of the more interesting films on your resume is ‘The Giant of Thunder Mountain’ [1991], which you wrote and produced. What motivated you to do this film?

Kiel: Well, I’ve experienced the prejudice of giants, so to speak, from mothers in supermarket lines, for example. If a little girl smiles at me, and I smile back, her mother would immediately pull her away. I thought it was all a product of stereotype casting. In real life, generally big guys are easy going and docile. The real bad guys are pretty short, like Adolph Hitler, Napoleon. [laughs] I thought it was a strange phenomenon, and I wanted to bring it out in the film.

Where we shot, Yosemite National Park, with the huge redwood trees, was an example of that. It really humbled me and and we thought it would be a neat thing to use in a film to measure how big creation really is.

By PATRICK McDONALD Senior Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com

CHICAGO– In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new dramatic comedy “This is Where I Leave You” starring Jason Bateman and Tina Fey!

“This is Where I Leave You,” which opens on Sept. 19, 2014 and is rated “R,” also stars Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Adam Driver, Timothy Olyphant, Kathryn Hahn, Corey Stoll, Connie Britton, Dax Shepard, Debra Monk, Abigail Spencer, Ben Schwartz and Aaron Lazar from director Shawn Levy and writer Jonathan Tropper based on the novel by Jonathan Tropper. Note: As this film is rated “R,” you must be 17+ to win this Hookup.

To win your free “This is Where I Leave You” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Monday, Sept. 15, 2014 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!

Preferably, use your computer to enter rather than your smartphone.
If you must enter on your smartphone, click “Go to Full Site” at the bottom of the page.
If viewing this page on your computer, make sure you allow pop-ups.
Deadline: Entries can continue being submitted through Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014
at 5 p.m. CST. These Hookup winners will be awarded via e-mail that night.
If necessary: To see your entry count on a repeat visit, submit your name and e-mail again.
If you have trouble submitting your entry below, please e-mail Adam Fendelman.

Here is the synopsis for “This is Where I Leave You”:

When their father passes away, four grown siblings – bruised and banged up by their respective adult lives – are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof together for a week with their oversharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes and might-have-beens.

Confronting their history and the frayed states of their relationships among the people who know and love them best, they ultimately reconnect in hysterical and emotionally affecting ways amid the chaos, humor, heartache and redemption that only families can provide – driving us insane even as they remind us of our truest and often best selves.

The movie poster for “This is Where I Leave You” starring Jason Bateman and Tina Fey.
Image credit: Warner Bros.

This HollywoodChicago.com Hookup is simple! Just get interactive in our social media widget above. We will award 40 admit-two movie tickets based on social entry numbers and/or randomly via e-mail for our “This is Where I Leave You” Hookup. Good luck!

NO-SHOWPOLICY
HollywoodChicago.com works hard to coordinate our giveaways for you with the movie studios. If you enter to win and are fortunate enough to be awarded, we expect you to attend. If you reply saying you can’t attend – or don’t show up at all without notifying us – that opportunity goes to waste and another lucky HollywoodChicago.com winner misses out on enjoying what you would have. We use various forms of tracking technologies to know whether or not you attended. When you win and don’t attend, reputation points will be counted against you and you’ll win less frequently. If you enter to win, please make sure you can attend if you do win. Thank you.

DISCLAIMER
Winners must arrive early as seats are consumed on a first-come, first-served basis. Since showings are slightly overbooked to ensure a full house, winners are not guaranteed entrance and must arrive early. We recommend arriving at least 45 minutes before the showing’s scheduled start time. HollywoodChicago.com LLC is a promotional partner with the studio and its partners and does not assume any liability for this giveaway. HollywoodChicago.com is not responsible for errors or omissions entered in user submissions. Comments are closed in this Hookup.

By ADAMFENDELMAN Publisher HollywoodChicago.com adam@hollywoodchicago.com

CHICAGO– They don’t come along often, the rare fun-for-the-whole-family film. But “Dolphin Tale 2” fits that description perfectly, throws in some idealistic symbolism, and more importantly follows those symbols through to the end.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

Yes, this is “inspired by a true story,” yet it’s not too far off from the real circumstances – it’s simply a hyper-realized version of the story. The dolphin named Winter, as we learned from the first film, was found in a net with its tail cut off. The Marine Biology institute nursed it back to health, and created a prosthetic appendage – much like a artificial limb for humans – so Winter could frolic anew. “Dolphin Tale 2” is a continuation of this inspiration, and writer/director Charles Martin Smith imbues the story with symbols of transition, for both the dolphins and human beings. This follows through to a glorious conclusion, uplifting and amazingly probable. That kind of truth works “for the whole family.”

The story begins a couple years after the first film. The dolphin named Winter is working nicely with an artificial tail, which was fashioned by a marine doctor named Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman). The Marine Biology institute is still run by Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.) and facilitated by his mid-teenage daughter Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff). The teenage discoverer of Winter, Sawyer (Nathan Gamble), works at the facility as a leadership intern, and is now well versed in Dolphin-ology.

Everything changes when Winter’s dolphin companion passes away, and she is left without a partner. The search for a new dolphin is complicated by the federal government, whose rules specifically state that Winter must be paired, or face transfer. Sawyer, in the meantime, is given the opportunity to leave home to study advance Marine Biology. There is tremendous pressure on all, until a baby dolphin washes up on shore, and is given the appropriate name of Hope.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Dolphin Tale 2”

Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff) and Sawyer (Nathan Gamble) of ‘Dolphin Tale 2’
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Dolphin Tale 2”

CHICAGO– For a film adapted from “Mystic River” and “Gone Baby Gone” author Dennis Lehane, there are no children in danger in “The Drop,” but there is a pit bull puppy named Rocco. The dog’s involvement in the story, an animal who gets as many closeups this side of a Charles Martin Smith film, invites the uncharacteristically blunt metaphor of how creatures fight for power, or even just the impression of power.

Dogs bark; thugs try to stand tall.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

“The Drop” tells of a neighborhood watering hole in Brooklyn owned by a guy nicknamed Cousin Marv (James Gandolfini), while his low-key cousin Bob (Tom Hardy) meekly tends the bar. Their lives are a microcosm of American small business in a 1% society, with Marv’s bar now owned by a Chechen gang. They use his place primarily as a “drop” to house their ever-exchanging bookkeep money. Even the church that Bob visits often without ever receiving communion is set to be torn down, the holy territory converted into condos.

Marv’s business is hit with a huge setback when it is robbed after being designated as a drop, a pulsing moment that doesn’t scare Marv and Bob, so much as leave them confused as to who would be naive enough to steal from their vicious boss. The Chechens start their own investigation, while Bob tries to dodge questions from a curious investigator (John Ortiz) of whom Bob also has a non-verbal acquaintanceship with at their shared church.

Bob’s quiet existence of living alone in his childhood home is complicated when he discovers an abandoned pit bull puppy in a trash can outside the house of a woman named Nadia (an underutilized Noomi Rapace), that he soon befriends. His impromptu pet Rocco brings him closer together with Nadia, but it also causes the sporadic visit from a strange ruffian (Matthias Schoenaerts) who often steps into Bob’s personal space, claiming to be the dog’s rightful owner.

Continue reading for Nick Allen’s full review of “The Drop”

‘The Drop’
Photo credit: Fox Searchlight

Continue reading for Nick Allen’s full review of “The Drop”

CHICAGO– Live from the movies, it’s Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig! The two “Saturday Night Live” veterans are “The Skeleton Twins,” and both have more to do than just be funny. There are moments that sink or swim, depending on the “Twins,” and those parts are greater than the narrative sum.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Each of the brother and sister characters are suicidal, but the background of this depression is brushed aside after it’s established, to create a more congenial and consistent homecoming theme. Hader and Wiig are up to the challenge of their roles, but the script by director Craig Johnson and Mark Heyman keep them at arm’s length from a more redemptive reality. There are some fine moments in “The Skeleton Twins,” – good enough for a better-than-average experience – but not good enough for a satisfying overall glimpse into their moment in time.

Maggie (Kristen Wiig) is facing an overdose of pills, a decisive moment of intention that is interrupted by a phone call. Her gay brother Milo (Bill Hader) has attempted suicide. As a result, Maggie must collect him in Los Angeles and take him back for recuperation on the East Coast, even though they haven’t seen each other in ten years. While he arrives, he finally meets Maggie’s husband Lance (Luke Wilson).

Milo insists that his attempt was a moment of madness, and it’s actually Maggie who is going through the most desperate crisis. She is a serial adulterer in her marriage, and hides birth control from a husband who wants a baby. Milo also looks up an old teacher named Rich (Ty Burrell of “Modern Family”), with whom he had his first gay affair while a teenager. It’s all about the healing, and hopefully everyone has the energy to do so.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Skeleton Twins”

Siblings Maggie (Kristen Wiig) and Milo (Bill Hader) in ‘The Skeleton Twins’
Photo credit: Roadside Attractions

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Skeleton Twins”

CHICAGO– In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated new sci-fi “The Maze Runner” starring Dylan O’Brien based on the best-selling novel!

“The Maze Runner,” which opens on Sept. 19, 2014 and is rated “PG-13,” also stars Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Aml Ameen, Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Dexter Darden, Kaya Scodelario, Chris Sheffield and Joe Adler from director Wes Ball and writers Noah Oppenheim, Grant Pierce Myers and T.S. Nowlin. The film is based on the novel by James Dashner.

To win your free “The Maze Runner” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!

Preferably, use your computer to enter rather than your smartphone.
If you must enter on your smartphone, click “Go to Full Site” at the bottom of the page.
If viewing this page on your computer, make sure you allow pop-ups.
Deadline: Entries can continue being submitted through Monday, Sept. 15, 2014
at 5 p.m. CST. These Hookup winners will be awarded via e-mail that night.
If necessary: To see your entry count on a repeat visit, submit your name and e-mail again.
If you have trouble submitting your entry below, please e-mail Adam Fendelman.

Here is the synopsis for “The Maze Runner”:

When Thomas wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D.
Only by piecing together fragments of his past with clues he discovers in the maze can Thomas hope to uncover his true purpose and a way to escape.

The movie poster for “The Maze Runner” starring Dylan O’Brien.
Image credit: 20th Century Fox

This HollywoodChicago.com Hookup is simple! Just get interactive in our social media widget above. We will award 40 admit-two movie tickets based on social entry numbers and/or randomly via e-mail for our “The Maze Runner” Hookup. Good luck!

NO-SHOWPOLICY
HollywoodChicago.com works hard to coordinate our giveaways for you with the movie studios. If you enter to win and are fortunate enough to be awarded, we expect you to attend. If you reply saying you can’t attend – or don’t show up at all without notifying us – that opportunity goes to waste and another lucky HollywoodChicago.com winner misses out on enjoying what you would have. We use various forms of tracking technologies to know whether or not you attended. When you win and don’t attend, reputation points will be counted against you and you’ll win less frequently. If you enter to win, please make sure you can attend if you do win. Thank you.

DISCLAIMER
Winners must arrive early as seats are consumed on a first-come, first-served basis. Since showings are slightly overbooked to ensure a full house, winners are not guaranteed entrance and must arrive early. We recommend arriving at least 45 minutes before the showing’s scheduled start time. HollywoodChicago.com LLC is a promotional partner with the studio and its partners and does not assume any liability for this giveaway. HollywoodChicago.com is not responsible for errors or omissions entered in user submissions. Comments are closed in this Hookup.

By ADAMFENDELMAN Publisher HollywoodChicago.com adam@hollywoodchicago.com

CHICAGO– In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated new mystery “A Walk Among the Tombstones” starring Liam Neeson!

“A Walk Among the Tombstones,” which opens on Sept. 19, 2014 and is rated “R,” also stars Dan Stevens, David Harbour, Maurice Compte, Laura Birn, Adam David Thompson, Kim Rosen, Eric Nelsen, Razane Jammal and Al Nazemian from writer and director Scott Frank based on the novel by Lawrence Block. Note: As this film is rated “R,” you must be 17+ to win this Hookup.

To win your free “A Walk Among the Tombstones” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!

Preferably, use your computer to enter rather than your smartphone.
If you must enter on your smartphone, click “Go to Full Site” at the bottom of the page.
If viewing this page on your computer, make sure you allow pop-ups.
Deadline: Entries can continue being submitted through Monday, Sept. 15, 2014
at 5 p.m. CST. These Hookup winners will be awarded via e-mail that night.
If necessary: To see your entry count on a repeat visit, submit your name and e-mail again.
If you have trouble submitting your entry below, please e-mail Adam Fendelman.

Here is the synopsis for “A Walk Among the Tombstones”:

Based on Lawrence Block’s best-selling series of mystery novels, “A Walk Among the Tombstones” stars Liam Neeson as Matt Scudder: an ex-NYPD cop who now works as an unlicensed private investigator operating just outside the law.

When Scudder reluctantly agrees to help a heroin trafficker (Dan Stevens) hunt down the men who kidnapped and then brutally murdered his wife, the PI learns that this is not the first time these men have committed this sort of twisted crime… nor will it be the last. Blurring the lines between right and wrong, Scudder races to track the deviants through the backstreets of New York City before they kill again.

Written and directed by Scott Frank (“The Lookout”), “A Walk Among the Tombstones” is produced by Jersey Films’ Danny DeVito, Double Feature Films’ Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher, Exclusive Media’s Tobin Armbrust and Cross Creek Pictures’ Brian Oliver. Universal will distribute the film in North America.

The movie poster for “A Walk Among the Tombstones” starring Liam Neeson.
Image credit: Universal Pictures

This HollywoodChicago.com Hookup is simple! Just get interactive in our social media widget above. We will award 25 admit-two movie tickets based on social entry numbers and/or randomly via e-mail for our “A Walk Among the Tombstones” Hookup. Good luck!

NO-SHOWPOLICY
HollywoodChicago.com works hard to coordinate our giveaways for you with the movie studios. If you enter to win and are fortunate enough to be awarded, we expect you to attend. If you reply saying you can’t attend – or don’t show up at all without notifying us – that opportunity goes to waste and another lucky HollywoodChicago.com winner misses out on enjoying what you would have. We use various forms of tracking technologies to know whether or not you attended. When you win and don’t attend, reputation points will be counted against you and you’ll win less frequently. If you enter to win, please make sure you can attend if you do win. Thank you.

DISCLAIMER
Winners must arrive early as seats are consumed on a first-come, first-served basis. Since showings are slightly overbooked to ensure a full house, winners are not guaranteed entrance and must arrive early. We recommend arriving at least 45 minutes before the showing’s scheduled start time. HollywoodChicago.com LLC is a promotional partner with the studio and its partners and does not assume any liability for this giveaway. HollywoodChicago.com is not responsible for errors or omissions entered in user submissions. Comments are closed in this Hookup.

By ADAMFENDELMAN Publisher HollywoodChicago.com adam@hollywoodchicago.com

CHICAGO– War is on the country’s mind once again, and in this week’s film releases, “The Guest” is coming to theaters. The main creative team behind it – lead actor Dan Stevens, screenwriter Simon Barrett and director Adam Wingard – weave a tale of a soldier that metaphorically reminds us that something is wrong.

Dan Stevens is a British actor, best known for portraying Matthew Crawley on the mega-popular “Downton Abbey.” His cool and collected returning soldier, the title character in the film, is effectively detached and present at the same. He will also be featured in the upcoming “A Walk Among the Tombstones.” The screenwriter/director team of Barrett and Wingard are horror story veterans, having contributed to segments in “V/H/S” and “V/H/S 2,” and having made the feature film scare, “You’re Next.” There is a maturity and reflection in “The Guest” that places it above normal scary movies, plus a purposeful tribute to the 1980s “Terminator” style of science fiction.

Dan Stevens Takes Aim in ‘The Guest’
Photo credit: Picturehouse

All three of the filmmaker participants sat down with HollywoodChicago.com, and spoke of the background iconography in the film, while still noting that what is within the story of “The Guest” is what makes the best statement about what the film is.

HollywoodChicago.com: Dan, how did you want to both honor the service of soldiers and show the character of David’s obvious backlash from the war?

Dan Stevens: As fantastical as this film is, we at least wanted to root it in at least one reality, in order to further explore the fantastical. One of the forms that has interested me – and this goes back to ancient texts like ‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey – was the very deep love that soldiers have for each other. If we are to believe David and the bond he has with Caleb, and since he goes to visit Caleb’s family because of this conditioning, he then can produce ways to assist them that are unorthodox.

One of the themes that excited me when I read the script – and what Simon was keen to explore – was in David going somewhere to help, but actually wreaking utter devastation. That can be applied to some global and political situations, and while we’re not making a direct comment on that. it certainly a backdrop.

Simon Barrett: Going somewhere to help and being perceived as the enemy is certainly a relevant thing right now. We didn’t want to overtly comment on that because none of us have served. But I did feel we were able to address it through the metaphor of a thriller movie. That was talked about at an early stage.

HollywoodChicago.com: Simon, what was the inspiration for the screenplay? How did you combine the peculiar post war energy of today’s veterans with the science fiction of the story?

Barrett: When I first conceived of the screenplay, it was back in 2007, while the Iraq War was still going on. There were a lot of films coming out of the industry that addressed the war, but mostly what they had to say was ‘this is bad.’ I was watching those films, and I thought a thriller would be interesting, but I didn’t know how to pull it off.

The idea of taking it into a science fiction direction came from a conversation with Adam about his love of ‘The Terminator.’ The tone of this type of 1980s style is when it clicked for me. Instead of having a veteran dealing with emotional issues, let’s have a guy with actual experimental conditioning, and it can serve as a metaphor for that stuff if you want it to, or it doesn’t have to if you’re not looking for it. If anything, you’re looking at a soldier who can shut down his emotions at will.

Director Adam Wingard, Screenwriter Simon Barrett On Set for ‘The Guest’
Photo credit: Picturehouse

HollywoodChicago.com: Adam, this is symbolic for so many issues having to do with the war – PTSD, veteran’s issues, even the gun fetish of some Americans. Besides the surface orientation of the story, what did you want to communicate about David’s plight and the plight of the family?

Adam Wingard: I don’t like to overly analyze things until they are completely over. You set up a lot of things, you know that they’re going to fall into place and you just have to trust that the subtext is there. As far as the plight of the family and David is very straightforward – it’s what you see on screen.

Stevens: From a cinematic point of view, though, it was a digestion and processing of the conflicts the film depicts. We’re all of a similar age, and we were all exposed to non-ironic glorification of a certain type of movie violence. There is as much of that in play as the direct depiction of actual confrontation.

Barrett: It’s different as to how the audience responds to David’s violence toward the high school bullies versus later in the film, when the violence takes on a much darker tone. Yet it’s the same character responding in the same way.

It was important that in addition, the family’s economic situation was shown. We knew we were making a fantastical situation, but there was also a father who didn’t have the best job – we wanted an accuracy there.

HollywoodChicago.com: Dan, as someone from Britain, you didn’t grow up with some of the American culture that was on display in ‘The Guest.’ Which element of the family and town life in the script particularly fascinated you, different from your culture or upbringing?

Stevens: We were exposed to the same things, just from a different angle. The American paradigm was everywhere in England, especially in the 1980s and ‘90s. It was the figure of the ‘High School Coach’ was a backdrop to my preparation for the film. His position as a patriarch is a curious phenomenon in America. Also, I’m learning about the U.S. state by state, and we shot near the desert in New Mexico. That was new to me, and I thrust myself into the landscape, both psychologically and visually.

HollywoodChicago.com: Simon, the government is interestingly and symbolically portrayed in ‘The Guest.’ It is said that technology always outpaces the killing aspect of war. What were you trying to say about that in regard to what David is?

Barrett: We were less interested in commenting on the government, than commenting on the government’s relationship to the corporations who are producing these defense systems. That relationship, between major defense corporations and the American government, is the bane of our existence now. The contractors seem to cause some of the tragedy.

Wingard: I’m fascinated with the classified nature of technology, we only find out about it much later. Whenever the government shows off something, like a new stealth aircraft, you’ve got to assume that the technology is completely out of date, or else why would they be showing it? The general American public, I think, is always 20 or 30 years behind the real technology of war.

HollywoodChicago.com: Adam, you use a Halloween ‘funhouse’ as a setting towards the end of the film. How were you going to use that judiciously, without just cheaply scaring people?

Dan Stevens, Simon Barrett & Adam Wingard of ‘The Guest’ Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

Wingard: The original ending of the script set the finale at the high school itself. But horribly unfortunate – but fortunate to the story – was the rash of spree shootings on campuses, so we couldn’t do anything like that in a high school. We had set up the time line for Halloween, but we didn’t have anything to tie it all together. That’s when the gears were shifted, and that’s where the Halloween funhouse concept came in.

I feel that ‘The Guest’ is Simon and I evolving away from straightforward horror. It was an opportunity to show we have a real knowledge and control over the horror elements, and we can look at it in a different perspective. In a way, the Halloween funhouse is a metaphor for the types of films we’ve made, it is a good time and not taking it too seriously. The whole thing is a fun ride, and we wanted to end it on that note.

HollywoodChicago.com: Despite all the research the three of you did regarding war and veterans, what do you think you or the average American citizen will never understand about a battle front, and how does that affect our attitude toward starting conflicts again?

Barrett: That question is best asked to someone who has actually experienced the terror of the battlefield.

Wingard: We’ve had scares in our lives, maybe even a near death experience, but in my mind you have to amplify that by a thousand to even get close to a war type of terror. I’ve watched a lot of World War II DVDs, there is something that fascinates me about that battleground. At the same time, I’m very glad I’ll never experience that – hopefully – but there always is going to be an aspect of me that wonders what that overwhelming sense of war’s explosive madness is like.

By PATRICK McDONALD Senior Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com

CHICAGO– The essential killing machine to protect the Homeland hasn’t been invented yet. Or has it? Filmmakers Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett combine “The Terminator” with a perfect metaphor for perpetual war in a new release, “The Guest.”

Rating: 4.5/5.0

British actor Dan Stevens plays a gee-whiz returning soldier from the Iraq conflict, dropping in on the household of a dead comrade. Director Wingard and screenwriter Barrett fashion a narrative in which the “guest” becomes a protector, offering solutions to the family’s problems. The packaging of the story is a slick reminder of James Cameron’s “The Terminator” and the Frankenstein myth, paired with a poignant metaphor for the break-it-bought-it mentality of America’s current Middle East circumstances. What seems like the guest’s “solutions” only generates more chaos, which is familiar in this week’s headlines. There are no solutions in fighting this war, only consequences.

David (Dan Stevens) is an Iraq War veteran who takes it upon himself to become the “guest” of his dead platoon mate’s family. Mother Laura (Sheila Kelley) is most accepting, but eventually David ingratiates himself within the entire household, which includes father Spencer (Leland Orser), brother Luke (Brendan Meyer) older sister Anna (Maika Monroe).

There is something odd about the veteran, and Anna notices it first. With a little digging, his service is not traceable. It turns out David is part of a conditioning experiment from the defense industry, and is programmed to protect and serve. He takes it to the extreme with his adopted family, and his actions produce consequences for the family and their community.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Guest”

David (Dan Stevens) Takes Aim in ‘The Guest’
Photo credit: Picturehouse

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Guest”

CHICAGO– With J.J. Abrams not involved with the creation of a third “Star Trek” movie, a compendium of his work within the franchise only seems fitting. Loaded with special features but only a few new ones, this disc set is a strong choice for those who don’t already have both entertaining blockbusters in their collection.

Even better, it’s a good choice for any “Star Wars” fans looking to feel a new hope about the choice of Abrams for the highly-anticipated “Episode VII” installment.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

In just two films, Abrams and his filmmaking crew have successfully revitalized the “Star Trek” brand to the multiplex mainstream, adding a new edge to the previous elements that were in the “Star Trek” niche. The progression has certainly been gradual. In my book, the 2009 film “Star Trek” is a fun popcorn movie that pushes some expectations, but has a flat villain (Eric Bana’s Nero), and a more straightforward take on Luke Skywalker’s ascent.

What is more special is “Star Trek Into Darkness,” the 2013 sequel that cemented the series and showed that there is room for “Star Trek” in the busy blockbuster calendar, and that we would be missing out on some impressive sci-fi action without it. This film also has better twists as well, not just regarding you-know-who, but the drama for its characters, and their intertwining arcs. While “Star Trek Into Darkness” didn’t make me fall in love with the series, it provided me with a feeling that is fair within the busy world of Hollywood movies - that of comfort as to where this series could go, and that I’d be actively curious to check them out.

Nonetheless, aside from watching “The Empire Strikes Back” for a zillionth time, a great way to gear up for Abrams’ approach to “Star Wars: Episode VII” is to check out the special features in this lean yet loaded set. Worries about the usage of digital effects are assuaged especially by the revelation that much of what was achieved in “Star Trek Into Darkness” was created practically, and with incredible detail. Watching these special features I was reminded of the respect I have for Abrams as a filmmaker, and his collaborative process with such an extensive universe, even if I’m still a bit worried that “Star Wars” will look like his “Star Trek” films.

Either way, this Blu-ray set provides a nice victory lap for Abrams’ success with the franchise, a collection he could have in his own library to show off a job well done.

“Star Trek: The Compendium” was released on Blu-ray on Sep 9, 2014
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

Compendium Synopsis:
This Blu-ray set features the two films from the new “Star Trek” franchise. 2009’s “Star Trek” follows the rising of a young man named Kirk (Chris Pine), as he becomes a member of Starfleet and helps battle the time-traveling tyrant Nero (Eric Bana). Its sequel, “Star Trek Into Darkness,” elaborates on the friendship that Kirk has with fellow Starfleet member Spock (Zachary Quinto), while the two face a malevolent terrorist seeking to unleash endless destruction.

Special Features for “Star Trek”
o “Star Trek” in High Definition
o Commentary by J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof and Roberto Orci
o 10 Featurettes, including 20 Branching Pods - An extensive exploration into the production of “Star Trek”
o 9 Deleted Scenes featuring Optional Commentary
o Starfleet Vessel Simulator
o Gag Reel
o 4 Trailers
o Digital Copy of “Star Trek”

Special Features for “Star Trek Into Darkness”
o “Star Trek Into Darkness” in high definition with approximately 30 minutes of scenes expanded to fill the screen
o Enhanced Commentary by J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, Damon Lindelof, Michael Giacchino and others
o 20 Featurettes - A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Star Trek Into Darkness”
o Fitting the Future - A look at the film’s out-of-this-world costumes
o Property of Starfleet - Sourcing and tracking the film’s myriad props
o Gag Reel
o 7 Deleted Scenes
o 3 Theatrical Trailers
o Digital Copy of “Star Trek Into Darkness”

By Nick Allen
Contributor
HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO– What is wrong with our future? The Young Adult category of future fiction seems to think we’re all doomed, what with “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent” and now “The Maze Runner” film adaptations. The latest “Maze” take is pretty darn good, though, thanks to actors Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario and Will Poulter.

Will Poulter may be most familiar to audiences, having had his character suffer many indignities in last year’s “We’re the Millers.” The British actor’s career is heating up, as he is set to star in the upcoming war film, “The Yellow Birds.” Dylan O’Brien portrays the title character in “The Maze Runner,” and gets a “Beatles Scream” treatment when introduced because of his starring role on MTV’s “Teen Wolf.” The British actress Kaya Scodelario is known for the BBC-TV show, “Skins,” and has a memorable intensity in “The Maze Runner.”

Dylan O’Brien and Kaya Scodelario Share a Moment in ‘The Maze Runner’
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox

All three actors – in the early phases of their careers and in their early twenties – talked to HollywoodChicago.com about “The Maze Runner,” their careers, and representing a generation whose future is much brighter than what is written in their texts.

HollywoodChicago.com:‘The Maze Runner’ has a different tone than most movies with this style of story. Since this was director Wes Ball’s first feature film, what did he want the cast to be most aware of in establishing the finished tone in the film?

Dylan O’Brien: The intensity of it all, the focus on the relationships and the focus on the kids in the insane circumstance. We were making a science fiction movie, and nothing else. There is no romance at the helm of it, it’s a sci-fi film surrounding these average, normal and relatable kids.

Kaya Scodelario: What Wes talked to me about was he didn’t want it to fit within that Young Adult category. He wants audiences to walk in and enjoy the film for what it is, and not have to be a ‘fangirl’ of the book series. It does work, and he set out to make a movie that he wanted to make, for himself and his heart.

HollywoodChicago.com: The-teenagers-in-a-dreadful-future-world is one of the hottest story subjects of the moment. Since you guys are recent teenagers, why do you think this type of story is so appealing to the young adult crowd?

Will Poulter: I feel like that young people of late – and the internet is probably responsible for it – feel as if they have more options in which to express themselves. They think their opinion matters more, because we’re in touch with the outside world through technology.

Our generation, I think, feels an opportunity to be influential. So when you project a world in which younger people are given an opportunity to make change, they are depicted as taking action. That is what the future feels like. Young people taking on more of a role. We’re going to be responsible for the change.

HollywoodChicago.com: What can you get from a film based on a source novel that is different from just doing a script that is new?

O’Brien: There are more source references, obviously, and it can’t hurt us. It helps in that it gives more ideas and more complete vision of a character. We read the script first before we read the books, and the spirit of the characters are in that script. So when we go to the books, there is more. It expands the consciousness of a character study.

Scodelario: The two times I’ve done book-to-film adaptations I’ve been told not to read the books first. I quite like that, because that’s how I like to work. As an actor, I try to put myself into that person, and be organic. So when I finally reach out to the book, there is so much more in that. For me, I have to have the script first.

O’Brien: I do like reading the script first, because then I can come at it with original instincts, and the book can fill those in. The instinct leads the way.

Will Poulter Portrays Gally in ‘The Maze Runner’
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox

HollywoodChicago.com: Dylan, you are a producer of short films and a musician, besides being an actor. What fuels your interests in the arts in several different types of disciplines, and how does making your own films and being in a band make you a better actor?

O’Brien: One of the tools I used when I first started acting was coming at it from a technical standpoint. Since then, I’ve picked up skills from working, either with other actors or from the directors I’ve encountered. It’s useful to know how things are going to be cut in a film, and what the shot is, and it becomes instinctual as to how I approach a scene. There are other actors I’ve met who have no idea what goes on at the other side of the camera – in a way, that’s beautiful, because they go about it in a different way – but for me it’s better to be able to adapt to blocking and come at it with my ideas.

Music is just something I’ve done as a second hand to acting. I thought at first I was going to music school, until at the last second I went to film school. When the acting opportunity came along, it was just something to add to the storytelling aspect of what I wanted to do in film. It was a foot in the door.

HollywoodChicago.com: Will, you have reached that certain point in an actor’s career in which everything changes, and suddenly you have offers and auditions for films that you never expected. What was the role that changed that career landscape for you, and how do you personally decide what is best for the direction of your career?

Poulter: I have an amazing team, who are overqualified to look after me since I’ve signed with them. [laughs] It’s been a sweet experience, and made things a lot easier, especially for auditions, and I think I’ve progressed enough to earn my place in some of those rooms. As far as the breakout it was ‘We’re the Millers,’ just because I think it just helped introduce me to a wider audience, at least from a comedic standpoint. I am looking forward to this film coming out, because it’s a major platform, and a platform that we feel excited to be a part of – it’s been a great ride so far.

HollywoodChicago.com: Kaya, since you were the only female in the man group in this film, what did you learn about male bonding that you hadn’t observed before?

Scodelario: They were a lot more sensitive than I thought they’d be. [laughs] It was a group of boys with a bit a femininity in each of them, and they weren’t afraid to show it. For example, if I needed advice on shopping or fashion, there were people I could go to. There were little bits of women in all of them.

HollywoodChicago.com: Dylan, you were in a film called ‘The First Time,’ which was how characters who found each other connected and fell in love. What do you find different from a fictional portrayal of that phenomenon versus what happens in real life?

Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter & Dylan O’Brien of ‘The Maze Runner’ Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

O’Brien: It can be very much glamorized in a fictional tale. In reality, it’s scary when it’s real, and it can be awkward. When you’re in high school, when you first start having these feelings, you have no idea what to do with them, and both parties tend to make asses of themselves. [laughs] It’s like the guy thinks he’s embarrassed himself, and the girl can do no wrong. [Kaya laughs at this]

But in reality, the girl feels the same way on the other side. That’s what is so beautiful about that dance. Movies used to do that, but it’s become kind of lost. It’s something that is put on a pedestal in films, a kind of movie magic. The realness and the authenticity, has been kind of lost.

HollywoodChicago.com: Will, you have been cast in ‘The Yellow Birds,’ a story of a soldier in the Iraq War, and you’re currently in pre-production. What personally changed in your viewpoint about the military in your research of the character?

Poulter: I have background with family who were in the military, and I’ve always been interested in it. When I was younger, I hounded my uncle and grandfather for stories about it. What I learned very quickly was that my view of war was fueled by the movies, and in approaching the film I need to be more authentic. My relatives withheld information of course, and what I loved about the ‘Yellow Birds’ script is that it didn’t withhold the impression of conflict. I have far more respect for persons of service now than I ever had watching war movies when I was growing up.

HollywoodChicago.com: If you all were to run through a maze that represented your own lives, could you name a couple of obstacles that you think would be in the way to get you to the next level?

O’Brien: A ‘Confidence Wall.’

Scodelario: Wow, a metaphor and everything. [laughs] For me, it’s the element of not being trained. Everybody expects a British actor to be trained. I didn’t get that training, but I’ve become more okay with it.

Poulter: I love Dylan’s Confidence Wall, because so much of this business is wrestling with your own thoughts and psychological barriers. The wall I guess is my own psyche, and I just need to relax to get through it.

By PATRICK McDONALD Senior Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com

CHICAGO– The second oldest LGBT Film Festival is right here is Chicago, as “Reeling32” moves up a couple of months from their previous year November start date. Opening Night is September 18th, 2014, and the fest begins at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, with the provocative “Boy Meets Girl,” directed by Eric Schaeffer and featuring Michelle Henley, Michael Welch and Alexandra Turshen.

‘Boy Meets Girl’ Opens ‘Reeling32’ at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, September 18th, 2014
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox

The 2014 Chicago LGBT International Film Festival is in its 32nd year, and has an incredible line-up of films, events and parties from September 18th-25th. Theater venues include the historic Music Box Theater and Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema and Chicago Filmmakers. Click the link below to check out the entire line-up of happenings.

By PATRICK McDONALD Senior Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com

CHICAGO– Yes, the future world of teenage bleakness, so popular in “The Hunger Games’ and “Divergent,” now has its own genre. “The Maze Runner” is an excellent entry, and gets over its stilted dialogue and scary monsters by adding in surprises and atmospheric mystery..

Rating: 4.0/5.0

The ending of the film – even though it screams sequel – has a heart pounding twist rooted in what-it-happening-here audacity, which started as a weird story of kids stuck in a wooded field in the middle of a gigantic mechanical maze. This is enough to fulfill the dark environment of yet another view into society’s lost future, which is apparently not influenced by any one over 30 years of age (shades of the 1960s! Groovy!). Notable are the lead young actors creating the situation, especially Dylan O’Brien (MTV’s “Teen Wolf) and the always welcome Will Poulter (“We’re the Millers”).

Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) arrives via elevator to a campground area, filled with teenage and slightly younger boys who have organized themselves into a “Lord of the Flies” type society. The overwhelming presence in their lives is the giant maze that surrounds them. Some of the boys there are designated as “maze runners,’ mapping out the route inside the labyrinth in hopes of escape.

Thomas is at odds with some of the members of the society, including the hot-headed Gally (Will Poulter). But other campers, including Chuck (Blake Cooper) and Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) are on his side, and runners Minho (Ki Hong Lee) and Alby (Ami Ameen) train Thomas to navigate the maze. Conditions begin to change, as Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) becomes the only girl sent to the crew, and new discoveries within the maze get them closer to whatever they will call freedom.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Maze Runner”

Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) is Confronted in ‘The Maze Runner’
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Maze Runner”

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 start a band (with songs that sound a lot like Belle & Sebastian).

With the script’s beauty mirrored more distinctly in the film’s music more than its own lyricism, “God Help the Girl” contrasts elaborate and often delightful musical numbers to riskily featherweight storytelling (especially in context of that 111 min running time). As narrative albums go, “God Help the Girl” is no indie-pop-era. Loosely-existing lead characters nearly blow away in the film’s breeziness. They are at best breathing components of the movie’s look, hip young folk dressed to the twee, singing and shimmying and nonetheless creating an infectious energy, one that is anomalous to the modern movie musical.

Murdoch utilizes this musical element to have his characters lip-sync at the camera, often while simply goofing around. Variegated in their scope but maintaining a specific song style and music production quality, the sing-song moments do stand as a contagious duo of freed filmmaking and genuinely catchy tunes. Murdoch’s passion within so many facets of this project becomes a reward for the audience as well.

Continue reading for Nick Allen’s full review of “God Help the Girl”

Emily Browning in ‘God Help the Girl’
Photo credit: Amplify Releasing

Continue reading for Nick Allen’s full review of “God Help the Girl”

CHICAGO– Liam Neeson still looks good being a badass., but “A Walk Among The Tombstones” is a vehicle unworthy of his particular set of skills. It’s not a tightly constructed thriller like “Nonstop,” and it lacks the sheer over-the-top ludicrousness of “Taken 2.”

This is largely a by-the-numbers jalopy that can best be called forgettable.

Rating: 2.0/5.0

I can’t fault the premise, though. Neeson stars as Matt Scudder: an unlicensed private dick and former NYPD cop who now operates just on the outskirts of the law. The film opens in the early 90’s with Neeson sporting a wig and goatee that look like they came from a Halloween shop. After a shootout with stickup artists in a bar left a civilian casualty, Neeson quits the force. Now he helps those types of characters who would rather not have regular cops sniffing around their affairs.

Flash forward to 1999 (for seemingly no other reason than to display a little nostalgia trip back to Y2K paranoia). He’s hired by a drug trafficker portrayed by Dan Stevens, who is apparently cornering the market on good looking, smirking creeps in Hollywood these days. His wife was kidnapped, he paid the ransom, and her kidnappers returned her in pieces. Now he wants Neeson to track them down.

Continue reading for Spike Walter’s full review of “A Walk Among the Tombstones”

Liam Neeson Strikes a Familiar Pose in ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones’
Photo credit: Universal Pictures

Continue reading for Spike Walter’s full review of “A Walk Among the Tombstones”

CHICAGO– Jason Bateman and an all-star cast got me there. The unfunny copycat story left me regretting it. If you don’t start with a solid plot that’s at least somewhat new, it doesn’t matter how many “A”-listers you throw into an ensemble. They’re just individuals doing the best they can with weak material.

But the film’s fatal flaw is it can’t figure out who it is – a comedy, drama or dramedy? – and it didn’t do just one thing well.

Rating: 2.0/5.0

On the surface, the new comedy from director Shawn Levy (“Real Steel,” “The Internship”) and rookie writer and novelist Jonathan Tropper might have seemed promising. Just put the combined talents of Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Adam Driver, Timothy Olyphant, Kathryn Hahn, Dax Shepard, Abigail Spencer, Corey Stoll and Connie Britton in the same story and you’ve got a winner, right? Not if they’ve got nothing new to do together.

As it turns out, Tropper just has this group reading from the script of Tracy Letts’ award-winning “August: Osage County” play and screenplay. He neglects to add nearly enough new or different to warrant the carbon copy. The 2013 Tracy Letts film was memorably made by Meryl Streep’s leading role, but even without her gritty veracity, it’s still a league above and beyond Tropper’s recreation.

It’s impossible not to compare this new film to the previous. Likewise, it’s unrealistic not to be disappointed by Jane Fonda’s much less interesting role in place of Meryl Streep’s tour de force. Fonda’s artificially large breasts were perhaps funny the first time the joke was revealed, but the comedy sagged quite quickly after trying to use it a dozen times instead of simply writing a compelling character.

Read Adam Fendelman’s full review of “This is Where I Leave You”.

The film is redeemed only in its quick wins and sparsely successful decisions. Known from TV’s “Girls,” Adam Driver is a prime example. While comedy legends Jason Bateman and Tina Fey fall flat and instead coast through the film without ever standing out, Driver actually makes me laugh. He’s the quirky screw-up trying to date a sophisticated cougar when you know that’ll never work out.

He too is forced in the film’s central location – a simple house – where a family is unnaturally brought together by their father’s death and mother’s lie. The difference is he’s unpredictable, doesn’t always play it safe and takes his own creative liberties from a lackluster script. Driver even finds time for moments of emotional seriousness wrapped within his otherwise dopey character.

Continue for Adam Fendelman’s full review of “This is Where I Leave You”.

Left to right: Tina Fey, Corey Stoll, Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman and Adam Driver in “This is Where I Leave You”.
Photo credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Continue for Adam Fendelman’s full review of “This is Where I Leave You”.