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Film Review: Hollywood’s ‘Godzilla’ Misses, Mocks Ishirô Honda’s Main Warning...
CHICAGO– Except for the clear purpose of cashing in on yet another “Godzilla” remake, everything is happening for no reason. Worst of all, what is ensuing misses and even mocks the reason why Ishirô...
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Film Review: Artist Ralph Steadman Profiled in ‘For No Good Reason’
CHICAGO– In the deluge of images that pierce our cerebral cortex on a daily basis, it’s refreshing to go back to the days when images had more influence, sought through publications or word of mouth....
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Blu-ray Review: ‘I, Frankenstein’ Could Be Worst Movie of 2014 So Far
I’m sometimes in the mood for a bad movie. In the middle of the Chicago Critics Film Festival, weighed down with stress related to producing it and the serious subject matter of our films this year, I...
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Blu-ray Review: Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’ Only Gets Better with Repeat Viewing
As a full-time film/TV/game critic and father of three, I very rarely have time to watch something more than once, even if it’s my favorite of the year. And yet I’ve revisited Spike Jonze’s “Her” twice...
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Interview: Bella Thorne Gets ‘Blended’ in New Adam Sandler Movie
CHICAGO– Standing out among the crowd of young actors is a daunting task, but Bella Thorne is up to the challenge, portraying Adam Sandler’s teenage daughter in the new film “Blended,” which also...
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Blu-ray Review: Teen Horror Comedy ‘Vampire Academy’ Fine for Fans
CHICAGO– Mark Waters’ “Vampire Academy” is one of the more toothless attempts to make a “fetch” bloodsucker movie for the middle-high school crowd, to use a phrase from his revered teen comedy “Mean...
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Film Review: Philip Seymour Hoffman Lives Again in ‘God’s Pocket’
CHICAGO– Watching Philip Seymour Hoffman perform, now that he has passed on, is a bittersweet reminder of his ability and power to embody his deeply felt characters. He does it again in one of his last...
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Film Review: Vacant, Sad Sexual Journey in ‘Young & Beautiful’
CHICAGO– “Young & Beautiful” may have people rethinking the phrase, “Oh, to be young and beautiful again.” Well, maybe the “young” part, since we seldom don’t hear lamentations of the loss of...
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Interview: Bobcat Goldthwait at the 2014 Chicago Critics Film Festival
CHICAGO– The legend of Bigfoot, the half ape and half human that had its heyday in the 1970s, is kept alive gratefully in the new film “Willow Creek,” directed by comedian and filmmaker Bobcat...
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Blu-ray Review: Found Footage Fails to Save 'Devil’s Due,' 'Paranormal...
CHICAGO– Flooding the market with the shaky cam, the growing use of found footage has had more impact on horror than any other genre. Sometimes it’s used to great effect. But more often than not, such...
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HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Pairs of Passes to Seth MacFarlane’s ‘A...
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 comedy“A Million Ways to Die in the West”...
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Film Review: Complex, Wow-Inducing ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’
CHICAGO– Although a post graduate degree in space/time continuum studies may be necessary for maximum enjoyment, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” still delivers a comic book wham-bam, and the series...
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Film Review: Adam Sandler Exploits the Family, More in ‘Blended’
CHICAGO– Trying to understand the psychology and philosophy of manchild Adam Sandler, when it comes to his “middle-age” movies, will perplex film scholars and therapists for generations to come. His...
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Film Review: ‘Fed Up’ is a Cautionary Story for All of Us
CHICAGO– Here’s the deal, America. We’ve got some powerful mega-corporations who manufacture food to make a profit. What makes us buy food? Taste. The reason the obesity rates are skyrocketing has to...
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Film Review: Dark, Stunning Tale of American Dream in ‘The Immigrant’
CHICAGO– Just in time for a national holiday is the release of two films about surviving as “the outsider” in a tumultuous American society. “X-Men: Days of Future Past” isn’t the only movie that...
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Film Review: ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ Dares to Richly Invest in Story...
CHICAGO– After a string of superhero movie disappointments in recent memory, last month “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” renewed our faith in Hollywood blockbusters once again. Just 7 weeks later,...
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DVD Review: Criterion Release of 1960s Italian Road Trip Film ‘Il Sorpasso’
CHICAGO– With the recent popularity of road trip movies in both mainstream films and the art house, it is a fitting pleasure that the Criterion Collection has released Dino Risi’s “Il Sorpasso,” a...
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Film Review: ‘Blended’ is Lazy, Laugh-Free Catastrophe
CHICAGO– Two things save “Blended” from getting a zero star review. Number one is the still palpable chemistry between Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler. Number two is the occasional chuckle courtesy of...
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Interview: Cindy Caponera on Her New Book ‘I Triggered Her Bully’
CHICAGO– It was a cold Chicago day in May, typical of the endless winter. The coffee shop was warm and inviting, as I waited to interview the comedy icon, Cindy Caponera. She had written a book – “I...
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Interview: From Hollywood to Holy Vows, Mother Dolores Hart on Her Book ‘The...
CHICAGO– In one of the most amazing stories in film history, rising movie star Dolores Hart (“King Creole,” “Where the Boys Are”) decided at the apex of her career at age 24, to give up Hollywood and...
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