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Art World Bares its Soul in Adam Goldberg’s Superlative ‘(Untitled)’
Rating: 5.0/5.0CHICAGO– One of the best and most exciting surprises of the 2009 film year is a smaller, claustrophobic film starring Adam Goldberg and set in the art gallery world of New York City....
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Robert Pattinson Anchors the Forgettable ‘Remember Me’
Rating: 2.5/5.0CHICAGO– The hottest actor of the moment, smoldering Robert Pattinson, gets the opportunity to ditch the “Twilight” fangs and sink his teeth into a drama about New York City and the...
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Steve Carrell, Tina Fey Go Dutch on the Laughs in ‘Date Night’
Rating: 3.5/5.0CHICAGO– In this schizophrenic film, Steve Carrell and Tina Fey portray a “normal” couple from New Jersey who somehow become Steve Carrell and Tina Fey once they go on-the-town in New...
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No Redeeming Quality to Jennifer Lopez’s ‘The Back-up Plan’
Rating: 0.0/5.0CHICAGO– “The Back-up Plan,” starring Jennifer Lopez, is spectacularly bad. Filled with leaden, supposedly comedic lines, stupid generalities and no basis in reality, this film ranks...
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Whole Truth Becomes a Modern-Era Reality in ‘Catfish’
Rating: 4.5/5.0CHICAGO– “Catfish” is a real oddball of a film, set in the Twilight Zone of our own virtual cyberspace. Three twentysomething men navigate through the mysterious rigors of a journey they...
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Nothing Plastic About Lena Dunham’s Post-Graduate ‘Tiny Furniture’
Rating: 4.0/5.0CHICAGO– The 24 year-old Lena Dunham is a new and notable voice for her generation of filmmakers, breaking in with her first feature, the memorable “Tiny Furniture.” Dunham wrote,...
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Vanessa Hudgens, Alex Pettyfer Wallow in Aptly Titled ‘Beastly’
Rating: 2.0/5.0CHICAGO– The main problem with “Beastly,” a modern high schooler retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” is that the outcome is known (Beast will learn lessons, become handsome again). That...
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Ben Stiller in ‘Tower Heist’ is a Waste of Time, Talent
Rating: 1.5/5.0CHICAGO– The frustrating madness that is the typical Hollywood movie never ceases to amaze, in the sense where large sums of cash are outlaid to pair the right movie stars together, and...
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All Intention, No Delivery in ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’
Rating: 2.0/5.0CHICAGO– The September 11th tragedy is still percolating through the cinematic filter, and there is a well intentioned thread throughout the various interpretations. But the latest...
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Jason Statham in Highly Charged, Metaphoric ‘Safe’
Rating: 3.5/5.0CHICAGO– There is an underlying smokiness to the ultra-violent “Safe” that is worth exploring. By creating a triangle of doom between the Chinese mob (the Triads), the Russian mob and...
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Valid Points Make ‘U.N. Me’ a Reasonable Exposé
Rating: 3.5/5.0CHICAGO– As a product of the post WWII era of global cooperation, the United Nations in New York City has arguably become a bloated and expensive paperweight, 67 years after its birth....
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PItfalls of Love for Greta Gerwig in ‘Lola Versus’
Rating: 4.0/5.0CHICAGO– Greta Gerwig is now being recognized in the movie universe, and has climbed a ladder from micro-budget independent (“Baghead”) to mainstream monstrosities (the “Arthur” remake)....
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Miscarriage of Justice Befalls ‘The Central Park Five’
Rating: 4.0/5.0CHICAGO– It takes a provocative subject to capture the attention of famous documentarian Ken Burns. There are few things more provocative than the story of “The Central Park Five.”...
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Fresh Performances Drive ‘Gimme the Loot’
Rating: 4.0/5.0CHICAGO– The world of the movies is also a world of discovery. Like new, hot authors, the breakthrough directors emerge with an original first work that generates deserved attention....
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Profiling Transforms ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’
Rating: 3.5/5.0CHICAGO– Given the recent media coverage of the Boston bombings, the issue of profiling – judging a individual as suspect based on religion or appearances – is an ongoing problem....
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Sins of Modern Parenting Are ‘What Maisie Knew’
Rating: 4.0/5.0CHICAGO– When mixing parenting responsibility, the separation of those parents and a legal system that cannot address the farce of human retaliation, the results become “What Maisie...
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Greta Gerwig Lights Up the Life of ‘Frances Ha’
Rating: 4.5/5.0CHICAGO– Greta Gerwig is a gift to the type of film acting that dominates the screen. This beautiful, versatile actor gives poignant energy to her latest title character, “Frances Ha,” a...
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High-Level Reboot for ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’
Rating: 4.0/5.0CHICAGO– Actor Chris Pine should use the term “Rebooter” as his middle name. After taking on the Captain Kirk role in the “Star Trek” series, he now is the latest to portray CIA super...
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Pieces Fit Together in Sublime ‘Chinese Puzzle’
Rating: 4.0/5.0CHICAGO– Life is chaos. We in the human race can all agree on that. The new film “Chinese Puzzle” allows that chaos to happen, and the results are funny, affecting and warm....
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‘Whiplash’ Finds a Big Rhythm, Gives it a Backbeat
Rating: 5.0/5.0CHICAGO– When is the last time you had a bit of sweat after coming out of a movie? “Whiplash” will do that, and it contains not one action sequence or superhero, unless you consider J.K....
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