Christopher Nolan’s A-bomb opus Oppenheimer is a dense, often accomplished and sometimes portentous character study that both intrigues and alienates in its study of the birth of the Atomic Age and mastermind physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s (Cillian Murphy) WWII-era race to complete the world’s first…
Read MoreIn a summer marked by stale spectacles—a Flash in the pan, Transformers flying under the radar and even the crack of Indiana Jones’ bullwhip failing to generate excitement—the extravagant escapism of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One makes for the summer’s best movie and the only…
Read MoreThe ill-conceived Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny disappoints as a lackluster return for the renowned archaeologist and adventurer. Despite the enduring star power of Harrison Ford, this tired installment fails to generate the same level of excitement that defined its predecessors, devoid…
Read MoreIn Striking Blue Jean, A Closeted Teacher in 80s’ Britain Runs “Don’t Say Gay” Gauntlet
Georgia Oakley’s absorbing debut feature Blue Jean is perfectly timed in its story of a closeted lesbian school teacher navigating intricate webs of personal and professional turmoil within the constricting confines of conservative 1980s society. Set against the backdrop of Thatcher-era Britain, where anti-gay legislation casts…
Read MorePast Lives, and Loves, Collide in Poignant Sundance Gem of Romantic and Personal Destinies
Can true love overcome the stark differences between the stages of our lives and the roles we assume, or is it destined to remain a moment in time as our futures progress? Does the relentless pursuit of such all-consuming love hold any true significance,…
Read MoreBiggest Screen in Illinois: Emagine CEO Anthony LaVerde and Halloween Star James Jude Courtney Kick Off State of the Art Venue
As theatrical box office numbers continue their upswing heading into a packed summer movie season, Emagine Entertainment, the national, Michigan-based theatrical exhibition chain specializing in a complete moviegoing experience from top notch projection and sound to high-end amenities like heated recliners, brick-oven pizza and…
Read MoreAbout My Father Red Carpet: Sebastian Maniscalco and Cast in Chicago for New Family Comedy
Chicago-born comedian and actor Sebastian Maniscalco is having a movie moment this weekend as his seriocomic and partially autobiographical new comedy About My Father, which he co-wrote and in which he stars, opens on screens around the country. In the film Maniscalco, whose stand-up…
Read MoreSebastian Maniscalco, currently America’s most popular comedian, amiably approximates himself in the new comedy About My Father opposite a game Robert DeNiro as a movie version of his real-life dad, Salvo Maniscalco. Co-written by the comedian-actor and directed by Laura Terruso, the picture is…
Read MoreA Horticulturist with a Past Seeks Redemption in Paul Schrader’s Low Key Master Gardener
At 76, Paul Schrader remains the most consistently intriguing American screenwriter working today and perhaps of the last half-century. A standard bearer of the galvanic 70s Hollywood renaissance, his contributions to American film history are lionized and legendary. In the past decade, the filmmaker’s…
Read MoreBill Holderman and Erin Simms on Book Club: The Next Chapter, Their Ebullient Italian Showcase for Screen Legends
I caught up with Holderman and Simms—a delightful pair of simpatico collaborators tasked with crafting an audience-pleasing commercial entertainment befitting a cast of movie royalty—for a chat about their ambitious new picture.…
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