Heartbreaking Leviticus terrifying yet poignant Though discredited, conversion therapy relating to homosexuality is still being used today, albeit with much less frequency. Some of these practices are folded into other approaches, have been renamed and also presented as a free speech issue through a U.S. Supreme Court ruling issued in early 2026. While steps are […]
Chuck Koplinski
Writing for Illinois Times since 1998, Chuck Koplinski is a member of the Critic's Choice Association, the Chicago Film Critics Association and a contributor to Rotten Tomatoes. He appears on WCIA-TV twice a week to review current releases and, no matter what anyone says, thinks Tom Cruise's version of The Mummy is a woefully underrated film.
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Furious all about overkill, Spielberg’s Disclosure Day proves to be a tedious slog
Overkill the name of the game in Furious I doubt fans of martial arts movies will raise many objections to the many flaws in Kenji Tanigaki’s The Furious. Those who flock to films of this sort don’t get hung up on hackneyed dialogue, cliched characters, improbably plot twists or an inordinately long running time. Nope, […]
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Masters of the Universe is fun, Backrooms leads nowhere
Fun is front and center in this Universe Realizing their mistake in passing up the opportunity to license toys for a little movie named Star Wars, the suits at Mattel charged their head designer, Roger Sweet, with coming up with something to rival George Lucas’ universe. Released in 1982, the result was Masters of the […]
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Pressure is gripping from start to finish, Miss lacks emotional honesty
Unwavering determination at the core of Pressure It’s hard to grasp the scope and planning that went into the D-Day invasion that occurred on June 6, 1944. Preparations began in mid-1943 that would result in the deployment of over 156,000 Allied Forces soldiers over a 50-mile stretch of beach across two time zones. Seven million […]
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Obsession serves as a metaphor for addiction, Kremlin is dull
Obsession a brilliant metaphor for addiction I’m going to assume Bear, the protagonist in Curry Barker’s brilliant horror film Obsession was absent the day The Monkey’s Paw was read in his language arts class. W.W. Jacobs’ seminal cautionary tale drives home again and again that if you happen to have a wish-granting talisman, you must […]
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The Sheep Detectives is captivating, Hokum examines guilt
Deft touch, amazing effects makes for captivating Sheep Deftly executed and suffused with a wry sense of humor, Kyle Balda’s The Sheep Detectives is likely to entertain the adults in the audience more than the children it’s seemingly aimed at. Adapted from the novel Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, the film threads a very […]
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Olivia Newman and Shelby Van Pelt bring life to Creatures
There’s a subtle wave of optimism that gently buffets you when talking to director Olivia Newman and author Shelby Van Pelt, a sense that everything’s going to be all right if you simply sit back and let things take their course. Of course, this comes as no surprise, what with the former helming the big […]
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Deep Water better than expected, message gets lost in Animal Farm remake
Water deeper than expected In the spirit of giving credit where it’s due, my hat’s off to director Renny Harlan and screenwriters Pete Bridges, Shayne Armstrong, S.P. Krause and Damien Power, where their latest film, Deep Water, is concerned. All involved obviously embraced the notion of making the ultimate disaster movie, shamelessly cribbing from The […]
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Body lasts too long, Mummy far more than a monster movie
Body becomes a bit ripe On Monday, April 20, an op-ed appeared in the New York Times with the headline “Movies are Bullying Us with Their Bloat,” by Frank Bruni. In it, the author harps on a complaint I’ve had with American movies for quite some time: their needless length. He points out the average […]
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Normal masters bloody humor, Balls is crudely funny
Bloody humor a winner in Normal I wouldn’t have expected Bob Odenkirk to take the Liam Neeson route to map out the final act of his eclectic career. Having cut his comedic teeth as a writer at “Saturday Night Live” and co-creator of the groundbreaking sketch comedy series “Mr. Show,” he proved he had dramatic […]
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The Drama serves as a cautionary tale, Thrash a silly, welcome respite
Smart Drama a cautionary tale for today A cautionary tale for today, Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama is a movie that thrives on making its characters and the viewer uncomfortable. Handling hot button topics with a commendable deft touch, the film puts social media era relationships under the microscope, as well as our ever-shifting perspectives of […]
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Super Mario Galaxy Movie disappoints, Fantasy Life is aimless and predictable
Galaxy simply goes through the motions I have yet to be blessed with grandchildren. Still, that doesn’t prevent me from casting my thoughts toward future events I hope to share with them. I look forward to birthday parties in which my wife and I will spend far too much money celebrating their arrival; I see […]
