Satire and humor run riot in Acme Propelled by the kind of publicity money can’t buy as well as a cleverly subversive advertising campaign, Dave Green’s Coyote vs. Acme arrives in theaters with great fanfare, an event that seemed destined never to occur two years ago. This was one of three films that David Zaslav, […]
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.
Posted inFilm
Faraway Tree provides a magical escape, Oak Street is a half-baked dino film
Tree casts a delightful spell A fantasy for both children and adults, Ben Gregor’s The Magic Faraway Tree finds the perfect balance of whimsy and post-modernism to make it work for both groups. Based on the novels by Enid Blyton, the film leisurely casts its spell, its story unfolding effortlessly between an idyllic rural landscape […]
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Don’t Say Good Luck realistic and moving, subplots derail Brink of War
Realism buoys Good Luck There are numerous ways a film like Don’t Say Good Luck could go wrong and yet director Julia Hart applies just the right touch to pull off this small miracle of a movie. Working from a script she co-wrote with husband Jordan Horowitz and first-time scribe Laura Hankin, the filmmaker handles […]
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Night lacks chemistry, Man is a vile piece of work
Narrative pieces lack chemistry in Night Your ability to compartmentalize will determine whether you like Will Gluck’s odd new rom-com One Night Only. If you can accept an oppressive dystopian society pitched in a kinda light-hearted tone and forget about a key part of the premise, you’ll likely be charmed. But if, like me, you […]
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Latest Spider-Man film effectively restarts franchise, I Want Your Sex a sharp satire on art world
Spidey begins anew with Day One of the unavoidable consequences springing from the success of the MCU has been its narrative growth. What with its stable of thousands of characters, producer Kevin Feige has been more than willing to bend the knee toward fans to provide as many big-screen representations of their favorites as possible. […]
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Motor City a thriller, The Dink is saved by its cast
“Motor” needs no words to thrill A highly stylized experiment, Potsy Ponciroli’s Motor City takes a standard revenge plot and gives it new life by omitting nearly all dialogue between its characters. Much like In a Violent Nature (2024), a slasher film with no music soundtrack, the omission of a narrative element we’ve come to […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Moana too familiar for its own good
There was an interesting article recently in the New York Times. Apparently, much like The Lion King (1994) was the go-to movie for a previous generation, Moana (2016) has become the default video to keep 2-5-year-olds captivated. Having been streamed more than 1.5 billion hours on Disney+ (yes, you read that correctly) it has become […]
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Odyssey an ambitious, grand film; Invite looks at domestic discord
Nolan’s realistic approach grounds epic Odyssey If nothing else, Christopher Nolan must be commended for his ambition in adapting Homer’s The Odyssey. No half measures are taken in this $250 million production and if the filmmaker’s reach exceeds his grasp, it certainly isn’t for lack of imagination or effort. By its very nature, this unwieldy, […]
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Sex Pass takes swipe at Hollywood, Ladies turns workplace dynamic on its head
Sex Pass a Tinseltown parody Like many couples, my wife and I have an understanding. If, on the off chance, the actor Miles Teller, in all of his hunkiness, showed up on our doorstep, rang the bell and stated it was time for he and Beth to embark on their once-in-a-lifetime romance, I’m to, without […]
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Washington is unexpectedly compelling, Enola Holmes 3 predictable
No lie! Young Washington a solid biopic On the 250th anniversary of the United States, the Revolutionary War is having a moment. From Ken Burns’ six-part docuseries The American Revolution, a series of New York Times’ articles reassessing key figures and events to numerous other events and writings, the conflict that gave birth to our […]
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Supergirl misses the mark for DC Studios, Strike lacks sense of urgency
Narrative inertia is Supergirl’s Kryptonite An oddly inert movie, Craig Gillespie’s Supergirl is a major misfire for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios, their reboot of the stable of superheroes already off to a less than stellar start with last year’s Superman. While that feature contained just enough to allow it to pass muster, […]
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Leviticus both terrifying and heartbreaking, Jessie stars in Toy Story 5
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 […]
