Chuck Koplinski

Film Express true to classic’s visual appeal and poignant story Since its publication in 1985, Chris Van Allsburg’s The Polar Express has become an acknowledged classic of children’s literature, a Yuletide tale about faith and hope made unique not only because of the poignancy of the tale but the author’s distinctive illustrations as well. The […]

The Incredibles actually lives up to its title Halfway through The Incredibles, Pixar’s latest animated epic, my 4-year-old assistant Nathan declared: “This is the greatest movie I’ve ever seen in my whole life!” My other assistant, Nathan’s 7-year-old brother Alex, concurred at the end of the film, stating emphatically that he had just seen “the […]

Ray Charles was exceptional; Ray reminds us why Jamie Foxx delivers an astoundingly rich performance as Ray Charles, a musical legend who overcame a childhood of almost debilitating poverty, the loss of his eyesight at age 7, and the racism of the Deep South. Working from a script by James L. White and collaborating with […]

The Grudge delivers a powerful jump-out-of-your-seat fright show In 2002, DreamWorks scored a solid hit with the release of The Ring, a remake of a Japanese cult film that caused other movie studios to turn their attention to the horror-film renaissance in the Far East. Featuring threats that prove to be manifestations of extreme, violent […]

Learning life’s lessons on a dance floor There will be those who will dismiss Shall We Dance? sight unseen as a simplistic chick flick. That’s too bad, because they’ll be missing out on one of the year’s most delightful films, a reaffirmation of life and love. Richard Gere plays John Clark, a world-weary Chicago attorney […]

At the end of each year, I put together a list of that year’s 10 worst films. It used to be a cathartic exercise that I looked forward to with malicious glee. In recent years, though, it’s turned into a depressing exercise as it’s become obvious that restricting the list to 10 rotten films is […]

A rotten fish tale It’s inevitable that Shark Tale, the latest animated effort from DreamWorks Animation, will be compared to Finding Nemo. The biggest-grossing animated film to date, until DreamWorks’ own Shrek 2 came along, Nemo was fresh and funny, sporting a grand tale of adventure coupled with a heartwarming story of familial love and […]

Barely making it over the net Paul Bettany, finally given a starring role after delivering memorable supporting turns in A Beautiful Mind and Master and Commander, is Peter Colt, an English tennis pro who’s never reached his full potential. Once ranked 11th in the world, he’s fallen to 119th but has somehow weaseled his way […]

Take a nostaligia trip to the World of Tomorrow Joe “Sky Captain” Sullivan (Jude Law) is a daredevil pilot who finds himself caught up in a globetrotting adventure with the ever-resourceful Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow), a newspaper reporter who will do anything to get a story and win Joe’s heart. After a devastating attack on […]

Paul McGuigan’s Wicker Park is the sort of film that doesn’t really entertain as much as frustrate its audience. A remake of the 1996 French film L’Appartement, this movie aspires to be a tale of obsessive love in the tradition of Vertigo. However, Wicker Park occupies a cinematic level many rungs below Hitchcock’s masterpiece, and […]

Lush adaptation of Vanity Fair succeeds despite a few discordant notes Mira Nair’s adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair generally adheres to the novel’s theme and plot and even survives Nair’s decision to inject a touch of modern feminism. For those who haven’t read the book or seen earlier film adaptations, Vanity Fair tells […]

The paddle isn’t the only thing missing Jerry, Dan, and Tom are friends who reunite at the funeral of their adventurous comrade Billy. Each is searching for a purpose in his life, as well as an excuse to get away. They find that excuse with the discovery of a map Billy left behind. The map […]