Search for purpose drives Roofman Between 1940 and 1944, writer-director Preston Sturges produced a string of classics that were, and remain, an unprecedented success among Hollywood filmmakers. The Lady Eve, Sullivan’s Travels and Hail the Conquering Hero were among the movies made during this period, each of them featuring a plot conceit the director returned […]
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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The Lost Bus carries warning, canine star rescues Good Boy
Bus a gripping, vital cautionary tale On the morning of November 8, 2018, a powerline from a tower owned by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. broke during a windstorm and fell to the ground in northern Butte County, California. Having gone without rain for 121 days, the area was a tinderbox waiting for the slightest […]
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Battle messy and ambitious, Dead of Winter tells wrong story
Anderson orchestrates ambitious Battle Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another comes fully freighted with great expectations. Proclaimed by critics as the front runner for the Oscar for Best Picture, it seems preordained to deliver the director recognition from the Academy that’s long overdue. Yet, much like Martin Socrsese’s The Departed, this is far from […]
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A Big Bold Beautiful Journey takes detour, Lily James great in Swiped
Enchanting Journey ultimately sidetracked I approached Kogonada’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey with a healthy amount of skepticism. With one foot in the real world and the other firmly planted in the fantastical, my guard was up for something that labored to be whimsical or a film that revolved solely around its gimmick. Imagine my […]
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The Long Walk delivers message, Baltimorons runs out of charm
Brutal Walk carries powerful, timely message I was angry as I walked out of the theater after having seen Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk. I was angry over the brutality I had witnessed, angry about the vile nature of the story and angry over the graphic way it was rendered. The fact that what I […]
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High and Low overstays its welcome, star power makes Murder Club
Lee, Washington tackle the great divide in Highest Using the Akira Kurosawa classic High and Low as a starting point, Spike Lee delivers a searing examination of the ever-expanding class divide in Highest 2 Lowest, his fifth collaboration with Denzel Washington. Like so many of the director’s films, he casts a wide net regarding the […]
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Caught Stealing struggles to be funny, The Roses a look at love gone awry
Butler, cast fight to find humor in Caught Stealing If there was ever a “Your Mileage May Vary” movie, it’s Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing. While it’s being promoted as a dark comedy – and it is funny at times – the director leans into the violent nature of this chase film far too often. The […]
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Relay a smart thriller, Map that Leads to You a predictable rom-com,
Relay a throwback to smart thrillers Smart, well-acted and containing a narrative switchback I didn’t see coming, Relay from director David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water) is a pleasant surprise. This slow-burn thriller revolves around an intriguing premise that would have been right at home during the era of paranoid thrillers from the mid-1970s. Hitchcockian […]
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Weapons an unnerving look at missing kids, Red Sonja falls short
Weapons worthwhile despite questionable choices Zach Cregger’s Weapons is getting a great deal of press and it’s easy to see why. Not only did the film bring in nearly $43 million in its first weekend of release, an impressive number for a film of this sort, but its ending has left many viewers with a […]
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Sketch unexpectedly dark, Pickup too ridiculous, Naked Gun a worthy successor
Sketch effectively colors outside the lines With its stable of inspirational movies, religious animated features and overt sports-as-life metaphor movies, Angel Films has gained a foothold in the entertainment industry as the source of faith-based films. Obvious in their marketing and intent, the studio has found great success in appealing to church groups to promote their […]
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Taron Egerton and Nick Rowland on the challenges of bringing Shotgun to the screen
In adapting Jordan Harper’s novel, She Rides Shotgun, a couple of happy accidents took place during its prolonged production. A change of locale and the discovery of a brilliant young actress helped transform this story of urban crime into something more meaningful and poignant. Charting the cross-country journey of recently paroled convict Nathan Mcclusky (Taron […]
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Together a disturbing look at co-dependency, Gilmore 2 under par
Together a graphic look at love and dependency Curiously paced and at times a bit overt, Michael Shanks’ Together ultimately overcomes these faults to deliver an entertaining, albeit disturbing examination of co-dependency. Intimate in setting and scope, the couple at the center of this ever-devolving relationship enact a relatable situation for married viewers who find […]
