It was with a sense of giddiness that I entered a local theater to see Eran Creevy’s Collide. I love it when great actors go slumming and this low-concept chase film has two of them – Oscar winners Anthony Hopkins and Ben Kingsley. I anticipated a great deal of ham to be sliced between these two […]
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 inArts & Culture
Long trudge dooms Fight
“I had a thought as I was being dragged down the stairs by that horse on meth.” The circumstances surrounding the way in which the above piece of dialogue was delivered had me laughing much harder than I have in quite some time. However, the single witty turn of an odd phrase does not a […]
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Wicked Chapter 2 a ballet of violence
I face a bit of a moral quandary where reviewing John Wick: Chapter 2 is concerned. A beautifully shot and composed film that visually puts most similar Hollywood product to shame, it features Keanu Reeves at his most glacial in the title role of a retired hit man who’s sucked back into an elaborate criminal […]
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Flimsy Effects Prevent “Wall” From Greatness
The most expensive film ever made in China, “The Great Wall” is meant to serve as a bridge between American and Asian audiences, a co-production between Universal Pictures and the China Film Group as well as other international corporations. Hollywood knows the secret to success where big budget epics are concerned lie in foreign markets, […]
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Clever Lego Batman hindered by spastic style
Call me a curmudgeon, but I was one of the few who weren’t fully enamored with The Lego Movie when it hit movie theaters in 2014. While it did have a clever plot and a worthwhile theme – that is, for a feature-length commercial – I found its manic pace and spastic visual style tiresome. […]
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Surprising “Rings” Outdoes Predecessors
Not having been a fan of The Ring (2002) or its sequel, I had no great hope when Paramount Pictures announced a third entry/reboot was in the works. Surprisingly, Rings proves to be superior to the two previous movies what with its streamlined story and eerie atmosphere courtesy of Spanish director F. Javier Gutierrez. Taking […]
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Stellar Cast Elevates “Comedian”
Groucho Marx’s third wife once stated, “If he’d only said ‘I love you’ once, I would have stayed.” No doubt, it must be difficult living with someone who makes their living cracking wise, especially those whose humor has a mean-spirited edge to it. Certainly, the boundaries between the performer’s personal and professional life must blur […]
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Simplistic Purpose a bit listless
Anyone who’s ever had a dog has asked the question, “I wonder what they’re thinking?” Lasse Hallstrom’s A Dog’s Purpose does its level best to answer this query, and the results are less than satisfactory. Seems as though they think that kissing is an act in which humans look for food in each other’s mouths […]
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Tepid Pace Nearly Undoes “Split”
I’m glad that M. Night Shyamalan has wandered out of the wilderness of big budget mistakes and has returned to the world of modest thrillers. His distinct voice has been sorely missed in the genre, something I didn’t realize until the arrival last year of The Visit, an entertaining piece of business that followed the […]
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McConaughey Shines in “Gold”
Stephen Gaghan’s Gold certainly doesn’t tell a new story but at least it does so in an entertaining manner. Based on the Bre-X Minerals scandal from the 1990’s, the film is propelled by a compelling, manic performance from Matthew McConaughey; his good looks may be suffused by 40 extra pounds, a dental appliance and his […]
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Portman returns to form with Jackie
Much like a kaleidoscope that provides rapidly changing perspectives, Pablo Larrain’s Jackie gives us a wide variety of glimpses into the life of Jacqueline Kennedy as the first lady tries to come to terms with her place in the world after her husband’s assassination. Eschewing the traditional structure of the Hollywood biopic, the film careens […]
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Keaton riveting in The Founder
Of course I can’t be for certain, but I can’t imagine that even in his wildest dreams Ray Kroc could have conceived that McDonald’s restaurants would have the impact on the world that they do today. With 36,615 locations worldwide and having posted a $25 billion profit for 2015, it’s estimated that 68 million people […]
