Malala Yousafzai in He Named Me Malala. “I wondered if she was too good to be true.” No one could blame filmmaker Davis Guggenheim for being skeptical where the subject of his latest documentary, He Named Me Malala, is concerned. Activist Malala Yousafzai was thrust into the international spotlight in the aftermath of events that […]
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
Meandering Walk ultimately rights itself
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Walk. PHOTO COURTESY TRISTAR PICTURES Director Robert Zemickis has always been enamored with the technology of film, so much so that at times it has become a distraction to the stories he’s told. While his work inWho Framed Roger Rabbit? complimented the aesthetic of the entire production, his films The Polar […]
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Intern delivers exactly what you expect
Robert De Niro as Ben Whittaker and Anne Hathaway as Jules Ostin in The Intern. PHOTO COURTESY Warner Bros. Pictures I knew exactly what to expect with Nancy Myers’ The Intern and while there can be some comfort in having your expectations met (the idea they might be exceeded should never enter your mind with […]
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Sicario Barely Survives Flawed Third Act
Adept at creating a sense of oppressive dread and fascinated with characters forced to compromise their morality, director Denis Villeneuve isn’t one to shy away from films that deal with issues of ambiguity and hypocrisy where human behavior is concerned. Having made a name for himself with Incendies (2010), a familial mystery set in the […]
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“Martian” a Predictable but Entertaining Adventure
The buzz surrounding Ridley Scott’s The Martian is the sort one associates with Oscar-winning productions and films ultimately referred to as “classics.” As I’ve often told my son, saying something often enough doesn’t necessarily make it so. Obviously, 20th Century-Fox would have us think this film is one for the ages but in reality it […]
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“Scorch Trials” a Long, Slow Trek
Though dystopia fatigue may have had something to do with it, I couldn’t help but come away from The Scorch Trials, the adaptation of the second novel in the Maze Runner series, feeling weary. Sure, I knew that a sense of “Been-There, Done-That” would hang over it what with The Hunger Games and Divergent already […]
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Grandma’s honesty makes it a cut above
Lily Tomlin and Julia Garner in Grandma. You have to give Elle Reid credit. She’s lived her life on her terms and has made no apologies about it. However, now that she’s pushing 70 and her much-younger girlfriend has broken up with her, Elle’s starting to realize that there’s a cost for going your own […]
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“Perfect Guy” Laid Low by Predictable Script
I suppose it’s a bit lazy to say that there’s nothing original where the plot of a movie or novel is concerned. I’ve heard it said that there are only seven basic stories that can be told and they’ve obviously been done to death. So, the trick is to bring a bit of enthusiasm and […]
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Depp Mesmerizing in “Black Mass”
“If no one sees it, it didn’t happen.” These were the words Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger lived and thrived by, a philosophy of denial and evasion upon which he built a criminal empire all the while justifying his criminal activity with a survival of the fittest mentality. Scott Cooper’s Black Mass, a gripping, entertaining […]
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The Visit – A Modern Fairy Tale of the Grimm-est Sort
If anyone is in need of and deserving of a comeback, it’s writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. Having made a splash with The Sixth Sense in 1999, the filmmaker proceeded to make a series of thrillers, each less effective than the last, painting himself into a corner by steadfastly adhering to the formula that made him […]
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Redford and Nolte make for a pleasant Walk
Robert Redford as Bill Bryson and Nick Nolte as Katz in A Walk in the Woods. Much like its two main characters, A Walk in the Woods is a film that’s comfortable and familiar. There are no surprises to be had while watching it; the platitudes it espouses we’ve heard ad nauseum and the events […]
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Gerwig and Kirke discuss the merits of America
Greta Gerwig as Brooke and Lola Kirke as Tracy in Mistress America. PHOTO COURTESY FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES The moniker “Darling of American Independent film” may seem a bit facile, but it’s a title actress Greta Gerwig wears proudly. To be sure, she has more than enough credits to back this up as she’s appeared in […]
