What keeps “The Secret Life of Pets” entertaining is the redeeming measure of charisma. Nothing is ever to a "Pixar Punch" level, yet the ever-present plucky pizzazz washes down the occasional preposterous stupidity with the right cooling chaser. You could do far worse for family summer fun at the theater. Now go home and hug that adorable pooch you left home from the movie theater. He or she has been waiting for you.
Read MoreAs ambiguous as this sounds, your love or hate of the new film and Sundance favorite, “Swiss Army Man,” will say something about your inner quirkiness, mindset, and, most of all, your heart. Packed with detail and imagination beyond belief, this film defies classification and destroys the hyperbole, pretense, and comparative euphemisms that normally define films about friendship, the genre of buddy movies, and even unconventional screen love stories. Movies that tug our heartstrings with a smile normally kill us with kindness. The polarizing “Swiss Army Man” kills us with weirdness. This film lets its WTF freak flag fly and encourages you to do the same.
Read MoreThe critics of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle have heard the call of the jungle! Watch and enjoy the first takes of myself and my fellow CIFCC members including Jon Espino of "The Young Folks," Pamela Powell of The Kankakee Daily Journal and "Reel Honest Reviews," and, but not least, Emmanuel Noisette of "Eman's Movie Reviews" offering their hot-and-bothered impressions on "The Legend of Tarzan." Enjoy!
Read MoreSwinging off the big screen and flexing all kinds of sweaty muscles, “The Legend of Tarzan” is an able and exciting summer blockbuster entry just in time for the holiday weekend. Former “Harry Potter” franchise steward David Yates has packed enough sweep and scope for high adventure while employing enough modern bells and whistles to launch the pulp character further than ever before on the silver screen. With stunning production pieces, wallet-worthy 3D, buff bods, beautiful people, and a bevy of carnal excitement, this newfangled interpretation delivers a throwback experience of intensity and thrills fitting for the classic hero.
Read MoreFaithful and imaginative as “The BFG” may be, the proceedings lack contagious inspiration that should come from a film of this intended caliber. Other than “whizpopper” humor, the slivers of cuteness present are ineffectual and the intended themes on dreams are lost in yawns. The silliness misses any chance at meaning. The film is too ridiculous to be approachable and too bizarre to be endearing. Meet Steven Spielberg's worst film.
Read More“The Shallows” gives Blake Lively the chance to not only prove she’s more than a Hollywood hot body, but also one-up her husband Ryan Reynolds in survival film department next to his little 2010 gem “Buried.” Prominent click bait out there will have you believe that “The Shallows” is the best shark movie since “Jaws.” That bold statement is a bit of overrated hyperbole. “Open Water” and “Deep Blue Sea” might have something to say about that. However, there more than enough impressive rush and originality from “The Shallows” to stand out in a crowded summer marketplace of retreads and sequels.
Read MoreThe advent of computer-generated visual effects in the 1990s raised the scope of what and how much disaster movies could destroy on screen. No better film encapsulated that new era than the raucous and wildly successful “Independence Day” from 1996 with aliens laying waste to world monuments and making a star out of Will Smith. In the twenty years since, the evolution of CGI filmmaking of bigger and more opulent destruction has elevated the craft to the moniker of “disaster porn.” Returning with the grand ambitious sequel “Independence Day: Resurgence,” the former standard-bearer enters a present day where audiences have been desensitized by asteroids, comets, natural disasters, monsters, Transformers, and superheroes dozens of times over. What was awesome the first time isn’t jaw-dropping anymore.
Read MoreSince Hollywood has become a hit-generating factory more than a garden of artistry and truth, a historical drama film like “Free State of Jones” only has to raise its barometer to a midpoint of “good enough.” That is because there is nearly unwinnable tug-of-war of disservice between history lessons and entertainment value, especially when your poster reads “based on a true story.” Veer away from the facts too far with dramatic license and the film becomes disingenuous. Veer too close to history without cinematic flashiness and no one will pay to see it. “Free State of Jones” falls somewhere in the middle of that mud pit.
Read MoreThe award-winning Juliette Binoche is one of those actresses who can captivate an audience in complete silence. Binoche has long been a reflective master of inflection and nuance. She doesn’t have to say a word to convey the waterfall of thoughts an end emotions going on within her characters. She is a true artist for performance and the latest proof of that is her staggering dramatic role in “The Wait,” the directorial debut of Italian filmmaker Piero Messina.
Read MoreAfter an advance screening of "Finding Dory," I was invited to participate in a post-film round table podcast hosted by Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat. I was one of five Chicago film critics chatting about our feelings, opinions, and reactions to "Finding Dory" with tangents on Pixar, Burger King (our lucky location for the podcast), and even "The Gilmore Girls." Ian does outstanding work putting these shows together and I was highly honored to be included. I hope to be a guest again in the new future! Enjoy the show!
Read MoreThere's room for film noir that can inhabit real places and plausible people while still having all the necessary ingredients to make them as cool as the genre demands. With a deep homage to noir coupled with a big dose of 1970's-esque conspiracy thrillers, director Jenna Ricker, in her second feature film, presents "The American Side" starring her Greg Stuhr and a notable ensemble cast. Using upstate New York, Ricker has created a living and breathing seedy side out a wholesome American city and tourist destination. As a film, "The American Side" is satisfying and a constantly engaging throwback detective story that surpasses its glitzy and more expensive Hollywood peer "The Nice Guys."
Read MoreThis week, I joined my fellow members of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle for an advance screening of Disney/Pixar's "Finding Dory." I am proud to be a co-founder and co-director of this fine group. We all took away a bunch of heart and love from the "Finding Nemo" sequel. Enjoy the first takes of yours truly, Gabrielle Bondi of The Young Folks, and Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews!
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