Author Archives: Dann Gire

Linda (voiced by Leslie Mann) teaches Blu the bird (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) to brush his beak in the 3-D animated comedy “Rio.” “Rio” presents a blandly generic story pumped full of life by bright and crisp animation — despite being dimmed by 3-D glasses — plus a bouncy musical score equipped with a few […]

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) struggles to keep an edge on her relationship with a serial killer in “Scream 4.” I realize that “Scream 4” is supposed to be a self-aware post-modernistic comic horror film, because two soon-to-be skewered blondes tell us this in the film’s fatal opening segment. But must all the characters in “Scream […]

Saoirse Ronan stars as “Hanna,” a lethal teenager on a mission from dad. If you see Joe Wright’s amazing action movie “Hanna,” pay close attention to a scene where Hanna’s father, Erik (played by Eric Bana), arrives at a bus station. In one single, glorious, meticulously crafted shot, the camera follows Erik all over the […]

Arthur Bach (Russell Brand) consoles his ailing nanny (Helen Mirren) in the embarrassingly dated, lackluster romantic comedy “Arthur.” Of all the movies from the early 1980s, Steve Gordon’s rom-com “Arthur” would seem the least likely to justify a remake in 2011. Yet, here it is, a dated dud of a movie eking by on the […]

Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson, left) and his wife Renai (Rose Byrne) must save their son from evil spirits in “Insidious.” “Insidious” is so confident it will scare the Pop Tarts out of us that it begins with a cheesy opening scene suggesting it’s going to be just another stupid, PG-13-rated horror movie. While a boy […]

North Shore Chicago parents Will and Lynn Cameron (Clive Owen and Catherine Keener) deal with the aftermath of their daughter’s sexual assault in David Schwimmer’s “Trust.” David Schwimmer’s “Trust” methodically, earnestly, painstakingly details a 14-year-old girl’s seduction by an online pedophile, then meticulously chronicles the emotional aftershocks experienced by the teen, her mother and her […]

E.B. (voiced by Russell Brand) goes looking for a job with his human buddy (James Marsden) in the live-action/animated comedy “Hop.” Kids will love “Hop.” It’s cute. It’s funny. It’s clever. In fits and starts. But I’m guessing the creators of “Hop” are completely oblivious to the stereotyping of their characters, the blatant anti-union message […]

Christina (Michelle Monaghan) and Colter (Jake Gyllenhaal) share a hot relationship in the thriller “Source Code.” I had no idea where I was, who the characters were, and what was supposed to happen. It was wonderful, blissful confusion. A mystery. An enigma. I managed to see “Source Code” knowing nothing about it, beyond its cast […]

Jesus (Chicago actor Michael Pena), left, protests his innocence on a murder charge to attorney Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) in “The Lincoln Lawyer.” If you think “The Lincoln Lawyer” refers to Abraham Lincoln, forget that. Mick Haller hardly qualifies as an honest lawyer. He’s shifty, manipulative, selfish, slick and oily. The Lincoln he admires the […]

Paul the alien (voiced by Seth Rogen) and Graeme (Simon Pegg) perform the cliched “tandem scream” in the disappointing sci-fi comedy “Paul.” The planet Earth has so many science-fiction geeks and alien conspiracy buffs that if “Paul” reaches just 5 percent of them, the comedy should hit cosmic box office receipts in record time. I […]