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Chicago hit man Frank Logan (director Michael Keaton) falls for Kate Frazier (Kelly Macdonald) in “The Merry Gentleman.” |
Who would have guessed that Michael Keaton – who burst into the movies as a manic, ADD-styled comedian – could have directed the subtle nuances of an impressive, virtually all-Chicago independent production like “The Merry Gentleman”? (Read more…)
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Des Plaines native Tom Bastounes produced and also stars in “The Merry Gentleman.” |
To hear Tom Bastounes tell it, making his new movie “The Merry Gentleman” sounds easier than cutting cake.
Ron Lazzeretti, a Chicagoan who wrote and directed Bastounes’ last movie, “The Opera Lover,” had written another script called “The Merry Gentleman.” (Read more…)
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Desperate earthlings move to conquer an inhabitable planet and destroy its residents in the animated “Battle for Terra.” |
Aristomenis Tsirbas’ “Battle For Terra” strives to be both a great work of 3-D animation and a superior piece of science fiction. (Read more…)
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Connor (Matthew McConaughey) tries to stop the wedding of his girl Jenny (Jennifer Garner) in “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.” |
“Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” strikes me as the kind of superficial, witless romantic comedy conceived on a dare between a director and a screenwriter during a weekend bender. (Read more…)
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Hugh Jackman bares his aggression as the most popular mutant in the action thriller “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” |
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” begins as a dark and foreboding tale of two brothers on the run, then slams into high gear as a high-energy action film before veering out of control into such overwrought silliness that it resembles a satire of itself. (Read more…)
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“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” |
As expected every year at this time, a big chunk of the summer movie season serves up an unimaginative mix of sequels, prequels, remakes, juvenile comedies, TV adaptations, book adaptations and even a film based on an action figure. (Read more…)
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“Drag Me to Hell” |
Here are the nine 2009 summer movies I’m so stoked to see, I would actually buy a ticket to watch them: (Read more…)
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Paul Rudd, left, Jason Segel and director John Hamburg, right, have fun with ping-pong balls while discussing their new comedy “I Love You Man.” |
When you put actors Paul Rudd and Jason Segel together in a room with their “I Love You, Man” director John Hamburg, a film critic can just forget about having any control over the interviews. (Read more…) (View video…)