|
5.0/5.0
|
87%
|
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) |
"
Every decision made here, from how the novel was refined to the controversial casting of Rooney Mara to one of the best technical teams of the year was the right one."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Dec 14, 2011
|
|
5.0/5.0
|
80%
|
Shame (2011) |
"
A daring examination of isolation and addiction with the best performance of the year courtesy of Michael Fassbender and one that nearly matches it from the always-stellar Carey Mulligan."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Dec 1, 2011
|
|
5.0/5.0
|
91%
|
Into The Abyss (2011) |
"
Easily one of the best documentaries of the year, this riveting, haunting piece of work fits perfectly into Herzog's resume as one of our most important living filmmakers."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Nov 11, 2011
|
|
5.0/5.0
|
89%
|
The Descendants (2011) |
"
A stunning tightrope act of comedy, sentimentality, drama, and the character definition that can only come from a man who has spent his life observing the complexity of the human race."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Oct 14, 2011
|
|
5.0/5.0
|
77%
|
Melancholia (2011) |
"
One of the best films of 2011, a stunningly original examination of that which is completely out of our control."
—
The Deadbolt
Posted Oct 6, 2011
|
|
5.0/5.0
|
67%
|
Pearl Jam Twenty (2011) |
"
Very few music documentaries in the history of the form have more successfully conveyed the inner workings and outer artistic expression of a band than Cameron Crowe's brilliant Pearl Jam Twenty."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Sep 29, 2011
|
|
5.0/5.0
|
92%
|
Drive (2011) |
"
An amazing thriller, a modern examination of heroism filtered through the fairy tale culture of the underbelly of the movie machine that is easily one of the most memorable and effective films of not just this year but the last several."
—
The Deadbolt
Posted Sep 15, 2011
|
|
5/5
|
83%
|
Warrior (2011) |
"
As so many films get lost in the Friday shuffle of new releases, it seems easier for a quality, smaller film to miss its audience. Don't lose Warrior. It's one of the best films of 2011."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Aug 22, 2011
|
|
5/5
|
82%
|
Super 8 (2011) |
"
Halfway through Super 8 I stopped thinking about the films that inspired Abrams to make it and started envisioning the works that would be inspired by THIS movie. Yes, it's that good."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Jun 8, 2011
|
|
5/5
|
85%
|
The Tree of Life (2011) |
"
If you truly give in to the beauty of this amazing film, you might even find yourself changed by it. How often can you say that at the cinema?"
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted May 27, 2011
|
|
5/5
|
85%
|
Meek's Cutoff (2011) |
"
Thanks to brilliant directorial decisions matched by a cast that was clearly inspired by this unique effort, this will surely be one of the most memorable films of 2011."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted May 13, 2011
|
|
5/5
|
94%
|
Win Win (2011) |
"
Another unique story that is both moving and also believable at the same time, an increasingly-rare combination. "Win Win" is the first great film of 2011."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Mar 25, 2011
|
|
5.0/5.0
|
88%
|
Blue Valentine (2010) |
"
A powerful drama, partially made so by a fantastic script, but mostly due to two of the best performances of the year from Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. Don't miss it."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Jan 7, 2011
|
|
5/5
|
87%
|
Black Swan (2010) |
"
With creative expression rarely seen in American film and one of the best performances by an actress that you will ever see, Black Swan is a film that resonates for hours and even days after you see it. "
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Dec 2, 2010
|
|
5/5
|
98%
|
Inside Job (2010) |
"
Incredibly complicated but never dry, never confusing, and always riveting. "
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Oct 15, 2010
|
|
5/5
|
89%
|
Let Me In (2010) |
"
Stands firmly on its own two bare feet as not only one of the best horror films of the year but one of the best films, period. "
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Oct 1, 2010
|
|
5/5
|
96%
|
The Social Network (2010) |
"
With spectacular performances, technical elements that are beyond criticism, and the best directorial work of Fincher's remarkable career, The Social Network is one of the best films of 2010."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Sep 30, 2010
|
|
5/5
|
93%
|
The Tillman Story (2010) |
"
You are unlikely to see a documentary this year more powerful than The Tillman Story."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Sep 2, 2010
|
|
5.0/5
|
99%
|
Toy Story 3 (2010) |
"
Brilliantly tying up the two films that came before in a way that so many sequels fail to do, the geniuses at Pixar have done it again. It's another masterpiece."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Jun 18, 2010
|
|
5.0/5
|
97%
|
The Hurt Locker (2009) |
"
Filmmaking simply doesn't get much more riveting than Kathryn Bigelow's incredible The Hurt Locker, a cinematic experience unlike any other that you will have this year."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Jul 9, 2009
|
|
5.0/5
|
96%
|
Waltz with Bashir (2008) |
"
A transcendent shattering of what viewers should expect from traditional animation or the standard documentary film. Ari Folman's dream-like journey into his own memory is a must-see."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Jan 23, 2009
|
|
5/5
|
98%
|
Wings of Desire (1987) |
—
UGO
Posted Apr 11, 2007
|
|
5/5
|
100%
|
Baby Doll (1956) |
—
UGO
Posted Mar 24, 2007
|
|
5/5
|
94%
|
My Fair Lady (1964) |
—
UGO
Posted Mar 24, 2007
|
|
5/5
|
95%
|
In the Name of the Father (1993) |
—
UGO
Posted Mar 24, 2007
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
93%
|
Marvel's The Avengers (2012) |
"
A high quality, incredibly entertaining, joyous summer event. If I was 12, it would be my favorite movie ever made."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted May 1, 2012
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
97%
|
Monsieur Lazhar (2012) |
"
Remarkably human, touching, brilliant film that never succumbs to melodrama, finding something truthful in the complex relationship between adults and children forced to grow up too soon. "
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Apr 27, 2012
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
90%
|
The Cabin in the Woods (2012) |
"
One of those rare films that's just pulsing with energy on so many levels - as genre-loving comedy, as straight-up horror, and as something you've simply never seen before. The Cabin in the Woods is a great film."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Apr 12, 2012
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
83%
|
The Raid: Redemption (2012) |
"
It's an aggressive, adrenaline-fueled success in so many ways that it might make you like recent Hollywood action films less than you remembered. They weren't this powerful, super-charged, or generally remarkable."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Mar 23, 2012
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
85%
|
The Hunger Games (2012) |
"
It is a work of art on multiple levels with fantastic technical elements and some of the best performances in a work of science fiction in years. "
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Mar 20, 2012
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
94%
|
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2012) |
"
Mannered, deliberate film (some might say SLOW) that somehow gains accumulated power through its director's incredible eye for composition and appreciation for the beauty of cinema. "
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Mar 8, 2012
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
95%
|
Undefeated (2012) |
"
This is one of the best sports documentaries of the last few years and while I don't think it should have won in a VERY good year for non-fiction film, I'm really not upset at all that it did."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Mar 2, 2012
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
83%
|
Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts (2012) |
"
There are stand-outs in both programs including a new short by Pixar (that will play in front of Brave this summer) and a stellar drama starring Ciaran Hinds from director Terry George."
—
The Deadbolt
Posted Feb 9, 2012
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
77%
|
The Innkeepers (2012) |
"
One of the most effective horror movies of the last several years, a true gem of the genre that reminds a scary movie junkie like myself why I fell in love with them in the first place. "
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Feb 2, 2012
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
96%
|
The Muppets (2011) |
"
Segel not only does the legacy of Henson's creation proud with The Muppets, he's delivered one of the best family films of the last decade and arguably the funniest film of 2011."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Nov 22, 2011
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
90%
|
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) |
"
I can't shake this haunting work, one that increasingly grows in esteem the more I swirl it around my brain. It is undeniably one of the more memorable and intriguing works of 2011."
—
The Deadbolt
Posted Oct 6, 2011
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
84%
|
Contagion (2011) |
"
Running less than two hours but as packed with incredible actors and subplots as an Irwin Allen disaster pic, and yet Soderbergh never lets it get away from him. We always care. We're always interested. We're always terrified."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Sep 8, 2011
|
|
4.5/5.0
|
83%
|
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) |
"
The biggest surprise in a long time simply delivers what it promises and then goes way beyond that to become one of the most memorable summer thrill rides of the last few years."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Aug 5, 2011
|
|
4.5/5
|
93%
|
Midnight in Paris (2011) |
"
Allen's most insightful and enjoyable screenplay since the mid-'90s, Midnight in Paris is a lovely summer surprise."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted May 27, 2011
|
|
4.5/5
|
91%
|
Source Code (2011) |
"
Like the best sci-fi, Source Code is both entertaining and thought-provoking."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Mar 31, 2011
|
|
4.5/5
|
86%
|
Rabbit Hole (2010) |
"
With some of the best performances of the year from Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, and Dianne Wiest, this is one of the strongest dramas of the awards season. "
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Dec 23, 2010
|
|
4.5/5
|
93%
|
127 Hours (2010) |
"
At its best, 127 Hours is transporting in the way it puts us right in the middle of Aron Ralston's ordeal and perfectly conveys what forced him to make a decision that many of us couldn't conceive."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Oct 13, 2010
|
|
4.5/5
|
46%
|
Hereafter (2010) |
"
Will eventually be remembered as one of Eastwood's best films of this period of his remarkable career. "
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Oct 13, 2010
|
|
4.5/5
|
91%
|
Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick (Everlasting Moments) (Maria Larsson's Everlasting Moment) (2009) |
"
A haunting, beautiful movie about small, emotional movements set against a backdrop of national change."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Mar 13, 2009
|
|
4.5/5
|
82%
|
Two Lovers (2008) |
"
A wonderful character-driven drama about a man caught between what he has and what he wants."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Feb 27, 2009
|
|
4.0/5.0
|
86%
|
The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012) |
"
It's smart, funny, and, most importantly, entertaining for multiple generations. "
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Apr 26, 2012
|
|
4.0/5.0
|
68%
|
The Hunter (2012) |
"
While the film threatens to fall into cliché, excellent cinematography and another mesmerizing performance by Willem Dafoe keep it engaging enough to the point that it develops a fascinating rhythm of its own."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Apr 26, 2012
|
|
4.0/5.0
|
——
|
Takeover! () |
"
It's a good-natured, sweet, fun documentary about the power of creativity. Sometimes you don't need money, food, a plan, enough gas, or even a stage - you just need your passion to play."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Apr 26, 2012
|
|
4.0/5.0
|
86%
|
2012 Oscar Shorts: Live Action & Animated () |
"
There are stand-outs in both programs including a new short by Pixar (that will play in front of Brave this summer) and a stellar drama starring Ciaran Hinds from director Terry George."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Feb 9, 2012
|
|
4.0/5.0
|
97%
|
Tomboy (2011) |
"
The film's greatest accomplishment is writer/director Celine Sciamma's stunning ability to draw natural, believable performances from her adolescent cast, who never hit a false note in this moving film."
—
HollywoodChicago.com
Posted Jan 26, 2012
|
65%
——
97%
