|
3.5/4
|
64%
|
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008) |
"
Like its predecessor, Sisterhood 2 is based on two radical ideas: namely, that young women's stories are about more than the pursuit of men, and that happiness isn't something someone else gives you -- it's something you have to find for yourself."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Aug 7, 2008
|
|
3.5/4
|
50%
|
Sex and the City (2008) |
"
Witty, effervescent and unexpectedly thoughtful, the big-screen iteration of the HBO series stands up beautifully (and somewhat miraculously) to the twin pressures of popular expectation and critical assessment."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted May 28, 2008
|
|
3.5/4
|
88%
|
Young@Heart (2007) |
"
A chorus (average age 80) prepares for a springtime tour, putting their signature spin on classics--classics like The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go.""
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Apr 18, 2008
|
|
3.5/4
|
89%
|
The Savages (2007) |
"
Assured and sharp, The Savages is only Jenkins' second feature-length film. You'd never know it."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Dec 20, 2007
|
|
3.5/4
|
76%
|
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006) |
"
The memoirist turned screenwriter turned director has hit it out of the park with his first feature, crafting an unflinching, often brutal retrospective of his formative years in Astoria, Queens."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Oct 19, 2006
|
|
3.5/4
|
91%
|
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) |
"
It's difficult to convey the sheer joy of watching these characters interact."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Aug 3, 2006
|
|
3.5/4
|
84%
|
Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) |
"
It's a dynamic snapshot of youth in the big city, of kids who talk tough and act up but savor the discipline and structure of their dance classes."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Jun 3, 2005
|
|
3/4
|
66%
|
The Brothers Bloom (2009) |
"
An awfully good time."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted May 5, 2009
|
|
3/4
|
64%
|
Marley & Me (2008) |
"
The book, like the movie it inspired, is a sweet, surprisingly moving chronicle of a young couple's struggle to simultaneously build a family, advance their careers and maintain their sanity."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Dec 24, 2008
|
|
3/4
|
65%
|
Plus Tard (One Day You'll Understand) (Later) (2008) |
"
This is not a movie of big, dramatic revelations; in fact, the notionally elusive truth is pretty obvious from the movie's outset, which makes Victor's quest less about facts and more about principles."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Nov 13, 2008
|
|
3/4
|
93%
|
Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story (2008) |
"
By the end of Forbes' brisk, economical portrait, Atwater has been revealed as a repugnant and pathetic soul--and a political visionary, among the first to fully understand and harness the raw power of voters' fears."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Oct 31, 2008
|
|
3/4
|
45%
|
The Strangers (2008) |
"
Anchored by convincing performances from Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler, both of whom elevate their roles above the standard horror-movie caricature, this is an enormously unsettling movie."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted May 29, 2008
|
|
3/4
|
84%
|
The Singing Revolution (2007) |
"
As far as the plot goes, widespread lack of familiarity with Estonia's recent history actually works in the film's favor: Suspense born of ignorance lends the unfolding drama the urgency of a political thriller."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted May 22, 2008
|
|
3/4
|
79%
|
How The Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer (2008) |
"
Unlike so many of her peers who depend on music to do everything but deliver the dialogue, [director] Riedel isn't afraid of silence; early in the film there's a solid minute of noiselessness as the camera lovingly pans the town, establishing the story's"
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted May 15, 2008
|
|
3/4
|
98%
|
The Band's Visit (Bikur Ha-Tizmoret) (2007) |
"
You can watch The Band's Visit for its political idealism, or you can watch it for entertainment value alone. In either case, it doesn't disappoint."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Mar 6, 2008
|
|
3/4
|
86%
|
Starting Out in the Evening (2007) |
"
While the film shares the novel's stealth appeal ... on the whole it's better: sharper, leaner and less sentimental."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Dec 14, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
56%
|
What Would Jesus Buy? (2007) |
"
It's a wickedly effective indictment of America's consumer compulsion, our mindless shopping and the multinational corporations controlling it all."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Nov 29, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
98%
|
For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) |
"
This is a compelling, thought-provoking portrait of a quiet challenge rising within America's churches."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Nov 29, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
53%
|
Across the Universe (2007) |
"
If you can get past its relatively minor failings, it's hard not to be seduced by the big heart of this chaotic, colorful movie."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Sep 13, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
60%
|
Them (Ils) (2007) |
"
Taut and remorseless, Them, which is allegedly based on actual events, is the perfect antidote to the stomach-churning gore served up by so many in the current crop of horror films."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Aug 23, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
27%
|
Evening (2007) |
"
If you've not read Susan Minot's 1998 bestseller Evening, you will be happily oblivious to the movie's glaring departures and free to settle into this languid, gorgeously shot film, which bears only a passing resemblance to the novel."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Jun 28, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
81%
|
Live Free or Die Hard (2007) |
"
The usual pyrotechnics are intact, the corpses pile up and McClane even gets to spit out his signature battle cry."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Jun 26, 2007
|
|
3/4
|
49%
|
We Are Marshall (2006) |
"
'Restrained' and 'tasteful' are not words normally associated with McG, the director best known for countless music videos and the Charlie's Angels movie franchise. We Are Marshall could change that."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Dec 21, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
63%
|
10 Items or Less (2006) |
"
Silberling demonstrates an unerring ear for the natural, often discomfiting rhythm of two strangers tentatively forging a connection."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Nov 30, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
32%
|
Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006) |
"
A revelatory, challenging and deeply affecting portrait, anchored by what may be Kidman's most profoundly moving performance to date."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Nov 16, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
55%
|
Marie Antoinette (2006) |
"
Insouciant but never cavalier, Coppola's latest effort should prove definitively she's a talent in her own right."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Oct 19, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
87%
|
Jesus Camp (2006) |
"
What Ewing and Grady have accomplished here is remarkable -- capturing the visceral humanity, desire and unflagging political will of a religious movement."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Sep 28, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
46%
|
The Last Kiss (2006) |
"
... a smart, witty, sexy take on the perils of becoming an adult."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Sep 15, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
87%
|
The Ground Truth (2006) |
"
Thanks largely to the brutal honesty of its subjects, The Ground Truth transcends the protest genre and delivers a much broader cautionary tale."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Sep 14, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
86%
|
Quinceañera (Echo Park, L.A.) (2006) |
"
Quinceanera took both the dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and it's easy to see why."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Aug 10, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
52%
|
Strangers with Candy (2005) |
"
Easily the wittiest, most ridiculous and best-written comedy of the year."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Jul 6, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
72%
|
Only Human (2006) |
"
Shines a glaring light on sibling rivalry, cultural rifts and filial devotion without ever descending into pap or sentimentality."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Jun 29, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
72%
|
Clean (2005) |
"
It's a joy to watch the characters in this grown-up drama interact, their exchanges laced with anger and doubt, sadness and regret."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Jun 29, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
36%
|
Wassup Rockers (2006) |
"
Very different than Kids. Where the earlier film was exhausting in its nihilism, the latest retains a good-natured charm."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Jun 29, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
73%
|
Twelve and Holding (12 and Holding) (2006) |
"
The kids deliver uniformly solid, occasionally remarkable performances."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Jun 1, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
75%
|
Look Both Ways (2006) |
"
... a surprisingly (and inexplicably) uplifting meditation on the myriad ways life makes us all acutely miserable."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Apr 27, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
37%
|
American Gun (2006) |
"
While not a perfect movie by any means -- a few scenes feel forced -- there is plenty to recommend it, even beyond the truly great performances."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Apr 6, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
61%
|
Something New (2006) |
"
Happily for those of us who enjoy the genre but wouldn't mind more substance on the empty-calorie march toward bliss, Something New, the beguiling feature film debut from Sanaa Hamri, carries a little bit more weight than the average rom-com."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Feb 2, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
54%
|
Last Holiday (2006) |
"
We may know exactly where we're going, but the journey is so much fun, all but the most peevish audience members will find it impossible to complain."
—
Metromix.com
Posted Jan 17, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
54%
|
Last Holiday (2006) |
"
We may know exactly where we're going, but the journey is so much fun, all but the most peevish audience members will find it impossible to complain."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Jan 12, 2006
|
|
3/4
|
52%
|
First Descent (2005) |
"
Visually, this is one of the most arresting sports documentaries in years, and it doesn't skimp on the visceral thrills, either."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Dec 1, 2005
|
|
3/4
|
64%
|
Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story (2005) |
"
It's precisely what we expect -- no more, no less -- and in that capacity, it is supremely successful."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Oct 20, 2005
|
|
3/4
|
59%
|
The Talent Given Us (2004) |
"
If you enjoy HBO's cult hit Curb Your Enthusiasm, you're almost guaranteed to enjoy this bawdy, heartbreaking, deeply discomfiting mockumentary."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Sep 29, 2005
|
|
3/4
|
52%
|
Garçon Stupide (2005) |
"
Brooding, beautiful and ultimately redemptive story of sex, more sex and -- just maybe -- love."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Sep 15, 2005
|
|
3/4
|
70%
|
Torremolinos 73 (2005) |
"
Writer/director Pablo Berger has crafted a thoroughly winning and surprisingly thought-provoking story."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Jun 3, 2005
|
|
3/4
|
75%
|
The Other Side of the Street (2004) |
"
A languid, delicate character study; the strengths of the film are found in the loving yet unsentimental portrayal of its two intensely troubled, carefully drawn protagonists."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Apr 28, 2005
|
|
3/4
|
77%
|
Bear Cub (Cachorro) (2004) |
"
It's enough to give you faith in family dramas again."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Dec 2, 2004
|
|
2.5/4
|
78%
|
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008) |
"
I predict with great confidence that the big-screen debut of the American Girl brand will be a resounding success. This rosy prediction is based partly on the fact that Kit Kittredge is a solidly made movie...and partly on the fact that the America"
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Jun 19, 2008
|
|
2.5/4
|
79%
|
Teeth (2007) |
"
Given how thoroughly all the subtext spells out the message, then, it seems unnecessary to make the actual text so raw, grotesque and graphic. Granted, a horror movie about vagina dentata was probably never destined to be tasteful, but Lichtenstein's comp"
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Mar 27, 2008
|
|
2.5/4
|
65%
|
Stop-Loss (2008) |
"
Peirce's obvious respect for the returned soldiers should prevent Stop-Loss from being dismissed as a Hollywood anti-war screed. It's more accurately described as an anti-war movie with a resolutely pro-troop message."
—
Chicago Tribune
Posted Mar 27, 2008
|
74%
79%
62%
52%
26%
4%
