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Star Newspapers (Chicago, IL)

Star Newspapers (Chicago, IL) is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Michael Drakulich.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
3/4
Iron Man (2008) Michael Drakulich The visual effects are bound to give you goosebumps and maybe you'll find yourself uttering an audible "whoa."
Posted Jul 07, 2008  Edit critic review
1.5/4
You Don't Mess With the Zohan (2008) Michael Drakulich Why does Adam Sandler continue to make these comedies that aren't funny? Because your neighbor's 13-year old kid keeps going to see them.
Posted Jul 07, 2008  Edit critic review
1.5/4
Sex and the City (2008) Michael Drakulich What does that say when a self-admitted narcissist receives such a following? In playing the victim card so often, Sarah Jessica Parker's character is one of the most unlikable characters I've seen in a long time.
Posted Jul 07, 2008  Edit critic review
2/4
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) Michael Drakulich An iconic film character deserved a better story than this.
Posted Jul 07, 2008  Edit critic review
2/4
The Incredible Hulk (2008) Michael Drakulich The Hulk is one of Marvel Comics more unsuccessfully developed superheroes. He is more of a scared animal striking out at his tormentors rather than a thinking being that acts with a conscience.
Posted Jul 07, 2008  Edit critic review
2/4
Wanted (2008) Michael Drakulich Too ridiculous to be entertaining and too long to keep everyone's attention. If fate were only so virtuous as this film would have us believe.
Posted Jul 07, 2008  Edit critic review
4/4
WALL-E (2008) Michael Drakulich This film is a real treasure, one that can make you laugh when you are in your worst of moods.
Posted Jul 07, 2008  Edit critic review
Hotel Rwanda (2004) Michael Drakulich This was a story that needed to be told because the ethnic war that raged in Rwanda in 1994 is often forgotten by the rest of the world.
Posted Dec 27, 2004  Edit critic review
Kinsey (2004) Michael Drakulich While "Kinsey" will give insight into the man to a whole new audience, director Bill Condon has not quite made him as human as he may have intended.
Posted Dec 27, 2004  Edit critic review
National Treasure (2004) Michael Drakulich This is Bruckheimer's niche. Don't ever expect him to adapt a Nicholas Sparks book into a film any time soon.
Posted Dec 27, 2004  Edit critic review
Sideways (2004) Michael Drakulich Payne's beautiful command of his content diverts your attention away from the fact it's a typical road movie.
Posted Nov 12, 2004  Edit critic review
I, Robot (2004) Michael Drakulich This is jaw-droppingly juvenile and insulting to my intelligence. Perhaps its subject matter is obsolete. Asimov deserved better.
Posted Aug 19, 2004  Edit critic review
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) Michael Drakulich Generally, the film makes good on its humorous potential.
Posted Aug 19, 2004  Edit critic review
Two Brothers (2004) Michael Drakulich Annaud's methods are misleading which undermine his admirable intent.
Posted Aug 19, 2004  Edit critic review
Control Room (2004) Michael Drakulich Bush and Rumsfeld have called Al-Jazeera "the mouthpiece of Osama Bin-Laden." You might find truth to that statement next to Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.
Posted Aug 19, 2004  Edit critic review
The Passion of the Christ (2004) Michael Drakulich When audiences walk out of theaters in stunned silence, I'm not sure it is for the same reasons director Mel Gibson wanted.
Posted Mar 24, 2004  Edit critic review
Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) Michael Drakulich The gist of this film can be summed in one short phrase: 'Sorry. My bad.'
Posted Mar 24, 2004  Edit critic review
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004) Michael Drakulich I hope kids see through this film's slick production value and realize Lindsay Lohan's character is only a shade above contemptible much less worth their admiration.
Posted Mar 24, 2004  Edit critic review
Cold Mountain (2003) Michael Drakulich Beauty and skill bereft of passion or personality.
Posted Jan 13, 2004  Edit critic review
The Barbarian Invasions (2003) Michael Drakulich Sweet and poignant; perceptive and true.
Posted Jan 13, 2004  Edit critic review
The Cooler (2003) Michael Drakulich While everything works on a superficial, plot-driven level with Bernie and Natalie, there is a broader theme at work that adds depth not frequently found in this genre.
Posted Jan 13, 2004  Edit critic review
The Last Samurai (2003) Michael Drakulich Any exhibition of tenderness or subtlety is followed by scenes that are logically inconsistent or go for a tawdry effect
Posted Dec 13, 2003  Edit critic review
21 Grams (2003) Michael Drakulich Inarritu plots the story in a non-linear style that mirrors randomness. He does it so exceptionally well, we almost forget about the film's deficiencies.
Posted Dec 13, 2003  Edit critic review
Elephant (2003) Michael Drakulich Director Gus Van Sant should be applauded for resisting the temptation to extrapolate the motives of his two central characters and apply them universally.
Posted Dec 13, 2003  Edit critic review
The Missing (2003) Michael Drakulich Had lesser actors been cast in the two lead roles, The Missing could have been no better than an average episode of Bonanza.
Posted Dec 13, 2003  Edit critic review
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) Michael Drakulich This is not Crowe's greatest performance, but could be one of the most likable characters he'll ever play.
Posted Dec 13, 2003  Edit critic review
2/5
Desert Bloom (1986) Michael Drakulich
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
1/5
Rude Awakening (1989) Michael Drakulich
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
3/5
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) Michael Drakulich
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
3/5
Cousin Bette (1998) Michael Drakulich
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
3/5
Drugstore Cowboy (1989) Michael Drakulich
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
1/5
Turbulence II: Fear of Flying (1999) Michael Drakulich
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
2/5
Three Lives and Only One Death (1996) Michael Drakulich
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
3/5
The Lawnmower Man (1992) Michael Drakulich
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
2/5
Fifty/Fifty (1993) Michael Drakulich
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
2/5
Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby (1999) Michael Drakulich
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
4/5
Schindler's List (1993) Michael Drakulich
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
2/5
Orca (1977) Michael Drakulich
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
The Matrix Revolutions (2003) Michael Drakulich It is just another good looking action flick. The ignominious fate of being forgotten amidst all the others in the same genre is not what this franchise deserves.
Posted Nov 13, 2003  Edit critic review
Secondhand Lions (2003) Michael Drakulich 'There is something to be said for reminding audiences of simple truths found amidst complex circumstances. But here, the film becomes a series of hokey contrivances and the simple truth it illustrates is so reductive it is almost insulting.'
Posted Oct 22, 2003  Edit critic review
Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) Michael Drakulich 'One area Rodriguez has not managed to nail down is telling a compelling narrative.'
Posted Oct 22, 2003  Edit critic review
The Magdalene Sisters (2002) Michael Drakulich 'It is an unflinching, harsh but engrossing glimpse into what rural Irish families and the Catholic Church did to exterminate sex.'
Posted Oct 22, 2003  Edit critic review
Grind (2003) Michael Drakulich Brings Out The Worst Of A Fringe Sport That Fights For Mainstream Acceptance...this Film Fails So Completely In Almost Every Aspect.
Posted Oct 22, 2003  Edit critic review
Seabiscuit (2003) Michael Drakulich Gary Ross' work is skilled and sublime from almost all angles, transcending a sporting drama into a multifaceted film that enthralls and captivates.
Posted Aug 11, 2003  Edit critic review
Hulk (2003) Michael Drakulich Director Ang Lee is to be commended for at least at-tempting to go beyond what could have been an empty special effects bonanza. But the subject of strained child/parent relationships is treated superficially.
Posted Jul 16, 2003  Edit critic review
2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) Michael Drakulich The film relies on kinetic energy as its entertainment hook. There is plenty of action, no doubt, but hardly any of it inventive.
Posted Jul 16, 2003  Edit critic review
Finding Nemo (2003) Michael Drakulich It was one of those instances where I found myself recounting out loud the funniest moments to someone who just saw the movie with me.
Posted Jul 16, 2003  Edit critic review
The In-Laws (2003) Michael Drakulich If the CIA really did every-thing so openly as one of its operatives does in The In-Laws, it's amazing any of them could stay under cover.
Posted Jul 16, 2003  Edit critic review
The Matrix Reloaded (2003) Michael Drakulich Its akin to a computer network, which is generally easy enough to grasp, but its specifics can become frustrating.
Posted Jul 16, 2003  Edit critic review
Catch Me if You Can (2002) Michael Drakulich It's Spielberg who pulls the con by leading us down a familiar path only to rup the rug out from under us.
Posted Jul 16, 2003  Edit critic review
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