<![CDATA[Illinois Times - Film - Chuck Koplinski]]> <![CDATA[Crazy actors]]> <![CDATA[Facebook founder enigma in Network]]> David Fincher’s The Social Network is a work of contradictions. This is never more apparent than in its examination of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg). This self-indulgent, aw]]> <![CDATA[Grown Ups with summertime blahs]]> There’s nothing overtly offensive about Adam Sandler’s Grown Ups. There’s nothing terribly funny, or original either, in this tale about five middle age guys who reunite for a weeken]]> <![CDATA[Tropic Thunder takes no prisoners]]> If there's a sacred cow left in Hollywood that isn't viciously skewered in Ben Stiller's Tropic Thunder, I don't know what it is. The narcissism and insecurity of movie ]]> <![CDATA[Squad a pretender in the gangster genre ]]> While director Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad lets us know that it’s “inspired by a true story,” it becomes clear early on that it’s much more interested in the artific]]> <![CDATA[42 is a fitting tribute to Jackie Robinson]]> A solid film biography of Jackie Robinson is long overdue. Though it was made with the best of intentions and features the man himself, the 1950s The Jackie Robinson Story, isn’t a film that&rsq]]> <![CDATA[Cabin turns horror genre inside out]]> Since its release at this year’s SXSW festival, Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods has been steadily building buzz. The writer/director’s rabid fans have taken to the blogosphere t]]> <![CDATA[Movie Review - Confidence, The Real Cancun, It Runs in the Family, Identity]]> Confidence There's no question that screenwriter Doug Jung is a student of film noir. His script for Confidence touches on nearly every convention of the genre and straddles the line between homage a]]> <![CDATA[Darkness a worthy addition to Trek canon ]]> Viewers are likely to be sharply divided after seeing J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness, his second entry in the venerable science-fiction series. Is it shamelessly derivative or an inspired ]]> <![CDATA[Tangled goes back to Disney’s roots ]]> When you’re in a slump, it makes sense to review what made you a success in the first place. With that strategy in mind, Disney’s animation division goes back to its roots with Tangled, an]]> <![CDATA[Host’s trite execution]]> Author Stephenie Meyer does the same to Jack Finney’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers with The Host as what she did to the vampire myth in Twilight – namely dumb it down with a sappy teen r]]> <![CDATA[Sex 2: Narcissism cont.]]> Men want to be James Bond; women want to be Carrie Bradshaw. Once you understand this, the appeal of Sex and the City is obvious. This New York babe has it all – professional success, a rich, go]]> <![CDATA[Movie Review]]> Dickie Roberts Former Child Star In his early 30s Dickie Roberts (David Spade) is at the end of his rope. Once the child all America loved, thanks to a wildly successful sitcom and a catch p]]> <![CDATA[New characters make Madagascar 3 a delight]]> My father used to say that while he dreaded taking us to see whatever the newest Disney animated feature was, he ended up having a good time once he got there. I have a similar feeling about DreamWork]]> <![CDATA[Rises a satisfying conclusion to Dark Knight]]> Having redefined the superhero movie with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan faces the arduous task of following up the greatest entry in the genre and bringing a close to h]]> <![CDATA[Movie Reviews - Daredevil, The Hours]]> <![CDATA[A recurring Nightmare]]> One of the things that made many of the classic horror films in the 1970s effective is they were done cheaply and sported a gritty esthetic. The fact that the images were grainy and that their low bud]]> <![CDATA[Neeson caters to his audience in Taken 2]]> Having stumbled upon a new career path with Taken, Liam Neeson has become the action star of the moment, parlaying the success of that film – which grossed a quarter of a billion dollars worldwi]]> <![CDATA[The Master a challenging look at the displaced]]> Since its premiere early this month at the Toronto International Film Festival, much of what’s been written about P.T. Anderson’s The Master has focused on the film’s complexity as w]]> <![CDATA[Linings Cooper, Lawrence shine]]> Pat Jr. (Bradley Cooper) has a lot on his mind. His mother Delores (Jacki Weaver) has just sprung him from a mental institution after an eight-month stay. Seems, at home he had walked in on his wife N]]>