Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Shot in Chicago in 18 days, “Do You Wanna Dance?” is a delightful little sleeper that captures the richness of the city as it tells the story of a dancer forced to serve community service in tightly knit Greek Town. Never mind the goofy title, which implies a giddy, mindless romp.
“No land on Earth possesses more wonder than Egypt,” narrator Omar Sharif notes in “Mysteries of Egypt,” the latest Omnimax film to play at the Museum of Science and Industry. And the film certainly plays up some of those wonders: the ancient Pyramids, King Tutankhamen’s sacred tomb and the glorious, winding stretch of the Nile. But what the movie lacks is the excitement and splendor of previous Omnimax films such as the superb “Everest.”
Imagine that the Russians took over America in 1957, nirvana is a place called Lost Vegas and the leader of the Western world is Elvis Presley. When he dies in 1997, every guitar-playing, sword-swinging maverick worth his weight in blue suede shoes heads to Vegas to become the next King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
You have seen “Knock Off” before. And you didn’t like it then, either. Sure, it may have had a different title and maybe a Dolph Lundgren or a Brandon Lee in the starring role instead of Jean-Claude Van Damme. But the premise has always been the same: The charming, vaguely shady hero is caught in a web of deceit where no one is what they claim to be. (In Van Damme’s case, that would be an actor.)
Movie soundtracks have become music to record companies’ ears. Once studios discovered that popular music from such artists as Simon and Garfunkel and the BeeGees could help sell a film, the lush orchestral scores that were the high-water mark of the ’50s all but disappeared. These days, soundtracks have become far more than promotional tools for hyping a movie. They are thriving independently of the films that spawn them to become a force on the album charts – with some even outliving their big screen brethren.
There was one scene in “Dead Man on Campus” that elicited a really good laugh. But I’m not sure whether it truly was funny, or if I was just so bored that it seemed funny at the time. The premise of the “comedy”: A couple of irresponsible college freshmen slack off all semester and freak out when they realize they are about to flunk out of school. So instead of hitting the books and getting tutors, they do what all 18-year-olds do in that situation: They try to find a suicidal third roommate.
Vincent Gallo wrote, directed and starred in “Buffalo ’66.” But ask him which of his talents he’s proudest of and Gallo will answer, “Well, I’ve acted in 18 movies, but I would never call myself an actor. I’m not Steve McQueen. More than anything else, I’m probably best as a stylist.” This is the enfant terrible described by some as a “loose cannon”? “I am a bit vindictive and unforgiving to people who behave inappropriately against me,” Gallo said softly in an interview from his Los Angeles home. “But I’m not really mean to anybody.”
Spanning two centuries, the latest IMAX three-dimensional film, “Mark Twain’s America,” celebrates the puckish author through his own words, 3-D stills and re-enactments of historic events.
`Autumn Sun” is a rarity – a bittersweet love story where the main characters happen to be – at least according to society – well past their prime. All too often, older characters are treated as asexual caricatures. But here director Eduardo Mignogna treats them with respect and humor.
After 12 hours of climbing, I had to force myself to concentrate,” says Jamling Norgay, a climbing leader in the latest Omnimax documentary “Everest.” “As the pain gets worse, I feel worse than I’ve ever felt . . . without passing over to the other side. But up here in the clouds, I touched my father’s soul.”
There’s something to be said for delegating. Who knows whether “Waiting for the Man” would’ve been a better picture if John Covert – the film’s writer, producer, director and co-star – hadn’t tackled such a heady project himself. But it couldn’t have been much worse.
“Suicide Kings” doesn’t take the kamikaze approach of going in for the quick kill. Rather, the convoluted story aims for plot twists and revelations that never really materialize in this tale of a bungled kidnapping.
“Kurt and Courtney,” the movie banned from this year’s Sundance Film Festival that became the event’s most talked-about title, is heading to Chicago next month.
As Edison, Carrot Top doesn’t stretch from his prop-heavy stage act. He mugs, pouts and speaks loudly. Luckily for the Top, Jack Plotnick’s annoying portrayal of Zak, Edison’s stereotypically stupid surfer dude roomie, saves him from being the movie’s worst actor.
Where have all the “Friends” fans gone? Sure, millions of fans tune in each week to watch the comely sextet sort out their problems in their impossibly spacious Manhattan apartments. But when it comes to the stars’ films, fans seem to prefer staying home sipping cappuccinos.
By the end of “Mother and Son,” I felt as lethargic as the half-dead mother in the title. Laboriously slow, the 73-minute movie would’ve made an effective, moving 15-minute short. Instead, the film drags on at a snail’s pace, depicting the almost Oedipal relationship between a dying mother and her caretaker son.
What good is imagination, if you dont have the guts to live it? By the end of “Other Voices, Other Rooms” — a moody piece of cinema based on a novel Truman Capote wrote 50 years ago — young Joel has answered his own question.
Halfway through the satirical film “Aristotle’s Plot,” the narrator asks, “Why are African filmmakers always asked political questions?”
With narration by Patrick Stewart and a theme score by new age musician Yanni, you’d think that “Whales” would be smooth sailing. But the Omnimax film, which opens today at the Museum of Science and Industry, is a visual drag that lasts for 40 very long minutes.
Shot over a nine-month period in Leichhardt, Australia, the documentary “Rats in the Rank” follows the absurd antics of 12 council members maneuvering to get their mayoral candidates elected to office.