“Zoo,” written and directed by Colin McIvor, is the true story of how a lonely widow and three schoolchildren banded together to save an elephant in the Belfast, Northern Ireland zoo (the Bellevue Zoological Zoo) to prevent the pachyderm from being slaughtered during World War II. Belfast had two major … [Read More]
Two comedies have been screened for critics at the 53rd Annual Chicago International Film Festival during this lead-up week. ”Ali’s Wedding” from Australian director Jeffrey Walker, reminds most of the recent hit “The Big Sick.” “Maktub” (“Fate”) from Israel director Oded Raz featured Guy Hamir and Hanon Savyon, both Israeli … [Read More]
A Lover For A Day The lead-up to the Chicago International Film Festival’s 53rd year is underway. Critics are getting the chance to screen films from over 95 countries, including 1,044 feature films, 3,500 shorts and 646 documentaries. Twenty-five of the films will enjoy their North American Premiere here and … [Read More]
When Jerod, a daycare teacher, experiences the death of his close friend, he must decide how to grapple with the violence in his community. Meanwhile, he’s also attempting to mend a tattered relationship with his girlfriend and their two children. A unique collaboration between filmmaker Daryl Wein (Lola Versus) and … [Read More]
Wind River “Wind River” opens with a young Indian girl running barefoot across snow with a mountainous landscape in the background. We soon learn that the mountains are (supposedly) in Wyoming on the Wind River Indian Reservation, a reservation established for the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes in western … [Read More]
The Cincinnati Kid There are diseases that become forever associated with a famous victim. Michael J. Fox is active with research for Parkinson’s Disease. Mary Tyler Moore was a lifelong diabetic. Jerry Lewis, although not a victim of the disease, will always be associated with the marathon television fundraisers he … [Read More]
Trey Shults Interview Genre: Horror/thriller/mystery Length: 1 hour, 37 minutes Writer/Director: Trey Edward Shults Cast: Joel Edgerton, Carmen Ejogo, Christopher Abbott, Riley Keough, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Griffin Robert Faulkner, David Pendleton, Mikey the dog Following the absolutely gut-wrenching preview showing of the film “It Comes At Night” in Chicago on … [Read More]
Genre: Documentary Director: Vanessa Gould Length: 95 minutes Actors: Bruce Weber, William McDonald, Margalit Fox, Paul Vilella, Douglas Martin, Jeff Roth Cinematographer: Ben Wolf Original score: Joel Goodman Reviewer: Connie Wilson Once, 30 people helped maintain the basement archives of 10,000 drawers in the basement of the New York Times … [Read More]
Director: Jonathan Levine Writer: Katie Dippold Stars: Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn, Ike Barinholtz, Wanda Sykes, Joan Cusack, Christopher Meloni Length: 1 hour 30 minutes Reviewer: Connie Wilson “Snatched” is a film about a mother/daughter vacationing pair who are kidnapped while on the daughter’s non-refundable vacation (“Let’s put the FUN back … [Read More]
Genre: Drama Writer/Director: Joseph Cedar Length: 1 hour 58 minutes Cast: Richard Gere, Lior Ashkenazi, Martin Sheen, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Dan Stevens, Hank Azaria, Josh Charles, Steve Buscemi Reviewer: Connie Wilson Richard Gere has been doing good work in films since the seventies, with a peak period culminating in 1982 … [Read More]
Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy Thriller Length: 110 minutes Director: Nacho Vigalondo Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Austin Stowell, Tim Blake Nelson, Dan Stevens Reviewer: Connie Wilson According to Spanish Director Nacho Vigalondo (“Timecrimes”), “Colossal” was greenlit by the studio because Anne Hathaway championed it. Hathaway saw a chance to play … [Read More]
Genre: Documentary Feature Length: 95 minutes Writer/Director: Brian Knappenberger Principal Cast: Nick Denton, A.J. Daulario, John Cook, David Folkenflick, Floyd Abrams, Peter Sterne, David Houston, Margaret Sullivan, Jay Rosen, John L. Smith Writer: Connie Wilson The sex tape trial between wrestler Hulk Hogan and Gawker Media pitted privacy rights against … [Read More]