BABES (2024) review
written by: Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz
produced by: Ilana Glazer, Josh Rabinowitz, Susie Fox, Ashley Fox & Breean Pojunas
directed by: Pamela Adlon
rating: R (for sexual material, language throughout, and some drug use)
runtime: 109 min.
U.S. release date: May 17, 2024
As the poster says, “Babes” will be considered the “Bridesmaids of Babymaking,” and that’s fine considering screenwriters Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz had that classic in mind along with “Superbad.” Since both of those movies were produced by Judd Apatow, you might get the impression that this comedy, which finds actress Pamela Adlon making her feature-length debut, has the same tone and feel. Well, not exactly. This comedy isn’t going as hard on the raunch or pausing for laughs as much as those two movies. Instead, here’s an honest examination of pregnancy’s grossness; at its core, there’s a sweet, funny, and loving look at two female besties. Read more…
YOU CAN’T RUN FOREVER (2024) review
written by: Carolyn Carpenter and Michelle Schumacher
produced by: Randle Schumacher
directed by: Michelle Schumacher
rated: R (for violent content including suicide, language, drug use and brief sexual content)
runtime: 102 min.
U.S. release date: May 17, 2024
It’s understandable how the folks at Lionsgate greenlit a thriller headlined by J.K. Simmons, but they must’ve done so without reading the script for “You Can’t Run Forever” or watching a final cut. To say the Oscar winner carries the movie is an understatement. In fact, he had to have gotten swoll from all the heavy lifting on this project, considering he’s acting circles around everyone here. It doesn’t help that there’s nothing suspenseful or thrilling about an utterly flat and limp exercise in ambivalent cold-blooded killing. Read more…
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2024) review
written by: Josh Friedman
produced by: Wes Ball, Joe Hartwick Jr., Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver & Jason T. Reed
directed by: Wes Ball
rated: PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-fi violence/action)
runtime: 145 min.
U.S. release date: May 10, 2024
Since 1968, the “Planet of the Apes” franchise has belonged to 20th Century Fox, and the studio’s last entry, 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes,” seemed like an appropriate closer to a tremendously updated trilogy with fantastic visual effects and compelling storytelling. When the Mouse (Disney) acquired Fox in 2019, though, that meant any IP from Fox (think Aliens, Predators, and Apes) was fair game for any kind of cinematic continuation. That’s why we now have “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”, the fourth feature in the new series and the tenth in the overall franchise. Read more…
PERFECT DAYS (2023) review
written by: Takuma Takasaki and Wim Wenders
produced by: Wim Wenders, Takuma Takasaki and Koji Yanai
directed by: Wim Wenders
rating: PG (for some language, partial nudity and smoking)
runtime: 123 min.
U.S. release date: November 10, 2023 (limited) and February 9, 2024 (Music Box Theatre, Chicago, IL)
We all have our daily routines. Some we are still forming, while others have taken years to establish. But there are definite patterns in each day that we don’t even think about anymore. For his latest feature, “Perfect Days,” German auteur Wim Wenders is following the day-to-day activities of a public toilet cleaner in modern-day Tokyo. Such an occupation can render one invisible to others. Still, Wenders offers us a gentle reminder that there’s an actual person behind such seemingly menial labor, one that’s not all that different from you and me. Read more…
THE FALL GUY (2024) review
written by: Drew Pearce
produced by: Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Ryan Gosling & Guymon Casady
directed by: David Leitch
rated: PG-13 (for action and violence, drug content and some strong language)
runtime: 126 min.
U.S. release date: May 3, 2024
I never would’ve thought we’d see a movie adaptation of the television show “The Fall Guy” before “The Six-Million Dollar Man.” If you’re of a certain age or at least pop culture savvy, you’ll recognize that both television shows starred Lee Majors and agree that one was more popular than the other. That’s why it’s surprising that we now have a “Fall Guy” movie, but at least it’s directed by a guy who knows a thing or two about being a stunt professional in Hollywood. Read more…
CCFF 2024 preview
In it’s eleventh year, the Chicago Critics Film Festival (CCFF) has now become a staple amongst the many film festivals that occur throughout the year in the Windy City. It remains unique in that it is still the only film festival curated by film critics with films selected from various film festivals over the past year. For those who couldn’t make it to Fantastic Fest, Toronto, Sundance, and SXSW, this festival, located once again at the historic Music Box Theatre, is a steal of a deal. It’s also typically where I first encounter a good number of the films that wind up on my year-end Top Ten Films of the year list. Read more…
ABIGAIL (2024) review
written by: Stephen Shields and Guy Busick
produced by: Paul Neinstein, William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, Chad Villella, Tripp Vinson
directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
rated: R (for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, pervasive language and brief drug use)
runtime: 109 min
U.S. release date: April 19, 2024 (wide)
“Okay. What do we know about vampires?”
“That they’re not real.”
A team of crooks who have never worked together before execute a heist, pulling off a harrowing mission to kidnap a pre-teen girl and bring her to an isolated cabin where she will be held for ransom. The girl is the daughter of a wealthy businessman, but few details about her are known to the crew hired to babysit her for 24 hours. As Agatha Christie-style paranoia takes over the gang of criminals, they quickly discover that they’re not actually in an action thriller; they’re in a full-on monster horror movie. Read more…
BOY KILLS WORLD (2024) review
written by: Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers
produced by: Sam Raimi, Zainab Azizi, Roy Lee, Wayne Fitzjohn, Simon Swart, Stuart Manashil, Dan Kagan & Alex Lebovici
directed by: Moritz Mohr
rating: R (for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, language, some drug use and sexual references)
runtime: 111 min.
U.S. release date: April 26, 2024
“Boy Kills World” confirms that the Skarsgård men have impressive genes and metabolisms. In the adrenalized action comedy thriller from first-time director Moritz Mohr, Bill Skarsgård is bafflingly ripped. He’s not a bulky bodybuilder here, but instead, he displays the physique of an Olympic swimmer who’s also skilled in martial arts. It’s as impressive a physical transformation as his brother, Alexander Skarsgård, who got shredded for “The Legend of Tarzan” in 2016. What does this have to do with this movie? Well, it’s probably the most memorable aspect of “Boy Kills World,” a tonally confused movie that tries too hard to do everything. Read more…
THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE (2024) review
written by: Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Arash Amel & Guy Ritchie
produced by: Jerry Bruckheimer, Guy Ritchie, Chad Oman, Ivan Atkinson & John Friedberg
directed by: Guy Ritchie
rated: R (for strong violence throughout and some language)
runtime: 120 min.
U.S. release date: April 19, 2024
Knowing that producer Jerry Bruckheimer is involved in a movie revolving around the Raid on Santorini, which took place in 1944 on April 24th (settle down – I’m not a history buff, I had to Wikipedia it), and that Guy Ritchie directs it, doesn’t quite instill confidence that this will be an accurate depiction of the events that transpired. The fact that “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is an action spy comedy, instead of a tense nail-biter about a historical event you’ve probably never heard of, should foretell what’s to come. You will get what you expect here, and, most likely, curiosity about the actual events increases will be piqued. You’ll likely also wonder why this movie is littered with smirks and nonplussed quick-kill shots. Read more…
CIVIL WAR (2024) review
written by: Alex Garland
produced by: Gregory Goodman, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich
directed by: Alex Garland
rated: R (for strong violent content, bloody/disturbing images, and language throughout)
runtime: 109 min.
U.S. release date: April 12, 2024 (wide)
“Three hundred? Three hundred buys you a sandwich. We got ham or cheese.”
To crib from a popular internet meme with the kids these days, one doesn’t simply release a film titled “Civil War” in an election year where those two words have been cavalierly tossed about without expecting it to gin up some controversy. Have art and commerce become so intertwined that a very good filmmaker like Alex Garland actually wanted to make a movie that thought the more commercial route was in attempting to appeal to everyone? Not to say his past work wasn’t totally uncommercial, but he’s had no issue doing the divisive thing in the past. Read more…
