David Newman is conducting Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert over the course of three nights at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. This was my first time getting to see a film at the CSO, let alone watch the CSO in action. It was a fun experience–anytime I get to watch a Star Wars film on the big screen is always a good time. The last time I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens on…
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert – CSO at the Movies"Tag: Domhnall Gleeson
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the ninth and final installment of the Skywalker saga, is now available for fans to buy on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray. In addition to the above options, eight previous films in the saga are being made available on 4K Ultra HD for the first time. Both Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Solo were previously available on 4K UItra HD. Bonus features include*: The Skywalker Legacy – The…
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Hits Home Video"
Phenomenal performances from Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen help to elevate 1950s romantic drama Brooklyn in the 2015 adaptation. Irish immigrant Ellis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) finds herself in quite the predicament following her arrival to the United States in 1951. Thanks to her sister’s help, Father Flood (Jim Broadbent) arranges for Ellis to stay at a boarding house in Brooklyn. Finding work at a department store doesn’t really lead to happiness and Ellis begins to…
"Brooklyn: Saoirse Ronan is Phenomenal" Star Wars: The Rise of the Skywalker isn’t only the ninth Star Wars installment but the ultimate conclusion to a franchise started in 1977. It goes without saying that for fear of even the most mild of spoilers, I ask that you please do not read any further until after seeing the film. If you’re anything like me, go into the film knowing as little as possible. The saga ends as it begins on the…
"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – A Saga Ends"
Star Wars: The Last Jedi may or may not be the best film in the franchise but writer-director Rian Johnson delivers the goods in the eighth installment. What follows below the asterisks is the bulk of my original review–first published in 2017. My feelings on this film have not changed in two years. In fact, the film only improves with time. Rian Johnson would turn out to be the perfect filmmaker to take on the…
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Road to IX"
Star Wars: The Force Awakens features the long-awaited return of fan favorites while introducing us to a new generation of characters. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) are back but Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has gone missing. The Resistance has a new band of heroes leading the way for a younger generation. Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), and BB-8 are certain to take Star Wars into the…
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Road to IX"
The Kitchen is about a trio of wives who take over protecting the neighborhood while their husbands are serving time in jail. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Andrea Berloff adapts Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle’s comic book series for the big screen. I really wish that I could say that The Kitchen is a good film but it fails along the way. The whole women-take-revenge plot was done so much better in Steve McQueen’s criminally underrated Widows. Where…
"The Kitchen Isn’t The Feminist Thriller We Need"
In spite of the cast involved, The Little Stranger is one of those films that is neither compelling nor captivating if you’re not a fan of the genre. The film is told in flashbacks as we’re introduced to Dr. Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson). He answers the call to treat a young maid, Betty (Liv Hill), working for the Ayres family at Hundreds Hall. It just so happens that this very facility is the some place in which his…
"The Little Stranger: A Hit Or Miss Film"
After so many author biopics in 2017, Peter Rabbit may seem like a breath of fresh air with bringing the children’s story to the big screen. It’s been over a decade since 2006 saw the release of the Renee Zellweger-starring Miss Potter. At the same time, there are so many comic gags in the film that it is over-bloated on that front. Filmmakers are clearly targeting the kids more so than their parents when it…
"Peter Rabbit: Domhnall Gleeson is a riot but film falls short"
American Made, reuniting director Doug Liman with actor Tom Cruise, offers more laughs than one expects from watching the trailer. Based on a true story, Cruise leads a cast that includes Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright Olsen, E. Roger Mitchell, Jesse Plemons, Lola Kirke, Alejandro Edda, Benito Martinez, Caleb Landry Jones, and Jayma Mays. While Colonel Oliver North is most associated with the Iran-Contra affair, Barry Seal played the biggest role in the scandal and most…
"American Made: Tom Cruise Brings Some Fun"