movies
Will Smith betting on ‘Black’ after four-year hiatus
LOS ANGELES — Will Smith has been quietly absent from the big screen since 2008. Why? He’s been building a family empire. Wife Jada’s TV show “HawthoRNe.” Daughter Willow’s hit single “Whip My Hair.” Son Jaden’s “Karate Kid” remake. “Oh man, I go back to …
Review: ‘Battleship’ loud, dumb but stays afloat
★★1/2 “Battleship” is big, dumb fun that knows it’s big, dumb fun and enthusiastically embraces its big, dumb fun nature. Director Peter Berg has crafted an almost fetishistic homage to Michael Bay. Like Bay’s “Transformers” series, “Battleship” is yet another action extravaganza inspired by a …
Review: Baron Cohen’s ‘The Dictator’ least-focused yet
★1/2
In analyzing Sacha Baron Cohen and the array of offbeat characters he’s created, it’s clear that it’s become a matter of diminishing returns.
In 2006’s “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” the observations of his bumbling, thoroughly inappropriate …
BACinema to screen ‘The Kid with a Bike’
The weekly film series at Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St., Chicago, continues May 23 with the 7:30 p.m. showing of “The Kid with a Bike.”
Directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, the movie stars Thomas Doret, Cecile de France and Jeremie Renier. …
Few laughs in ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’
★★
If only “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” had focused on the dads’ group instead of dropping in on them a handful of times, we might have been onto something.
Chris Rock, Thomas Lennon and Rob Huebel portray some of the dudes who meet …
Mr. Tightwad’s daily deal: Promo codes for cheaper Redbox rentals
Mr. Tightwad’s so cheap, he never pays full price for a movie rental.
And Mr. T gives a big thumbs up to Redbox for helping him out. Through May 22, they’re running a “Ten Days of Deals” promotion. All you have to do is text …
‘The Avengers’ hits big screen with a blast
★★★1/2
The hype has been building for years and it couldn’t possibly be more deafening at this point.
After a series of summer blockbusters that individually introduced Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America, all these characters come together alongside several other friends …
Review: ‘Dark Shadows’ favors visuals over story
★1/2
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are snuggled warmly in their comfort zone in the chilly horror-comedy “Dark Shadows.”
Their eighth collaboration as director and star, respectively, is their weakest by far.
You don’t need to know a thing about the late-1960s “Dark Shadows” TV …
Review: Cast makes ‘Think Like a Man’ appealing
★★1/2
What is a shameless and overlong infomercial for Steve Harvey’s dating advice book becomes tolerable and enjoyable with the help of an attractive, likable cast in “Think Like a Man.”
Harvey’s best seller “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man” (Amistad) serves as …
A primer on Panem and ‘The Hunger Games’
What could arguably be the biggest movie of 2012 opens March 23.
“The Hunger Games” is Suzanne Collins’ view of a future dystopian America where children battle to the death for the entertainment of the country.
Not since the “Harry Potter” finale has a movie …
Efron all grown up in ‘The Lucky One’
★★1/2
“The Lucky One” is yet another adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, so you know exactly what you’re getting walking into this thing.
It’s predictable and schmaltzy and sappy and smothered with voice-over that explains the film’s already none-too-subtle themes of destiny and fate …
Review: ‘Five-Year Engagement’ feels about as long
★★
The problem that plagues so many Judd Apatow productions — the one that keeps good comedies from being great ones — unfortunately exists in “The Five-Year Engagement,” too.
It’s a matter of knowing when to say when, of knowing which bits should be trimmed …
Action balances laughs in ‘The Pirates! Band of Misfits’
Aardman Animations’ distinctively charming brand of claymation returns to the big screen at last in “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.”
The delightful romp has varied pleasures that should please kids all along the age spectrum.
An easy sell at the box office, “The Pirates!” is …
Tinley Park-born producer continues success with ‘Chimpanzee’
★★★★
An Oscar for Oscar? A lot of moviegoers thought Uggie, the dog in 2012’s Academy Award-winning film “The Artist,” perhaps should have won a statue for his role.
Well, Oscar, the star in the Disneynature film “Chimpanzee” should captivate audiences just as much. Only …
Review: Statham plays ‘Safe’ with savage excess
★1/2
“Safe” is the worst Jason Statham movie since the last Jason Statham movie, carrying on the bargain-budget action star’s tradition of building work out of, well, dead bodies.
Writer-director Boaz Yakin (who directed the gentle football drama “Remember the Titans” but now is back …
