movies
‘Man of Steel’ beset by Kryptonite
RICHARD ROEPER: Here’s the most ambitious and occasionally the most impressive take on the Superman myth we’ve ever seen, but it falls far short of the bar set by the “Dark Knight” trilogy or even the “Iron Man” troika. Though there are moments, even complete scenes, when we see glimpses of what might have been, but then we’re plunged back into a mostly underwhelming film, with underdeveloped characters and supercharged fight scenes that drag on forever and offer nothing new in the way of special-effects creativity.
‘Fast & Furious 6’ best yet in the franchise
RICHARD ROEPER: Against all odds, the “Fast & Furious” franchise is actually picking up momentum, with “FF6” clocking in as the fastest, funniest and most outlandish chapter yet. Whether we’re seeing stunt work or special effects or a combo platter, director Justin Lin keeps raising the bar, going for intentional laughs and thrilling moments as cars pull off impossible maneuvers and humans keep flying in the air and landing with thuds. “Furious 6” couldn’t be any less plausible if it were animated, but that’s sort of the point.
Roeper: Vaughn and Wilson got game in ‘The Internship’
When it’s time for Vince Vaughn’s 40-something guy in “The Internship” to give a pep talk to fellow interns half his age, his go-to movie is “Flashdance.”
That Pittsburgh welder with a dream gave it her all! Who knows where that water came from when …
‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ turns out to be quite the Enterprise
RICHARD ROEPER: Director J.J. Abrams is a true talent, and he’s also a pop-culture savant who has great respect for the legacy of this franchise as well as a keen understanding of the mega-importance of box-office figures. There’s no better choice to make the best, the purest AND the most accessible big-budget “Star Trek” movie possible. Yet with all the futuristic splendor and the fine performances, “Into Darkness” only occasionally soars, mostly settling for being a solid but unspectacular effort that sets the stage for the next chapter(s).
Roeper: M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘After Earth’ crashes and burns
We know it’s the future because nobody lives in the suburbs and nearly everyone wears gray or white.
If there’s a guidebook titled “Movies Set in the Future,” the chapters on architecture and fashion must be very slim and quite redundant.
As for the plot, …
Review: ‘Hangover’ trilogy ends on a dark note
★★★
“Daring” isn’t a word you’d use very much to describe 2011’s “The Hangover Part II,” the disappointingly lazy, beat-for-beat rehash of the wild and wildly successful original “Hangover” from 2009.
Yet, here we are with “The Hangover Part III,” which runs a different sort …
Baz Luhrmann gets ‘Great Gatsby’ just right
RICHARD ROEPER: Given the wretched and sometimes wonderful excesses of Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge,” not to mention a trailer that gave the impression Luhrmann’s interpretation of “The Great Gatsby” would be one extended anachronistic music video, it turns out Luhrmann’s “Gatsby” is first and foremost F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Gatsby.”
Ben Kingsley finds great depth in ‘Iron Man’ villain
LOS ANGELES — Iron Man is the first one to admit that even he has his, uh, kryptonite.
“These superheroes are only ever as good as their bad guys,” says Robert Downey Jr. “If you have a lame bad guy then you’re done.”
There is …
Summer in the multiplex is for the boys
Who’s the man at the multiplex this summer? In a season of epic showdowns, you have Iron Man and Superman. If that’s not enough testosterone, there’s Wolverine (half man, half beast) and Brad Pitt trying to kill men who aren’t even men anymore, but zombies. …
LEGO ‘Star Wars’ Miniland exhibit showcases movie
“Star Wars’” and LEGO — for many children, they click together as tightly as one LEGO brick into another.
LEGOLAND Discovery Center Chicago recently opened the temporary LEGO “Star Wars” Miniland display, which is billed as the first time an American LEGOLAND will showcase a …
13 films to watch for in 2013
If you have been to the movies once in the last six months, you know “Oz, the Great and Powerful” and “Man of Steel” are coming out in 2013. If you haven’t, you don’t really care what is coming out. Let’s talk here about some …
Will Smith having good time with ‘After Earth’
His trademark line in any summer movie is “Aw, hell no!”
But when Will Smith worked with his son Jaden in the new film “After Earth,” it was definitely an “aw, hell yes” moment.
“He doesn’t ask me for much advice,” Smith says. “Jaden is …
Archie Bunker’s Edith, Jean Stapleton, dies at 90
NEW YORK (AP) — Jean Stapleton, the stage-trained character actress who played Archie Bunker’s far better half, the sweetly naive Edith, in TV’s groundbreaking 1970s comedy “All in the Family,” has died. She was 90. Stapleton died Friday of natural causes at her New York …
Lucasfilm: New ‘Star Wars’ movie to be shot in UK
LONDON (AP) — The next “Star Wars” movie will be shot in a galaxy far, far away from Hollywood — Britain.
Tom Cruise soars in ‘Oblivion,’ an epic paying homage to sci-fi
RICHARD ROEPER: “Oblivion” is an extremely well-crafted, at times engrossing but ultimately standard-issue futuristic epic with some big ideas and spiritual touches separated by loud and explosive chase scenes, high-powered gun battles and even some good old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat involving Tom Cruise. It’s the sci-fi movie equivalent of a pretty darn good cover band.
Review: ‘42’ is classy but tame Robinson tale
★★1/2
Jackie Robinson was the ideal class act to break the barrier and become the first black player in Major League Baseball.
Writer-director Brian Helgeland’s Jackie Robinson biopic “42” is a class act itself, though not always an engaging act.
It’s such a familiar story …
