Like most Americans, I’ve been worried about the state of things these days. While I’m not in danger of losing my house or my job as so many thousands are, I’ve felt the pinch. My …
Posts by Chuck Koplinski:
Viva Boardman’s Art Theatre! Tournees French Film Fest Returns
In conjunction with the University of Illinois, Greg Boardman’s Art Theatre will host the 4th Annual Tournees French Film Festival and as with similar programs in the past, the slate is filled with an eclectic …
Appaloosa: A Return to the Familiar
Whether you’ve seen none or a hundred westerns, chances are the conventions of the genre are rattling around somewhere in your consciousness. Images of dusty cow-towns, duels at high noon on Main Street and marauding, …
Tomorrow Actor Richard Jenkins Visits the Normal Theater With The Visitor
1-thumb-400×222.jpg” width=”400” height=”222” alt=”RichardTheVisitor.jpg” class=”mt-image-left” style=”margin: 0 20px 20px 0;” /> Editor’s note: Chuck Koplinski wrote a review for The Visitor on May 30 and the link is embedded in the film’s title below. Area …
Ghost Town Shows That There Is Life After Death
1-thumb-400×200.jpg” width=”400” height=”200” alt=”enter-movie-ghosttown-2-mct1.jpg” class=”mt-image-left” style=”margin: 0 20px 20px 0;” /> The riskiest move where films are concerned these days is to attempt to make a movie that relies on charm or romantic ideals. Swing …
In Bruges: Existential Hit Men in Crisis
Some movies come from out of nowhere to surprise and delight you, as well as re-instill a degree of hope for the medium as well. Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges did that for me when I …
The British Film Institute Film Classics Series
Since 1998, the American Film Institute has been issuing lists touting a wide variety of “great” features present in homegrown movies. Not content to rest on its laurels with its 100 best American movies, the …
Interview with Steve Coogan: Searching for Meaning through Laughter
Steve Coogan’s road to fame in Hollywood has been a rocky one. But one gets the impression that such a thing doesn’t matter to him, having established himself already as one of the premiere British …
Man on Wire: Following the Object of One’s Obsession
1-thumb-200×296.jpg” width=”200” height=”296” alt=”manonwire_galleryposter1.jpg” class=”mt-image-right” style=”float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;” /> There is much more than meets the eye in James Marsh’s thrilling new documentary, Man on Wire. On the surface, the film …
When Did August Become the Funniest Month of the Year?
1-thumb-400×274.jpg” width=”400” height=”274” alt=”The Rocker.jpg” class=”mt-image-left” style=”margin: 0 20px 20px 0;” /> August has been described as wearing a “golden crown,” has been said to “rush by like desert rainfall” and “create as she slumbers.” …