Entertainment Columns
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The aptly titled 'Violent Night' is big on gore, but not much moreDec 01, 2022 5:00 am - “Violent Night” - ★ ★ If only “Violent Night” could have snagged Bruce Willis to play Santa Claus ... No. That bit of inspired casting could only marginally improve thi...
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Goodman weaves holiday magic with 'A Christmas Carol'Nov 30, 2022 10:00 pm - “A Christmas Carol” - ★ ★ ★ ★ Goodman Theatre advertises this year's production of “A Christmas Carol” as 45 years of holiday magic. No disagreement there. There is mag...
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Widescreen: Forget the 'Die Hard' debate. Is 'Eyes Wide Shut' a Christmas movie?Nov 30, 2022 10:00 pm - Let's end a tired, silly debate that has been raging every holiday season for at least two decades: Yes, of course, "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie. But what about a mov...
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Stellar singers, superb orchestra make Paramount's 'Sound of Music' an ideal alternative this holiday seasonNov 30, 2022 2:00 pm - “The Sound of Music” - ★ ★ ★ ★ When it came to programming its 2022 season, Paramount Theatre opted against a holiday show. Instead, the Aurora theater scheduled Richard...
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Spotlight: Paramount delivers a gift of gags courtesy of The Second CityNov 28, 2022 10:00 pm - A gift of gags Paramount Theatre presents "I Saw Mommy Kissing Second City," a sendup up of all things holiday-related courtesy of The Second City. These performances ar...
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Spotlight: Itasca native reprises her role as Cindy Lou Who in darkly comic 'Who's Holiday!'Nov 25, 2022 5:00 am - Cindy Lou, who? Itasca native Veronica Garza reprises her role as Cindy Lou Who in Theater Wit's remount of "Who's Holiday!" Matthew Lombardo's adults-only comedy about ...
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Widescreen: Four things I'm thankful for in entertainment this yearNov 24, 2022 5:00 am - The new edition of 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles' John Hughes' Thanksgiving classic got a new 4K/Blu-ray release this week that includes a mother lode of deleted materia...
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Disastrous Christmas reunion unfolds in BTE's funny, fast-paced 'Season's Greetings'Nov 23, 2022 4:30 pm - “Season's Greetings” - ★ ★ ★ The confrontations, confessions and trysts that occur over the course of an extended family holiday in Alan Ayckbourn's “Season's Greetings”...
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'Glass Onion' a spectacularly fun and mentally challenging sequelNov 23, 2022 5:00 am - “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” - ★ ★ ★ ½ “I need a great case!” declares Benoit Blanc, the bored and allegedly best detective in the entire world. On cue, he recei...
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Just as Spielberg's life story 'Fabelmans' finally starts rolling, it endsNov 23, 2022 5:00 am - “The Fabelmans” - ★ ★ ½ This should have been a real-life superhero origin movie with youthful stand-ins serving as early versions of Steven Spielberg before he evolved...