Movies
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'The Fall of the American Empire' an uneven mix of comedy and deep thoughtJun 07, 2019 6:00 am - “The Fall of the American Empire” - ★ ★ In 1986 the Quebec filmmaker Denys Arcand made “The Decline of the American Empire,” a talky ensemble comedy preoccupied wi...
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The reign of Marvel Studios makes Fox's 'Dark Phoenix' irrelevant, whether it's good or notJun 06, 2019 11:00 pm - To ponder the live-action cinematic fate of the X-Men movie universe is to be one who can see into the future. After almost 20 years of convincing us that it was OK for ...
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Cute, comic 'Secret Life of Pets 2' piles on pooch-related subplotsJun 06, 2019 6:00 am - “The Secret Life of Pets 2” - ★ ★ ½ “The Secret Life of Pets 2” rectifies the serious moral deficiencies of its 2016 original animated hit comedy, one that inadvertently...
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'Dark Phoenix' closes X-Men saga with somber, even sluggish final chapterJun 06, 2019 6:00 am - “Dark Phoenix” - ★ ★ “Dark Phoenix” isn't kidding about the “dark” part. The latest, and probably final, chapter in the X-Men superhero saga is a somber, even funereal a...
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The French girl whose dress saluted American soldiers, as told by Wheaton filmmakerJun 06, 2019 5:22 am - Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct that Cantigny Park is in Wheaton. The life-or-death importance of battles fought during wars can grow murky wi...
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Gurnee library to give art lessons of Trolls and Fortnite charactersJun 05, 2019 1:00 am - The Warren-Newport Public Library in Gurnee will host a pair of art workshops for elementary schoolchildren on Saturday. From 11 a.m. to noon, children between first and...
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In Ali Wong's new Netflix rom-com, food is the basis of jokes - and her true loveJun 03, 2019 6:00 am - Note: Abundant spoilers below; don't say we didn't warn you. • • • Ali Wong and Randall Park's new Netflix film, "Always Be My Maybe," is a classic rom-com - it's i...
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'Running With Beto' catches the candidate at his most golden, before his mojo ran off the roadJun 02, 2019 7:28 am - Quick, before his presidential ambitions vaporize completely, let's rewind to a happier point in the ascension story of Beto O'Rourke, the Kennedy-toothed, former congre...
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Octavia Spencer like you've never seen her before in 'Ma'Jun 02, 2019 7:26 am - LOS ANGELES - Octavia Spencer is a movie star. She has been for almost a decade since audiences and Oscar voters fell in love with her as Minnie in "The Help." Since the...
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A diminished 'Godzilla' still bests 'Rocketman,' 'Ma'
Jun 02, 2019 7:00 am - NEW YORK - The latest iteration of the Godzilla franchise took over the top spot from "Aladdin" and roared louder than Elton John at the weekend box office, but it still...