Dann Gire
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'Perks' a clear look at the troubles of youthSep 27, 2012 6:00 am - Reel Life mini-review: "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" A cheesy, easy third-act revelation veers this otherwise realistic and sensitive look at teenagers into Melodram...
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Nothing 'awesome' about awful 'Hotel'Sep 27, 2012 5:00 am - Here comes a generic, 3-D animated family comedy so desperate for laughs that it actually has a mummy cut loose with sandy flatulence. That's in addition to hitting us w...
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'Perfect' pitches a delightful musical campus comedySep 27, 2012 5:00 am - The moment we hear an a cappella version of the Universal Studios fanfare during its famous introductory logo, we Gleefully surrender to the charm and musicality of this...
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'Won't Back Down' won't stand up as inspiring dramaSep 27, 2012 5:00 am - "Won't Back Down" contains a pair of the greatest opening and closing bookends I have ever seen. It begins with a tight shot of a little girl's confused and terrified fa...
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‘Chicago Fire’ role meaningful to Naperville actorSep 25, 2012 5:30 am - He’s not the kind of celebrity TMZ follows around or who winds up on magazine covers. David Eigenberg says he’s just a regular guy — something that might have helped the...
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Urban shoots for authenticity in ‘Dredd’ roleSep 23, 2012 8:00 am - Karl Urban is probably best known for his role as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy in the reboot of the “Star Trek” movie series. This weekend, he takes on a futuristic crime f...
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Elk Grove Village man wins big at Elgin Short Film FestivalSep 22, 2012 10:36 pm - An Elk Grove Village movie director and his team of filmmakers won first prize and $1,000 Saturday night at the fourth annual Elgin Short Film Festival at the Hemmens Au...
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Chicago's Michael Pena: a touch of Brando and bravadoSep 21, 2012 1:00 pm - You have a touch of Brando about you, I said. Michael Pena looked surprised. "I don't know about that ..." he modestly said. Yes, I repeated, definitely a touch of Brand...
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'Hello I Must Be Going' too restrained to feel realSep 20, 2012 6:00 am - Reel Life mini-review: "Hello I Must Be Going" Melanie Lynskey, a New Zealand actress known mostly for nailing her supporting roles, gets the meatiest lead of her career...
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Raw, realistic cop tale 'End of Watch' worth a lookSep 20, 2012 6:00 am - Frankly, I'm beginning to tire of the "found footage" approach to filmmaking, the "Blair Witch"-inspired movies that pretend someone has shot a bunch of random scenes th...