Dann Gire
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'Missy and the Maxinator' to open Jan. 5Dec 30, 2008 10:00 pm - 'Maxinator' attack! Former Schaumburg resident Daniel J. Lynch's new indie movie "Missy and the Maxinator" - shot at Conant High School in Hoffman Estates - finally come...
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Sexy, earthy 'Reader' an appeal for healingDec 24, 2008 10:00 pm - Sex, the world's favorite metaphor for just about everything, gets a strenuous workout in Stephen Daldry's earthy cinematic translation of Bernhard Schlink's internation...
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You can close the book on these 'Bedtime Stories'Dec 23, 2008 10:00 pm - In the fanciful comedy "Bedtime Stories," every joke has either been spelled out and dumbed down or propped up with wacky animals emitting flatulence (a horse) or starin...
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Superficial 'Valkyrie' rides on fact-based conspiracyDec 23, 2008 10:00 pm - Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie" could have been a riveting political thriller, a real-life "Mission Impossible" tale so bizarre, so big and so bold that it left audiences in s...
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Rourke pins down role in 'Wrestler'Dec 23, 2008 10:00 pm - Darren Aronofsky's tragic, no-holds-barred character study "The Wrestler" falls squarely on Mickey Rourke's bulked-up shoulders to make it all work. It does more than wo...
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Angst, overdone mystery weigh heavily on 'Seven Pounds'Dec 18, 2008 10:00 pm - "Seven Pounds" is a dark and mysterious story about a dark and mysterious man who uses his powers as an IRS agent to execute dark and mysterious plans. We don't know muc...
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Jim Carrey's wavering 'Yes Man' more of a maybeDec 18, 2008 10:00 pm - Can "Yes Man" possibly be as funny and as poignant and as smart as "Liar Liar"? No man. "Liar Liar" remains Carrey's best-made comedy because of its canny balance of the...
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Humor, humanity blend with violence in Eastwood's 'Gran Torino'Dec 17, 2008 10:00 pm - Clint Eastwood turns out to be simultaneously the best and the worst possible actor to star in his own second 2008 feature "Gran Torino." I say the best because cranky o...
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Opera in HD and free Wall-EDec 16, 2008 10:00 pm - The Met live in HD The Metropolitan Opera presents Massenet's "Thais" one time only, broadcast in HD at select movie theaters. Starring Renee Fleming as an Egyptian cour...
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'Knight,' 'Slumdog' tie for most nominations from local criticsDec 15, 2008 10:00 pm - Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" - the greatest motion picture ever adapted from the comic books - and Danny Boyle's India-set comic drama "Slumdog Millionaire" tie...