Dann Gire
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Carrell makes play for brother's gal in 'Dan in Real Life'Oct 25, 2007 11:00 pm - After playing a reluctant modern-age Noah in the frivolous and silly "Evan Almighty," Steve Carell bounces back with a pleasantly surprising romantic comedy and a flawed...
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'Bella' aims for the tear ducts, and missesOct 25, 2007 11:00 pm - • Alejandro Monteverde's manipulative, wannabe feel-good drama "Bella" punches all the right buttons when it comes to playing upon our emotions, but I didn't buy any of ...
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Students show off their filmsOct 23, 2007 11:00 pm - The Eight Annual ARTimation digital film festival --showcasing the best work of students and recent graduates of the Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg -- starts at...
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Affleck aptly directs brother in gloriously ambivalent film-noir thrillerOct 18, 2007 11:00 pm - "Gone Baby Gone," an impressive directorial debut by actor Ben Affleck, cooks up a deliciously ambiguous caldron of conflicting emotions. It's a dynamic drama seething w...
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Tortured consciencesOct 18, 2007 11:00 pm - The subject of American-approved political torture couldn't be more timely in Gavin Hood's "Rendition." Yet, "Rendition" settles for effective when it could have been as...
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Drama burns for Oscar consideration, not real emotionOct 18, 2007 11:00 pm - Even the title screams "Pretentious drama created for the sole purpose of snagging Oscar nominations!" -- doesn't it? "Things We Lost in the Fire" traffics in misery, pa...
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Branagh's 'Sleuth' makes viewers feel a little connedOct 18, 2007 11:00 pm - Six reviews. No waiting. • In "Sleuth," Kenneth Branagh's remake of the 1972 thriller with Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier, the icy set decor and antiseptic productio...
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Quotes point to depth of Spike Lee masterpieceOct 11, 2007 11:00 pm - First, a reader e-mail, then some film notes: • Dear Dann: In your Oct. 4 story about Roger Ebert being honored at the Chicago International Film Festival, you referred ...
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Dialogue, plot cop out in crime dramaOct 11, 2007 11:00 pm - "We Own the Night" sounds like the title for a horror movie about vampires. If only. Nope. Instead, "We Own the Night" is an old-fashioned, potboiler family crime drama ...
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When it comes to drama, cliched sports drama strikes outOct 11, 2007 11:00 pm - "The Final Season" wants to be a cinematic valentine to the all-American sport of high school baseball. Instead, it's more like a valentine to shallow sports movie clich...