Dann Gire
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Movie review: 'The Front Runner' a better journalism story than political dramaNov 15, 2018 5:00 am - “The Front Runner” - ★ ★ ★ Jason Reitman's “The Front Runner” may not be the best example of political drama, but it should be mandatory viewing for students of journali...
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Movie review: 'Instant Family' marries laughs, tears before devolving into crass comedyNov 14, 2018 10:00 am - “Instant Family” - ★ ★ ½ For once, an advertising tagline accurately summarizes a film: “Instant Family: Just add chaos, laughter, awkwardness, mistakes and love.” “Inst...
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Movie review: Benedict Cumberbatch's 'The Grinch' no match for animated originalNov 08, 2018 5:00 am - “The Grinch” - ★ ★ ½ You're not a mean one, Mr. Grinch. At least not mean enough to be called “a monster” in a song. Not near mean enough for lyricists to describe your...
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Movie review: 'The Girl in the Spider's Web' spins misconceived sequel to 'Dragon Tattoo'Nov 07, 2018 10:00 am - “The Girl in the Spider's Web” - ★ ★ “The Girl in the Spider's Web” wastes no time in establishing itself as one of the most misconceived movie sequels ever made. It be...
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Movie review: Disney's visually enticing 'Nutcracker' lacks dramatic crunchNov 01, 2018 6:00 am - “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” - ★ ★ ½ Walt Disney's music-filled early holiday gift, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” feels like a big-budget, large-studio s...
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Movie review: Horror film 'Monster Party' shocking - and awe-ful funnyNov 01, 2018 6:00 am - "Monster Party" - ★ ★ ★ Do you really want to know how horribly comic this horror movie can get? A sleazy guy gives one of those slow, sarcastic claps to young Iris (Vir...
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Robert Forster talks acting on his first Chicago film in 50 yearsOct 26, 2018 5:33 am - Fifty years ago, Robert Forster wrote a page of Chicago's cinematic history as a journalist in Haskell Wexler's classic 1968 Democratic National Convention drama "Medium...
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Suburban grandparents' battle with Alzheimer's inspires filmmaker's 'What They Had'Oct 26, 2018 5:00 am - While continually revising the screenplay to her first feature film “What They Had,” former Hinsdale resident Elizabeth Chomko kept hearing the words of a college profes...
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Movie review: Jonah Hill's 'Mid90s' a nostalgic, authentic coming-of-age dramaOct 24, 2018 12:45 pm - “Mid90s” - ★ ★ ★ Jonah Hill's directorial debut “Mid90s” presents a nostalgic, coming-of-age drama about five L.A. skateboarding punks searching for a plot. They never f...
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Movie review: Suspense-challenged 'Halloween' horror sequel no match for the originalOct 17, 2018 11:00 am - “Halloween” - ★ ★ Forty years after John Carpenter's seminal, low-budget 1978 horror tale “Halloween” assaulted moviegoers, I experienced a weird form of PTSD (Post Trau...