A star’s name is borrowed, and another star is born
'Bronson' *** English actor Tom Hardy is rumored to be the new Mad Max in that franchise's reboot. If he does end up in Mel Gibson's boots, judging from Hardy's...
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Dancing into eternity
'Michael Jackson's This Is It' *** The following is a capsule version of Michael Phillips' review, which ran in Thursday's Live! section. For the full review, visit chicagotribune.com/talkingpictures How much...
‘This Is It’ a glimpse of what might have been
He still had it. The big question preceding the international debut Tuesday of the Michael Jackson documentary "This Is It" was whether the singer-showman still had the goods at age...
Over-the-top show still goes on
'Michael Jackson's This Is It' *** How much of "Michael Jackson's This Is It" can we believe? Was Jackson, 50 at the time of his death June 25, in rougher...
Swell Season musicians prove they have more than ‘Once’
The Swell Season 'Strict Joy' *** 1/2 (out of 4) Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova essentially played romanticized versions of themselves in the 2007 indie movie "Once": He a 30-ish...
None compare to Soupy Sales
Even though the occasion is sad, there is something oddly bracing in setting out to write about a man who called himself "Soupy." We need more Soupys in this self-important,...
When in New Orleans, eat like the locals do
The Crescent City is known as much for its cuisine as for its carousing. It's easy to pay too much for both, such as $83 for a simple pasta lunch...
About a girl
'An Education' ***1/2 "Why was I, a conventional Twickenham schoolgirl, running round London nightclubs with a con man?" British journalist Lynn Barber asks herself this question in her memoir, published...
This boy’s back with a bang
'Astro Boy' ** Astro Boy originally appeared in 1951 as a supporting player in an Osamu Tezuka manga, or Japanese comic. He proved irresistible: those boots! Those flaming jets where...
Little lift in aviatrix’s biopic
'Amelia' ** The Amelia Earhart biopic "Amelia" is not a bad movie, but it is distressingly ordinary for such an extraordinary subject. In everything from "Monsoon Wedding" to "Mississippi Masala"...