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Chicago Tribune

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
Ace in the Hole (1951) Mae Tinee As a picture of Tatum, it flops badly. Not that there are no egomaniacs in the newspaper business, but this one is neither sufficiently clever nor consistent enough for the weight of the story.
Posted Feb 03, 2026  Edit critic review
1/4
House (1985) Gene Siskel This "House" ought to be condemned for its insulting use of the Vietnam war and children as props for nonsensical violence tinged with pathetic attempts at humor.
Posted Jan 30, 2026  Edit critic review
1/4
My Bloody Valentine (1981) Gene Siskel I wonder if the citizens of Canada know that their tax money is in effect paying for dismal and depressing horror films as "My Bloody Valentine."
Posted Jan 28, 2026  Edit critic review
4/4
The American President (1995) Gene Siskel Director Rob Reiner has picked himself up off the floor that was his last picture, North, and created simply one of the year's best films, one filled with sparkling performances by Michael Douglas and Annette Bening and bright writing by Aaron Sorkin.
Posted Jan 22, 2026  Edit critic review
3/4
The American President (1995) Michael Wilmington Reiner gets at least half of what he wants: the comic-romantic part. When the movie focuses on the relationship between President Andrew Shepherd and lobbyist Sydney Wade, it's a funny, sparkling show.
Posted Jan 22, 2026  Edit critic review
3/4
Misery (1990) Gene Siskel Thrillers are always defined by the freshness of their villains, and this one is unique.
Posted Jan 20, 2026  Edit critic review
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Mae Tinee These people manage to give a moderately convincing air of realism to a story bedecked with the usual hocus-pocus, and in spite of slipshod direction which frequently neglects proper timing.
Posted Jan 16, 2026  Edit critic review
3.5/4
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) Michael Wilmington Well-loved science fiction tale of the brainy extraterrestrial Klaatu who comes to earth.
Posted Jan 15, 2026  Edit critic review
3.5/4
Bite the Bullet (1975) Gene Siskel "Bite the Bullet" strikes a strong balance between majestic vistas and wise words, the very balance that has always made the great westerns memorable.
Posted Jan 15, 2026  Edit critic review
The Magnificent Seven (1960) Mae Tinee The acting is capable and some bits of wry wit are helpful in making this unbelievable affair more entertaining than the average shoot 'em up movie.
Posted Jan 14, 2026  Edit critic review
3.5/4
Gaslight (1944) Michael Wilmington A quintessential '40s Hollywood romantic thriller: plush and excruciating.
Posted Jan 13, 2026  Edit critic review
A Place in the Sun (1951) Mae Tinee A skillful distillation of high tragedy and youthful passion...the film contains the ingredients for mass popularity, with none of the customary cheapness of approach, thanks to the capabilities of Director Stevens.
Posted Jan 13, 2026  Edit critic review
Out of the Past (1947) Mae Tinee Some of the dialog offers a blunt and sardonic humor, and the direction keeps the complicated story moving at a furious pace.
Posted Jan 09, 2026  Edit critic review
Alice in Wonderland (1951) Mae Tinee If you've read and re-read the book, you're apt to be as offended, and maybe as unreasonably so, as the characters Alice encountered after she followed the tardy White Rabbit and went down, down, down.
Posted Jan 09, 2026  Edit critic review
3/4
The Sure Thing (1985) Gene Siskel The result is a gentle comedy that argues for love with someone you know over love with an improper stranger.
Posted Jan 07, 2026  Edit critic review
3.5/4
The Princess Bride (1987) Gene Siskel It is the bright humor of this story, based on William Goldman's novel, that has us laughing all through familiar territory.
Posted Jan 07, 2026  Edit critic review
Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) Mae Tinee It is potent anti-Nazi propaganda that presents a powerful and impassioned plea for the defense of the principles that have made America "the land of the free."
Posted Dec 24, 2025  Edit critic review
1/4
Death Race 2000 (1975) Gene Siskel It may be the goofiest and sleaziest film I've seen in the last five years.
Posted Dec 19, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Christine (1983) Gene Siskel "Christine" is a solid piece of entertainment.
Posted Dec 16, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Big Top Pee-wee (1988) Dave Kehr The film starts out with high spirits and a frisky imagination, but slips slowly into self-consciousness and ends on a note of debilitating camp.
Posted Dec 11, 2025  Edit critic review
2/4
Big Top Pee-wee (1988) Gene Siskel Missing from this sequel is the totally self-contained, off-the-wall approach of the original.
Posted Dec 11, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
The Abyss (1989) Gene Siskel The underwater action scenes and the story involving the infighting among the crew are excellent.
Posted Dec 10, 2025  Edit critic review
2.5/4
True Lies (1994) Michael Wilmington The movie's action scenes and spectacular last half hour show Cameron in his element.
Posted Dec 09, 2025  Edit critic review
2/4
The Terminator (1984) Sid Smith Unfortunately, a lot of the sardonic humor plays as if it's unintentional. Much of the movie is trite, if not outright stolen material.
Posted Dec 08, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
The Abyss (1989) Dave Kehr "The Abyss" doesn't quite come off, but it's a commanding failure -- a film with a genuine cinematic project, which is rare these days.
Posted Dec 05, 2025  Edit critic review
A Christmas Carol (1984) Kenneth R. Clark The most delicious remake of "A Christmas Carol."
Posted Dec 04, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
The Wiz (1978) Gene Siskel Ross is superb in "The Wiz."
Posted Nov 17, 2025  Edit critic review
2.5/4
The Running Man (1987) Gene Siskel Smarmy game show host Richard Dawson is effective as the host of this killer game, but the story unfolds routinely.
Posted Nov 06, 2025  Edit critic review
2/4
The Running Man (1987) Dave Kehr The film is simply a series of one-on-one confrontations.
Posted Nov 05, 2025  Edit critic review
2/4
Predator 2 (1990) Gene Siskel Glover seems too natural an actor to be caught up in this claptrap.
Posted Oct 31, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Predator 2 (1990) Dave Kehr The picture hurtles along, smoothly if not plausibly, and saves some surprises for the last reel.
Posted Oct 30, 2025  Edit critic review
2/4
Predator (1987) Dave Kehr McTiernan never seems in complete control of the wildly disparate elements he has assembled, and the movie doesn't settle into one groove long enough to establish a firm hold on the audience.
Posted Oct 30, 2025  Edit critic review
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Chicago Tribune Staff While, in several instances, the film seems a bit overdone, for the most part, it is impressive, shocking, and frequently poignant.
Posted Oct 23, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Dracula (1979) Gene Siskel I am reluctantly giving the film a three-star rating because Langella's performance is worth seeing.
Posted Oct 21, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
From Beyond (1986) Gene Siskel "From Beyond" is a decent enough low-budget horror film that delivers what audiences have every reason to expect -- a funny, horrific grossout.
Posted Oct 20, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
From Beyond (1986) Dave Kehr In its brash, enthusiastic tackiness, "From Beyond" is a show that would do any carnival proud.
Posted Oct 20, 2025  Edit critic review
Born Yesterday (1950) Mae Tinee Here's a beguiling comedy, peppered with laughs and offering three practically flawless performances from Judy Holliday, making her debut as a star; Broderick Crawford and William Holden.
Posted Oct 13, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
The Celluloid Closet (1995) Michael Wilmington It's a mixed achievement, but mostly an admirable one. Graced with more than 100 well-chosen and juxtaposed film clips.
Posted Oct 08, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Casper (1995) Michael Wilmington The film is an epic treatment of a childhood curio. It's also the kind of elaborate movie stunt you can't imagine someone really pulling off. But they do. And in some curious way, it works.
Posted Oct 03, 2025  Edit critic review
4/4
Tron (1982) Gene Siskel "TRON" is a trip, and a terrifically entertaining one at that.
Posted Oct 01, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (1975) Gene Siskel The songs and clips are entertaining.
Posted Sep 26, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Hard Times (1975) Gene Siskel It's been a long time since a fistfight held my interest.
Posted Sep 26, 2025  Edit critic review
4/4
Boogie Nights (1997) Michael Wilmington Boogie Nights is a hard-core movie with a soft, light-hearted center and an edge like a knife. Made by a brilliant new writer-director, Paul Thomas Anderson, it's a giddily trenchant drama and a weirdly engaging dark comedy.
Posted Sep 24, 2025  Edit critic review
4/4
To Sleep With Anger (1990) Dave Kehr It is impossible to leave this film without a sense of uplift; it glows.
Posted Sep 23, 2025  Edit critic review
1/4
Night of the Living Dead (1990) Gene Siskel Here's a film that leaves you asking one and only one question -- why was it made?
Posted Sep 18, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Night of the Living Dead (1990) Dave Kehr Though the broad outlines of the plot are the same... the characters have been deepened and the thematic emphasis shifted.
Posted Sep 17, 2025  Edit critic review
3.5/4
Toy Story (1995) Mark Caro Toy Story should score like a galaxy of Flash Gordon's.
Posted Sep 09, 2025  Edit critic review
Toy Story (1995) Michael Phillips The computer-generated animation, favoring clinically bright, super-crisp photo-realism, approached the real of 3-D, even without 3-D.
Posted Sep 09, 2025  Edit critic review
Toy Story (1995) Gene Siskel Toy Story is built on a marvelous conceit -- that a child's toys have an adult life of their own when the kid is out of his room. If you've seen your child create dramas with his or her toys... Toy Story will seem utterly logical to them.
Posted Sep 09, 2025  Edit critic review
4/4
This Is Spinal Tap (1984) Mark Caro "Spinal Tap" hits bull's-eye after bull's-eye on the rock world's hind quarters.
Posted Sep 09, 2025  Edit critic review
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