ALL Guides
ISA Reviews: Big Little Lies
“Big Little Lies” weaves a twisting, complex tale of female empowerment.David E. Kelley did a masterful job in adapting Liane Moriarty’s bestseller “Big Little Lies” as an HBO miniseries. The veteran Hollywood scribe brought her characters to vivid life and cast them perfectly with the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Nicol....
ISA Reviews: Black Panther
“Black Panther” is a landmark film for Marvel Studios and one of their very best.Just when you think that the comic superhero movie is all but played out, along comes “Black Panther” from Marvel Studios. This superb comic book adaptation by filmmaker R....
ISA Reviews: Chappaquiddick
“Chappaquiddick” paints a tragic portrait of politics and entitlement.Historical movies tend to have good intentions. Whether they make good movies or not is often de....
ISA Reviews: Deadpool 2
“Deadpool 2” pushes the sentimentality but not the humor far enough.
Who’d have thought that the sequel to the raunchy and satirical “Deadpool” movie would end up being so sentimental? You’d think given the 2016 box office records and critical hosannas, the filmmakers would’ve simply diale....
ISA Reviews: Disney's Box Office Smash, Beauty and The Beast
The new "Beauty & the Beast" honors the original Disney classic while deepening its story. If you're going to remake a beloved classic, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better adaptation than director Bill Condon's superb live action update of the 1991 animated "Beauty & the Beast." He and his screenwrite....
ISA Reviews: Fifty Shades Darker
"Fifty Shades Darker" doesn't do enough to illuminate its characters, story or sex. The publishing phenomenon that was "Fifty Shades of Grey" yielded three huge bestsellers, but the first film adaptation in 2015 left a lot to be desired. And unfortunately, with this year's sequel "Fifty Shades Darker", the....
ISA Reviews: First Time Writer/Director, Cory Finley's Thoroughbreds
“Thoroughbreds” marks an auspicious debut for writer/director Cory Finley.Coming from the world of theater, writer/director Cory Finley has made a masterful first film. His dark comedy/thriller is utterly enthralling, as much for what it doesn’t show as what it does. The story, concerning two teen girls (Olivia Cooke and Anya Tayl....
ISA Reviews: Girls, with Chicago Writer & ISA Member, Susie Shaw
“Girls” ends six seasons on HBO as daring and unconventional as ever.Love it or hate it, Lena Dunham stuck to her vision of “Girls” and consistently rendered a show that dramatically defied the conventions of storytelling, character arcs, and portrayals of women.In many ways, it was an antidote to the glamorous world of New ....
ISA Reviews: Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is a hilarious, heartfelt second chapter.“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is already a huge hit at the box office worldwide and it’s easy to see why. Marvel Studio’s 2015 predecessor established a raucous, yet character-driven superhero franchise that was equal parts snark and hea....
ISA Reviews: Hail, Caesar w/ Fast Track Grand Prize Winner Chris Dewan
The Coen Brothers salute Old Hollywood with a hearty Hail, Caesar! The Coen Brothers have written, directed and produced some of the best American cinema for the past 32 years. And they always push genre into something uniquely quirky, clever, and well, Coen. Hail, Caesar! is no different. It's a comedy set in the early 1950's and it f....
ISA Reviews: Hereditary w/ Ghost Hunter Scott Markus
“Hereditary” has lots of mood and surprises but lacks cohesion.
Is it enough for a horror movie to deliver the frights, even if the script doesn’t hold together? “Hereditary”, from filmmaker Ari Aster, is superb at setting an unsettling mood, but its story is just too confounding. The film has shocks that earn screams....
ISA Reviews: Homeland
“Homeland” ends its seventh season as relevant and edgy as ever.
Seven seasons in, Showtime’s “Homeland” series is still smart, unpredictable, and edge-of-your-seat television. How do they do it? They start with characters, like lead Carrie Mathison (the invaluable Claire Danes), that create a....
ISA Reviews: Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” reboots the franchise with lots of laughs.Rebooting a franchise can be a tricky thing. You want to keep what’s beloved and familiar, but you also have to find new ways to make the updated version fresh and involving. Fort....
ISA Reviews: Keanu Reeves, and John Wick: Chapter 2
"John Wick: Chapter 2" brings genuine artistry to the actioner. Burnt out on action movies? "John Wick: Chapter 2" will restore your faith in what "shoot ‘em ups" can be. This sublime sequel to the 2014 cult classic not only builds on its predecessor but it expands what that franchise is and what a popcorn m....
ISA Reviews: Logan, with Derek Asaff
Logan cuts to the bone as Hugh Jackman ends his iconic role. Hugh Jackman has appeared as Wolverine onscreen nine times, but never to such a dramatic effect as in this one, his swan song. Logan is a much darker, sadder and meaner X-Men movie than any done before. In fact, the story here is more reminiscent of moody westerns like Shane&nbs....
