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UR Chicago Magazine

UR Chicago Magazine is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): John Esther, Mark Dujsik.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
Our Little Sister (2015) John Esther As emotionally superficial as a Hollywood movie by the likes of Nancy Myers or Cameron Crowe.
Posted Jul 13, 2016  Edit critic review
Angel of Nanjing (2015) John Esther Solid in its scope, this inspiring 64-minute documentary by co-directors/producers Frank Ferendo and Jordan Horowitz offers a portrait of a man who gives his best for others.
Posted Jul 13, 2016  Edit critic review
Zoolander No. 2 (2016) John Esther A noisy, often nonsensical, unfunny enterprise with lots and lots of cameos from some of the culture industry's most recognized faces.
Posted Jul 13, 2016  Edit critic review
Jim: The James Foley Story (2016) John Esther To the documentary's credit it makes it clear from the beginning that this will not be a sensationalized hagiography of the 40-year-old murdered journalist.
Posted Jul 13, 2016  Edit critic review
A Good Wife (2016) John Esther Serbian actor Mirjana Karanovic makes an impressive debut as director and co-writer in A Good Wife, a film about personal and political cancer in current Serbia.
Posted Jul 13, 2016  Edit critic review
The Innocents (2016) John Esther Offers a harrowing yet hopeful picture of what good women (and one man) can do when they do choose to rebel against patriarchal power.
Posted Jul 13, 2016  Edit critic review
Uncle Nick (2015) John Esther It certainly is a funnier holiday film than most holiday films.
Posted Jan 03, 2016  Edit critic review
Love (2015) John Esther The film offers a lot more than most films attempting to convey human interaction or attempting to understand human love and its intercourse with sex. It is certainly more honest than most films...
Posted Nov 17, 2015  Edit critic review
I Smile Back (2015) John Esther Holding the film together is Silverman's tour-de-force performance. Involved in every scene, her "serious" acting holds the film together.
Posted Nov 17, 2015  Edit critic review
Heart of a Dog (2015) John Esther The documentary glides on with few lulls, even if one does squint during its brief moments of silliness.
Posted Oct 23, 2015  Edit critic review
Experimenter (2015) John Esther The film seems to believe, and illustrate, that the best way to learn is while having fun (not getting punished with pain); and Experimenter is one very playful, enjoyable film.
Posted Oct 23, 2015  Edit critic review
The Assassin (2015) John Esther Other than human nature, the film suggests there was nothing ugly to witness during this period in time.
Posted Oct 18, 2015  Edit critic review
Coming Home (2014) John Esther This is politically-fueled melodrama of a higher order.
Posted Sep 10, 2015  Edit critic review
Dragon Blade (2015) John Esther The film barely passes the entertainment mustard.
Posted Sep 05, 2015  Edit critic review
The Second Mother (2015) John Esther The story about a young woman coming from "the outside" and entering a particular milieu and shaking things up is not entirely new, but there is enough skill here to make this film worth viewing.
Posted Aug 28, 2015  Edit critic review
Digging for Fire (2015) John Esther It is not important that a film contain likable characters -- far from it. But when the filmmakers behind the camera seem to like those characters, or be too forgiving for their faults, this is what you get.
Posted Aug 21, 2015  Edit critic review
Top Spin (2014) John Esther Peppering the trials, tribulations and training of the three athletes is some spectacular table tennis action.
Posted Aug 21, 2015  Edit critic review
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015) John Esther Few films this frank about teenage sexuality are found in American cinema.
Posted Aug 07, 2015  Edit critic review
Chorus (2015) John Esther A gritty, emotionally honest (and draining) film about coming to grips with the horrors life can throw at you at any given moment.
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
Cronies (2015) John Esther The film skillfully blends gritty cinema and faux documentary interviews with the film's very skilled three leads.
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
Things of the Aimless Wanderer (2015) John Esther It does not take long to realize Kivu Ruhorahoza's film is something special. Well, different at least.
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
Eastern Boys (2013) John Esther The film tackles solidarity and solitude, economic class, language and lingering ages -- managing to remain engaging throughout most of its two hours-plus running time.
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
The Hand That Feeds (2014) John Esther Members of the working and shrinking middle classes will have plenty to gain by investing in the price of a movie ticket to view this documentary.
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
Gemma Bovery (2014) John Esther A film that could only be made in a country where literature is widely consumed and considered worthy of one's time, this is an entertaining, smart film with strong performances.
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
Everything Before Us (2015) John Esther A highly enjoyable, smart, very funny, well written story about young people in love.
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
Blood, Sweat, & Beer (2015) John Esther Having watched this entertaining documentary, it is time for some delicious craft beer.
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
Tales of the Grim Sleeper (2014) John Esther Nick Broomfield's excellent documentary reveals how violence toward poor black women works in collusion between the personal and the political silence of members in the community...
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
All Mistakes Buried (2015) John Esther This story about self/drug abuse would be nowhere as remarkable were it not for Trammell's performance and McCann and Chris Kursel's editing choices.
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
Lila & Eve (2015) John Esther So far, this is the worst film of 2015.
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
Grandma (2015) John Esther Quick, sharp and superior to the similar Juno, Grandma runs with fresh humor, biting satire, a little craziness and feminist politics
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
French Dirty (2015) John Esther Written and directed by brothers Wade and Jesse Allain-Marcus, the 72-minute French Dirty is a film brimming with realism and authenticity.
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
One Cut, One Life (2014) John Esther A bittersweet testimony to documentary filmmaking, collaboration and camaraderie
Posted Jul 18, 2015  Edit critic review
Spy (2015) John Esther The movie is loaded with various sorts of humor, from the absurd, to the grotesque to the underhanded satire on spy films.
Posted Jun 05, 2015  Edit critic review
Testament of Youth (2014) John Esther A high school historical lesson with lots of violence and little sex (how Hollywood), the real Vera Brittain may have been a educated pacifist, but her youthful optimism, in a historical context, comes off as grossly naive.
Posted Jun 04, 2015  Edit critic review
Infinitely Polar Bear (2014) John Esther A warm, touching story about family, the film is not without its social merits.
Posted May 12, 2015  Edit critic review
True Story (2015) John Esther 'True Story' reminds us to take anything we view with a grain a salt and a sneer of incredulous while truly appreciating those who do not lie...
Posted Apr 17, 2015  Edit critic review
An Honest Liar (2014) John Esther "An Honest Liar" illustrates a rare phenomenon in documentary: what it means to think, to believe and to challenge what our very own eyes see, and more to the point, do not see.
Posted Mar 06, 2015  Edit critic review
5/5
Purgatorio: A Journey Into the Heart of the Border (2013) John Esther An intellectually impressive and refreshingly angry documentary.
Posted Dec 22, 2014  Edit critic review
Wild (2014) John Esther 'Wild' is, surprisingly, a very entertaining film.
Posted Dec 06, 2014  Edit critic review
Foxcatcher (2014) John Esther Simply put, this is well-done filmmaking with some extraordinary performances.
Posted Nov 14, 2014  Edit critic review
The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears (2013) John Esther The film rarely maintains an image for more than a few seconds. Everything must be rapid, colorful and artsy, but it is an intellectual sham.
Posted Aug 28, 2014  Edit critic review
The Trip to Italy (2014) John Esther 'The Trip to Italy' is probably the most fun I have had at the movies so far this year.
Posted Aug 15, 2014  Edit critic review
Life After Beth (2014) John Esther The film will no doubt have detractors in the mainstream press, but for those looking for something different, 'Life After Beth' rises above this somnambulistic summer of cinema.
Posted Aug 14, 2014  Edit critic review
A Will for the Woods (2013) John Esther While the "green burial movement" does play a notable role here, the documentary's other strength is how it captures Clark coming to grips with his impending death.
Posted Aug 13, 2014  Edit critic review
Around the Block (2013) John Esther 'Around the Block' may have its exasperating flaws, but it cannot be accused of not having its heart in the right place.
Posted Aug 01, 2014  Edit critic review
Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014) John Esther Firefighters do some very important and dangerous work. Even though the characters in 'Planes: Fire & Rescue' are made of metal...that is clear at the movie's most elementary level.
Posted Jul 17, 2014  Edit critic review
Citizen Koch (2013) John Esther Co-directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessin (Trouble the Water) cohesively illustrate what happens when the bad financial powers-that-be cannot be stopped.
Posted Jun 27, 2014  Edit critic review
A Coffee in Berlin (2012) John Esther Germany gets an updated look at the debris of its newest generation in terms of character, content, and concrete.
Posted Jun 26, 2014  Edit critic review
Cesar's Last Fast (2014) John Esther An inspiring testimony to one of this nation's heroes.
Posted Apr 18, 2014  Edit critic review
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) John Esther Or it could just be Jarmusch's attempt to bring to life the coolest couple of cinema ever. My Radiohead, are these vampires not hipsters to the nth power?
Posted Apr 13, 2014  Edit critic review
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