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Illinois Times

Illinois Times is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Charles Koplinski.

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Rating Title | Year Author Quote
4/4
Train Dreams (2025) Charles Koplinski And while I’ve done my best to communicate the power of "Train Dreams,' I know I have fallen short in imparting how unique and powerful it is. It’s a movie you feel, one that once seen will likely never be far from your mind.
Posted Nov 24, 2025  Edit critic review
2/4
The Ritual (2025) Charles Koplinski What’s most shocking about the film is how devastatingly dull it is.
Posted Jun 07, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Dangerous Animals (2025) Charles Koplinski By the time we get to its inevitable end, "Animals" proves to be a genuine surprise, a high-gloss B-movie that thrills, amuses and jolts the audience in equal measure.
Posted Jun 07, 2025  Edit critic review
2.5/4.0
Ballerina (2025) Charles Koplinski Screenwriters Shay Hatten and Derek Kolstad are veterans of the "Wick" series, so it comes as a surprise that the plot here is so threadbare, the dialogue so simplistic
Posted Jun 07, 2025  Edit critic review
3/4
Maria (2024) Charles Koplinski A bracing reminder of the power she brings to the screen, Angelina Jolie delivers a deeply moving performance in Pablo Larrain’s Maria.
Posted Oct 02, 2024  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
Strange Darling (2023) Charles Koplinski There’s far more at play in Darling than meets the eye, Mollner following in the long tradition of examining controversial, timely issues within the context of the horror film. It reminds us of the necessity and importance of the genre.
Posted Aug 23, 2024  Edit critic review
3/4
Cuckoo (2024) Charles Koplinski While it delivers plenty of cringe-worthy moments, it’s the knowing humor that helps sustain this strange concoction, one that is best viewed with a raucous crowd and, if one is available, an ornithologist.
Posted Aug 19, 2024  Edit critic review
3/4
My Penguin Friend (2024) Charles Koplinski As a reporter documenting the story says about these events, “It gives me hope. I need that.” Right now, we could all use a healthy dose of what "Penguin" has to offer.
Posted Aug 19, 2024  Edit critic review
2.5/4.0
Burial (2022) Charles Koplinski Infighting over the purpose of this detail as well as a group of German soldiers, intent on retrieving their Fuhrer's remains, provide the conflict of this at times plodding, muddled movie.
Posted Sep 08, 2022  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
Adopting Audrey (2021) Charles Koplinski There's a gentleness to the film that's winning, as is Malone's sympathetic performance, the actress displaying a sense of tenacity and understanding that has us in Audrey's corner. You'll do well to watch this movie. It's medicine for the soul.
Posted Aug 26, 2022  Edit critic review
2.5/4.0
The Lost City (2022) Charles Koplinski A brief appearance by Brad Pitt as a resourceful adventurer is effective, while Bullock and Tatum are fine, which is an apt description of this popcorn flick you'll forget about by the time you get to your car.
Posted Mar 24, 2022  Edit critic review
1.0/4.0
Moonfall (2022) Charles Koplinski Without question, "Moonfall's" a disaster, but not in the way Emmerich intended.
Posted Feb 10, 2022  Edit critic review
4.0/4.0
Together (2021) Charles Koplinski Cathartic, heartrending and ultimately hopeful, "Together" is as much a historical document as a feature film, a spot-on chronicle that will be referenced for years to come.
Posted Aug 30, 2021  Edit critic review
3.0/4.0
Happily (2021) Charles Koplinski Needless to say, a movie for romantics, this is not.
Posted Mar 19, 2021  Edit critic review
3.0/4.0
Bliss (2021) Charles Koplinski Poignant and touching, the movie will ultimately have you questioning what sort of reality you've opted to live in and why.
Posted Feb 05, 2021  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
Herself (2020) Charles Koplinski Lloyd's point is to deliver a message of salvation, a reminder that, while difficult and rare, it is possible to change your circumstances, and people are capable of great generosity.
Posted Jan 08, 2021  Edit critic review
2.0/4.0
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) Charles Koplinski To be sure, there are moments in this follow-up, but they are too few and far between as this update of "The Monkey's Paw" moves in fits and starts, never gathering a sense of momentum or wonder.
Posted Dec 31, 2020  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
Mank (2020) Charles Koplinski The more you know about "Kane" and its backstory, the more you'll appreciate Fincher's meta approach.
Posted Dec 11, 2020  Edit critic review
2.5/4.0
Ammonite (2020) Charles Koplinski Winslet gives a reserved, coiled performance as Anning, a woman who's retreated within after being ignored and ill-used by the patriarchal society she's doomed to exist in.
Posted Dec 11, 2020  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
The Life Ahead (2020) Charles Koplinski Seeing the actress, her towering persona on full display, being chipped away at by the vagaries of dementia proves devastating, driving home the notion that no other actress would have been better suited for the part.
Posted Nov 12, 2020  Edit critic review
2.5/4.0
Let Him Go (2020) Charles Koplinski The chemistry between Costner and Lane is the main attraction here, the interactions between the two natural and unforced.
Posted Nov 06, 2020  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
Come Play (2020) Charles Koplinski Plucking elements from "The Babadook," "The Ring," and "Mama" among others, writer/director Jacob Chase manages to craft a stylistically creepy tale of alienation and longing, revolving around a little boy partially sealed off from the world.
Posted Oct 30, 2020  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
The Opening Act (2020) Charles Koplinski However, by concentrating on what motivates these performers to lay themselves bare as they do, the movie proves to be something more than just a one-note entertainment.
Posted Oct 16, 2020  Edit critic review
2.5/4.0
The War With Grandpa (2020) Charles Koplinski I've seen much better films. I've seen much worse as well...but at least it didn't offend me like the recent releases "Unhinged" and "Antebellum." I guess I'll chalk that up as a small victory. It's been that kind of year, where movies are concerned.
Posted Oct 09, 2020  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
Possessor: Uncut (2020) Charles Koplinski Cronenberg manages to put his own stamp on this film, creating a gripping thriller that deftly shifts from existential crisis to graphic horror before revealing the insidious endgame that's at play.
Posted Oct 09, 2020  Edit critic review
3.0/4.0
The Artist's Wife (2019) Charles Koplinski Olin's dynamic performance is worth the price of admission.
Posted Oct 02, 2020  Edit critic review
4.0/4.0
Spontaneous (2020) Charles Koplinski "Spontaneous" is a vital work as it provides Generation Z with a playbook as to how to live in a mad world they never asked for and do it with sense of grace and purpose that puts us to shame. One of the year's best.
Posted Oct 02, 2020  Edit critic review
2.5/4.0
Misbehaviour (2020) Charles Koplinski "Misbehaviour" a bit too tame.
Posted Sep 26, 2020  Edit critic review
3.0/4.0
The Secrets We Keep (2020) Charles Koplinski Bearing more than a passing resemblance to Ariel Dorfman's 1990 play "Death and the Maiden," Adler's film is a taut examination of the extremes we turn to when dealing with almost debilitating stress as well as the reliance of memory.
Posted Sep 17, 2020  Edit critic review
3.0/4.0
The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020) Charles Koplinski Stumbling out of the gate, the film rights itself in the end thanks in large part to the game cast which is skilled enough to bring a sense of charm to the stereotypes they've been saddled with.
Posted Sep 11, 2020  Edit critic review
2.0/4.0
Tenet (2020) Charles Koplinski The biggest problem with the film is its lack of heart. This is a cold exercise lacking an avenue through which the viewer can become emotionally engaged.
Posted Sep 04, 2020  Edit critic review
0/4.0
Unhinged (2020) Charles Koplinski A vile, nasty piece of work, Derrick Borte's "Unhinged" is an irresponsible bit of exploitation cinema that couldn't be released at a more inopportune time.
Posted Sep 04, 2020  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
The One and Only Ivan (2020) Charles Koplinski Tears will fall, and there's no shame in it.
Posted Aug 21, 2020  Edit critic review
3.0/4.0
Waiting for the Barbarians (2019) Charles Koplinski Fear, paranoia fuel "Barbarians."
Posted Aug 08, 2020  Edit critic review
3.0/4.0
She Dies Tomorrow (2020) Charles Koplinski "Tomorrow" effectively speaks to the dread of today.
Posted Aug 08, 2020  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
Most Wanted (2020) Charles Koplinski Gripping "Wanted" an unexpected tale of redemption.
Posted Aug 05, 2020  Edit critic review
3.0/4.0
I Used to Go Here (2020) Charles Koplinski Glory days prove tempting in "I Used to Go Here"
Posted Aug 03, 2020  Edit critic review
3.0/4.0
The Rental (2020) Charles Koplinski Modest "Rental" comes with genuine surprises.
Posted Jul 27, 2020  Edit critic review
2.0/4.0
The Old Guard (2020) Charles Koplinski Theron prides herself in having made herself a fixture of the action genre, however, she's become a parody of herself, her tough-gal posture a bit too obvious, her pithy quips a bit too tired and her action sequences a bit too choreographed.
Posted Jul 20, 2020  Edit critic review
2.5/4.0
Relic (2020) Charles Koplinski The movie is likely to tax even the most patient, but for those who stick with it, "The Relic" ends up striking a chord with anyone who's seen a loved one gradually slip away.
Posted Jul 17, 2020  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
Palm Springs (2020) Charles Koplinski More than anything, "Springs" posits that an appreciation for the small wonders that life presents us is the key to happiness and that the trap so many of us fall into is that we take these for granted.
Posted Jul 17, 2020  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
Greyhound (2020) Charles Koplinski Thrilling "Greyhound" buoyed by vital message.
Posted Jul 10, 2020  Edit critic review
4/4
Begin Again (2013) Charles Koplinski Begin Again a cure for the summertime movie blues.
Posted Jul 02, 2020  Edit critic review
3.0/4.0
You Should Have Left (2020) Charles Koplinski (Bacon's) assured façade slowly crumbling as the house seemingly closes in on him, the actor is able to generate a degree of sympathy for Theo where perhaps it isn't deserved.
Posted Jul 02, 2020  Edit critic review
3.0/4.0
My Spy (2020) Charles Koplinski I fully expect both film critics' associations I belong to will ask for my resignation once this review is published. "My Spy" is no classic, but it made me laugh repeatedly and right now, that's enough.
Posted Jun 25, 2020  Edit critic review
2.5/4.0
Irresistible (2020) Charles Koplinski The sort of feel-good climax Stewart offers up may have worked in the '30's, but it falls flat. Viewers are far too jaded and knowledgeable to embrace the false hope offered up here, tempted as they might be to do so.
Posted Jun 25, 2020  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
7500 (2019) Charles Koplinski Taut, tense and well-crafted, 7500 proves to be not just an engaging thriller, but a film anchored by a dynamic performance by an actor willing to challenge himself.
Posted Jun 19, 2020  Edit critic review
.5/4.0
Artemis Fowl (2020) Charles Koplinski The kind of film that kills careers.
Posted Jun 19, 2020  Edit critic review
3.5/4.0
End of Sentence (2019) Charles Koplinski Wisely taking a deliberate approach, Adalstein allows us to get to know his characters intimately, fostering in the viewer an emotional involvement that makes their ultimate fate all the more meaningful.
Posted May 29, 2020  Edit critic review
3.0/4.0
The High Note (2020) Charles Koplinski The chemistry between Johnson and Harrison is palpable, so much so that if they were to make another movie or three, I wouldn't mind.
Posted May 29, 2020  Edit critic review
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