Now Playing
The following are capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "Body of Lies" and "Quarantine."

'Quarantine' hardly contagious
The irony of the shaky-camera school of horror filmmaking is that it requires a lot of discipline to do well.

Reteaming of Crowe, Scott kills 'Body'
Isn't it time someone did a serious cost-benefit analysis on the filmmaking partnership of Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott? "Body of Lies," the pair's latest collaboration, is a diverting yet entirely forgettable piece of big-budget craftsmanship, and that's the problem.

DVD Library
Considering Paul Newman, who died late last month, had a likability factor on par with Tom Hanks, it's ironic that one of his best roles was that of the prodigal son and would-be rapist of 1963's "Hud."

Access Bollywood

Now Playing
The following are capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "Flash of Genius" and "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People."

Beyond the Blockbusters: 'Religulous'
"Religulous" is a profane, sacrilegious and very funny anti-religion documentary that is well worth seeing - perhaps especially if you're a person of faith.

'Flash' glosses over sad side of auto saga
Movies often lie to us, and sometimes they lie to themselves. "Flash of Genius" thinks it's an inspirational, based-on-fact, little-man-beats-the-system drama, when in fact it is one of the more depressing pictures I've seen in quite some time. It asks you to smile in the face of enormous sadness.

Popcorn panel: 'Eagle Eye'
This week the Popcorn Panel intently watches "Eagle Eye."

'How to Lose Friends' won't win audiences
Simon Pegg, star of "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People," is quickly demonstrating how to lose audiences and alienate critics. Pegg earned enormous goodwill for 2004's "Shaun of the Dead," an affectionate and very smart spoof of the zombie genre, but the British actor has faltered since then.

Naperville kids play movie critic for a day
I spent Saturday at the Naperville Independent Film Festival's Family Matinee event matching wits with young moviegoers, and it confirmed what I've long suspected about kids: they know a quality movie when they see it.

Access Bollywood

Now Playing
The following are capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "Eagle Eye" and "Miracle at St. Anna."

'Rodanthe' house real star of movie
More effective as a piece of house porn than cinematic drama, "Nights in Rodanthe" stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane as emotionally bruised strangers who get a second chance at romance when they meet at a gorgeous beachfront inn on the North Carolina coast.

Leslie Nielsen to be in Woodridge this weekend
Leslie Nielsen will be at Hollywood Boulevard in Woodridge this weekend with two early movie spoofs - "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun" - that purists claim put the recent crop to shame.

Popcorn Panel: Igor
The Popcorn Panel plays their hunches about "Igor."

Spike Lee reinvigorates war genre

"Miracle at St. Anna" encompasses a world of pain.

'Rodanthe' house real star of movie
More effective as a piece of house porn than cinematic drama, "Nights in Rodanthe" stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane as emotionally bruised strangers who get a second chance at romance when they meet at a gorgeous beachfront inn on the North Carolina coast.

'Lucky Ones' undone by sitcom moments
"The Lucky Ones" is another noble attempt to dramatize the effects of the Iraq war on American soldiers, but like the similarly themed "Stop-Loss" it isn't up to its task.

DVD Library: 'Airplane!'
Leslie Nielsen will be at Hollywood Boulevard in Woodridge this weekend with two early movie spoofs - "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun" - that purists claim put the recent crop to shame.

Now Playing
Capsule reviews of films currently playing in local theaters, including "Igor" and "Lakeview Terrace."

Teen sexuality exploited in 'Towelhead'
Writer-director Alan Ball's obsession with the sexuality of teenage girls continues with "Towelhead," and you don't have to be a prude to be alarmed by it. Like "American Beauty," which won Ball an Oscar for best original screenplay, "Towelhead" features a sexually abusive relationship between a suburban father and a young girl.

Avoid animated 'Igor' - for your kid's sake
Ever since "Shrek," far too many animated films have been so busy trying to entertain the parents in the audience that they've forgotten about their first priority: the kids. The "Shrek" movies get the balance right - they're kids flicks first - but "Igor" fails in the same way that something like "Hoodwinked" did. It ignores younger viewers while crudely courting Mom and Dad.

Popcorn Panel: 'Burn After Reading'
This week, the Popcorn Panel is consumed by "Burn After Reading."

'Terrace' another Sam Jackson blow-up
Samuel L. Jackson is one of our best actors - an effortlessly mesmerizing presence - yet all filmmakers and audiences seem to want to watch him do is blow his top. He does, reliably, in "Lakeview Terrace," which is a fairly insidious domestic thriller up until that inevitable point. Once Jackson goes berserk, it's all downhill, as usual.

Seminar schedule
A preliminary, chronological schedule of some of the seminars being offered at the Naperville Independent Film Festival.

Special Events
The Opening Night Celebration on Sept. 24 includes appetizers, music and movie clips.

Cannes do in Naperville
Cannes, Toronto, Sundance ... Naperville? Yes, the dream of a handful of film lovers and makers in Naperville will be reality next week, when the Naperville Independent Film Festival takes place Sept. 24 to 27. Seminars, panel discussions, celebrities and, of course, movies will all be part of the extravaganza.

Screening Schedule
A preliminary, chronological schedule of the 27 films nominated for awards at the Naperville Independent Film Festival.

Film festival has been built, but will you come?
Is the Naperville Independent Film Festival for real?