Rules Don't Apply

Review by George M. Thomas

Lily Collins and Alden Ehrenreich in Rules Don't Apply.

A larger than life figure whose influence touched aviation, general business, and Hollywood married to an old fashioned love story.

Written and directed by an old school Hollywood icon whose career has now spanned almost 60 years, RULES DON’T APPLY is Warren Beatty’s homage to the Tinseltown that existed during post-World War II, when men like Howard Hughes, a captain of industry, aviation, and film held sway over the country.

And men of such power enjoy being in control of all things at all times no matter who the person may be. That’s the observation from RULES.  But Beatty decides to have more than his share of fun tinged with poignancy in some respects with that fact.

Bonnie and Clyde (August 3rd at the Palace Theatre)

[BONNIE AND CLYDE screens Saturday August 3rd at 8:00 pm at the Palace Theatre in Playhouse Square.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

When BONNIE AND CLYDE first premiered, a number of critics condemned it as vile, gory and positively toxic. One reviewer wrote a scathing negative review - then reconsidered, then ran another review retracting his original opinion and giving the movie a big thumbs-up. Clearly this was a film like NATURAL BORN KILLERS (which I frankly hated, myself) that divided opinion leaders in its era, but it wound up being a hit with audiences and film historians. It might have horrified folks in 1967 that BONNIE AND CLYDE is now enshrined as one of the greats, and in revival at the tony Playhouse Square series Cinema on the Square. Which is more than I can say (yet) about NATURAL BORN KILLERS.

Some of filmmaker Arthur Penn’s violence is still shocking (especially the gruesome ending), but much bloodier movies have come out of Hollywood since.