Wonders

**1/2 (out of four) George Clooney goes to Hawaii in “The Descendants,” but no one should expect a movie as light and amusing as “George Clooney Goes to Hawaii” would be. (Memo to studio heads: I expect a producer credit when you move forward on this as-of-yet non-existent documentary idea.) Rather, director/co-writer Alexander Payne's first feature since 2004's “Sideways” takes place against a beautiful island backdrop where the family drama has all the stress-free glamor of Cleveland.

*1/2 (out of four) If “To the Wonder” were a stand-up routine, it'd go something like this: “Didja ever notice how guys are always walking around with their hands in their pockets, saying and expressing nothing? And women are always twirling and letting their emotions get the best of them? Am I right, people?” Because “To the Wonder” comes from Terrence Malick (“The Tree of Life”), the film communicates this tragic gender gap through minimal dialogue. Hey, why show a man teaching his girlfriend's daughter the names of wildflowers and calling her...

Amid all the fanfare and preparations for the NATO summit, the Chicago Department of Transportation quietly opened the Morgan stop in the West Loop on Friday. Green and Pink Line riders can now use the station, under construction since the summer of 2010. There were more workers putting finishing touches on the platform than riders waiting for trains Friday morning when Going Public visited the station, off Morgan and Lake Streets. The stop is the second station the CTA has opened in three weeks after years without new stations.

I've never been much of a fan of Frank Gallagher, the patriarch of the perpetually down-but-never-out Gallagher kids of Chicago's South Side on "Shameless" ( 8 p.m. CT Jan. 13, Showtime; 3 stars ). But I love the show. It's not that William H. Macy doesn't nail the role. Frank's a deadbeat, a drunk and anything but lovable--a smart decision that keeps the show from being overly sentimental. Ever the narcissist, Frank sees his kids as a means to an end. He exploits them; he neglects them.

***1/2 (out of four) At one point in the joyous French silent film “The Artist,” former American silent movie star George Valentin (Cannes best actor winner Jean Dujardin) receives a compliment that kills him: “My father is a big fan.” That's because it's the early 1930s, talkies have taken over, and unlike Gene Kelly in “Singin' in the Rain,” George hasn't adapted to the changing industry. At all. Instead, he's watched as Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo, irresistible)

I've never been much of a fan of Frank Gallagher, the patriarch of the perpetually down-but-never-out Gallagher kids of Chicago's South Side on "Shameless" ( 8 p.m. CT Jan. 13, Showtime; 3 stars ). But I love the show. It's not that William H. Macy doesn't nail the role. Frank's a deadbeat, a drunk and anything but lovable--a smart decision that keeps the show from being overly sentimental. Ever the narcissist, Frank sees his kids as a means to an end. He exploits them; he neglects them.

*1/2 (out of four) If “To the Wonder” were a stand-up routine, it'd go something like this: “Didja ever notice how guys are always walking around with their hands in their pockets, saying and expressing nothing? And women are always twirling and letting their emotions get the best of them? Am I right, people?” Because “To the Wonder” comes from Terrence Malick (“The Tree of Life”), the film communicates this tragic gender gap through minimal dialogue. Hey, why show a man teaching his girlfriend's daughter the...

***1/2 (out of four) I don't love the title. Yet I'm highly in favor of almost everything else about “Silver Linings Playbook,” which turns grief and mental illness into rich fodder for warmth, connection and comedy. That's not a stretch for writer-director David O. Russell (“Flirting with Disaster,” “I Heart Huckabees,” “The Fighter”), who's experienced in the chaos and laughs that can come from family members being themselves and trying to get their lives outside the home on track.

** (out of four) At some point in their lives, everyone believes they should follow the “signs” that the universe presents and see where they lead. That's still what 30-year-old, mom's-basement-dwelling Jeff (Jason Segel) thinks, and that philosophy leads him on a wild escapade around Baton Rouge where his brother (Ed Helms) suspects his wife (Judy Greer) is having an affair. The guys' mom (Susan Sarandon) also wonders which work colleague is sending her instant messages, claiming to be her secret admirer.

Though she thinks "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm is gorgeous, it isn't his chain-smoking ad exec character that Audra Yeomans is looking at when tuning in to the '60s-era show. More often, she's eyeing the glasses Don Draper is sipping his whiskey out of, or in Sunday's case, the ash tray he's filling. The owner of Seek Vintage in Noble Square noticed a translucent blue ashtray on a conference table during this week's premiere, around the point at which copywriter Peggy Olson is attempting to sell Heinz execs on the idea of a "bean ballet" for...

***1/2 (out of four) I don't love the title. Yet I'm highly in favor of almost everything else about “Silver Linings Playbook,” which turns grief and mental illness into rich fodder for warmth, connection and comedy. That's not a stretch for writer-director David O. Russell (“Flirting with Disaster,” “I Heart Huckabees,” “The Fighter”), who's experienced in the chaos and laughs that can come from family members being themselves and trying to get their lives outside the home on track.

Amid all the fanfare and preparations for the NATO summit, the Chicago Department of Transportation quietly opened the Morgan stop in the West Loop on Friday. Green and Pink Line riders can now use the station, under construction since the summer of 2010. There were more workers putting finishing touches on the platform than riders waiting for trains Friday morning when Going Public visited the station, off Morgan and Lake Streets. The stop is the second station the CTA has opened in three weeks after years without new stations.

***1/2 (out of four) At one point in the joyous French silent film “The Artist,” former American silent movie star George Valentin (Cannes best actor winner Jean Dujardin) receives a compliment that kills him: “My father is a big fan.” That's because it's the early 1930s, talkies have taken over, and unlike Gene Kelly in “Singin' in the Rain,” George hasn't adapted to the changing industry. At all. Instead, he's watched as Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo, irresistible)

**1/2 (out of four) George Clooney goes to Hawaii in “The Descendants,” but no one should expect a movie as light and amusing as “George Clooney Goes to Hawaii” would be. (Memo to studio heads: I expect a producer credit when you move forward on this as-of-yet non-existent documentary idea.) Rather, director/co-writer Alexander Payne's first feature since 2004's “Sideways” takes place against a beautiful island backdrop where the family drama has all the stress-free glamor of Cleveland.

EAT Seder-licious Feast Restaurant & Bar, 25 E. Delaware Place. 312-337-4001 Whatever your plans, don't (ahem) pass over a family-style prix fixe Seder dinner including traditional appetizers, wine-braised brisket, roast chicken, sauteed whitefish and dessert ($45 plus tax and gratuity). Fewer than four in your group? Passover menu items also are offered a la carte. 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 5-9 p.m. Sunday. Peeps for the peeps Dunlays on the Square, 3137 W. Logan Blvd.

While browsing the archives during a trip to the Museum of Modern Art in late 2009, John Paul Wolforth encountered a poster proclaiming "chicago has a great lake," and it caught his eye. It turned out to be just the beginning of what has become a labor of love for the 32-year-old Chicago native, who graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in art theory in practice and has an extensive history in design. Wolforth searched for the original 1966 print of the poster, but there weren't any in circulation.