THEATER REVIEW: "Cicada" by the Route 66 Theatre Company ★★½ . We know cicadas in Chicagoland, where the so-called Northern Illinois Brood emerges in such unique numbers every 17 years, you might well need a snow shovel .
A Piece of Eden is a good-hearted film with many virtues, although riveting entertainment value is not one of them. It s a family comedy that ambles down well-trodden paths toward a foregone conclusion, neither disturbing nor challenging the audience. It was filmed in and around LaPorte, Ind., and is in limited theatrical release on its way to video. The only review it has collected so far comes from a Utah critic, Fawna Jones, who finds it predictable, and describes it quite accurately: This is a movie for those who generally stay away from the theater for fear of being offended and who like their movies to have happy endings. Going to a movie so you won t be offended is like eating potato chips made with Olestra; you avoid the dangers of the real thing, but your insides fill up with synthetic runny stuff. Watching A Piece of Eden, I found myself wanting to be shocked, amazed or even surprised. The most unexpected thing in the movie is a machine that shakes apple trees to make