February, 2009
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Drew Barrymore Rumored to Direct ‘Twilight’ Sequel ‘The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 11:55am.
CHICAGO – Had enough news about “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon”? Entertainment Weekly is reporting this morning that the next movie may already have a director and it’s a surprising choice, Drew Barrymore.
Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow Shine in Excellent ‘Two Lovers’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 10:18am.CHICAGO – How many men have missed out on a great relationship because they were chasing a romantic vision largely of their own making? James Gray’s excellent “Two Lovers,” the film that Joaquin Phoenix has notoriously been promoting in a style similar to that of Andy Kaufman, is a wonderful character-driven drama about a man caught between what he has and what he wants.
DVD Review: ‘Breaking Bad: The Complete First Season’ Features Gripping Performance
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 10:11am.
 DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – AMC’s “Breaking Bad” is not one of my favorite shows on television but the lead performance by Emmy Award winner Bryan Cranston is one of the most riveting I’ve seen in the last few years. He is pitch-perfect and everything that works about this unusual series comes from his great star turn.
Video Game Review: ‘F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin’ Both Terrifying, Addictive
Submitted by BrianTT on February 26, 2009 - 5:24pm.
 Video Game Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s “F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin” is not a perfect game but it is the most addictively playable action titles released so far this year. Like a great horror movie, it will suck you in, keep you on the edge of your seat through the majority of its playing time, and spit you out on the other side, exhausted but with a huge smile on your face.
DVD Review: Two John Cassavetes Classics Are Inducted Into Criterion Collection
Submitted by BrianTT on February 26, 2009 - 3:16pm.
 DVD Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Entries number 251 and number 252 in the most important and impressive series of DVDs in the history of the format, The Criterion Collection, come from the same influential writer/director, one of the godfathers of the independent film industry, John Cassavetes. Both are worthwhile additions to any serious film collector’s shelf.
The House Theatre Stages Comeback With ‘Rose and the Rime’
Submitted by Alissa Norby on February 25, 2009 - 10:37pm.
 Play Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – While most of America’s eyes were glued to the television screens Sunday night to catch Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” nab its gold, the celebrated underdog of Chicago theatre companies shyly began to spout its new wings.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The French Connection’ Loses None of Its Power, But Video Disappoints
Submitted by BrianTT on February 25, 2009 - 12:50pm.
 Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The French Connection” is one of those rare movies that’s always better than I remember it to be. Not that I think poorly of William Friedkin’s masterful procedural, a multiple Oscar winner and game-changer in the world of detective cinema, but that it’s a film that blows me away every time see it. So why did William Friedkin have to mess with the picture?
‘Watchmen’ at Chicago’s Navy Pier IMAX Adds Morning Screening on March 6, 2009
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 25, 2009 - 1:22am.‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger, Sean Penn Win 2009 Academy Awards
Submitted by BrianTT on February 23, 2009 - 12:17am.CHICAGO – Fox Searchlight’s “Slumdog Millionaire” was the huge winner at The 81st Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, February 22nd, 2009 taking home an amazing eight Oscars, including the trophies for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also won Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Score, Best Song, and Best Sound Mixing.
Mickey Rourke, Melissa Leo Win 2009 Film Independent Spirit Awards
Submitted by BrianTT on February 21, 2009 - 7:31pm.
CHICAGO – “The Wrestler” was the big winner at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles, as Darren Aronofsky’s film took home the prize for Best Picture and Mickey Rourke won for Best Actor. Other big winners included Melissa Leo for Best Actress for “Frozen River,” James Franco for Best Supporting Actor for “Milk,” and Penelope Cruz for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”.
New Trailer For Award-Winning, Independent Spirit-Nominated ‘Sleep Dealer’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2009 - 10:41pm.
CHICAGO – The winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Prize and Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival, “Sleep Dealer,” finally has a preview and our contact at Maya Entertainment sent it over for your online pleasure.
‘Twilight’ Sequel ‘New Moon’ Gets New Art, Changes Name to ‘The Twilight Saga’s New Moon’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2009 - 9:35pm.
CHICAGO – MTV broke the news moments ago that “New Moon,” which is the highly anticipated sequel to “Twilight,” will now be called “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon”. What do you think of the title change? Let us know in the comment section below.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Midnight Meat Train’ Delivers the Gory Goods
Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2009 - 5:15pm.
 Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The world of horror movie distribution is seriously messed up. Millions are allowed to flock to junk like “Saw V,” “The Eye,” and “The Unborn” as they play on thousands of screens, but a lot of the best genre movies for 2008, which was actually a very good year for horror, were barely released. Believe it or not, “The Midnight Meat Train” was one of the best.
Fans of ‘Twilight’ Franchise Can Win Walk-On Part in ‘The Twilight Saga’s New Moon’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 10:57am.
CHICAGO – Have you always wanted to be in a “Twilight” movie? Think you have what it takes to act opposite Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner or Ashley Greene? Now you can win a walk-on role in “New Moon,” which is otherwise known as “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon”.
Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow Shine in Excellent ‘Two Lovers’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 10:15am. Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – How many men have missed out on a great relationship because they were chasing a romantic vision largely of their own making? James Gray’s excellent “Two Lovers,” the film that Joaquin Phoenix has notoriously been promoting in a style similar to that of Andy Kaufman, is a wonderful character-driven drama about a man caught between what he has and what he wants.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Sex Drive: Unrated and Cream-filled’ Edition Delivers What Title Promises
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 10:03am.
 Blu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Blu-Ray for the raunchy teen comedy “Sex Drive” is simply ridiculous. And I think I mean that in a good way. As a DVD critic, I’m constantly faced with “Unrated” editions that don’t really live up to their name. You can say a lot about “Sex Drive,” but the Blu-Ray is undeniably “Unrated and Cream-filled”.
Blu-Ray Round Up, Feb. 26, 2009: ‘Futurama,’ ‘Ronin,’ ‘Vanishing Point’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 26, 2009 - 3:55pm.
CHICAGO – Still trying to get over an Oscar hangover? There’s no better way to deflate the pomposity of awards season than with a wicked car chase. Of course, one of the best of all time hit Blu-Ray this week in the controversial Blu-Ray release of “The French Connection,” but the same studio also released another pair of movies dedicated to automobile aficionados and an animated sci-fi comedy when all the metal destruction gets too much to take.
The Morning After: Upcoming Projects For 2009 Oscar Winners
Submitted by BrianTT on February 26, 2009 - 11:56am.CHICAGO – The legacy of Oscar winners following their wins with horrible career choices is long and well-recorded. Perhaps the best piece of news about this year’s Academy Award winners is that they are unlikely to produce a “Snow Dogs,” “Gothika,” or “Aeon Flux” any time soon. The upcoming projects for 2009 Academy Award winners is a more promising slate than most years.
Tricia Helfer Makes Fans Melt on USA’s ‘Burn Notice’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 25, 2009 - 4:04pm.CHICAGO – Tricia Helfer would have been famous just for her sexy and stellar work on the Sci-Fi Channel’s “Battlestar Galactica” but she’s also become an essential part of the hit USA Network show “Burn Notice” as the mysterious and deadly Carla, the woman who holds the secrets to Michael’s (Jeffrey Donovan) past and future.
Taking the Oscars Home: How to See the 2009 Academy Award Winners
Submitted by BrianTT on February 25, 2009 - 10:57am.
CHICAGO – Believe it or not, a lot of people heard about some critically acclaimed 2009 films for the first time on Sunday night, when they won or were nominated for 2009 Academy Awards and are now wondering how they can see winning films like “Milk,” “The Reader,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” and shorts like “La Maison en Petits Cubes” and “Toyland”. Let us guide the way.
Canadian Actor Bronson Pelletier Cast in ‘Twilight’ Sequel ‘The Twilight Saga’s New Moon’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 24, 2009 - 11:30pm.
CHICAGO – An actor from the Canadian series “Renegadepress” and Discovery Kids’ “Dinosapien,” Bronson Pelletier has been cast in the highly anticipated “Twilight” sequel “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon,” which is based on the book “New Moon” by Stephenie Meyer.
DVD Round Up, Feb. 22, 2009: ‘Alien Raiders,’ ‘Dead Like Me,’ ‘Religulous’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 22, 2009 - 5:44pm.
CHICAGO – Oscar madness has left the Round Up a little weary of high profile, award-bait movies. We need a break from the Oscars and what better way to do that than with a few titles that might have slipped through the cracks while everyone was singing “Jai Ho”.
Following ‘Twilight’ Sequel ‘New Moon,’ Release Date Set For ‘Eclipse’ Threequel
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 21, 2009 - 5:44pm.CHICAGO – On the heels of the “Twilight” sequel news that “New Moon” has been renamed “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon” and a new logo for the film has been released, we now have confirmed news from Summit Entertainment of a June 30, 2010 release date for the “Eclipse” threequel, which will be named “The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse”.
From ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ to ‘Milk’: HollywoodChicago.com Picks the 2009 Oscar Winners
Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2009 - 10:28pm.CHICAGO – Content director Brian Tallerico and staff writers Dustin Levell and Patrick McDonald have merged their movie-loving minds and come up with the ultimate Oscar preview. Win your office pool, impress your friends and propose a toast to the nominees that should have been when the 81st-annual Academy Awards are broadcast on Feb. 22, 2009 at 7 p.m. CST.
Blu-Ray Review: Oliver Stone’s ‘W.’ Disappointing Film, Great Blu-Ray
Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2009 - 8:08pm.
 Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What happened to Oliver Stone? Despite strong performances by Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, and Elizabeth Banks, “W.” is one of the most inert, middle-of-the-road movies that this once-controversial auteur has ever made, helped on the home market by an excellent Blu-Ray release but still a little “eh” as a film.
