April, 2009
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Video: Trailer for ‘Marvel vs. Capcom 2’ Fighting Game From Capcom
Submitted by BrianTT on April 30, 2009 - 5:25pm.
CHICAGO – Capcom unleashed a trailer for the highly anticipated downloadable title, “Marvel vs. Capcom 2,” a summer release that pits legendary characters from the Marvel Universe (including the hero of the first big summer movie, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) vs. ones from Capcom games. It looks very cool. Check out the preview and then read below for further details.
The Producers: Behind the Scenes of Michael Keaton’s ‘The Merry Gentleman’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 30, 2009 - 4:18pm.CHICAGO – The nature of making an independent film versus a mainstream Hollywood production is evident through the efforts of two Chicago-based producers – Steven A. Jones and Paul Duggan of “The Merry Gentleman”.
Blu-Ray Review: Surprisingly Cute, Sweet ‘Hotel For Dogs’ With Emma Roberts
Submitted by BrianTT on April 29, 2009 - 10:04pm.
 Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – This serious dog lover was swayed by the family-friendly charms of “Hotel For Dogs,” now available on Blu-Ray and DVD. I’ll admit that the film has some pretty serious flaws and we’ll get to those, but if you’re a kid movie aficionado with a soft spot for man’s best friend, you could do a lot worse than the Blu-Ray of “Hotel For Dogs”. It’s a shaggy one, but a lovable movie pooch.
Video: Trailer For ‘Paper Heart’ With Michael Cera, Charlyne Yi
Submitted by BrianTT on April 28, 2009 - 8:11pm.
CHICAGO – Overture Films sent over the trailer for the super-cute “Paper Heart,” a mockumentary starring Michael Cera (“Arrested Development,” “Superbad”) and Charlyne Yi (“Knocked Up”). The film was co-written by Yi with director Nicholas Jasenovec.
Interview: Talking ‘Tyson’ With Writer, Director James Toback
Submitted by BrianTT on April 28, 2009 - 5:40pm.CHICAGO – If you’re merely a casual movie goer, you may not know the name James Toback, but you probably know his work. If you do know the name, you probably have an opinion.
Wolverine DVD Round Up, April 27, 2009: ‘Wolverine and The X-Men,’ ‘Marvel X-Men’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 27, 2009 - 10:36am.
CHICAGO – Welcome to a special edition of the DVD Round-Up, HollywoodChicago.com’s infamous column covering smaller titles that may have gone unnoticed by the Best Buy circular. With all the buzz surrounding Fox’s upcoming “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” with Hugh Jackman, there are several companion DVD releases, including the theatrical trilogy on Blu-Ray (which will be covered here later this week), and three animated releases for serious Marvel, Wolverine, and X-Men fans.
Video: Trailer For Western Shooter ‘Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 27, 2009 - 8:48am.
CHICAGO – One of the most highly anticipated games of the summer is Ubisoft’s “Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood” and the company sent over the brand-new, totally sweet preview for the Western shooter that we can’t wait to play. It’s for adults only, so check it out if you’re the right age and tell us what you think in the comments below.
Blu-Ray Review: Fantastic, Beloved ‘The Wrestler’ With Mickey Rourke
Submitted by BrianTT on April 24, 2009 - 12:06pm.
 Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Mickey Rourke’s multi-award-winning performance in “The Wrestler” anchors one of the best films of 2008, now released on Blu-Ray and DVD. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you truly must do so as soon as possible, and if you love the movie like so many people do, you’ll be satisfied, if not overly impressed, by a decent HD release.
‘Anvil! The Story of Anvil’ is Best Documentary of 2009 to Date
Submitted by BrianTT on April 23, 2009 - 3:33pm. Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Abramorama’s “Anvil!: The Story of Anvil” has been building buzz nearly as loud as the heavy metal featured in this excellent documentary, the best of the year so far and such a good film that I can nearly guarantee that you won’t see a better doc for the next eight months.
Blu-Ray Review: Clive Barker’s ‘Hellraiser’ Stands Test of Time
Submitted by BrianTT on April 23, 2009 - 2:44pm.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Some 1970’s and 1980’s horror movies have lost their luster. Have you seen the original “Fog” lately? Any of the “Friday the 13th” sequels? As much as I love it, even “A Nightmare on Elm Street” looks its age. Not “Hellraiser”. Clive Barker’s twisted journey into the world of desire and darkness has all the power it did over twenty years ago and now you can see for yourself in HD.
DVD Review: 'After Dark Horrorfest III: 8 Films to Die For'
Submitted by BrianTT on April 23, 2009 - 9:58am.
 Overall DVD Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Lionsgate and After Dark Films’ recently released their third collection of “8 Films to Die For” and this year proved to be the most uninspiring octet to date. With fewer risks taken than the last two years and less extreme failures or successes, “After Dark Horrorfest III” is terrifyingly dull.
Blu-Ray Review: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen in Ron Howard’s ‘Frost/Nixon’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 22, 2009 - 2:27pm.
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I want to love “Frost/Nixon”. I’m generally forgiving of historical dramas, especially ones that paint Richard Nixon in a bad light. And I think the world of Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Hall, and Oliver Platt. But “Frost/Nixon” is a good movie that was too commonly praised as a great one because of its subject matter and pedigree. Worth a rental? For sure. Worth a purchase or its Best Picture nomination? I don’t think so.
First Official Photo Surfaces From ‘The Twilight Saga’s New Moon’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 22, 2009 - 11:42am.
CHICAGO – USA Today has published the first official photo from the highly anticipated sequel to “Twilight,” “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon”. Captured in the photo are Paul (Alex Meraz), Sam (Chaske Spencer), Jared (Bronson Pelletier), and Embry (Kiowa Gordon), otherwise known as “The Wolfpack”.
Video: Trailer For ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ Game From Activision
Submitted by BrianTT on April 30, 2009 - 5:05pm.
CHICAGO – To celebrate tomorrow’s release of the video game based on the first big movie of the season, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” Activision presents what they call the “Final Reveal” trailer for the highly anticipated tie-in game. Check it out for yourself and don’t miss “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” in theaters tomorrow, May 1st, 2009. The Gavin Hood-directed film stars Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Lynn Collins, Ryan Reynolds, and Dominic Monaghan.
Blu-Ray Review: Criterion Releases Controversial ‘In the Realm of the Senses’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 29, 2009 - 10:30pm.
Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s interesting that Criterion has chosen to give their unmatched treatment to two films in the same week that were drastically censored upon their initial releases - “In the Realm of the Senses” and “The Wages of Fear”. The latter was edited for issues of perceived anti-Americanism and for issues of length. The former was censored for, well, everything.
Blu-Ray Review: Legendary Rap Icon Given Standard Biopic Treatment in ‘Notorious’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 29, 2009 - 8:43pm.
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Biggie Smalls deserves better than ‘Notorious’. It’s not that there’s anything drastically wrong with this reasonably well-made and very well-performed biopic but it’s a by-the-numbers, predictable film about an icon who was simply one of the best that ever lived. The ‘Big Poppa’ who could ‘Hypnotize’ with his rhymes should have more than an average biopic.
Blu-Ray Review: HD ‘X-Men Trilogy’ Primes Fans For First Big Summer Movie
Submitted by BrianTT on April 28, 2009 - 6:56pm.
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – With ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ opening this Friday, fans can catch up on where Hugh Jackman’s legendary character earned a following big enough to warrant a summer tentpole release date in the Blu-Ray release of the “X-Men Trilogy” including the two films by Bryan Singer (“X-Men” and “X2: X-Men United”) and the three-quel by Brett Ratner (“X-Men: The Last Stand”).
Writer Wants Channing Tatum For ‘The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 27, 2009 - 2:40pm.
CHICAGO – Channing Tatum, the star of “Fighting” and “G.I. Joe,” may want to brush up on his vampire mythology because Melissa Rosenberg, the writer of “Twilight” and “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon” wants the muscular leading man to play Riley in the third film in the Stephenie Meyer franchise, “The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse”.
Blu-Ray Review: Classic ‘Wages of Fear’ Thrills in HD
Submitted by BrianTT on April 27, 2009 - 8:55am.
 Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Criterion Collection continues their brilliant Blu-Ray release pattern this week in which they induct a new film into the collection (“In the Realm of the Senses,” which will be reviewed separately) and bring one of their most beloved titles on to the next-gen format on the same street date. The classic this week is the amazing and timeless “The Wages of Fear,” better than ever in HD.
Video Game Review: ‘Final Fantasy Chronicles: Echoes of Time’ Merges DS, Wii Experience
Submitted by BrianTT on April 24, 2009 - 2:28pm..thumbnail.jpg "FF Echoes of Time")
CHICAGO – The potential interactivity between handheld systems and next-gen consoles feels like an untapped resource in the gaming world but that’s starting to change in 2009. “Resistance: Retribution” on the PSP opened up an alternate mode when synced with “Resistance 2” on the PS3. Nintendo takes it a significant step further with “Final Fantasy Chronicles: Echoes of Time,” a well-made role-playing game that hints at the future of handheld and console interactivity by allowing multi-player across the platforms.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Sin City’ Exceeds Expectations With Flawless Release
Submitted by BrianTT on April 24, 2009 - 11:22am.
Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Sin City - Recut, Extended, Unrated” was one of the best DVD box sets in the history of the format. Most collectors interested in the Blu-Ray upgrade of the title will probably already own the box set that came with an entire graphic novel and is currently anchoring many a respectable DVD shelf. The Blu-Ray release features two new special features and, of course, HD picture and sound. Should you upgrade?
‘Anvil! The Story of Anvil’ is Best Documentary of 2009 to Date
Submitted by BrianTT on April 23, 2009 - 3:28pm.Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Abramorama’s “Anvil!: The Story of Anvil” has been building buzz nearly as loud as the heavy metal featured in this excellent documentary, the best of the year so far and such a good film that I can nearly guarantee that you won’t see a better doc for the next eight months.
David Slade Announced as Director of ‘The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 23, 2009 - 11:59am.CHICAGO – A director has been announced for the sequel to “Twilight” and “The Twilight Saga’s New Moon,” as Summit Entertainment made it official today that “30 Days of Night” helmer David Slade would take the director’s chair on “The Twilight Saga’s Eclipse,” already scheduled for release on June 30th, 2010.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 10 VIP Passes to ‘Transformers,’ 1 For ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 23, 2009 - 1:50am.CHICAGO – For those stoked to see “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” after “Transformers” in 2007 with Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf smashed box offices, its release date of June 24, 2009 might still feel like light-years away.
TV Review: Drew Barrymore, Jessica Lange Give Color to ‘Grey Gardens’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 22, 2009 - 12:57pm.
 Television Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the best films of 2009 is currently playing on HBO in the original “Grey Gardens”. The film itself doesn’t quite stand up to recent accomplishments of the network like “John Adams” or “Recount” but it undeniably features the best performance of the year, including theatrical releases, in the revelatory, career-best work from Drew Barrymore.
