CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
TV Review: 16th-Century Soap Opera Wears Thin on ‘The Tudors’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 10, 2010 - 8:29pmCHICAGO – Not exactly for history buffs, Showtime’s “The Tudors” has always been more about bodice-ripping and political intrigue than about straightforward historical facts. Still, in its first three seasons, with a combination of multi-dimensional characters and inspired casting choices, the “Desperate Housewives” of sixteenth-century England was a guilty pleasure not to be missed.
Interview: Director Eric Bednarowicz on the Premiere of ‘Carpe Millennium’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 10, 2010 - 4:15pmCHICAGO – Eric Bednarowicz is a young Chicago filmmaker who has a long resume of production experience. “Carpe Millennium” is his short comedic film making its world premiere at the Charleston, South Carolina, International Film Festival on April 10th.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Vampyres’ Resurrects Controversial Combination of Sex, Gore
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 9, 2010 - 1:16pmCHICAGO – José Ramón Larraz’s 1974 cult classic “Vampyres” isn’t about vampires any more than “Troll 2” is about trolls. It’s a flat-out porn flick with fangs, or at least very unnatural teeth. The filmmakers harbor no artistic aspirations apart from terrifying and titillating their audience. Perhaps I’m merely jaded by the plethora of sex and violence in our modern media, but I found the film to be a complete snooze, even in its much-ballyhooed uncensored version.
Blu-Ray Review: Original ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ Still Shocks
Submitted by BrianTT on April 9, 2010 - 12:22pmCHICAGO – I haven’t seen it yet but just watching the original “A Nightmare on Elm Street” in gorgeous HD has me pumped up for the Platinum Dunes remake about to be released. The world could use a little more Freddy Krueger (played by the excellent Jackie Earle Haley in the remake), one of the most memorable creations in the history of horror.
Blu-Ray Review: Second Season of ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Available in HD
Submitted by BrianTT on April 9, 2010 - 11:22amCHICAGO – Releasing seasons of hit shows that have only been available for a few years in the first place on Blu-ray can be a tricky proposition, especially when it’s not the first. What fan of “Battlestar Galactica” doesn’t own the second season of this great show? If you’re one of the few who hasn’t completed their collection because you’ve been waiting for HD, today’s your lucky day.
Annoyingly Inept ‘After.Life’ Bores Audience to Death
Submitted by BrianTT on April 9, 2010 - 10:38am Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “After.Life” is one of the first truly awful films of 2010. Its aggressive solemnity combined with its head-slapping silliness will cause most viewers to simply laugh it off the screen. There’s at least two possible ways to interpret its murky story, and they’re both ludicrous. The only mystery guaranteed to linger in moviegoers’ minds is the inexplicable motivation of Christina Ricci and Liam Neeson to take part in this direct-to-video dreck.
Touching ‘The Greatest’ With Carey Mulligan Transcends Melodrama
Submitted by BrianTT on April 9, 2010 - 10:25am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The surprisingly good “The Greatest” opens and closes with two very different car rides — one silent and mournful and one loud and full of laughter; one on the way from death and one on the way to life. They are bookends for a well-performed tearjerker of the kind that mostly transcends its melodramatic set-up to become something genuinely moving.
Steve Carrell, Tina Fey Go Dutch on the Laughs in ‘Date Night’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 9, 2010 - 6:53amCHICAGO – In this schizophrenic film, Steve Carrell and Tina Fey portray a “normal” couple from New Jersey who somehow become Steve Carrell and Tina Fey once they go on-the-town in New York City during “Date Night.”
Exclusive Portrait: Shaquille O’Neal at Borders Book Signing in Chicago
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 9, 2010 - 12:30amCHICAGO – Shaquille O’Neal AKA Shaq AKA Shaq-Fu, is a famous basketballer known by many names. Currently with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he took a break to be with his mother, Lucille O’Neal, as they appeared at Borders Books.
Video Game Review: Repetitive, Disappointing ‘How to Train Your Dragon’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 8, 2010 - 2:13pmCHICAGO – DreamWorks Animation’s “How to Train Your Dragon” is one of the best movies of the year to date; a remarkably enjoyable experience that works for children and adults and deserves to be doing even better at the box office. Don’t miss it while you still have the chance. The game that ties in with it? You can miss that.
DVD Review: ‘After Dark Horrorfest 4’ a Typical Mixed Bag
Submitted by BrianTT on April 8, 2010 - 2:03pmCHICAGO – We’ve spent the last few weeks working our way through the fourth collection of the series subtitled “8 Films to Die For” and found a few highlights and lowlights of the fourth annual “After Dark Horrorfest” that we would are now unafraid to share.
Interview With Richard Chamberlain: From Dr. Kildare to Beyond
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 8, 2010 - 7:51amCHICAGO – Still regal and debonair, Richard Chamberlain has graced both the screen and television with a memorable presence that has spanned 50 years. He recently introduced “The Four Musketeers” at The Hollywood Palms in Naperville, Illinois.
DVD Review: ‘The Essential Games of the Detroit Tigers’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 7, 2010 - 11:15amCHICAGO – Timed perfectly for both the start of the 2010 Major League Baseball season and with Father’s Day only a few months away, MLB’s “The Essential Games of the Detroit Tigers” box set is the perfect gift idea for the member of your family who follows America’s pasttime, even if they’re not the biggest fan of one of the most popular sports teams of the last century.
