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
Blu-Ray Review: Amazing Release of ‘The Twilight Zone: Season 1’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 14, 2010 - 2:45pmCHICAGO – Enter the middle ground between light and shadow with the amazing Blu-ray release of the first season of one of the best television programs of all time — “The Twilight Zone”.
DVD Round-Up: ‘Casino Jack and the United States of Money,’ ‘Under Still Waters’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 14, 2010 - 1:55pmCHICAGO – The DVD Round-Up has gone silent for a few weeks on summer vacation but as more and more interesting titles threaten to fall through the cracks, it returns with three art films that are definitely worth a look. Don’t worry. Summer vacation hasn’t made the Round-Up arthouse-only, but it’s nice to comeback a little smarter-looking than when we left.
Blu-Ray Review: David Fincher’s ‘Se7en’ With Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman
Submitted by BrianTT on September 14, 2010 - 12:31pmCHICAGO – With the praise rolling in for the upcoming “The Social Network,” David Fincher continues to make the case that he is one of our best living filmmakers and his breakthrough, “Se7en,” lands on Blu-ray this week in a bonus-heavy release with gorgeous HD video and audio. The landmark thriller has lost none of its power, the transfer is flawless, and the special features are informative and interesting. What more do you want from a Blu-ray?
Video Game Review: ‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Videogame’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 14, 2010 - 12:02pmCHICAGO – It’s rare to find a tie-in of any kind — whether it be to a film, television show, comic book, or just a line of toys — that works as well as the surprisingly-fun “Batman: The Brave and the Bold: The Videogame.” Where most tie-ins miss the elements that work about their source, “Brave and the Bold” works by perfectly building on what fans love about the popular cartoon.
Film Feature: ‘Monsieur Noir: Henri-Georges Clouzot’ Thrills at Siskel Film Center
Submitted by BrianTT on September 14, 2010 - 10:07amCHICAGO – What truly defines a master of suspense? Is it the skill of keeping an audience’s attention rapt with slick pacing, elaborately designed set-pieces, and a whopper of a twist ending? Or is it simply the ability to viscerally convey the psychological trap of a character until the audience feels confined within it, and every onscreen gasp, scream and shiver becomes the viewer’s own?
DVD Review: Helen Mirren Delivers One of TV’s Best Performances in ‘Prime Suspect’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 13, 2010 - 5:27pmCHICAGO – She is amply assisted by a who’s who of some of the best supporting actors Britain has produced in the last two decades but “Prime Suspect,” which recently saw its complete 7-series run released in one box set for the first time from Acorn Media, belongs to the amazing Helen Mirren.
Blu-Ray Review: Ridiculous ‘MacGruber’ Wears Out Repetitive Routine
Submitted by BrianTT on September 13, 2010 - 3:05pmCHICAGO – Is anyone surprised that a 20-second sketch from “Saturday Night Live” literally comes apart at the seams when it’s stretched into a feature film? Wouldn’t you have been more surprised if “MacGruber,” recently released on DVD and Blu-ray, had actually worked?
Blu-Ray Review: Adam Green’s ‘Hatchet’ Continues to Divide Audiences
Submitted by BrianTT on September 13, 2010 - 1:39pmCHICAGO – Is Adam Green the next great horror director? There are many fans of the genre who love to make the case of the current-and-future importance of Green, pointing to films like “Frozen,” “Spiral,” and, most of all, “Hatchet” as their evidence. To some, including this horror junkie, the jury is still out. Watching Green’s breakthrough film, now available on Blu-ray, it’s easy to see what people adore about Green and what he still needs to work on.
Video Game Review: Daring, Innovative ‘Metroid: Other M’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 13, 2010 - 1:11pmCHICAGO – In many circles, Samus Aran is as iconic as Pac-Man, Mario, Link, and whichever video game character turned you into a hopeless addict. I can vividly remember experiencing the ending of the first “Metroid” game so, SO many years ago and the legendary franchise is still going strong with the accomplished and innovative “Metroid: Other M.”
Blu-Ray Reviews: Sci-Fi Catalog Releases Including ‘Matrix Reloaded,’ ‘THX 1138’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 13, 2010 - 12:15pmCHICAGO – Warner Brothers recently unveiled a slate of science fiction films, many of which are making their debut on Blu-ray or are being made available on their own for the first time. Check out the HD releases of “Forbidden Planet,” “Lost in Space,” “Mars Attacks!,” “The Matrix Reloaded,” “A Scanner Darkly,” and “THX 1138: Director’s Cut.”
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond’ Revives Lost Play
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 13, 2010 - 9:56amCHICAGO – Ever since Tommy Wiseau declared that his masterpiece of ineptitude, “The Room,” was “filmed with the passion of Tennessee Williams,” I’ve become considerably more weary of any film that makes such an inflated claim. Of course, “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond” has a better defense, since it’s actually the adaptation of a long-forgotten work from the legendary playwright.
Alison Arngrim Interview: Nasty Nellie on ‘Little House on the Prairie’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 11, 2010 - 5:58amCHICAGO – For every nice girl on the prairie, there needed to be an evil opposite who wasn’t so nice. Nellie Oleson was that nasty girl on the NBC-TV legend “Little House on the Prairie, and Alison Arngrim portrayed her. She has parlayed that long ago child actor part into a stand-up routine and new memoir about her experiences.
Film Review: Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck Annoy in Worthless ‘I’m Still Here’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 10, 2010 - 5:42pmCHICAGO – Is “I’m Still Here,” the story of Joaquin Phoenix’s attempts to leave behind his acting career and try to make it as a hip-hop star, an elaborate piece of performance art or a documentary about an identity crisis of a man committing professional suicide? The problem is that the answer is irrelevant. Either way, “I’m Still Here” is grating, boring, and completely without value.
