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DVD, Blu-Ray Review: Marvelous Magic of Miyazaki Led by ‘Ponyo’

Ponyo

CHICAGO – Hayao Miyazaki has made some of the most magical, wonderful films in the history of animation. He is easily one of the medium’s most influential and talented filmmakers and one need look no further than this week’s special edition releases of “Castle in the Sky,” “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” “My Neighbor Totoro,” and “Ponyo,” the last of which comes in a Blu-ray/DVD combo. Pick them all up.

DVD Review: Catch Up With ‘FlashForward’ at Halfway Point

FlashForward DVD

CHICAGO – Watching commercial-free episodes back-to-back on DVD illuminates a show’s strengths and weaknesses (while also making drinking games easier to spot from a show’s repetitive moments). “Lost” and “24” were helped amply by their season sets, as their breakneck pace worked even better without a need to push fast forward on a DVR remote.

From ‘Avatar’ to ‘The Hurt Locker’: HollywoodChicago.com Picks the 2010 Oscar Winners

CHICAGO – Content Director Brian Tallerico and Staff Writers Matt Fagerholm and Patrick McDonald have merged their movie-loving minds and come up with the ultimate Oscar preview.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘2012’ Turns Global Destruction Into Crowd-Pleasing Cheese

2012 Blu-Ray

CHICAGO – Roland Emmerich is a filmmaker in the classic tradition of B-movie auteurs who shamelessly exploited modern paranoia for the sake of getting butts in the seats. His global warming thriller, “The Day After Tomorrow,” had a sequence where characters were literally being chased by the cold. In “2012,” the protagonists are being chased by armageddon, and they’re always one step ahead.

Interview: Lea Thompson as Lovely Lorraine is ‘Back to the Future’

CHICAGO – Everybody’s favorite 1950s Mom – besting June Cleaver by a mile – is Lorraine, from the classic 1985 film “Back to the Future.” Lea Thompson, celebrating that milestone character on the 25th anniversary of “Future,” met admirers recently at the Hollywood Blvd Cinema in Woodridge, Ill.

Video Game Review: ‘MLB 2K10’ Improves Franchise But Team Still Needs Work

MLB 2K10

CHICAGO – Last year’s baseball game courtesy of 2K Sports, “MLB 2K9,” was so glitch-heavy and poorly constructed that I assumed all of the wrinkles would be ironed out in the newest edition, “MLB 2K10”. To the credit of 2K Games and Visual Concepts, a lot of the problems have been streamlined but the game is still unacceptably glitch-heavy, resulting in an experience that is only intermittently rewarding. It’s kind of like being a Cubs fan.

TV Review: Great ‘Southland’ Premieres New Episodes on TNT

Southland

CHICAGO – The most notable casualties of the disastrous “The Jay Leno Show” may have been Conan O’Brien and the reputation of “The Tonight Show” but the fate of scripted drama on NBC also took a hit, exemplified by the fact that the network let arguably their best show go without much fanfare.

Interview: Nat Dykeman on the Upcoming Lake County Film Festival

Lake County Film Fest Logo

CHICAGO – The Lake County Film Festival is in its 7th year, and the person behind it is Nat Dykeman. Running from March 4th through the 8th, the festival will highlight several emerging filmmakers and run associated special events.

Interview: Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown Goes ‘Back to the Future’

CHICAGO – The reunited cast of ‘Back to the Future’ included one of the key members of that 1985 classic. Christopher Lloyd, unforgettable as Doc Brown, took questions from fans in an appearance recently at the Hollywood Palms in Naperville, IL.

TV Review: Promising ‘Parenthood’ Features Spectacular Ensemble

CHICAGO – Like a lot of Hollywood depictions of family, “Parenthood” features a lot of yelling. For some reason, most writers think of raised voices when they think of the lives of parents and their children. We don’t all talk over each other during family dinners.

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TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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