HollywoodChicago.com Content

CHICAGO – I think it’s funny that so many parents commented on “Where the Wild Things Are” being too dark and scary. Clearly, they didn’t grow up in the same era of ’70s and ’80s fantasy films as I did when kid’s movies could be honestly terrifying.

CHICAGO – As the late, great Sophia Petrillo of “The Golden Girls” might have philosophized, “Picture it: September 13, 1990.” When “Law & Order” premiere, “The Internet” and “Email” were barely words, “mobile phones” looked like portable hair dryers, and Google, Yahoo, and AOL weren’t even gleams in Bill Gates’ eyeglasses — let alone Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube. HBO and Showtime had yet to produce A-list hour dramas, and F/X, TNT, AMC, and USA had yet to produce anything more than the occasional TV-movie at all.

CHICAGO – Every first Tuesday of the month means it’s time for the Midwest Independent Film Festival. This upcoming March 2nd, Executive Director Mike McNamara hosts Female Filmmakers Night for the first time at the festival.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Horror remakes are almost never a good idea but there seems to be something about George A. Romero’s work that defies that expectation. Zack Snyder delivered with his version of “Dawn of the Dead” and now Breck Eisner has shocked genre fans with his effective take on the low budget classic “The Crazies”.

CHICAGO – The classic film “Back to the Future” celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and the original cast – including Claudia Wells as Jennifer – will be introducing the film this weekend at the Hollywood Palms and Hollywood Blvd Cinema in suburban Chicago.

CHICAGO – Is there any cinematic prize less prestigious than the Heartland Truly Moving Picture Award? Most of the films honored by this group tend to be simple-minded, cloying and thoroughly manipulative. Any group that names “The Blind Side” as “the best film of 2009” seriously needs its head examined. The Heartland award emblem gracing the DVD box of “Everybody’s Fine” is sure to scare off serious fans of its legendary lead actor.

CHICAGO – Most filmmakers are content in recycling ideas. Richard Kelly strains to come up with new ones every time he steps behind a camera. It’s difficult to think of him ever becoming a commercial commodity (thoughts of David Lynch directing “Return of the Jedi” come to mind). Yet Kelly’s boundless ambition has often far exceeded his abilities.

CHICAGO – This HollywoodChicago.com Hookup is like none other. We have 25 admit-two passes to the advance screening of the new film “She’s Out of My League,” but we’re also throwing a red-carpet party with a 1.5-hour open bar for a viewing of “The Bachelor” wedding with former cast members!

CHICAGO – As we wait for the imminent release of “God of War III,” it seems that a few developers are trying to beat Kratos to the punch with their own “GOW”-esque titles. January produced the very good “Darksiders” and now we have the buzzed arrival of EA’s “Dante’s Inferno,” a game with remarkable moments but significant flaws that dampen the flame just as it starts to heat up.

CHICAGO – Edie Falco gave one of the best performances in the history of television on “The Sopranos” and she’s found another character who could easily enter the pantheon of the format’s most beloved in the amazing title character of Showtime’s dark comedy “Nurse Jackie,” now available on Blu-ray and DVD.