HollywoodChicago.com Content

CHICAGO – Movies with teenagers that don’t talk down to them and presents them in lovable, realistic ways are so few and far between that seeing one can almost send chills up a cynical critic’s spine. I don’t mean to over-praise what is ultimately a light film but with all the junk aimed at kids nowadays, the incredibly smart “Bandslam” practically feels like a revelation. Those of you buying “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” should be forced to pick this one up too. You won’t regret it.

Video Game Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Sony’s “Heavy Rain” has become the most controversial game of the year with many players realizing the importance of the most influential game in a very long time with others being turned off by the title’s very unique style.

CHICAGO – I personally think the show is slightly inferior to its hour-partner “Nurse Jackie,” but Toni Collette does such spectacular work on “United States of Tara” that her performance alone demands you tune in. Like Edie Falco on “NJ,” the incredibly talented Collette takes a challenging role that could have turned into caricature in the hands of a lesser actress and makes it genuine.

CHICAGO – After years without many strong roles for women, 2009 saw the debut of at least three in the great turn by Juliana Margulies on “The Good Wife,” the lead performance by Toni Collette in “United States of Tara” and, the best of them all, Edie Falco in the great “Nurse Jackie,” which returns tonight on March 22, 2010 on Showtime.

CHICAGO – Most critics and industry types expected “The Blind Side” with Sandra Bullock to be a modest holiday season hit but if a single one of them, including the people who made the film, told you that they knew this would be an Oscar-winning Best Picture nominee that grossed over $250 million, they are straight-up lying. “The Blind Side” shattered all expectations and Warner Brothers has quickly and somewhat lazily shuffled it off to Blu-ray and DVD.

CHICAGO – In our latest crime/drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 admit-two run-of-engagement movie passes and one signed poster for one grand-prize winner for the new film “Brooklyn’s Finest” from the director of “Training Day”!

CHICAGO – Reminiscent of vastly superior work by David Cronenberg and Paul Verhoeven but with none of the directorial skill apparent in the work of those two talented men, “Repo Men” with Jude Law and Forest Whitaker is a total disaster possibly unmatched in the careers of its talented stars.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Literary mysteries are harder to adapt for the big screen than one might assume. The trick is to make audiences feel like they’re discovering secrets right alongside the characters. We want to share in their exhilaration, their terror, their epiphanies.

CHICAGO – Only those completely unaware of any happenings in the world of film and DVD would still be unaware that “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” is hitting stores tomorrow, March 20th, 2010, with some outlets even holding parties tonight in advance of a midnight sale. Of course, we have our copy already and are here to break down what to expect when you finally get your hands on it.

CHICAGO – Maybe a film called “Ninja Assassin” starring Korean pop star Rain would be some people’s idea of a good time, but not mine. The best martial arts films are the ones that delve into the psychology of a warrior, turning grandstanding set-pieces into the artful externalization of his (or her) inner battles. “Ninja Assassin” may contain lots of martial arts, but the film is as much a work of art as a McDonald’s Happy Meal.