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CHICAGO – Just as Groucho Marx refused to join any club that would have him as a member, Woody Allen would most likely turn down any invite from an adoring fan club. He’s repeatedly voiced his belief that he doesn’t have a high regard for his own work, and recently told documentarian Robert B. Weide that he could live a life devoid of cinema as long as there was a sports team to follow.

CHICAGO – Could this summer movie season possibly top the last one creatively? Going into Summer 2011, most people were nervous… and with good reason, as there appeared to be far more potential creative and commercial disasters than normal.

CHICAGO – There are two big questions floating around Hollywood at the moment – “How hard is “John Carter” going to flop?” and “How big is “The Hunger Games” going to be?” Because director Gary Ross’ adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ uber-popular dystopian young adult novel has some incredible buzz surrounding its March 23 release.

CHICAGO – One of the great privileges of reporting film and television on HollywoodChicago.com is the opportunity to interview the performers, directors and legends that create movie and TV content.

CHICAGO – Another year, another bunch of people who call themselves Oscar pundits bitching and moaning. It wouldn’t be late January without it.

CHICAGO – Last week, we gave you a list of the top ten video games of 2011. With a list that included “Arkham City,” “Dead Space 2,” “Portal 2,” “Skyrim,” and “Uncarted 3” 2011 definitely had some highlights, but, as mentioned in the previous article, 2011 will not go down as one of the greatest years in game history. There were some very fine games, but overall, games seemed to be lacking a bit…at least compared to 2010.

CHICAGO – We may already be planning our 2012 gaming experience (and watch for a piece next week on HC’s most-anticipated games), but there’s still time (before “Mass Effect 3” takes over our lives) to look back at the year that was and ask the key questions — Was 2011 a good year for gamers? What were the highlights? Let us guide the way with our ten favorite games of last year (and ten runner-ups).

CHICAGO – Here’s the best news for TV fans — there’s reason again to be excited about our favorite distraction. After a few years of lackluster freshman classes, the just-ended year was simply an amazing one — eight out of my top twenty shows of 2011, a whopping forty percent, are new offerings.

CHICAGO – With 2012 staring us in the face like a bad movie concept (oops), it’s time to go over the worst films of 2011, if only to purge the refuse from our souls. If you think film critiquing is martinis with F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald – or the plot to “Midnight in Paris” – then strap in and read on.

CHICAGO – Some films never get a fair shot with audiences. They open in a handful of art house theaters scattered throughout the country before inconspicuously landing on DVD. Passionate movie lovers are left with the task of championing these unjustly obscure titles and helping them to acquire the audience they deserve.