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
TV Review: NBC’s Hilarious ‘Community’ Returns For Second Season
Submitted by BrianTT on September 23, 2010 - 10:35amCHICAGO – NBC’s “Community” took some time to find its comic rhythm but it has developed into one of the smartest and most expertly-paced sitcoms on television. The Joel McHale vehicle returns tonight, September 23rd, 2010 for a very-important start to its second season. If it can find the audience it deserves, “Community” could be on for years. It certainly should be.
TV Review: ‘$#*! My Dad Says’ With William Shatner is Lost in Translation
Submitted by BrianTT on September 23, 2010 - 8:53amCHICAGO – Laugh tracks are a dying breed. Think of classic, full-throttle laugh tracks from “The Jeffersons,” “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Full House.”
TV Review: ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Opens New Season With a Whimper
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 23, 2010 - 7:53amCHICAGO – If “The Big Bang Theory” is truly among the better sitcoms in prime-time, that’s saying a great deal about the current state of television comedy. I was genuinely interested in checking out this show after hearing the rapturous response from viewers and critics, and especially after seeing co-star Jim Parsons snag the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series away from Alec Baldwin.
TV Review: ‘Cougar Town’ Season Premiere With Jennifer Aniston
Submitted by BrianTT on September 22, 2010 - 2:59pmCHICAGO – Courteney Cox returns tonight to try and overcome the perception that her very-clever and consistently-improving “Cougar Town” is not a success. What better way to make instant waves than to bring former co-star on “Friends” Jennifer Aniston to the party? The result is yet-another funny half-hour of television for a program that seems to get better by the week.
Interview: Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Ortiz Propel ‘Jack Goes Boating’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 22, 2010 - 1:56pmCHICAGO – When Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Ortiz were working on Bob Glaudini’s dramatic play “Jack Goes Boating,” they mentioned the cinematic potential of the project to each other on multiple occasions. Through a series of events, “Boating” would become Hoffman’s directorial debut, opening in Chicago this Friday, September 24th, 2010.
TV Review: ABC’s ‘The Whole Truth’ Promises Complete Dramatic Experience
Submitted by BrianTT on September 22, 2010 - 1:51pmCHICAGO – Every year, there’s a program or two for which it is strikingly easy to recognize exactly what people will love about it and what many will equally hate about it. Said programs are usually the product of creators with strong and identifiable styles and Jerry Bruckheimer is certainly one of those. Even casual fans would recognize his slick approach to the medium and your tolerance for that is going to determine your judgment on ABC’s “The Whole Truth,” a program that works for me but might not work for you.
Movie News: Preview Night For 2010 Chicago International Film Festival
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 22, 2010 - 11:50amCHICAGO – The 2010 Chicago International Film Festival kicked off it’s 46th year with a preview party last night at the Lucky Strike Lounge, next to the location where all the films will be shown, AMC River East 21 on Illinois Street. Founder and Artistic Director Michael Kutza introduced staff members who highlighted the various cinema categories offered by the festival, and then presented a roster of notable films to be shown.
TV Review: Little Defense For Awful ‘The Defenders’ With Jim Belushi
Submitted by BrianTT on September 22, 2010 - 10:32amCHICAGO – Calling CBS’ “The Defenders” a drama might be a bit of a stretch. But it’s not funny enough to be a comedy either. Instead it falls into the limp valley in between choosing an occasional bit of manipulation to try and qualify as drama but also relying heavily on the comic timing of its stars, Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell, but failing as both.
TV Review: ‘Better With You’ Could Not Be Much Worse
Submitted by BrianTT on September 22, 2010 - 9:28amCHICAGO – The programming executive that thought “Better With You” would fit well between the reasonably-good “The Middle” and the spectacular “Modern Family” clearly has no idea how television comedy has changed in the last few years. To call “Better With You” — with its laugh track, cheesy music, and horrible punchlines — old-fashioned is an insult to nostalgic comedies. It’s just bad.
Interview: French Filmmaker Gaspar Noé Dares to ‘Enter the Void’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 22, 2010 - 8:42amCHICAGO – Few films have conveyed the sensation of an out-of-body experience quite like “Enter the Void,” the latest feature from French filmmaker Gaspar Noé, who continues to be one of the most controversial and innovative filmmakers in modern cinema.
TV Review: J.J. Abrams-Produced ‘Undercovers’ is Stylish, Familiar
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 22, 2010 - 7:35amCHICAGO – The timing of “Undercovers” might be inopportune — the notion of CIA super spies adding to the deficit by overextending their expense accounts — yet the show itself is bright and exciting with beautiful actors and settings. But despite the presence of J.J. Abrams of “Lost,” it doesn’t break any new ground.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Hurry! First-Come, First-Served Chicago Passes For ‘Buried’ With Ryan Reynolds
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 21, 2010 - 7:25pmCHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have a first-come, first-served amount of admit-two advance-screening passes up for grabs to the new film “Buried” with Ryan Reynolds!
Interview: Director Jonathan Parker Reveals Art Behind ‘(Untitled)’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 21, 2010 - 2:29pmCHICAGO – One of the great overlooked films of 2009 was the slyly titled “(Untitled).” Jonathan Parker, the writer/director of the film, fashions a sharp yet human tale about the world of art galleries and the next-big-thing. The (Untitled) DVD and Blu-Ray is being released on September 21st, 2010.
