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
DVD Review: TV Season Sets Including ‘Entourage,’ ‘The Closer,’ ‘HawthoRNe’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 16, 2010 - 10:43pmCHICAGO – The wave of TV on DVD sets that always comes crashing down upon us after the end of a traditional September-to-May season is still a few months off, but a few interesting releases have popped up recently and we thought they each deserved a mini-review for potential fans out there looking for something new now that their DVRs have gotten pretty empty. Take notes, there might be a test at the end.
Interview: Foxy! Pam Grier Remembers ‘My Life in Three Acts’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 16, 2010 - 1:24pmCHICAGO – Pam Grier has a strong, peaceful aura. After inventing the female action hero in her early 1970s hits “Coffy” and “Foxy Brown,” Grier has navigated her life through optimistic success. She was in Chicago for a book signing at Borders State Street, promoting ‘Foxy: My Life in Three Acts.”
Theater Interview: Looking ‘Up’ With ‘Fuerza Bruta’ Creator Diqui James
Submitted by Alissa Norby on June 15, 2010 - 1:37pmCHICAGO – The confetti-filled, fist-pumping import “Fuerza Bruta: Look Up” recently stormed into Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre stage. Lauded by audiences as an experience the bridges the gap between the fervor of a night club and the aesthetics of traditional theatre, the production is known for its use of 360 degree spectacle. Diqui James, the co-creator and Artistic Director of the piece, recently caught of with ShowBiz Chicago to discuss the concept of the hands-on “Fuerza Bruta”, and why the art may just be in the discovery.
Blu-Ray Review: Park Chan-wook’s ‘Vengeance Trilogy’ Earns Amazing Release
Submitted by BrianTT on June 15, 2010 - 12:26pmCHICAGO – Park Chan-wook’s “Vengeance Trilogy” stands as one of the most essential cinematic achievements of the new millennium and should be seen anyone who dares call himself a movie fan. The three thematically linked films (although not sequels in a traditional sense) — “Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance,” “Oldboy,” and “Lady Vengeance” — have been collected in a gorgeous, extras-packed, simply spectacular release from Palisades Tartan that is now available to all after a limited exclusive deal with Best Buy for the last few months. If you haven’t already, buy it. Now.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: VIP Prize Packs For History Channel’s ‘Top Shot’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 14, 2010 - 10:33pmCHICAGO – In this edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV, we have three VIP prize packs up for grabs to History Channel’s new TV show “Top Shot” from director Adam Vetri!
Video Game Review: Rock Out With ‘Green Day: Rock Band’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 14, 2010 - 4:51pmCHICAGO – Harmonix and MTV Games took something of a surprising turn after the massive success of last year’s best music game, “The Beatles: Rock Band,” by choosing the follow-up band from a very different arena of radio rock and announcing “Green Day: Rock Band.” With dozens of bands on player’s wish lists of who they would love to get the “Beatles Treatment,” many were surprised that Green Day was chosen as the follow-up group.
DVD Review: ‘Elvis 75th Birthday Collection’ Seven-Movie Set
Submitted by BrianTT on June 14, 2010 - 2:52pmCHICAGO – Attention Elvis Presley fans. Coming out a few months after what would have been his actual birthday on January 8th is the “Elvis 75th Birthday Collection” from 20th Century Fox, which includes seven of the King’s films in one set. With a few hits and a few more unheralded gems, the “75th Birthday Collection” has a very low price point (under $6 a movie) that might make it the perfect Father’s Day gift choice for the patriarch in your family.
DVD Review: ‘The A-Team: The Complete Series’ Collector Set
Submitted by BrianTT on June 14, 2010 - 2:04pmCHICAGO – The 2010 version of “The A-Team” (read our review here) may have been a bit of a disappointment at the box office this weekend (producers learned that there’s only space for one ’80s throwback per weekend as Hannibal and B.A. got their ass kicked by “The Karate Kid” — read our review here), but enough people saw it that it probably inspired a bit of nostalgia for the original show or interest by a younger generation who may not be sure why Mr. T. was famous. Collectors should immediately track down the awesomely-packaged “The A-Team: The Complete Series.”
Interview: Carl Sondrol, Music Scorer of Webby Award-Winning Shorts
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 13, 2010 - 8:31amCHICAGO – Carl Sondrol is on a huge winning streak. The musician, composer and soundtrack scorer for CollegeHumor.com is a vital part of the Webby Award winning shorts “Web Site Story” and “Pixar Intro Parody.” His work has also expanded into television, short films and feature films.
TV Review: ‘True Blood’ Promises Bloody Good Time This Summer
Submitted by BrianTT on June 11, 2010 - 3:50pmCHICAGO – Vampire and werewolf fans may be counting the days until the release of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” at the end of this month but HBO’s spectacular “True Blood” returns this weekend with an excellent start to a third season of one of the most unusual and consistently entertaining shows on television.
Blu-Ray Review: Still-Hilarious ‘Caddyshack’ a Perfect Father’s Day Gift
Submitted by BrianTT on June 11, 2010 - 3:12pmCHICAGO – The best comedies are just as funny decades after they were released as the day they come out. Watch “Blazing Saddles” for the perfect example. Or “Young Frankenstein”. Or even “Caddyshack,” a film that’s not in the league of the absolute best but is still hysterically funny three decades after its release, a fact made clear by a fantastic Blu-ray release hitting stores just in time for Father’s Day.
Plan Comes Together For Entertaining Action of ‘The A-Team’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 11, 2010 - 10:35amCHICAGO – “Overkill is underrated.” So says Col. Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson) near the end of Joe Carnahan’s “The A-Team” and it clearly was the operating principle for not just the characters but the entire production.
‘The Little Traitor’ Succumbs to Shameless Manipulation
Submitted by BrianTT on June 11, 2010 - 9:45am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Here’s a story so sweet and so well-intentioned that it practically dares you not to like it. It’s mighty tempting to give it a pass purely on the basis of its premise, which is vital, timely and quite moving. If this story were told by a filmmaker less intent on yanking audience’s heartstrings until they snapped, it may have provided the foundation for a great and important film.
