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Interview: Rose Byrne, Hugh Dancy For ‘Adam’ on Being ‘Mind Blind’ With Asperger’s

CHICAGO – People who have been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, which is on the autistic spectrum, are sometimes described as being “mind blind”. In other words, they often don’t understand what people are thinking.

Blu-Ray Review: Tony Jaa’s ‘Ong Bak’ Films in HD

Ong Bak 2

CHICAGO – Even casual fans of the martial arts genre would be blown away by the action of the legendary Tony Jaa in “Ong Bak 2: The Beginning”. The drama of the piece is a little disappointing, but the action is ridiculously consistent and entertaining. The sequel along with the original 2005 “Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior” are now available on Blu-ray.

Video Game Review: Dive Into Wildly Entertaining ‘Bioshock 2’

CHICAGO – It’s time to dive back into the world of Rapture, the setting of one of the most anticipated releases of 2010, “Bioshock 2,” the sequel to 2007’s game of the year. Wildly entertaining without being particularly groundbreaking, “Bioshock 2” could be considered a slight disappointment when compared to the first game, but then again so could most titles.

Blu-Ray Review: Every True Movie Fan Must Own ‘GoodFellas’

GoodFellas

CHICAGO – Very, very few movies are as immensely rewatchable as Martin Scorsese’s masterful “GoodFellas,” now released on Blu-ray in a twentieth anniversary edition timed to coincide with the theatrical release of “Shutter Island” this Friday. One of the most influential films of the ’90s is one of those rare works that has lost absolutely none of its power.

DVD Round Up, Feb. 17, 2010: ‘Good Hair,’ ‘Blood Creek’

Blood Creek

CHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com’s regular Round-Up column returns this week with another collection of recently released DVDs that may have slid just a bit below your radar while you were busy buying Valentine’s Day cards and candy. We’re not necessarily recommending these titles, merely presenting their details for your awareness. You’re welcome.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Stepfather’ Remake Never Justifies Its Existence

The Stepfather Remake

CHICAGO – The original “The Stepfather” is such a product of its era that I have to admit that I went into the remake wondering what on Earth they could do to bring such an ’80s story into the ’00s. The answer turns out to be shockingly little. “The Stepfather” isn’t that bad. In fact, it’s better executed than I expected. It’s just a shadow of the original in that it never justifies its existence.

DVD Review: ‘Turner Classic Movies: Greatest Classic Films Collection’

Greatest Films Collection Romance

CHICAGO – Turner Classic Movies continues their collection of some of their greatest films in four-movie sets, three of which were recently released and distributed by Warner Brothers Home Video under the label “Turner Classic Movies: Greatest Classic Films Collection” with sub-labels of “Romance,” “Marx Brothers,” and “Sci-Fi Classics”.

Blu-Ray Review: Classic B-Movie Horror of ‘The Toolbox Murders’

The Toolbox Murders

CHICAGO – If you’re like me, you forgot how totally weird the cult horror classic “The Toolbox Murders” actually is. Perhaps the dull, by-the-numbers Tobe Hooper remake (with the otherwise great Angela Bettis from “May”) warped our minds, but this is a trippy slasher film, a notable entry in the slasher genre now available in glorious B-movie High-Def for the first time.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Law Abiding Citizen’ Guilty of Incessant Gimmickry

Law Abiding Citizen Blu Ray

CHICAGO – 2009 was a very bad year for Gerard Butler. He has the potential to be one of the most appealing actors in Hollywood, but like Hugh Jackman, he’s usually cast in roles that sap him of all his inherent charisma, such as the obnoxious misogynist in “The Ugly Truth” or the tormented prisoner in “Gamer.” Yet while both of those films were tortuously awful, “Law Abiding Citizen” at least has the germ of a good idea.

‘The Wolfman’ With Benicio Del Toro Misses By a Hair

The Wolfman w/ Blunt
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Joe Johnston’s “The Wolfman” nearly works. The Benicio Del Toro vehicle has a strong supporting cast, a few striking visual compositions, and at least one must-see sequence, but it misses the mark as a complete film, never quite as compelling or entertaining as it could or should have been.

TV Review: Bland ‘How to Make It in America’ Too Familiar

CHICAGO – Ben (Bryan Greenberg) and Cam (Victor Rasuk) could accurately be compared to Vinny and Eric five or six years before they made it big in the first season of “Entourage”.

Blu-Ray Review: Galvanizing ‘Hunger’ Paints Unforgettable Portrait of Revolt

Hunger Blu Ray

CHICAGO – Here’s an art house film more visceral and unsettling than any run-of-the-mill mainstream bloodbath. It’s the feature debut of visual artist Steve McQueen, an unfortunate name for anyone who doesn’t happen to be the star of “Bullitt.” His previous work has been confined to art galleries, and there are countless shots in “Hunger” that could function as standalone artworks.

‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians:The Lightning Thief’ Conjures Up a Big Bolt of Bland

CHICAGO – Oh, those nutty kids today. At one moment they’re regular high schoolers, doing all those post millennium teen rituals, then suddenly they’re demigods in “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.”

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  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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